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J. Tuyet Nguyen, a journalist with years of experience, has covered major stories in New York City and the United Nations for United Press International, the German Press Agency dpa and various newspapers. His reports focused mostly on topics with international interests for readers worldwide. He was president of the United Nations Correspondents Association (2007 and 2008), which is composed of more than 250 journalists representing world media with influence over policy decision makers. He has chaired the organization of the annual UNCA Awards, which seeks to reward journalists around the world who have done the best broadcasts and written reports on the UN and its specialized agencies. He has traveled the world to cover events and write stories, from politics to the environment as well cultures of different regions. But his most important reporting work has been with the United Nations since the early 1980s. He was bureau chief of United Press International office at the UN headquarters before joining dpa in 1997. Prior to working at the UN, he was an editor on the International Desk of UPI World Headquarters in New York. He worked in Los Angeles and covered the final months of war in Vietnam for UPI.

UPDATE: UN sets up coordination center in Istanbul to speed up Ukraine’s wheat exports

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Istanbul/New York, July 27 – A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) comprising representatives of the United Nations, Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye was set up in a collective effort to resume shipments of Ukraine’s wheat and food products and Russian fertilizers to countries that need those commodities.

The UN said the JCC will facilitate the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed on July 22 in Istanbul to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor that will allow shipments of grain, food stuffs and fertilizers stuck in Black Sea ports in Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny since Russian military invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year. It said the center will monitor the movement of commercial vessels to ensure compliance with the initiative; focus on exporting bulk commercial grain and related food commodities, ensure the on-site control and monitoring of cargo from Ukrainian ports; and report on shipments facilitated through the initiative.

Speaking in Istanbul after swiftly forming the JCC, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said: “The swift opening of the Joint Coordination Centre was made possible with the invaluable support from Türkiye in providing the parties with a physical platform to help operationalize the Black Sea Grain initiative, and with the commitment by the Russian Federation and Ukraine in nominating and sending quickly their senior representatives to work together, directly and in partnership, in implementing the agreement.”

 “I am hopeful that their swift collective action will translate quickly and directly into much-needed relief for the most vulnerable food insecure people around the world,” he said.

Griffiths said Frederick J. Kenney, who is currently serving as the Director of Legal and External Affairs at the International Maritime Organization in London, will represent the UN as an interim representative in the JCC.

 “It is extremely encouraging to see the parties focusing on implementing the initiative,” Kenney said at the opening ceremony of JCC. “Work at the center is non-stop with the aim to see the first shipments heading out of Ukrainian ports quickly, safely and effectively.”

The JCC was set up shortly after a deal was signed on July 22 to export foods from Ukraine and Russia in an effort to stabilize global food prices. The agreement to export Ukraine’s food products and Russian food and fertilizer to the rest of the world through the Black Sea would help stabilize global food prices, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a signing ceremony with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

The Black Sea Initiative would free 22 million tons of grain and food products blocked at Black Sea ports since February 24 this year. Russia and Ukraine’s wheat and Russian fertilizer are major commodities needed in developing countries.

“It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine,” Guterres said. “And it will help stabilize global food prices which were already at record levels even before the war – a true nightmare for developing countries.”

Guterres said the agreement will allow shipments of high volume of commercial food exports from the Ukrainian ports in Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny and urged full implementation of the deal.

“We count on the government of Türkiye to maintain its critical role going forward,” he said. “I am here to pledge the full commitment of the United Nations. I urge all sides to spare no effort to implement their commitments. We must also spare no effort for peace. This is an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in bloody conflict. But that conflict continues.”

At the signing ceremony with the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate deals with Guterres and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

The Commodity Markets Outlook released by the World Bank in April this year showed that Russia’s war in Ukraine has impacted on commodity markets with an increase in prices in energy, fertilizer and foods, which were already rising in the past two years.

It said the Ukraine war’s impact could be longer-lasting than previous shocks because price increases have been broad-based across all fuels and price increases of some commodities are also driving up prices of other commodities.

UN agencies said in a report released on July 6 that the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report provided fresh evidence that the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.

The 2022 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report presented updates on the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including the latest estimates of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet. The report also looks at ways in which governments can repurpose their current support to agriculture to reduce the cost of healthy diets, mindful of the limited public resources available in many parts of the world. The news release was jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

By J. Tuyet Nguyen

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World population to reach 8 billion in November; India to become world’s most populous country

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New York, July 11 – Despite a deep drop in fertility rates to below 1 per cent in 2020 and after a period of slowest population growth since 1950, the global population is projected to reach 8 billion by mid-November this year and grow to 8.5 billion in 2030, the United Nations said in World Population Prospects 2022.

India and China are the world’s most populous countries with over 1.4 billion each in 2022, but India’s population will surpass that number during 2023, the new report said. It said the rates of population growth vary significantly across countries and regions. India and China accounted for most of the population in Asia in 2022: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people (29 per cent of the global population), and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion (26 per cent).

For more information: https://bit.ly/3Hqihke

The report said more than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Populations of Australia and New Zealand, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) are expected to experience slower growth through the end of the century. The populations of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Central and Southern Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Northern America are projected to reach their peak size and to begin to decline before 2100.

The 46 least developed countries (LDCs) are among the world’s fastest growing. Many are projected to double in population between 2022 and 2050.

Following is a press release from United Nations, Department of Global Communications

World population to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022

Amid falling growth rates, global population projected to peak around 10.4 billion in the 2080s

New York, 11 July – The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022, and India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, according to World Population Prospects 2022, released today on World Population Day.

“This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.  “At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” he added.

The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 per cent in 2020. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.

World Population Prospects 2022 also states that fertility has fallen markedly in recent decades for many countries. Today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a population with low mortality. The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1 per cent or more between 2022 and 2050, owing to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, elevated rates of emigration.

More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania. Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.

“The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional” said Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “Rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combatting hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult. Conversely, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health, education and gender equality, will contribute to reducing fertility levels and slowing global population growth.”

In most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, the share of population at working age (between 25 and 64 years) has been increasing thanks to recent reductions in fertility. This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita, known as the “demographic dividend”. To maximize the potential benefits of a favourable age distribution, countries should invest in the further development of their human capital by ensuring access to health care and quality education at all ages and by promoting opportunities for productive employment and decent work.

The share of global population at ages 65 and above is projected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2050. At that point, it is expected that the number of persons aged 65 years or over worldwide will be more than twice the number of children under age 5 and about the same as the number under age 12. Countries with ageing populations should take steps to adapt public programmes to the growing numbers of older persons, including by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems and by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems.

Global life expectancy at birth reached 72.8 years in 2019, an improvement of almost 9 years since 1990. Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an average global longevity of around 77.2 years in 2050. Yet in 2021, life expectancy for the least developed countries lagged 7 years behind the global average.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all three components of population change. Global life expectancy at birth fell to 71.0 years in 2021. In some countries, successive waves of the pandemic may have produced short-term reductions in numbers of pregnancies and births, while for many other countries, there is little evidence of an impact on fertility levels or trends. The pandemic severely restricted all forms of human mobility, including international migration.

“Further actions by Governments aimed at reducing fertility would have little impact on the pace of population growth between now and mid-century, because of the youthful age structure of today’s global population. Nevertheless, the cumulative effect of lower fertility, if maintained over several decades, could be a more substantial deceleration of global population growth in the second half of the century,” added John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Hqihke

Media contacts:

Sharon Birch

United Nations Department of Global Communications birchs@un.org

            Bela Hovy United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs hovy@un.org

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UN: Development progress halted or reversed under pandemic, conflicts

New York, July 7 – The COVID-19 pandemic, which entered a third year in 2022, and destructions caused by climate change and conflicts have halted or reversed years or even decades of development progress around the world despite continued data gaps at the national and subnational levels, the United Nations said in a report that analyzed whether its major program known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be achieved by 2030.

The SDGs are topped by the important goals of ending poverty anywhere in the world and ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. The other 15 goals include inclusive and equitable education, gender equality, affordable and sustainable energy for all, combat climate change and protect and restore the ecosystems.

The UN report titled Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals 2022 said that by the end of 2021, more than 5.4 million people worldwide had died as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with estimates suggesting that there were nearly 15 million excess deaths.

See report: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022.pdf

The report said, “Global health systems were overwhelmed and many essential health services were disrupted, posing major health threats and undermining years of progress in fighting other deadly diseases.” It said an additional 75 million to 95 million people will live in extreme poverty in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic levels. Billions of children missed out significantly on schooling and over 100 million more children fell below the minimum proficiency level in reading and in other areas of academic learning.

“This generation of children could lose a combined total of $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value. Struggling with lost jobs, increased burdens of unpaid care work and domestic violence, women have also been disproportionately affected by the socioeconomic fallout from the pandemic.

The report said about 2 billion people were living in conflict-affected countries by the end of 2020 and these numbers have increased since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The war forced more than 5.3 million Ukrainians to flee their country and 7.7 million others were displaced within the country.

Russia and Ukraine are major producers of wheat, fertilizers, minerals and energy but the war stopped shipments of those commodities to countries that needed them the most. The report said at least 50 countries imported 30 per cent of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia, with 36 importing at least 50 per cent, and most of them are African countries or among the least developed countries.

The report said the number of people going hungry and suffering from food insecurity had been gradually rising since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the number higher and exacerbated all forms of malnutrition particularly in children. The war in Ukraine has disrupted the global supply chain, creating the biggest global food crisis since World War II.

Concurrently five United Nations agencies said in their 2022 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World that the number of people affected by hunger globally has risen to as many as 828 million in 2021, which constituted an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition report shows the world is moving backwards in efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition,” the UN report said.

See report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 

This new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN World Food Program and the World Health Organization said the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.

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UN report: Global Hunger Numbers Rose To As Many As 828 Million In 2021

The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition report shows the world is moving backwards in efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. Following is a news release jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rome/New York, July 6 – The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (1), according to a United Nations report that provides fresh evidence that the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.

The 2022 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report presents updates on the food security and nutrition situation around the world, including the latest estimates of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet. The report also looks at ways in which governments can repurpose their current support to agriculture to reduce the cost of healthy diets, mindful of the limited public resources available in many parts of the world.

The numbers paint a grim picture:

As many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021 – 46 million people more from a year earlier and 150 million more from 2019.

After remaining relatively unchanged since 2015, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped in 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, to 9.8 percent of the world population. This compares with 8 percent in 2019 and 9.3 percent in 2020.

·      Around 2.3 billion people in the world (29.3 percent) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021 – 350 million more compared to before the outbreak of the COVID‑19 pandemic. Nearly 924 million people (11.7 percent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years.

·      The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021 – 31.9 percent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6 percent of men – a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020.

·      Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019, reflecting the effects of inflation in consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it.

An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children’s risk of death by up to 12 times. Furthermore, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight.

Progress is being made on exclusive breastfeeding, with nearly 44 percent of infants under six months of age being exclusively breastfed worldwide in 2020. This is still short of the 50 percent target by 2030. Of great concern, two in three children are not fed the minimum diverse diet they need to grow and develop to their full potential.

Looking forward, projections are that nearly 670 million people (8 percent of the world population) will still be facing hunger in 2030 – even if a global economic recovery is taken into consideration. This is a similar number to 2015, when the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition by the end of this decade was launched under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

As this report is being published, the ongoing war in Ukraine, involving two of the biggest global producers of staple cereals, oilseeds and fertilizer, is disrupting international supply chains and pushing up the prices of grain, fertilizer, energy, as well as ready-to-use therapeutic food for children with severe malnutrition. This comes as supply chains are already being adversely affected by increasingly frequent extreme climate events, especially in low-income countries, and has potentially sobering implications for global food security and nutrition.

“This report repeatedly highlights the intensification of these major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks, combined with growing inequalities,” the heads of the five UN agencies (2) wrote in this year’s Foreword. “The issue at stake is not whether adversities will continue to occur or not, but how we must take bolder action to build resilience against future shocks.”

Repurposing agricultural policies

The report notes as striking that worldwide support for the food and agricultural sector averaged almost USD 630 billion a year between 2013 and 2018. The lion share of it goes to individual farmers, through trade and market policies and fiscal subsidies. However, not only is much of this support market-distorting, but it is not reaching many farmers, hurts the environment and does not promote the production of nutritious foods that make up a healthy diet. That’s in part because subsidies often target the production of staple foods, dairy and other animal source foods, especially in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Rice, sugar and meats of various types are most incentivized food items worldwide, while fruits and vegetables are relatively less supported, particularly in some low-income countries.

With the threats of a global recession looming, and the implications this has on public revenues and expenditures, a way to support economic recovery involves the repurposing of food and agricultural support to target nutritious foods where per capita consumption does not yet match the recommended levels for healthy diets.

The evidence suggests that if governments repurpose the resources they are using to incentivize the production, supply and consumption of nutritious foods, they will contribute to making healthy diets less costly, more affordable and equitably for all.

Finally, the report also points out that governments could do more to reduce trade barriers for nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables and pulses.

(1) It is estimated that between 702 and 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021. The estimate is presented as a range to reflect the added uncertainty in data collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The increases are measured with reference to the middle of the projected range (768 million).

(2) For FAO – QU Dongyu, Director-General; for IFAD – Gilbert F. Houngbo, President; for UNICEF – Catherine Russell, Executive Director; for WFP – David Beasley, Executive Director; for WHO – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General.

What they said:

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu: “Low-income countries, where agriculture is key to the economy, jobs and rural livelihoods, have little public resources to repurpose. FAO is committed to continue working together with these countries to explore opportunities for increasing the provision of public services for all actors across agrifood systems.”

IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo: “These are depressing figures for humanity. We continue to move away from our goal of ending hunger by 2030. The ripple effects of the global food crisis will most likely worsen the outcome again next year. We need a more intense approach to end hunger and IFAD stands ready to do its part by scaling up its operations and impact. We look forward to having everyone’s support.”

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell: “The unprecedented scale of the malnutrition crisis demands an unprecedented response. We must double our efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable children have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable diets — and services for the early prevention, detection and treatment of malnutrition. With so many children’s lives and futures at stake, this is the time to step up our ambition for child nutrition – and we have no time to waste.”

WFP Executive Director David Beasley: “There is a real danger these numbers will climb even higher in the months ahead. The global price spikes in food, fuel and fertilizers that we are seeing as a result of the crisis in Ukraine threaten to push countries around the world into famine. The result will be global destabilization, starvation, and mass migration on an unprecedented scale. We have to act today to avert this looming catastrophe.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Every year, 11 million people die due to unhealthy diets. Rising food prices mean this will only get worse.  WHO supports countries’ efforts to improve food systems through taxing unhealthy foods and subsidising healthy options, protecting children from harmful marketing, and ensuring clear nutrition labels. We must work together to achieve the 2030 global nutrition targets, to fight hunger and malnutrition, and to ensure that food is a source of health for all.”

GLOSSARY

Acute food insecurity: food insecurity found in a specified area at a specific point in time and of a severity that threatens lives or livelihoods, or both, regardless of the causes, context or duration. Has relevance in providing strategic guidance to actions that focus on short-term objectives to prevent, mitigate or decrease severe food insecurity.

Hunger: an uncomfortable or painful sensation caused by insufficient energy from diet. Food deprivation. In this report, the term hunger is synonymous with chronic undernourishment and is measured by the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU).

–Malnutrition: an abnormal physiological condition caused by inadequate, unbalanced or excessive intake of macronutrients and/or micronutrients. Malnutrition includes undernutrition (child stunting and wasting, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies) as well as overweight and obesity.

–Moderate food insecurity: a level of severity of food insecurity at which people face uncertainties about their ability to obtain food and have been forced to reduce, at times during the year, the quality and/or quantity of food they consume due to lack of money or other resources. It refers to a lack of consistent access to food, which diminishes dietary quality and disrupts normal eating patterns. Measured based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale.

–Severe food insecurity: a level of severity of food insecurity at which, at some time during the year, people have run out of food, experienced hunger and at the most extreme, gone without food for a day or more. Measured based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale.

–Undernourishment: a condition in which an individual’s habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the amount of dietary energy required to maintain a normal, active, healthy life. The prevalence of undernourishment is used to measure hunger (SDG indicator 2.1.1).
Contacts
:

FAO

Nicholas Rigillo, Communication Officer, nicholas.rigillo@fao.org

WHO

Jin Ni, Communications Officer,

+41 (0)79 791 9098,

jinn@who.int

UNICEF

Helen Wylie, Communication Specialist

+1 917 244 2215

hwylie@unicef.org

IFAD

Alberto Trillo Barca, Communication Officer

a.trillobarca@ifad.org
+39 366 576 3706

WFP

Isheeta Sumra, Communications Officer

isheeta.sumra@wfp.org

+39 347 181 4398

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UN adopts plan to cut road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 per cent

New York, June 30 – The UN General Assembly has adopted a political declaration committing member states to set up policies that will halve the annual number of 1.3 million people killed and 50 million who suffered critical injuries in road traffic accidents by 2030.

The UN said road traffic accidents have become a major mortality cause for people aged 5 to 29 and developing countries are losing 2 to 5 per cent of GDP every year to those accidents.

The 193-nation assembly adopted by consensus the declaration following a high-level debate on global road safety, calling on countries worldwide to set up “national targets to reduce fatalities and serious injuries for all road users with special attention given to the safety needs of those road users who are the most vulnerable to road-related crashes.”

Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th assembly session, said the global plan is “key to reducing deaths and boosting development” and it makes “the best use of our investments in safe transport systems, and aims to halve preventable deaths by 2030.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an address to the assembly that road fatalities are “closely linked to poor infrastructure, unplanned urbanization, lax social protection and health care systems, limited road safety literacy, and persistent inequalities both within and between countries. At the same time, unsafe roads are a key obstacle to development.”

“Traffic accidents can push entire families into poverty through either the loss of a breadwinner or the costs associated with lost income and prolonged medical care.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) called the political declaration a milestone in efforts to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.

“Road safety affects everyone. We step from our homes every day onto roads that take us to our jobs, schools and to meet our vital daily needs. Yet our transport systems remain far too dangerous. No death should be acceptable on our roads. The future of mobility should promote health and well-being, protect the environment and benefit all,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “It will require transformative leadership from the highest levels of government to act on the Political Declaration to make that vision a reality.”

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UN urges coordinated efforts to solve global food crisis at G7 summit

Schloss Elmau, Germany/New York, June 24 – Despite the Ukraine war, an effective solution to the current world’s food crisis requires the reintegration into world markets of food produced by Ukraine as well as Russia’s food and fertilizers, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a summit meeting of the world’s most industrialized nations (G7) in Germany.

Guterres said he has been in “intense contact” with governments in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States, the European Union and other countries to reopen Black Sea ports so wheat produced in Ukraine and Russia, and Russian fertilizers, can be shipped to countries that need those products.

“This is not just a food crisis,” Guterres said in a video link to the G7 summit The Uniting For Global Food Security Conference.“It goes beyond food and requires a coordinated multilateral approach, with multi-dimensional solutions.”

The G7 is composed of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada.

Guterres said hundreds of millions of people on the poverty line have been crushed by the crisis as a result of the pandemic, climate change and Russia’s war in Ukraine and warned of a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022 and “2023 could be even worse.”

“Developed countries and international financial institutions need to make resources available to help governments support and invest in their people, leaving no one behind,” he said. “Developing countries that face debt default must have access to effective debt relief to keep their economies afloat and their people thriving. Financial institutions must find the flexibility and understanding to get resources where they are needed most.”

US supports UN-led efforts in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the summit that more countries should step up with new substantial contributions to meet urgent humanitarian needs. 

“The work of critical organizations like the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization – their cost of doing business has gone up dramatically.  We need to help them fill some of these gaps,”  Blinken said.

He said since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year the United States has committed nearly $2.8 billion in emergency food assistance, including increasing our aid to countries and regions that were the hardest hit – in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Lebanon, Haiti. 

“We have $5.5 billion in new funding for global food security and humanitarian assistance approved last month by the United States Congress,” Blinken said.  “We’ll be able to do even more in the weeks and months ahead, and you can expect further announcements of our additional support soon, including from the President at the G7 meeting.”

“We have to accelerate efforts led by the United Nations to end Russia’s blocking of Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea,” he said.

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Pressure grows for G7’s action to avert global food crisis

New York, June 23 – The group of seven most industrialized countries in the world has been asked to take swift and decisive action to avert a global food and nutrition crisis as severe floodings and heatwaves, the pandemic and Russia’s destructive war in Ukraine are worsening living conditions for millions of people.

A coalition of organizations and individuals, #HungryForAction #GoodFood4AllNOW, has sent an open letter to G7, which is composed of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada, demanding that it must act now to prevent a global food crisis and secure a sustainable future for people and the planet.

The coalition said the open letter has been coordinated by the UN’s SDG2 Advocacy Hub, which brings together NGOs, agricultural networks, nutritionists, campaigners, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to co-ordinate advocacy efforts and achieve Good Food For All by 2030.

 For more information: https://sdg2advocacyhub.org/actions/urgent-action-needed-prevent-global-food-nutrition

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, said: “Low and lower-middle-income countries’ resources, especially in Africa, are being depleted by crisis upon crisis. We need swift and decisive leadership to tackle their increasing vulnerability to climate shocks and to invest in agricultural adaptation. G7 leaders must act now to help smallholder farmers become climate-resilient, build sustainable food systems, and fund a secure future for people, planet and prosperity.”

Catherine Bertini, Executive Director (1992-2002) of the UN’s World Food Program and 2003 World Food Prize Laureate, said: “The worsening of the global hunger and malnutrition crisis is not inevitable. It can be averted with swift, decisive and visionary leadership. My expectation is that the G7 leaders will act with urgency to address the cost of living crisis, strengthen global food systems and finance safety nets for the most vulnerable

Open letter

G7 must act now to prevent a global food & nutrition crisis and secure a sustainable future for people and the planet

Without action, hundreds of millions will be pushed into poverty and are at risk of being malnourished. But a global hunger and malnutrition crisis is not inevitable. It can be averted with swift, decisive and visionary leadership. In tackling today’s emergency, we must also reduce the likelihood of future crises, making food systems more resilient by investing in a safe climate and healthy natural systems and resources, upon which future food security depends. The G7 must act with urgency on immediate, near- and long-term solutions that save lives and prevent future crises.

Save Lives Now: 276 million people face acute food insecurity. COVID-19 could result in 13.6 million more children wasted by 2022, up 30 percent compared to three years ago. The G7 should mount an urgent response to the humanitarian crisis including investing in social protection interventions to prevent vulnerable households from being pushed further into extreme poverty.

 This response should include:

1. Support WFP’s $21.5 billion requirement to reach 147 million people in 2022, which includes $1.6 billion to provide additional services to 30 million of the most vulnerable children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in need of malnutrition prevention and treatment services, and the UN’s $4.4 billion appeal for the Horn of Africa.

2. Provide an immediate package of support to relevant UN agencies and civil society actors so they can scale-up essential nutrition services in countries with the highest burden of malnutrition, including lifesaving nutrition products like ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) used to prevent and treat child malnutrition. This should allocate at least $1.2 billion to UNICEF, including dedicated funding for The Nutrition Fund.

3. Secure the release of grain and fertilizer from the port of Odessa, commit to resisting export bans and ensure in-donor refugee costs associated with the Ukraine crisis are additional to ODA.

Build Resilience Now: A 1% rise in global food prices tips another 10 million people into extreme poverty. As food prices spiral upwards, low income households cut back on nutritious foods, forgo meals, reduce essential spending and sell off assets. Averting these impossible decisions will be much cheaper in the long run, whilst significantly improving outcomes for people and the planet in the medium term by investing in programmes to reduce food waste and tackle unhealthy, unsustainable diets.

The G7 should invest in a resilience package that includes:

1. Provide $10 million to FAO to assess the impact of the Ukraine crisis on food insecurity and access to food in 50 countries in 2022/2023, using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) measurement system.

2. Commit $1.5 billion to GAFSP to help smallholder farmers boost production and support nutritious food production.

3. Contribute $500 million to IFAD’s Crisis Response Initiative to protect and boost sustainable agricultural production.

4. Invest at least $360 million in nutrition through the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents.

5. Stop using food for fuel: roll back biofuel mandates, with a commitment to cut mandates now by 50%.

6. Ensure access to and affordability of fertilizer now to ensure sustained production in Africa and South Asia while increasing investment in greener fertilizer and more efficient fertilizer use.

7. Provide $39 million to FAO to support 52 countries vulnerable to the current crisis to identify policies and interventions to address food loss and waste over 3 years (2022-2024).

8. Invest $200 million in the African Development Bank’s $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility to support 20 million farmers.

Fund the Future Now: Low and lower-middle income countries’ resilience is being depleted by these recurrent crises and are increasingly vulnerable to debt defaults and climate shocks. A G7 Marshall Plan is needed to mobilize trillions in sustainable investments to narrow the gap to a 1.5-degree pathway. A seven-fold increase in investment for renewables is needed by 2030 in developing economies.

The G7 should commit to:

1. Double climate adaptation finance, including support for smallholder producers through IFAD’s ASAP+, whilst meeting the promise of $100 billion in climate finance each year; and support the establishment of a Loss and Damage Finance facility.

2. Reallocate at least $100 billion in SDRs to the IMF and through MDBs and IFAD; direct the World Bank to go beyond the additional commitment of $12 billion over 15 months to respond to the food security crisis; and lead on debt relief.

3. Invest $2.3 billion annually to scale up evidence-based nutrition interventions as outlined in the Nutrition Investment Framework.

The Global Alliance for Food & Nutrition Security (GAFNS; “nutrition” should to be added to the Alliance’s title to emphasis the comprehensiveness of the package) should provide a platform to meaningfully engage governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, smallholder farmers, academics and civil society to work together on agricultural development, health and nutrition, and climate. It should mobilize financing for small-scale producers’ and civil society organizations with a proven track record of delivering efficient and targeted programs and interventions.

Following are organizations and individuals

#HungryForAction

Alliance to End Hunger; Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens; Bread For The World; Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; EAT Foundation; Eleanor Crook Foundation; Global Citizen; International Fertilizer Development Center; Micronutrient Forum; ONE Campaign; ONE Campaign Germany; ONE Camapign USA; One Acre Fund; Open Society Foundations; Power of Nutrition; Sanku – Project Healthy Children; Save the Children; Standing Together for Nutrition; Tailored Food; World Business Council for Sustainable Development; World Vision Network; Gerda Verburg, UN Assistant Secretary General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement; Jamie Drummond, Co-Founder of Sharing Strategies & the ONE Campaign; Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of WFP and 2003 World Food Prize Laureate

Media contact:

Donna Bowater

Marchmont Communications

donna@marchmontcomms.com

+61 434 635 099

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WHO calls for transforming mental health care as Covid-19 drives up mental disorders

Geneva/New York, June 17 – The World Health Organization has called for urgently transforming the global mental health care as nearly 1 billion people were living with a mental disorder in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic struck and mental health illnesses have risen significantly since then.

Depression and anxiety went up by more than 25 per cent in 2020 alone, the first year of the pandemic, WHO said.

The Geneva-based organization issued its largest review of world mental health since the beginning of the 21st century in a 296-page study that reported on conditions of mental health services in scores of countries, illustrated with stories of people who struggled with health disorders. It said the report provided a blueprint for governments, academics, health professionals, civil society and others with “an ambition to support the world in transforming mental health.”

“For decades mental health has been one of the most overlooked areas of public health, receiving a tiny part of the attention and resources it needs and deserves,” it said.

Mental illnesses include schizophrenia, autism spectrum, eating and bipolar disorders, anxiety and depression.

Read report:  https://who.canto.global/b/SBC7Q

WHO said in a press release that the report is urging mental health decision makers and advocates “to step up commitment and action to change attitudes, actions and approaches to mental health, its determinants and mental health care.”

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Everyone’s life touches someone with a mental health condition. Good mental health translates to good physical health and this new report makes a compelling case for change.”

“The inextricable links between mental health and public health, human rights and socioeconomic development mean that transforming policy and practice in mental health can deliver real, substantive benefits for individuals, communities and countries everywhere. Investment into mental health is an investment into a better life and future for all.”

The report said mental disorders are the leading cause of disability and the nearly 1 billion people with mental disorders included 14 per cent of the world’s adolescents. It said suicide accounted for more than 1 in 100 deaths and 58 per cent of suicides occurred before age 50.

It said people with severe mental health conditions die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population, mostly due to preventable physical diseases. Childhood sexual abuse and bullying victimization are major causes of depression.

Social and economic inequalities, public health emergencies, war, and the climate crisis are among the global, structural threats to mental health.

Stigma, discrimination and human rights violations against people with mental health conditions are widespread in communities and care systems everywhere; 20 countries still criminalize attempted suicide.

The report said the poorest and most disadvantaged in society are at greatest risk of mental ill-health who are also the least likely to receive adequate services.

Dévora Kestel, Director of WHO’s Mental Health and Substance Use Department, who led the team of experts to produce the report, called for change: “Every country has ample opportunity to make meaningful progress towards better mental health for its population. Whether developing stronger mental health policies and laws, covering mental health in insurance schemes, developing or strengthening community mental health services or integrating mental health into general health care, schools, and prisons, the many examples in this report show that the strategic changes can make a big difference.”

Report urges governments to implement 2013-2030 plan

The report urged all countries to accelerate their implementation of the comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2030, which was signed by all 194 WHO member states. The plan committed the members to global targets for transforming mental health.

“Pockets of progress achieved over the past decade prove that change is possible,” WHO said. ”But change is not happening fast enough, and the story of mental health remains one of need and neglect with 2 out of 3 dollars of scarce government spending on mental health allocated to stand-alone psychiatric hospitals rather than community-based mental health services where people are best served.

WHO called for (1) deepening the value and commitment to transform mental health, provide committed leadership, pursue evidence-based policies and practice and establishing robust information and monitoring systems. (2) Reshape environments that influence mental health, including homes, communities, schools, workplaces, health care services, natural environments. (3) Strengthen mental health care by changing where, how, and by whom mental health care is delivered and received.

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Ukraine war exposes 1.6 billion people to high food and energy prices or finance tightening, new UN report says

New York, June 8 – Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a global crisis that is exposing 1.6 billion people in 94 countries to either high food prices, energy prices or financial difficulties, the United Nations said in a new study.

“This is a global crisis, not confined to any one region,” said the 25-page report as a follow-up to the initial UN Global Crisis Response Group analysis launched after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year. It said 1.2 billion of those people live in developing countries that can be hit by all three crises at once, which the UN calls a “perfect storm.”

Read report:  https://news.un.org/pages/global-crisis-response-group/

The report, which involved the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and other UN agencies, cited recent World Bank’s analysis on the war and its Impacts on poverty, income and energy access. The World Bank said the average household has lost 1.5 per cent in real income since the start of the war.

“The World Bank suggests that the war in Ukraine may bring up to 95 million people into extreme poverty, making 2022 the second-worst year ever for poverty alleviation, behind only 2020. In general, 10 million people are pushed into extreme poverty for every percentage point increase in food prices,” the report said.

“Today’s report makes clear that the war’s impact on food security, energy and finance is systemic, severe, and speeding up,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference. “Three months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we face a new reality. For those on the ground, every day brings new bloodshed and suffering.”

“And for people around the world, the war is threatening to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution, leaving social and economic chaos in its wake. Vulnerable people and countries are already being hit hard. But make no mistake: no country or community will be left untouched by this cost-of-living crisis. “

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebecca Grynspan said, “We are on the brink of the most severe global cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The report also demonstrates the interconnected nature of the three dimensions of the crisis: food, energy, and finance. And that tackling just one aspect, will not solve the global crisis we are in.”

Grynspan said the cost-of-living crisis cannot be resolved without a solution to the finance crisis and developing countries urgently need the financial support from international financial institutions.

“Unless there is a strong effort from international financial institutions to increase countries financial resources, countries will continue to struggle to pay their food and energy import bills, service their debt and increase spending in social protection. All at the same time,” she said.

The World Food Program has estimated that the number of people suffering severe food insecurity in the last two years doubled from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million at the start of 2022 in scores of countries. It said the war’s ripple effects are expected to drive this number up to 323 million in 2022.

The report said countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are most vulnerable to a “perfect storm” because one out of two Africans lives in a country exposed to all three dimensions. The region has been exposed to energy crises, financial difficulties, food crises and repeated droughts. It said in the Horn of Africa up to 58 million more Africans may fall into poverty this year and across Africa, 568 million people are currently without access to electricity, which in turn has severe effects on access to healthcare, education, and income generating activities.

 The Latin Ameri-ca and the Caribbean region is the second largest group facing the cost-of-living crisis with nearly 20 countries deeply affected.

In the Middle East and North Africa, extreme poverty could threaten the lives and livelihoods of 2.8 million people. In South Asia, which is currently experiencing crippling levels of heat waves, 500 million people are severely exposed to the food and finance crisis.  Countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are severely exposed to the energy and finance dimensions, given the importance of remittances and energy exports from Russia.

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WHO: Climate change poses serious risks; nearly 1 billion people living with mental conditions

Geneva/New York, June 3 – The World Health Organization issued a policy brief warning that climate change is a serious risk to people’s mental health and well-being. It said nearly 1 billion people are living with mental conditions in low- and middle-income countries but the majority do not have access to needed health services. Following is a news release from WHO.

NEWS RELEASE 

Why mental health is a priority for action on climate change

New WHO policy brief highlights actions for countries

3 June 2022 

Climate change poses serious risks to mental health and well-being, concludes a new WHO policy brief, launched today at the Stockholm+50 conference. The Organization is therefore urging countries to include mental health support in their response to the climate crisis, citing examples where a few pioneering countries have done this effectively.

The findings concur with a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in February this year. The IPPC revealed that rapidly increasing climate change poses a rising threat to mental health and psychosocial well-being; from emotional distress to anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal behavior.

“The impacts of climate change are increasingly part of our daily lives, and there is very little dedicated mental health support available for people and communities dealing with climate-related hazards and long-term risk,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.

The mental health impacts of climate change are unequally distributed with certain groups disproportionately affected depending on factors such as socioeconomic status, gender and age. However, it is clear that climate change affects many of the social determinants that already are leading to massive mental health burdens globally. A 2021 WHO survey of 95 countries found that only 9 have thus far included mental health and psychosocial support in their national health and climate change plans.  

“The impact of climate change is compounding the already extremely challenging situation for mental health and mental health services globally. There are nearly 1 billion people living with mental health conditions, yet in low- and middle-income countries, 3 out 4 do not have access to needed services” said DévoraKestel, WHO Director, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. “By ramping up mental health and psychosocial support within disaster risk reduction and climate action, countries can do more to help protect those most at risk.”

The new WHO policy brief recommends five important approaches for governments to address the mental health impacts of climate change: 

Integrate climate considerations with mental health programs

Integrate mental health support with climate action

Build upon global commitments

Develop community-based approaches to reduce vulnerabilities and

Close the large funding gap that exists for mental health and psychosocial support

“WHO’s Member States have made it very clear mental health is a priority for them. We are working closely with countries to protect people’s physical and mental health from climate threats,” said Dr Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, WHO climate lead, and an IPCC lead author. 

Some good examples exist of how this can be done such as in the Philippines, which has rebuilt and improved its mental health services after the impact of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 or in India, where a national project has scaled up disaster risk reduction in the country while also preparing cities to respond to climate risks and address mental health and psychosocial needs. 

The Stockholm Conference commemorates the 50th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Human Environment and recognizes the importance of environmental determinants for both physical and mental health.

Note to editors

WHO defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.

WHO defines mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) as “any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental disorder”.

Related links

Mental Health and Climate Change Policy Brief

WHO’s work on climate change

WHO’s work on mental health

Media contacts:

mediainquiries@who.int 

Sarah Sheppard, World Health Organization 
sheppards@who.int

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