Geneva/New York, September 14 – The World Health Organization said Covid-19 has become a manageable disease and its end may be in sight as weekly reports have shown that deaths are at their lowest level since March 2020.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, said in a press conference in Geneva. But he warned also that “the world is not there yet.”
“A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view,” he said. “She runs harder, with all the energy she has left. So must we. We can see the finish line. We’re in a winning position. But now is the worst time to stop running.”
Tedros warned that Covid-19 still cause new infections and deaths and he urged governments to continue to fight the disease.
The WHO weekly report on the pandemic showed that deaths dropped 22 per cent last week to just over 11,000 worldwide and there were 3.1 million new Covid-19 cases, a drop of 28 per cent.
More than 6.4 million deaths
WHO said that globally as of September 13, 2022 that there have been 606,459,140 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 6,495,110 deaths. More than 12 billion of vaccine doses have been administered.
Policy Briefs
Tedros said WHO has released six short policy briefs outlining key actions that all governments must take now to “finish the race.”
“We can end this pandemic together, but only if all countries, manufacturers, communities and individuals step up and seize this opportunity,” he said.
The briefs constitute “an urgent call for governments to take a hard look at their policies and strengthen them for COVID-19 and future pathogens with pandemic potential,” Tedros said.
One of the briefs said the first Covid-19 cases were reported more than two and a half years ago, but the pandemic “remains an acute global emergency.”
“At the present time, there continue to be millions of people infected each week with SARS- CoV-2, and in the first eight months of 2022, more than one million people were reported to have died from COVID-19 (WHO COVID-19 Dashboard). With access to and appropriate use of existing life-saving tools, COVID-19 can become a manageable disease with significantly reduced morbidity and mortality. Lives and livelihoods can be saved, but there is still work to be done.”
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New York, September 13 – The United Nations General Assembly has opened its 77th session while urging its 193 member states to work out global solutions for the series of crises threatening the world, from the war in Ukraine and climate disasters to high inflation and famine.
The annual session expects more than 90 presidents, over 50 prime ministers and dozens of ministers to attend the political debate on September 20-26. The number of top politicians to be present in New York will be known later as many of them have to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on September 19. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak in person on September 21.
The UN Security Council planned to hold a debate on the war in Ukraine on September 22 to be attended by national leaders of the council’s 15 countries.
The assembly session under the theme – A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to interlocking challenges – reflects the intense and critical time the world went through since the Covid-19 pandemic struck beginning of 2020. While the pandemic was raging, the Russian war in Ukraine and subsequently the humanitarian and economic challenges worsened.
“It is therefore necessary to find and focus on joint solutions to these crises and build a more sustainable and resilient world for all and for the generations to come,” the UN said as an overview of the annual session.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an opening address to the assembly that many of last year’s challenges are still festering in the current session.
“We face a world in peril across our work to advance peace, human rights and sustainable development,” he said. “From conflicts and climate change. To a broken global financial system that is failing developing countries.To poverty, inequality and hunger. To divisions and mistrust.” But he said, “The United Nations is the home of co-operation.”
The president of the 77th session, Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary, said, “The world is looking to the United Nations for answers. As the Organization’s chief deliberative body, the General Assembly bears a special responsibility.”
“My team and I will do our best to push for “solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science” – the motto I have chosen for this presidency.
“It is my intention to stand firm on the principles of the United Nations Charter, which brought us together 77 years ago – and which hold us together today. Anchored in international law, they provide us with a solid foundation from which to build.
From here, I wish to pursue integrated approaches and enhance the role of science in our decision-shaping.”
Summit on Transforming Education
World leaders are called to make ambitious commitments to transform education during a summit (September 16, 17 and 19) as the pandemic, lockdowns and other situations like inequalities in some countries have kept millions of children out of school.
The UN chief convened government leaders, youths and non-governmental organizations to attend the Summit on Transforming Education to step up efforts to achieve goal 4 (education), one of the 17 the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said inequalities in access to education have kept some 244 million children out of the classroom. It said that number includes 98 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and 85 million in Central and Southern Asia region.
“No one can accept this situation,” said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General, underlining the need to respect every child’s right to education. “In view of these results, the objective of quality education for all by 2030, set by the United Nations, risks not being achieved. We need a global mobilization to place education at the top of the international agenda.”
(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)
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London/New York, September 8 – A new survey conducted by prominent academic schools showed public support for more United Nations authority on its member states over issues of security, and climate and economic challenges.
Academics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the University of Oxford, Lund University in Sweden and Griffith University in Australia conducted the survey (March-June 2019) in Argentina, China, India, Russia, Spain and the United States.
Of the six countries, China, Russia and the US are permanent members of the UN Security Council; China and India are the world’s most populous countries and the US and China are the world’s top economies.
Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi from LSE, who co-authored the paper on the survey’s findings, said, “Publics around the world are often portrayed as hostile to international institutions and keen to loosen constraints on national leaders. Our survey disproves that perception. Far from supporting attempts to weaken and undermine the U.N,. they want this global organisation to have more power to address today’s security, environmental, and economic challenges. But they also want to choose who represents them at the centre of the U.N. rather than relying entirely on their governments for that.”
The United Nations is currently composed of 193 countries and its most important body is the UN Security Council, which has authority over global issues of peace and security and has 15 members: the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France, which are permanent members, and 10 countries elected for two-year term each. The five permanent members, in addition to being nuclear powers, have veto power over decisions by the council that can affect all UN members. The other body is the UN General Assembly, composed of 193 members, holds legislative power.
Talks to reform the UN have been going on in over the last two decades. They have mainly focused, unsuccessfully, on expanding the size of the council membership and on curbing the veto power of the permanent members.
“There is widespread public support for increasing, or at least maintaining, United Nations (UN) authority over member states and for making its structures more directly representative of member state citizens.
“With the UN facing long-standing calls for structural and procedural reform and with the U.N. General Assembly due to discuss the reform of its institutions at its next plenary session on 13-27 September, this is a pressing issue.
“To gather public views on UN reform, the researchers conducted an international survey in six countries, representative of the general populations in terms of age, gender, and region.
“Respondents in Argentina, China, India, Russia, Spain, and the United States were asked to choose between different combinations of UN design features including decision procedures, the bindingness of decisions, enforcement capabilities, and sources of revenue. Survey options included design features expanding powers, limiting them, and maintaining the status quo.
“Overall, the researchers found that respondents supported strengthening or maintaining the current authority level of the UN, and making its structures more representative of the world population.
“For example, at the moment, UN decisions are binding on every UN member state only on matters of international peace and security. The survey showed respondents were supportive of making decisions binding on more areas including important security, environmental, and economic matters. In contrast, the option of making decisions binding only on those states that voluntarily accept them was the most unpopular proposal across all survey countries.
“On the issue of delegates, the researchers posed two reform proposals: a second chamber composed of directly elected representatives and one composed of national parliamentarians. Both proposals were received more positively by the public than the status quo where the highest decision-making bodies of the UN include only representatives from national executives. However, people clearly preferred a second chamber with directly elected representatives to one with national parliamentarians.
“The researchers found diverging views on reforms to be associated with home country characteristics such as membership status in the Security Council and personal political values such as cultural libertarianism versus traditionalism.
“In the paper, the researchers note: “Often the most popular option is not the one represented by the current UN.” On the whole, they find public opinion to lean toward the positions of those reformers who have advocated for the UN and related global institutions to move closer to supernationalist and cosmopolitan ideals.
They add: “Our findings are consistent with recent research that highlights the importance of institutional design features to public perceptions of the legitimacy of international institutions.”
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Geneva/New York, September 6 – Humanitarian organizations are jointly urging donors to step up life-saving assistance in Somalia, saying that the window of opportunity to prevent famine is closing in the country which saw over 250,000 people, at least half of them children, died during the last famine in 2011.
A group of 20 Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, from the World Food Program and World Health Organization to Save the Children United States and CARE International, issued a warning that famine is unfolding in Baidoa and Burhakaba districts in the Bay region in South-Central Somalia, and will likely last until March 2023 “if humanitarian aid is not significantly and immediately scaled up.”
“Starvation and death are likely already occurring,” said the warning.
“Somalia has reached a tipping point,” it said. “The lives of hundreds of thousands of people are at immediate risk, according to the latest food security and nutrition analysis. Millions more face extreme levels of acute hunger. Women, particularly pregnant and lactating women, and children under the age of five are among the most vulnerable. They require urgent assistance to avert a worst-case scenario.
“In total, across the Horn of Africa, 20.5 million people are facing a dire and entirely avoidable hunger crisis. This is unacceptable.”
“We appeal to donors to provide immediate, flexible funding to enable humanitarian agencies on the ground, particularly local and international NGOs, to rapidly scale up and prevent more deaths, protect livelihoods and avert a deepening catastrophe. Getting aid to rural communities before they are forced to abandon their homes in search of food is critical.”
(Definition of famine provided by WFP: Famine is a technical definition based on specific thresholds: that at least 20 per cent of the population is affected, with about one out of three children being acutely malnourished and two people dying per day for every 10,000 inhabitants due to outright starvation or to the interaction of malnutrition and disease.}
WFP said its life-saving humanitarian assistance in Somalia has reached 3.7 million people but “famine is now an imminent reality unless immediate and drastic action is taken.”
“We know from experience that we cannot wait for a formal declaration of famine to act. Even before we first warned of the risk of famine, we were working to scale up our life-saving support in Somalia as far as resources have allowed. Since April, we have more than doubled the number of people we are supporting with humanitarian assistance, reaching record numbers in Somalia,” said Margot van der Velden, WFP Director of Emergencies, speaking from Mogadishu. ”But the drought crisis is still deteriorating and famine is closer than ever. The world must respond now, while we still have a chance to prevent catastrophe.”
List of Signatories:
Mr. Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Mr. Qu Dongyu, Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Ms. Shahin Ashraf, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) Chair a.i. (Head of Global Advocacy – Islamic Relief Worldwide)
Mr. Ignacio Packer, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
Mr. Samuel Worthington, Chief Executive Officer, InterAction
Ms. Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children United States
Ms. Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps
Mr. António Vitorino, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Mr. Andrew Morley, Chair, Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) (President and World Vision International)
Ms. Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, Vice Chair SCHR (Secretary General of CARE International)
Mr. Gareth Price-Jones, Executive Secretary, Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR)
Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (SR on HR of IDPs)
Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat)
Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Ms. Catherine Russell, Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Mr. David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP)
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)
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New York, August 29 – Afghanistan’s people continue to face extreme hardship and uncertainty but among the 19 million people facing acute levels of food security are 3 million children with one million of them suffering a form of malnutrition that could kill them, the top UN humanitarian coordinator told the UN Security Council.
Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the UN humanitarian team, NGOs and other organizations working in Afghanistan have found it challenging and “labor intensive” to deal with the de facto Taliban authorities in Kabul.
“An estimated 3 million children are acutely malnourished,” Griffiths told the 15-nation council convened to discuss the dire living conditions in the country. “They include over 1 million children estimated to be suffering from the most severe, life-threatening form of malnutrition. Without specialized treatment, they could die.”
He said close to 19 million are suffering acute levels of malnutrition caused by recurrent drought, including the worst in three decades in 2021, and 6 million of them are at risks of famine. Griffiths said 8 out of 10 Afghans drink contaminated water, which caused repeated bouts of acute watery diarrhoea.
Griffiths provided alarming facts regarding the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. He said around 25 million people, or about half of the country’s population, are now living in poverty who spend three quarters of their income on food. The number of Afghans receiving remittances have dropped 50 per cent and unemployment grew to 40 per cent while inflation has risen due to increased global prices, import constraints and currency depreciation.
Afghanistan was hit in June by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that affected 362,000 people living in high-intensity impact areas and heavy rains since July caused massive flash floods across the country, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and destroying hundreds of homes as well as thousands of acres of crops. An estimated 5.8 million people remain in protracted internal displacement requiring long term solutions.
“All these figures are devastating and difficult to comprehend,” Griffiths said. “We worry that they will soon become worse. Once the cold weather sets in, food and fuel prices – already high – will skyrocket, and families will have to choose between feeding their children, sending them to school, taking them to a doctor when they fall sick, or keeping them warm. Large-scale development assistance has been halted for a year.”
“The operating environment is exceptionally challenging.” “Engaging with the de facto authorities at national and sub-national levels is laborintensive,” Griffiths said, adding that there is “no confidence” in the domestic banking sector, which led to a severe liquidity crisis and international financial transactions “are extremely hard due to de-risking and overcompliance of global banks.” He cited the case in which humanitarian organizations brought in over US$1 billion in cash to sustain program delivery, “but the liquidity and banking crisis continues to impact the delivery of assistance and Afghans’ daily lives.”
“The Humanitarian Exchange Facility, meant to temporarily and partially alleviate this, is still under deliberation with the de facto authorities.”
Women and girls have been pushed to the sidelines. “The meagre gains the country made to protect women’s rights have been quickly reversed. It’s been more than a year since adolescent girls in Afghanistan last set foot inside a classroom. In the 21st century, we should not need to explain why girls’ education and women’s empowerment are important to them, to their communities, to their countries and indeed to the world.”
Gap in funding
Griffiths said the Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan has a gap of $3.14 billion, with $614 million urgently required to support priority winter preparedness activities, such as upgrades and repairs to shelter, and providing warm clothes and blankets. “But we are up against time. These activities must be implemented in the next three months,” he said.
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Lviv, Ukraine/New York, August 18 – Under war conditions, over 560,000 metric tons of Ukraine’s grain and other food stapples are being shipped abroad and the global food market has begun to stabilize, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a meeting with the presidents of Turkey and Ukraine.
“The positive momentum on the food front reflects a victory for diplomacy – for multilateralism – for people caught in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis – and for the hard-working farmers of Ukraine. But it is only the beginning. I urge all parties to ensure continued success.” Guterres said in a meeting with Turkeye’s President Recept Tayyip Erdogan and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv, Ukraine.
The trilateral meeting took place for the first time since the launch in July of the Black Sea Initiative to resume shipments of Ukraine’s wheat grain, food products and Russia’s fertilizers that had been stuck in Black Sea ports since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year.
Guterres said there are critical signs that the global food markets are beginning to stabilize with wheat prices dropping by as much as 8 per cent following the signing of the agreements. He said the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Price Index fell by 9 per cent in July – the biggest decline since 2008.
“Most food commodities are now trading at prices below pre-war levels. But let’s have no illusions – there is a long way to go before this will be translated into the daily life of people at their local bakery and in their markets,” he said, adding that supply chains are still disrupted and energy and transportation costs remain “unacceptably high.”
Since the Joint Coordination Center was established in Istanbul on July 27 to oversee the food shipping operations, a total 21 outbound and 15 inbound ships through what is known as a maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, which allows safe exports of Ukraine’s grains and Russian fertilizers. Countries that have received those commercial shipments so far included Türkiye, South Korea, China, Ireland, Italy, Djibouti and Romania.
A ship chartered by the World Food Program (WFP) left a a port in Odessa on August 16 with the first humanitarian cargo of 23,000 metric tons of Ukraine’s wheat grain to Ethiopia.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant zone should be demilitarized
Guterres said he discussed “efforts to advance the cause of peace” with the presidents of Turkey and Ukraine and he remains “gravely concerned” about the fighting in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is the largest in Europe.
“We must spare no effort to ensure that plant’s facilities or surroundings are not a target of military operations. Military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant. Further deployment of forces or equipment to the site must be avoided. The area needs to be demilitarized,” he said.
“We must tell it like it is – any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide. “
Fact-finding mission
Guterres said he has decided to set up a fact-finding mission to investigate the explosion in a facility in Olenivka on July 29 which reportedly killed dozens of detained Ukrainian soldiers.
He said he intended to appoint General Carlos dos Santos Cruz of Brazil to lead the mission, the Terms of Reference of which have been shared with Ukraine and Russia as well as the make-up of the team.
“What happened there is unacceptable. All prisoners of war are protected under International Humanitarian Law. The International Committee of the Red Cross must have access to them..” he said. “The team must be able to gather and analyze necessary information. Above all, that means safe, secure and unfettered access to people, places and evidence without any interference from any party,” he said.“We will continue to do all we can to advance this and other efforts. “
By J. Tuyet Nguyen
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Rome/New York, August 16 – A ship chartered by the World Food Program (WFP) is bringing the first humanitarian cargo of 23,000 metric tons of Ukraine’s wheat grain to Ethiopia, a milestone achievement in the global efforts to fight high food prices since Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
The UN-chartered MV Brave Commander has left Ukraine’s Yuzhny (Pivdennyi) Port in Odesa as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The UN established a Joint Coordination Center on July 27 to begin exporting millions of tons of Ukraine’s grains and foods and Russian fertilizers which had been blocked since the war broke out on February 24 this year.
In New York, a UN spokesman said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend a meeting in Kyiv on August 18 with Turkeye’s President Recept Tayyip Erdogan at the invitation of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“The Secretary-General will then go on to Odesa, where he will visit the port that is one of the three being used as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Stephane Dujarric said.
“Before returning to New York over the weekend, the Secretary-General will be in Istanbul to visit the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) set up to implement the initiative. This initiative is part of a deal that also includes the facilitation of Russian grain and fertilizer exports on to the global market.”
WFP Executive Director David Beasley said, “Getting the Black Sea Ports open is the single most important thing we can do right now to help the world’s hungry. It will take more than grain ships out of Ukraine to stop world hunger, but with Ukrainian grain back on global markets we have a chance to stop this global food crisis from spiraling even further.”
WFP said in a news release that the shipment to Ethiopia is part of its humanitarian response to the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
It said a record 345 million people in 82 countries are now facing acute food insecurity while up to 50 million people in 45 countries are right on the edge of famine and risk being tipped over without humanitarian support.
Since the JCC began its operations in Istanbul on July 27, it has authorized a total 21 outbound and 15 inbound ships through what is known as a maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, which allows safe exports of Ukraine’s grains and Russian fertilizers.
Countries that have received those commercial shipments so far included Türkiye, South Korea, China, Ireland, Italy, Djibouti and Romania.
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Oslo/New York, August 9 – The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has won the 2022 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, which is worth $2.5 million, for its work in advocating for displaced people who are seeking a future, including support provided to 10 million people in 2021.
The Hilton Foundation (see Conrad N. Hilton Foundation) said in a news release that it has to date awarded more than $41 million to recipients of the prize. It is also the world’s largest annual humanitarian award presented to a non-profit which recognizes extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.
The NRC now has joined the roster of 26 Prize Laureates, including CAMFED, Homeboy Industries, METAdrasi, SHOFCO, icddr,b and The Task Force for Global Health, among others. the world’s largest annual humanitarian award presented to a non-profit which recognizes extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.
(From the news release)
Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, said: “The Norwegian Refugee Council’s work is imperative right now in terms of the organization’s ability to reach people in the most difficult of circumstances, and to do so at scale. The Jury’s selection of the Norwegian Refugee Council as the recipient of the 2022 Hilton Humanitarian Prize recognizes the importance of advocating for displaced people as they build a new future.”
On the award, Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC, said: “We are honored to receive this prestigious humanitarian prize at a time when we are challenged like never before in reaching, aiding and protecting people forced to flee war and repression. We are witnessing one devastating crisis on top of the other, authoritarian regimes and brutal armed actors trying to block our access to those in need and donor purse strings being tightened, leaving aid budgets decimated. This makes the support and recognition from private sector donors such as the Hilton Foundation vital. The world’s displaced must not be overlooked or forgotten.”
Since its foundation in 1946, NRC has effectively and courageously protected the rights of people who are displaced by violence and find themselves in extreme vulnerability during crisis.
NRC works for civilians in armed conflict, prioritizing neglected and hard-to-reach areas where access to assistance is limited, and increasingly supports people displaced by natural disasters, the adverse effects of climate change and generalized violence. The organization listens to people in need and collaborates with local organizations and communities to deliver a response that is solutions-orientated and tailored to the context.
NRC works in more than 35 countries around the world facing both new and protracted humanitarian crises. This year alone, the organization has mobilized efforts after the earthquake in Afghanistan, during the war in Ukraine and the deepening drought in Somalia to name a few. In 2021, NRC supported 10 million people worldwide. NRC’s work is driven by the needs of displaced people.
Each year, the Hilton Foundation reviews nomination submissions from non-profits throughout the world, and an independent, international panel of distinguished jurors makes the final selection after a rigorous vetting process.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “Awarding the 2022 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to the Norwegian Refugee Council is a recognition of their outstanding work with a wide range of stakeholders to ease human suffering. The United Nations values the long experience, skills and networks that the NRC brings to the table, as we work closely together to meet the needs of refugees and displaced people around the world.”
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said: “I congratulate the Norwegian Refugee Council on winning this year’s Hilton Humanitarian Prize. A long-standing and important partner of UNHCR, NRC is always on the front lines of crises, assisting refugees and other displaced people and making a critical difference to their lives. In a world where more than 100 million people are forced from their homes due to violence and persecution, I am happy to see that the tangible results of NRC’s work are recognised with this important prize.” • More information about NRC can be found here. • More information about the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation can be found here.
For inquiries, please contact: • Norwegian Refugee Council: Jessica Wanless, Global Media Adviser, jessica.wanless@nrc.no, +47 901 67 022. Media Hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 90562329
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SEE ANNOUNCEMENT:2022 UN 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 – DECEMBER 2022 (DATE TBD) IN NEW YORK – ( See Announcement )
New York, December 8 – The United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) held its 25th anniversary of the UNCA Awards for best print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online, web-based media coverage of COVID-19, climate change and the United Nations, UN agencies and field operations.
While the UNCA Awards 25th anniversary was put on hold in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year UNCA returned to hosting the annual event in December, honoring excellence in journalism around the globe.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to the event that the pandemic “reminded us yet again that free and independent journalism is essential to peace, justice, and human rights for all – and the greatest weapon to combat misinformation and disinformation. No society can flourish if its media landscape withers under an onslaught of repression, harassment and other pressures.”
“Today and every day, the United Nations is committed to stand with you in defense of press freedom,” he said.
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New York, July 11 – Despite a deep drop in fertility rates to below 1 per cent in 2020 and after a period of slowest population growth since 1950, the global population is projected to reach 8 billion by mid-November this year and grow to 8.5 billion in 2030, the United Nations said in World Population Prospects 2022.
India and China are the world’s most populous countries with over 1.4 billion each in 2022, but India’s population will surpass that number during 2023, the new report said. It said the rates of population growth vary significantly across countries and regions. India and China accounted for most of the population in Asia in 2022: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people (29 per cent of the global population), and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion (26 per cent).
The report said more than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Populations of Australia and New Zealand, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) are expected to experience slower growth through the end of the century. The populations of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Central and Southern Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Northern America are projected to reach their peak size and to begin to decline before 2100.
The 46 least developed countries (LDCs) are among the world’s fastest growing. Many are projected to double in population between 2022 and 2050.
Following is a press release from United Nations, Department of Global Communications
World population to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022
Amid falling growth rates, global population projected to peak around 10.4 billion in the 2080s
New York, 11 July – The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022, and India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, according to World Population Prospects 2022, released today on World Population Day.
“This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” he added.
The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 per cent in 2020. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
World Population Prospects 2022 also states that fertility has fallen markedly in recent decades for many countries. Today, two-thirds of the global population lives in a country or area where lifetime fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, roughly the level required for zero growth in the long run for a population with low mortality. The populations of 61 countries or areas are projected to decrease by 1 per cent or more between 2022 and 2050, owing to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, elevated rates of emigration.
More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania. Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.
“The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional” said Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “Rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combatting hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult. Conversely, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health, education and gender equality, will contribute to reducing fertility levels and slowing global population growth.”
In most countries of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, the share of population at working age (between 25 and 64 years) has been increasing thanks to recent reductions in fertility. This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita, known as the “demographic dividend”. To maximize the potential benefits of a favourable age distribution, countries should invest in the further development of their human capital by ensuring access to health care and quality education at all ages and by promoting opportunities for productive employment and decent work.
The share of global population at ages 65 and above is projected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2050. At that point, it is expected that the number of persons aged 65 years or over worldwide will be more than twice the number of children under age 5 and about the same as the number under age 12. Countries with ageing populations should take steps to adapt public programmes to the growing numbers of older persons, including by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems and by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems.
Global life expectancy at birth reached 72.8 years in 2019, an improvement of almost 9 years since 1990. Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an average global longevity of around 77.2 years in 2050. Yet in 2021, life expectancy for the least developed countries lagged 7 years behind the global average.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all three components of population change. Global life expectancy at birth fell to 71.0 years in 2021. In some countries, successive waves of the pandemic may have produced short-term reductions in numbers of pregnancies and births, while for many other countries, there is little evidence of an impact on fertility levels or trends. The pandemic severely restricted all forms of human mobility, including international migration.
“Further actions by Governments aimed at reducing fertility would have little impact on the pace of population growth between now and mid-century, because of the youthful age structure of today’s global population. Nevertheless, the cumulative effect of lower fertility, if maintained over several decades, could be a more substantial deceleration of global population growth in the second half of the century,” added John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
