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Five UN specialized agencies have launched the 2024 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report at a Special Event in the margins of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 24 July 2024.The report presented the latest updates on hunger, food security and nutrition around the world, including updated estimates on the cost and affordability of healthy diets. Following is a joint press release.

Rio de Janeiro, July 24, 2024 – Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies. The annual report, launched this year in the context of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030. The report shows that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009.

The launch included the participation of (in order of speakers):
• António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General (video message)
• H.E. Claudia Sheinbaum, President-Elect, Mexico (TBC)
• QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO
• Alvaro Lario, President, IFAD
• Catherine M. Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF
• Cindy H. McCain, Executive Director, WFP
• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
• H.E. Wellington Barroso de Araújo Dias, Minister for Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Brazil
• Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist, FAO

Despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).

Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 percent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 percent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 percent). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions. If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, warn 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 Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.

Key findings beyond hunger – The report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions. In 2023, around 2.33billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changedsignificantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those, over 864million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more attimes. This number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America showsimprovement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 percent of the population ismoderately or severely food insecure.

The lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries. Notably, the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.

While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3%, still falls short of achieving targets. Additionally, the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased.

Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1 percent (2012) to 15.8 percent (2022). Projections indicate that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity – has also surged globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, while obesity has risen sharply.

These trends underscore the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions as the world is not on track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, the five agencies indicate. Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.

Financing to end hunger – This year’s report’s theme “Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition’’,emphasizes that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multi-faceted approach, including transformingand strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessiblehealthy diets for all. It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear andstandardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.

What the heads of the five UN agencies said – WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus writes in the report’s Foreword: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilizing innovative ways of financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation and interventions to end hunger and ensure all peoplehave access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), and to end all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future, but our obligation. We strive to guarantee the right to adequate food and nutrition of current and future generations”.  As highlighted during a recent event in the High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report underscores that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts. Countries most in need of increased financing face significant challenges in access. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, approximately 63 percent have limited or moderate access to financing. Additionally, the majority of these countries (74 percent) are impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.

FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu: “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we facethe urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supportingcountries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will work togetherwith all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty,to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient,inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for abetter world.”

IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. But the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.’’

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”

WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “A future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions. I call on G20 leaders tofollow Brazil’s example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty, We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity.”WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “The progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition. The substantial investment required in healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies if we do nothing.”

Glossary of key terms

Diet quality (or healthy diets): Comprised of four key aspects: diversity (within and across food groups), adequacy (sufficiency of all essential nutrients compared to requirements), moderation (foods and nutrients that are related to poor health outcomes) and balance (energy and macronutrient intake). Foods consumed should be safe.

Food environment: The physical, economic, political and sociocultural context in which consumers engage with agrifood systems to make decisions about acquiring, preparing and consuming food. Hunger: an uncomfortable or painful sensation caused by insufficient energy from diet. In this report, the term hunger is synonymous with chronic undernourishment and is measured by the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU).

Malnutrition: an abnormal physiological condition caused by inadequate, unbalanced or excessive intake of macronutrients and/or micronutrients and/or by disease that causes weight loss. Malnutrition includes undernutrition (child stunting and wasting), vitamin and mineral deficiencies (also known as micronutrient deficiencies) as well as overweight and obesity.

Moderate food insecurity: a level of severity of food insecurity at which people face uncertainties about their ability to obtain food and have been forced to reduce, at times during the year, the quality and/or quantity of food they consume due to lack of money or other resources. It refers to a lack of consistent access to food, which diminishes dietary quality and disrupts normal eating patterns. It is measured withthe Food Insecurity Experience Scale and contributes to tracking the progress towards SDG Target 2.1 (Indicator 2.1.2).

Severe food insecurity: a level of severity of food insecurity at which, at some time during the year, people have run out of food, experienced hunger and at the most extreme, gone without food for a day or more. It is measured with the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and contributes to tracking the progress towards SDG Target 2.1 (Indicator 2.1.2).

Undernourishment: a condition in which an individual’s habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the amount of dietary energy required to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life. The prevalence of undernourishment is used to measure hunger and progress towards SDG Target 2.1 (Indicator 2.1.1).

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The United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) has announced its annual awards for best journalistic coverage of UN activities around the world in 2024. Following is the announcement.

2024 UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS FOR BEST JOURNALISTIC COVERAGE OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND UN AGENCIES

WINNERS WILL BE HONORED BY THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
H.E. ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13th 2024, IN NEW YORK

The United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) invites media worldwide to submit entries for its 28th annual UNCA Awards for best print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online, web-based media coverage of the United Nations, UN agencies, and field operations.

Deadline for Submission is September 30th, 2024

The UNCA awards are open to all journalists anywhere in the world

The Awards are:

1. The Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize, sponsored by the Alexander Bodini Foundation. The award is for print (including online media) coverage of the UN and UN agencies, named in honor of Elizabeth Neuffer, the Boston Globe bureau chief at the UN, who died while on an assignment in Baghdad in 2003.

2. The Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize, sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). The award is for broadcast (TV & Radio) media coverage of the UN and UN agencies, named in honor of Ricardo Ortega, formerly the New York correspondent for Antena 3 TV of Spain, who died while on an assignment in Haiti in 2004.

3. The Prince Albert II of Monaco and UNCA Global Prize for Climate Change. The award is for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV and Radio), that cover climate change with a particular focus on its impacts on oceans and its biodiversity, and the effects of sea level rise for Small Islands Developing States.

Important Information For Applicants:

• Work in print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online coverage must be published between September 2023 and September 2024.
• The judges will seek entries that demonstrate impact, insight, and originality, evaluating the journalists’ courage, investigative prowess, and reporting skills. Entries from the media in the developing world are especially encouraged.
• Entries can be submitted in any of the official UN languages (English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian), however a written transcript in English or French is necessary to facilitate the judging process.
• Each candidate may submit entries to a maximum of two (2) prize categories, with up to two (2) stories per category. Joint entries are also permitted.
• Please ensure that digital files and valid web links are uploaded to the online Entry Form.

How To Submit Your Entry:

Entries are submitted online by completing the UNCA Awards Entry Form.

Please complete the form, upload your photo, and submit your work electronically by uploading web links and/or files directly to the Entry Form.

Electronic entries are mandatory

All entries must be received by September 30th, 2024

For questions regarding UNCA Awards & entries please send email to: contactus@unca.com

Click Button to Get Started: entry form 

UNCA Awards Committee:

Valeria Robecco (UNCA President), Giampaolo Pioli (Awards Chairman), J. Tuyet Nguyen (Awards Selections Coordinator) Sherwin Bryce-Pease (UNCA Executive Member and Master of Ceremonies) Edith Lederer (UNCA Executive Member) Betul Yuruk (UNCA Executive Member)

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The UN published the World Population Prospects 2024 to mark the World Population Day (July 11). It said remarkable progress in improving population data gathering and analysis has been made in the past three decades to reflect the diversity of societies in the world more accurately. Following is a press release from the UN Department of Global Communications

New York, 11 July, 2024 – According to the World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results published today, it is expected that the world’s population will peak in the mid-2080s, growing over the next sixty years from 8.2 billion people in 2024 to around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, and then will return to around 10.2 billion by the end of the century. The size of the world’s population in 2100 is now expected to be six per cent lower—or 700 million fewer—than anticipated a decade ago.

“The demographic landscape has evolved greatly in recent years,” said Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “In some countries, the birth rate is now even lower than previously anticipated and we are also seeing slightly faster declines in some high-fertility regions. The earlier and lower peak is a hopeful sign. This could mean reduced environmental pressures from human impacts due to lower aggregate consumption. However, slower population growth will not eliminate the need to reduce the average impact attributable to the activities of each individual person.”

(All materials related to the World Population Prospects 2024, including the summary report and the complete dataset, are available at population.un.org.
Hashtag: #UNPopulation, #PeopleOfTomorrow and #GlobalGoals)

The earlier population peak is due to several factors, including lower levels of fertility in some of the world’s largest countries, especially China. Globally, women are having one child fewer, on average, than they did around 1990. In more than half of all countries and areas, the average number of live births per woman is below 2.1—the level required for a population to maintain a constant size over the long term without migration—and nearly a fifth of all countries and areas, including China, Italy, the Republic of Korea and Spain, now have “ultra-low” fertility, with fewer than 1.4 live births per woman over a lifetime.

As of 2024, population size has peaked in 63 countries and areas, including China, Germany, Japan and the Russian Federation, and the total population of this group is projected to decline by 14 per cent over the next thirty years. For another 48 countries and areas, including Brazil, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Türkiye and Viet Nam, the population is projected to peak between 2025 and 2054. In the remaining 126 countries, including India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the United States of America, the population is expected to increase through 2054 and, potentially, to peak in the second half of the century or later. In nine countries of this last group, including Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Somalia, very rapid growth is projected, with their total population doubling between 2024 and 2054.

Early pregnancies remain a challenge, particularly in low-income countries. In 2024, 4.7 million babies, or about 3.5 per cent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under age 18. Of these, some 340,000 were born to children under age 15, with serious consequences for the health and well-being of both the young mothers and their children.

The report finds that investing in the education of young people, especially girls, and increasing the ages of marriage and first childbearing in countries where these have an early onset will have positive outcomes for women’s health, educational attainment and labour force participation. These efforts will also contribute to slowing population growth and reducing the scale of the investments required to achieve sustainable development while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Over the past three decades, mortality rates have decreased and life expectancy has increased significantly. After a brief decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, global life expectancy at birth is rising again, reaching 73.3 years in 2024, up from 70.9 years during the pandemic. By the late 2050s, more than half of all global deaths will occur at age 80 or higher, a substantial increase from 17 per cent in 1995.

By the late 2070s, the number of persons aged 65 years or older is projected to surpass the number of children (under age 18), while the number of persons at ages 80 and higher is projected to be larger than the number of infants (under age 1) already by the mid-2030s. Even in countries that are still growing rapidly and have relatively youthful populations, the number of persons aged 65 or older is expected to rise over the next 30 years.

(All materials related to the World Population Prospects 2024, including the summary report and the complete dataset, are available at population.un.org.
Hashtag: #UNPopulation, #PeopleOfTomorrow and #GlobalGoals)

Media Contacts:

Sharon Birch |UN Department of Global Communications | E: birchs@un.org

Helen Daun Rosengren |UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs | E: rosengrenh@un.org

Karoline Schmid | UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs | E: schmidk@un.org

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As G20 finance ministers prepare to consider a wealth tax next month, a large majority of people in G20 countries (68%*) support the idea. Higher carbon taxes, higher progressive taxation on income, and higher corporation taxes also receive very strong support across G20 countries to fund lifestyle and economic transformation. 

People want political and economic reform. Roughly two in a new survey of 22,000 citizens in the world’s largest economies reveals overwhelming support for tax reforms and broader political and economic reform. 

Over two-thirds (68%*) of respondents back a wealth tax, with only 11% opposed, while 70% support higher income taxes for high earners, and 69% favour increased corporation tax, according to the survey conducted by Ipsos. Support for a wealth tax is highest in Indonesia (86%), Turkey (78%), the UK (77%), and India (74%).

Support is lowest in Saudi Arabia (54%), Argentina (54%), and Denmark (55%), but still over half the populations surveyed. In the United States, France, and Germany, around two in three people support a wealth tax (67%, 67%, and 68%, respectively). 

The survey, commissioned by Earth4All and the Global Commons Alliance, explored support for economic and political transformation across G20 nations. Results also show that 71% of G20 citizens believe the world has a decade to act to protect the planet. This belief rises to 91% of Mexicans, 86% of Kenyans, 83% of South Africans, and 81% of Brazilians. This belief is lowest—but still over half the population – in Saudi Arabia (52%), Japan (53%), the United States (62%), and Italy (62%).

(The members of the G-20 are:  Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S., as well as the European Union, represented by the rotating council presidency and the European Central Bank.)

Broad support for green energy, nature, health initiatives – The findings come as finance ministers from G20 countries, including the United States, China, and India, prepare to meet in Brazil this July. For the first time, a wealth tax is on the agenda as these nations deliberate on strategies to address economic and environmental challenges. The survey highlighted broad support for using additional tax revenues to fund policies that protect nature, reduce inequality, and promote healthy living. Key areas with strong backing include green energy initiatives, universal healthcare, and strengthening workers’ rights. Even less popular policies, such as universal basic income and investment in citizens’ assemblies to strengthen democracy, attract support from about half of respondents.

Move beyond growth to measure economic success – Across the G20, most people believe economies must move beyond a singular focus on economic growth. 68% of those surveyed agree that the economy should prioritise the health and wellbeing of people and nature rather than focusing solely on profit and increasing wealth. Furthermore, 62% believe that a country’s economic success should be measured by the health and wellbeing of its citizens, not just economic growth.

Trust in government low; demand for political, economic reform high – Trust in government remains low, with only 39% of G20 citizens believing their government can be trusted to make decisions for the benefit of the majority in the short term and just 37% trusting their government to make long-term decisions for future generations. This lack of trust is particularly pronounced in Europe. There is a notable demand for reform of national and global political and economic systems. In the G20, 65% of respondents believe their national political system needs major changes. A similar number (68%) feel the same about their economic system. 

Optimism – The survey also asked whether people are optimistic about their future. On average, 62% of G20 citizens are optimistic about their own future. However, only 44% feel positive about their country’s future, while 38% are optimistic about the future of the world. People in emerging economies like India and Mexico are the most optimistic, while European citizens, for example, in France, Sweden, and the UK, are significantly less hopeful.

** Notes: Global percentages are an arithmetic average of national results of G20 countries surveyed. The average is not weighted by population size. Russia was not included in the survey.

In China, a smaller survey with fewer economic and political questions was distributed. Non-G20 countries included, Austria, Denmark, Kenya, and Sweden, are not included in the G20 total figures presented

Comments – Owen Gaffney, co-lead of the Earth4All initiative: “People want political and economic reform. They feel their economy is not working for them, which is why some are turning to populist political parties. Despite this, the vast majority of people still believe urgent action is needed this decade to tackle the planetary emergency. Our survey results provide a clear mandate from G20 citizens: redistribute wealth. Greater equality will build stronger democracies to drive a fair transformation for a stable planet.”

Jane Madgwick, Executive Director at the Global Commons Alliance: “Science demands a giant leap to address the planetary crisis, and the public agrees. 71% of G20 citizens support immediate, comprehensive measures this decade.”

Sandrine Dixson Declève, executive chair of Earth4All and co-president of the Club of Rome: “This survey proves once again that citizens across G20 countries believe it is time for an economy that delivers greater wellbeing, more climate solutions, and less inequality. But the results also show a growing lack of trust in government, especially in Europe. With the recent European elections moving towards the radical right due to growing social tension, we need to hold governments accountable to introduce an economy that services people and the planet at the same time.”

For more information and to arrange interviews: Terry Collins: tc@tca.tc / +1-416-878-8712

Florence Howarth: florence@forster.co.uk / +44 07505504293

Samuel O’Flynn: samuel@forster.co.uk / +44 07801849967

* * * * *

Notes to Editors – The full Ipsos research is available at the following link as of 25 June 2024: https://earth4all.life/global-survey. In addition to a global report, regional reports for all surveyed countries are available. Ipsos surveyed 22,000 people across the G20 countries. Russia was not included in the survey. In China, a smaller survey with fewer economic and political questions was distributed. Non G20 countries included were Austria, Denmark, Kenya and Sweden. They are not included in the G20 total figures presented. Global percentages are an arithmetic average of national results of G20 countries surveyed. The average is not weighted by population size. Supporting partners include the Policy Institute Kings College, ISWE, and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.  

* * * * *

About Earth4All – Earth4All is a vibrant collective of leading economic thinkers, scientists and advocates, convened byThe Club of Rome, the BINorwegian Business School, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and theStockholm Resilience Centre.

Earth4All builds on the legacies of The Limits to Growth and thePlanetary Boundaries frameworks.Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity,published in September 2022 and presents the results of a major two-year research collaboration. Earth4All advocates for five key turnarounds to achieve wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries:

Eliminate poverty by growing the economies of the poorest countries through green investment and cancelling their debts to high-income countries .

Reduce inequality by increasing taxes on the top 10%, strengthening workers’ rights and introducing citizens’ funds to give everyone access to a nation’s wealth.

Empower women by increasing access to education, putting them in leadership positions and equalising pensions.

Transform food systems by cutting waste and stopping the conversion of wild landscapes to farmland.

Transform energy use by immediately phasing out fossil fuels, electrifying everything and seriously investing in renewables and energy efficiency.  

www.earth4all.life

About The Global Commons Alliance – The Global Commons Alliance is a growing coalition of scientists, philanthropists, civil society groups, businesses and innovators, enabling collective action to safeguard the global commons.

The Global Commons Alliance’s mission is to mobilize citizens, companies, cities and countries to accelerate systems change, and become better guardians of the global commons. 

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New York, June 21, 2024 – Some 23.7 million Afghans, or half the country’s population, require humanitarian assistance this year and among them are nearly three million children who are experiencing acute levels of hunger, UN officials said in statements to the UN Security Council convened to review the humanitarian situation in the country.

Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Partnerships at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan is “alarmingly high” and the recent return of more than 618,000 Afghans, 80 per cent of then women and children, from Pakistan has added to the humanitarian need in the country.

“The particularly acute effects of climate change in Afghanistan are deepening the humanitarian crisis,” she said.

Extreme weather events are more frequent and more intense – Both Doughten and Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Special Representative in Afghanistan, said some regions in the country have warmed at twice the global average since 1950 and decreasing rainfall and recurring drought have contributed to a large-scale water crisis.

“Annual droughts are now predicted to be the norm by 2030, and the likelihood of flash flooding has also increased, even when rainfall is not especially heavy,” said Doughten, adding that large number of the population were affected by flooding and mudslides in the northern and western parts of the country, where hundreds of people died and livestock and tens of thousands of acres of agriculture were destroyed.

Otunbayeva said while the country is beset by “massive poverty,” the situation has left Afghans even more vulnerable to many natural disasters as a result of climate change.

“Afghanistan has a near zero carbon footprint but is the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change and the least prepared to address climate shock,” Otunbayeva said.

“Afghanistan remains wholly unprepared to deal with these increasingly persistent threats and will require significant investments in early warning and early response systems,” Doughten said. “Efforts are already underway to establish anticipatory action programmes to trigger support ahead of predicted climate events, but these will need to be sufficiently staffed and funded to bear fruit.”

Afghanistan under the Taliban de-facto authority – Taliban authorities took over the country in August 2021 after the United States pulled out its armed forces. The briefers said no one has felt the takeover’s impact more than Afghan women and girls whose lives have been deeply affected by the Taliban’s decrees that limit their movement and participation in public life. The Taliban has banned girls over the age of 11 from attending schools and universities. It has also applied corporal punishment and public executions of individuals sentenced to the death penalty. The UN has denounced those measures as violations of international human rights standards.

“The ban on girls’ education is fueling an increase in child marriage and early childbearing, with dire physical, emotional, and economic consequences,” Doughten said. “Reports of attempted suicides among women and girls are also increasing. Despite restrictions on their ability to work, as well as the risk to their personal safety, Afghan women continue to participate in the humanitarian response.”

Otunbayeva said the “de facto authorities” in the country have continued to maintain stability, but she has perceived “growing signs of popular discontent, (which) should not hide the fact that as an international community we are still in a crisis management mode.”  She said in order to solve the structural problems between the international community and Afghanistan, as identified in the Independent Assessment issued at the end 2023, “all stakeholders need to recommit to the objectives identified in that assessment.”

Shortage of funds affect humanitarian assistance – Otunbayeva said despite the many challenges, 9.9 million people in Afghanistan received at least one form of assistance from January to March 2024. But she said the UN in Afghanistan has received just US 649 million – or 21 per cent of the $3 billion required to meet the huge levels of humanitarian need in the first six months of 2024.

She said the UN has had to close life-saving programs due to the lack of funds, including 150 mobile health and nutrition teams. She said a further 40 teams are at imminent risk, potentially depriving 700,000 children under five of vital nutrition treatment services for severe acute malnutrition. The lack of funds is also imperiling the last two mine clearance and a mine victims’ assistance program in Afghanistan. These programs will cease in the coming month if additional funds are not received. This is at a time when 3.4 million people live within 1 km of explosive ordinance contamination, including 475 schools and 230 healthcare facilities.

“Afghans continue to feel the compounding impacts of climate change, poverty and oppression,” said Doughten. “Millions of people depend on humanitarian assistance for their everyday survival. We urge donors to fully fund the appeal for Afghanistan so we can continue to provide this life-saving support. But there is a risk of a slide into even greater hardship. We must also find ways to support the Afghan people with longer-term solutions to help lift them out of poverty and withstand a deepening set of climate-related shocks. Nothing is easy in Afghanistan, but with sustained assistance, we can support people in the realization of a life with peace, stability and hope.” (By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Geneva/New York, June 19, 2024 – The number of people fleeing war, violence and climate extreme has reached its highest last year and this year as the international community celebrates World Refugee Day (June 20) to recognize their “remarkable fortitude and capacity for renewal, despite the daunting challenges they face,” the chief of the UN refugee agency said.

“The picture is rarely as desperate as where I am now, in Jamjang, South Sudan,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on his second visit to Sudan since the outbreak of the war in April 2023.

“The level of suffering is truly unconscionable,’’ said Grandi. “Sudan is the definition of a perfect storm: shocking human rights atrocities, with millions uprooted by this insane war and other wars that came before it. A terrible famine is looming, and severe floods will soon hamper aid deliveries even more. We are losing a generation to this war, yet peace efforts are not working.”

“We live in a world where conflicts are left to fester. The political will to resolve them seems utterly absent. And even as these crises multiply, the right to seek asylum is under threat. To make matters worse, the global effects of climate change take an ever more devastating toll – including here, where severe flooding is expected to submerge villages and farmlands, adding to South Sudan’s woes.”

The UN and humanitarian organizations said fierce fighting between rival armies in Sudan has displaced the world’s largest number: 9.5 million with 1.9 million of them spilled into neighboring countries while the rest are internally displaced.

UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council said the total number of internally displaced people swelled to nearly 120 million this year at a time support both financial and humanitarian for the refugees has dropped leaving the refugees in desperate situations. Those humanitarian organizations decried the failure by the international community to resolve long-standing crises and ongoing wars that currently resulted in record number of displaced people.

The Geneva-based UNHCR said in its 2024 Global Trends Report that the increase in displaced people to 120 million by May 2024 was the 12th consecutive annual increase and reflects both new and mutating conflicts and a failure to resolve long-standing crises.

The report said key factors responsible for the millions of refugees included fighting in Sudan with 10.8 million Sudanese uprooted and millions others were uprooted by fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar. UNRWA, the agency providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians estimated up to 1.7 million people (75 per cent of the population) had been displaced in the Gaza Strip by violence in 2023. The report said Syria remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 13.8 million forcibly displaced in and outside the country.

The refugee agency said the largest increase in displaced people came from people fleeing conflict who remain in their own country, rising to 68.3 million people according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – up almost 50 per cent over five years.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said on the new global displacement figures: “Never before in recorded history have so many people in so many countries been fleeing conflict, violence, and persecution. Every year for more than a decade, we have documented new record numbers of both refugees and those internally displaced due to the brutality of armed men, faltering conflict resolution diplomacy, and global failure to protect civilians. New wars and emergencies are added to all the unresolved crises, resulting in more than 117 million people facing desperate situations.“

“This year’s figures represent yet another failure of international solidarity and coordination. As the number of those requiring help increases, we see both humanitarian and developmental funding dropping. Vast crises – such as in DR Congo, Sudan, or the Central Sahel region – continue to go unnoticed by both media and donors. “

UNHCR said the global refugee population increased by 7 per cent to reach 43.4 million in 2024. The number includes 31.6 million refugees and people in a refugee-like situation and 5.8 million other people in need of international protection under UNHCR’s mandate, as well as 6 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate. Compared to a decade ago, the total number of refugees globally has more than tripled.

The largest proportion of refugees globally were from Afghanistan and Syria, both with 6.4 million each, and together equivalent to one-third of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate. These were followed by Venezuela (6.1 million refugees and other people in need of international protection) and Ukraine (6.0 million refugees).

Most refugees remain near their country of origin, with 69 per cent hosted in neighboring countries at the end of 2023. Low- and middle-income countries continue to host the majority of the world’s refugees, with 75 per cent of refugees living in low- and middle-income countries.

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New York, June 12, 2024 – As leaders of the world’s seven advanced democracies prepared to hold their annual summit in Italy, the UN said the group has a particular responsibility and it can and must wield its power to end famine threatening millions of people from Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar.

The G7 countries are the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the UK. They will be joined by leaders of the European Councils and European Commission, the World Bank and IMF, the UN secretary-General, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and leaders of some invited countries at the summit starting on June 13 at Puglia, Italy, which is this year the leader of the group.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the G7 has a prominent position in the global economy and institutions, which gives them a “unique responsibility and opportunity to push for change” and they have a “critical role to play in peace.”

“Peace in the Middle East – and I welcome President Biden’s recent peace initiative and urge all parties to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire and release of the hostages, and prepare the ground for a two-state solution,” Guterres said. “We must also keep working for peace in Ukraine – a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter and international law. Around the world, we must never let up in pursuit of solutions that affirm – and do not undermine – international law, including international humanitarian law.”

Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said the powerful G7 meets at a time major conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine and Gaza are raging out of control and pushing millions of people to the “brink of starvation.”

“Only technicalities prevent famines from being declared, as people are already dying of hunger,” Griffiths said. “Famine in the 21st century is a preventable scourge. G7 leaders can and must wield their influence to help stop it. Waiting for an official declaration of famine before acting would be a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people and a moral outrage.”

He said conflict fuels hunger and in Gaza, over one million or half of the population, are expected to face death and starvation by the middle of July. In Sudan, at least 5 million people are also teetering on the brink of starvation. Communities in more than 40 hunger hotspots are at high risk of slipping into famine in the coming month, including in war-torn parts of Aj Jazirah, Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan.

“In both Gaza and Sudan, intense fighting, unacceptable restrictions and meagre funding are preventing aid workers from delivering food, water, seeds, health care and other lifesaving assistance at anywhere near the scale necessary to prevent mass starvation. This must change – we cannot afford to lose even a minute,” he said.

Griffiths said the G7 must immediately bring their substantial political leverage and financial resources to bear so that aid organizations can reach all people in need.

We must move large amounts of humanitarian assistance across borders and battle lines today – and mobilize considerable funding to keep the response going tomorrow.

But more than anything, the world must stop feeding the war machines that are starving the civilians of Gaza and Sudan.

“It is time instead to prioritize the diplomacy that will give people back their futures – and tomorrow, the G7 is at the helm,” he said.

UN adopts resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza – After several attempts to push through a resolution to end the Gaza war, the divided UN Security Council finally adopted on June 10 a US-sponsored resolution that calls for an “immediate, full and complete ceasefire.” The vote was 14-0 with Russia abstaining while the four other permanent council – US, China United Kingdom and France, voted in favor. Terms to implement the resolution remain to be negotiated between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in order to end the eight-month war that exploded on October 7 last year.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who introduced the draft text to the council’s 15 countries said the resolution will work in three phases to ensure a lasting and comprehensive end to the war.

—Phase one includes an “immediate, full, and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners”. It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from “populated areas” of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes and places throughout the enclave, including in the north, as well as the safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale.

—Phase two would see a permanent end to hostilities “in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.

—Phase three, “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza” would begin and the remains of any deceased hostages still in the Strip would be returned to Israel. (By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

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Geneva/New York, May 23, 2024 – Roughly 281 million people are fleeing war, climate disasters, economic hardship and food shortage in their own countries, a global trend that is upsetting countries receiving them, the IOM said. But the organization pointed out that those migrants can contribute to the economy of their original and the host countries.

The Geneva-based IOM said it has obtained international support following a two-day 2024 International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) at the UN headquarters in New York. The meeting focused on finding ways to create “more and better opportunities for people to move in a regular and beneficial way as part of a comprehensive approach to human mobility.”

The dialogue, which involved UN agencies and member states, migrants, international organizations, civil society, youth leaders, the private sector and academia, centered on finding ways to leverage migration as “a force for prosperity and progress for all,” the IOM said.

Amy Pope, the IOM Director General, told the meeting: “Migration has shaped our past and holds the key to our future. The evidence is overwhelming that when migration is managed well, it can drive true sustainable development around the world. By facilitating safe and regular pathways for migration, we can enable opportunities for migrants, better protect their rights, and contribute to greater prosperity in the countries migrants come from and those that host them.”  

“Obviously, it brings benefits in terms of economic prosperity,” she said. “But it also leads to the exchange of skills, to the strengthening of the labour force, to investment and cultural diversity. It also brings some really good food, if we’re honest.” See remittances below.

“Global trends point to more migration in the future,” IOM said. The IOM said in its 2024 migration report that roughly 281 million people worldwide are on the move, representing around 3.6 per cent of the global population. This is up from 153 million in 1990, and more than triple the 84 million in 1970.

Read 2024 World Migration Report.

The dialogue resulted in four avenues of action identified as key to success, IOM said in its website:

1. Multilateral action and effective partnerships at all levels are paramount to mobilizing joint action to facilitate regular pathways. The private sector has a key role to play and should be systematically and meaningfully involved in these partnerships.
2. Effective engagement at the local level, with communities and local level authorities, is essential to strengthen these pathways and enhance social cohesion and resilience, ensuring positive longer-term impacts of regular migration.
3. Migrant and diasporas’ voices must be heard, as they have transformative potential in advocacy and development.
4. The role of innovation and technology was underscored in providing migrants with better access to information, resources, training, and skills recognition.  

“Overall, there was consensus on safe and adaptable models for regular pathways, recognition of the need for multi-layered cooperation, acknowledgment of the importance of opening up more opportunities for regular migration to reduce migration risks and vulnerabilities, and strengthen its development impacts,” said IOM. It said it will continue working with partners to advance the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact for Migration and will bring migration issues to fora such the G7 meeting, the New Agenda for Peace, the Summit for the Future, and the second IDM occurring in Geneva later in 2024.

Remittances increase from $128 billion in 2000 to $831 billion in 2022. The IOM said international remittances are financial or in-kind transfers made by migrants directly to families or communities in their countries of origin.

It said available data showed that in 2022, India, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Egypt, in descending order, were the top five remittance recipient countries. India’s total inward remittances exceeded $111 billion and was the first country to reach and even exceed $100 billion.

(IOM notes that global data on international remittances were compiled by the World Bank “notwithstanding the myriad data gaps, definitional differences, and methodological challenges in compiling accurate statistics. Its data, however, do not capture unrecorded flows through formal or informal channels, and the actual magnitude of global remittances is, therefore, likely to be larger than available estimates.”)

(It notes also that high-income countries are almost always the main source of remittances. “For decades, the United States has consistently been the top remittance-sending country, with a total outflow of $79 billion in 2022, followed by Saudi Arabia ($39 billion), Switzerland ($31.9 billion), and Germany ($25.6 billion).” By J. Tuyet Nguyen

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

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

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

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

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

UN: Africa is exploited for its minerals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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