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Month: May 2019

A major win for transgender rights: UN health agency drops ‘gender identity disorder’, as official diagnosis

The update to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has reclassified gender identity disorder, or identifying as transgender, in terms of sexuality, not a “mental disorder”.

It is time for the world to recognize and celebrate the rich diversity of human nature – UN experts

Classified now as “gender incongruence”, Lale Say, the Coordinator of WHO’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research, explained that the move came about because the UN health agency now had a “better understanding that it was not actually a mental health condition”.

On 25 May, WHO approved a resolution to remove “gender identity disorder” from ICD-11 and created a new chapter dedicated to sexual health.

The reclassification will “reduce the stigma” while ensuring “access to necessary health interventions”, according to Ms. Say.

Gender incongruence can be described as a feeling of anguish when an individual’s identity conflicts with the sex they were assigned at birth.

A ‘major breakthrough’

Moving the disorder into WHO’s new chapter for sexual health will also help lift discrimination, a major barrier to accessing prevention services, HIV testing and treatment and care.

© UNICEF/Danielle Pereira | Moisés Maciel da Silva, 19, from São Paulo, Brazil, found out he was living with HIV when he turned 18 years old.

“We expect that this reclassification will impact very positively the wrong perception that some forms of gender diversity are pathologies, or sickness, and that it will facilitate access to better health care,” said Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Dainius Pῡras, Special Rapporteur on the right to health.

The UN experts welcomed the “major breakthrough” and called on States to “review their medical classifications and adopt strong proactive measures” to eliminate the social stigma associated with gender diversity.

The stressed that denying the existence of diversity or lifestyle choices “leads to violence, including so-called ‘corrective rape’ and ‘conversion therapy’, and to forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary treatments and procedures to ‘normalise’ sexual attraction or human bodies”.

“It is time for the world to recognize and celebrate the rich diversity of human nature,” they concluded.

‘Snapshot’ of wellbeing

Because “data on disease and death reveal how a population is truly faring”, WHO flags health statistics as true “snapshots of a country’s wellbeing”.

Pointing out their importance as forming “the basis for almost every decision made in health care today”, WHO calls ICD “the bedrock for health statistics”.

“ICD codes can have enormous financial importance, since they are used to determine where best to invest increasingly scant resources”, WHO said.

According to one gender identity advocacy organization, the reclassification will encourage people to put pressure on their own governments to adopt ICD-11 in the coming years. 

The UN’s unyielding effort to tackle sexual abuse and exploitation: our quarterly update

To date, only one of the 37 allegations has been substantiated through an investigation, and referred to the relevant Member State for follow-up; four were not substantiated by the investigation that ensued; 26 are still under investigation; and six are still in the preliminary assessment phase to determine if there is enough information to investigate.  

United Nations work with local communities in Kavumu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to sensitize the population on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Photo: MONUSCO/Alain Likota.

Sixteen of these allegations are categorized as sexual abuse which, in UN terms, constitutes “the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force, or under unequal or coercive conditions”.

Another 27 are categorized as sexual exploitation, defined as “any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another”. In addition, four are of an unknown nature, and two cases have been categorized as “other”, of which one was closed.

Of the 49 people who made these 37 allegations against UN personnel, were 28 women, 11 girls, one boy, seven females of unknown age, as well as one adult and one child whose genders are unknown.

Measuring progress is a complex matter that cannot be examined through numbers alone: for example, an entity that does not report any allegations may not yet have solid reporting and prevention systems in place.

Outside the UN, 33 allegations have been recorded involving organisations mandated by the UN to carry out its programmes (known as “implementing partners”). They involve 37 alleged victims and 38 alleged perpetrators.

A full range of initiatives to tackle SEA at the UN

The Secretary-General’s strategy launched in 2017, focuses first on addressing the issue within the UN system, including peacekeepers, as well as those mandated by the UN to carry out programmes (implementing organizations and Security Council-authorized non-UN military). This covers more than 90,000 personnel in over 30 entities as well as more than 100,000 uniformed personnel.   

The numbers show that the UN’s victim-centred approach is paying off, as there seems to be increased trust among the victims and survivors to come forward and report incidents.   

Various concrete initiatives have been put in place to date, including:

United Nations

  • Transparent and harmonised quarterly reporting by the UN chief on the matter.  
  • Improved support to survivors with the appointment of a global Victims’ Rights Advocate, as well as several field-based ones, and the setting-up of a Victims Assistance Tracking database to ensure services are provided to survivors and victims, adequately and systematically.
  • Strengthened Member State engagement with the creation of: a Voluntary Compact which more than 100 countries have adopted; and the Circle of Leadership, launched in September 2018 and which has been endorsed by 74 members so far.
  • Mandatory training sessions for staff across the UN system.
  • Community-based complaint mechanisms in all UN humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
  • And the launch in 2018 of a system called “Clear Check,” to prevent UN staff dismissed as a result of substantiated SEA allegations – or those who resigned or were separated during an investigation – from being re-employed.

A complete list of all the initiatives undertaken can be found here

The question of prosecution

As the UN does not have the authority or a legal mandate to criminally prosecute individuals, criminal accountability of individuals continues to rest with each UN staff member’s home country.

In cases where the alleged offender is a civilian, the UN conducts administrative investigations, the staff member is dismissed when the allegation is substantiated, and if the UN concludes that a crime may have been committed, it refers the matter to relevant national authorities for further action.    

In cases involving uniformed personnel, the contributing State has exclusive jurisdiction to investigate, but the UN works in close partnership with that State to expedite the investigation, and take the necessary measures.

‘Save Tuvalu; save the world’; UN chief echoes rallying cry from front lines of global climate emergency

If the world is to prevail against climate change, “then we must find the political will to take transformative measures,” declared the UN chief. 

UN Photo/Mark Garten | Secretary-General António Guterres on the Pacific Ocean island of Tuvalu. (17 May 2019)

“Leaders must come to the UN summit in September armed with solutions as well as speeches”, he stressed, referring to the action-focused meeting he is convening in September to mobilize political ambition on climate change and push forward the goals of the Paris Agreement, which encompass greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance. 

On his recent Pacific tour to the frontlines of the global climate emergency, he heard the rallying cry “Save Tuvalu; save the world,” while visiting the tiny island archipelago that is battling sea level rise and coastal erosion as warming temperatures threaten the region.               

“I was there to show solidarity with those suffering the worst impacts of climate change and to draw attention to the innovative climate action underway in the region,” explained the UN chief. 

Sea level rise in some Pacific countries is “four times greater than the global average”, he stated, saying that it poses “an existential threat to several island States”.  

“Oceans are in serious trouble, from coral bleaching to biodiversity loss to plastic pollution”, he warned. “Extreme weather events are on the rise, jeopardizing lives and livelihoods”. 

Mr. Guterres spelled out: “Nowhere have I seen the heartbreaking impacts of climate change more starkly than in Tuvalu, a remote coral atoll nation where the highest point is less than five metres above sea level.”  

He recounted a visit to the home of a family “who live in a state of perpetual anxiety about inundation by the relentlessly rising seas just steps away”. 

The UN chief was “deeply moved by the warmth of the Tuvaluan people and their intense devotion to their land, way of life and cultural heritage”, he said, adding that while these communities have contributed almost nothing to climate change, because of big emitters, “they are now fighting to preserve their country’s very existence”. 

The ‘whole planet’ at stake 

“Make no mistake: it is not just Tuvalu, or small islands, or the Pacific at stake”, underscored the Secretary-General. “It is the whole planet”.  

Lauren Day/World Bank | Building seawalls along the coastline in Tarawa, Kiribati, to to protect against high tides or tsunamis.

What is happening to these countries “is a sign of what is in store for the rest of us”, he warned. “People all over the world are starting to feel the impacts of the climate emergency – and these will only worsen”. 

The UN chief recalled meeting young children who “are already fearful for their future and are relying on my generation to secure it”.  

“As Secretary-General of the UN, I have many battles”, he said. “But as a grandfather, the struggle against climate change is the fight of my life”. 

Noting that “we are not winning”, Mr. Guterres urged that political will must be fund “to take transformative measures”.  

“We must acknowledge the moral authority of the Pacific nations, frontrunners in the race against the climate emergency”, he stated

“And we must find sustainable solutions, invest in renewable energies and increase resilience and adaptation”. 

Achieving ‘essential’ goals 

The clearly laid-out goals of the scientific community to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5C by the end of the century, are “essential”, according to the UN chief. 

Thomas Michael Perry/World Bank | Fishermen on Vanuatu’s Malekula Island launch their outrigger canoe.

As the global community pursues those goals, he restated his message to Governments to “shift taxes from salaries to carbon”, saying “we should tax pollution, not people”. 

He also urged them to “stop subsidizing fossil fuels” because “taxpayers’ money should not be used to boost hurricanes, spread drought and heat waves, and melt glaciers”. 

“Stop building new coal plants by 2020”, he continued. “We need a green economy, not a grey one”. 

He stressed that we have the tools to tackle the climate crisis, to “save lives and property, breathe less polluted air, access cleaner water and protect biodiversity”.  

“Climate action could also yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion, compared to business as usual, through to 2030, making it a cost-effective option” argued the UN chief. 

Turning to his climate action summit, Mr. Guterres flagged that he is asking world leaders to come “not just with speeches” but with “plans to transform energy, mobility, industry and agriculture”, and to implement their commitments to climate financing, “not out of generosity but enlightened self-interest”. 

“Urgent climate action is a choice we can – and must – make”, concluded the Secretary-General. “As the people of Tuvalu know all too well: Saving them will save us all”. 

Mozambique cyclones a ‘wake-up call’ to boost resistance: UN weather agency

A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) fact-finding mission to Mozambique recommended on Wednesday a package of disaster-risk-reduction priorities to strengthen the country’s early warning systems and reduce damage due to weather, climate and water-related hazards. 

“Mozambique needs to build resilience”, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a message to an international pledging conference to secure support for reconstruction, on Saturday. “Although the number of tropical cyclones globally is expected to reduce in the future, the number of most intense tropical cyclones (category 4 and 5), associated with more rainfall, will increase in a warming climate,” he said. 

He asserted that future sea level rise “will exacerbate the impact of storm surge on coastal regions” and raise flooding concerns, “particularly for low-lying cities such as Beira”, which was inundated by the cyclones in March and April. It also draws attention to Mozambique’s vulnerability to floods from both rivers and sea. The fact-finding team said that a $27 million investment is needed to strengthen meteorological and water supply sectors. 

This includes reconstruction, rehabilitation and modernization of infrastructure and equipment, land surveys for flood-risk mapping and satellite rainfall estimation and forecast training. 

The team of meteorologists and hydrologists, headed by WMO’s Filipe Lúcio, will present a report to an international pledging conference for Mozambique, taking place on Friday and Saturday in Beira. 

‘A salutary warning’ 

On 14 March, months-worth of rain fell in a matter of hours around the coastal city as Idai provoked one of the worst disasters to ever hit the southern hemisphere. 

Disaster management practices require: 

  • Effective floodplain management practices, including land use, urban planning. 
  • Updated building codes to withstand intense tropical cyclone winds. 
  • Multi-purpose infrastructure to serve as shelters in cases of tropical cyclones and accommodation during floods. 
  • Consideration of structural measures for protection and management, where appropriate. 

The cyclone and subsequent flooding killed more than 600 people, injured an estimated 1,600, affected more than 1.8 million and caused an estimated $773 million in damages to buildings, infrastructure and agriculture. 

“In times of floods, Mozambicans seek safety on roofs of buildings. But the ferocity of Idai’s winds blew the roofs away”, said Mr. Lucio. “It is a salutary warning about the future scale of the combined challenges from urbanization and climate change-related sea level rise and extreme weather”.  

The fact-finding team’s visit coincided with Cyclone Kenneth, the most intense tropical cyclone ever known to have hit the Cabo Delgado province, on 25 April. 

According to the report, WMO identified major weaknesses on preparedness, emergency coordination and response, including the lack of a back-up communication system for warning and emergency operations and an evacuation plan for cities, particularly in low-lying areas. 

Moreover, because Mozambique is downstream of nine major river basins, it is prone to devastating floods, but water use upstream can also exacerbated low flows during droughts. 

While climate change projections indicate a global decrease in numbers of tropical storms and cyclones, they signal possible increases in intensities and associated rainfall. And, assuming all other factors are equal, WMO predicts that sea-level rise will exacerbate the impact of storm surge on coastal regions. 

Don’t let smoking steal life’s breathtaking moments, urges UN health agency

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day, marked on Friday, 31 May, WHO’s Dr Vinayak Prasad, acting Director, Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, highlighted the damage that tobacco causes to the lungs of smokers and non-smokers alike.

He warned that 3.3 million tobacco-related deaths – more than 40 per cent of the total – come from lung diseases, such as cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and tuberculosis.

“We want to highlight the huge scale of tobacco-related lung diseases,” he told journalists in Geneva. “Out of that 3.3 (million), about half a million people are those who are exposed to second-hand smoke and die from it…Amongst children, less than five years old, 60,000 children die every year from second-hand smoke – these are all low respiratory-tract infections.”

In just a single lungful of tobacco smoke, WHO insists that the hundreds of toxins contained in it “begin damaging the lungs”. This is because when smoke is inhaled, the structures that sweep mucus and dirt out of our airways are paralysed, allowing poisons in tobacco smoke to make their way into the lungs more easily.

The result of this is reduced lung function and breathlessness, owing to swollen airways and a build-up of mucus, WHO says, adding that these initial symptoms “are just part of the damage” that tobacco does to the lungs.

Governments ‘lagging behind’ their commitments

Although the percentage of people using tobacco globally has declined in recent decades – from 27 per cent in 2000, to 20 per cent in 2016 – WHO insists that governments are “lagging behind” their commitments to reduce tobacco use by 30 per cent by 2025.

To counter this, the UN agency is calling for quicker implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which provides practical advice on how to implement tobacco control measures covering all sectors of government.

The Convention highlights the need for greater public awareness strategies, such as creating smoke-free indoor public spaces, workplaces and public transport, along with banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and significantly increasing taxes on tobacco products, which should be sold with graphic health warnings.

In parallel to these activities, WHO’s advice remains that it’s never too late to quit smoking, as lung function improves within two weeks of stopping.

“Quitting tobacco use has the potential to reverse some, but not all, of the damage done by tobacco smoke to the lungs,” WHO says. “Quitting as soon as possible is therefore essential to prevent the onset of chronic lung disease, which is potentially irreversible once it has developed.”

To help people who want to quit, WHO also recommends the implementation of a toll-free ‘quitline’ service which offers behavioural counselling to callers, helping to boost quit rates by as much as four per cent. Mobile phone-based support for people who want to quit has also proved successful, the UN agency maintains.

These include WHO’s “Be He@lthy, Be Mobile” cessation programme – in association with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – which offers personalized support through mobile text messaging.

“These programmes help tobacco users to quit and are efficient and cost-effective,” WHO says, noting that in India, the programme achieved a self-reported 19 per cent quit rate after four to six months, compared with a baseline population quit rate, of five per cent.

The programme has been implemented in Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, India, the Philippines and Tunisia, and can be rolled out elsewhere, WHO says.

‘Ground-breaking innovation’ needed in cities, where battle for sustainable development will be won or lost, says UN agency chief

Opening the high-level session of the first UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme, UN-Habitat, explained that innovation – which she defined as “new knowledge and solutions to improve living conditions for all in cities and communities” – is the central theme of the Assembly because cities, which drive national economies by “creating prosperity, enhancing social development and providing employment,” can also be breeding grounds for poverty, exclusion and environmental degradation.

Therefore, she said, cities “will have to continue to drive innovation in ground-breaking ways,” for the benefit of all, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN’s blueprint for ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring peace and prosperity for all.

UN-HABITAT
Prime Minister Josai Vorege Bainimarama (centre) of Fiji is greeted by UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif (left) and Assembly President Martha Delgado on arrival for the Assembly Strategic Dialogue in Nairobi.

Innovative and smart solutions are part of the reasons that cities and regions grow prosperous, added Ms. Mohd Sharif, asking delegates to consider how to promote smart urban technologies that can handle the major systems a city requires ─ such as water, transport and clean energy ─ to improve the quality of life for all citizens; how countries should create an environment that encourages innovative solutions to poverty; and how best to make use of new knowledge to better serve communities.

UN-Habitat, said Ms. Mohd Sharif, plans to become a centre of excellence and innovation that “sets the global discourse and agenda on sustainable urban development,” which generates “innovative, specialized and cutting-edge knowledge.”

As an example of UN-Habitat’s willingness to engage with the latest innovations in order to engage with the latest threats faced by today’s diverse urban areas, such as climate change and growing inequality, the programme convened the first ever Round Table on Sustainable Floating Cities, at UN Headquarters in New York in April.

Praising the work of UN-Habitat, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that cities can no longer be built the way New York or Nairobi were build: new cities must be “built for people, not cars. And we must build cities knowing that they will be on the frontlines of climate-related risks — from rising sea levels to storms. Floating cities can be part of our new arsenal of tools.”

 

Asia-Pacific ‘regional parliament’ underway to advance equality, empowerment, for more than four billion citizens

According to a study by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), forming the basis for intergovernmental discussions, while the benefits of economic growth and social progress have reached rural areas, persons with disabilities and women in many countries, the divide between the haves and the have-nots, is widening.

“In recent decades, quality of life has improved for most people in the region, yet, growing inequalities present a threat to further advances”, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a video message for Monday’s opening session in Bangkok, Thailand. “The challenge is to ensure that socio-economic progress reaches those left behind,” he added.

Recalling his recent visit to the South Pacific, where he saw the “brutal” impact of the global “climate emergency”, Mr. Guterres called on countries to redouble efforts to combat climate change in Asia and the Pacific. “This is a battle we can and must win,” he underscored.

Informally dubbed the “parliament” of the Asia-Pacific region, ESCAP – the UN’s socio-economic development arm for the area, which is home to more than 4 billion people, or nearly two-thirds of the world population – is a forum for Governments and other stakeholders to discuss key sustainable and inclusive development issues.

Established in 1947, it comprises 53 Member States and 9 associate members, stretching from the Pacific island of Tuvalu in the east, to Turkey in the west, and Russia in the north, to New Zealand in the south.

‘Opportunity’ to reaffirm ‘shared responsibility’

Addressing the opening session, Armida Alisjahbana, the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, urged countries to build on past successes and shape future priorities.

“Since this Commission first met in 1947, our countries have travelled a long journey,” she said, noting that many consider Asia-Pacific region as the “engine” of the world economy.

“We have yet more to offer. We can provide the global leadership to collectively achieve a transformed and resilient society in our region [and] respond to challenges that transcend borders and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

In her policy statement, Ms. Alisjahbana outlined five key areas central to achieving that transformation: strengthening social protection; strengthening resilience to international trade tensions; fighting environmental degradation; improving resilience against disasters; and “unleashing” the potential of new technologies as a “force for good”.

“I am committed to working with all Member States to achieve transformed and resilient societies in our region. The evidence indicates we can be more effective if we empower citizens to support this transformation”, she concluded.

The opening session also heard a special address by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand – a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the empowerment of children through education, as well as an FAO Goodwill Ambassador for zero hunger – in which she highlighted the importance of integrated and people-centred approach to development and that it should endure.

Development work should integrate dimensions and issues including healthcare, education and employment, she said, adding that “development work should not last only a few years but go on as long as possible.”

Mongolian Foreign Minister elected Chair

Also on Monday, the Commission elected Damdin Tsogtbaatar, the Foreign Minister of Mongolia, as Chair of its 75th session.

In a speech following his election, Mr. Tsogtbaatar reiterated the importance of sustainable development, underscoring that the session is an “opportunity to accelerate the pace of implementation, shape policies and integrate the national strategies to reduce gap between rich and poor and threats from climate change.”

The opening day also saw ESCAP Executive Secretary Ms. Alisjahbana sign four Memoranda of Understanding with the regional and global organizations on strengthening cooperation in the areas of disaster resilience, early warning systems, renewable energy, research and evidence-based policy making.

Concluding on Friday, 31 May, the seventy-fifth session of ESCAP also includes the Commission’s high-level general debate on the theme “empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality,” the meeting of the Special Body on Least Developed, Landlocked Developing and Pacific Island Developing Countries, a roundtable discussion with sub-regional organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, and a number of side events hosted by UN Member States and partner organizations.

Wednesday’s Daily Brief: #NoTobacco Day, China’s economy, family farming, #ClimateAction

Don’t let smoking steal life’s breathtaking moments, urges UN health agency

Tobacco use continues to claim around eight million lives a year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, in a call for faster action from governments to tackle smoking and the “enormous” health, social, environmental and economic costs it entails.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day, marked on Friday, 31 May, WHO’s Dr Vinayak Prasad, acting Director, Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, highlighted the damage that tobacco causes to the lungs of smokers and non-smokers alike.

Find our full coverage here.

China’s ‘remarkable’ creative economy marches ahead 

China’s creative economy – which includes books, film, music and video games – is growing faster than other countries, making it the world’s driving force in the field over the past 15 years, says a new UN trade report. 

The study from the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, tracks national performance in the trade of creative goods and services between 2002 and 2015, and shows that China is the biggest single exporter and importer, with trade growing “exponentially” over the period. 

China’s performance is described in the report as “remarkable”, because of its sustained growth over three decades, its dominance of the world market for creative goods and services, and its role in sustaining the regional and global creative economy. 

Speaking to UN News, Amy-Louise Shelver from UNCTAD said the report shows that the view of China as simply “the factory of the world” is now outdated: “I think that’s a one-dimensional view of what’s actually happening in China. Obviously China’s growth over the past 20 to 30 years has certainly been based on its performance as a factory of the world: that’s what it’s used to kickstart its economy. Subsequent to that, there’s been a massive broadening of China’s goods and services offering, and it’s important to see it as a multi-dimensional economy, not simply a manufacturing hub.”

Family farms are ‘drivers of sustainable development’ 

Launching the United Nations Decade of Family Farming in Rome on Wednesday, two UN agencies have lauded family-run farms, which account for over 90 per cent of the sector, as “key drivers of sustainable development,” that play a major role in ending hunger and malnutrition.  

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) also announced a Global Action Plan to upgrade support for family farmers, particularly those in developing countries, with detailed guidance for the international community.  

Although farmers produce most of our food, they are vulnerable to poverty, especially in developing countries, and the plan highlights the need to increase access to social protection for farmers, as well as finance, training and opportunities to generate income. 

Mozambique cyclones a ‘wake-up call’ to boost resistance: UN weather agency

The havoc caused by cyclones Idai and Kenneth across Mozambique is “a wake-up call” for vulnerable countries “to build resistance” against further high-impact tropical storms, coastal flooding and intense rainfall linked to climate change, according to the United Nations weather agency chief.

A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) fact-finding mission to Mozambique recommended on Wednesday a package of disaster-risk-reduction priorities to strengthen the country’s early warning systems and reduce damage due to weather, climate and water-related hazards.

Read our story here.

Floating Cities: the new urban frontier

Climate change and urbanization are combining to create an urgent global need for sustainable cities. In response, the United Nations is exploring how the creation of floating cities can help solve the urban crisis while.

 

Listen to or download our audio News In Brief for 29 May on SoundCloud:

 

In Afghanistan, attacks against schools have tripled in one year

If you are a pupil in Afghanistan, then you were three times more likely to be affected by an attack in 2018 than you were the previous year. Attacks on schools in the country surged from 68 in 2017 to 192 in 2018, according to UNICEF. This is the first time that the number of school attacks has increased, since 2015.

“Education is under fire in Afghanistan,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore in a statement. “The senseless attacks on schools; the killing, injury and abduction of teachers; and the threats against education are destroying the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of children”. 

One of the factors behind the increase was the use of schools as voter registration and polling centres for the parliamentary elections in 2018.

Education is under fire in Afghanistan – UNICEF chief, Henrietta Fore.

According to UNICEF, ongoing conflict and rapidly deteriorating security across the country have led to the closure of more than 1,000 schools as of December 2018. The consequences for over half a million children affected are extremely concerning and represent a denial of their fundamental right to education, and a brighter future. 

An estimated 3.7 million children between the ages of 7 and 17 – nearly half of all school-aged Afghans  – are out of school in the country.

Worsening insecurity, high rates of poverty and persistent discrimination against girls caused the rate of out-of-school children to increase last year for the first time since 2002. Girls account for 60 per cent of children not in the education system. 

UNICEF continues to work with the Government and other partners to provide informal and accelerated community-based education, including the provision of education in community buildings and homes, which is key in reducing the risk of attacks against children making their way to school on a daily basis.

On Monday, the third International Conference on Safe Schools opened in Spain for decision-makers to discuss the implementation of the Safe School Declaration – endorsed by 87 nations – its challenges and lessons learned, at the national, regional, and international levels.

Furthermore, the conference is an occasion to encourage cooperation and stronger gender-responsive practices.

 

DR Congo: Strengthened effort against Ebola is paying off, but insecurity still major constraint – UN health agency

“We are seeing a dramatic increase over the past few months in the number of security incidents in the area of North Kivu, which lies at the epicentre of this ebola outbreak,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, to journalists in Geneva as she recalled the brutal killing of a WHO colleague in mid-April. 

She added that on Saturday, another attack took place during which another health worker was killed. 

Insecurity equals lack of access

So far, in 2019, there have been 174 attacks against health care facilities or workers. That’s a three-fold increase compared to the number of attacks that took place during the previous five-month period (August through December 2018). 

“Insecurity really is what is making the response to this Ebola outbreak so challenging and also so unpredictable,” she insisted, adding. “And this insecurity leads to a lack of access and that is really what is driving the increase in cases. When the response can’t reach people, they don’t get the chance to be vaccinated or to receive life-saving treatments if they do fall ill.”

Currently, the DRC’s worst ever outbreak of the deadly virus has seen 1,920 Ebola cases overall, including 1,281 deaths. Despite the risks, the more than 700 workers deployed by WHO remain in the area working alongside other health teams providing care.

“This Ebola response is one of the most complex health emergencies the world has faced,” said Dr. Moeti, explaining that “the authority of the Government is not strong, and what further complicates the situation is that there are many belligerents and armed groups and parties, and it’s not always clear under whose leadership they are operating”.

A new UN coordinating structure

To strengthen the coordination of the response and “create a much more enabling environment”, this week, the Deputy head of the DRC peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, David Gressly – newly appointed UN Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator – will be arriving in the city of Butembo, at the epicentre of the outbreak. Among several other key objectives, his role will be to help strengthen the DRC Government’s engagement around security, in a bid to reconcile various warring parties in the area. 

In parallel, a scale-up of operations in the region from health and humanitarian organizations is also expected. 

“I’m hopeful that this new structure will bring the much-needed stability, safety and clarity, and enable the response to proceed,” said Dr. Moeti. 

Listen to our interview with David Gressly, the new Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator:

‘Encouraging signs’

To date, more than 500 people have survived thanks to adequate care. In particular, transmissions in medical centres (“nosocomial transmissions”), which represented 35 per cent of all transmissions just a few weeks ago, which are now down to 5 per cent. 

“That number is still too high, we still want to reach for zero,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, chief of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

Enhanced community engagement efforts continue to be put in place with 21 community Ebola committees in place so far, and vaccinations are also ongoing thanks to pop-up centres. Currently, 95 per cent of people offered vaccinations are accepting them and 90 per cent of families are agreeing to “safe and dignified burials”. 

Dr. Ryan also explained that efforts in improving the surveillance and tracing of cases are also showing progress with 1,400 alerts per day on average, a number that was only half of that six weeks ago. The number of samples taken daily for laboratory analysis is also increasing steadily with the proportion of positive cases decreasing.

In another “encouraging sign”, Monday was “the first day in a very long time that we had zero positive cases among community deaths”, said Dr. Ryan, as he gave credit to the “brave frontline workers who risk their lives every day to do this work and to our communities who are very much engaged and participating in the response.”

Watch the full press briefing here: 

 

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