• English

Month: February 2023

SDG stimulus could unlock $148 billion in debt savings: UNDP

The report – Building blocks out of the crisis: The UN’s SDG Stimulus Plan – was issued ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bangalore, India, which begins on Friday. 

UNDP has called for action to protect developing nations from the impact of today’s overlapping crises while also ensuring that financing is aligned to support a just, inclusive, and equitable global transition. 

Transform global finance 

“The building blocks to transform the global financial system are already being discussed at the G20 – multilateral development bank reform, debt restructuring, and injections of liquidity – but with the fracture between developed and developing countries escalating rapidly, we need to move from words to action,” said Achim Steiner, the UNDP Administrator. 

The policy brief identified 52 low and middle-income developing economies that are either in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress. Collectively, they account for more than 40 per cent of the world’s poorest people. 

A 30 per cent cut in their 2021 public external debt stock could help to save up to $148 billion in debt service payments over eight years, according to the report. 

High debt burdens 

UNDP said 25 developing economies currently have external debt service payments higher than 20 per cent of total revenue – the highest number of countries in more than two decades – which impacts spending on essential services, including measures to adapt and respond to climate change. 

“The countries most burdened by debt and lack of access to financing are also being battered by multiple other crises; they are among the most affected by the economic impact of COVID-19, poverty, and the accelerating climate emergency,” said Mr. Steiner. 

“The time has come to address the deepening chasm between rich and poor countries, to change the multilateral landscape and to create a debt architecture that is fit for purpose in our complex, interconnected, and post-COVID world,” he added. 

SDG stimulus plan 

The policy brief revealed how “significant fiscal space” can be freed by expanding access to lower cost and long-term maturity funding – two of the focus areas included in the UN Secretary-General’s Stimulus Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched last week. 

The 17 SDGs provide a blueprint for a more just, equitable, and “green” future, and have a deadline of 2030. 

George Gray Molina, UNDP Chief Economist, argued that developing economies simply cannot fund progress on the Goals, or climate commitments, if they are borrowing at up to 14 per cent while also paying more than 20 per cent of revenue for debt servicing. 

“The billions of savings identified by UNDP can only happen if we collectively agree that it is time to de-risk development and climate financing,” he said. 

The brief further showed how an additional $120 billion in savings could be generated by “refinancing” the bond debt of middle-income countries to official creditor rates. 

It also highlighted the potential for lowering the cost of borrowing for investments aligned with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

25 developing economies are spending over 20% of their govt revenues on debt servicing.

Ahead of the #G20 Ministers of Finance Summit in India, @UNDP’s new policy brief outlines steps needed for developing countries to come out of debt & inject liquidity https://t.co/4Euwy5RStO https://t.co/57wncxXv6a

Ukraine: deliberate destruction of culture must stop, say rights experts

According to humanitarian workers, at least six people were killed on Tuesday after Russian missiles struck a busy street in the city of Kherson. Most of the victims were standing at a bus stop, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York that day.  

Identities and shelters targeted 

The UN-appointed independent rights experts also expressed concern at the “continued denigration of the history and identity of Ukrainian people as a justification for war and hatred”. 

The experts, who report to the UN Human Rights Council as mandated Special Rapporteurs, cited reports that culturally significant locations in Ukraine had been intentionally targeted, when they should be protected, in accordance with international law, specifically the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. 

Important Ukrainian cultural locations that have been hit include buildings “clearly marked” as shelters for residents, including children, as well as museums, libraries and churches. “The indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on densely populated areas, and the damage caused to civilian infrastructure in the process, are of such magnitude as to suggest a deliberate campaign of destruction,” the experts said in a statement. 

More than 240 Ukrainian heritage sites are estimated to have been damaged since the Russian invasion on 24 February last year, according to the UN cultural, educational and scientific agency UNESCO. 

But the true number of attacks could be over 1,000, the rights experts said. 

Twisted narrative 

“Repositories of Ukrainian literature, museums, and historical archives – are being destroyed, and there is a widespread narrative of demonisation and denigration of Ukrainian culture and identity promoted by Russian officials, along with calls for ideological repression and strict censorship in the political, cultural and educational spheres. Let us be clear: the Ukrainian people have a right to their identity. Nobody can violate this right.” 

In eastern Ukraine and Crimea, annexed by Russia in March 2014, the experts maintained that efforts were being made “to erase local culture, history and language” in cultural and educational institutions. 

Instead, communities faced seeing them replaced with Russian language and with Russian and Soviet history and culture.  

Ukrainian books labelled ‘extremist’ 

“Ukrainian history books and literature deemed to be ‘extremist’ have been seized from public libraries in cities and towns in the occupied territory of Luhansk, Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Sumy Oblasts and destroyed by the occupying power,” the experts reported. “The same has been reported about school history manuals in certain cities.” 

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. 

Somalia: UN official underlines need to advance women’s participation in public life

Ms. Gbeho said she has welcomed the Federal Government’s continued commitment to implementing the women, peace, and security agenda, as demonstrated by the launch of a new national action plan on Security Council resolution 1325. 

The landmark document, adopted more than 20 years ago, reaffirms women’s role in peacebuilding and conflict prevention and resolution. 

Action on equality 

Describing the action plan as “timely”, she said it provides a framework to address the challenges that persist for women in Somalia but stressed that more action is needed for equal representation in all facets of public life. 

“To this end, enhancing women’s political participation also remains critical,” she said.

“This includes that the commitment Somalia’s political leaders made on the 30 per cent women’s quota is not only codified in relevant legal and electoral frameworks but also safeguarded by all entities.” 

Ms. Gbeho underlined the UN’s continued support to newly elected women representatives. “Moving forward, we must remain focused on advancing women’s participation and equality,” she said, calling on stakeholders to redouble their efforts. 

Al-Shabaab threat persists 

Meanwhile, the militant group Al-Shabaab continues to pose a serious threat to peace and security in Somalia. 

Last year saw a 60 per cent increase in civilian casualties compared to 2021, making it the deadliest year for civilians since 2017, she reported. 

Ms. Gbeho said the Federal Government has made progress in recent months by targeting the group’s military and financial operations, as well as its “ideological narrative”. 

The Somalia Security Forces, reinforced by local militias, have conducted successful operations against Al-Shabaab in two states and are expected to gradually move into other areas.  

“Consolidating gains in the newly recovered areas will require strong linkages between military operations and stabilization initiatives, comprised of reconciliation and justice components and aimed at bolstering good governance and service delivery,” she said. 

Famine fears 

Addressing the historic drought in the Horn of Africa, the UN official reported that 8.3 million Somalis – nearly half the population – require assistance and protection. 

“While famine has been prevented for now, famine remains a threat if the April to June rains underperform as forecast and humanitarian assistance is not sustained,” she warned. 

Humanitarians are seeking $2.6 billion to cover priority needs for 7.6 million people, she said, urging donors to step up their support. 

Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Somalia.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Somalia.

Women, peace and security 

The Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, who also briefed the Council, said the ongoing drought is exacerbating gender-based violence. 

She recalled that ambassadors have raised the importance of the 30 per cent quota and a new law on sexual violence. 

Ms. Bahous noted that women´s political participation and leadership is a pre-requisite for more inclusive societies, finding solutions towards a lasting peace, and achieving sustainable development. 

“And yet, the quota in Somalia was not met, women’s representation fell, sexual violence has increased, and the Sexual Offences Bill adopted unanimously by the Council of Ministers five years ago has still not been passed by parliament,” she said. 

Furthermore, there has been “an alarming increase” in sexual violence rates since 2020, which doubled over the previous year.  

“And they have continued to rise, as the worst drought in many decades is having a devastating impact on all Somalis, and women and girls are disproportionately impacted,” she added. 

Ms. Bahous emphasized that women’s meaningful participation goes beyond elections, saying “it is only when women are included in all areas of public life, that we will have a chance at peace and at ensuring that we support the rebuilding of a society that is resilient to future shocks.” 

 

Briefing the #UNSC’s recent meeting on #Somalia, @UN’s @KikiGbeho addressed a range of issues, including the country’s progress with #state-building, #women’s participation in public life, the #humanitarian response to the #drought, and more. Her remarks: https://t.co/KwGA2Kgojo https://t.co/j8TYSsWhL5

Israel’s new legal proposals pose 'serious risks', UN rights chief warns

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk raised a range of concerns that several sets of proposed legislative changes that Israel’s parliament is considering would pose serious risks to the effectiveness of the judiciary to defend the rule of law, human rights, and judicial independence.

Human rights at risk

“If passed, these changes risk weakening human rights protections for all, but especially the most vulnerable communities and groups less able to vindicate their rights through representation in the executive and legislative branches of Government,” he said.

The proposals in their current form would limit the Supreme Court’s ability to subject legislation to judicial review and would require either a super majority of judges, or even unanimity, for the top court to strike down legislation, he cautioned.

News reports said tens of thousands of people have, in the past weeks, attended demonstrations against the proposed changes, including in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.

Wider debate needed

“Given the degree of public and political concern, I call on the Government of Israel to pause the proposed legislative changes and open them up for wider debate and reflection,” he said. “Such issues at the heart of rule of law deserve the fullest consideration in order to ensure that any changes promote, rather than diminish, the ability of the judiciary and other branches of Government to protect the rights of all people in Israel.”

Changes going to the heart of a country’s long-standing constitutional structure, and which affect well-established institutional safeguards, should only be undertaken following extensive consultation and with broad political and public consensus, he said.

#Israel: UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk concerned by fundamental legislative changes being considered in Parliament, posing serious risks to effective human rights protection & judicial independence in future. Urges pause for wider debate: https://t.co/DKnxPzrOzF https://t.co/F4DjFWFURM

Ukraine: General Assembly resumes emergency special session, taking up new text to end war

Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said that, for almost a full year, the world body, UN Secretary-General, and international community have been consistent and vocal in calls to end this war, and to adhere to the UN Charter and international law.

“Let this anniversary and the anguish of millions before our eyes over the last year serve as a reminder to all of us here in this Hall that military solutions will not end this war,” he said. “Too many lives, livelihoods, families and communities have been lost. Russia can end its aggression and the war it has unleashed. Russia must end this hell of bloodshed.”

The General Assembly eleventh emergency special session resumed, with the introduction of a new draft resolution and two proposed amendments, and is expected to last into Thursday or Friday.

The draft text calls for an immediate ceasefire, demands that Russia leaves Ukraine, and emphasizes the need for accountability for serious crimes and justice for all victims.

Devastating consequences

Outlining the landscape of the ongoing war, the Assembly President said 20,000 civilians and many soldiers are dead ,and countless more injured, while eight million refugees have spread across Europe and beyond, and six million remain internally displaced. Currently, 40 per cent of Ukrainians need humanitarian assistance.

Condemning the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure that has left millions of Ukrainians without energy, water, and heat in the depths of winter, he said such actions violate international humanitarian law.

“Across the UN system, we are working tirelessly to find solutions to your plight and to accompany you on the road to reconstruction,” he said. “This war will come to an end, and the time of reconstruction, reconciliation, and transformation will come. We know it will not be easy. We know the scars are deep. Culture, family bonds, sports, arts, and the acknowledgement of the shared destiny of humanity will certainly help nations currently facing each other in the trenches.”

Costs of war

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the one-year mark stands as a “grim milestone”, and the impact is being felt far beyond Ukraine. He called for full support of the recent UN launch of a $5.6 billion humanitarian appeal for the people of Ukraine.

“While prospects may look bleak today, we know that genuine, lasting peace must be based on the UN Charter and international law,” he said. “The longer the fighting continues, the more difficult this work will be. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

He called on the parties and the international community to recommit to the values, principles, and purposes of the UN Charter.

Upholding and preserving “our constitution for ‘we the peoples’ must be the common interest of all Member States,” he said. “There is no alternative.”

More than 80 countries are scheduled to address the General Assembly, which is expected to vote on the new draft resolution on Ukraine on Thursday or Friday.

A residential building in Makariv, west of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, show signs of damage from a bomb blast.
© UNOCHA/Matteo Minasi

A residential building in Makariv, west of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, show signs of damage from a bomb blast.

Ukraine: Multiple atrocities

Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya called on the UN membership to support the new draft resolution and the UN Charter towards a path to peace.

“No one should be fooled by Russia’s empty calls for negotiations,” he said. The current situation on the frontlines proves they want war, not peace, as Russia is mounting attacks, from the Dnipro River to the Russian border, striking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure with salvos of cruise missiles and drones, he added.

“We have no choice but to keep fighting for our survival, as any of you would,” he said, citing atrocities that amount to genocide, including forcible deportation, torture, rape and attacks on civilians.

With the support of the world, he said, Ukraine can restore its territorial integrity and respect for the UN Charter, which will discourage Russia and other aggressors from wanting to attack other nations. This requires sending a strong and clear message that the UN Charter should serve as the basis for the process of peaceful resolution.

“Exactly a year ago I was standing here appealing to the nations united in this Hall on the need to prevent war,” he said. “A year after, against all odds, Ukraine is effectively defending itself against a much stronger enemy and I appeal to you: this is a decisive moment to show support, unity, and solidarity. This is the moment to prove that you stand for the UN Charter.”

Russia: West is fueling war

Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Ukrainian situation is being fueled by the West, which is conducting a hybrid war that has triggered a global food crisis.

He said Moscow began its special military operation in 2022 to stop an eight-year-long war in Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions in eastern Ukraine, following a coup by people who rejected Nazism or authoritarianism. Since 2014, he said, the Kyiv “regime” continued shelling people in the region and now has effectively banned peace negotiations.

“It’s not Ukraine that is fighting Russia, but rather it is a collective West,” he said. “All decorum is set aside, and the goal is to inflict strategic defeat on my country. The US thinks the planet is their turf.”

Meanwhile, the West is closing its eyes to the regrowth of Naziism in Ukraine, and Russophobia is only growing, he cautioned, pointing to sanctions that are effectively “hitting developing countries hardest”.

“Moscow is ready for a solution,” he said. “The draft resolution submitted here will not help this at all. It will rather encourage the West, which will continue its militaristic line, using the UN as a cover.”

‘Uniting for Peace’

Days after the 24 February 2022 invasion, Security Council  members had voted in favour of the General Assembly convening the session after Russia had vetoed a resolution that would have deplored the assault on Ukraine.

Opening the current emergency special session on 28 February 2022, the world body had subsequently resumed meetings in March, April, October and November.

The Assembly has held 10 emergency sessions, in line with resolution 377A(V), adopted in 1950 in response to the Soviet Union’s efforts to block Security Council action related to the war on the Korean Peninsula.

Commonly known as “Uniting for Peace”, the text empowers the Assembly to consider international peace and security matters when the Council is unable to act due to a lack of unanimity among its five permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States – who have the power to veto decisions.

Further information on the special emergency session can be found at UN Meetings Coverage.

#Happeningnow: #UNGA Eleventh Emergency Special Session (resumed) (#Ukraine)
– Draft resolution A/ES-11/L.7 & draft amendments 🔗 https://t.co/ZUAgU4tWZ8
LIVE 📽 https://t.co/qATPB7uS9L @UN_PGA https://t.co/RjnvF9HtxJ

UN rights chief deplores Ukraine death toll one year after Russian invasion

Matilda Bogner, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), told journalists in Geneva that the civilian death toll in the southern city of Mariupol – besieged and bombarded by Russian missiles – had been particularly high. 

“My colleagues interviewed a former prisoner of war, and he was from Mariupol and he was forced in Mariupol to collect the bodies on the city streets. He told us that Russian soldiers were expected to meet the daily quota of one truck of corpses per day. And that is, as he said, in Mariupol meeting with that quota was not a problem at all.” 

Human price 

According to latest UN human rights office (OHCHR) data, at least 8,000 non-combatants have been confirmed killed – with nearly 13,300 injured – since the Russian invasion on 24 February last year. The true number is likely to be substantially higher, OHCHR staff have repeated on many occasions. 

In a statement deploring the human cost of the conflict, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that every day that violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue, “it becomes harder and harder to find a way forward through mounting suffering and destruction, towards peace”. 

Civilians have been killed “in their homes and while simply trying to meet their essential needs, such as collecting water and buying food”, Mr. Türk said. “These included 67-year-old Olha, who was killed in a missile strike just metres from her flat in Kharkiv as she went to buy milk the day after the war began.”  

The UN rights chief described how “Serhii, a man in his 60s, choked back tears as he told human rights monitors how he saw his six-year-old granddaughter lose a leg in an artillery attack, when his house in a village near Kherson took a direct hit on 2 April 2022”. 

Scale of suffering 

These stories mask the true extent of the suffering in Ukraine, Mr. Türk continued, listing hardships that include electricity and water shortages, and the fact that nearly 18 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, with 14 million people displaced from their homes. 

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), men accounted for 61.1 per cent of confirmed civilian casualties and women 39.9 per cent. At least 487 children were killed and 954 injured. 

The rights monitors also found that more than nine in 10 civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons with “wide area effects”, including artillery shells, cruise and ballistic missiles, and air strikes. Most occurred in populated areas.  

The HRMMU team – whose work also includes documenting gross violations of human rights law throughout the past year, such as sexual violence, torture and summary executions – also recorded 632 civilian casualties – 219 killed and 413 injured – caused by mines and explosive remnants of war. 

Abuse coming into focus 

Asked to describe the type of rights abuses uncovered in Ukraine, chief monitor Matilda Bogner said that more than 100 cases of conflict-related sexual violence had been documented thus far, along with hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention.  

“These are just the cases that we have been able to document,” she said. “The real scale of these things is yet to be fully understood but our figures show that there are a lot of violations taking place. The information that we collect is useful for international prosecutions, both in terms of showing the patterns of violations that are taking place.”  

Disturbing information is continuing to flow in about abuses in Kherson, where residents reported torture and abuse by Russian forces, until they withdrew in November.  

“It’s an area that was under Russian occupation, and during that period they were targeting local government officials, they were targeting activists, human rights defenders, people who had views which were pro-Ukrainian,” Ms. Bogner said. “They were detaining them and sometimes enforcedly disappearing them. Some of those people have returned, others have not and remain detained, others remain disappeared. Some of them have since been found dead, unfortunately.” 

In Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region, the UN rights monitor reported “significant” civilian casualties. “If you look at explosive weapons, then it’s about 15 per cent of total casualties are those who were in occupied areas and most of that was in Donbass….We have been systematically recording the losses, those injured and those killed on the other side of the front line.” 

An 8-year-old girl poses in front of a building in Irpin, Ukraine where her mother and sister share a small room.
© UNICEF/Olena Hrom

An 8-year-old girl poses in front of a building in Irpin, Ukraine where her mother and sister share a small room.

Children’s lives scarred 

Almost one year into the war, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that “not a single aspect of children’s lives” had been spared by the conflict. 

“Children in Ukraine have experienced a year of horror,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Millions of children are going to sleep cold and scared and waking up hoping for an end to this brutal war. Children have been killed and injured, and many have lost parents and siblings, their homes, schools and playgrounds. No child should ever have to bear that kind of suffering.”  

According to UNICEF, the percentage of children living in poverty has almost doubled from 43 per cent to 82 per cent. The situation is especially acute for the 5.9 million people who are currently displaced within Ukraine. 

“The war is also having a devastating impact on the mental health and well-being of children,” the UN agency continued. “An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, with potential long-term effects and implications.” 

Kherson attack condemned

Meanwhile, humanitarians in Ukraine have condemned an attack in the centre of Kherson on Wednesday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York.

“They note that this is another example of the violations against civilians that have been going on since the start of this conflict,” he said.

The strike hit a busy street in the port city, according to humanitarian partners on the ground. Local authorities reported that at least six civilians were killed and another 16 injured, most of whom were standing at a bus stop.

UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk deplores human cost of Russia’s war against #Ukraine as civilian casualties pass 21K with at least 8,006 dead & 13,287 injured. “This senseless war is a blatant affront to intl law. Its vast human toll must end now.”

👉 https://t.co/bMViyZVgcX https://t.co/urV3HH0uo4

Local elections chance to advance peace in Central African Republic: UN envoy

Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza reported on recent progress by the Government, including in election preparations and security sector reform. 

Political engagement with the leaders of armed groups remains essential and is starting to yield modest results, she added, pointing to the dissolution of four armed groups who were signatories to the February 2019 Peace Agreement. 

Commendable steps 

The CAR authorities are also exploring options for integrating ex-combatants into the security forces, among other developments. 

“Commendable steps have been taken, and others are on the horizon,” said Ms. Rugwabiza, speaking via videoconference. “At the same time, there are still opportunities for further advancing implementation of the peace and political process and sustaining its gains.” 

She said the local elections – the first to be held since 1988 – could strengthen local governance, advance decentralization of services, and provide an opportunity to include women, youth, and other marginalized groups. 

Challenges to overcome 

Furthermore, the CAR authorities are working to create an enabling environment for the vote, including by developing its legal framework and updating the electoral code to encourage the participation of women. 

However, an acute financial shortfall and other obstacles lie ahead, she cautioned, calling for the international community’s support. 

“The elections will also be conducted in a challenging security environment, and we must recognize that armed groups could become spoilers,” Ms. Rugwabiza told the Council.  “Another challenge will be to make sure that the elected officials have the wherewithal to assume their duties and exercise them normally.” 

New patterns in attacks 

Turning to security, she said that while the CAR experienced relative stability and calm during the rainy season, the onset of the dry season has seen an increase in armed group activities and attacks. 

Although this unfortunately is the normal pattern of conflict in the country, new developments such as the use of explosive devices and drones have had a negative impact on the population, security forces, humanitarians, and UN peacekeepers.  

“The resurgence of tensions at CAR’s borders has highlighted the regional dimension of the Central African security crisis, especially along the transhumance routes and the resource rich areas in the northwest, northeast, and center-south that are conflict hotspots,” she added.  

Stemming the tide of rebel activity in these areas will require concerted action by the country and its neighbours, and increased sub-regional mobilization and cooperation, she said. 

Hunger on the rise 

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the CAR continues to worsen.  

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) projects that the percentage of people suffering from acute food insecurity will increase to nearly 50 per cent this year, up from 44 per cent in 2022, she said. 

A $465 million appeal launched this month aims at mobilizing funds for life-saving interventions, and Ms. Rugwabiza urged countries to support it. 

In closing, the MINUSCA chief urged partners to use the “once in a lifetime opportunity” presented by the local elections to help CAR build a foundation for local governance and accelerate security sector reform. 

Celebrating the world’s rich ‘linguistic tapestry’, UN officials call for realizing multilingual education on Mother Language Day

Commemorating the world’s languages – all 6,700 of them – since 1999, the Day aims at celebrating ways of showcasing the world’s linguistic tapestry, committing to the preservation of the diversity of languages as a common heritage, and working for quality education – in mother tongues – for all, said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The theme this year – “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education” – aligns with recommendations made during the UN Transforming Education Summit in 2021. Convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the gathering drew attention to indigenous people’s education and languages.

Africa has highest linguistic diversity

The day also highlights shortcomings and challenges ahead. UNESCO’s recent report, Born To Learn, shows that at most one in five children are taught in their mother tongue in Africa, the continent with the highest linguistic diversity. At the same time, 40 per cent of the world’s students do not have access to education in the language they speak or understand best.

This severely undermines learning, cultural expression and the building of social relations, and significantly weakens the linguistic heritage of humanity, Ms. Azoulay said.

“It is therefore crucial that this language issue be taken into account in the necessary exercise of transforming education,” she said. Moving forward, better data collection is required for improved tailored action, she said.

Diversity’s ‘fragile value’

“Above all, however, it requires a more general awareness of the irreplaceable but fragile value of the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity,” she said. “Each of the more than 7,000 languages spoken by humanity carries within it a unique view of the world, of things and of beings, a way of thinking and feeling – so much so that each disappearance of a language constitutes an irretrievable loss.”.

Progress is being made. UNESCO is leading the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), an important opportunity for the world to mobilize in order to safeguard a major part of its cultural diversity. There is also a growing understanding of the importance of multilingual education, particularly in early schooling.

Keys to inclusion

Yet, States must be more inclusive in the treatment and use of minority and indigenous languages, said Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues.

“In celebrating the richness and beauty of the global linguistic tapestry, it is essential to move away from new forms of nationalist majoritarianism that assume that societies and States should have only one language to the exclusion of all others,” he said.

This is inconsistent with inclusive societies that respect the human rights of linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples, he said.

“Languages are essential tools to communicate and share knowledge, memory, and history, but they are also key to full and equal participation,” he said. “One of the most effective ways of empowering minorities and indigenous peoples is to guarantee the use of their language in education.”

Adopting an inclusive approach is the most effective way of guaranteeing equality and non-discrimination with respect to international law and will ensure that minority and indigenous children are provided with useful literacy and numeracy skills to learn other languages, he said.

Rather than reducing or even eliminating the use of minority and indigenous languages in education, he said States should invest in the development of teaching materials, training and promoting the mother tongue as a medium of instruction.

‘Untranslatable’

Meanwhile, around the world, the UN has been commemorating the day, in many, many languages. Bangladesh and partners will host a meeting at UN Headquarters, and UNESCO held an event in France.

To mark the day, Mexico, UNESCO and partners are highlighting their “Untranslatable” project, book and graphic exhibit. Shaped by 68 words from 33 indigenous languages, the exhibit will travel across the country, and the book, published in 2021, is now available free on the website of the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (Inali).

Zapotec poet Irma Pineda, a partner in the project, said the goal was to promote interest and respect for the cultural and linguistic richness of Mexico.

It was also “for people to know that we don’t speak only Spanish, but rather 364 linguistic variants of 68 languages, and that each word of this project reflects a whole worldview and a way of thinking of many indigenous people,” she said.

What is your mother language?

How do you say “We, the peoples of the United Nations”?

See how @UNGeneva staff read the preamble of the UN Charter in their mother tongues:
https://t.co/WU4OzJSXeu

#IMLD2023 https://t.co/qm2VCDxEfr

More than 6,700 languages are spoken worldwide but at least 40% are threatened with extinction.

The classroom has a vital role to play in keeping them alive!

@UNESCO is calling on countries to implement mother language-based education: https://t.co/8IndXt4Tsx #MotherLanguageDay https://t.co/DvBEYzZZzl

UN Security Council debates Nord Stream pipeline incidents

“We are not here to set up a trial in the Security Council”, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said during discussions. He said Moscow was presenting a request for an independent investigation in light of doubts about the integrity and transparency of Denmark, Germany and Sweden in their ongoing inquiries. 

Instead, he said, the UN Secretary-General “is someone we trust” to lead an investigation following reports in September of four leaks in the 1,224-kilometre-long pipelines that supply gas from Russia to Europe.

There was “proof that explosives had been planted” near the pipeline during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercise in the summer of 2022, he said, referring to a recent United States news report by reporter Seymour Hersh claiming Washington was involved.

“This journalist is telling the truth,” he told Council members. “This is more than just a smoking gun that detectives love in Hollywood blockbusters. It’s a basic principle of justice; everything is in your hands, and we can resolve this today.”

US Ambassador John Kelley said “today’s meeting is a blatant attempt to distract” from the forthcoming emergency meeting of the General Assembly that will mark one-year since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

“That is what our focus should be on,” he said. “Russia desperately wants to change the subject.” Russia is “abusing its position as a Council member” for using this platform to air internet conspiracy theories.

In addition, accusations that the US was involved in acts of sabotage “are completely false”, he said, pointing out that resources for UN investigations should be preserved when States are unwilling or unable to investigate, unlike the current ongoing inquiries.

Avoid speculation

At the outset of the discussion, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, in a briefing to the Council, urged all parties to “show restraint and avoid any speculation” given the sensitivity regarding this issue.

“We should avoid any unfounded accusations that could further escalate the already heightened tensions in the region and potentially inhibit the search for the truth,” she said.

At the same time, the UN “is not in a position to verify or confirm any of the claims relating to these incidents, and we await the findings of ongoing national investigations,” she explained. She noted that preliminary results of the ongoing inquiries show “extensive damage”, signs of “gross sabotage” and “foreign items” seized at the site.

While some Council members supported the launch of a UN-led inquiry, others emphasized that ongoing inquiries are enough, with many raising grave concerns about the ecological impact of the incidents. Many agreed that efforts should focus on de-escalating tensions in the region.

Ms. DiCarlo said that while exactly what happened beneath the waters of the Baltic Sea in September 2022 is still unclear, “one thing is certain: whatever caused the incident, its fallout counts among the many risks the invasion of Ukraine has unleashed”.

One year since the start of the war, she said, “we must redouble our efforts to end it, in line with international law and the UN Charter”.

New ecological impact report

Meanwhile, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) had released new findings on Monday about the Nord Stream incidents, based on analysis from its International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO).

“While enormous for a single event, the Nord Stream incident is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of methane released globally,” said Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the observatory.

Still, UNEP analyses estimated the plausible range of total methane emissions leaked during the incident as a record 75 to 230 kilotons.

The Security Council had first considered the Nord Stream pipeline incidents in a late September meeting at Russia’s request. At that meeting, Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, had said the international community must take steps to address the consequences of the recent leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines, while its causes are being investigated.

We await the findings of ongoing national probes into the explosions that hit #NordStream 1 and 2 last September. All concerned should avoid escalating tensions in the region and potentially inhibiting the search for the truth. https://t.co/VOZiNs7oQF

Independent UN experts laud Spain for enacting new feminist laws

Describing the new laws as a “fundamental feminist achievement”, they said the move was part of an ambitious agenda for social progress. The legislation guarantees and facilitates access to sexual and reproductive rights in the country. 

New menstrual leave, abortion laws 

The new overarching measures ensure safe and accessible abortions provided by national health agencies. They also eliminate “reflection processes” arbitrarily imposed on women, and ensure access of all – including lesbian, bisexual and unmarried women – to assisted reproduction techniques. 

In adopting the package of laws, Spain became the first European country to introduce menstrual leave. The legislation also makes comprehensive sexual education a part of all mandatory years of schooling. 

Upholds anti-discrimination measures 

The related sexual and reproductive rights measures were enacted alongside comprehensive legislation addressing violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Together, they aim at promoting social inclusion in the health, employment, education, cultural, and business sectors. 

Elements include the provision of equal parenthood rights for lesbian mothers, a ban on genital mutilation for intersex children, and measures to end so-called “conversion therapy” perpetrated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGTBI) persons. 

‘Story of persistence’ 

The regulations were adopted through a thoughtful and participatory parliamentary process that took six years, and which considered UN expert advice, they said. 

“The history of feminism is a story of persistence in the face of social injustice,” the experts said. 

They cautioned countries to guard against the populist allure that regressive forces may find in exploiting anti-abortion, anti-education and anti-trans discourse. As an example of this, they pointed to attempts to erase the inherent ties between the struggle against violence and discrimination faced by all women and girls, and gay, bisexual, and trans men, as well as other gender-diverse and intersex persons. 

Saluting survivors 

Saluting the role survivors of violence and civil society played throughout the process, they said “every time we observe the adoption of a law, public policy or jurisprudence that promotes equality, we are immediately reminded of the work of human rights defenders, survivors, and activists,” they said. 

“They were the ones who provided their stories, compiled the evidence, and carried out the work of advocacy and persuasion so that Spanish authorities could fully embrace the idea that these legislative measures are key elements to ensure that every person can live free and equal in dignity and rights,” they said. 

About UN experts

The experts are part of the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system. 

They are appointed by the Council to monitor and report on specific issues or country situations.

They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.

 

#Spain: UN experts welcome new comprehensive anti-discrimination and feminist legislation which guarantees and facilitates access to sexual & #ReproductiveRights for all: “The history of feminism is a story of persistence in the face of social injustice”
👉https://t.co/ZssUc84Odo https://t.co/3VOJzv2ulL

Get help now

Send a message with a description of your problem and possible ways of assistance and we will contact you as soon as we consider your problem.

    [recaptcha class:captcha]