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‘Green Transition’ Impossible Without Greater Action on Sustainable Minerals and Metals: WRF

Geneva to host two major back-to-back events on governance of mineral and metal resources. Climate change discussions often overlook the central role played by the excessive extraction and use of natural resources. The topic, however, will be the central focus at the events.

* The World Resources Forum 2023 (Sept 4-6), www.wrf2023.org and

* The UNEP Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals and Metals (Sept 7-8), https://bit.ly/3OP4EAA

Notice to media – For more information, accreditation: Emanuele Di Francesco. +41 71 554 0904. emanuele.difrancesco@wrforum.org. – Additional contact: Terry Collins, +1-416-878-8712 (m), ), tc@tca.tc

Says WRF Managing Director Mathias Schluep: “Minerals and metals are the backbone of major industries, including energy, construction, mobility, and electronics. If international governments and industry leaders do not source and use these resources with long-term sustainability in mind, no transition will be green. This issue looms over the climate debate and deserves far greater attention.”

Research shows, for example, that a typical electric car requires six times the mineral input of a combustion-engine car – mainly copper, graphite, cobalt, and nickel for the battery system. Around 67 tons of copper can be found in a medium-sized offshore turbine. To extract this amount of copper, miners have to move almost 50,000 tons of earth and rock, around 5 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Minerals and metals are essential components for the transition to clean energy and a green economy. Every year, the world mines 150 billion tons of rock to produce 65 billion tons of mineral products. In the process, 72 billion tons of waste rock and 13 billion tons of mine tailings are also produced.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for critical raw materials will quadruple by 2040 – in the case of lithium, demand is expected to increase by a factor of 42.

As international companies make large investments to meet the minerals and metals demand boom, the sustainability performance behind big mining projects has come under increased scrutiny. Many minerals and metals are concentrated in just a few countries, and the search for further deposits is taking companies to more remote regions such as the high Andes and the Arctic, provoking new environmental and social challenges.

Urgent shift required – Unsustainable extraction, use, and disposal of resources are having detrimental impacts on people and the planet, and are driving the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, WRI says.

Currently, the extraction and processing of material resources is responsible for a large proportion of biodiversity loss, global greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution impacts. The energy transition and growth in the infrastructure stock globally risk making environmental challenges even more acute.

At the 5th UN Environment Assembly last year in Nairobi, delegates adopted a resolution, initiated by Switzerland together with Argentina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Senegal, on environmental aspects of minerals and metals management.

Member States stressed “the need for enhanced action to support the environmental sustainability management of minerals” along their full lifecycle, from extraction until end-of-life. Since then, Switzerland has been co-chairing the intergovernmental process together with Pakistan.

Between April and July, the United Nations Environment Programme convened intergovernmental regional consultations with African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States.

The global consultation on 7 and 8 September in Geneva will highlight key regional consultation findings and gather additional feedback.

Needed: unprecedented levels of international collaboration – Mineral and metal value chains are global in nature, which means challenges and responsibilities are shared across actors, from those extracting resources to those trading and consuming these resources.

Currently, resource extraction plays a dominant role in the economy of 81 countries. These countries account for 25% of the world’s GDP, half the world’s population, and nearly 70% of those living in poverty. Sustainable sourcing of metals and minerals, therefore, has a high stake not only in the efforts to halt climate change but also to promote sustainable development and reduce poverty.

Due to the complexity of global supply chains, finding sustainable solutions requires an unprecedented level of international cooperation, including public-private partnerships and cross-sectoral collaboration. In the current global geopolitical context, this comes with evident challenges.

Amongst others, multi-level collaboration is needed for the transition to a more resource-efficient and circular economy, which may lead to an increase in the recovery rate of precious minerals and metals, a reduction in global demand for primary resource extraction, and the sustainable use of resources across the whole life cycle.

* * * * *

The World Resources Forum 2023 (www.wrf2023.org) is supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), with the main conference partners being the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Empa, and the International Resource Panel.

The UNEP Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals and Metals https://bit.ly/3OP4EAA), hosted by Switzerland, will highlight key findings from the extensive round of regional consultations held earlier this year and aims to identify promising pathways to further strengthen international cooperation.

Terry Collins & Assoc. | www.tca.tc | @TerryCollinsTC | LinkedIn.com/in/terrycollins, Toronto, M6R1L8 Canada

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91 countries signed statement condemning the use of food as a weapon of war

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New York, August 3 – The United States, which holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council in August, said a total of 91 countries have signed a joint communique condemning the use of food as a weapon of war. The text was issued at a council meeting presided by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Following are the joint communique and the list of signatories published by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Ninety-One Countries Sign U.S.-Led Joint Communiqué Condemning the Use of Food as a Weapon of War

In a demonstration of solidarity and commitment, 91 UN Member States signed a U.S.-led joint communiqué pledging action to end the use of food as a weapon of war.

Roughly 345 million people – in 79 countries – face acute food insecurity, often caused or exacerbated by armed conflict.

Today’s joint communiqué was born out of the United States’ resolve to once again use its UN Security Council presidency to draw attention to conflict-induced food insecurity.

“We can deliver lifesaving aid to those in urgent need,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said during today’s UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate on Famine and Conflict-Induced Global Food Insecurity.

“We can ensure that people around the globe are fed, now and for years to come. If we do that, if we build a healthier, more stable, more peaceful world for all, we will have at least begun to live up to the responsibility entrusted to us, entrusted to this Council, entrusted to this institution.”

U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “In a world abundant with food, no one should starve to death – ever. This is a humanitarian issue, this is a moral issue, and this is a security issue. And we must address the most insidious driver of famine and food insecurity: conflict.”

Signatories

The following U.S.-led joint communiqué was signed by Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the European Union.

Text

Joint Communiqué Condemning the Use of Food as a Weapon of War

Today, 91 member states of the United Nations commit to addressing conflict-induced food insecurity, including famine, in situations of armed conflict against civilian populations.

The international community has long stood against starvation of civilians as a tactic of warfare. The two 1977 additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions, ratified by 174 and 169 states, respectively, prohibit starvation of civilians as a method of warfare or combat.

We, the undersigned, commit to take action to end the use of food as a weapon of war and the starvation of civilians as a tactic of warfare.

We reaffirm the primary responsibility of States to protect the population throughout their whole territory and the need for all parties to armed conflict to respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence in the provision of humanitarian assistance.

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Global food systems broken, billions of people cannot afford healthy diets, U.N. warns

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Rome/New York, July 24 – Globally, more than 3 billion people cannot afford healthy diets, 2 billion are overweight or obese and 462 million are underweight, and the situation is made worse with the cancellation of the Black Sea grain deal after Russia pulled out of the agreement.

Developing countries are struggling to invest in the food systems that can provide healthy lives but they have had no access to financing and debt relief, said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an address to the U.N. Food Systems Summit taking place in Rome.

“Many communities are one shock away from plummeting into food insecurity or even famine,” he said. “And that dire picture has grown bleaker with the Russian Federation’s termination of the Black Sea Initiative that enabled the safe export of more than 32 million metric tons of food on more than 1,000 vessels from Ukrainian ports.”

The initiative, which the U.N. called the “beacon of hope in a troubled world,” started in July 2022 and was terminated after Russia ended its participation on July 17 this year. It allowed the exports of Ukraine’s wheat and other food commodities and Russia’s fertilizers to dozens of countries. The U.N. said food prices dropped by 23 per cent from their highs in 2022.

The grain deal allowed humanitarian organizations to provide food assistance to countries. The World Food Program (WFP) transported more than 725,000 tons of wheat to people in need in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Ukraine supplied more than half of WFP’s wheat grain in 2022, as was the case in 2021.

“We are already seeing the negative effect on global wheat and corn prices which hurts everyone” with the end of the initiative, Guterres said. “But this is especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people.”

“Meanwhile, unsustainable food production, packaging and consumption are feeding the climate crisis, generating one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, using 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater, and driving biodiversity loss on an epic scale. Many communities are one shock away from plummeting into food insecurity or even famine.”

The U.N. Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, hosted by the Italian government July 24-26, is taking place at the Food and Agriculture Organization premises with the attendance of U.N. agencies, government, business and civil society representatives.

For more information, see the UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking moment

Guterres said more than 100 countries have submitted voluntary progress reports on food systems transformation after taking “decisive steps to reflect this priority in national and sub- national laws, policies and programming.” He called for “massive investment in sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient food systems” and urged governments to provide at least US$500 billion a year to the Sustainable Development Goals Stimulus for long-term financing for all countries in need.

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Russia ended the Black Sea grain deal – the “beacon of hope” for poor countries

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New York, July 17 – By withdrawing its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed the exports of over 32 million tons of Ukraine’s food commodities to countries that needed them, Russia also terminated the deal put together by the U.N. and Turkish leaders after it invaded Ukraine.

The grain deal, which the U.N. called the “beacon of hope in a troubled world,” had been renewed every four months since it entered into force on July 18, 2022 and most recently only two months. Under the deal, Russia was able to export grains and fertilizers and it provided security guarantees for navigation in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

The office of the U.N. coordinator for the deal provided the list of the 10 top importing destinations as follow: China (7,963,950 tons, or 24 per cent of the total), Spain (5,980,657, 18 per cent), Türkiye (3,236,355, 10 per cent), Italy (2,062,420, 6 per cent), The Netherlands (1,959,233, 6 per cent), Bangladesh (1,067,242, 3 per cent), Israel (870,612, 3 per cent), Tunisia (713,518, 2 per cent), and Portugal (708,282, 2 per cent).

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who brokered the grain deal with Turkeye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, deplored Russia’s decision to end its participation.

“With the decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, the Russian Federation also terminated its commitment to “facilitate the unimpeded export of food, sunflower oil, and fertilizers from Ukrainian controlled Black Sea Ports,” he said.

“Ultimately, participation in these agreements is a choice. But struggling people everywhere and developing countries don’t have a choice. Hundreds of millions of people face hunger and consumers are confronting a global cost-of-living crisis,” he said. “They will pay the price.”

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Poor countries trapped in record global public debt US$92 trillion, U.N. says

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New York, July 12 – Dozens of developing countries with a total 3.3 billion people – almost half of world population – are spending more on debt interest payments than on education or health, the United Nations said a new report titled A World of Debt.

“Some of the poorest countries in the world are being forced into a choice between servicing their debt, or serving their people,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the launch of the report. “They have virtually no fiscal space for essential investments in the Sustainable Development Goals or the transition to renewable energy.”

He said because these unsustainable debts are concentrated in poor countries, “they are not judged to pose a systemic risk to the global financial system. This is a mirage. 3.3 billion people is more than a systemic risk. It is a systemic failure. Markets may not be suffering – yet. But people are.”

The global public debt reached a record US$92 trillion in 2022 and is still surging with developing countries shouldering a disproportionate amount. The report said, on average, African countries pay four times more for borrowing than the United States and eight times more than the wealthiest European economies.

The International Monetary Fund says 36 countries are on so-called “debt row” – either in, or at high risk of, debt distress. Another sixteen are paying unsustainable interest rates to private creditors. And a total of 52 countries – almost 40 percent of the developing world – are in serious debt trouble.

Read the report: A World of Debt: A growing obstacle to global prosperity

Visit the U.N. website for an interactive map with country-specific data and more

U.N. urges deep reforms of outdated international financial system

Guterres said the current global debt situation resulted partly from the “inequality built into our outdated global financial system, which reflects the colonial power dynamics of the era when it was created. That system has not fulfilled its mandate as a safety net to help all countries manage today’s cascade of unforeseen shocks – the pandemic; the devastating impact of the climate crisis; and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

In an address he made to the Paris Finance Summit on June 22, Guterres called the financial system created after World War II, “outdated, dysfunctional and unjust” and it can no longer meet the needs of the 21^st century.

When launching A World of Debt, he called for “deep reforms” of the global financial system and proposals he made include “an effective debt workout mechanism that supports payment suspensions, longer lending terms, and lower rates, including for

vulnerable middle-income countries. Governments can agree right now to scale up development and climate finance by increasing the capital base and changing the business model of Multilateral Development Banks.”

He said other important proposals were made in the Bridgetown Agenda led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados and the recent Paris Finance Summit. The upcoming G20 Summit in India is also an opportunity to take these ideas forward.

Poor countries trapped in record global public debt US$92 trillion, U.N. says Read More »

UPDATE: U.S. officially rejoins UNESCO, a move called an “excellent news”

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Paris/New York, July 11 – The United States has retaken its seat in the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after a five-year absence to tackle global challenges such as the ethical framework for artificial intelligence and ocean protection programs, the Paris-based organization said.

“This is a historic moment,” said Audrey Azoulay, the director general of UNESCO. “Our organization is once again moving towards universality. I also want to share this victory for UNESCO with the entire United Nations family, because it is excellent news for multilateralism as a whole. If we want to meet the challenges of our century, there can only be a collective response.”

“This is not only an excellent track record, but also a roadmap for the future,” Azoulay said. “The return of the United States, and the additional resources that go with that, will help us to provide even better support for everyone around the world: pupils and students, researchers, academics, artists, educators, journalists – all those on whom our daily work is focused. UNESCO will also have more resources for its two strategic priorities, Africa and gender equality.”

Washington decided in June to return as a full member and the organization’s General Conference on June 30 voted 132-10 to approve the request. Russia, North Korea, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua, Syria and the Palestinian delegation voted against.

UNESCO said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken informed Director-General Azoulay on July 9 that he had just signed the United States’ Document of Acceptance to the UNESCO Constitution to become the 194^th member.

The organization said in a press release that the U.S. had cited reasons for its return to Azoulay and they included appreciation in the way in which UNESCO had succeeded in modernizing itself in recent years, “highlighting the launch of new initiatives to tackle contemporary challenges (including a global ethical framework for artificial intelligence and ocean protection programs), the implementation of management reforms that have made the organization more efficient, and the mediation efforts that have eased internal political tensions, particularly over the Middle East.”

The Trump administration withdrew from the organization in 2017, a decision that took effect the following year, citing anti-Israel bias and mismanagement. The U.S. withdrew for the first time from UNESCO back in 1984 under the presidency of Ronald Reagan after charging it with mismanagement, corruption and advancing Soviet interests.

In its written proposal to rejoin, the U.S. said its demand is based on a concrete financial plan to pay an estimated arrear of US$619 covering the five years of its absence.

UNESCO said on June 30 that the U.S. will fund the equivalent of 22 per cent of the regular budget of US$534 million. “To this will be added the progressive payment of their arrears and, as of 2023, voluntary contributions to fund programs including those supporting access to education in Africa, the memory of the Holocaust and the protection of journalists.

“UNESCO will thus benefit from a reinforced budget to implement its programs for education, culture, science and information. It will also be able to step up its actions for Africa and gender equality, two of its strategic priorities.”

“UNESCO’s mandate – education, science, culture, freedom of information – is absolutely central to meeting the challenges of the 21st century. It is this centrality, as well as the easing of political tensions within the organization and the initiatives launched in recent years, that have led the United States to initiate this return.”

“UNESCO has thus been able to launch new initiatives enabling it to fully grasp the challenges of today – such as the ethics of artificial intelligence and the protection of oceans. It has also returned to emblematic field campaigns – such as the reconstruction of the old city of Mosul in Iraq – in line with its historic ambitions.”

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U.N. ambitious blueprint seeking a better world for all is in peril

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New York, July 10 – Since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 with the promise to make a healthy and prosperous world for all by 2030, the world organization has seen its progress and efforts to achieve the goals eroded by climate disasters, the COVID pandemic, the Russian war in Ukraine and rising food prices.

With seven more years to go, the U.N. now said the 17 SDGs are “in peril.” It called on governments to redouble and accelerate efforts to achieve the goals or else they should expect greater political instability, upended economics leading to irreversible damage and hundreds of millions of people hungry and poor.

The organization has launched a High Level Political Forum on the SDGs, July 10-19, with the participation of government officials, experts and civil society organizations to “urgently set the world on track to delivering the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The U.N. said the high-level forum provides “an opportunity to review progress, address shared challenges, showcase successes, and identify measures to mobilize action on the SDGs.” The forum will be a key contributor to the SDG Summit September 16-19 when government leaders of the 193 member states will attend the 78th U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York.

For more information, please visit: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/

Hashtag: #SDGreport #SDGs #GlobalGoals

“At midpoint of implementation, the SDGs—the rescue plan for people and planet—are in jeopardy. Ten of millions have fallen into poverty. Inequalities have worsened, strikingly so for women and girls. More people are being denied healthcare and education and the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005.”

The Sustainable Development Goals

The U.N. had intended to achieve globally, by 2030, the following goals: no poverty; zero hunger, good health and welling being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace justice and strong institutions and partnership for the goals.

Failure to achieve the SDGs has consequences

The following is part of a press release from the U.N. Department on Global Communications on the high-level forum:

“If the present trends persist, by 2030, a staggering 575 million people will remain trapped in extreme poverty and an estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school.

Based on data collected in 2022 in 119 countries, 56 per cent of the countries lacked laws that prohibit direct and indirect discrimination against women. Global temperature rise has already hit 1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels and is likely to reach or surpass the critical 1.5 °C tipping point by 2035.

The report also warns that while lack of progress is universal, it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst effects of these unprecedented global challenges.

Potential for breakthrough

But progress in some areas since 2015 illustrates the potential for further advances. The share of global population with access to electricity has increased from 87 per cent in 2015 to 91 per cent in 2021, with close to 800 million additional people being connected.

The report also illustrates that by 2021, 133 countries had already met the SDG target on under-5 mortality, and an additional 13 are expected to do so by 2030. Despite the global manufacturing growth slowdown, medium-high- and high-technology industries demonstrated robust growth rates. Developing countries installed a record-breaking 268 watts per capita of renewable energy-generating capacity in 2021. Additionally, the number of people using the Internet has grown by 65 per cent since 2015, reaching 5.3 billion people of the world’s population in 2022.

These important development gains demonstrate that a breakthrough to a better future for all is possible through the combination of collective action and strong political will, and the effective use of available technologies, resources, and knowledge. This advance can lift hundreds of millions out of poverty, improve gender equality and put the world on a low-emissions pathway by 2030. Strengthening data ecosystems will also be key to understanding where the world stands and what needs to be done to achieve the SDGs.

Additional key facts and figures:

Given historical trends, only one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty rates by 2030 from 2015.

Nearly 1 in 3 (2.3 billion people) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021.

Between 2015 and 2022, rising access to safely managed drinking water, safely managed sanitation, and basic hygiene resulted in an additional 687 million, 911 million, and 637 million people gaining access to these essential services, respectively.

Effective HIV treatment has significantly reduced global AIDS-related deaths by 52 per cent since 2010, and at least one neglected tropical disease has been eliminated in 47 countries.

As of 2020, nearly 1.1 billion people lived in slums or slum-like conditions in urban areas.

The number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies has doubled since 2015, indicating increased awareness and preparedness for managing and reducing the impact of disasters.”

For more information, please visit: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/

Hashtag: #SDGreport #SDGs #GlobalGoals

Media contacts (Interviews available upon request):

Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications, birchs@un.org

Helen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, rosengrenh@un.org

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Caribbean nations urged to help Haiti where the situation is appalling

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Port of Spain/New York, July 3 – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) celebrated its 50^th anniversary of regional integration with a call from the United Nations to help Haiti, which has descended into lawlessness and the population demand urgent humanitarian assistance.

“I am coming here from Haiti,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the organization headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. CARICOM comprises 20 countries in the region.

“The security situation is appalling, humanitarian needs are soaring, and there is no political solution in sight. It is impossible to look at the crisis without seeing the long shadow of centuries of colonial exploitation, extortion, dictatorship and other screaming injustices,” he said. “We must help ease the suffering of the Haitian people.”

Before his meeting with CARICOM in Port of Spain, Guterres visited Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and met with Haitian leaders on July 2. U.N. News said he expressed solidarity with the Haitian people and deep concern at the extreme vulnerability faced by the Haitian people – especially women and girls – because of brutally violent and “predatory” armed gangs, like those encircling the capital, blocking main roads and controlling access to water, food, health care.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the widespread sexual violence which the armed gangs have used as a weapon to instill fear,” he said, calling on the entire international community to urgently “put the victims and the civilian population at the center of our concerns and priorities.”

To the Caribbean governments, Guterres said, “The challenges we see in Haiti require greater engagement and solidarity. This is precisely the founding spirit of CARICOM.”

“You have advanced cooperation on every front – from economic and social development … to fighting illegal drugs and arms trafficking… to combatting non-communicable diseases … to advancing gender parity. And, of course, you have championed climate action and focused attention on the plight of Small Island Developing States.

“The United Nations relies on Caribbean expertise and leadership.”

Guterres said he will continue to urge the U.N. Security Council to authorize the immediate deployment of an international force to assist Haiti’s police force in its fight against gangs that have been terrorizing the population.

He said the Haitian people are exhausted as they tried to grapple with “a cascade of crises and unacceptable living conditions” and pointed out that one in two Haitians lives in extreme poverty and does not have access to drinking water.

The U.N. humanitarian response plan in Haiti, which called for $720 million to assist 3 million Haitians, is only 23 per cent funded, he said.

Caribbean nations urged to help Haiti where the situation is appalling Read More »

UPDATE: Protracted funding shortfall hurts hundreds of millions of people in need: U.N.

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Geneva/New York, June 27 – Humanitarians said they have so far received only 20 per cent of the US$54 billion they requested for the 249 million people who need urgent humanitarian assistance.

The 249 million are part of the worldwide total of 362 million people in need this year as they are battered by climate disasters, conflicts and food insecurity, the U.N. said. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said its Global Humanitarian Overview requires $54.8 billion – the sum of 43 appeals – and it is made up of 26 Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) that include nine regional plans, five Flash Appeals among other types of plans. It said halfway into 2023, donors have provided US$10.7 billion of the US$54.8 billion.

“We need to help people in need around the world,” the office said. “With needs growing exponentially, funding is struggling to keep pace. Unequal funding across emergencies and sectors have also challenged our ability to respond to the surging needs. Current underfunded crises include Myanmar, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela, Somalia and Afghanistan.”

“These funding gaps have real consequences on millions of people’s food insecurity, health and protection, among others, and we encourage donors to continue to contribute generously to the humanitarian response plans.”

OCHA said 25 out of 43 inter-agency response plans (58 per cent) are currently funded below the global average of 20 per cent. It said this year’s percentage is about the same as in 2022 and 2021, “suggesting that the imbalance in funding coverage for appeals remains a protracted problem.”

“In absolute terms, Afghanistan needs (- $950 million), Ukraine (- $600 million) and Syria ( – $60 million) have seen the sharpest decreases in funding compared to the same time last year. Conversely, the following plans have seen increases in both absolute funding and coverage compared to the same time last year: Burkina Faso, Burundi, DRC, El Salvador, Haiti, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. The gap between financial requirements and resources currently stands at $43 billion – the highest ever. This is more than double the entire requirements of the GHO ($20 billion) in 2016.”

On June 21, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the start of a three-day meeting on humanitarian affairs of the U.N. Economic and Social Council in Geneva that the number of people requiring assistance grew by 30 per cent to 360 million since the start of 2022. They include more than 110 million forced from their homes and more than 260 million who are facing acute food insecurity, with some at risk of famine.

“The global economic woes, started by COVID and aggravated by the worldwide impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are hitting the most vulnerable hardest,” Guterres said. “Sustainable development – the ultimate prevention tool – has stagnated or gone into reverse. And the climate crisis has contributed to the deaths of thousands of people and displaced millions over the past year.”

“Ordinary people are paying an unacceptable price, as parties to conflict violate international law, attack hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure, and commit rampant human rights violations, including gender-based violence against women and girls.”

Ramesh Rajasingham, the U.N. Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the meeting that the series of recent crises that triggered humanitarian demands are threatening progress made to improve living standards around the world.

“We are now experiencing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945. You need look no further than the renewed conflict in Sudan in April this year, and the recent destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, to just what impacts these and other conflicts are having,” he said.

He said extreme weather and climate-related disasters are having an increasingly “deleterious impact” on people’s lives. He said the recent drought, the most severe in recent history in the Horn of Africa, brought people to the edge of famine and has left more than 30 million people facing acute food insecurity and hunger.

He cited also the devastating floods in Pakistan, West and Central Africa, and Central America, and tropical storms in Southern Africa, which destroyed homes, lives and livelihoods.

The U.N. and humanitarians said that 2023 has seen a record number of people around the world needing humanitarian assistance. They include 43.4 million in the Horn of Africa; 28.3 million in Afghanistan; 24.7 million in Sudan; and 18 million in Ukraine.

Donors announce US$1.5 billion for humanitarian aid in Sudan

U.N. News reported that a pledging conference was held in Geneva on June 19 for humanitarian assistance in Sudan and refugees at Sudan’s borders with neighboring countries. Donors announced US$1.5 billion to fund life-saving relief efforts in Sudan and the region and called on parties in Sudan to immediately end the fighting. The conference was organized by the U.N., Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the European Union.

The U.N. said 24.7 million people in Sudan, roughly half of the population and more than half of them children, need humanitarian aid and protection. Nearly 1.7 million people have been uprooted within Sudan, while about half a million refugees, asylum-seekers and refugee returnees have sought safety in neighboring countries.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said: “Each day the crisis in Sudan continues, the humanitarian situation grows ever more desperate. Despite the raging violence, humanitarian workers – including our heroic local partners operating on the front lines – are pressing ahead with their efforts to deliver aid to people in need. The funding announced today – including an additional $22 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing total funding through CERF and the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to $102 million – will be a lifeline for millions of people living in the world’s most dangerous and difficult conditions.”

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “Since mid-April, we have seen senseless, brutal fighting and attacks in Sudan, forcing millions to flee for their lives to wherever they can find safety. The commitment shown today by donors to those affected comes just in time, as our resources for the situation are dwindling. The pledges will save lives and help alleviate some hardship. Ultimately, of course, only a durable peace will allow the Sudanese to restart their lives.”

UPDATE: Protracted funding shortfall hurts hundreds of millions of people in need: U.N. Read More »

Violent conflicts, climate disasters cause record demands for humanitarian assistance, U.N. says

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Geneva/New York, June 21 – An estimated 360 million people currently need urgent humanitarian assistance, the victims of extreme weather, climate disasters and unresolved conflicts, the United Nations said.

The number of people requiring assistance grew by 30 per cent to 360 million since the start of 2022. They include more than 110 million forced from their homes and more than 260 million who are facing acute food insecurity, with some at risk of famine, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the start of a three-day meeting on humanitarian affairs of the U.N. Economic and Social Council in Geneva.

He cited also the devastating floods in Pakistan, West and Central Africa, and Central America, and tropical storms in Southern Africa, which destroyed homes, lives and livelihoods.

Donors announce US$1.5 billion for humanitarian aid in Sudan

Violent conflicts, climate disasters cause record demands for humanitarian assistance, U.N. says Read More »

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