April 2023 — Page 2 of 13 — Human Rights & Charity

Activists encouraged to apply for UN SDG Action Awards

The 2023 UN SDG Action Awards will be presented in Rome, Italy, in July, and the deadline for applications and nominations has been extended to 7 May.

SDGaction

“We are calling on all activists, mobilizers, and changemakers to submit their application today for a chance to become an awards finalist and to join us in Rome for a celebration of their global sustainability actions and ongoing efforts in confronting global challenges and holding decision-makers to account,” said Marina Ponti, Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign.

Flipping the script

Ms. Ponti noted that 2022 was a seminal year for the Campaign, an initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General to galvanize people everywhere around the 17 SDGs, which include ending extreme poverty, reducing inequalities, and combatting climate change by 2030.

“We defied all expectations and mobilized nearly 150 million people around the world to take action for the Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.

“Now, we want to acknowledge and celebrate those very same people who made a difference on the ground flipping the script on the climate crisis, gender inequality, and food insecurity and laying the foundations for a more sustainable and equitable future for all.”

Making a mark

Last year’s awards ceremony was held in Bonn, Germany, receiving over 3,000 applications from 150 countries.

This year’s event will be held on 24 July in Rome on the margins of the UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment, where countries will review progress towards transforming food systems worldwide.

Past winners include Hamzat B. Lawal, Founder of the Nigeria-based anti-corruption organisation Follow the Money, which works to influence social change and disrupt the status quo by setting up social accountability models tracking government spending and international aid, exposing corruption, and revealing to the public how effective local social development projects are.

Hamzat B. Lawal, Founder of the Nigeria-based anti-corruption organisation Follow the Money, addresses the 2022 UN SDG Action Awards.

“Winning a UN SDG Action Award has been a life changing moment for the initiative and team,” Mr. Lawal said. “Not only has it empowered us to strengthen our internal governance structure, but most importantly the Award has enhanced our credibility in holding governments to account and fostering transparency.”

Since winning in 2019, Follow the Money has grown its presence across Africa, expanding from four countries to a total of nine while also attracting interest from the Americas and Asia.

Other finalists have also continued to leave their mark on local and global communities, including Srishti Bakshi, a marketer-turned-women’s-rights-activist, who embarked on a pilgrimage of 3,800 kilometres through 12 Indian states to put a spotlight on the root causes of violence against women.

‘Transformative change’ needed to get Global Goals back on track, says UN deputy chief

Wednesday morning in the Chilean capital of Santiago, Ms. Mohammed met at the Palacio de La Moneda with President Gabriel Boric to discuss the acceleration of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.

The President delivered the National Strategy for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The UN Resident Coordinator in Chile, María José Torres, the Minister of Social Development and Family, Giorgio Jackson, the Undersecretary of International Relations, Gloria de la Fuente, and the Chilean Ambassador to the UN, Paula Narváez, were also present.

Later, Ms. Mohammed spoke with indigenous women leaders – from the Mapuche, Rapa Nui, Licanantay (Atacameños), Aymara, Diaguita, Chango, Quechua, Kawéskar and Colla peoples – at the Mahuidache Ceremonial Center, commune of El Bosque, a social advocacy space focused on the promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples and their participation.

At the site, the Deputy Secretary General was received by community authorities, the Wünel Domo Elsa Quinchaleo and the management team composed of Contanza Hueche and Norma Hueche.

AminaJMohammed

During their conversation, the indigenous leaders highlighted the need to make their vision and contribution to sustainable development visible, and expressed their willingness to participate in local, national, and global forums to discuss the acceleration of the 17 SDGs.

Ms. Mohammed stressed the need to restore harmony between people and the land and, in this regard, indigenous women play a key role in the conservation and transmission of traditional knowledge.

“Today they tell us of their aspirations to leave no one behind. The world must recognize that the wealth of society has to do with indigenous peoples. We all come from somewhere and if we do not know the cultures, the religions where we come from, we will not be able to get very far,” she said.

She also pointed out that “this morning, the President spoke to us about the 2030 Agenda, and told us that we have to talk to the people about what it means, that it is not an agenda for others, but for everyone.” Therefore, “this [meeting] with women leaders today is so that we can listen to you, understand what it means for you and your peoples,” she concluded.

For her part, Mapuche leader Constanza Hueche mentioned the relevance of this event, which is “an opportunity to make the reality of urban indigenous people visible”.

Sustainable Development Forum

Upon her arrival in Chile, Ms. Mohammed participated in the inauguration of the Sixth Meeting of the Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Sustainable Development, which takes place from April 25 to 28 at ECLAC headquarters, and was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero; the Chilean Ambassador to the UN, Paula Narváez; the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, and other high-level authorities.

In her remarks, the deputy UN chief said while it is important to acknowledge achievements for sustainable development in the region, this is a “critical juncture for the Sustainable Development Goals. We have reached the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda – and we are badly off track.”

UN Chile

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed meets with indigenous leaders in Chile.

Ambitions policies to offset faltering SDG’s

“Our progress towards the SDGs has faltered – and even backtracked on some important targets and Goals – leaving countless people behind, she said, adding that: In the region, and in the context of a post-Covid triple planetary crises, low growth and deepening vulnerabilities to climate change, only 25 per cent of SDG targets are projected to be met in 2030.”

Against this backdrop, Ms. Mohammed said: “Unless we act now, all these factors could put the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals far out of reach. Ambitious policies, with course corrections, are urgently needed to reinforce positive trends and reverse negative ones.”

More broadly, she stated that: “This year will determine the future of the 2030 Agenda. We must achieve transformative change. World leaders will need to make a choice – to fulfil their commitment to a better future, or let it fall by the wayside.”

With this in mind, she stressed that SDG Summit and the Climate Ambition Summit in September must result in concrete commitment by political leaders to invest in sustainable development, and to keep the 1.5-degree limit (agreed in the Paris climate accord) alive.

The Regional Forum, which has been held annually since 2017, seeks to share common experiences and goals, experiences, and challenges in relation to implementing the 2030 Agenda n the following areas: Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7); Industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9); Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

During her day in the capital, Ms. Mohammed also met with representatives of the 19 agencies, funds, and programmes of the UN system in Chile.

At the end of Amina J. Mohammed’s visit, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Chile, María José Torres, highlighted the relevance of this visit for the country, since “it is a way of making known the challenges and contributions of Chile and its people, at the international level, to accelerate the realization of sustainable development, with a more just society”.

New report shows 90 per cent of adolescent girls in low-income economies are offline

“Closing the digital divide between girls and boys is about more than just having access to the internet and technology. It’s about empowering girls to become innovators, creators, and leaders,” said UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins.

“If we want to tackle gender gaps in the labour market, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields (or STEM), we must start now by helping young people, especially girls, gain digital skills.”

Gender divide

The report, Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and an Urgent Call for Action for Equitable Digital Skills Development , takes a close look at the gender digital divide among young people aged 15-24.

It crunches the data on internet use, mobile phone ownership, and digital skills in mostly low, lower-middle, and some middle-income economies. Though more data is needed to better monitor, understand, and work toward digital inclusion, the report finds that girls are being left behind in an increasingly digital and connected world.

Skills deficit

While advancing access to the internet is important, it isn’t enough to boost digital skills training. For example, in most countries analysed, the number of young people with access to the internet at home, is much higher than the number of youths who have obtained digital skills.

Girls are the least likely to have the opportunities to develop the skills needed for 21^stcentury learning and employment, according to the report.

On average across 32 countries and territories, girls are 35 per cent less likely than their male peers to have digital skills, including simple activities like copying or pasting files or folders, sending emails, or transferring files.

Phones for the boys

The report suggests that educational and family environments play a critical role in the gender digital divide.

For example, even within the same home, girls are far less likely than boys to access, or be able to make full use of the internet and digital technologies. Across 41 countries and territories included in the analysis, households are much more likely to provide mobile phones for boys than girls.

Barriers to accessing opportunities to higher learning and the labour market, pervasive discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes, and concerns over online safety, may further restrict girls’ digital access and skills development, said UNICEF.

To break through the barriers, they need early exposure and access to technology, digital and life skills training, that also helps neutralize the impact of harmful gender stereotypes, especially within families, and online violence.

UNICEF is calling on governments and partners to close the gender divide and ensure that girls can succeed in a digital world. Some of the recommendations include:

Teach digital skills equally to girls and boys in and out of school, including community programmes.
Protect girls’ safety online through virtual safe spaces, policies and laws, and education.
Promote girls’ access to peer learning, mentoring, internships and job shadowing in the digital/STEM world.

Chernobyl: Survivors reflect on nuclear accident, Russian occupation

Looking back on two of the most difficult periods since the plant opened in 1977, Chernobyl employees shared their personal stories with UN News on the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.

Ground zero

Evgeny Yashin was a 40-year-old chemist at the Chernobyl plant when the nuclear power reactor accident unfolded in April 1986, resulting in massive evacuations, the deaths of 31 people, and long-term illness for thousands of others.

“Everyone was talking about the explosion of the reactor’s emergency cooling system,” he told UN News, recalling a fateful bus ride to work on the day of the accident. “But, passing by the fourth power unit, it became clear to us that it was much more serious than expected; the wall of the reactor had completely fallen out and a glow could be seen, resembling a steel foundry oven. We took action immediately.”

Evgeny Yashin

Evgeny Yashin, a physicochemist by profession, came to work at Chernobyl NPP in 1977.

Mass evacuations

At that point, the scale of the accident was neither expected nor assessed, he said, adding that protocols were not in place because it had been inconceivable that this could happen to the reactors. As a shift supervisor of 300 employees at Chernobyl’s chemical workshop, his team’s main task was to prepare demineralized water, receive radioactive liquid waste, store it, and process it.

“We prepared the water to extinguish the reactor, walked knee-deep in water, and organized pumping,” he said. “Water appeared to be flowing endlessly, the system was launched at full capacity, and more and more water was required.”

On 27 April, Pripyat inhabitants were evacuated along with some of the plant’s staff, he said, remembering buses driving across the city, stopping in front of houses to collect evacuees. Relatives could neither call, warn them nor discuss the evacuation route, he said, recalling that he found his family had moved out of the area.

‘Very few of my colleagues are still alive’

In early May, the remaining staff were experiencing serious side-effects, as doctors monitored their health via frequent blood tests, he said, adding that some were taken “out of the zone” to rest.

“I feel the consequences on my health even now,” said Mr. Yashin, who has cancer. “Very few of my colleagues are still alive. I am surprised that I myself am still alive.”

Meanwhile, disputes remain about who is to blame, he said.

“I am 100 per cent sure that the designers could not have foreseen such a development,” he said. “The station personnel took all measures to localize the accident’s consequences, but could not prevent it.”

Since then, each year, on 26 April, residents of the city of Slavutych gather at a monument to the Chernobyl victims, lighting candles and remembering those tragic events, Mr. Yashin said. While he no longer works at the plant, his granddaughter, Tatiana, is an engineer who handles spent nuclear fuel at the facility, where it is stored alongside thousands of tons of radioactive waste.

SSP “Chernobyl NPP”

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station.

New threat

Like all nuclear power facilities, Chernobyl enjoys special protection under international humanitarian law. But, the 2022 Russian occupation raised grave safety concerns. It also brought employees back to 1986 working conditions, requiring compulsory rotational shifts.

“We are now working as in 1986,” Alexander Novikov, the plant’s deputy chief engineer for technical safety, said. “I have just arrived on duty and will be here until next Monday. We converted our offices into rest stations, installing showers and washing machines. Radiation control has been significantly strengthened; we carry it out every day because people live close to the station.”

One year after the Russian occupation, employees can no longer take a simple bus ride. Most live in Slavutych, but railway lines were bombed on the first day the Russia’s invasion, on 24 February 2022. Workers now travel by bus from 350 kilometres away, work for a whole week, staying in the exclusion zone for the entire period, and then return home, he said.

New roommates

Until 2022, nuclear facilities had never been captured in the context of conflict, Mr. Novikov said. The unique situation has called for tailored measures.

“The IAEA made an unconventional decision to organize ‘permanent missions’,” he said, adding that power plant employees and IAEA inspectors alike are constantly present at the facility. “Inspectors used to come and conduct an inspection for several days or weeks and then leave. Now, IAEA representatives live with our staff, carrying out inspection activities without leaving the plant.”

When a country loses control over such facilities and is unable to conduct inspections, it must turn to the international community for support, he said.

Abandoned buildings in Pripyat, two kilometres from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine.

‘The time has come’

“The time has come to respond to crises,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

While the agency’s main task, since its inception at the height of the cold war in 1957, is to ensure safety at nuclear facilities, it has never encountered the need to operate in the epicenter of intense armed fighting.

Following the onset of the war in Ukraine, the agency invited stakeholders to discussions at its headquarters in Vienna. Representing the Chernobyl plant as part of a Ukrainian delegation, Mr. Novikov said not one of the many reports he had read had mentioned the Russian war against Ukraine.

Demilitarize nuclear facilities

“The question arose of how to ensure security in such situations that are happening now in our country,” he recalled, pointing out that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is also operating in the middle of a warzone. “After all, any incident can lead to consequences that will be felt throughout Europe.”

Indeed, Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

“You can’t capture nuclear facilities,” he stressed. “The area around nuclear power plants must be demilitarized.”

IAEA

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi after he visited the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Protect cleanest energy source

Despite the challenges of accidents and war, nuclear energy represents the future, as electricity consumption in the world is growing, he said. For example, 80 per cent of electricity in France comes from nuclear power sources.

“No matter how paradoxical these words sounded after Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear power plants are one of the safest electricity producers,” he said. “Under normal operations, absent accidents and incidents, it is also the cleanest source.”

New types of reactors are reliable and controllable, he explained, adding that the development of nuclear energy is “the most promising way” forward.

“All we need now is a new approach to security,” he said.

Sudan envoy calls for ceasefire compliance, as concern mounts over West Darfur

Volker Perthes, who is also head of UN Transition Assistance Mission UNITAMS, welcomed the lull in fighting in some parts of the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), noting that “it is not being fully respected”.

Refugees

He called on both sides to stick to the final day of the agreed ceasefire, “and facilitate humanitarian access” to the UN and partners, who are continuing to provide lifesaving aid as far as conditions allow.

Mr. Perthes, who is remaining in Sudan together with senior UN personnel, said in a statement he was “deeply concerned by recent reports of violence in El Geneina (West Darfur), which increasingly appears to also be taking on inter-communal dimensions with attacks on civilians and looting and distribution of weapons among local communities.”

UN premises looted

He said attacks had also resulted in “other mass looting, including of UN premises.”

He once again called for an immediate end to the conflict between the two factions, who are unable to agree on integrating their forces ahead of a long-awaited transition to civilian rule, before the violence and destruction escalates.

Calling for all humanitarians – their facilities and assets – to be protected, the UNITAMS chief told the generals that it was “crucial” for civilians to be able to safely leave areas of active fighting and have access to “essential supplies.”

He welcomed ongoing efforts by local authorities in the region to de-escalate tensions, and vowed to work with all parties, “towards a sustained ceasefire with a monitoring mechanism, political negotiations, and to alleviate human suffering.”

Speaking in Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the violence wracking Sudan had “taken a terrible toll on health”.

More deaths due to disease

“On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to outbreaks, lack of access to food and water, and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization”, he said.

UNITAMS

WHO estimates that one in four of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic emergency medical treatment for the wounded.

“But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services. In the capital Khartoum, 61 per cent of health facilities are closed, and only 16 per cent are operating as normal.”

24,000 births, no hospital care

Many patients with chronic diseases, like kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, are unable to access the health facilities or medicines they need and in the coming weeks, around 24,000 women will give birth in the capital, “but they are currently unable to access maternal care”, said Tedros.

The risk of diarrhoeal diseases is high, as the water supply is disrupted and people are drinking river water to survive, noted the WHO chief.

“With nutrition programmes suspended, 50,000 children are at real risk; and the movement of civilians seeking safety threatens the fragile health system throughout the country.”

Since the conflict began, WHO has verified 16 attacks on health, resulting in at least eight deaths so far.

Thousands fleeing the fighting

As the fighting continues, the UN is preparing for a mass influx of refugees into countries across the region bordering Sudan, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told correspondents in New York on Wednesday.

The refugee agency UNHCR, estimates that some 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

“In South Sudan, our humanitarian partners are scaling up their presence in key response areas to help the most vulnerable people”, said Mr. Haq. “In Chad, UNHCR is working with the Government to assess the needs of people arriving in the country.”

UNHCR is calling on all countries neighbouring Sudan to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence, in fear of their lives.

Pity the children: lives must take precedence

In a joint statement, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, said they were alarmed at the reported numbers of civilian deaths, including children.

“The lives, protection and well-being of children must take precedence over combat operations, and we call on all parties to halt hostilities and to ensure full protection of all children.

“Parties should further refrain from attacking civilian infrastructures in accordance with international humanitarian law, especially those impacting children – this includes schools and medical facilities as well as water and sanitation systems”, said the two officials.

They also reminded military officers engaged in the fighting that “regardless of their roles, under no circumstances should children below 18 years be involved in armed conflict as the recruitment and use of children is prohibited under international law.”

WHO launches new pandemic prevention plan, as COVID deaths fall 95 per cent

The guidance provides a joined-up approach for responding to the threat or arrival of any respiratory pathogen such as flu or the range of coronaviruses, that have the ability to rapidly mutate into different variants.

DrTedros

The new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative, or PRET, incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other recent public health emergencies, said WHO.

In his regular weekly briefing in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that next week, the agency would launch its fourth Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) issued by the UN health agency, since the first at the start of the COVID-19 emergency, in February 2020.

This update outlines how countries can “transition from an emergency response, to long-term, sustained management of COVID-19”, he said, over a two year period.

Hundreds of millions will need care

“We’re very encouraged by the sustained decline in reported deaths from COVID-19, which have dropped 95 per cent since the beginning of this year.”

However, some countries are seeing increases, Tedros cautioned, and over the past four weeks, 14,000 people lost their lives to COVID.

He said an estimated one in 10 infections now results in what’s commonly known as “long COVID”, “suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer-term care” moving forward.

As the emergence of the new XBB.1.16 variant shows, the virus is still changing, and is still capable of causing new waves of disease and death, Tedros said.

Virus ‘is here to stay’

“We remain hopeful that sometime this year, we will be able to declare an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern. But this virus is here to stay, and all countries will need to learn to manage it alongside other infectious diseases.”

The UN health chief joked that the acronym for the new PRET initiative, was deliberate: “prêt” means “ready” in French.

“Rather than focusing on specific pathogens or diseases, PRET takes an integrated approach to pandemic planning, by focussing on groups of pathogens and the systems they affect.

“To begin with, PRET will focus on respiratory pathogens, including influenza, coronaviruses, RSV, and as-yet-unknown pathogens”, but he added that pandemics by definition, were global events, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration.

Schools, prayer halls, town halls

“But it’s also designed to promote collaboration between sectors. As COVID-19 demonstrated, a pandemic is not just a health crisis. It affects economies, education, trade, travel, food supply systems and more.”

PRET therefore, will engage as many sectors of human activity as possible, including civil society, religious groups and young people.

He said PRET answers the call for technical guidance, and support for promoting and strengthening integrated preparedness and response, as outlined in World Health Assembly resolutions.

Security Council veto should be ‘very last resort’: General Assembly President

The landmark resolution, adopted by consensus, calls for the General Assembly to automatically meet within 10 days if any of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – uses their right of veto.

UN_PGA

The aim is to hold these countries accountable for exercising this special voting power, which allows them to block any Council resolution or decision.

This right is enshrined in the UN Charter, the Organization’s founding document, because of their key roles in establishing the global body more than seven decades ago.

All five have exercised the right of veto at one time or another, with 44 vetoes alone since the year 2000.

A new instrument

In his opening remarks, General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said “the issue of the use of the veto affects the whole UN. And the decisions taken in these halls – or the lack of decisions – reverberate world-wide,” adding that “vetoes should always remain the very last resort.”

He said this first-ever formal debate on the veto initiative was being held “to figure out the best ways to exploit this new instrument in our big UN toolbox.”

He urged ambassadors to “ask tough questions” and “seek game-changing solutions”, stressing that “there is no wrong answer, only new ideas.”

‘Like an oxygen mask’

Mr. Kőrösi also expressed hope that Security Council members can unite and work for viable solutions, going beyond their immediate interests to act responsibly for the sake of peace across the world.

“That way we will never have to fall back on the veto resolution,” he said. “Because, in my view, it is like an oxygen mask in an airplane: good to have, but best never to be used.”

The General Assembly President said he intends to send the verbatim records of the debate, and all future debates, to the Council President.

“Today’s exchange of views cannot be just a pro forma event, or a mere administrative procedure,” he said.

“This is an opportunity to chart new avenues for multilateralism and cooperation. An opportunity to rebuild trust both within our institution and in it. An opportunity to do better for the eight billion who count on us.”

Power struggle imperils Sudan’s future, ‘lights fuse that could detonate across borders’

António Guterres was addressing an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York, and again demanded an end to the fighting between troops loyal to Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) leader Fatttah al-Burhan, and his deputy on the so-called Transitional Sovereign Council, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemedti”.

antonioguterres

“It is incumbent on Sudanese leaders to put the interests of their people front and centre”, said the UN chief, who began his speech by paying tribute to all the Sudanese men, women and children, who have lost their lives or been injured since the faction fighting began.

No battlefield solution

Mr. Guterres said a prolonged full-scale war was “unbearable to contemplate” warning that seven countries border Sudan, all of which had seen conflict or serious civil unrest in the past decade.

Poverty and hunger are already rampant across the whole region, he added.

“This conflict will not, and must not, be resolved on the battlefield, with the bodies of Sudan’s children, women and men.”

Following the popular overthrow of long-term dictator Omar al-Bashir four years ago, the generals carried out a joint military coup in 2021, ending the brief and fragile civilian power-sharing agreement that it was hoped would take Sudan into a new era of peace and civilian rule.

As negotiations advanced following positive steps towards elections and a democratic future, the two military factions failed to agree on how to integrate the SAF and RSF forces, sparking this months in-fighting.

Mr. Guterres said the Sudanese people, “have made their wishes very clear. They want peace and the restoration of civilian rule through the transition to democracy”, he told ambassadors in New York.

He urged all with influence and interests in restoring peace, to press the generals to return to the negotiating table immediately..

Committed to stay in Sudan

Turning to the UN operations, he repeated that despite relocating staff to protect personnel and their families, the Organization is committed to “staying and delivery support to the Sudanese people.”

He said Special Representative Volker Perthes would be staying in the country, along with other senior leaders: “We are establishing a hub in Port Sudan to enable us to continue to work with our partners in support of peace, and to alleviate human suffering”.

UN_Spokesperson

“Above all, we stand with the Sudanese people”, Mr. Guterres concluded.

‘Humanitarian catastrophe’ leaves civilians bearing the brunt

Addressing the Council via videolink from Sudan, Mr. Perthes said a United States-brokered 72 hour ceasefire that began on Monday, had held “in some parts” but the rival militias had continued accusing each other of violating the truce, while in Khartoum fighting had largely continued “and in some cases, intensified.”

“Residential areas near SAF and RSF installations have come under persistent attack”, he said, with many civilian areas damaged, including schools, shops, utilities, mosques, hospitals and other health facilities – some now “fully destroyed.”

Home invasions, looting of shops and cars at checkpoints, has been “rampant”, including homes and cars of local citizens, UN staff, humanitarian workers and diplomats.

Criminality on the rise

“We have also received disturbing reports of attempted sexual assaults. With supply lines running out and destroyed in airstrikes, fear of increased criminality is mounting”, he said, with reports of prisoners being released onto the streets.

He detailed the volatile situation in Darfur, and mixed responses to attempted ceasefires, with thousands on the move to escape fighting, amid spiralling prices and reports of armed robbery.

“The fighting in Sudan has created a humanitarian catastrophe, with civilians bearing the brunt”, he told the Council.

At least 450 have been killed, and over 3,700 injured Mr. Perthes said, almost certainly conservative estimates which are climbing upwards.

In a glimmer of hope, civil society and grassroots networks have mobilized to fill a vacuum left by the forced humanitarian retreat, he said.

He said that UN brokered ceasefire efforts of recent days had not been entirely fruitless, and in the few hours of time negotiated during brief humanitarian pauses, “some brief respite” had been gained, and UN staff were able to relocate on the lengthy journey to Port Sudan.

He warned that reports of some tribes and armed movements mobilizing in Darfur, taking sides in the power struggle, were “dangerous and could draw in Sudan’s neighbouring countries. I renew my call on all communities to maintain their neutrality and refrain from taking sides.”

General ‘miscalculation’

Mr. Perthes said the two generals responsible for the violence were continuing to trade accusations and issuing competing claims over territory won, and “there is no unequivocal sign that either is ready to seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that security a military victory over the other, is possible.

“This is a miscalculation. As fighting continues, law and order will further break down”, said Mr. Perthes, who also heads UN mission UNITAMS, “and command and control dissipate. Sudan could become increasingly fragmented, which would have a devastating impact on the region.”

He said the UN was continuing to ensure that national staff in Sudan, “can relocate as needed to safe areas.”

Mohammed Shamseddin

A residential building in Khartoum is damaged after being hit by a missile.

Three key priorities

Like the Secretary-General, he stressed that “our relocation and evacuation do not mean that the UN is abandoning Sudan”, and there were now three immediate priorities for the UN and partners.

First, a sustained ceasefire with a monitoring mechanism in place. Secondly, a return to political negotiations, and finally, “the alleviation of human suffering.”

“The courage and resilience of our Sudanese friends, national staff and partners, continue to motivate us”, concluded the Special Representative. “The entire UN family will work tirelessly towards ending the violence in Sudan and restoring hope for a better future.”

Aid teams exploring ways of replenishing stockpiles

Briefing the Council on the humanitarian effort, the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, said events since 15 April had been “a nightmare for ordinary citizens and aid workers alike.”

Needs were already at a record high, with 15.8 million relying on some form of humanitarian aid, and 3.7 million already internally displaced. She said an “entirely new wave of humanitarian challenges” was now likely.

She praised the people of Sudan and all humanitarians “for their heroic efforts and for putting their lives at risk to help others.”

“We have lost five of our own”, she said, with aid workers attacked in the homes, beaten and held at gunpoint.

“The situation is extremely dangerous and alarming”, added the deputy relief chief, but the UN’s commitment to the people, would “remain absolute”, she assured.

Thousands of refugees are crossing the border into Chad fleeing violence in Sudan.

Operations continue ‘where possible’

“Where possible, humanitarian operations continue, thanks to the dedication of aid workers, including our local partners. Together, we continue to deliver whenever and wherever feasible, particularly in the areas of health and nutrition”.

She said the UN was now exploring ways to replenish its depleted stockpiles so that aid could be delivered in Port Sudan and elsewhere, “as soon as it is safe to do so.”

A hub in neighbouring Kenya, is being activated, to support the rapid response mission that will be needed, she added.

“What the people of Sudan need, what we need to reach them, is an immediate ceasefire and a lasting solution to the crisis. We are counting on your relentless efforts to this end”, she told ambassadors.

Use new tools to save lives, WHO says on World Malaria Day

“We have the tools to drive down malaria, a package of interventions that includes vector control, preventive medicines, testing, and treatment,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO

Adopting as its theme for the day – “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement” – WHO’s call to action encompasses preventing, diagnosing, and treating malaria, particularly among marginalized populations.

New vaccine pilots

According to the latest WHO World Malaria Report, published in December, there were an estimated 247 million new cases of malaria in 2021.

Nearly 1.5 million children at high risk of illness and death from malaria in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, have now received their first dose of the first ever malaria vaccine as part of an ongoing WHO-coordinated pilot programme, the UN health agency reported.

The WHO African region accounted for an estimated 95 per cent of all cases and 96 per cent of all deaths in 2021, the agency said. In the region, nearly 80 per cent of malaria deaths were among children under the age of five.

Already saving lives

Launched in 2019, the malaria vaccine pilots are increasing equity in access to prevention tools for the most vulnerable. WHO said they are already saving lives.

If implemented broadly, the UN health agency estimates that every year, the vaccines could save tens of thousands of lives.

“These are joined by a safe and effective malaria vaccine, which could save the lives of tens of thousands children every year,” the UN health agency chief said. “With sustained investment and scaled-up efforts to reach those most at risk, malaria elimination in many countries is in reach.”

Innovative tools

Countries have made some progress in expanding access to malaria services for most-at-risk populations. Despite some progress, many people at high risk of malaria still lack access to services that can prevent, detect, and treat the disease, most commonly spread by mosquito bites.

Challenges in expanding access to malaria services have been compounded, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, by the COVID-19 pandemic, converging humanitarian crises, restricted funding, weak surveillance systems, and declines in the effectiveness of core malaria-fighting tools, the agency said.

To address these threats and support countries in building more resilient malaria programmes, WHO recently published a series of new tools: a strategy to contain antimalarial drug resistance in Africa; and a framework, developed jointly by WHO and UN-Habitat, to guide city leaders in urban malaria control.

A six-month-old baby is tested for malaria after Cyclone Freddy caused floods and devastation in Malawi.

Prospects for new interventions

Continued investment in the development and deployment of new vaccines and next-generation tools will be key to achieving the 2030 global malaria targets, WHO said.

A second malaria vaccine, if approved, could help close the sizable gap between supply and demand and further reduce child illness and death from malaria, the agency said.

Meanwhile, 28 new products in the research and development pipeline include such innovative tools as new types of insecticide-treated nets, targeted baits that attract mosquitoes, and genetic engineering of mosquitoes.

WHO

A health worker holds a malaria vaccine syringe in Ghana during a mass vaccination campaign. (file)

Guterres urges countries to recommit to achieving SDGs by 2030 deadline

Launching a special edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress report, he warned that their collective promise made in 2015 of a more green, just and equitable global future, is in peril.

“Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” he said.

Rising poverty and hunger

The report reveals that just 12 per cent of the 169 SDG targets are on track, while progress on 50 per cent is weak and insufficient. Worst of all, he said is the fact that progress has either stalled or even reversed on more than 30 per cent of the goals.

The 17 SDGs are in a sorry state due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating “triple crisis” of climate, biodiversity and pollution, amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, the number of people living in extreme poverty is higher than it was four years ago. Hunger has also increased and is now back at 2005 levels, and gender equality is some 300 years away. Other fallouts include record-high inequality and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Fundamental changes needed

The UN chief noted that many developing countries cannot invest in the SDGs because of burdensome debt, while climate finance is far below commitments. Richer nations have not yet delivered on the $100 billion promised annually in support, he recalled, among other climate pledges.

“The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, of inclusive, sustainable development, and human rights and dignity for all. It requires fundamental changes to the way the global economy is organized,” he said.

“The SDGs are the path to bridge both economic and geopolitical divides; to restore trust and rebuild solidarity,” he added. “Let’s be clear: no country can afford to see them fail.”

SDG Stimulus

Mr. Guterres has appealed for an SDG Stimulus plan of at least $500 billion a year, and for deep reforms to the international financial architecture, both key recommendations in the report.

The SDG Stimulus aims to scale up affordable long-term financing for all countries in need, tackle debt and expand contingency financing – all areas that require action.

Although these measures can help to turn the situation around, he stressed that they will not solve the fundamental issue of the current unjust and dysfunctional global financial system, which will require deep reforms.

A young child suffering from malnutrition is fed by his mother at home in a village that was devastated by the floods in Pakistan.

Globalization that benefits all

Repeating his call for “a new Bretton Woods moment” – when the first negotiated international monetary rules were established in 1944, including the International Monetary Fund – Mr. Guterres said developing countries must have greater representation in global financial institutions.

“We need a financial system that ensures the benefits of globalization flow to all, by putting the needs of developing countries at the centre of all its decisions,” he said.

The SDG progress report also contains five other important recommendations.

Commit and deliver

The first calls for all UN Member States to recommit to achieve the goals, at the national and international levels, by strengthening the social contract and steering their economies to the green transition.

The second point urges governments to set and deliver on national benchmarks to reduce poverty and inequality by 2027 and 2030, which requires focus on areas such as expanding social protection and jobs, but also education, gender equality, and “digital inclusion”.

The report calls for all countries to commit “to end the war on nature”. Governments are urged to support the Acceleration Agenda for climate action, under which leaders of developed countries commit to reaching net zero emissions, and to deliver on the new Global Biodiversity Framework, signed in December.

Support for development

The fourth point focused on the need for governments to strengthen national institutions and accountability. “This will require new regulatory frameworks and stronger public digital infrastructure and data capacity,” said Mr. Guterres.

His final point underscored the need for greater multilateral support for the UN development system and decisive action at the Summit of the Future to be held next year.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

The Sustainable Development Goals projected onto UN Headquarters, New York, in 2015

Hopes for SDG Summit

In the interim, world leaders will gather at the UN in September for the SDG Summit. This will be a moment of truth and reckoning, Mr. Guterres said, though adding that it must also be a moment of hope towards kickstarting a new drive to achieve the goals.

The Secretary-General insisted that “SDG progress is not about lines on a graph”, but rather about healthy mothers and babies, children learning the skills to fulfil their potential, renewable energy and clean air, and other such development accomplishments.

“The road ahead is steep. Today’s report shows us just how steep,” he said. “But it is one we can and must travel – together – for the people we serve.”