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
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
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.
Earth4All builds on the legacies of The Limits to Growth and thePlanetary Boundariesframeworks.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.
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, June 5, 2024 – The annual average global temperature is expected to rise from 1.5 degrees C to close to 2 degrees C in the next five years, a spike that could destroy some small islands and coastal communities as well as causing more extreme and dangerous weather worldwide, the UN warned.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said a new study has predicted that there is a 80 % likelihood that the average global temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years.
“The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1°C and 1.9°C, higher than the 1850-1900 baseline,” WMO said. The Geneva-based UN organization said it is likely (86 %) that at least one of the years between now and 2028 will set a new temperature record, beating 2023 which is currently the warmest year.
WMO said also that there a 47 % likelihood that the average global temperature over the entire 2024-2028 period will exceed 1.5 degrees C above the pre-industrial era. The goal of maintaining annual global temperature at 1.5 degrees was set in the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, which referred to long-term temperature increases over decades, not over one to five years.
WMO published its Global Annual to Decadal Update to coincide with an address on climate action delivered by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the American Museum of Natural History titled a Moment of Truth.
“The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees could be the difference between extinction and survival for some small island states and coastal communities. The difference between minimizing climate chaos or crossing dangerous tipping points,” Guterres said.
He pointed out that scientists had alerted of consequences following higher temperatures: the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet with catastrophic sea level rise; destruction of tropical coral reef systems and the livelihoods of 300 million people; collapse of the Labrador Sea Current that would further disrupt weather patterns in Europe; and widespread permafrost melt that would release devastating levels of methane, one of the most potent heat-trapping gasses.
Government leaders must work in solidarity to fight climate change – Guterres urges leaders of the world’s 20 richest countries, G20, to work in solidarity to accelerate a” just global energy transition” aligned with the 1.5 degrees limit, which call for them to align their national climate action plans, their energystrategies, and their plans for fossil fuel production and consumption, with a 1.5degrees future.
“It means the G20 pledging to reallocate subsidies from fossil fuels to renewables, storage, and grid modernization, and support for vulnerable communities,” he said. It means the G7 and other OECD countries committing: to end coal by 2030; and to create fossil-fuel free power systems, and reduce oil and gas supply and demand by sixty percent – by 2035. It means all countries ending new coal projects – now. Particularly in Asia, home to ninety-five percent of planned new coal power capacity. It means non-OECD countries creating climate action plans that put them on a path to ending coal power by 2040.”
“The United Nations is mobilizing our entire system to help developing countries to achieve this through our Climate Promise initiative,” Guterres said.
WMO: World must urgently cut emissions or pay heavy price – Ko Barrett, the WMO Deputy Secretary-General, said, “Behind these statistics lies the bleak reality that we are way off track to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement. We must urgently do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions, or we will pay an increasingly heavy price in terms of trillions of dollars in economic costs, millions of lives affected by more extreme weather and extensive damage to the environment and biodiversity.”
“WMO is sounding the alarm that we will be exceeding the 1.5°C level on a temporary basis with increasing frequency. We have already temporarily surpassed this level for individual months – and indeed as averaged over the most recent 12-month period. However, it is important to stress that temporary breaches do not mean that the 1.5 °C goal is permanently lost because this refers to long-term warming over decades.” (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.
The dialogue resulted in four avenues of action identified as key to success, IOM said in its website:
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.
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.
Migrant and diasporas’ voices must be heard, as they have transformative potential in advocacy and development.
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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World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3rd each year by the United Nations. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 99 journalists and media workers killed in 2023, 21 killed in 2024, 320 imprisoned in 2023 and 65 missing globally. A WorldPress Freedom DayJoint Statement was issued by the Presidents of the UN General Assembly, General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UN Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council. (Following is the joint statement).
Santiago de Chile, May 3, 2024 – Thirty years ago, the inaugural World Press Freedom Day was commemorated in Santiago de Chile, marked by the adoption of the historic Santiago Declaration. This event ushered in a new era dedicated to promoting the fundamental right of freedom of expression and press freedom, alongside the promotion of a free, independent, and pluralistic media, building on the United Nations General Assembly’s acknowledgement, in 1946, that freedom of information is a fundamental human right.
Today, inspired by the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, we emphasize the pivotal role of freedom of expression in enabling journalists, media workers, environmental activists, scientists, and citizens to promote the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and raise awareness about climate change, environmental challenges and degradation, in the pursuit of sustainable development.
In this regard, we emphasize that States have the obligation to respect, protect and promote human rights, including in all actions undertaken to address environmental challenges; and to take measures to protect the human rights of all, as recognized in various international instruments.
Additional measures should also be taken for those particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, noting the Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment.
Access to accurate and timely information, enabled by a free, independent, and pluralistic media, stands as a cornerstone for raising public awareness, fostering informed debate and decision-making, countering misinformation and disinformation, and ultimately galvanizing collective action towards the attainment of the Goals, in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In this regard, we acknowledge UNESCO’s continued commitment to ensure that World Press Freedom Day is a truly multistakeholder and diverse platform, where all relevant actors can raise their voices to protect and promote freedom of expression and achieve sustainable development.
As we navigate the final years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we call on Member States and all stakeholders to reaffirm their commitments to the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information.
Recognizing the urgent imperative to address climate change, environmental degradation, as well as economic and social challenges that imperil the well-being of present and future generations, we underscore the paramount importance of freedom of expression and access to information in effectively navigating and mitigating these pressing issues. In an era marked by escalating environmental challenges and the triple planetary crises, accompanied by unprecedented levels of mis/disinformation, the media’s role as a watchdog, and a catalyst for action cannot be overstated.
On the World Press Freedom Day, we reaffirm our commitment to the safety of journalists, and the defense of freedom of opinion and expression as a fundamental human right. Our ongoing efforts underscore the vital link between press freedom and societies where truth can flourish free from mis- and disinformation. The United Nations Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures rigorously support initiatives that ensure journalists and media workers can work free from harm, recognizing that access to information and the work of journalists and media workers are essential for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
We also recognize the role of journalists and media workers, including women, in raising public awareness about climate change, environmental and disaster issues.
The discussions on the occasion of this World Press Freedom Day are important to inform crucial processes, such as the 2024 High-Level political forum on sustainable development, the Summit of the Future, COP29, and other major United Nations conferences.
We further urge Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence, intimidation, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers. We condemn the killings of journalists and media workers everywhere, including in conflict situations. We also strongly condemn any attempts to harass, intimidate, attack, or arbitrarily detain journalists and media workers.
Furthermore, we advocate for the strengthening of policies that promote free, independent, and pluralistic media, thereby fostering a vibrant and robust public sphere, a pillar of peaceful, just, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous societies.
Finally, we emphasize that the improper or malicious design and use of artificial intelligence systems can undermine information integrity, that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected, and promoted in this era of artificial intelligence, and further call upon all Member States and other stakeholders to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems in an inclusive and equitable manner, and for the benefit of all.
Francis Dennis, President of the UN General Assembly
Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the General Conference of UNESCO
Paula Narváez, President of the Economic and Social Council
Omar Zniber, President of the Human Rights Council
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