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Nairobi/New York, May 10, 2024 – The annual UN Civil Society Conference was held for the first time in Africa, in the capital of Kenya, with the participation of thousands of participants representing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other entities involved in UN activities.

The Planning Committee of the conference said the event “offers civil society organizations an opportunity to put a global perspective on a specific issue and brings together senior UN System officials, prominent international civil society organizations, youth changemakers, academia, public opinion makers, and international media to discuss issues of global concern.”

It said the conference was held to provide preliminary discussions and data ahead of the Summit of the Future September 22-23, 2024 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The UN defines the Summit of the Future as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments including to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that is better positioned to positively impact people’s lives.”

UN News reported that Maher Nasser, Director of the UN communication department’s Outreach Division, said more than 3,600 civil society representatives from 2,750 entities had registered for the conference, along with around 400 representatives of 64 governments, seven inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), 37 UN entities and over 100 media reporters.  In addition, 70 per cent of those registered were from Africa and 40 per cent of all registrations were youth, in the age group 18 to 34. Climate was the top issue for youth registrants.

UN: Africa is exploited for its minerals

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his address that the conference provides an impetus to the Summit of the Future.

“Civil society is central to the Summit’s aims: advancing sustainable development; unlocking finance; and reshaping multilateralism for the 21st century. I am delighted by the diverse participation at this conference, including many young people and representatives from African countries. Their contribution is vital.”

“Because our world is facing multiple crises. And Africa is suffering – disproportionately. This continent is being blasted by extreme weather, turbocharged by a climate crisis it has done next to nothing to create: From lethal floods in the East, to deadly droughts in the South.”

But he said Africa could be a “renewables giant” as it is home to 30 percent of minerals critical to renewables and 60 percent of the world’s best solar resources while it received just 2 percent of renewables investment in recent decades.

“And too often, countries and communities with critical energy transition minerals are exploited, and relegated to the bottom of the value chain,” Guterres said.

The UN chief said the UN is fighting for climate justice, pointing to the work of the new Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals which is tasked to develop voluntary principles to ensure developing countries receive maximum benefit.

“We are calling for developing countries to honor their promises on climate finance – including funding to help countries prepare for the worst of climate chaos, for significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund, for action to reform the multilateral development banks so that finance flows to climate action, and for the G20 to lead efforts to slash emissions and accelerate a just global phase-out of fossil fuel,” he said.

UN News reported also that Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, said in a video message to the Nairobi conference that civil society has a “strong voice” in its support of UN goals.

“You fight for global justice, for social justice and for climate justice,” she said. “For peace, for gender equality, for human rights and for the Sustainable Development Goals,” Mohammed said, adding: “You stand in solidarity with the vulnerable and the marginalized. This Conference is a testament to the strong voice of civil society, despite rising threats and shrinking space.”

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World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3^rd each year by the United Nations. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 99 journalists and media workers killed in 2023, 21 killed in 2024, 320 imprisoned in 2023 and 65 missing globally. A WorldPress Freedom DayJoint Statement was issued by the Presidents of the UN General Assembly, General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UN Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council. (Following is the joint statement).

Santiago de Chile, May 3, 2024 – Thirty years ago, the inaugural World Press Freedom Day was commemorated in Santiago de Chile, marked by the adoption of the historic Santiago Declaration. This event ushered in a new era dedicated to promoting the fundamental right of freedom of expression and press freedom, alongside the promotion of a free, independent, and pluralistic media, building on the United Nations General Assembly’s acknowledgement, in 1946, that freedom of information is a fundamental human right.

Today, inspired by the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, we emphasize the pivotal role of freedom of expression in enabling journalists, media workers, environmental activists, scientists, and citizens to promote the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and raise awareness about climate change, environmental challenges and degradation, in the pursuit of sustainable development.

In this regard, we emphasize that States have the obligation to respect, protect and promote human rights, including in all actions undertaken to address environmental challenges; and to take measures to protect the human rights of all, as recognized in various international instruments.

Additional measures should also be taken for those particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, noting the Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment.

Access to accurate and timely information, enabled by a free, independent, and pluralistic media, stands as a cornerstone for raising public awareness, fostering informed debate and decision-making, countering misinformation and disinformation, and ultimately galvanizing collective action towards the attainment of the Goals, in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In this regard, we acknowledge UNESCO’s continued commitment to ensure that World Press Freedom Day is a truly multistakeholder and diverse platform, where all relevant actors can raise their voices to protect and promote freedom of expression and achieve sustainable development.

As we navigate the final years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we call on Member States and all stakeholders to reaffirm their commitments to the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information.

Recognizing the urgent imperative to address climate change, environmental degradation, as well as economic and social challenges that imperil the well-being of present and future generations, we underscore the paramount importance of freedom of expression and access to information in effectively navigating and mitigating these pressing issues. In an era marked by escalating environmental challenges and the triple planetary crises, accompanied by unprecedented levels of mis/disinformation, the media’s role as a watchdog, and a catalyst for action cannot be overstated.

On the World Press Freedom Day, we reaffirm our commitment to the safety of journalists, and the defense of freedom of opinion and expression as a fundamental human right. Our ongoing efforts underscore the vital link between press freedom and societies where truth can flourish free from mis- and disinformation. The United Nations Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures rigorously support initiatives that ensure journalists and media workers can work free from harm, recognizing that access to information and the work of journalists and media workers are essential for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We also recognize the role of journalists and media workers, including women, in raising public awareness about climate change, environmental and disaster issues.

The discussions on the occasion of this World Press Freedom Day are important to inform crucial processes, such as the 2024 High-Level political forum on sustainable development, the Summit of the Future, COP29, and other major United Nations conferences.

We further urge Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence, intimidation, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers. We condemn the killings of journalists and media workers everywhere, including in conflict situations. We also strongly condemn any attempts to harass, intimidate, attack, or arbitrarily detain journalists and media workers.

Furthermore, we advocate for the strengthening of policies that promote free, independent, and pluralistic media, thereby fostering a vibrant and robust public sphere, a pillar of peaceful, just, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous societies.

Finally, we emphasize that the improper or malicious design and use of artificial intelligence systems can undermine information integrity, that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected, and promoted in this era of artificial intelligence, and further call upon all Member States and other stakeholders to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems in an inclusive and equitable manner, and for the benefit of all.

Francis Dennis, President of the UN General Assembly

Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the General Conference of UNESCO

Paula Narváez, President of the Economic and Social Council

Omar Zniber, President of the Human Rights Council

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Rome/New York, April 27, 2024 – A new study by 16 UN agencies and international organizations said close to 282 million people suffered acute hunger in 2023 in 59 countries, a situation that worsened in recent years with the deadly Covid19 pandemic, wars, climate extremes and economic shocks.

The study, entitled Global Report on Food Crisis 2024 (GRFC), said acute hunger has remained “persistently high” from 2016 to 2023 and it called for action to break the cycle of food crises. The UN, governments and organizations have escalated measures to address acute hunger, but the number of people suffering hunger have remained high beginning of 2024, particularly in Gaza, Afghanistan, and some African nations like Sudan, which cast a worrying shadow over this year.

Read report Global Report on Food Crises 2024 (GRFC).

The Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is a party to the Global Network Against Food Crisis, said in its website that children and women are at the forefront of these hunger crises, with over 36 million children under 5 years of age acutely malnourished across 32 countries. FAO said acute malnutrition worsened in 2023, particularly among people displaced by conflicts and climate disasters.

The global network urgently “calls for a transformative approach that integrates peace, prevention and development action alongside at-scale emergency efforts to break the cycle of acute hunger which remains at unacceptably high levels.”

“This crisis demands an urgent response,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “Using the data in this report to transform food systems and address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition will be vital.”

 The report is “a roll call of human failings,” and that “in a world of plenty, children are starving to death. The conflicts erupting over the past 12 months compound a dire global situation.” Guterres said in the report’s foreword.

“When we talk about acute food insecurity, we are talking about hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to people’s livelihoods and lives. This is hunger that threatens to slide into famine and cause widespread death,” said Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva.

The UN said the report is the flagship publication of the Food Security Information Network and is based on a collaboration of 16 partners including U.N. agencies like FAO, UNICEF and WFP, and regional and multinational bodies, the European Union, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and technical organizations.

It said the overall percentage of people defined as dangerously food insecure in 2023 was 1.2 per cent lower than in 2022, the problem has worsened significantly since the COVID-19 crisis. When the coronavirus hit in late 2019, around one in six people in 55 countries faced worrying food insecurity levels, compared with one in five just a year later, the report said.

The report said 105 million people in 48 countries suffered acute hunger in 2016 and the number increased to 137.4 million in 53 countries in 2019. The number increased to 155 million in 55 countries in 2020, 192 million in 53 countries in 2021, 257 million in 58 countries 2022 and close to 282 million in 59 countries in 2023.

“Tackling persistent food crises requires urgent long-term national and international investment to transform food systems and boost agricultural and rural development alongside greater crisis preparedness and critical lifesaving assistance at scale, where people need it most. Peace and prevention must also become an integral part of the longer-term food systems transformation. Without this, people will continue to face a lifetime of hunger and the most vulnerable will starve,” the report said.

It said, “Since 2023, needs have outpaced available resources. Humanitarian operations are now desperately overstretched, with many being forced to scale-down and further cut support to the most vulnerable.  More equitable and effective global economic governance is imperative and must be matched with government led plans that seek to reduce and end hunger.”

Turning to 2024, the report warned that around 1.1 million people in Gaza, where the Israel-Hamas war is on its seven month, and 79,000 people in South Sudan are facing famine. In addition, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Mali are also facing catastrophic hunger. In Sudan where conflict erupted in April, 2024, the report said 20.3 million people – or 42 per cent of the population – are struggling to find enough to eat daily.

Climate extremes contributed to food shortage. The report pointed out that the El Nino phenomenon, which peaked in early 2024, is a “full impact on food security – including flooding and poor rain in parts of east Africa and drought in southern Africa, especially Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe – are like to manifest throughout the year.”

Governments and organizations join force to fight hunger

The Italian government has called for a debate to address the problem and to reinforce collective impact after the publication of the report.

“Looking ahead, the convergence of intensifying conflict and insecurity, the devastating impact of extreme weather events driven mainly by El Niño, and inflation casts a shadow over the outlook for 2024, with crises such as the Sudan and Gaza facing the worst deterioration and the highest severity, requiring immediate action to avert the looming threat of famine,” it said.

Italy said a range of bold and innovative commitments and investment in key partnership initiatives designed to facilitate their realization has been made by the international community that includes the G20 Matera Declaration, the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact, the US Road Map for Food Security and the EU Team Europe Response to the global food crisis. (By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

Read the concept note on the debate: Concept Note_GRFC_NY_220424_v1

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Food waste is a “global tragedy” while millions of people face severe food insecurity. The UN Environment Programme says in a report that an estimated 19% of food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, were wasted. Following is a press release.

Nairobi, 27 March 2024 –  Households across all continents wasted over 1 billion meals a day in 2022, while 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity. Food waste continues to hurt the global economy and fuel climate change, nature loss, and pollution. These are the key findings of a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report published today, ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste.

The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, co-authored with WRAP,provides the most accurate global estimate on food waste at retail and consumer levels. It provides guidance for countries on improving data collection and suggests best practices in moving from measuring to reducing food waste. 

In 2022 there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts), amounting to 132 kilograms per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers. Out of the total food wasted in 2022, 60 per cent happened at the household level, with food services responsible for 28 per cent and retail 12 per cent.

“Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Not only is this a major development issue, but the impacts of such unnecessary waste are causing substantial costs to the climate and nature. The good news is we know if countries prioritise this issue, they can significantly reverse food loss and waste, reduce climate impacts and economic losses, and accelerate progress on global goals.”

Since 2021, there’s been a strengthening of the data infrastructure with more studies tracking food waste. Globally, the number of data points at the household level almost doubled. Nevertheless, many low- and middle-income countries continue to lack adequate systems for tracking progress to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.

Only four G20 countries (Australia, Japan, UK, the USA) and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030. Canada and Saudi Arabia have suitable household estimates, with Brazil’s estimate expected late 2024. In this context, the report serves as a practical guide for countries to consistently measure and report food waste.

The data confirms that food waste is not just a ‘rich country’ problem, with levels of household food waste differing in observed average levels for high-income, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries by just 7 kg per capita. At the same time, hotter countries appear to generate more food waste per capita in households, potentially due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts and a lack of robust cold chains.

According to recent data, food loss and waste generates 8-10 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – almost 5 times that of the aviation sector – and significant biodiversity loss by taking up the equivalent of almost a third of the world’s agricultural land. The toll of both food loss and waste on the global economy is estimated at roughly USD 1 trillion.

Urban areas are expected to particularly benefit from efforts to strengthen food waste reduction and circularity. Rural areas generally waste less food, with greater diversion of food scraps to pets, livestock, and home composting as likely explanations.

As of 2022, only 21 countries have included food loss and/or waste reduction in their national climate plans (NDCs). The 2025 NDCs revision process provides a key opportunity to raise climate ambition by integrating food loss and waste. The Food Waste Index Report underscores the urgency of addressing food waste at both individual and systemic levels.

Robust baselines and regular measurement are needed for countries to show changes over time. Thanks to implementation of policies and partnerships, countries such as Japan and the UK show that change at scale is possible, with reductions of 31 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.

“With the huge cost to the environment, society, and global economies caused by food waste, we need greater coordinated action across continents and supply chains. We support UNEP in calling for more G20 countries to measure food waste and work towards SDG12.3,” said Harriet Lamb, CEO of WRAP.

“This is critical to ensuring food feeds people, not landfills. Public-Private Partnerships are one key tool delivering results today, but they require support: whether philanthropic, business, or governmental, actors must rally behind programmes addressing the enormous impact wasting food has on food security, our climate, and our wallets.”

UNEP maintains tracking country-level progress to halve food waste by 2030, with a growing focus on solutions beyond measurement towards reduction. One such solution is systemic action through public-private partnerships (PPPs): Bringing the public sector, private sector and non-government to work together, identify bottlenecks, co-develop solutions, and drive progress.

Appropriate financing can enable PPPs to deliver farm-to-fork reductions in food waste, drive down GHGs emissions and water stress, while sharing best practices and encouraging innovation for long-term, holistic change. PPPs on food loss and waste are growing worldwide, including in Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, and in the UK where they have helped cut over a quarter of household food waste per capita from 2007-18.

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About WRAP
WRAP is a global NGO based in the UK. It is one of the UK’s top 5 environmental charities and works with governments, businesses and individuals to ensure that the world’s natural resources are used sustainably. Founded in 2000 in the UK, WRAP now works around the world and is a Global Alliance Partner of The Royal Foundation’s Earthshot Prize.

For more information please contact: News and Media Unit UN Environment Programme

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New York, March 20, 2024 – Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia top the list of 143 countries in the World Happiness Report 2024 and some of them have been there since before the Covid pandemic, particularly the Nordic countries.

Issued on the annual International Day of Happiness, the report showed Finland remaining at the top while Afghanistan ranked last in the list this year.

Following the top 10 are Eastern European countries, Czechia, Lithuania and Slovenia, where the report said happiness is rising. But the United States and Germany have fallen in the rankings.

Other rankings, including developed countries, are: the United Kingdom (20th), the United States (23^rd), Germany (24^th), France (27^th), Singapore (30^th), Japan (51^st), China (60^th), Russia (72^nd) and India (126^th).

Read World Happiness Report 2024.

Editors of the World Happiness Report said it reflects a “worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and well-being as criteria for government policy” and to review the state of happiness today and to show how the science of happiness explains personal and national variations of happiness.

The report is a partnership of Gallup World Poll, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the report’s Editorial Board.

March 20 each year was proclaimed The International Day of Happiness by the UN General Assembly in 2013 by adopting a resolution sponsored by Bhutan. The UN said Bhutan recognized the value of happiness as the foundation of an inclusive and equitable society, and in 2008 it enshrined Gross National Happiness in the country’s constitution as the primary goal of the government, rather than the pursuit of economic indicators such as Gross National Product.

“Longitudinal studies have shown that happiness can have positive effects on health and life span,” the UN said. “Of course, there are many factors that impact how long we live but having a positive outlook and a general sense of well-being have been linked to longevity. So what will make you happy, according to studies?  It’s not money or material things, at least not in the long run.  Studies have shown that the things that bring lasting happiness include strong relationships, helping others, expressing gratitude and meditating.”

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