May 2022 — Page 4 of 15 — Human Rights & Charity

Middle East and North Africa: addressing highest rates of youth unemployment in the world

The joint-release by the UN labour agency, ILO, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was issued ahead of a two-day meeting in Amman, Jordan, aiming to address the youth transition from learning, to work, a key priority for adolescents and young people across the vast predominantly Arabic-speaking region.

Exchange good practices

The high-level regional meeting on Young People’s Learning, Skilling, Inclusion and Work, runs for two days, bringing together government officials from key sectors, the private sector, and the UN, in dialogue with young people themselves to enable an exchange of good practices.

“Current education systems and curricula do not match the evolving labour market and the changing nature of work. They do not provide young people with enough skills, critical to success in today’s economy”, the statement said.

Skills such as communication, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and cooperation, are lacking in the skillsets of many young people.

According to the agencies, “healthy, skilled educated adolescents and youth can drive positive change towards a world fit for them that promotes and protects their rights”.

Inequalities and vulnerable contexts

Young people continue to face a host of challenges in the region – especially those living in poverty or in rural areas; refugees, displaced, migrants, girls and young women; and people with disabilities; who are more likely to be out of school and left behind.

According to UN data, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the region already had more than 14 million children out of school and one of the lowest rates of return to education in the world. Furthermore, the pandemic has deepened the education crisis and widened existing inequalities.

Unemployment stunts potential

Youth unemployment in those countries is almost twice as high as the world average, and has grown 2.5 times faster than world average between 2010 and 2021.

These numbers represent a significant drain on the economic potential of the region. To reduce the overall unemployment rate to 5 per cent and to be able to absorb the large number of young people entering the workforce and stabilize youth unemployment, the region needs to create more than 33.3 million new jobs by 2030.

Worldwide, the recovery of the global jobs market is also going into reverse, ILO, said on Monday, blaming COVID and “other multiple crises” that have increased inequalities within and between countries.

According to its latest update on the world of work, there are 112 million fewer full-time jobs today than there were before the pandemic.

Expected outcomes

The regional meeting aims to address the means of strengthening links between learning and the labour market.

These include enhancing education systems – including skilling and technical and vocational education and training – strengthening links between learning and the labour market; enhancing policies, and exploring opportunities with the private sector to create jobs and support youth entrepreneurship.

“Young people need life skills education to help them explore and nurture positive values regarding their health, rights, families, relationships, gender roles and equality, and empower them to shape their lives and make informed decisions about their reproductive life”, the agencies highlighted.

The event will provide recommendations from the Arab States / Middle East and North Africa Region to the upcoming UN Secretary General’s Global Summit on Transforming Education in September 2022.

‘We Have to Make Peace with Nature’: UN Deputy Chief meets inspiring young climate leaders in Indonesia

She was in the Indonesian capital ahead of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, taking place this week on the island of Bali.

But before discussing disaster risk reduction strategies with policymakers, humanitarians, and members of the private sector there, she heard from 15 youth leaders from across Indonesia, about the struggles they have faced, implementing climate-related projects in their own communities.

After listening to presentations on projects that ranged from founding digital food banks, to charting air pollution – and launching education courses on sustainable farming – the Deputy Secretary-General said she wanted to relay “the energy, the anger, the frustration, the optimism, and the hope,” of youth in Indonesia, during her meetings with delegates in Bali in the days ahead.

Tectonic plates

Bali is appropriate venue to host the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction. Situation along the volatile Pacific Rim of Fire – where tectonic plates meet along a volcanic fault line – Indonesia recorded 3,034 natural disasters in 2021, according to the national disaster risk agency, which impacted 8.3 million people and caused at least 662 deaths.

Those figures will skyrocket if the world continues on its current trajectory of accelerated global warming towards 3.2 degrees above pre-industrial levels – more than double the 1.5 degrees limit scientists say is essential for avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

The IPCC’s latest report reaffirms that any rise above 1.5 degrees would lead to a dramatic increase in extreme weather events such as floods, which made up more than a third of all disasters in Indonesia last year.

But acting on climate change is not only a national imperative. In December 2021, Indonesia took up the Presidency of the G20, whose members account for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Indonesia, a ‘well placed’ advocate

As the world’s largest archipelagic nation, Indonesia is “well placed to advocate for the interests of less developed countries and small islands states on the world stage,” says UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia Valerie Julliand. “That includes holding rich countries to account for their commitment to mobilize $100 billion a year, to help poorer countries deal with climate change.”

Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s appearance at the COP26 climate change conference last year in Glasgow served as an example of how seriously Indonesia takes the issue.

Home to the world’s third largest area of forest after Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Indonesia pledged to halt or reverse deforestation by 2040 at the two-week climate summit in Glasgow. It also joined Member States in promising to “phase down” coal use.

However, Indonesia has not committed to ending its pipeline of coal generation projects under its current ten-year national development plan. The pipeline, which includes 13.8 GW of new coal capacity by 2029, more than 10GW of which is already under construction, is not compatible with Indonesia’s climate goals, environmental groups argue.

Besides being the world’s largest coal exporter, coal mining employs an estimated 450,000 Indonesians and supports millions more – mostly in economically impoverished areas of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Helping Indonesia transition from coal to clean energy generation is the focus of the FIRE Dialogue partners, an international platform that brings together UN representatives, ambassadors and diplomats from multiple countries, and organizations such as the Asian Development Bank.

Optimistic for the future

“It is going to be difficult, but I am optimistic”, the Deputy Secretary-General told a UN in Indonesia Town Hall event, following a meeting with FIRE Dialgoue partners on Monday. “We need concerted efforts to accompany this country in the next five years to really make that pivot towards renewable energy and a green and blue economy.”

She added that young people would be at the centre of this pivot, including through making sure critical facts are widely understood, among them, that the green and blue economy, can create three times as many jobs as those coming from the fossil fuel sector.

It was a sentiment that carried echoes of the conversations at the weekend with young climate leaders. After the 15 young activists presented the objects that helped sum up their inspiring work, the deputy UN chief shared some significant objects of her own, which she had brought along to the conversation.

These included a piece of sea glass, and a seashell, with a pale pink exterior.

The shell, she said, represented communication, and specifically, the need to get beyond the shell’s hard exterior to communicate a fundamental inner truth: “human beings picked a fight with nature. Nature fought back. And now we have to make peace with nature.”

Nepal responsible for torture, rape and killing of teenage girl: UN rights committee

The finding follows a complaint submitted to the UN body by the girl’s parents, who said they had exhausted all possible avenues for securing justice and accountability at home.

Case underscores impunity

 “The gravity of this case has not faded with time even though 18 years have passed,” said Committee member Hélène Tigroudja.

“This is a particularly severe case in which a child was summarily executed. It also underscores the pattern of abuse and rape of girls during the civil war, the lack of investigation and de facto impunity,” she added.

Nepal’s civil war began in February 1996 and lasted more than a decade. Some 15,000 people were killed in fighting between government forces and the Communist Party of Nepal, known locally as the Maoist rebel group.

Accusation and denial

In February 2004, the victim, identified only as R.R., was living with her family in the village of Pokhari Chauri in Kavre District, an area where many Maoists had gathered to celebrate the eighth anniversary of the start of the war.

On the night of 13 February, some 20 uniformed armed soldiers stormed into her home, accusing the secondary school student of being a Maoist, which she denied.

R.R. had attended the compulsory Maoist Student Union at school but was not involved in any other Maoist activity, according to the UN Committee.

Interrogation, abuse, death

The teenager was taken outside, interrogated, hit with a rifle butt, thrown against a wall, and taken to a cornfield. A soldier was heard telling another soldier to kill her, and three gunshots were then fired.

R.R.’s parents found her body the next morning. She had been shot in the eye, head, and chest. Her salwar, or trousers, was pulled down to mid-thigh, and her blouse was lifted up to her neck. There were scratches on her breasts.

The army also killed two other villagers that night.

Following complaints by her family, the National Human Rights Commission in 2005 found that R.R. was killed by security forces.

Although Nepal’s Supreme Court endorsed the Commission’s findings in 2009 and ordered a prompt investigation, no one has been held criminally accountable. The main suspect was acquitted four years later due to lack of evidence.

Appeal for justice

 R.R.’s parents brought the case to the UN Human Rights Committee which found that Nepal was responsible for her killing and rape, and for subjecting her to physical and mental torture.

The Committee also criticized the lack of an effective remedy for her parents.

 “Nepal has failed to demonstrate how a 16-year-old unarmed girl posed any threat to a squad of twenty fully armed soldiers, much less justify how her rape and summary execution could serve any legitimate security aim,” said Ms. Tigroudja.

 “Such egregious crimes shall in all instances be timely and thoroughly investigated and their perpetrators, whoever they are, brought to justice and punished”, she added.

About the UN Committee

The Human Rights Committee monitors countries’ adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

It is made up of 18 members who are independent human rights experts from across the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of any States that are party to the treaty.

Committee members are neither UN staff, nor are they paid by the Organization.

UN migration agency and EU step up aid for 325,000 Yemenis in need

Those in need will be provided with urgently needed shelter, health, cash, protection services and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support. 

The situation is also getting worse for migrants in Yemen, especially women – IOM mission chief

Over the last seven years, the conflict in Yemen between a Saudi-led pro-Government coalition, and Houthi rebels, has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis, displacing over 4.3 million people, destroying vital infrastructure and exacerbating the needs of migrants, displaced and host communities, said IOM.

“The situation is also getting worse for migrants in Yemen, especially women, who are living in dire conditions in Yemen with little control over their lives,” said Christa Rottensteiner, Chief of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Mission in the country.

Stepping up assistance

According to the UN’s humanitarian office, two out of three Yemenis rely on humanitarian assistance.

And across the country, at least 7.4 million Yemenis need shelter and household items while 17.8 million require WASH support. 

Meanwhile amid rising food and fuel prices, needs continue to intensify as the population struggles to survive in an economic crisis that has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which supplied nearly 30 per cent of Yemen’s wheat supply prior to the fighting.  

“Conflict remains the main driver of displacement, but the humanitarian needs of communities have been aggravated by a weakened economy,” said Ms. Rottensteiner.

Despite the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis, Yemen remains a major point on the migration route from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia, where many go in search of work opportunities.

Tens of thousands are estimated to be stranded and unable to return home or make it to their destination, and many are subject to grave human rights violations. So far this year, migrant arrivals into Yemen are picking up again, with nearly 25,000 estimated to have arrived in the first four months of 2022. 

Contributions from the EU are allowing IOM to provide thousands of these migrants with health assistance, information on safe migration and individualized protection assistance. 

For internally displaced persons, IOM is supporting site management and service coordination across 61 displacement sites. Cash assistance is being provided to those newly displaced by fighting and to families whose shelters require rehabilitation which prevents the risk of flooding and fire hazards.  

The funding also enables the distribution of life-saving water to communities, provide hygiene kits, rehabilitate water and sanitation infrastructure and run hygiene promotion campaigns to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks. 

“This renewed partnership with the EU is allowing IOM to continue its activities and reach thousands of displaced people and migrants with assistance that is essential to their survival,” added Ms. Rottensteiner. 

17 Rohingya feared dead amid storm off Myanmar coast: UNHCR

Initial reports suggest the boat left Sittwe in Rakhine State, Myanmar, last Thursday, the agency reported, and the vessel encountered bad weather in waters off the coast of the Ayeyarwady Region, causing it to capsize near the coast of Pathein township on Saturday.

At least 17 people are feared dead, with distressing reports of bodies found on the shore, leaving local communities to bury the dead.

“The latest tragedy shows once again the sense of desperation being felt by Rohingya in Myanmar and in the region,’’ said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific.

“It is shocking to see increasing numbers of children, women and men embarking on these dangerous journeys and eventually losing their lives.”

Information on survivors

In Myanmar, UNHCR is urgently seeking more information on survivors that have arrived on shore, in order to assess their situation.

Over the past decade, thousands of Rohingya have left by sea from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and Rakhine State in Myanmar.

“The root causes of these deadly journeys need to be addressed”, said Mr. Ratwatte. “Additionally, all countries in the region must come together to ensure the rescue and disembarkation of all those in distress at sea”.

UNHCR reiterates its warning that “collective failure to act will continue to lead to tragic and fatal consequences. It is imperative to take action against criminals, smugglers and traffickers who prey on the most vulnerable.”

Bangladesh flooding leaves 1.5 million children at risk

Meanwhile, extensive floods in neighbouring Bangladesh have put 1.5 million children at risk of disease, drowning and malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said on Monday.

The UN agency is already working with the Government and civil society partners to respond to families’ most urgent needs in northeast regions, by supplying clean water, hygiene kits, therapeutic milk and learning kits for youngsters unable to go to school.

Over four million people in five regions have been affected by the rising waters.

The worst-hit – Sylhet and Sunamganj – have seen agricultural land and critical infrastructure submerged, including power stations and schools.

Cases of diarrhoea, respiratory infection and skin disease have been reported, according to a UNICEF update, and at least three children have died from lightning strikes.

Awareness-raising about the dangers of drowning is also central to UNICEF’s community response, it said.

Children the most vulnerable

Hundreds of schools have been closed, further jeopardizing children’s education. After 18 months of COVID-related closures in the last few years, children are once again missing out on learning, the agency added.

“The damage to lives, homes and schools is heartbreaking. In this disaster, as in most others, children are the most vulnerable. UNICEF is on the ground to protect children and to meet their urgent needs, supporting the Government and working closely with our local partners,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

UNICEF is working closely with the Department of Social Services to ensure that social workers stand ready to protect the safety and security of children.

More consensus needed over digital technology for ‘people and the planet’

“We have a critical opportunity to build consensus on how digital technologies can be used for the good of people and the planet, while addressing their risks,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council.

“But collective action by Member States remains essential towards this goal”.

Digital technologies for good

She noted that social media has transformed human rights and humanitarian advocacy, “making it possible to mobilize people around the world quickly and efficiently around issues requiring urgent action”.

In maintaining peace and security, technical developments have improved the ability to detect crises, better pre-position humanitarian aid, and create data-driven peacebuilding tools, she said.

And in conflict prevention, new digital tools have strengthened peace-making and peacebuilding, providing better information and early warning data, Ms. DiCarlo added.

She pointed to the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen, which uses mapping and satellite technology to enhance ceasefire monitoring and increases the UN’s ability to “understand, analyze and respond to crises that may have a digital dimension, and…address digital risks”.

Political assistance

Furthermore, new technology can support political processes, particularly in promoting inclusion.

“In various peace negotiations, we have used artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted digital dialogues to reach out to thousands of interlocutors, to hear their views and priorities,” she said.

“This has been a particularly useful way to reach traditionally excluded groups, including women”.

Safety and security

They can also improve the safety and security of peacekeepers and civilian staff on the ground.

“The launch of the Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Peacekeeping represents an essential step towards this goal, and towards more effective mandate implementation – increasing early warning capacities,” said the political chief.

These tools also help visualize information and convey data-rich analysis to inform Security Council decisions – as illustrated by a recent virtual reality presentation on Colombia, highlighting the UN’s work on the ground for ambassadors.

Worrying trends

However, there are areas of concern, Ms. DiCarlo continued, citing estimates that the number of national and non-State-sponsored incidents of technology being used maliciously, has nearly quadrupled since 2015.

“Of specific concern is activity targeting infrastructure that provides essential public services, such as health and humanitarian agencies,” she said.

At the same time, lethal autonomous weapons raise questions regarding human accountability when force is used.

Echoing the Secretary-General, she called machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement, “politically unacceptable, morally repugnant, and should be prohibited by international law”.

“Non-State actors are becoming increasingly adept at using low-cost and widely available digital technologies to pursue their agendas,” warned the UN official, highlighting that terrorist groups such Al-Qaida are actively using social media platforms to recruit, plan and fundraise.

Mounting challenges

From surveillance technologies that can target communities or individuals, to potentially discriminatory AI, she drew attention to the human rights implications of new tech.

“We are also concerned about the increasing use of internet shutdowns, including in situations of active conflict, which deprive communities of their means of communication, work, and political participation,” said Ms. DiCarlo, recalling Myanmar, in which these incidents have grown in number and duration since the military coup last year.

Moreover, she continued, social media can fuel polarization and violence by spreading disinformation, radicalization, racism, and misogyny – heightening tensions and exacerbating conflict.

“In Ethiopia, as the fighting escalated, there was an alarming rise in social media posts spreading inflammatory rhetoric, with some going as far as inciting ethnic violence,” the senior UN official reminded the Council. “We also know that disinformation can hinder the ability of our missions to implement their mandates, by exacerbating falsehoods and fuelling polarization”.

Moving forward

While embracing the opportunities that new technology provides to advance peace, the risks must be mitigated and responsible use promoted by all.

Driven by the Plan of Action on Hate Speech and communication initiatives such as Verified, the UN is acting to allay these dangers by avoiding misperceptions and misunderstandings, Ms. DiCarlo told the meeting.

“However, more must be done,” she concluded, spotlighting the Global Digital Compact, which would outline shared principles for an “open, free and secure digital future for all”; the New Agenda for Peace, which takes a holistic view of global security’ and the proposed Code of Conduct for Integrity in Public Information.

Digital rights

Briefing virtually, Nanjala Nyabola, Director of Advox, the Digital Rights Project of the online community, Global Voices, highlighted the need for upholding and enforcing digital rights.

“In the last two decades we have witnessed a dramatic expansion in the use of digital technology,” she said, however it has “unfortunately not been complimented by a similar investment in protecting ourselves from the harms that the expansion has caused”.

The speed of technological progress has created problems that could have been prevented at an earlier stage, said Ms. Nyabola, calling for a broad moratorium on new surveillance technologies.

She turned the Council’s attention to digital access policies and internet shutdowns, underscoring how they negatively impact cultural and economic minorities and pose obstacles to women’s access.

“Digital rights are human rights,” she said, adding that users must be protected.

Improving peacekeeping

Dirk Druet, Adjunct Professor at McGill University’s Centre for International Peace and Security Studies, highlighted sophisticated monitoring and language-translation technologies that can improve peacekeeping effectiveness and protection.

He urged the UN to take a more deliberate truth-telling role in conflict zones and reminded that peacekeeping operations must forge their own digital technology protocols beyond those of the States they support.

Finally, Mr. Druet maintained that for local constituencies, truth-telling is directly tied to trust-building, advocating for an increased capacity to monitor and engage the “information landscape” in conflict zones.

Monkeypox: UNAIDS ‘concerned’ about stigmatizing language against LGTBI people

As of May 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of 92 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases from 12 countries not endemic for the disease.

Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics and investigations are ongoing.

The disease could affect anyone

According to WHO, available evidence suggests that those who are most at risk are those who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, and that risk is not limited to men who have sex with men.

UNAIDS urged media, governments, and communities to respond with a rights-based, evidence-based approach that avoids stigma.

“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” said Matthew Kavanagh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director. “Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures”.

Mr Kavanagh highlighted that the agency appreciates the LGBTI community for having led the way in raising awareness of Monkeypox and reiterated that the disease could affect anyone.

“This outbreak highlights the urgent need for leaders to strengthen pandemic prevention, including building stronger community-led capacity and human rights infrastructure to support effective and non-stigmatizing responses to outbreaks”, he noted.

The agency urged all media covering Monkeypox to follow WHO’s updates.

More cases expected

The UN health agency said over the weekend that as the situation is evolving and the surveillance expanding, it is expected that more Monkeypox cases will be identified.

To date, all cases whose samples were confirmed by PCR have been identified as being infected with the West African clade.

Genome sequence from a swab sample from a confirmed case in Portugal indicated a close match of the Monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak, to exported cases from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.

WHO said that the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of Monkeypox with no direct travel links to an endemic area represents a ‘highly unusual event’.

About the illness

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms very similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

There are two clades of Monkeypox virus: the West African clade and the Congo Basin (Central African) clade.

The name Monkeypox originates from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. The first human case was identified in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. The incubation period of Monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.

UNHCR: Record 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide

“One hundred million is a stark figure — sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. “This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes”.

According to UNHCR, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose to 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 2022, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8 million within the country this year and forced around 6 million to leave the nation.

Staggering record

100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide represents 1% of the global population and is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world.

The number includes refugees and asylum seekers as well as the 53.2 million people displaced inside their borders by conflict.

“The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive,” Grandi added. “Compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure. To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile”.

Last week, the International Organization for Migration informed that a record 59.1 million people were displaced within their homelands last year, four million more than in 2020.

Conflict and violence triggered 14.4 million internal displacements in 2021, a nearly 50 per cent increase over the previous year.

Meanwhile, weather-related events such as floods, storms and cyclones resulted in some 23.7 million internal displacements in 2021, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.

“COVID-19 is not over”, Tedros warns World Health Assembly

Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus delivered his message during the kick-off of the annual World Health Assembly–the decision-making body of WHO comprised of representatives of 194 countries.

Noting that it was the first time since 2019 that the Assembly could take place in-person, he asked Ministers where the world stood two years into the most severe health crisis in a century.

“So, is it COVID-19 over? No, it’s most certainly not over. I know that’s not the message you want to hear, and it’s definitely not the message I want to deliver”, he highlighted.

He added that although in many countries all restrictions have been lifted and life looks much like it did before the pandemic, reported cases are increasing in almost 70 countries in all regions.

“…And this in a world in which testing rates have plummeted”, he added.

Tedros warned that reported deaths are also rising in Africa, the continent with the lowest vaccination coverage.

“This virus has surprised us at every turn – a storm that has torn through communities again and again, and we still can’t predict its path, or its intensity”, he emphasised.

Global gaps in the COVID-19 response

While agreeing that there is progress with 60% of the world’s population already vaccinated, Tedros reminded that almost one billion people in lower-income countries remain unvaccinated.

“It’s not over anywhere until it’s over everywhere… Only 57 countries have vaccinated 70% of their population – almost all of them high-income countries”, he noted.

The WHO chief also warned that increasing transmission means more deaths and more risk of a new variant emerging, and the current decline of testing and sequencing means “we are blinding ourselves to the evolution of the virus”.

He pointed out as well that in some countries there is still insufficient political commitment to roll out vaccines, and there are still gaps in operational and financial capacity.

“And in all, we see vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation and disinformation”, he added.

It is possible to end the pandemic

Tedros said that WHO’s primary focus now is to support countries to turn vaccines into vaccinations as fast as possible, but they are still seeing supply-side problems for tests and therapeutics with insufficient funds and access.

“The pandemic will not magically disappear. But we can end it. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. Science has given us the upper hand”, he said, calling on countries to work together to reach 70% of vaccination coverage.

Other priorities of the World Health Assembly

The Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 22-28 May 2022. It is the first in-person Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the meeting, country delegates make decisions on health goals and strategies that will guide public health work and the work of the WHO Secretariat to move the world towards better health and well-being for all.

The theme of this year’s Assembly is Health for peace, peace for health.

“As we speak, our colleagues around the world are responding to outbreaks of Ebola in DRC, monkeypox and hepatitis of unknown cause, and complex humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine and Yemen.

We face a formidable convergence of disease, drought, famine and war, fuelled by climate change, inequity and geopolitical rivalry”, Tedros told Ministers.

Global Health Leaders Awards

The WHO Director-General also announced on Sunday six awards to recognize outstanding contribution to advancing global health, demonstrated leadership and commitment to regional health issues.

The winners include British-Lebanese psychiatrist Dr Ahmed Hankir, youth sports advocate Ms Ludmila Sofia Oliveira Varela, and polio workers in Afghanistan.

You can find more information about this year’s winners here

Biodiversity Day: UN chief calls to ‘build a shared future for all life’

“Biodiversity is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending the existential threat of climate change, halting land degradation, building food security and supporting advances in human health”, said António Guterres in a statement.

The UN chief highlighted that biodiversity offers solutions for green and inclusive growth and, this year, governments will meet to agree on a global biodiversity framework with clear and measurable targets to put the planet on the path of recovery by 2030.

“The framework must tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss and enable the ambitious and transformative change needed for living in harmony with nature by effectively protecting more of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans, encouraging sustainable consumption and production, employing nature-based solutions to address climate change and ending harmful subsidies that damage the environment”, he highlighted.

Living in harmony with nature

Guterres added that the global agreement should also mobilize action and financial resources to drive concrete nature-positive investments, ensuring that we all benefit from the dividends of biological diversity.

“As we accomplish these goals and implement the 2050 Vision for “living in harmony with nature”, we must act with respect for equity and human rights, particularly regarding the many indigenous populations whose territories harbour so much biological diversity”, he emphasised.

The UN chief said that to save our planet’s indispensable and fragile natural wealth, everyone needs to be engaged, including youth and vulnerable populations who rely the most on nature for their livelihoods.
“Today, I call on all to act to build a shared future for all life”, he concluded.

Building a shared future for all life is precisely this year’s focus for the International Day, in line with the United Nations Decade on Restoration.

Why is biodiversity important?

Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations.

Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about 3 billion people; plants provide over 80 per cent of the human diet; and as many as 80 per cent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant‐based medicines for primary healthcare.

Yet, about 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.

Loss of biodiversity threatens all, including our health. It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses – diseases transmitted from animals to humans- while, on the other hand, if we keep biodiversity intact, it offers excellent tools to fight against pandemics like those caused by coronaviruses.

If current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems are not addressed soon, they will undermine progress toward 80% of the assessed targets of 8 Sustainable Development Goals.