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World News in Brief: Global trade rebound forecast, e-waste mountain grows, 7,000 preventable TB deaths in Europe during COVID-19

Last year saw a three per cent contraction, equalling roughly $1 trillion, compared to the record high of $32 trillion in 2022.

Despite this decline, the services sector showed resilience with a $500 billion (eight per cent) increase from the previous year, while trade in goods experienced a $1.3 trillion, or five per cent, decline compared to 2022.

The fourth quarter of 2023 marked a departure from previous ones, with both merchandise and services trade stabilising. Developing countries, especially those in Africa, East Asia and South Asia, saw a return to growth.

UN Women/Ryan Brown.

A woman employee at Port Victoria, Seychelles. She works for an enterprise that provides services for the Seychelles’ largest industry, industrial tuna fishing.

Regional dynamics

While major economies generally saw a decline last year in merchandise trade – or the import and export of goods – there were exceptions, said UNCTAD.

Russia “exhibited notable volatility in trade statistics”, and towards the end of 2023, trade in goods grew in China (up five per cent in terms of imports) and India (five per cent growth in exports) although it declined for Russia and the European Union.

During 2023, trade performance declined in the developing world by approximately four per cent and by around six per cent in developed economies.

South-South trade, or trade between developing economies, saw a steeper decline of around seven per cent.

However, these trends reversed in the last quarter of 2023, with developing countries and South-South trade resuming growth while trade in developed countries remained stable.

Geopolitical tensions continued to impact bilateral trade, as shown by Russia reducing its trade dependence on the European Union while increasing its reliance on China. Trade interdependence between China and the United States decreased further in 2023.

Regionally, trade between African economies bucked the global trend by increasing six per cent last year, whereas intraregional trade in East Asia and Latin America lagged behind the global average.

E-waste mountain growing five times faster than recycling rate

ITU

The amount of electronic waste – or e-waste – that we produce is at least 62 million tonnes, and it’s rising five times faster than the amount being recycled.

That’s the worrying finding of the UN Global E-waste Monitor report, published on Thursday.

The report looked into the sheer volume of old phones, batteries and other tech that’s thrown away and found that all this e-waste would fill over one and a half million 40-tonne trucks – that’s about enough to form a bumper-to-bumper line of lorries around the Equator.

Only 25 per cent of e-waste is recycled

Data crunched by the UN agencies behind the report – ITU and UNITAR – also found that only around 25 per cent of e-waste in 2022 was officially recorded to have been recycled.

This means $62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources are unaccounted for, increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide.

Worldwide, e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes annually, meaning that we’re on track to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.

E-waste – any discarded product with a plug or battery – is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which can damage the human brain and nervous system.

7,000 avoidable deaths in Europe due to COVID-19 pandemic: WHO

There were nearly 7,000 excess deaths from tuberculosis (TB) in the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) European region during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data published on Thursday has revealed.

WHO_Europe

Based on pre-2020 estimates, the deaths would not have occurred if TB diagnosis and treatment efforts had not been disrupted, WHO said.

The revelation comes via the latest TB surveillance and monitoring report from WHO/Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), released annually in anticipation of World TB Day, which takes place on 24 March.

“Our latest report reveals a heartbreaking, entirely preventable situation; people affected by TB were not protected during the pandemic and 7,000 needlessly lost their lives because of disruptions to TB services,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“The report also reveals another evolving, preventable tragedy: the prevalence of drug-resistant TB continues to rise,” he said. “We urge national authorities to strengthen TB testing programmes, diagnose promptly and apply the latest WHO guidelines.”

According to ECDC Director Dr Andrea Ammon, “we still have a long road ahead of us for meeting the TB elimination targets” in the aftermath of COVID-19.

“Timely strengthening of prevention, testing and treatment are key elements in fighting TB, and any delays are translated into further suffering and death. Countries must act now,” she said.

Indonesia leads the way in taming forest fires

When volunteer firefighter Marlizar noticed smoke billowing over a quarter-hectare of peatland while on a routine patrol in 2019, he dispatched his colleague to their base in Riau province’s Teluk Maranti village, seven kilometres away, and faced the fire alone.

As Marlizar’s colleague sped off to retrieve a clunky hose unit, the 42-year-old attempted to beat back the flames with a tree branch while alerting the disaster management agency. Experience had taught him how to stay safe from smoke inhalation. “The only thing on my mind was what could I do to stop the fire from spreading, he says.”

Despite Marlizar’s valiant efforts, the flames had engulfed five hectares within an hour. In the two more hours it took for the hose unit to arrive—transported by speed boat, then hefted on several fire-fighters’ shoulders—the peatlands were ablaze as far as he could see.

In Teluk Meranti, in the following days and weeks, schools, airports, and government offices were forced to close as smoke thickened the air.

Losses in the billions

Indonesia’s 2019 wildfires burned 3.1 million hectares, an area bigger than Belgium, blanketed six other countries in smoky haze, released almost 604 million tonnes of CO2 and caused some 900,000 people to report respiratory illnesses. The fires also inflicted $5.2 billion in losses in Indonesia, according to the World Bank, adding to the US$16 billion caused by even larger fires in 2015.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) worse is still to come; the UN body expects a 14 per cent increase in forest fires globally by 2030 due to a mixture of climate change and changing land use.

But in Indonesia, a UNEP-led integrated fire management pilot project, financed by USAID, has, since 2021, helped build greater fire resistance in three of the country’s most fire-prone districts.

It draws inspiration from a “cluster-based” approach towards land management practiced in South Africa—bringing together the knowhow of community fire-fighting brigades like Marlizar’s, the reach of government agencies, and the resources of some of Indonesia’s largest private companies.

The project’s aim of enhancing coordination between community, government, and private land users could hold lessons for fire-prone countries around the world.

“Forest fires inflict massive humanitarian, environmental and economic costs, especially when they occur on carbon-rich peatlands, so it’s in everyone’s interest to prevent them from breaking out,” says UNEPs programme officer Johan Kief. “Indonesia has set ambitious goals on halting deforestation and reducing carbon emissions—reducing the risk of fires is a key component of achieving them.”

UNIC Jakarta

Volunteer firefighter Marlizar in Teluk Meranti Village, Riau.

Putting out the flames

After UNEP began forming fire prevention clusters in 2021, no fire hotspots were found in the first pilot district, Central Kalimantan’s Pulang Pisau, in the 2022 dry season. In Riau’s Pelalawan district, where Teluk Maranti is located, the number of reported fires decreased from 139 in 2021 to 88 in 2022. In South Sumatra’s Ogan Komering Ilir district, the third pilot area, the number of reported fires declined from 345 to 109.

Based on the results achieved in the initial three pilot districts, the project is expanding to a further six priority districts, with the aim of eventually implementing the approach nationwide.

“The efficacy of collaborative approaches to fire prevention has been proven through these clusters. Sharing the experience of these three districts not just in Indonesia, but also to other peat-rich and fire-prone countries in Latin America and southern Africa, is a contribution from Indonesia to the world,” said Bambang Suryaputra, Head of the Centre for Operation Control at Indonesia’s disaster prevention agency, BNPB.

Indonesia has the third largest area of forest cover in the world, behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But as with elsewhere on an archipelago that was 84 per cent forest in 1900, the road that leads from Riau’s provincial capital Pekabaru to the UNEP pilot district Palalawan, today tells the story of how industry and agriculture has led the forest to recede. Kilometre after kilometre, the cacophony of jungle has been replaced with uniform blocks of squat glossy green oil palm, spindly brown acacia, and white dappled rubber.

UNIC Jakarta

Ms. Ernawati, a former volunteer fire fighter who heads a local farmers’ groupin Teluk Meranti, Riau

Clustered together

At least 14 companies hold concessions in Palalawan district. One of the largest is paper and pulp maker APRIL, with some 150,000 hectares of acacia estate. Most fires in Palalawan break out on community rather than company land, APRIL’s deputy chief of fire and emergency response, Mr. Yuneldi says, but even when fires occur outside the company’s estate, APRIL has sent its ample resources, equipment, and personnel to assist the police and military in putting down fires.

Equipped with satellite imaging and real time weather tracking technology, the resources at APRIL’s fire centre are a far cry from those available to community firefighters like Marlizar and his team, who gauge the dryness of the peatland they patrol by the way it falls through their fingers.

It is these differences in resources that UNEP’s cluster approach is designed to address, through developing an integrated strategy to take on a challenge that affects everyone.

In Teluk Meranti, community-based awareness raising efforts are paying off: new signage cautions fishers and bird hunters against tossing cigarette butts or starting cooking fires, and farmers have a better understand of the risks involved in burning dry peatland.

World News in Brief: Dignity and justice key to end evil of racial discrimination, methane emissions update, Mpox latest, peacebuilding boost

The international day on Thursday highlights that theme, as well as the importance of recognition, justice and development opportunities for those of African descent, said Secretary-General António Guterres.

He said the results of entrenched racism continue to be devasting: “opportunities stolen; dignity denied; rights violated; lives taken and lives destroyed.”

The African diaspora faces a unique history of systemic and institutionalized racism, and profound challenges, he continued.

“We must respond to that reality – learning from, and building on, the tireless advocacy of people of African descent. That includes governments advancing policies and other measures to eliminate racism against people of African descent.”

Racist algorithms

He also singled out the recent controversy involving some artificial intelligence tools which have reportedly been unable to eliminate racist tropes and stereotypes from even highly advanced algorithms, calling on tech firms to “urgently” address racial bias in AI.

In a joint statement a group of independent UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts said the international day was a time to take stock of “persistent gaps” in the effort to protect hundreds of millions whose human rights continue to be violated due to racial discrimination.

“It is also an opportunity to recommit to our promise to fight all forms of racism everywhere.”

They noted that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance continue to be a cause of conflict worldwide.

“We are witnessing a dangerous regression in the fight against racism and racial discrimination in many spaces”, the experts said.

“Minorities, people of African descent, people of Asian descent, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, are particularly vulnerable as they often face discrimination in all aspects of their lives based on their racial, ethnic or national origin, skin colour or descent.”

States must implement international rights obligations, conventions, and declarations to which they are a party, they added. Special Rapporteurs and other rights experts are independent of the UN or any government, and receive no salary for their work.

Tackle methane emissions now, to slow global warming

Tackling emissions of methane now, is essential to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050, according to a new report issued by the UN-backed Global Methane Forum on Wednesday.

UNECE

The Forum is meeting in Geneva, hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the UN Environment Programme-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition and other partners.

Political momentum is building towards methane mitigation and new technology is allowing more accurate measurement, revealing the urgent need to turn commitment into real cuts, the Forum said in a press release.

Nearly 500 participants from across the world have been sharing success stories to catalyze methane emission reductions in line with the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce emissions by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels up to end of this decade. It now has 157 countries and the European Union on board.

A powerful greenhouse gas, methane has a warming effect over 80 times greater than CO₂ over a 20-year timeframe, which means action to cut emissions now can unlock significant near-term benefits for climate action.

The gas is responsible for around 30% of total warming since the Industrial Revolution and is the second largest contributor to global warming after CO₂.

Turning pledges into action

UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean opened the plenary session on Tuesday by making a global call to mobilize more ambitious action: “Hand in hand with decarbonization of energy systems, methane emissions need to be addressed in governments’ plans for stronger climate action.”

Meeting the Global Methane Pledge goals could reduce global warming by at least 0.2° C by 2050.

“In view of the devastation and suffering caused by extreme weather events, in particular in the most vulnerable countries, the world can simply not afford to miss this opportunity”, she added.

Mpox deaths falling everywhere but Africa, says expert panel

Cases of Mpox are falling everywhere except in Africa, a UN health agency expert panel has said, warning that the virus is causing “high mortality” in children under 15 years old.

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization meeting in Geneva to advise the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the African Mpox strain appears to have a different genetic blueprint to other outbreaks reported around the world.

Experts on the panel highlighted the need to monitor and find the source of an ongoing outbreak of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which has been linked to 265 deaths.

WHO’s Dr Kate O’Brien said the agency was encouraging countries to be proactive, “in particular the Democratic Republic of Congo, to have access to the vaccine, to use the vaccine and to do evaluations of the vaccine performance, which we expect to be very high.”

Vaccines should be used in at-risk communities and in non-high risk populations, the panel said.

But experts highlighted the problems caused by poor vaccine access in parts of Africa and urged greater investment in vaccine research on M-pox.

The WHO announced that Mpox was no longer a public health emergency last May.

UNPeacebuilding

Demand for peacebuilding outstrips supply

Amidst an intensification and multiplication of crises, the demand for support to UN peacebuilding continues to outstrip supply, the Secretary-General said in a new report published on Wednesday.

“The wars grabbing the headlines today only underscore the need to invest now in sustainable peace for tomorrow”, said António Guterres.

Covering the period from 1 January to 31 December, the report highlights that in 2023 the Peacebuilding Fund approved over $200 million for projects in 36 countries and territories, including for women’s and youth empowerment.

Redouble peacebuilding efforts

While the decision of the General Assembly to provide assessed contributions to the Fund starting in 2025 marked a milestone, the Fund reached its lowest liquidity level since its inception due to a decline in contributions last year.

“This is a time to redouble, not diminish, peacebuilding efforts”, said Assistant-Secretary General for Peacebuilding Support Elizabeth Spehar.

“This year’s report shows again that peacebuilding works: stronger institutions and inclusive dialogues help break and prevent cycles of violence.”

Records smashed – new WMO climate report confirms 2023 hottest so far

Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones caused misery and mayhem, upending everyday life for millions and inflicting many billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 report.

“Sirens are blaring across all major indicators… Some records aren’t just chart-topping, they’re chart-busting. And changes are speeding up,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a video message for the launch.

Red alert

Based on data from multiple agencies, the study confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45°C above the pre-industrial baseline. It crowned the warmest ten-year period on record.

UN News/Anton Uspensky

Dr Celeste Saulo (centre), Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) at the launch of the State of the Global Climate 2023 report

“The scientific knowledge about climate change has existed for more than five decades, and yet we missed an entire generation of opportunity,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said presenting the report to the media in Geneva. She urged the climate change response to be governed by the “welfare of future generations, but not the short-term economic interests”.

“As Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, I am now sounding the red alert about the state of the global climate,” she emphasised.

World in disarray

However, climate change is about much more than air temperatures, the WMO experts explain. The unprecedented ocean warmth and sea level rise, glacier retreat and Antarctic sea ice loss, are also part of the grim picture.

On an average day in 2023, nearly one third of the ocean surface was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems, the report found.

The glaciers observed suffered the largest loss of ice on record – since 1950 – with extreme melt in both western North America and Europe, according to preliminary data.

Alpine ice caps experienced an extreme melting season, for instance, with those in Switzerland loosing around 10 per cent of their remaining volume in the past two years.

The Antarctic sea ice loss was by far the lowest on record – at one million square kilometres below the previous record year – equivalent to the size of France and Germany combined.

Observed concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – reached record levels in 2022 and continued increase in 2023, preliminary data shows.

Global repercussions

According to the report, weather and climate extremes are either the root cause or serious aggravating factors that in 2023 triggered displacement, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, health issues and more.

The report, for example, cites figures that the number of people who are acutely food insecure worldwide has more than doubled, from 149 million before the COVID-19 pandemic to 333 million in 2023 in 78 countries monitored by the World Food Programme (WFP).

“The climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces. It is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis – as witnessed by growing food insecurity and population displacement, and biodiversity loss,” said Ms. Saulo.

A glimmer of hope

The WMO report not only raises alarm but also offers reasons for optimism. In 2023, renewable capacity additions soared by almost 50 per cent, totalling 510 gigawatts (GW) – the highest observed rate in two decades.

The surge in renewable energy generation, primarily fuelled by solar radiation, wind, and the water cycle, has positioned it as a leading force in climate action for achieving decarbonization goals.

Effective multi-hazard early warning systems are crucial for mitigating the impact of disasters. The Early Warnings for All initiative aims to ensure universal protection through early warning systems by 2027.

Since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, there has been an increase in the development and implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies.

From 2021 to 2022, global climate-related finance flows nearly doubled compared to 2019-2020 levels, reaching nearly $1.3 trillion.

However, this amounts to only about one percent of global GDP, underscoring a significant financing gap. To achieve the objectives of a 1.5°C pathway, annual climate finance investments must increase more than sixfold, reaching almost $9 trillion by 2030, with an additional $10 trillion needed by 2050.

Cost of inaction

The cost of inaction is staggering, the report warns. Between 2025 and 2100, it may reach $1,266 trillion, representing the difference in losses between a business-as-usual scenario and a 1.5° C pathway. Noting that this figure is likely a significant underestimate, the UN weather experts call for immediate climate action.

The report is launched ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial meeting, where climate leaders and ministers from around the world will gather for the first time since COP28 in Dubai to push for accelerated climate action, including delivering an ambitious agreement on financing at COP29 in Baku later this year – to turn national plans into action.

Path to low-carbon construction is clear as mud

“Not many architects think that climate change is something that they need to think about, but we’re trying to change that,” says Rosie Paul, co-founder of Bangalore-based architecture firm Masons Ink.

“For us, it’s obvious that climate change directly affects the shelter that you’re going to live in, and you need to start building resilient structures.”

Ms. Paul and her best friend of sixteen years, Sridevi Changali, are focused on preserving India’s ancient heritage of mud construction by emphasizing the material’s sustainable properties, which make it ideal to combat the modern problem of high-carbon construction.

Muddy the waters

The magic of mud? Its breathable nature allows moisture into the home, improving indoor air quality and avoiding the buildup of damp and mould which cement traps and incubates.

Mud walls have a high thermal mass which means they slowly absorb heat from solar radiation and store it, releasing it at night in cooler temperatures. This reduces the need for air conditioning units, which consume large amounts of electricity and contain refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gas emissions.

As mud is readily available, it removes much of the transportation cost and footprint. Sridevi notes, “the manufacturing and the processing is done by local communities, so you’re giving back to local livelihoods rather than large manufacturing plants and large companies.”

Could mud be the solution? Architects like Rosie and Sri are reviving raw-earth construction to build sustainable structures that can withstand extreme weather events such as flash floods and intense heat.

Thomas Payyapilli’s mud home was constructed at lowest possible cost, with lowest impact to the environment.

Step up for women

At the same time, they’re championing more women to complete their studies in architecture and training more women in on-site skills, such as stone masonry.

“I think the minute you start talking about issues related to gender, it automatically becomes like a “you versus me” thing,” Rosie says. “Which it really isn’t. We’re just saying that there are issues that we’re feeling in the profession, and we need support to change that.

“Let’s employ more women in our architecture firms. Let’s have more women on construction sites. Let’s look at their security aspects. The idea is to question the obstacles, and to get more people to fight those with us.”

Rosie Paul (left) and Sridevi Changali started Masons Ink Studio in 2013.

An early supporter was their client Thomas Payyapilli, whose mud home Masons Ink designed using little to no waste.

There were two main factors involved in the concept, he says: lowest possible cost, and lowest possible impact to the environment. His farm is now fully certified organic, growing aromatic and medicinal plants.

Another client, Sindhoor Pangal, sees her mud home as a departure from an unfulfilling urban existence. “I started out in the corporate world like a lot of people. And I think after a while, I got disillusioned with that kind of a life”. A planned move to the countryside took a tragic turn with the sudden loss of her husband, Uttam.

“When I spoke with Masons Ink, it was important for me that they also knew my husband. They understood my journey. They understood where I was coming from. And somehow, that translated into the design.” Masons Ink and Sindhoor worked with an all-woman team of masons to create her home, which, she says “is a dedication to my husband and the life that I had with him.”

For Rosie and Sridevi, when it comes to the climate crisis, big changes can come from all of us.

“For women, no matter where you are, and no matter what your profession is, or if you’re at home, the idea is just each of us to do our own little part. To keep going. And I’d love to see more women architects and more women working on sites. More women everywhere. The future is female.”

Buildings and Climate Global Forum

Rosie and Sridevi will be among over 800 attendees of the inaugural Buildings and Climate Global Forum, taking place on 7-8 March 2024 in Paris.
The Forum is co-organised by France and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, and gathers ministers and high-level representatives of key organizations, to generate a new impetus in international collaboration for decarbonizing and resilience in buildings after the COP28 UN Climate Conference.
Governments will be invited to endorse a common declaration of common principles and a framework for global cooperation. All stakeholders of the buildings sector will be invited to disclose specific engagements to support the Forum’s ambition.

World News in Brief: Climate change in the countryside, Yemen polio drive success, development and peace

The Unjust Climate report highlights the reality that every year in low and middle-income countries, female heads of households in rural areas suffer significantly greater financial losses than men.

FAO

On average, female-headed households lose eight per cent more of their income due to heat stress and three per cent more due to floods compared with male-headed households.

This translates to a significant per capita income reduction of $83 due to heat stress and $35 due to floods, totalling $37 billion and $16 billion, respectively, across the most impoverished countries.

If average temperatures were to increase by just 1°C, these women would face a staggering 34 per cent greater loss in their total incomes compared to men. The study suggests that if it is not addressed, climate change will greatly widen these gaps in the years ahead.

Powerful impact

“Social differences based on locations, wealth, gender and age have a powerful, yet poorly understood, impact on rural peoples’ vulnerability to the impacts of the climate crisis”, said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

“These findings highlight the urgent need to dedicate substantially more financial resources and policy attention to issues of inclusivity and resilience in global and national climate actions”.

For a deeper dive into this story, go here to read an interview with Lauren Phillips, Deputy-Director of FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division.

Nearly 1.3 million children in Yemen protected from polio

A mass polio immunization campaign in Yemen has reached more than 1.29 million children under five in the course of just four days, the UN announced on Tuesday.

An astonishing 89 to 100 per cent of the children targeted were reached by the joint campaign involving Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

UNICEF_Yemen

“This is an important step to protect children from deadly childhood diseases”, said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.

“With confirmed cases of polio among Yemeni children, an imminent threat persists. This is an ongoing risk to the life of every unvaccinated child. Health authorities and donors must continue to work together to ensure universal immunization coverage for all children across Yemen”.

WHO Representative, Arturo Pesigan, described the inoculation drive as a major achievement in advancing the health outcomes and well-being of children in Yemen.

Investment in the future

“Poliovirus and other childhood diseases can cause permanent disabilities and, in many cases, death. But a small dose of vaccine can provide the necessary protection”, he said.

“There is no reason for children to die of vaccine-preventable diseases. Children are the future, and all investment in their health is an investment in the development of the country”.

The campaign was implemented with the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Yemen joined more than 35 countries in using the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which has been granted WHO prequalification.

‘No sustainable development without peace’: Deputy UN chief

There can be no sustainable development in line with the Global Goals for 2030, without peace, the UN deputy chief told a high-level meeting of Arab States in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.

Amina Mohammed addressed the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development the world is facing complex challenges, not least in the Middle East, which is being roiled by conflict and instability.

“Persistent and recurrent conflicts and fragility are directly impacting 182 million people in nine countries in this region and exacerbating the refugee crisis” she said.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed speaks at the opening of the 2024 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development in Beirut, Lebanon.

The war in Gaza and other crises “remind us that there can be no sustainable development without peace. And truly sustainable development – here in the Arab world, and across the globe – remains a very long way off”, she added.

More than halfway to the deadline of the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are severely off-track, globally and in the Arab region.

The Deputy Secretary-General said that extreme poverty in the region has more than doubled since 2015 and is now above 20 per cent while unemployment stands at 10.7 per cent.

Gaps widening

The Arab region is also suffering from a growing financing gap while droughts, floods, the sand and dust storms, and other climate and environmental challenges constrict economic and social development, with carbon emissions rising 68 per cent between 2000 and 2020, twice as fast as the global trend.

But against this backdrop, “there are signs of hope”, she said, noting the pledge of $500 billion a year made during last September’s SDG Summit and reforms to the global financial architecture to make it more equitable, resilient, responsive and accessible to everyone.

“We need to ramp up action around policies and investments that can drive transformative change” she told delegates, adding that many Arab countries are already accelerating efforts around key transformations from clean energy, food systems, to digitization, social protection reforms and economic diversification.

Human ingenuity can help to save nature, Guterres says on World Wildlife Day

Human activities have devastated our wildlife. Human ingenuity can help to save it,” he said.

This year’s theme focuses on how digital technologies can drive wildlife conservation at a time when pollution, climate chaos, habitat loss and exploitation of nature are putting a million plant and animal species at risk of extinction.

antonioguterres

No ‘silver bullet’

“Already, satellites are helping to track animals under threat. And data is charting wildlife migration and land use, supporting efforts to protect them. But they are a tool in our arsenal, not a silver bullet,” Mr. Guterres said.

He underscored the need for concerted efforts to help preserve wildlife and build a just, sustainable global future.

The Secretary-General urged countries to take urgent action to drastically reduce emissions, adapt to climate extremes, prevent pollution and reduce biodiversity loss.

World Wildlife Day, commemorated annually on 3 March, was established by the UN General Assembly in 2013 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of the planet’s flora and fauna.

The date also marks the day the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted in 1973.

UN chief appeals for greater support for small islands fighting climate change

Mr. Guterres visited a project that is helping the Caribbean nation to combat the effects of coastal erosion and rising seas – among the impacts of global warming.

While commending the initiative, known as the Georgetown Sea Defense, he underlined the need for greater solidarity and financial support.

UN Photo/Lucanus Ollivierre

Efforts to tackle erosion and sea-level rise are underway in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where a new coastal sea defense project is being constructed in the Sandy Bay community.

Climate justice

“We must have stronger support from the international community – what we call climate justice – which means adequate financing at low cost, quickly decided, in order to allow for all these works that we have been seeing to protect the island against the sea, and against the floods and storms,” he said.

Responding to a journalist’s question, Mr. Guterres said that SIDS must have quick and easy access to climate finance through the Loss and Damage Fund.

The long-awaited mechanism to help vulnerable countries offset the damage from droughts, floods and other extreme weather caused by climate change, finally became operational at the UN COP28 climate conference in Dubai last year.

Mr. Guterres explained that under the fund, small projects like the one he visited would not require the same level of bureaucracy as those costing billions.

They instead call for “quick decisions and quick operationalization of the money available, and much more funding,” he said.

“The people of the Small Island Developing States are on the frontlines of climate change. They did not contribute to global warming, but they are paying the price,” he added.

UN Photo/Lucanus Ollivierre

Prefabricated homes built in Orange Hill resettlement area, in northeast Saint Vincent, to house some people who lived in areas declared unsuitable for habitation after the eruptions of the La Soufriere volcano in 2021.

Rising from the ashes

The Secretary-General also surveyed areas of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines that were affected by the April 2021 eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.

Some 20,000 people, roughly a fifth of the population, had to evacuate immediately. New houses were built in the resettlement area for those whose homes were destroyed.

The UN chief was in the country to attend the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held on Friday.

He arrived in the capital, Kingstown, the previous day, where, during a press conference, he paid tribute to the courage, resilience and solidarity of the people in the aftermath of the volcano.

World News in Brief: Another month of extreme heat, Sudan exodus continues into Chad, Zero Discrimination Day

Summarizing the state of the climate, the month ended with extreme heat in the southern hemisphere where it’s summer, while high temperatures atypical of the northern hemisphere winter prevailed.

Parts of North and South America, northwest and southeast Africa, southeast and far eastern Asia, western Australia and Europe all saw record-breaking temperatures, either on a daily basis or for all of February.

“The anomalous heat is consistent with the persisting warming observed since June 2023, with seven consecutive new global monthly temperature records, including January 2024,” said Alvaro Silva, a climatologist working with WMO.

Global sea surface temperatures are record high. While the El Niño weather pattern “has stoked temperatures in some parts of the world, human induced climate change is the long-term major contributing factor,” he added.

Conversely, a large part of northwestern Canada, central Asia – and from southern central Siberia to southeastern China – witnessed exceptional cold during the last week of the month.

The meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere finish officially at the end of February.

Sudanese continuing to flee into Chad: UN refugee agency

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, raised increasing concern on Friday that more refugees will cross into Chad from Darfur in the coming weeks amid a worrying lack of food and other essentials.

UNHCRWestAfrica

Almost a year since the start of the civil war between rival militaries in Sudan, neighbouring Chad urgently needs more humanitarian aid and significant development investment, the agency reported, especially in its eastern areas which are hosting the refugee influx.

This investment will allow the country to continue its generous open-door stance towards refugees.

“Chadian officials are concerned that many more hungry Sudanese families will come in the next weeks,” said Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, who is in the country to review the relief operation.

“The country is committed to keeping its borders open, despite the fragility of this region. But, doing so will put even more strain on Chad, which has so graciously been hosting refugees from Sudan’s war – now raging almost a year – and other refugees still here from earlier emergencies.”

State of emergency

In December, the World Food Programme (WFP) suspended rations to some refugee groups in the country due to lack of funds. Subsequently, the government declared a state of emergency for food and nutrition security.

Food distributions from Chad across the border to Darfur, where the security and protection situation is alarming, have not been made for well over a month, with cross-border aid recently suspended.

Women and children represent some 90 per cent of all refugees. Around 77 per cent of women arrived alone in Chad, with children.

Many have been exposed to gender-based violence including rape, said UNHCR, and now require comprehensive support. The agency provides medical and some psychological support, but much more is needed.

“Arrivals have slowed in the last months, but that could change quickly,” Ms. Clements said. “Even without more coming, needs now run well beyond the capacities of humanitarian agencies. There are very real fears that the border region faces another paltry lean season before heavy rains lash the camps.”

More than 553,150 new refugees from Sudan had been counted by mid-February, making the country the largest host of refugees fleeing Sudan since the brutal war between Government troops and RSF militia erupted in mid-April 2023.

UNAIDS marks 10th anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day

Progress on advancing equality and fairness for all, regardless of gender, sexuality or HIV status, is in peril, said the UN agency dedicated to ending AIDS by 2030, marking Zero Discrimination Day.

The day of activism was established by UNAIDS a decade ago.

But, despite improvements in some societies, attacks on the rights of women and girls, of LGBTQ+ people and of other marginalized communities are increasing.

“The attacks on rights are a threat to freedom and democracy and are harmful to health. Stigma and discrimination obstruct HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care and hold back progress towards ending AIDS by 2030,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It is only by protecting everyone’s rights that we can protect everyone’s health.”

At the start of the AIDS pandemic 40 years ago, two thirds of countries in the world criminalized LGBTQ+ people. Today, two thirds of countries do not, the agency noted.

Some 38 countries around the world have pledged to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and today, 50 million more girls are in school than in 2015.

UNAIDS said it was crucial to keep supporting women’s movements, LGBTQ+ rights as well as campaigns for racial justice, economic justice, climate justice and for an end to conflict.

The UN is by your side

“As communities across the world stand up for rights, the United Nations is not only on their side, but by their side,” said the agency in its statement marking the day.

On the day, and across the whole of March, events are being organised to remind the world of this vital lesson and call to action: by protecting everyone’s health, we can protect everyone’s rights.

“Through upholding rights for all, we will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to secure a safer, fairer, kinder and happier world for everyone,” added Ms. Byanyima.

From AI to fast fashion, ‘world’s environment parliament’ adopts bold action plans

With more than 7,000 delegates from 182 UN Member States and more than 170 ministers participating in Nairobi, UNEA-6 adopted a package of action plans, from promoting sustainable lifestyles to the sound management of chemicals and waste and sand and dust storms, issuing calls for immediate steps to rein in overconsumption and take smarter, greener steps towards sustainability.

“The world needs action, speed and real, lasting change”, said Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) at the closing session on Friday.

A ministerial declaration affirmed the international community’s strong intent to slow climate change, restore nature and land and create a pollution-free world, she said.

She added that true multilateralism was prevailing with wide engagement from civil society, indigenous peoples, international organisations, scientists and the private sector.

“UNEA-6 has delivered an extra boost to help us deliver this change and to ensure every person on this planet enjoys the right to a safe and healthy environment,” she said.

Hope amid triple planetary crisis

At a time when the world faces a triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change, action must be swift and concerted, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.

She said the robust UNEA-6 discussions and outcome will accelerate the world’s common goals, including efforts to achieve both the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals.

“We cannot afford to deplete nature’s resources without facing serious consequences,” the Deputy UN chief said in a video message. “The decisions we make today will shape our destiny tomorrow.”

UN News/Natalia Jidovanu

The virtual reality experience Vanishing Treasures aims to convey the impact of climate change on snow leopards, Bengal tigers and mountain gorillas.

Environmental decision makers

Known as the “world parliament on the environment”, UNEA-6 became the highest decision-making body in the field at its inception in 2012. The goal is simple: to help restore the harmony between people and the nature. Read our explainer here.

During the five-day conference, UNEA-6 saw delegates debate everything from the use of artificial intelligence to solar engineering techniques.

Among the adopted resolutions, one provided guidance on how the world can do better on protecting the environment during and after conflicts, and another addressed how best to combat desertification.

UNEP/Natalia Mroz

Rappers Frida Amani and Dex McBean perform their track Get with the Programme/Twende na Mpangoon on Multilateral Environmental Agreements Day at UNEA-6.

New day, new approach, new reports

Dozens of side events considered fresh initiatives and possible breakthroughs, including the use of artificial intelligence to fight climate change.

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In the so-called fast fashion field, a UNEP and UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion exhibit featured stylish clothing showcasing a project aimed at stopping overproduction and overconsumption, eliminating hazardous chemical byproducts and scaling circular business models which benefit the environment.

The UNEA-6 also hosted the first Multilateral Environmental Agreements Day, marked on 28 February.

Bridging the divide

Rich countries use six times more resources and generate 10 times the climate impacts than low-income nations, according to a UNEP report launched on Friday at UNEA-6.

The 2024 Global Resource Outlook contains a wide range of evidence-based findings and calls for sweeping policy changes to close the divide between rich and poor at all levels, while growing the economy, improving wellbeing and minimizing environmental impacts.

“The triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution is driven from a crisis of unsustainable consumption and production. We must work with nature, instead of merely exploiting it,” said UNEP chief Ms. Andersen ahead of the launch.

Plundering the Earth

Indeed, the report showed that natural resource extraction is expected to rise by 60 per cent by 2060 and could derail efforts to achieve not only global climate, biodiversity, and pollution targets, but also economic prosperity and human wellbeing.

“Reducing the resource intensity of mobility, housing, food and energy systems is the only way we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ultimately a just and liveable planet for all,” she said.

The outcome of UNEA-6 will feed into other like-minded collaborative global efforts towards sustainability, including the Summit of the Future, to be held at UN Headquarters in September.

United Nations

SDG 13

SDG 13: COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaption, impact reduction and early warning
Raise capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.