November 8, 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.

News feature: World ignores warnings to leave nature alone to prevent future pandemics, UN says

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New York, May 23 – At the height of the coronavirus explosion in mid-2020, experts warned that nature harbored 540,000 to 850,000 unknown viruses that could lead to more pandemics, infect and kill more people.

By mid-2021, the World Health Organization said the Covid-19 virus has killed over 3.3 million people and infected 162 million people and it is still rampant.

The warning to leave nature alone resounded as the planet’s biodiversity remains at risk. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and officials leading specialized agencies have pointed out the decline in the earth’s ecosystems despite decades of action to address the problems.

“Let me frank,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on May 22, 2021, which the UN designated as international biodiversity day. “Humanity is waging a war on nature. And the pressures are intensifying. We have failed to meet any of our international agreed biodiversity targets.”

“We’ll all be losers if we don‘t achieve peace with the planet,” he said.

Organizations warned humans are responsible for harms inflicted on nature, including deforestation for economic gains, overfishing and dumping of plastic waste in oceans, pollution of air quality, land and water resources.

The 2021 themes for the UN biodiversity day were “We’re part of the solution”, “Our solutions are in nature.” The slogans served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges.

Mother She-Bear and cubs in the summer pine forest. Family of Brown Bear. Scientific name: Ursus arctos. Natural habitat.

Experts from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) had warned that COVID-19 could cost US$8-16 trillion by July 2020 and “future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, do more damage to the world economy and kill more people than COVID-19 unless there is a transformative change in the global approach to dealing with infectious diseases.” The warning was issued last year in a major new report on biodiversity and pandemics by 22 leading experts from around the world.

IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body of over 130 member governments to advice policymakers on matters regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets.

Researchers from IBPES and the WHO projected a rise in pandemics that are “driven mainly by deforestation and biodiversity loss, much of it due to commercial activities like cattle raising, mining and commercial plantations.”

They said these activities enable the spillover of pathogens into new human populations, “as increasingly intimate associations between humans and wildlife disease reservoirs accelerate the potential for viruses to spread globally.”

“There is no great mystery about the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic – or of any modern pandemic”, said Dr. Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance and Chair of the IPBES workshop.

“The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment. Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people. This is the path to pandemics.”

Northern Tamandua – Tamandua mexicana species of anteater, tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, Central America to the edge of the northern Andes

Kunming biodiversity conference in October 2021

The UN is preparing to hold the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to review any achievements and delivery of a strategy for biodiversity in the past 10 years. The conference will take place in Kunming, in Yunnan province, China, October 11-24.

The UN explained that biological diversity is understood as a wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms, which also includes genetic differences within each species, like between varieties of crops and breeds of livestock, and the variety of ecosystems (lakes, forest, deserts, agricultural landscapes) that host multiple kind of interactions among their members (humans, plants, animals).

Yunnan, the host for the conference, is known for its vast fields of tea cultivation and biodiversity is a major topic in the region. China has a particular interest to ensure success of the biodiversity conference, not only because it is taking place on its territory but because of the link between biodiversity and human life. China’s tea culture dated back to 5,000 years ago and the country is considered the largest producer of tea mostly centered in Yunnan. Other major tea producers include India, Kenya, Turkey, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam.

Failures to achieve goals set in the convention will undermine progress towards 80 per cent of the assessed targets for eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to transform the world into a more habitable place, the UN said. It said three-quarters of the global land-based environment and about 66 per cent of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions. And one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.

The Kunming conference will review implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, which calls on member countries to take measures that include reviewing and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans and developing national targets among various other steps. The strategic plan is known also as “Living in Harmony with Nature.”

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UN marks International Tea Day, projects steady tea production growth in coming years

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Rome/New York, May 20 – United Nations organizations marked the annual International Tea Day for the second year under the coronavirus pandemic.

There are meaningful reasons, however, to celebrate tea as it is the world’s oldest beverage and most consumed drink, after water. Tea is proven for its health benefits on humans, from anti-inflammatory to antioxidant and weight loss effects.

The first International Tea Day happened on May 21, 2020, when the pandemic triggered deep fear and lockdown and the event was held in virtual conditions. The severe health crisis has somehow abated in 2021 in some countries but the overall situation has not changed much and any large gatherings to mark the day have been mostly curtailed.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is tasked each year to celebrate the occasion, says the International Tea Day is an opportunity to celebrate tea’s cultural heritage. It says tea also bestows economic income and tea growers have continued to make tea production sustainable “from field to cup.”

The origins of tea drinking is said to have started some 5,000 years ago and the drink has solidly implanted itself in many cultures worldwide.

Tea cultivation and processing are a main source of livelihoods for millions of people and their families from small farms to large producers and stores. Tea is now grown in more than 35 countries. Those countries included China, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, Turkey and Vietnam.

Close-up of a traditional ceramic teapot with hot aromatic tea filling cups on a wooden tray. Blurry background

The FAO cites important facts about tea. It says tea cultivation demands specific agro-ecological conditions but unfortunately it exists in areas that are highly vulnerable to climate change. The FAO says the tea value chain must be sustainable at all stages of production and processing in order to ensure benefits for both people and the environment.

The FAO said small tea farms are responsible for 60 per cent of the world’s annual tea production worth over US$16 billion.

The FAO has most recently designated four tea cultivation sites as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. Those sites represent “evolving systems of human communities in an intricate relationship with their territory, cultural and agricultural landscape.”

The four sites are situated in Yunnan and Fujian provinces in China, in Hadong region in South Korea and in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan.

Luo Daoyu, dean of China Tea Culture Study Institute, said China’s tea culture originated in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces more than 5,000 years ago and bloomed during the Tang and Song dynasties.

The International Tea Day is a “beneficial resolution for the welfare of all mankind. We look forward to see the improvement of global health by improving the awareness of drinking tea appropriately through the international commemoration,” he said.

“Our world today is facing rising pollution of air quality, food and the environment,” he said. “Drinking tea correctly improves people’s health. There is a Chinese saying that ‘tea cures all toxins.’ We are profoundly glad that the tea culture can be spread and promoted in a largescale worldwide

Vview of two women in traditional kimono, kneeling on tatami having cup of tea which is in front of them on tatami. They are in traditional Japanese old house. This is in Toei studios in Kyoto with old buildings from Samurai times.

In Japan, the habit of tea drinking originated from China and has developed into a culture called Sado, also known as the Japanese tea ceremony. Sado emphasizes not only brewing a delicious cup of tea, but the spiritual exchange between the host and the guests. 

The host of the tea ceremony begins by setting up the garden, hanging art scrolls, preparing mizusashi, or water jar and tea bowls, in preparation for hospitality. Then, in the small minimalist aesthetic tea room, the host and guests can create bonds with each other with respect, regardless of their social status or title. 

The tea ceremony was developed during the Warring States Period more than 400 years ago when many samurais fought against each other in Japan. In contrast to the times of conflict, the tea ceremony, which respects peaceful communication of the hearts, became popular. 

Projected growth of tea production, exports by 2027

The FAO’s International Group on Tea, composed of 19 countries, projected a significant increase in production of world black tea such as pu’er by an annual growth rate of 2.2 per cent to reach 4.42 million tons by 2027. China, Kenya and Sri Lanka are major black tea producers.

Major black tea exporting countries are expected to remain the same, with Kenya being the largest exporter followed by India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Vietnam, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and China.

For green tea, the group projected production output at an even faster rate of 7.5 per cent annually to reach 3.65 million tons. World green tea exports are projected to grow by 5.0 per cent annually to reach 605 455 tons by 2027. China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan are leading green tea exporters.

“The expansion is expected to result from increased productivity rather than an expansion in area, through replanting of higher yielding varieties and better agricultural practices,” the group said in a report following its meeting in Hangzhou, China in 2018. “Vietnam is also expected to substantially increase its production of green tea with an average annual growth rate of 6.8 percent despite ongoing quality issues which affect the price and exports earning of the country.”

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UN: Science, technology and innovation can help post-pandemic recovery

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New York, May 17 – While the world is still struggling to end the pandemic with massive vaccination campaigns, the United Nations called for advanced application of science, technology and innovation programs to boost post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery and close gaps in gender inequality and vaccine distribution.

The UN Conference on Trade and Technology (UNCTAD) provides the lead concept in the debate taking place at a the 24th conference of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) from 17 to 21 May. The meeting is bringing together UN officials and experts under the leadership of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed to examine how new technologies can improve people’s lives while countries around the world are trying to recover from the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the pressing need to prioritize science, technologies and innovation (STI) in terms of policymaking, resource allocation and international cooperation,” said Shamika N. Sirimanne, UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, who also heads the CSTD secretariat.

“But governments also need to make sure that the development benefits of STI translate directly into the daily lives of people all over the world,” Sirimanne said.

Moreover, Ms. Sirimanne added, it’s vital for all countries to have equal access to the benefits of life-saving treatments, not only for the pandemic but also for poverty-related diseases, future health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks.

The UN conference will examine opportunities offered by frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and robotics, some of which have been used in fighting the pandemic. Developing countries can benefit from those technologies and transform their economies and societies, UNCTAD said

in the UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2021.

The report examines how frontier technologies may lead to the unwanted situation of widening existing inequalities and creating new ones. It also calls for strengthening government and international policies to create a more equal world of opportunity for all. The report says frontier technologies already represent a US$350 billion market which could grow to US$3.2 trillion by 2025.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has already highlighted many manifestations of profound digital inequalities within and among countries,” Sirimanne said.

She said proactive policy interventions, the mobilization of all stakeholders and international cooperation are needed to set the direction of STI advances towards a sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic.

Speakers at the 24th session of the CSTD will include the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Munir Akram; the president of the 75th UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkır; the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, Houlin Zhao; a Nobel laureate in chemistry, Jennifer Doudna; and a senior vice president of BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals, Katalin Karikó.

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World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd) under the pandemic; news organizations face the threat of extinction

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(Editor’s note: news sources from UN News, UNESCO; survey. Photo: UNAMA/Fardin Waezi)

New York, April 29 – News organizations, particularly those serving public interest, are threatened with extinction when hit by waves of misinformation and financial support and readership decline during this past year.

UN and philantropic organizations have also noted the causes threatening news outfits:  “infodemic”, hate speech and loss of independence in the pursuit of truth among others.

The UN will mark the annual World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) holding the event in Windhoek, Namibia under the theme “Information as a Public Good.”

“The conference will call for urgent attention to the threat of extinction faced by local news media around the world, a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,” UNESCO said, as reported by UN News.

“It will put forward ideas to tackle the challenges of our online media environment, push for more transparency of internet companies, strengthen safety of journalists, and improve their working conditions. The conference will also call to support independent media and empower citizens to face these challenges.”

“May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.”

The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day to be held on May 3rd each year at the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference.

UN calls for preserving integrity of public-interest media organizations

The coronavirus pandemic has spawned numerous examples of dangerous campaigns of

misinformation and hate speech. It has been difficult for people to access reliable information while they are struggling to stay healthy and safe.

The UN is calling for preserving the independence of public-interest media organizations that have lost readership and financial support.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “The events of the past year have reminded us that access to reliable information is more than just a basic human right – it can also be a matter of life and death. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an enormous concurrent “infodemic.”

“Misinformation and hate speech have proliferated, jeopardizing the health of millions of people worldwide, undermining confidence in vaccines and science, and dividing communities and countries,” he said.

Public-interest media organizations have also suffered a decline in financial support during the pandemic. Such a situation threatened their survival and it came at a time when data-based information is critical to all. It is estimated that newspapers alone have lost some 30 billion US dollars over the last year.

“In that regard, I welcome efforts by donors, the private sector and civil society to create the International Fund for Public Interest Media. Ensuring sufficient funding and support is crucial to securing the long- term future of independent media organizations, especially in low- and middle-income countries,” Guterres said.

The Journalism and the Pandemic Project from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University.

The project involved a year-long global survey of the impacts of the pandemic on journalism and the responses from over 1,400 English-speaking journalists, editors and CEOs from 125 countries were “startling and disturbing.”

“At a time when the public needs to rely on credible independent journalism to stay safe and informed, journalists and news organizations are grappling with a mental health crisis, financial peril, physical safety threats, and press freedom attacks, while simultaneously battling pandemic levels of disinformation,” the survey said.

Top findings by the survey:

–46 per cent of respondents identified politicians and elected officials as top sources of disinformation

–Facebook was identified as the most prolific spreader of disinformation

–nearly half of respondents said their sources feared retaliation if they were found speaking to journalists during the pandemic

–30 per cent of respondents said news organizations failed to provide protective equipment to field reporters and 70 per cent said mental health impacts covering the pandemic constituted the “most difficult challenge”

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UN adopts first resolution to prevent drowning; over 2.5 million lives lost in past 10 years

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New York, April 28 – For the first time in its 75-year history, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on governments worldwide to adopt measures to prevent drowning.

The UN said drowning claims 235,000 lives every year, with 90 per cent of them in low- and middle-income countries, with Asia carrying the highest burden. Bangladesh is among countries with the highest drowning incidents.

The World Drowning Prevention resolution said the vast majority of drowning could and should have been prevented. Bangladesh and Ireland initiated the new resolution which was co-sponsored by 79 countries.

“Drowning is a major cause of global mortality, accounting for a greater loss of life annually, than to maternal mortality or malnutrition,” Bangladesh UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima said. “The imperative to act on drowning is not simply moral or political. The economic cost is equally untenable.”

Fatima said drowning is a leading cause of child mortality in Bangladesh and the resolution provides a framework for global and national cooperation to prevent drowning.

Ireland’s UN Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason said, “As an island nation, Ireland knows well both the promise and risk that water presents. It is our immense pleasure to partner with the Government of Bangladesh – on the frontline of the fight against drowning – in sponsoring this initiative. This resolution, and the first ever World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25, are a moment to highlight the immediate need for strategic and significant international action to save lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths.”

The World Health Organization said its latest estimates showed 235,000 deaths by drowning every year. It said drowning and some preventable diseases disproportionately affect children and adolescents in rural areas.

“Through this new UN General Assembly Resolution, member states are giving drowning its due recognition, commensurate with the impact it has on families and communities around the world,” said Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at WHO.

The resolution said that drowning is preventable and that scalable, low-cost interventions exist. Governments are encouraged, on a voluntary basis, to undertake a range of coordinated recognized interventions, relevant to national circumstances.

Michael Bloomberg, the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, said the resolution is encouraging governments to adopt effective measures to prevent drowning will save thousands of lives and call attention to this urgent public health issue.

“For nearly a decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has been working in Bangladesh and other countries where drowning rates are especially high. Our work has helped save lives and demonstrated the effectiveness of low-cost interventions like those outlined in today’s resolution. We have the tools to prevent these deaths – and need to act on them now,” Bloomberg said.

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US shows leadership in action on climate change; world leaders join virtual meeting to pledge new goals

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Washington/New York, April 22 – US President Joe Biden convened a high-profile virtual meeting attended by some 40 world leaders to take action on climate change and he pledged the US would cut greenhouse gas emissions in half from 2005 levels by 2030.

China, Russia, India and other heads of state and government also made new or repeated previous pledges in a joint effort to keep planet temperatures from rising above 1.5 degree Celsius under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Carbon emissions, which mainly come from burning fossil fuels and coal, contribute to climate change.

“Those that do take action and make bold investments in their people in a clean energy future will win the good jobs of tomorrow and make their economies more resilient and more competitive. So let’s run that race,” Biden said in opening a two-day climate summit in Washington. He said the US has “resolved to take action” on climate change and urged world leaders to intensify their national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is a moral imperative, an economic imperative. A moment of peril but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities,” he said.

“The signs are unmistakable, the science is undeniable and the cost of inaction keeps mounting,” Biden said about the damaging impacts of climate change. Biden’s pledge to cut 50 percent to 52 percent of carbon emissions would require a steep decline of fossil fuel use in every sector of the US economy. His plan would work depending on how much cooperation of the Republicans would give him.

Just before Biden’s climate summit in Washington, The World Meteorological Organization said it its State of Global Climate 2020 that the year was the worst so far with dozens of tropical storms, severe drought, wildfires and the melting of Artic ice.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after reading the report that 2021 should be the year of action. He said the report “be read by all leaders and decision-makers in the world. 2020 was an unprecedented year for people and the planet. It was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He said data in the report showed an alarming rise of temperatures of 1.2 degrees Celsius that are hotter than pre-industrial times and getting close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set by the scientific community. 

The climate disasters reported by WMO included temperatures at Verkhoyansk in Russia that reached 38 degrees Celsius in June 2020, which was the highest recorded temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle; major greenhouse gases that continued to climb and carbon dioxide concentrations that rose extremely high — 410.5 parts per million, which is a 148 per cent increase above pre-industrial levels. 

The report said the number of tropical cyclones globally was above average in 2020 with 98 named tropical storms and in Brazil the drought caused serious wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands. 

In the Arctic, it said the annual minimum sea-ice extent in September 2020 was the second lowest on record and in the Greenland ice sheet lost 152 billion metric tons of ice from September 2019 to August 2020.  

Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, whose country is the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, told the summit that his country has taken speedy measures to reduce emissions in order to reach carbon neutrality sooner than the 2060 target it has set.

“China has committed to move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality in a much shorter time span than what might take many developed countries, and that required extraordinarily hard efforts from China,” Xi said.

Xi said China is phasing out coal after 2025 so the country will be able to reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India said his country’s emissions are far smaller than other major emitters and made no new commitment. “We in India are doing our part,” Modi said. “Despite our development challenges we have taken many bold steps.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada pledged to reduce emissions levels 40 percent to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2030

The pledges to reduce emissions are known as “nationally determine contributions” (NDCs), which countries are submitting to enforce the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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UN: World faces anthropogenic climate change caused by human activities; calls for action

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New York, April 19 – In addition to the pandemic that has upended most countries, the world is facing an “anthropogenic climate change caused by human activities, human decisions and human folly,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said following the publication of a weather report describing 2020 as an unprecedented year of extreme weather and climate disasters.

“This is an extremely alarming report,” Guterres said of the just published The World Meteorological Organization State of the Global Climate 2020 Report. “It needs to be read by all leaders and decision-makers in the world. 2020 was an unprecedented year for people and the planet. It was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He said data in the report showed an alarming rise of temperatures of 1.2 degrees Celsius that are hotter than pre-industrial times and getting close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set by the scientific community. 

The climate disasters reported by WMO included temperatures at Verkhoyansk in Russia that reached 38 degrees Celsius in June 2020, which was the highest recorded temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle; major greenhouse gases that continued to climb and carbon dioxide concentrations that rose extremely high — 410.5 parts per million, which is a 148 per cent increase above pre-industrial levels. 

The report said the number of tropical cyclones globally was above average in 2020 with 98 named tropical storms and in Brazil the drought caused serious wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands. 

In the Arctic, it said the annual minimum sea-ice extent in September 2020 was the second lowest on record and in the Greenland ice sheet lost 152 billion metric tons of ice from September 2019 to August 2020.  

In the United States the drought triggered the largest wildfires ever recorded in California and Colorado. 

“This must be the year for action,” Guterres said.

Guterres called for action in 2021 in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change including reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050. But he said, “We are way off track.” 

He called for a number of “concrete advances” before the Conferences of Parties known as COP26 in Glasgow in November, including for countries to commit to a net zero carbon emissions and for them to submit to Nationally Determine Contributions (NDC) to the 2015 Paris Agreement for the next 10 years. The NDCs are climate plans to adopted by countries that have signed up with that agreement.

The Paris Agreement called for countries to renew their NDCs every five years, which was supposed to happen in 2020 for the first time. But the pandemic cancelled or postponed many international gatherings in 2020, including the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), in Glasgow, which was pushed back to November 2021.

Guterres asked developed countries to deliver on climate finance for the developing world, particularly the promise of $100 billion dollars a year and subsidies to polluting fossil fuels must be shifted to renewable energy. 

Other calls aim at developed countries to lead in phasing out coal by 2030 in OECD countries and by 2040 elsewhere, and for all financial institutions, public and private, to ensure that they fund sustainable and resilient development for all and move away from a grey and inequitable economy.  

In Washington, President Joe Biden is convening a virtual climate summit on April 22 – Earth Day – and has invited up to 40 government leaders to attend in an effort to show the world that the US is leading the fight against climate change.

Biden is expected to announce more ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse emissions, which is the main target of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The White House said Biden’s virtual summit aims at prodding countries to make stronger commitments of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and to keep the 1.5-degree goal which are main demands under the Paris Agreement.

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UN agencies: Remove wild animals from food markets to prevent emergence of new, deadly virus

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Geneva/New York, April 13 – Traditional food markets known as wet markets should stop selling wild animals, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies proposed as an interim measure to prevent the emergence of a new, deadly virus.

The organizations called for “suspending” sales of wild mammals in a newly published document,  interim guidance,  in order reducing public health risks associated with these transactions as most emerging infectious diseases have wildlife origins. 

The WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) published the interim document in the wake of failure by a team of 17 international scientists and experts and 17 Chinese experts to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 virus. The investigation was conducted in January 2021 in Wuhan, China.

“Traditional food markets that are regulated by national or local competent  authorities and that operate to high standards of hygiene and sanitation are safe for workers and customers,” the document said. “Significant problems can arise when these markets allow the sale and slaughter of live animals, especially wild animals, which cannot be properly assessed for potential risks in areas open to the public.”

“When wild animals are kept in cages or pens, slaughtered and dressed in open market areas, these areas become contaminated with body fluids, feces and other waste, increasing the risk of transmission of pathogens to workers and customers and potentially resulting in spillover of pathogens to other animals in the market.”

The document said animals, particularly wild animals, are responsible for more than 70 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, many of which are caused by novel viruses. It said wild mammals pose particular risk as there is no way to check if they carry dangerous viruses. 

The document said some of the earliest known cases of Covid-19 were linked to the wet market in Wuhan.

“It is likely that the virus that causes Covid-19 originated in wild animals, as it belongs to a group of coronaviruses normally found in bats,” the document said.    

“One hypothesis is that the virus was initially transmitted to humans through an intermediary animal host that is, as yet, unknown. Another possibility is that the virus was transmitted directly from a host species of animal to humans.” 

The document also called for governments to close markets, or sections of markets, and to re-open them “only on condition that they meet required food safety, hygiene and environmental standards and comply with regulations.” 

“During this pandemic, additional measures for crowd control and physical distancing, hand washing and sanitizing stations as well as education on respiratory hygiene including on use of face masks should be introduced in market settings to limit the possibility of person-to-person transmission of disease,” it said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that a report written by the investigative team in Wuhan represented a “very important beginning, but it is not the end.” We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do.”

The WHO chief emphasized that the report raised “further questions that will need to be addressed by further studies, as the team itself notes in the report.” He added that the investigation would need access from Chinese authorities “to data including biological samples from at least September” 2019.

“In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data. I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing,” he said.

“Again, I welcome the recommendations for further research, including a full analysis of the trade in animals and products in markets across Wuhan, particularly those linked to early human cases,” Tedros said.

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First technology summit calls for more technology governance to improve lives, respond to global challenges

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Tokyo/New York, April 8 – The first global summit on the Fourth Industrial Revolution dedicated to shaping the future of technology backed the need for more technology governance because it would help a beleaguered world to tackle pressing problems particularly the ongoing pandemic.

Organized by the government of Japan and the World Economic Forum (WEF), over 2,000 government, business and civil society representatives took part in a virtual meeting April 6-7 in Tokyo to discuss key issues, including ethical artificial intelligence, blockchain and data privacy.

WEF said the summit built on the work of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Japan and the Forum’s global Network of centers in 13 countries.

The summit was opened by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who emphasized the timeliness of discussions among leaders on the implementation of digital technologies in the post-COVD era, WEF said. Suga also reaffirmed his commitment to accelerating reforms to create the world’s most advanced digital society.

The World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Network will develop this work throughout 2021 and beyond, WEF said.

Following is a press release from WEF:

COVID-19 has radically transformed the role of IoT in just a few months. Connected devices have been useful tools for monitoring and containing the disease around the world and are expected to play a critical role in safely distributing future vaccines.

 But the situation has also highlighted the need to strike a proper balance between the public interest in protecting health in the face of future pandemics and the need to ensure the full range of human rights, such as protecting freedom of expression, association and movement.

As societies emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, a unique window of opportunity has opened to reimagine our relationship with IoT, realize new opportunities for growth and unlock a safer and more inclusive use of the technology.

The economic impacts of COVID-19 are also shaking up the IoT ecosystem.

Business that prioritized IoT investment to monitor machine health are now using connected devices monitor and protect human health, while also investing in remote working capabilities and automation.

The IoT market is expected to grow even faster once the world enters a new post-COVID-19 business environment, thanks to the release of pent-up demand and new investment in technology to minimize impacts from future disruptions.

Conclusion: Charting a path to a brighter connected future
In response to the findings of this report, the World Economic Forum in partnership with the Global IoT Council has developed a Global Action Plan that aims to encourage collective action on the most pressing challenges the connected world currently faces.

 IoT is already an indispensable part of our daily lives and fundamental infrastructure. As it grows in extent and capabilities, we must act if we want to realize the full potential of IoT.

The Global Action Plan is structured around a set of high-level actions, which are tied to related initiatives and commitments, learn more about those initiatives here.

The World Economic Forum in partnership with the Council on the Connected World intends to provide regular updates on the progress of the Global Action Plan. An updated and expanded version of this report will be published in two years in order to track progress of the Global Action Plan and stay abreast of emerging governance gaps.

“As the internet of things becomes a part of our daily lives, it is essential that we build upon the last three decades of learning from the World Wide Web, ensuring that these technologies create a digital future that is safe and empowering for everyone.”

—Adrian Lovett, President & CEO, World Wide Web Foundation

“As we become increasingly reliant on connected devices throughout our daily lives, privacy and security are of paramount importance. They will be crucial to the safe and secure digital transformation of industries throughout the next decade”

—Cristiano Amon, President, Qualcomm Incorporated

For more information:

The Internet of things describes the network of physical objects—“things” or objects—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. Wikipedia

Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Japan

 Global Technology Governance Summit

Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network.

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World needs an international treaty to deal with the next pandemic, governments and WHO say; report on Covid-19 origins published

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Geneva/New York, March 30 – Deeply battered by the Covid-19 pandemic that has entered into a second year, more than 20 heads of government and the World Health Organization have decided to work on a treaty to deal with the next pandemic, which they say is certain to strike again.

“There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies,” the governments and WHO said in a statement. “No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. The question is not if, but when.”

“We are convinced that it is our responsibility, as leaders of nations and international institutions, to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said, adding that the pandemic was the biggest challenge to the world since the 1940s.

The statement was signed by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the leaders of countries including Britain, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Indonesia. The United States and China have not signed but the two countries, which have been at loggerheads, have expressed support for the proposal.

“From the discussions we had during member states sessions, the comment from member states including U.S. and China was actually positive and we hope the future engagements will bring all countries,” the WHO chief said.

“The proposals are not sufficiently detailed at the moment,” said an adviser to a Western government helping craft the proposal. “It’s going to take a number of years of negotiation… you’re talking two to four years.”

“This comes down to what governments are willing to agree to in terms of allowing investigative teams into their countries,” the adviser said.

WHO also issued a separate statement calling for a “more robust international health architecture.” It said the new treaty would “foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics.”

It called for greatly enhancing international cooperation to improve alert systems, data-sharing, research and local, regional and global production and distribution of vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment. The treaty should also build mutual accountability, shared responsibility, transparency and cooperation within the international system with rules and norms.

The statement was signed by:

J. V. Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji; Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand; António Luís Santos da Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal; Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy; Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania; Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; Charles Michel, President of the European Council; Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece; Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea; Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile; Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica; Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania; Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa; Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Kais Saied, President of Tunisia; Macky Sall, President of Senegal; Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Erna Solberg, Prime Miniser of Norway; Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia; Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia; Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine; Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

14 countries raise “concerns” about WHO report on Covid-19 origins

The WHO made public the report on the investigation of the origins of the pandemic’s virus, which was drawn together by an international team composed of 17 members from WHO and 17 members from China. The investigation took place in Wuhan, China, January 10 to February 14, 2021.

 “As far as WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table,” the WHO chief said. “This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end. We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do. Finding the origin of a virus takes time and we owe it to the world to find the source so we can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. No single research trip can provide all the answers.


In Washington, the United States joined 13 other countries to raise “concerns” about the released report because the investigators were not given full access to information they neede

“We voice our shared concerns that the international expert study on the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples,” the 14 countries said in a joint statement.

“Scientific missions like these should be able to do their work under conditions that produce independent and objective recommendations and findings. Going forward, there must now be a renewed commitment by WHO and all Member States to access, transparency, and timeliness,” the statement said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “They have not been transparent, they have not provided underlying data, that certainly doesn’t qualify as cooperation.”

“We don’t believe that in our review to date that it meets the moment,” Psaki said of the report.

The 14 countries are Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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