January 2022 — Page 3 of 12 — Human Rights & Charity

Tonga tsunami: ‘Kids were screaming as if a war was upon us’

Pauline Vaiangina, her husband, and their four young children, who live in Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, were visiting their grandmother on the tiny remote island, when Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai erupted.

Sudden explosions

“It was a Saturday like any other”, says Pauline. We had just finished eating fish for dinner and I was washing the plates, when the dogs barked non-stop as if trying to warn us of something … they were persistent.”

Suddenly they heard explosions from the volcano that were so loud and so intense that they could be heard and felt over 800 kilometres away in Fiji.

After the second, louder explosion boomed, Pauline noticed an unfamiliar change in the movement of the tide. “It went out and came back in. Each time the tide went out, the beach was left drier and drier, and the sea level rose higher.

‘Run to the mountain!’

That’s when I yelled, ‘Run to the mountain!’ We shouted to all the neighbours to flee to high ground – the waves and the volcano were so loud.”

As Pauline had guessed, a tsunami was about to hit Mango Island. Like the volcano, the effects of the tsunami spread well beyond Tonga, with impacts felt as far away as Peru, and California in the United States.

Pauline’s husband carried all four of their children up the mountain, returning to carry her 80-year-old grandmother as well.

As they sat under a coconut tree, watching ash and rock fall from the sky, and huge waves crash over the island, practically every structure was destroyed, leaving the inhabitants homeless.
Singing hymns.

Sheltered only by small tarpaulins and mats, everyone who followed Pauline and her family up the mountain huddled together through the night and sang hymns as the volcano roared; lightning lit up the sky.

“We didn’t leave the mountain until Monday morning”, recounted Pauline. “We came down to an island that was completely wiped out. We bathed in the sea, looked for any remaining clothes. At this point, we are just grateful to be alive.”

‘Entire population of Tonga impacted’

The Government of Tonga and humanitarian partners reported on Wednesday that the entire population of Tonga (approximately 105,000 people) have been impacted by the ash and the tsunami.
At least 62 people originally from Mango Island were initially evacuated to Nomuka Island and, on 21 January, to Tongatapu. The low fatality numbers are being attributed to a well-functioning early warning system and successful preparedness activities.
At the height of the crisis, some 3,000 people had to seek shelter on higher grounds, either with relatives and friends or in evacuation centres, but the vast majority have been able to return home.
The Government of Tonga and humanitarian partners (the Tongan Red Cross Societies, INGOs, donors and UN agencies) are carrying out initial damage assessments and providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to people in need.
26 UN staff on the ground continue to support the Tongan Government’s recovery efforts in-country, and UN teams across the Pacific region have mobilized immediate relief supplies, including, crucially, access to clean water, access to communication (internet and international phone lines, satellite phones), WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) kits, and shelter.

UN mourns ‘true pioneer’: Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu

In a heartfelt statement released on Tuesday night, António Guterres said Brigadier Edjeani-Afenu “made history in peacekeeping as the first female Deputy Force Commander in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).”

Through a more than four-decade career, she also served in UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and Liberia (UNMIL).

“Brigadier Edjeani-Afenu will be remembered for her distinguished service in these missions, as well as her tireless work to promote inclusiveness and increase the number of women in the peacekeeping operations where she served”, Mr. Guterres said.

The UN chief concluded offering his heartfelt condolences to her family, to the people and the Government of the Republic of Ghana.

Remembrance

In a post on the website Medium, UN Peacekeeping said Ms.Edjeani-Afenu’slegacy “lives on and the impact of her work and achievements as a pioneer for women in peacekeeping, will continue to inspire many.”

For UN Peacekeeping, Brigadier Edjeani-Afenu was a true trailblazer.

As a woman who shattered many glass ceilings within her national military and four different UN missions, she worked successfully to promote gender inclusiveness and increase the number of women serving.

“Having first-hand experience as a Military Observer with MONUSCO (2003–2004), Constance focused relentlessly on improving the conditions of service of MINURSO’s Military Observer personnel, a legacy that she leaves behind”, said the department.

Distinguished career

Brigadier General Edjeani-Afenu rose through the ranks of her national military to become the first female Commanding Officer in the Ghanaian Armed Forces, in 1999.

In 2013, she became the first woman to be appointed Deputy Military Adviser (DMILAD) at the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations in New York.

While on the post, she was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, becoming the first female to ever be promoted as a General in her country’s Armed Forces.

In 2019, she became the first female Deputy Force Commander to serve with MINURSO, where she served with honour and distinction until her passing.

The Brigadier General is remembered by her MINURSO colleagues as a “true inspiration” with a remarkable smile and infectious laugh.

According to them, she always made time to chat, share a laugh, encourage colleagues and share advice, and she never passed up an opportunity to dance.

She inspired and mentored generations of soldiers and officers, and will be dearly missed, they say.

Condolences

Condolences from around the world have affirmedBrigadier Edjeani-Afenu’sprofound impact.

The First Lady of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, highlighted “a life of resilience and breaking barriers, a shining example of what women can do.”

The United Nations in the country said her service to Ghana and the world was “profound” and that “we have lost a treasure.”

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said he was deeply saddened by the news of her passing, calling her a pioneer whose “legacy will continue to inspire many women and men.”

The Brigadier General is survived by her husband, three children, and two grandchildren.

January will ‘almost certainly’ shatter records for civilian casualties in Yemen

In a joint statement, Hans Grundberg and David Gressley said they were alarmed by the situation and confirmed that January will “almost certainly” be a record-shattering month for civilian casualties in Yemen.

Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressley also reiterate the UN Secretary-General’s condemnation of air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition on 21 January against a prison facility in Sa’dah, where migrants were also held.

The airstrikes reportedly killed 91 detainees and injured 226, becoming the worst civilian-casualty incident in Yemen in three years.

Escalation

The Saudi-led coalition, supporting the internationally recognized Government, has been fighting Houthi militants who control much of the country, including the capital Sana’a, since 2015.

Over the past few weeks, air strikes and missile attacks have hit hospitals, telecommunication infrastructure, airports, a water facility and a school.

There has been an uptick in Houthi attacks against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia that resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Humanitarian crisis

According to the Special Envoy and the Coordinator, the scale of the escalation is exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis, complicating efforts to provide relief, threatening regional security and undermining efforts to bring an end to the conflict.

In December, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that it is running out of funds to continue to provide food assistance to 13 million people in the country.

Since the beginning of January,eight million Yemenis have been receiving reduced assistance.

“We remind the parties that being at war does not absolve them of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits disproportionate attacks and requires that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid civilian harm”, the officials say.

Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressley also reiterate the importance of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.

Negotiations

According to the two top officials, the UN has been in contact with all sides to explore options to achieve de-escalation. It has also begun an inclusive dialogue to reach a political settlement that ends the conflict.

“We urge all parties to engage with these efforts immediately and without preconditions”, Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressleyconclude, asking everyone to prioritize the needs and interests of the Yemeni people.

Madagascar: Deadly tropical storms cause flooding, landslides

Over the last week intense rainfall has pummelled the African island country in the Indian Ocean, sparking multiple crises across the country’s central Analamanga Region.

“The Government, municipal authorities in Antananarivo and humanitarians are mobilizing assistance to people impacted by flooding in the capital”, OCHA tweeted, saying that “providing access to water, food and other vital items in displacement sites is the top priority”.

The rains were initially driven by an Intertropical Convergence Zone, around the equator, around 17 January and increased when a Tropical Depression, or cyclone, made landfall in the east of the country some three days later, exiting the other side of the island the following day.

Houses collapsed

Twenty-four lives were lost over the weekend, mostly in the capital where traditional houses collapsed, and others were swept away by landslides.

According to authorities, over 62,000 people have been affected in seven regions, including more than 58,000 in the Analamanga Region and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Meanwhile over 6,800 houses are under water and many others are at risk of flooding or collapsing.

Over 35,260 people have been forced to take shelter in 62 displacement sites established by the authorities, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management.

Rippling effects

OCHA said that nearly 27,000 people were displaced or evacuated last weekend alone, and that the Government continues to carry out preventive evacuations in Antananarivo, which is on red alert for further flooding.

As river waters are increasing to emergency levels, the red alert has prompted the Ministry of Education to extend the suspension of classes, which was previously announced on 20 January, for 48 hours in Analamanga Region, until at least Friday.

The rains have also damaged roads and other infrastructure in that Region, including the water intake structure of the treatment station in Ambohidratrimosome District.

Some parts of the national road connecting the capital to Ambatondrazaka in the country’s east were also destroyed, impacting transport in and out of Antananarivo.

Looming famine

Meanwhile, one million people in the south are facing severe hunger.

The World Food Programme (WFP) recently warned that the situation in southern Madagascar could become the first-ever famine caused by climate change.

“The world cannot look away. People in Madagascar need our support now, and into the future,” said Issa Sanogo, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, noting the critical need to scale up a humanitarian response as the country is in its lean season, which runs until April.

Persisting rainfall

Across Madagascar, heavy rainfall is expected to continue and could affect many regions in the days ahead, including Alaotra, Betsiboka, Mangoro, and Sofia, according to Meteo Madagascar and other weather services.

The Tropical Depression that left the country on 23 January has evolved into the Moderate Tropical Storm Ana and is still causing rains in Madagascar.

“Tropical Storm Ana made landfall yesterday in Nampula Province, northern Mozambique, bringing heavy rains and strong winds”, OCHA tweeted, warning that it could “affect thousands of people in the northern and central regions of the country in the coming hours and days”.

Meanwhile, Meteo Madagascar and the Red Cross Piroi Centre are monitoring other tropical weather systems currently in the southwest of the Indian Ocean, which could lead to the formation of tropical storms or even cyclones in the coming days.

Pledge to ‘never forget’ the Holocaust, Guterres tells synagogue ceremony

His appeal came in a video message to a ceremony at the Park East Synagogue in New York to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The annual service honours the memories of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and was again held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Survivor numbers dwindling

“Seventy-seven years ago, liberation ended the Holocaust. But it was just the beginning of our efforts to make sure such crimes can never happen again,” said Mr. Guterres.

“As fewer and fewer can bear direct witness, let us together pledge to always remember and make sure others never forget.”

Mr. Guterres reflected on the immense loss of the Holocaust. The Nazi regime wiped out entire communities, destroying the “magnificent mosaic” of Jewish life in Europe.

Rabbi Arthur Schneier of Park East Synagogue, who was born in Vienna, survived the Holocaust but some of his family members were killed at Auschwitz.

“Having survived, I pledged I would devote my life to help eradicate antisemitism and any form of hatred to make sure that no other people would have to suffer the atrocities perpetrated on the Jewish people,” he said.

Antisemitism resurfacing

The UN chief described antisemitism and other religious bigotry as registering like a seismograph, because the more they rattle and destabilize the world, the greater the cracks to the foundation of our common humanity.

Today, the cracks are impossible to ignore.

“Antisemitism – the oldest form of hate and prejudice – is resurgent yet again. Almost every day brings new reports of verbal assaults and physical attacks; of cemeteries desecrated and synagogues vandalized,” said Mr. Guterres.

The UN chief recalled that just last week, in the United States, a gunman held a Rabbi and his congregation hostage at their synagogue in Texas.

He also listed examples of other infractions against Jews across the world, such as Jewish schools requiring around-the-clock police presence outside their doors.

Holocaust denial growing

Many other contemporary manifestations of antisemitism continue to surface.

“We sense it in the startling regularity with which conspiracy theories devolve into heinous antisemitic tropes,” said Mr. Guterres.

“We see it in the reprehensible way in which protestors against life-saving vaccines demonstrate wearing the Yellow Star. And we recognize it in the deeply disturbing attempts to deny, distort or minimize the Holocaust – which are finding fertile ground on the internet amidst growing ignorance and disdain.”

The Secretary-General has welcomed recent action by the UN General Assembly and others to clearly define and actively combat Holocaust denial.

However, he was alarmed that barely half of adults worldwide had even heard of the Holocaust, while lack of knowledge among younger generations is even worse.

Education is key

“Our response to ignorance must be education. Governments everywhere have a responsibility to teach about the horrors of the Holocaust,” he stated.

The Secretary-General said the UN has been at the forefront of this crucial work, including through its Holocaust Outreach Programme.

“We know that when young people learn about the Holocaust, they can better understand the fragility of shared values and democratic institutions – particularly in times of social and economic upheaval,” he said.

Through education, young people can “learn to detect eerie echoes of the past in the prejudice, xenophobia and anti-refugee rhetoric of our own time”.

They can also recognize how easily hate speech can turn into hate crime, and understand the potential dark consequences if it is left unaddressed.

Repair our world

“They may ask why the victims’ desperate pleas for help were met with deafening silence – why so few spoke out and fewer still stood up in solidarity. And in asking these questions, they can understand how such silence in the face of hate is complicity,” he said.

“They can understand that the mass murder did not occur in a vacuum, but that it was the culmination of millennia of hatred and discrimination.”

Recalling that no society is immune to intolerance or irrationality, the Secretary-General stressed that understanding the past is crucial to safeguarding the future.

“Let us stand firm against hate and bigotry anywhere and everywhere,” he said. “Let us do the work of ‘tikkun olam’ – to do what we can to repair our world. And let us stand together for human rights and dignity for all.”

A clear message

Distorted Holocaust analogies can only be countered through education, Rabbi Schneier said in his remarks, stressing that children must be taught not just to tolerate others but to respect, accept, and love them.

He commended the UN’s Holocaust educational programmes which have helped to heighten worldwide awareness of the tragedy.

Rabbi Schneier said last week’s General Assembly resolution on Holocaust denial is “a clear message by the international community to those revisionists of history who seek to distort in order to propagate antisemitism.”

The resolution, an initiative by Israel, was introduced by the country’s ambassador with cooperation and support of the United States, Germany and many other nations, he said.

‘Be a blessing’

Rabbi Schneier remarked that while we cannot change the past, we must learn from it and remain alert, particularly in challenging times.

“In a world of turmoil, conflict, and confusion, may each one of us make a commitment on this 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a solid commitment that we will follow the mission statement of Patriarch Abraham, spiritual anchor for Jews, Christians, Muslims ‘to be a blessing’,” he said.

“May each one of us be a blessing to family, to country and to a united, hopefully, united humanity.”

Rising caseloads, disrupted recovery, higher inflation: New IMF forecast

The institution now expects the global economy to expand from a 5.9 per cent increase in 2021 to 4.4 per cent this year. The number is half a percentage point lower than predicted in October, reflecting several changes.

As the new Omicron COVID-19 variant spreads, many countries have reimposed restrictions on movement, slowing the economic rebound.

Rising energy prices and supply disruptions have also resulted in higher and more broad-based inflation than anticipated, notably in the United States and many emerging market and developing economies.

USA and China

The revision is largely a result of forecast markdowns in the two largest economies, the United States and China.

For the US, the institution is removing the Build Back Better fiscal policy package from their calculations, after the legislation stalled in Congress. It is also accounting for the end of stimulus, and continued supply shortages.

Because of all these factors, the economy should grow 4 per cent this year, less 1.2 percentage-points than initially forecasted.

In China, the ongoing retrenchment in the real estate sector, slower-than-expected recovery of private consumption, and pandemic-induced disruptions related to the zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy, have induced a 0.8 percentage-point downgrade.

Inflation and 2023

For 2023, IMF is expecting global growth to slow down to 3.8 per cent.

The number is 0.2 percentage points higher than estimated before, reflecting an expected pickup, after current drags on growth dissipate in the second half of 2022.

The forecast assumes that adverse health outcomes will decline to low levels in most countries by the end of the year, assuming vaccination rates improve worldwide, and therapies become more effective.

On the other hand, high inflation is expected to persist for longer than envisioned, with ongoing supply chain disruptions and high energy prices continuing throughout the year.

The indicator should gradually decrease as supply-demand imbalances get corrected along the year and monetary policy in major economies responds.

Risks

In its update, the IMF warns that new variants could prolong the pandemic and induce renewed economic disruptions.

On top of that, supply chain disruptions, energy price volatility, and localized wage pressures mean there is a lot of uncertainty around inflation and policy paths.

As advanced economies lift policy rates, risks to financial stability and emerging market and developing economies’ capital flows, currencies, and fiscal positions may emerge, especially with the significant increases in debt levels in the past two year.

Other risks are geopolitical tensions and the ongoing climate emergency, which means that the probability of major natural disasters remains elevated.

Cooperation is key for growth

With the pandemic continuing to maintain its grip, the IMF believes the need for an effective global health strategy is more evident than ever.

Worldwide access to vaccines, tests, and treatments is essential to reduce the risk of further variants. This requires increased production of supplies, better in-country delivery systems, and fairer international distribution.

The Fund believes monetary policy in many countries will need to continue tightening to curb inflation pressures, but fiscal policy will also need to prioritize health and social spending.

In this context, IMF argues that international cooperation will be essential to preserve access to liquidity, and boost orderly national debt restructuring, where needed.

Syria: 700 child detainees held in prison under siege

The attempted jailbreak began last Thursday with two coordinated car bomb attacks to free suspected ISIL members – sparking violence between ISIL fighters and Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) which control the prison, including in residential areas of Al-Hasekeh.

“We are particularly disturbed by reports that a significant number of boys, possibly several hundred, are held there and are extremely concerned for their safety and well-being”, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.

“The detention of children should, as ever, be a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time”.

Curfew declared

The Ghweiran prison is one of the largest detention centres in northeast Syria, housing an estimated 5,000 male detainees, many in prolonged pre-trial detention or internment and includes numerous suspected ISIL fighters from Iraq and Syria.

While the SDF subsequently said that it had recaptured a number of the escapees, many are reportedly hiding in Al-Hasakeh city, according to Ms. Shamdasani.

Reports from the prison say that close to 300 mostly detainees have been killed during fighting in and around the prison, run by the Western coalition-backed Kurdish forces.

“The SDF has declared a curfew in all areas under its control in the city and has, with air support from international forces, surrounded the prison”, she said.

Hostage situation

However, detainees, many of whom are suspected to be ISIL members, are reportedly in control of the prison’s main building and have taken some prison staff hostage.

Moreover, fearing further ISIL attacks, thousands of people have fled the area.

“We remind all parties to the conflict, as well as governments with influence over the parties, that international law requires them to do their utmost to protect civilians, including in the planning and execution of military and security operations”, said the OHCHR official.

Squalid prisons

These latest developments highlight the desperate situation of thousands of detainees, including suspected ISIL members, across Syria.

“We have previously warned about the squalid and insecure state of detention facilities run by the SDF, where detainees are held in overcrowded conditions, do not have access to proper medical care, and cannot see their families”, reminded Ms. Shamdasani.

She recalled several riots, instigated by ISIL-linked detainees and attacks on detention facilities by ISIL sleeper cells, as appears to have been the case in Thursday’s attack on Ghweiran prison.

“We remain deeply concerned by the situation of thousands of Syrians, Iraqis and ‘third country nationals’ with presumed family links to ISIL members, who are confined in overcrowded displacement camps such as Al-Hol and Al-Roj in northeastern Syria”, the OHCHR spokesperson stated.

‘Chaos and carnage’

An independent human rights expert on Tuesday also zeroed in on the welfare of close to 700 children being held at the prison, noting that boys as young as 12 are living “amid the chaos and carnage in the jail”.

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, called on States to urgently repatriate all their young nationals being detained in Syria who have been “tragically being neglected by the own countries through no fault of their own except they were born to individuals allegedly linked or associated with designated terrorist groups”.

Their failure to repatriate these children…beggars belief – UN rights expert

The UN expert upheld that the treatment of hundreds of boys who have been detained in “grotesque prison conditions is an affront to the dignity of the child and the right of every child to be treated with dignity”, adding that “their lives in the prison have always been at risk”.

“The abject refusal of States to repatriate their children is a contributory factor in the security and human rights morass that has ignited in Al-Hasakeh in recent days”, said Ms. Ni Aoláin, who last year identified 57 States with nationals held in Syria’s camps.

“Their failure to repatriate these children, who should rightly be considered victims of terrorism and as children in need of protection under international law, beggars belief”.

‘Horrific consequences’

The UN expert explained that many of the boys, who were forcibly separated from their family member in recent years, have been denied their most fundamental human rights their entire lives.

“They have been held arbitrarily and never participated in any legal process that would justify depriving them of their liberty, and in conditions that constitute torture, cruel and degrading treatment under international law”, she continued.

“Treating boys as a distinct class, refusing to recognize in practice their rights as children is a form of gender discrimination that has had horrific consequences for these children now caught up in the violent confrontation at Al-Hasakeh prison”.

Ms. Ni Aoláin called on all States and others operating in northeast Syria to protect civilians, and children being held in the prison.

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.

Senior humanitarian describes 'horror scenes' in Syria camps

Speaking by videoconference to journalists in New York, Mark Cutts said humanitarians had seen “some real horror scenes” in the last few days, especially in the northwest, where he said the camps were “bad at the best of times”.

“Our humanitarian workers have been pulling people out from under collapsed tents”, he added.

Mr. Cutts described a scenario where many people do not have shovels or other equipment to clear the snow, so they have been doing it with their bare hands, while children walk in the snow wearing just sandals.

“It’s really particularly difficult for the elderly people and people with disabilities, who are living in these torn and ripped and flimsy tents in thesesub-zero temperatures”, the coordinator said.

Vulnerable populations

According to him, about 100,000 people have been affected by the heavy snow and about 150,000 have been battling the rain and freezing temperatures.

“That’s a quarter of a million people who are really suffering now the effects of this cold spell that is going across the entire region”, Mr. Cutts said.

The area is home to 2.8 million displaced people, who are amongst some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.

“These are people who been through a lot in the last few years. They have fled from one place to another, the bombs have followed them, and many of the hospitals and schoolsin the northwest have been destroyed during the ten years of war”, he said.

In the last few days, humanitarian workers have been doing their best to clear the roads, deploy mobile clinics, repair or replace damaged tents and provide urgently needed items, such as food, blankets and winter clothing.

Mr. Cutts concluded issuing an appeal to the international community, asking it to recognize the scale of the crisis and to quickly get the displaced out of tentsand into safer and more dignified temporary shelter.

Escalation in fighting over prison break attempt

Following an attack on Sina’a prison in the Syrian city of Al-Hasakeh, last week, hostilities have escalated quickly in the region, with gunfire and explosions causing civilian casualties and pushing about 45,000 people out of their homes.

In a statement release on Monday, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, MuhannadHadi, expressed deep concern about the safety of civilians.

The attack was reportedly launched by ISIL extremist fighters who are trying to free more than 3,000 detainees affiliated with the terrorist group. They are being held by US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Most of the displaced have sought safety with family and friends in nearby areas. About 500 people are being hosted at two temporary shelters.

Humanitarian organizations are scaling their responses, but the two UN officials noted that “unhindered humanitarian access by all concerned parties is paramount to ensure emergency assistance reaches affected people.”

Mr. Riza and Mr. Hadi also reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations, including avoiding the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

Human rights

In Geneva, the Human Rights Council initiated its Universal Periodic Review of Syria.

Speaking to the Council, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bashar Ja’afari, said that, even though the country had experienced war, occupation, sanctions and COVID-19, it had managed to reform its human rights bureaucracy and judiciary and continued to subsidize health and social services.

Member States commended these efforts, highlighting a conference on women and peace that took place last year, and the participation in the review process.

States recommended that the country ends enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture, publish official lists of people held or who have died in detention centers, and preserve mass graves.

They are also calling on Syria to amend legislation that identifies the political opposition as terrorists, rehabilitate child soldiers, strengthen protection of asylum seekers and refugees.

The review also calls for the abolition of laws limiting ownership of property, strengthened access to drinking water and clean sanitation, abolition of the death penalty and allowing unhindered access to humanitarian aid.

‘Global learning crisis’ continues says Guterres; millions still hit

“Unless we take action, the share of children leaving school in developing countries who are unable to read could increase from 53 to 70 per cent”, António Guterres warned in a video message marking the International Day of Education, on Monday.

The UN chief remembered the “chaos” that COVID-19 caused in education worldwide, noting that, at the pandemic’s peak, some 1.6 billion school and college students had their studies interrupted.

Despite the improvement, he believes the crisis is “not over yet”, and the turmoil goes beyond questions of access and inequality.

World changing

The theme for the day this year, is “Changing course, transforming education”.

For Mr. Guterres, the world is “changing at a dizzying pace, with technological innovation, unprecedented changes in the world of work, the onset of the climate emergency, and a widespread loss of trust between people and institutions.”

In this scenario, he believes conventional education systems are “struggling” to deliver the knowledge, skills and values needed to create a greener, better and safer future for all.

Because of these challenges, he is convening a Summit on Transforming Education in September.

“The time has come to reignite our collective commitment to education”, he said.

For him, that means “putting education at the heart of broader recovery efforts, aimed at transforming economies and societies and accelerating progress on sustainable development.”

It also means financial solidarity with developing countries and understanding how national education systems can be reformed, between now and 2030.

Mr. Guterres noted the Summit will be the first time that world leaders, young people and all education stakeholders come together to consider these fundamental questions.

Lost earnings

In a message, the President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, also stressed the need to reflect on the impact of two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlighting the challenges created for the empowerment of children and youth, Mr. Shahid mentioned a UN joint publication showing that students worldwide could lose a total of $17 trillion in lifetime earnings as a result of these constraints.

For him, this number is a call to close the digital divide, to empower girls and boys, in particular those in rural and isolated areas, and to strengthen support for persons living with disabilities, as well as other vulnerable groups.

“In a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity, knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined”, he argued.

Mr. Shahid also believes the world needs “an education system that could leverage humanity’s collective intelligence.”

“A system that advances, rather than subverts, our aspirations for inclusive education based on the principles of justice, equity and respect for human rights”, he concluded.

Lessons learned

According to new data released by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday, schools are currently open in 135 countries, and in 25 nations, it has been temporarily suspended by extending the end-of-year break.

Only a dozen countries have opted to close schools and pivot to fully remote rather than in-person learning since the outbreak of the Omicron variant.

This is in stark contrast with the same period last year when most schools were closed, and learning was fully remote in 40 countries.

For the UN agency, this shows that a large majority of countries are using lessons from the past two years to keep classrooms accessible, with reinforced health and safety protocols.

“Education continues to be deeply disrupted by the pandemic, but all countries are now keenly aware of the dramatic costs of keeping schools closed as UNESCO said for the past two years”, said the agency’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay.

Changes

A dozen countries surveyed – including Brazil, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Palestine and Ukraine – now use traffic light monitoring systems that trigger different measures according to levels of infection: mask wearing, hand washing, ventilation, but also indoor and outdoor distancing, and class closures on a case-by-case basis to avoid impacting all students.

Other countries, including Canada, France, United Kingdom and Italy, are also using mass rapid test-to-stay policies.

Once again, UNESCO called for more efforts to vaccinate educators, noting teachers were not included in any priority group in up to a third of countries.

Students underperforming

For the UNESCO chief, more action is needed to bring back to school all the children who have moved away from it and to recover learning losses.

“Without remedial action and focus on the most vulnerable students, the COVID-19 pandemic will carry dramatic long-term consequences”, Ms. Azoulay warned.

In fact, more than 50 per cent of teachers state that students had not progressed to the levels expected, according to a large-scale survey conducted by UNESCO and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.

In the study, conducted in 11 countries, most teachers agreed that it was difficult to provide necessary support for vulnerable students. And over 50 per cent of students said they were anxious about the changes taking place.

UN chief calls for Olympic Truce to build ‘culture of peace’ through sport

Amidst spreading conflict and rising tensions, he reminded that the appeal calls on all parties to observe a ceasefire throughout the course of the upcoming winter games.

‘A date with history’

In the spirit of “mutual understanding, hard work and fair play”, the top UN official noted that athletes competing from around the world “have a date with history”.

“In a few days, our human family will come together in Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games”, the UN chief said in his message encouraging everyone to strive for the Olympic ideal.

“This spirit inspires us all”, he said.

Beyond sports

Mr. Guterres said that the Olympic Truce represents “a chance to overcome differences and find paths towards lasting peace”.

As the world strives to end the COVID-19 pandemic, he urged everyone to “unite for a safer, more prosperous and sustainable future for all”.

During a recent press conference, he lauded the game Games as being “an extremely important manifestation in today’s world of the possibility of unity”, mutual respect, and cooperation between different cultures, religions and ethnicities.

“I think the Olympic ideal is something that we have to cherish, and that is the reason why I am going…and it has nothing to do with my opinions about the different policies that take place in the People’s Republic of China”, said the UN chief.

Above political dispute

The Olympic Truce has a 3,000-year-old history, dating from when the Ancient Greeks established the sacred truce of Ekecheiria to allow the participation in the Olympic Games of all athletes and spectators from the Greek city states, which were otherwise almost constantly engaged in conflict with one other.

General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid appealed to all Member States to demonstrate their commitment to the Olympic Truce and to undertake “concrete actions at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace and harmony”.

“I also call upon all warring parties of current armed conflicts around the world to boldly agree to true mutual ceasefires for the duration of the Olympic Truce, thus providing an opportunity to settle disputes peacefully”, he added.

Remaining neutral

UN resolution 76/13, entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”, was co-sponsored by 173 UN Member States and adopted by consensus.

It called for the observance of a truce during the 2022 Beijing games, beginning seven days before the start of the Olympic games, on 4 February, until seven days after the end of the Paralympics.

It also encouraged all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in using sport as “a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.

IOC President Thomas Bach described the resolution as “a great recognition” of the Games’ mission “to unite the best athletes of the world in peaceful competition and standing above any political dispute”.

“This is only possible if the Olympic Games are politically neutral and do not become a tool to achieve political goals”, he spelled out.