January 2022 — Page 4 of 12 — Human Rights & Charity

Guterres calls on Burkina Faso coup leaders to ‘lay down their arms’

In a statement released by his Spokesperson, António Guterres says he is particularly worried about the whereabouts and safety of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who hasn’t been seen since the crisis began early on Sunday, as well as the worsening security situation that has rocked the capital Ouagadougou.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns any attempt to take over a government by the force of arms”, the statement reads.

According to news agencies, the military announced on Monday it had seized power and overthrown the President.

The announcement was made on state television by an army officer, who cited the deteriorating security situation for the military takeover.

According to news reports, civilians and military elements have voiced growing criticism for months over the Government’s inability to tackle a growing Islamist insurgency that has destabilized much of the country.

Restraint and dialogue

Calling on all actors to exercise restraint and opt for dialogue, Mr. Guterres asked the coup leaders to lay down their arms and to ensure the protection of the President “and of the institutions of Burkina Faso”.

Reiterating the UN’s full commitment to the preservation of the constitutional order, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the Organization’s support to the people of Burkina Faso in their efforts to find solutions to the multifaceted challenges facing the country.

Just last year, in May, a military coup was staged in Mali, and a wave of other coup attempts, and takeovers have occurred across West Africa and the Sahel, including the seizure of power in Chad, Sudan and Guinea.

Earlier in the month, the UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel told the Security Council this resurgence “is often the consequence of political practices that are completely out of step with the aspirations of the populations.”

‘No free ride’ for COVID, it's here ‘for the foreseeable future’: Tedros

Speaking in Geneva, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros noted that on average last week, 100 cases were reported every three seconds, and somebody lost their life to the coronavirus every 12 seconds.

It is still “dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant, or that we are in the endgame” of the pandemic, he said.

“On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge,” Tedros insisted, exactly two years and a day since he declared the deadly virus a public health emergency of international concern.

Emergency phase

Also on Monday, the WHO’s top European official said that although the SARS-CoV-2 crisis was far from over, he was “hopeful” of seeing the end of the “emergency” phase in 2022.

“While Omicron appears to cause much less severe disease than Delta, we are still seeing a rapid rise in hospitalizations, due to the sheer number of infections,” said Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“This is in addition to a Delta burden that has not entirely passed, and also to the high number of incidental admissions. Fortunately, hospitalizations with Omicron result much less frequently in intensive care unit admission. As predicted, most people needing intensive care across the region are unvaccinated.”

Future-proofing

In an appeal to WHO Member States, Tedros said that their top priorities should be to stop future health threats from taking hold and causing such massive disruption to “health systems, economies and societies the world over”.

To do this, all States should promote health and wellbeing, “preventing disease by addressing its root causes”, he said, in a call for a renewed focus on primary healthcare for everyone.

On tackling the coronavirus specifically, Tedros urged better management of acute respiratory diseases, via a “sustained and integrated” international platform, to coordinate preparedness against future pandemics.

Under-reported deaths

Two years into the pandemic, with almost 350 million cases reported and more than 5.5 million deaths – numbers known to be an “underestimate” – Tedros insisted that many other measures needed to be implemented to protect the most vulnerable.

“Learning to live with COVID cannot mean that we give this virus a free ride,” he noted. “It cannot mean that we accept almost 50,000 deaths a week, from a preventable and treatable disease. It cannot mean that we accept an unacceptable burden on our health systems, when every day, exhausted health workers go once again to the front line.”

Repeating his call for all countries to vaccinate 70 per cent of their populations to help bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic, the WHO Director-General said that 86 States across all regions had been unable to reach last year’s target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations.

Vaccine have-nots

More than 30 countries – mostly in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean – have not vaccinated even 10 per cent of their populations and 85 per cent of people in Africa have yet to receive a single dose of vaccine.

While vaccines remain a key part of the COVID-19 exit strategy, Tedros re-emphasised the importance of equitable access to diagnostics, oxygen and antivirals, too.

Much better testing and sequencing of the virus was also needed, the WHO chief explained, “to track the virus closely, and monitor the emergence of new variants”.

On a positive note, Tedros insisted that progress was being made to tackle long-running treatment disparities, thanks to the UN-partnered COVAX initiative, which had delivered its one billionth dose just a week ago, and which had also shipped more vaccines in the past 10 weeks “than in the previous 10 months combined”.

Misinformation threat

Also at WHO headquarters on Monday, top agency officials warned of the ongoing challenges posed to national vaccination campaigns as a direct result of wilful misinformation about COVID-19 jabs and treatment.

“I think we have to acknowledge this is not an issue that is immediately solvable, and I think there is a very high concern that disinformation and the undermining of evidence and data and science, may come out of this having even greater impact on some of the other essential preventive programmes,” said WHO Immunization Director Dr Kate O’Brien.

To tackle false information, WHO encourages community and faith leaders to present an accurate and science-based view of the pandemic and its risks.

The UN health agency also works with large social media platforms to issue warnings over posts that are not factual, based on policies that have been developed to target unfounded rumours.

“This is a huge problem that we’ve been dealing with, not just with vaccines but with vaccines but throughout this entire pandemic,” said Dr Maria van Kerkhove, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead. “Disinformation-misinformation kills and it travels faster than viruses…We really need people to pass good information to each other.”

Unified Libya will come only via ballot box, ‘not the gun’, Security Council hears

In welcoming positive developments across three different tracks of intra-Libyan dialogue, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, also recognized the challenges that must be overcome.

“So many Libyans have told us, the way towards a stable and united Libya is through the ballot box, not the gun”, she said. “We must stand with them”.

Postponed elections

Growing polarization among political actors, and disputes over key aspects of the electoral process, led to the postponement of long anticipated elections on 24 December.

The High National Commission for Elections (HNEC) cited shortcomings in the legal framework along with political and security concerns. To address this, the House of Representatives has established a Roadmap Committee to chart a new political path that defines an elections timetable and process.

New Special Adviser

Last month, Stephanie Williams was appointed Special Adviser on Libya, having served as acting Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission, UNSMIL, last year.

To date, she has undertaken wide-ranging consultations, including with members of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the High National Election Commission, the House of Representatives, and candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Oil-rich Libya has descended into multiple crises since the overthrow of former rule Muammar Gadaffi in 2011, which in recent years saw the country divided between rival administrations – a UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli, and that of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar.

Ms. Williams has reiterated that the focus of the political process now, should remain on holding “free, fair, inclusive and credible national elections” in the shortest possible timeframe.

“In all her meetings, the Special Adviser highlighted the 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote”, said Ms. DiCarlo, adding that she also called on everyone to respect the will of the Libyan people and to adhere to the timeline agreed to in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) roadmap, which was endorsed by the Security Council.

Welcomed developments

The UN political affairs chief said ongoing dialogue among political, security and economic actors from across the country was key.

“We have seen reports of consultations between the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the High State Council, as well as among presidential candidates from western and eastern Libya”, she said.

On the security track, there have been meetings among various armed groups, as well as the Chief of General Staff of the Western Military Forces under the GNU and the acting General Commander of the rival LNA, with the participation of military chiefs and heads of military departments from both sides.

Turning to the economy, further steps have been taken to reunify the Central Bank of Libya.

Moreover, renewed efforts continue to advance national reconciliation based on the principles of transitional justice.

Security situation

While the ceasefire has continued to hold, “political uncertainty in the run up to the elections has negatively impacted the overall security situation”, the political chief informed the Council, including in Tripoli.

It has resulted in shifting alliances among armed groups affiliated with certain presidential candidates, she added.

Similarly, unfulfilled demands made to the GNU by the Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) in western Libya resulted in the shutdown of oil production, causing the National Oil Corporation to declare in December, force majeure – a clause that removes liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes.

Following negotiations between the PFG and the GNU, Oil production was restored on 9 January.

To implement the ceasefire agreement, last month military representatives from opposing sides, called the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC), discussed with Turkish and Russian authorities, an Action Plan to gradually withdrawal mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country.    

At the same time, despite serious logistical and security challenges, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) continued its work to establish a ceasefire monitoring hub in Sirte, pending the GNU’s approval on accommodation and office facilities.

Human rights concerns

“The human rights situation in Libya remains very worrying”, said Ms. DiCarlo, noting “documented incidents of elections-related violence and attacks based on political affiliation”, which she described as obstacles toward a conducive environment for free, fair, peaceful and credible elections.

“We are particularly concerned that women and men working to protect and promote women’s rights continued to be targeted by hate speech, defamation and incitement to violence”, she stated. “Some of the disturbing social media posts that posed a threat to the safety and security of these persons were removed after UNSMIL brought them to the attention of social media platforms”.

Meanwhile, arbitrary detention by State and non-State actors continued across the country, with many detainees subjected to serious rights abuses.

Migration management

The situation of migrants and refugees is also highly concerning.

“Large numbers of migrants and refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea and returned to Libya continue to be detained in inhumane and degrading conditions with restricted humanitarian assistance. Thousands are unaccounted for”, the UN official said.

Ms. DiCarlo pointed out that hundreds of foreign nationals were expelled from Libya’s eastern and southern borders without due process, with some “placed in extremely vulnerable situations across remote stretches of the Sahara Desert without sufficient food, water, safety and medical care”.

“The United Nations remains ready to work with Libyan authorities on a long-term national response to migration and refugee management in line with international law to include addressing human rights concerns”, she assured.

Accountability

To ensure political progress, Elham Saudi, Co-founder and Director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, said that all who commit abuses must be held accountable, including mercenaries.

She noted that without law, revenge would be the only winner.

Ms. Saudi also maintained the importance of an enabling environment for all rights advocates, especially women, and expressed hopes for a human-rights based approach in how Libya is governed, going forward.

Interview: As millions fall behind, how can we bridge the growing education gap?

Mr. Jenkins spoke to Conor Lennon from UN News ahead of this year’s International Day of Education, marked on 24 January. He began by outlining some of the effects the pandemic had on students worldwide.

Robert Jenkins: It’s important to remind ourselves that we still have a crisis in terms of the scale of the school closures and partial school closures. More than 635 million students remain affected by either full or partial school closures at the moment, so in no means are we out of this, in terms of the conversation around the importance of reopening schools.

We are very concerned, as more and more data is emerging, of the disproportionate impact school closures have had, in terms of learning loss, on marginalized children.

Before the pandemic, 53 per cent of 10-year-olds living in low and middle-income countries were not sufficiently or effectively reading, and did not meet the minimum standards of foundational literacy and numeracy. That is estimated to be going up to 70 per cent.

That’s 70 per cent of 10-year-olds being unable to read or understand a simple text, and children living in countries with poor learning outcomes prior to the pandemic have tended to also have had their schools closed for the longest.

The marginalized also had less access to remote learning, because they were either less likely to be living in an area in which remote learning was offered, or didn’t have access to a device, or to radio or television.

UN News: What do you say to parents and teachers concerned that, with children less likely than adults to be vaccinated, schools are a breeding ground for COVID-19?

Robert Jenkins: Closing schools has a profound impact on children. As I mentioned, there’s the learning loss, but also in other ways, in terms of their psychosocial, health, physical and nutritional needs. They no longer have access to midday meals or other support they received at school.

Evidence so far indicates that in-person schooling does not appear to be the main driver of community transmission of COVID-19, and risk mitigation measures in schools have proven to be very effective.

Good initiatives include improving ventilation, encouraging physical separation, social distancing, mask wearing in certain contexts, and hand washing. Risk mitigation measures work, and in many cases are showing that indeed schools are the safest places for children.

What’s critical is engagement. There needs to be effective communication with parents. There needs to be a dialogue, and evidence needs to be shared. Teachers need to receive support so that they can effectively reopen and help children, and practice effective risk mitigation measures within schools

UN News: Many of the issues you mentioned, such as the marginalization of disadvantaged children and inequality, existed before the pandemic, which has exacerbated many of these problems. Some education experts think that this crisis could be an opportunity to transform the education system worldwide for the better. Do you think that that is realistic?

Robert Jenkins: I have seen some encouraging examples of countries introducing innovations, which are being brought into the school system, and Sierra Leone is a great example of that. But there are many other examples of countries adopting blended learning and digital learning approaches, with support for marginalized children while schools were closed.

Unfortunately, these examples of transformation, and at-scale change that was overdue prior to the crisis, are not happening everywhere, and it would be a huge, missed opportunity if schools reopen and we return back to exactly where we were two years ago, but with children now even further behind.

UN News: With all that in mind. What’s your message to governments and Health ministers on this year’s International Education Day?

Robert Jenkins: The importance of prioritizing schools reopening, so that marginalized children can return back onto their learning journey. Let’s use this moment to transform and address long-standing education issues.

Bringing dry land in the Sahel back to life

Those trying to grow crops in the Sahel region are often faced with poor soil, erratic rainfail and long periods of drought. However, the introduction of a state-of-the art heavy digger, the Delfino plough, is proving to be, literally, a breakthrough.

As part of its Action Against Desertification (AAD) programme, the FAO has brought the Delfino to four countries in the Sahel region – Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal – to cut through impacted, bone-dry soil to a depth of more than half a metre.

The Delfino plough is extremely efficient: one hundred farmers digging irrigation ditches by hand can cover a hectare a day, but when the Delfino is hooked to a tractor, it can cover 15 to 20 hectares in a day.

Once an area is ploughed, the seeds of woody and herbaceous native species are then sown directly, and inoculated seedlings planted. These species are very resilient and work well in degraded land, providing vegetation cover and improving the productivity of previously barren lands.

In Burkina Faso and Niger, the target number of hectares for immediate restoration has already been met and extended thanks to the Delfino plough. In Nigeria and Senegal, it is working to scale up the restoration of degraded land.

Farming seen through a half-moon lens

This technology, whilst impressive, is proving to be successful because it is being used in tandem with traditional farming techniques.

“In the end the Delfino is just a plough. A very good and suitable plough, but a plough all the same,” says Moctar Sacande, Coordinator of FAO’s Action Against Desertification programme. “It is when we use it appropriately and in consultation and cooperation that we see such progress.”

The half-moon is a traditional Sahel planting method which creates contours to stop rainwater runoff, improving water infiltration and keeping the soil moist for longer. This creates favourable micro-climate conditions allowing seeds and seedlings to flourish.

The Delfino creates large half-moon catchments ready for planting seeds and seedlings, boosting rainwater harvesting tenfold and making soil more permeable for planting than the traditional – and backbreaking – method of digging by hand.

“The whole community is involved and has benefitted from fodder crops such as hay as high as their knees within just two years”, says Mr. Sacande. “They can feed their livestock and sell the surplus, and move on to gathering products such as edible fruits, natural oils for soaps, wild honey and plants for traditional medicine”.

Women taking the lead

According to Nora Berrahmouni, who was FAO’s Senior Forestry Officer for the African Regional Office when the Delfino was deployed, the plough will also reduce the burden on women.

“The season for the very hard work of hand-digging the half-moon irrigation dams comes when the men of the community have had to move with the animals. So, the work falls on the women,” says Ms. Berrahmouni.

Because the Delfino plough significantly speeds up the ploughing process and reduces the physical labour needed, it gives women extra time to manage their multitude of other tasks.

The project also aims to boost women’s participation in local land restoration on a bigger scale, offering them leadership roles through the village committees that plan the work of restoring land. Under the AAD programme, each site selected for restoration is encouraged to set up a village committee to manage the resources, so as to take ownership right from the beginning.

“Many women are running the local village committees which organise these activities and they are telling us they feel more empowered and respected,” offers Mr. Sacande.

Respecting local knowledge and traditional skills is another key to success. Communities have long understood that half-moon dams are the best way of harvesting rainwater for the long dry season. The mighty Delfino is just making the job more efficient and less physically demanding.

Millions of hectares lost to the desert, forests under threat

And it is urgent that progress is made. Land loss is a driver of many other problems such as hunger, poverty, unemployment, forced migration, conflict and an increased risk of extreme weather events related to climate change.

In Burkina Faso, for example, a third of the landscape is degraded. This means that over nine million hectares of land, once used for agriculture, is no longer viable for farming.

It is projected that degradation will continue to expand at 360 000 hectares per year. If the situation is not reversed, forests are at risk of being cleared to make way for productive agricultural land.

Africa is currently losing four million hectares of forest every year for this reason, yet has more than 700 million hectares of degraded land viable for restoration. By bringing degraded land back to life, farmers do not have to clear additional forest land to turn into cropland for Africa’s rising population and growing food demands.

When Mr. Sacande talks about restoring land in Africa, the passion in his voice is evident. “Restoring degraded land back to productive good health is a huge opportunity for Africa. It brings big social and economic benefits to rural farming communities,” he says. “It’s a bulwark against climate change and it brings technology to enhance traditional knowledge.”

A version of this story first appeared on the FAO website.

From Milan to Glasgow, young Moroccans commit to fighting climate change

Behind all these initiatives, are the young men and women featured in “From Milan to Glasgow: Moroccan Youth Leaders in the Spotlight“, a new campaign launched by the United Nations team in Morocco to empower young people to take climate action and reduce the harmful carbon emissions that are dangerously heating the planet.

For the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, the new campaign is a “bet on the importance of partnering with Moroccan youth invested in climate issues.”

Tipping the balance

One of the activists featured is Manal Bidar, an 18-year-old from the city of Agadir, who believes “it is young people who can tip the balance to the right side in the fight against climate change.”

She first got involved in climate and environment action at 13, when she joined a group of friends from a local club, to clean a beach.

She is now an ambassador for the African Youth Climate Hub, a platform that brings together activists from the continent, and serves as an advisor to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), an international non-profit dedicated to promote climate-resilience around the world.

‘Fight of our lives’

Like Ms. Bidar, Hasnae Bakhchouch, a 22-year-old student from Rabat, is taking action to tackle the impact of climate change.

“With its adverse effects on biodiversity and the health of living beings, climate change jeopardizes societies and can cause conflicts over access to natural resources”, she says.

Ms. Bakhchouch was a National Coordinator of the Moroccan youth delegation to the UN Conference of Youth on Climate, held in September 2021 in Milan, Italy.

She explains that the goal was to draft recommendations for the 26th UN Climate Change conference (COP26), which was held in Glasgow, Scotland, a couple of months later.

The Conference closed with a “compromise” deal, which the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said was simply “not enough”.

At the time, the UN chief encouraged young people and everyone leading the charge, to keep fighting.

“We are in the fight of our lives, and this fight must be won”, he said.

From coffee to bricks

One day, while enjoying a cup of coffee, Hamza Laalej, a 23-year-old Moroccan student from Meknes, asked himself if there was a way to recycle the large amount of coffee grounds that end up in the garbage every day.

Months later, Mr. Laalej managed to turn his idea into a viable green business, where one of the main products is an eco-friendly brick made with a mix of coffee grounds and regular clay.

“Inspired by the Moroccan craft tradition, the production of these bricks relies on [using less] heating, thus helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”, he explains.

Since then, he has teamed up with 23-year-old Moroccan, Nour El Houda Ben Khoudja, to launch a company that specializes in the collection, sorting, and transformation of coffee grounds into building materials and decoration products.

“You don’t have to wait for the perfect time to start [a green business]. It’s the obstacles you encounter along the way that make business creation an inspiring and fruitful adventure”, he says.

Green entrepreneurs

A roundtable organized last November, during the launch of this UN campaign, saw other young people present their green start-up projects.

Oussama Nour and Mohamed Taha El Ouaryachi, for example, introduced WAVEBEAT, a company that aims to produce electricity from ocean waves.

The goal is to provide companies operating in the Moroccan port of Tangier Med, with a renewable alternative to meet their energy needs.

Younes Ouazri presented an ecological and energy-efficient construction method to build homes, including seasonal residences and tourism resorts, using locally sourced materials.

Hicham Zouaoui and Otman Harrak spoke about their carpooling app, that currently allows some 400,000 Moroccans to travel across the Kingdom, helping save on transportation costs and reducing CO2 emissions.

For his part, Seifeddin Laalej heads a start-up that specializes in recycling plastic waste to manufacture building materials, which he sells all over the country.

“It is important that young people believe in their potential and launch their own projects based on their skills and professional networks”, he said.

A key player

According to the UN Resident Coordinator, “thanks to its climate policy for the past years, Morocco has become a key leader on initiatives for climate action.”

Through an ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction programme and strategies for the preservation of natural resources, Morocco intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5 per cent by 2030 and achieve a 52 per cent share of renewable energy in its energy mix in the same year.

The country is currently one of the few nations with a nationally determined contribution (NDC) in line with the global target of 1.5°C.

Urgent action needed to protect Vietnamese workers trafficked to Serbia

Eight companies, including Vietnamese labour recruitment agencies and Chinese construction firms registered in Serbia, have reportedly been implicated in serious human rights abuses, they said, citing information received.

The experts have written to the businesses and are also in contact with authorities in the three countries.

Appalling conditions

“We are deeply concerned that these migrant workers may have been trafficked for purposes of forced labour, and have been living and working in appalling conditions in Serbia, at serious risk to their lives and health,” they said in a statement.

They were also disturbed by allegations that civil society groups wanting to assist the workers have not been allowed access to them.

The experts urged the Governments of Serbia, Viet Nam and China to ensure that businesses based in their territory, or operating under their jurisdiction, respect the human rights of all workers.

“This includes not only the businesses who rely on migrant labour but also labour recruitment agencies,” they said.

Duty to protect

Regulation and monitoring of labour recruitment agencies is also critical to effectively prevent trafficking for the purposes of forced labour, they added.

The experts reminded governments of their duty to protect against business-related human rights abuses.

Countries must also take appropriate steps to ensure victims have access to justice and effective remedies, and to ensure ongoing assistance and protection, including against forced return.

They also highlighted the obligations of businesses to exercise due diligence in ensuring that the rights of all workers are protected, without discrimination, recognising the particular needs and rights of migrant workers.

Independent experts

The eight human rights experts who issued the statement receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, located in Geneva.

They monitor and report on specific issues of global concern, which include trafficking in persons, contemporary forms of slavery, the human rights of migrants, and implementation of UN principles on business and human rights.

The experts operate in their individual capacity and are neither UN staff nor are they paid for their work.

Tigray: Eritrean refugees ‘scared and struggling to eat’ amid aid obstacles

More than 25,000 refugees live in in Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps in Tigray, where UNHCR has urged all parties to the conflict to guarantee safe passage, so that they can be relocated to the neighbouring Amara region.

“After three weeks with no access due to the security situation, UNHCR staff members managed to reach Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps in the Tigray region of Ethiopia earlier this week for the first time, since the recent air strikes in and near the camps,” said Boris Cheshirkov, UNHCR spokesperson. “Our team found refugees scared and struggling to get enough to eat, lacking medicine and with little or no access to clean water.”

No fuel, water, medicines

The work of humanitarians has been hindered by a lack of fuel, preventing clean water from being pumped in or trucked to the camps. This has left refugees with no option but to drink from streams that are rapidly drying up, leaving them vulnerable to water-borne diseases.

“Despite concerted efforts, the complete inability to move supplies into the region means that extreme hunger is an increasing concern,” Mr Cheshirkov told journalists via a virtual briefing in Geneva, adding that more than 20 people had reportedly died in the last six weeks alone, amid deteriorating conditions and in particular a lack of medicine.

‘More refugees will die’

“With food running out in the camp and no additional stocks available for distribution, refugees tell us they have resorted to selling their clothes and few belongings to try to get food,” said Mr. Cheshirkov.

“More refugees will die,” he continued, “if food, medicine, fuel and other supplies cannot be immediately brought in, and if we continue to be unable to relocate refugees out of harm’s way”.

The development is the latest development in the armed conflict in Tigray which began on 3 November 2020 between Ethiopian national forces, Eritrean troops, Amhara forces and other militias on one side, and forces loyal to the Tigrayan People’s Liberation front on the other.

Echoing the UN-wide call for all parties in Ethiopia to protect civilians and to respect everyone’s human rights and fundamental freedoms, the UNHCR Spokeperson insisted that refugees “must not be held hostage” in the conflict.

Millions are desperate

“The desperate situation in these camps is a stark example of the impact of the lack of access and supplies affecting millions of displaced persons and other civilians throughout the region,” he said.

The development comes as UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that food distribution in Tigray is at its “all-time lowest”.

Food stocks and fuel are almost entirely exhausted, meaning that only about 10,000 people received assistance between 6 and 12 January – a drop in the ocean compared to the estimated 9.4 million who require humanitarian food assistance in Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, which is an increase of 2.7 million from four months ago.

UN chief calls for action to put out ‘5-alarm global fire’

“We face a five-alarm global fire that requires the full mobilization of all countries,” he said, referring to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, a morally bankrupt global financial system, the climate crisis, lawlessness in cyberspace, and diminished peace and security.

He stressed that countries “must go into emergency mode”, and now is the time to act as the response will determine global outcomes for decades ahead.

Alarm 1: The COVID-19 battle

Stopping coronavirus spread must be at the top of the agenda everywhere, said Mr. Guterres, calling for countries to “go into emergency mode in the COVID-19 battle.”

At the same time, the virus cannot be used as “cover” to undermine human rights, curtail civil space and freedoms, or impose disproportionate restrictions.

“Our actions must be grounded in science and common sense,” he said. “The science is clear: Vaccines work. Vaccines save lives.”

Yet, vaccine inequity persists despite a global strategy to inoculate 40 per cent of all people by the end of last year, and 70 per cent by the middle of this year.

Prioritize COVAX

Richer nations have vaccination rates seven times higher than those in countries in Africa, meaning the continent will not reach the 70 per cent threshold until August 2024.

Furthermore, although 1.5 billion doses are produced each month, distribution is “scandalously unequal,” he said.

“Instead of the virus spreading like wildfire, we need vaccines to spread like wildfire,” Mr. Guterres stated, urging all countries and manufacturers to prioritize supply to the COVAX solidarity initiative.

He also underscored the need to combat the “plague” of vaccine misinformation, and to improve preparedness for future pandemics, including through strengthening the authority of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Alarm 2: Reform global finance

The pandemic has also highlighted the failure of the global financial system, on which Mr. Guterres was particularly blunt. “Let’s tell it like it is: the global financial system is morally bankrupt. It favours the rich and punishes the poor.”

The system is supposed to ensure stability by supporting economies through financial shocks, such as the pandemic, but he said lopsided investment is leading to lopsided recovery from the crisis.

As a result, poorer countries are experiencing their slowest growth in a generation, while middle-income nations are denied debt relief despite surging poverty levels. Most of the world’s poor are women and girls, who are paying a high price in lost healthcare, education and jobs, the UN chief added.

‘Recipe for instability’

“The divergence between developed and developing countries is becoming systemic – a recipe for instability, crisis and forced migration. These imbalances are not a bug, but a feature of the global financial system,” he said.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Secretary-General has called for reform of the global financial system to better support developing countries.

The measures he has recommended include redirecting Special Drawing Rights – a type of foreign reserve asset – to countries that need help now, a fairer global tax system, and addressing illicit financial flows.

Mr. Guterres will continue to push for reform this year, which he urged countries to support.

Alarm 3: The climate emergency

For the Secretary-General, countries have no choice than to to go into “emergency mode” against the climate crisis.

The world is far off-track on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, as outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

No new coal plants. No expansion in oil and gas exploration.

Global emissions must be reduced by 45 per cent by the end of the decade to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century, which requires “an avalanche of action” in 2022.

Support green transition

All developing and developed countries that are major emitters must do more, and much faster, he said, taking into account common but differentiated responsibilities.

The UN chief appealed for the creation of coalitions that will provide financial and technical support to nations, which include some of the big emitters, that need assistance in transitioning from coal power to renewable energy.

Meanwhile, all governments must strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), their climate action plans under the Paris Agreement, until they collectively deliver the 45 per cent emissions reduction target.

Mr. Guterres was clear: “No new coal plants. No expansion in oil and gas exploration. Now is the time for an unprecedented investment surge in renewable energy infrastructure, tripling to $5 trillion dollars annually by 2030.”

Furthermore, wealthier countries must finally make good on their promise to provide $100 billion in climate finance to developing countries, starting this year.

Action and inspiration

Action on climate adaption is also an urgent priority. At the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow last year, countries committed to double adaptation finance, from $20 billion. The UN chief called this “a good first step”, though still far short.

“Access and eligibility systems must be reviewed to allow developing countries to get the finance they need on time,” he said.

Mr. Guterres acknowledged that climate response requires extraordinary effort, and he pointed to young people as a source for inspiration.

“As with so many other issues, young people are on the frontlines in pushing for progress. Let’s answer their calls with action”, he told ambassadors.

Alarm four: Technology and cyberspace

While technology offers extraordinary possibilities for humanity, Mr. Guterres warned that “growing digital chaos is benefiting the most destructive forces and denying opportunities to ordinary people.”

He spoke of the need to both expand internet access to the nearly three billion people still offline, and to address risks such as data misuse, misinformation and cyber-crime.

“Our personal information is being exploited to control or manipulate us, change our behaviours, violate our human rights, and undermine democratic institutions. Our choices are taken away from us without us even knowing it”, he said.

The UN chief called for strong regulatory frameworks to change the business models of social media companies which “profit from algorithms that prioritize addiction, outrage and anxiety at the cost of public safety”.

He has proposed the establishment of a Global Digital Compact, bringing together governments, the private sector and civil society, to agree on key principles underpinning global digital cooperation.

Another proposal is for a Global Code of Conduct to end the infodemic and the war on science, and promote integrity in public information, including online.

Countries are also encouraged to step up work on banning lethal autonomous weapons, or “killer robots” as headline writers may prefer, and to begin considering new governance frameworks for biotechnology and neurotechnology.

Alarm 5: Peace and security

With the world now facing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945, peace is badly needed.

Here again, countries must act in the face of challenges such as the assault on human rights and rule of law; rising populism, racism and extremism; and escalating humanitarian crises, fuelled by climate change.

Mr. Guterres underlined the UN’s commitment to peace, pledging to spare no effort in mobilizing international action in numerous areas across the globe.

In Afghanistan, for example, the goal is to provide support to the people, inject cash to avoid economic meltdown, ensure full respect of international law and human rights – particularly for women and girls – and fight terrorism effectively.

Security Council unity

Stressing that “this world is too small for so many hotspots”, Mr. Guterres called for a united UN Security Council to address these challenges.

“Geo-political divides must be managed to avoid chaos around the globe. We need to maximize areas for cooperation while establishing robust mechanisms to avoid escalation,” he said.

The UN is also working to ensure women are at the centre of conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding, and that they are involved in decision-making and mediation surrounding peace processes.

Given the sheer number of conflicts across the globe, the Secretary-General called for greater investment in prevention and peacebuilding, underscoring the need for a strong and effective UN.

The Organization has made significant progress on reform in the past few years, he said, urging continued support from Member States, particularly for the annual programme budget.

UN coordinator in Tonga: ‘Resources on the ground are not enough’

“The resources that we have in the ground are not enough”, Sione Hufanga explained, in an interview on Saturday morning local time, with UN News. “We ought to always look at the situation and ask, have we done enough, for this very small country, isolated in the Pacific islands?”

The underwater volcano eruption of a week ago, is believed to be the largest volcanic event to occur for 30 years.

The huge, 20 km high mushroom cloud of smoke and ash, and the tsunami that followed, affected 84,000 people, more than 80 per cent of the population of the South Pacific country.

In the last few days, the Kingdom has started receiving ships with humanitarian aid, and, with the runway now cleared of thick volcanic ash, the international airport is now open to flights with assistance.

Despite the positive signs of recovery, Mr. Hufanga warns that “the people of Tonga are still overwhelmed with the magnitude of the disaster.”

Only three people – so far – have lost their lives, but the specialist believes that number provides a somewhat misleading sense of security.

“Sometimes you can feel that it’s not as bad as it is, based on the fatalities, but that number represents the resilience of the Tongan community in such a disaster”, he said.

Immediate needs

Speaking by cellphone, with most communications with the outside world still suspended, he explained that “most of the focus now is to serve the people who have been severely affected and need help with their essential needs in the next few days.”

The UN is working with the Government to finalize a needs assessment, that should be completed next week and will guide the immediate response and relief efforts.

“Water, sanitation, hygiene, schools, are among the things that will allow life to return to normal as soon as possible, but there is still a lot of ash that needs to be removed from those premises”, Mr. Hufanga informed.

UN agencies are in the field distributing dignity kits to the most affected people, food support, and trying to restart the agricultural sector.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Minister of Health providing medical teams to Ha’apai, one of the most affected islands, and other agencies, like the World Food Programme (WFP), are cooperating to help restore communication services.

Long-term impacts

For the UN specialist, the complete magnitude of the problems is still unknown. He points to damages to the agricultural sector or the marine resources as examples.

Around 60 to 70 per cent of livestock-rearing households have seen their animals perish, grazing land damaged, or water supplies contaminated. And, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the agricultural sector represents over 65 per cent of the country exports.

Fisheries have been significantly affected as well. The Government has advised against fishing amidst the ongoing contamination, or consuming fish.

“These are mid to long-term impacts that are yet to be understood”, Mr. Hufanga said.

Because of this, the specialist believes Tongans might have to rely on imported food for some time, something they have “never experienced before”

“Tonga never expected that such a disaster could put us in this very, very difficult situation”, he says.