December 23, 2024
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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.

Majority of people think global economy will recover in two years, market survey says

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Geneva/New York, August 5 – Three in four people think it will take at least two years for economies around the world to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and they pointed out infrastructure, new jobs and increased tourism as lead indicators for the recovery, a market survey jointly made by the World Economic Forum and Ipsos said.

The survey of nearly 22,000 people across 29 countries showed people think that governments and businesses are mainly responsible for enacting measures for an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery based on current trends towards green finance and economic measures assessing risks and performance in the environment, social and corporate governance. Respondents said while governments and businesses should lead the recovery, civil social society can also play a role and should not be left behind.

“The world is at a global turning point where leaders must cooperate, innovate and secure a robust recovery,’ Sarita Nayyar, Managing Director of WEF, said. “COVID-19 has been a litmus test for stakeholder capitalism. Those that focused on the short-term have been the first to suffer. Corporations have a responsibility to work with governments and civil society to address the big global challenges while protecting public health and growth. ESG reporting metrics, investments in green finance and building more inclusive workplaces are promising first steps forward.”

The global survey said only seven percent of people surveyed believed that their country’s economy has already recovered. It said this view is most widely held in China (56 per cent) and in Saudi Arabia (25 percent). It said 19 per cent believed their economy will have recovered in a year, a view held in Saudi Arabia (38 percent), the United States (32 percent) and South Korea (31 per cent).

The survey said 35 percent of responders said it will take their country’s economy two or three years to recover. This view is held in Japan (52 per cent), Chile (46 percent), Italy and Malaysia (both 44 per cent) and the Netherlands (42 per cent).

It said 39 percent believed it will take their economy more than three years to recover from the pandemic. This view is held in Russia (66 percent), South Africa (62 percent), Argentina (59 cent) and Romania (58 percent).

“In addition to fostering social cohesion, advocating for human rights and providing community assistance, civil society plays a crucial role in promoting a sustainable and equitable recovery and creating an enabling environment in collaboration with business and government,”

David Sangokoya, Head of Civil Society and Social Justice at WEF, said.

 “As the world faces three critical crises in the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and systemic inequalities, the inclusion of civil society in the world’s efforts is necessary to ensure transparency, accountability and impact for communities bearing the brunt of these crises.”

Read the full report and learn more about Sustainable Development Impact Summit

WEF said it will hold a virtual Sustainable Development Impact Summit, September 20-23, at which lead indicators for economic recovery such as jobs, new business opening and infrastructure and social changes will be on the agenda for discussion. The event will be held alongside the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September with the expected participation of leaders of governments, businesses and civil society. It will focus on new technologies, policies and partnerships to advance cooperation, accelerate progress, and highlight tangible solutions to our global challenges.

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Fifty small businesses hailed as “hidden heroes” in food systems while hunger spiked under the pandemic

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Rome/New York, July 27 – Fifty small- and medium-sized enterprises spanning all continents are declared “hidden heroes” in the fight against hunger at a pre-summit conference in Rome at which government leaders are urged to transform the current food systems that failed under the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 50 winning enterprises, selected from nearly 2,000 applicants in 135 countries, are declared Best Small Businesses of the “Good Food for All” competition. The event was organized to highlight the UN Food Systems Summit taking place during the annual UN General Assembly session in September in New York.

Those enterprises are run half by youth and half women from a total of 42 countries. Ten of the enterprises are from Europe and Central Asia; 13 from Africa and Middle East; 10 from East Asia and the Pacific; eight from South Asia and nine North and Latin America. Winners were selected for meeting criteria that include best contribution to “healthier, more sustainable and equitable food for the communities they serve; the strength of their vision for the future; and how well they communicate the current and future impact of their business,” organizers of the prize said.

The winners are recognized for innovation in food nutrition and sustainability and include an Israeli company that produces chickpea protein powder, an Italian start-up that replaces plastic packaging with edible, bio-based natural polymers and a Chinese enterprise that promotes healthier diets by offering monk fruit alternatives to sugar.

“Small businesses are the hidden heroes of our food systems, managing at least half of our food economies and keeping food on our plates throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Agnes Kalibata, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2021 Food Systems Summit. “We must understand the challenges they face and work together to ensure they remain at the heart of efforts to improve the future of food.”

“These food entrepreneurs are quiet revolutionaries. They operate in the toughest markets, having a real impact on rural poverty and hunger,” said Cherrie Atilano, Food Systems Champion and founder of Philippine agri-business AGREA. “Despite this, they are too rarely given a voice on the international stage. With a conducive business environment, positive incentives, and greater influence, they can deliver even more in the future.”

For more information about the 50 winners and their businesses: Food Systems Summit Community Page and a new report on a global survey of these businesses’ ambition and needs.

At the July 26-28 pre-summit meeting in Rome

A press release from the pre-summit said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame led calls for governments worldwide to overhaul the food systems as evidence showed that the coronavirus pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the food systems and a host of problems, including hunger which in 2020 severely affected 811 million people in 100 countries.

“The pandemic, which still assails us, has highlighted the links between inequality, poverty, food, disease and our planet,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to the pre-summit.

Kagame said Africa has adopted a common position aligned with the continent’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. He said the position is based on adopting nutrition-centered food policies such as school feeding programs; supporting local markets and food supply chains; increasing agricultural financing to 20 per cent of expenditures; encouraging farmer cooperatives and ensuring women’s access to productive inputs; and an expanding social safety net programs and investing in climate advance warning systems.

 Pope Francis said in a message that the world should commit to “designing food systems that protect the earth and keep the dignity of the human person at the center,” in addition to efforts aimed at eliminating hunger. He called for the food systems to “guarantee sufficient food at the global level and promote decent work at the local level; and that nourish the world today, without compromising the future.”

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a joint declaration that globally 1 in 3 children is not growing well due to malnutrition, which is a leading cause of child mortality worldwide and 2 in 3 don’t have access to the minimum diverse diets they need to grow, develop and learn.

“A transformation of the food system that listens to the voices of children and young people, and unlocks nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diets for every child, everywhere, must be at the heart of strategies, policies and investments,” the declaration said.

Other participants in the mostly virtual pre-summit included Gerd Müller, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development who said, “A world without hunger is possible. We have the knowledge, we have the technology. But we need more money and more investment to eradicate hunger.”

Elizabeth Nsimadala, President of the Pan-African Farmers Organization (PAFO), said: “It’s the first time that I’m seeing a UN process that is inclusive, diverse and open to all stakeholders.”

Joachim von Braun, who chairs the Summit’s Scientific Group, stressed the urgency both of scaling social safety nets as well as further investment for productivity across value chains.  He said, “There is no time to be lost.”

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) announced a Business Declaration that sets out the private sector’s ambition towards equitable, net-zero and nature-positive food systems that can nourish all people. “Transformational change is what we need and it’s urgent,” he said.

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Over 130 governments discuss ways to improve global food systems after pandemic caused food shortage and starvation

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Rome/New York, July 15 – The number of people suffering hunger and malnutrition surged up to 811 million, or about one-tenth of the world population, under the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The health crisis has exposed weaknesses in the global food systems, which the United Nations and scores of governments are currently campaigning to improve with the aim of hopefully ending hunger by 2030.

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The UN will hold a Food Systems Summit during the UN General Assembly in New York in September with a pre-summit taking place July 26-28 in Rome. Already more than 130 governments (see list below) have become involved in the organization of the summit by holding national dialogues that have drawn tens of thousands of people to debate the food systems. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last year called for a UN Food Systems Summit as part of efforts to bring progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

In addition to the 811 million people who were malnourished last year, the State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) report showed that an additional 118 million people are facing hunger because of the pandemic in 2021. 

“It is an indictment on our entire food systems – from production to distribution and disposal – that in 2020, as many as 811 million men, women and children went without enough to eat,” said Dr. Agnes Kalibata, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit.

“Hunger on this scale is a symptom of a dysfunctional food system that buckles under pressure and abandons the most vulnerable first. We need systemic transformation, and this is the aim of the UN Food Systems Summit, but it will be up to Member States to pave the way for the changes we urgently need.” 

UN agencies had reported that hunger started to spike by mid-2010s, which erased efforts to reverse the condition for population living in areas under conflicts, natural disasters or humanitarian crises. They said hunger shot up under the pandemic last year in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth: some 9.9 percent of all people were estimated to have been undernourished last year, up from 8.4 percent in 2019.

Of the total undernourished people under the pandemic, more than half, or 418 million, live in Asia; more than a third, or 288 million, in Africa; and a smaller proportion, 60 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. But the sharpest rise in hunger was in Africa, where the estimated prevalence of undernourishment – at 21 per cent of the population – is more than double that of any other region

The dialogue campaign around the world is hosted by National Dialogues Convenors, allowing governments to involve people across all sectors of society to find ways to build food systems that are sustainable, resilient and equitable. The organizers said governments reported that thousands of people attended discussion on the food systems, seeking remedies on failures that happened under conditions that existed in 2020.

Dr. David Nabarro, Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy for the Summit Dialogues, said, “I commend National Convenors for embracing this unique opportunity to engage with the Summit and identify what needs to be done and who needs to be involved in shaping how their citizens can eat food that is nutritious and produced in ways that are good for the planet, despite threats of climate change, infectious disease and violent conflict.”

“Convenors are sparking shifts in thought, knowledge and action at scale, and this is just the beginning of a journey that will most definitely continue beyond this monumental year. This is our moment, as a human race, to reveal and respond to the most difficult and often hidden challenges so that we are united in a collective race to build a resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems for all people, and the planet.” 

The UN agencies began reporting on July 12 about the spike in hunger in 2020, blaming the pandemic for having further weakened the food systems around the world. The pandemic’s negative impacts have yet to be fully mapped. See report .

The agencies also issued The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021, which is the first global assessment in the pandemic era. The report is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Leaders of the five UN agencies said in the report’s Foreword that the world had been put on notice that the food systems had weaknesses before the pandemic struck in early 2020 and children were among those threatened by food shortage.

 “Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems, which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world,” they said. “This year offers a unique opportunity for advancing food security and nutrition through transforming food systems with the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, the Nutrition for Growth Summit and the COP26 on climate change.”

Member State Dialogues have been convened by:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Czech Republic (Czechia), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kuwait , Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger , Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda , Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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EU faces opposition as it unveils ambitious climate blueprint to reduce emissions 55 per cent by 2030

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Brussels/New York, July 14 – The European Union has unveiled its most ambitious blueprint to fight global climate change by proposing to eliminate sales of new gas- and diesel-powered cars and raising costs of using fossil fuels by 2030. The bold move aimed at achieving a carbon neutral economy by 2050.

The EU blueprint is composed of a dozen draft proposals that still have to be negotiated and approved by the bloc’s 27 members and by the European Commission, which is the administrative body. The proposals are seen as a challenge to the rest of the world to follow the EU’s actions, which include taxing jet fuel and imports of manufacturing products that fail to meet the EU climate standards.

Before announcing its new measures to fight climate change by reducing carbon emissions 55 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030, the EU in 2019 had cut emissions by 24 per cent from 1990 levels.

The key proposals just announced called for tighter emission limits for cars,  tax on aviation fuel and a tax on carbon border tariff requiring manufacturers from outside the EU to pay more for importing materials like steel and concrete.

“By acting now we can do things another way and choose a better, healthier and more prosperous way for the future,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, at a news conference in Brussels when she unveiled the blueprint.

 “Europe is ready to lead the way,” she said.

Negative reaction to the blueprint was immediate, particularly from countries under trade agreements with the EU and leaders in industries such as airlines and car manufacturers.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development agency (UNCTAD) countered the EU on the same day its blueprint was published (July 14) by saying that the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) “could change trade patterns in favor of countries where production is relatively carbon efficient but do little to mitigate climate change.”

“Climate and environmental considerations are at the forefront of policy concerns, and trade cannot be the exception. CBAM is one of these options, but its impact on developing countries also needs to be considered,” said Isabelle Durant, the UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General.

A published UNCTAD report said CBAM has “potential implications on international trade, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, income and employment for countries inside and outside the EU, with a special focus on developing and vulnerable countries.”

The report said CBAM would reduce part of the carbon leakage produced by the different climate change ambitions between the EU and other countries. It said carbon leakage refers to “the relocation of production to other countries with laxer emissions constraints for costs reasons related to climate policies, which could lead to an increase in their total emissions.”

The report said several EU’s trading partners that exported goods in carbon-intensive sectors – including cement, steel, aluminum, oil refinery, paper, glass, chemical and fertilizers – have raised concerns that the CBAM would substantially curtail their exports, but these changes may not be as drastic as some fear.

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Financial institutions urged to engage in reversing biodiversity loss, which impacts on people and eco-systems

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New York, July 12 – Backed by strong evidence gathered over past decades that human activities caused the loss of the planet’s biological diversity, the United Nations and international organizations have been urging financial institutions to join the global fight to reverse the loss, which is putting economies at risk and negatively affecting humanity and the environment it is living in.

The call is coming before an international conference will meet October 11-24 in Kunming, China, to adopt a convention on protecting biodiversity for the future and an action plan on reversing biodiversity loss. Preparations for the conference, which started before the pandemic struck the world early in 2020, have intensified with a focus on including financial institutions that are holding some of the answers to biodiversity loss.


“The financial community has a critical leveraging role to pivot economic sectors towards more positive impacts on nature,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). “The call for the financial community to act will become ever louder—as the world strengthens its nature goals and builds new techniques to measure nature loss.”

A document published by the CBD Secretariat, Financial Sector Guide for the Convention on Biological Diversity,  seeks to mobilize financial institutions because businesses they are financing and investing in depend on nature and a safe climate.

CBD said the financial sector has a great influence in curbing nature’s biodiversity loss by making responsible investment and aligning funds to businesses and projects that could result in positive nature outcomes. The guide advocates and calls for ambitious and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which includes taking steps that support the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the UN Environment Program’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and  Business for Nature and Finance for Biodiversity Pledge.

The guide calls for reporting publicly on positive and negative contributions to biodiversity by using the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures or similar approaches.

“Raising awareness on nature’s importance for the financial sector is becoming increasingly crucial “ CBD said. “Continued biodiversity loss puts global economies at risk, and the financial sector, significantly exposed to nature, has a critical role to play to transform the current financial system, with a view to aligning financial flows for a nature positive world.” 

“We are losing nature”

A global assessment made by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in 2019 warned that human activities have resulted in putting nearly 1 million species at risk of extinction and have significantly altered 75 per cent of the land surface, which could have severe impacts on people’s livelihoods, the economy, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.

 The guide also cited a study by the World Economic Forum, whish said over half the world’s total GDP – US$44 trillion – is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its benefits or services and, as a result, exposed to risks from nature loss (World Economic Forum, 2020). At the same time, a nature-based transition could generate US$10 trillion in business opportunity and create 395 million jobs by 2030 (Future of Nature and Business Report, 2020).

The guide defines biological diversity as follows:

“Biodiversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services that are essential for human well-being. From an economic perspective, biodiversity and ecosystems constitute valuable assets and are therefore frequently characterized as natural capital. Conserving biodiversity and using its components in a sustainable manner will ensure that natural capital assets remain resilient and secure for the future. However, biodiversity loss impacts the security of investments in many sectors and affect their value (Dasgupta, 2021).”

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held in Kunming, Yunnan province, China, will be the 15th meeting and will be attended by 196 parties. Since its first meeting at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the CBD has been expanding and refining the issues of preserving nature and advocating the theme of human beings living in harmony with nature.

The convention expected to be adopted in Kunming, now in the form of a draft framework, would set goals on reversing biodiversity loss and meeting people’s needs to be achieved in 2030 and 2050 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Beauty and biodiversity

Fashion and beauty industries have a close relationship with biodiversity as they depend on nature’s resources such as plants, species and animals for their products. But those industries are also drivers for biodiversity loss, according to the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) which has set standards for sourcing with respect.

Forbes and Business Insider estimated that the global beauty business was worth over US$ 500 billion and its annual growth rate is increasing every year. The United States, China and Japan are among top countries with the largest beauty markets.

UEBT said over 50 companies, including all biggest names in fashion, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals in the world such as Guerlain, Cosmo, Christian Dior, LVMH and Kenzo have joined the campaign against biodiversity loss and have committed “to cultivate, collect or procure ingredients sustainably and to address biodiversity loss as their contribution to the Sharm El-Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People.”

“Consumers are increasingly demanding that businesses demonstrate a genuine commitment to ethical sourcing,” said Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Executive Director at UEBT.  “We at UEBT are so pleased to see more than 50 companies stand up for nature with this shared commitment. In the coming years we will be supporting these businesses in reaching their time-bound targets on the ground in farms and wild plant collection sites all over the world.”

UEBT said The commitment sets “time-bound targets for companies to improve their policies and practices – from on-the-ground action in farms and wild plant collection sites, to processing, research and development, manufacturing and procurement practices.  They have come together to stand for transformative change in business practices and inspire others to show their leadership and help resolve the biodiversity crisis. “ 

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New Global Framework for Managing Nature Through 2030: First Detailed Draft Agreement Debuts

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(Editor’s note: this press release dated July 12, 2021, from the UN Convention on Biodiversity is published in full on this website for the benefits of media organizations and readers)

Still a work in progress, the Global Biodiversity Framework will ultimately advance to

UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 for consideration by 196 member parties

“The 1st Draft Of The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework” is available for media preview at https://bit.ly/3hFgz2e

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, CBD Executive Secretary, Basile van Havre and Francis Ogwal, co-chairs of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and other officials are available for interviews.

21 targets, 10 ‘milestones’ proposed for 2030 en route to ‘living in harmony with nature’

by 2050; Include conserving and protecting at least 30% of Earth’s lands and oceans

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat released (July 12, 2021) the first official draft of a new Global Biodiversity Framework to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect Nature and its essential services to people.

The framework includes 21 targets for 2030 that call for, among other things:

At least 30% of land and sea areas global (especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and its contributions to people) conserved through effective, equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas (and other effective area-based conservation measures)

A 50% of greater reduction in the rate of introduction of invasive alien species, and controls or eradication of such species to eliminate or reduce their impacts

Reducing nutrients lost to the environment by at least half, and pesticides by at least two thirds, and eliminating the discharge of plastic waste

Nature-based contributions to global climate change mitigation efforts of least 10 GtCO2e per year, and that all mitigation and adaptation efforts avoid negative impacts on biodiversity

Redirecting, repurposing, reforming or eliminating incentives harmful for biodiversity, in a just and equitable way, reducing them by at least $US 500 billion per year

A $US 200 billion increase in international financial flows from all sources to developing countries 

More than two years in development, the Framework will undergo further refinement during online negotiations in late summer before being presented for consideration at CBD’s next meeting of its 196 parties at COP15, scheduled for Kunming, China October 11-24.

The Four Goals for 2050:

The draft framework proposes four goals to achieve, by 2050, humanity “living in harmony with nature,” a vision adopted by the CBD’s 196 member parties in 2010.

Goal A: The integrity of all ecosystems is enhanced, with an increase of at least 15% in the area, connectivity and integrity of natural ecosystems, supporting healthy and resilient populations of all species, the rate of extinctions has been reduced at least tenfold, and the risk of species extinctions across all taxonomic and functional groups, is halved, and genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species is safeguarded, with at least 90% of genetic diversity within all species maintained.

Goal B: Nature’s contributions to people have been valued, maintained or enhanced through conservation and sustainable use supporting the global development agenda for the benefit of all;

Goal C: The benefits from the utilization of genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably, with a substantial increase in both monetary and non-monetary benefits shared, including for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Goal D: The gap between available financial and other means of implementation, and those necessary to achieve the 2050 Vision, is closed.

Milestones to be reached by 2030

The four goals each have 2-3 broad milestones to be reached by 2030 (10 milestones in all):

Goal A:

Milestone A.1 Net gain in the area, connectivity and integrity of natural systems of at least 5%.

Milestone A.2 The increase in the extinction rate is halted or reversed, and the extinction risk is reduced by at least 10%, with a decrease in the proportion of species that are threatened, and the abundance and distribution of populations of species is enhanced or at least maintained.

Milestone A.3 Genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species is safeguarded, with an increase in the proportion of species that have at least 90% of their genetic diversity maintained.

Goal B:

Milestone B.1 Nature and its contributions to people are fully accounted and inform all relevant public and private decisions.

Milestone B.2 The long-term sustainability of all categories of nature’s contributions to people is ensured, with those currently in decline restored, contributing to each of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals.

Goal C:

Milestone C.1 The share of monetary benefits received by providers, including holders of traditional knowledge, has increased.

Milestone C.2 Non-monetary benefits, such as the participation of providers, including holders of traditional knowledge, in research and development, has increased.

Goal D:

Milestone D.1 Adequate financial resources to implement the framework are available and deployed, progressively closing the financing gap up to at least US $700 billion per year by 2030.

Milestone D.2 Adequate other means, including capacity-building and development, technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer to implement the framework to 2030 are available and deployed.

Milestone D.3 Adequate financial and other resources for the period 2030 to 2040 are planned or committed by 2030.

21 “Action Targets” for 2030

The framework then lists 21 associated “action targets” for 2030:

Reducing threats to biodiversity

Target 1

Ensure that all land and sea areas globally are under integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning addressing land- and sea-use change, retaining existing intact and wilderness areas.

Target 2

Ensure that at least 20 per cent of degraded freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems are under restoration, ensuring connectivity among them and focusing on priority ecosystems.

Target 3

Ensure that at least 30 per cent globally of land areas and of sea areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and its contributions to people, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.

Target 4

Ensure active management actions to enable the recovery and conservation of species and the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species, including through ex situ conservation, and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to avoid or reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Target 5

Ensure that the harvesting, trade and use of wild species is sustainable, legal, and safe for human health.

Target 6

Manage pathways for the introduction of invasive alien species, preventing, or reducing their rate of introduction and establishment by at least 50 per cent, and control or eradicate invasive alien species to eliminate or reduce their impacts, focusing on priority species and priority sites.

Target 7

Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and human health, including by reducing nutrients lost to the environment by at least half, and pesticides by at least two thirds and eliminating the discharge of plastic waste.

Target 8

Minimize the impact of climate change on biodiversity, contribute to mitigation and adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches, contributing at least 10 GtCO2e per year to global mitigation efforts, and ensure that all mitigation and adaptation efforts avoid negative impacts on biodiversity.

Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing

Target 9

Ensure benefits, including nutrition, food security, medicines, and livelihoods for people especially for the most vulnerable through sustainable management of wild terrestrial, freshwater and marine species and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.

Target 10

Ensure all areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, in particular through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, increasing the productivity and resilience of these production systems.

Target 11

Maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to regulation of air quality, quality and quantity of water, and protection from hazards and extreme events for all people.

Target 12

Increase the area of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces, for human health and well-being in urban areas and other densely populated areas.

Target 13

Implement measures at global level and in all countries to facilitate access to genetic resources and to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, and as relevant, of associated traditional knowledge, including through mutually agreed terms and prior and informed consent.

Tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming

Target 14

Fully integrate biodiversity values into policies, regulations, planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, accounts, and assessments of environmental impacts at all levels of government and across all sectors of the economy, ensuring that all activities and financial flows are aligned with biodiversity values.

Target 15

All businesses (public and private, large, medium and small) assess and report on their dependencies and impacts on biodiversity, from local to global, and progressively reduce negative impacts, by at least half and increase positive impacts, reducing biodiversity-related risks to businesses and moving towards the full sustainability of extraction and production practices, sourcing and supply chains, and use and disposal.

Target 16

Ensure that people are encouraged and enabled to make responsible choices and have access to relevant information and alternatives, taking into account cultural preferences, to reduce by at least half the waste and, where relevant the overconsumption, of food and other materials.

Target 17

Establish, strengthen capacity for, and implement measures in all countries to prevent, manage or control potential adverse impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity and human health, reducing the risk of these impacts.

Target 18

Redirect, repurpose, reform or eliminate incentives harmful for biodiversity, in a just and equitable way, reducing them by at least US$ 500 billion per year, including all of the most harmful subsidies, and ensure that incentives, including public and private economic and regulatory incentives, are either positive or neutral for biodiversity.

Target 19

Increase financial resources from all sources to at least US$ 200 billion per year, including new, additional and effective financial resources, increasing by at least US$ 10 billion per year international financial flows to developing countries, leveraging private finance, and increasing domestic resource mobilization, taking into account national biodiversity finance planning, and strengthen capacity-building and technology transfer and scientific cooperation, to meet the needs for implementation, commensurate with the ambition of the goals and targets of the framework.

Target 20

Ensure that relevant knowledge, including the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities with their free, prior, and informed consent, guides decision‑making for the effective management of biodiversity, enabling monitoring, and by promoting awareness, education and research.

Target 21

Ensure equitable and effective participation in decision-making related to biodiversity by indigenous peoples and local communities, and respect their rights over lands, territories and resources, as well as by women and girls, and youth.

* * * * *

Says CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema: “Urgent policy action globally, regionally and nationally is required to transform economic, social and financial models so that the trends that have exacerbated biodiversity loss will stabilize by 2030 and allow for the recovery of natural ecosystems in the following 20 years, with net improvements by 2050.”

“The framework aims to galvanize this urgent and transformative action by Governments and all of society, including indigenous peoples and local communities, civil society, youth and businesses and financial institutions. It will be implemented primarily through national-level activities, supported by subnational, regional and global-level actions.”

“This is a global, outcome-oriented framework for the Convention’s 196 Parties to develop national and regional goals and targets, to update national strategies and action plans as needed, and to facilitate regular monitoring and review of progress at the global level.”

Implementation

The draft Global Biodiversity Framework notes that effective implementation requires mobilizing resources from both the public and private finance sectors, ongoing identification of risk associated with biodiversity loss capacity development, technical and scientific cooperation, technology transfer and innovation.

It also calls for integration with relevant multilateral environmental agreements and other relevant international processes, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and strengthening cooperation.

Successful implementation will also depend on effective outreach, awareness and uptake by all stakeholders, a comprehensive system for planning, monitoring, reporting and review that allows for transparent communication of progress, rapid course correction, and timely input in the preparation of a post-2030 Global Biodiversity Framework.

* * * * *

Background

Biodiversity and its benefits are fundamental to human well-being and a healthy planet. Despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide and this decline is projected to continue or worsen under business-as-usual scenarios.

The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework builds on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and sets out an ambitious plan to implement broad-based action to bring about a transformation in society’s relationship with biodiversity and to ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled.

The draft framework reflects input from the second meeting of a Working Group managing the framework’s creation, as well as submissions received. The draft will be further updated in late summer with the benefit of input from the 24th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and the 3rd meeting of the Subsidiary Body in Implementation, as well as the advice from thematic consultations.

Relationship with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The framework will contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the same time, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals will help to provide the conditions necessary to implement the framework.

Theory of change

The framework’s theory of change assumes that transformative actions are taken to (a) put in place tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming, (b) reduce the threats to biodiversity and (c) ensure that biodiversity is used sustainably in order to meet people’s needs and that these actions are supported by (i) enabling conditions, and (ii) adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity and technology. It also assumes that progress is monitored in a transparent and accountable manner with adequate stocktaking exercises to ensure that, by 2030, the world is on a path to reach the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity.

The theory of change for the framework acknowledges the need for appropriate recognition of gender equality, women’s empowerment, youth, gender-responsive approaches and the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in the implementation of this framework. Further, it is built upon the recognition that its implementation will be done in partnership with many organizations at the global, national and local levels to leverage ways to build a momentum for success. It will be implemented taking a rights-based approach and recognizing the principle of intergenerational equity.

The theory of change is complementary to and supportive of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also takes into account the long-term strategies and targets of other multilateral environment agreements, including the biodiversity-related and Rio conventions, to ensure synergistic delivery of benefits from all the agreements for the planet and people.

* * * * *

About the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.

With 196 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation.

The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing are supplementary agreements to the Convention. The Cartagena Protocol, which entered into force on 11 September 2003, seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

The Nagoya Protocol aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies. It entered into force on 12 October 2014.

Website: cbd.int

Twitter: @UNBiodiversity

Facebook: facebook.com/UNBiodiversity

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/unbiodiversity

* * * * *

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Ethics and human rights should be at the core of using artificial intelligence for health, WHO says

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Geneva/New York, June 28 – In its first move to provide guidance for the application of artificial intelligence in the vast field of healthcare, the World Health Organization said humans should remain in full control of healthcare systems and medical decisions.

The health organization headquartered in Geneva has just released a 165-page report called Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health, which it said is the result of a two-year consultations held by departments in the WHO Science Division and its own appointed panel of international experts.

“Like all new technology, artificial intelligence holds enormous potential for improving the health of millions of people around the world, but like all technology it can also be misused and cause harm,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

 “This important new report provides a valuable guide for countries on how to maximize the benefits of AI, while minimizing its risks and avoiding its pitfalls.”

The report cited the benefits of AI in healthcare, which is already being used in some wealthy countries: “to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and screening for diseases; to assist with clinical care; strengthen health research and drug development, and support diverse public health interventions, such as disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health systems management.”

It said AI could also empower patients to take greater control of their own health care and better understand their evolving needs. It could also enable resource-poor countries and rural communities, where patients often have restricted access to health-care workers or medical professionals, to bridge gaps in access to health services.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist, said in the report’s foreword that if AI is employed “wisely” it could empower patients and communities to assume control over the healthcare systems.

“But if we do not take appropriate measures, AI could also lead to situations where decisions that should be made by providers and patients are transferred to machines, which would undermine human autonomy, as humans may neither understand how an AI technology arrives at a decision, nor be able to negotiate with a technology to reach a shared decision,” she warned.

“In the context of AI for health, autonomy means that humans should remain in full control of health-care systems and medical decisions,” Swaminathan said.

A press release issued by WHO summarized the report, parts of it are published in full in this article to reflect the organization’s true intents:

The report cautioned against overestimating the benefits of AI for health, especially when this occurs at the expense of core investments and strategies required to achieve universal health coverage.

It also points out that opportunities are linked to challenges and risks, including unethical collection and use of health data; biases encoded in algorithms, and risks of AI to patient safety, cybersecurity, and the environment.

For example, while private and public sector investment in the development and deployment of AI is critical, the unregulated use of AI could subordinate the rights and interests of patients and communities to the powerful commercial interests of technology companies or the interests of governments in surveillance and social control.

 The report also emphasizes that systems trained primarily on data collected from individuals in high-income countries may not perform well for individuals in low- and middle-income settings.

AI systems should therefore be carefully designed to reflect the diversity of socio-economic and health-care settings. They should be accompanied by training in digital skills, community engagement and awareness-raising, especially for millions of healthcare workers who will require digital literacy or retraining if their roles and functions are automated, and who must contend with machines that could challenge the decision-making and autonomy of providers and patients.

Ultimately, guided by existing laws and human rights obligations, and new laws and policies that enshrine ethical principles, governments, providers, and designers must work together to address ethics and human rights concerns at every stage of an AI technology’s design, development, and deployment.

Six principles to ensure AI works for the public interest in all countries.

To limit the risks and maximize the opportunities intrinsic to the use of AI for health, WHO provides the following principles as the basis for AI regulation and governance:

Protecting human autonomy: In the context of health care, this means that humans should remain in control of health-care systems and medical decisions; privacy and confidentiality should be protected, and patients must give valid informed consent through appropriate legal frameworks for data protection.

Promoting human well-being and safety and the public interest. The designers of AI technologies should satisfy regulatory requirements for safety, accuracy and efficacy for well- defined use cases or indications. Measures of quality control in practice and quality improvement in the use of AI must be available.

Ensuring transparency, explainability and intelligibility. Transparency requires that sufficient information be published or documented before the design or deployment of an AI technology. Such information must be easily accessible and facilitate meaningful public consultation and debate on how the technology is designed and how it should or should not be used.

Fostering responsibility and accountability. Although AI technologies perform specific tasks, it is the responsibility of stakeholders to ensure that they are used under appropriate conditions and by appropriately trained people. Effective mechanisms should be available for questioning and for redress for individuals and groups that are adversely affected by decisions based on algorithms.

 Ensuring inclusiveness and equity. Inclusiveness requires that AI for health be designed to encourage the widest possible equitable use and access, irrespective of age, sex, gender, income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability or other characteristics protected under human rights codes.

Promoting AI that is responsive and sustainable. Designers, developers and users should continuously and transparently assess AI applications during actual use to determine whether AI responds adequately and appropriately to expectations and requirements. AI systems should also be designed to minimize their environmental consequences and increase energy efficiency. Governments and companies should address anticipated disruptions in the workplace, including training for health-care workers to adapt to the use of AI systems, and potential job losses due to use of automated systems.

These principles will guide future WHO work to support efforts to ensure that the full potential of AI for healthcare and public health will be used for the benefits of all.

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UN chief praises European Union as top contributor to UN system and global humanitarian assistance

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Brussels/New York, June 24 – The European Union is the world’s top supporter of the United Nations and largest humanitarian donor at a time more than 40 million people are facing famine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in remarks to the plenary session of the European Parliament.

“We live at a time when the strategic partnership between the European Union and the United Nations is more indispensable than ever,” said Guterres, who has been re-appointed to a second, five-year term starting in January 2022. “On behalf of the United Nations, let me begin with two words: Thank you.”

Guterres said the EU and its members contributed to the UN regular and peacekeeping budgets and provided UN agencies with life-saving voluntary contributions to support development activities and other crucial work, including human rights.

“I thank you for working with the United Nations to help the most vulnerable populations in more than 170 countries,” he said. In addition, he said the EU helped to implement institutional reforms of the UN in past decades to make the organization “more agile and fit for purpose in an ever changing global environment.”

The World Food Program reported in June 2021 that 41 million people in 43 countries, up from 27 million in 2019, are “teetering on the very edge of famine.”

“I am heartbroken at what we’re facing in 2021. We now have four countries where famine-like conditions are present”, WFP chief David Beasley told the agency’s Executive Board on June 21, 2021.

WFP said hundreds of thousands of people are already experiencing famine-like conditions in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Somaiia, South Sudan and Yemen. It said people in Nigeria and Burkina Faso are also of particular concern as they have pockets where famine-like conditions are present. 

The agency said southern Madagascar is experiencing its worst drought in four decades with more than 1.14 million people threatened with food insecurity.

WFP said conflict, climate change and economic woes like soaring food prices in low-income countries can lead to widespread hunger.

“I want to emphasize just how bad it is out there. Today, 41 million people are literally knocking on famine’s door. The price tag to reach them is about US$ 6 billion. We need funding and we need it now,” Beasly said.

The EU has been in the forefront of the global efforts against the coronavirus pandemic, providing financial support to the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility on which developing and low-income countries rely on to receive vaccines against the COVID-19 virus.

Guterres said the pandemic has revealed “utterly inadequate health systems” around the world and “huge gap” in social protection and major structural inequalities “within and between countries” showing that some countries are on the way of recovery while others are still deep in infection cases and deaths.

He said unless African countries receive an additional 225 million vaccine doses now, 90 per cent of those countries will miss the target of vaccinating 10 per cent of their population by September.

On the other hand, 11 billion vaccine doses are needed in order to vaccinate 75 per cent of the world population in 2021-2022.

WHO reported that Africa is currently facing a fast-surging third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, with 474,000 new cases as of June 20, which represented a 21-per-cent increase over the previous 48-day period in 12 countries. It said the new surge is a combination of weak observance of public health measures, increased social interaction and movement as well as the spread of variants.

Such high demands of vaccines would require “voluntary licenses, technology transfers to patent pooling and flexibility on intellectual property rights” and

the mobilization of pharmaceutical companies and key industry actors, he said.

“The European Union must use its leverage as a global actor to help in this effort and ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all,” Guterres said.

The UN chief addressed other issues in which the EU has actively contributed, including climate change, cyber security and digital transformation. He said the EU has is the world’s prime proponent of a “more open, inclusive and secure digital future for all, and of safeguarding human rights online.”

“From cyber security governance and open data to net neutrality and the digitalization of public services, the European Union has demonstrated global leadership and set global standards,” he said, adding that the international community can emulate the human-centric European approach to digital transformation, digital rights, consumer protection, privacy, and the ethical development of artificial intelligence.

“The United Nations and the European Union have much in common,” he said.

“Both organizations were built on shared principles and a strong commitment to the international rule of law, with the aim to prevent past tragedies and build a more peaceful and prosperous world. We both aspire to put human rights at the forefront of our efforts.”

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Antonio Guterres pledges to make breakthroughs in second mandate as UN Secretary-General

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New York, June 18 – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was re-appointed to a second five-year term, pledged to use everything in his power to push for breakthroughs, starting with ending the pandemic and global recovery afterwards as the top priority.

Guterres took the oath of office immediately after the 193-nation UN General Assembly gave him the second term, which begins in January 2022. The assembly did so upon the recommendation by the UN Security Council, the highest political body in the UN system.

“I am humbled and energized by today’s decision of the General Assembly,“ he said. “We are at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. It can go either way: breakdown or breakthrough. Breakdown and perpetual crisis — or breakthrough leading to a greener, safer and better future for all.”

“I will do everything in my power to push for breakthroughs,” he said. “There are reasons to be hopeful.”

Mr. António Guterres is appointed by acclamation Secretary-General of the United Nations by the UN General Assembly for a second term of office starting 1 January 2022 and ending 31 December 2026. Mr. Guterres (right) takes the oath of office for his second five-year term. The oath is administered by Volkan Bozkir, President of the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Guterres said his vision for the second mandate calls for a “ten inter-related imperatives for action,” starting with “mounting a massive and enduring response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences.” He said the virus is spreading faster than vaccines while distribution of the latter has been vastly unequal, with rich countries hoarding the vaccines at the expenses of poor countries.

Other actions include the search for peace and security, making peace with nature, implementing climate action and achieving the set of Sustainable Development Goals. The visions calls for making human rights central, improving gender equality, meeting the challenge of digital transformation, advancing multilateralism and UN reform.

Guterres said the final imperative is “underpinning all our efforts. It is a focus on people — bettering the lives of individuals, families and communities. Reaffirming the dignity and worth of the human person.”

He said the driving theme of his vision is prevention in all its aspects — from conflict, climate change, pandemics to poverty and inequality.

“Indeed, our success in finding solutions to interlinked problems depends on our ability to anticipate, prevent and prepare for major risks to come,” he said. “That means more innovation, more inclusion and more foresight. It means more investment in the global public goods that sustain us all. All of this requires a reinvigorated multilateralism for the new era, based on principles of equity and solidarity.”

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WHO welcomes G7 leaders’ commitment to donate 870 million vaccine doses as part of efforts to end the pandemic

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Carbis Bay, England/Geneva/New York, June 13 – The World Health Organization welcomed the commitment by leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies to donate 870 million vaccine doses to low and low-middle income countries over the next year as part of efforts to end the pandemic.

The G7 under the United Kingdom leadership ended its three-day summit with a statement with calls for more investment in all tools to end the pandemic. The G7 said most of the 870 million new vaccine doses will be delivered through the ACT Accelerator partnership, WHO’s vaccine provider, which said the total funding committed to it remains US$ 15.1 billion with a gap of over US$ 16 billion.

The G7 countries are the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The European Union, Australia, India, South Africa and Republic of Korea were invited as guests.

A statement by WHO said the G7 leaders confirmed their support for “all pillars of the ACT-Accelerator across treatments, tests and strengthening public health systems as well as vaccines.”

 “Additionally, they indicated their intention to work together with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase their vaccine contribution over the months to come. Since their G7 Early Leaders’ Summit in February 2021, the G7 has committed one billion doses in total.”

The statement said WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the G7 summit and urged “many other countries are now facing a surge in cases – and they are facing it without vaccines. We are in the race of our lives, but it’s not a fair race, and most countries have barely left the starting line. We welcome the generous announcements about donations of vaccines and thank leaders. But we need more, and we need them faster.”

WHO said over US$ 16 billion are still needed in 2021 to fully fund the work of ACT-Accelerator In order to deliver products where they are most needed, help establish testing for 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries by mid-2021 and help secure the necessary supply of oxygen as well as distribute 165 million doses of treatments including dexamethasone which can save lives of people critically ill with COVID.

Carl Bildt, WHO Special Envoy for the ACT Accelerator, said: “We welcome these commitments but there is still a significant funding gap that must be closed if we are to get the urgently needed treatments, including oxygen, and tests, to low and lower-middle income countries so we aren’t flying blind to where the virus is and how it’s changing. The time to act is now. We look to the G7 and G20 to fund the work of the ACT Accelerator, the global multilateral solution that can speed up an end to the pandemic. The world needs their political leadership because left to rage anywhere, the virus will remain a threat everywhere.”

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The San Francisco Conference in the spring of 1945, taking place while World War II was ending, resulted in the creation of the United Nations. The journalists excelled in their coverage of the historic event. They were the first United Nations correspondents. They continue today the task of reporting on UN activities around the world.

This website aims to recognize all journalists who at present time are covering activities at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, Vienna or in the fields. It recognizes also former UN correspondents who have moved on to other assignments.

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