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Impact of ‘failed promises’ on climate, evident in Antarctica: A UN Resident Coordinator blog

Maria José Torres Macho travelled to Antarctica with the UN chief, António Guterres, ahead of the global climate conference, COP28, which is getting underway in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates:

“The sleeping continent hides under its beauty, its undeniable role as a key climate regulator for the planet. While we enjoyed the majestic and infinite white landscape of islands, glaciers and icebergs spotted with penguins, sea lions, whales and a distinct biodiversity underwater, we confronted the reality that scientific evidence is putting in front of decision makers at this year’s UN Climate Conference -COP 28: the planet needs the Antarctic to remain as it is.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Chile, Maria Maria Jose Torres Macho (second from left) joins the Secretary-General and the delegation from the Government of Chile on a visit to Antarctica.
© UN Chile

The UN Resident Coordinator in Chile, Maria Maria Jose Torres Macho (second from left) joins the Secretary-General and the delegation from the Government of Chile on a visit to Antarctica.

Safeguarding Antarctica is essential to halt the acceleration of climate change and keep to the 1.5°C warming limit.

Data collected by scientific teams deployed in Antarctica is showing two extremely worrying trends:
  • The melting of ice is happening at triple speed than in previous decades (more than 1.5 million square km have been lost in 2023 alone) causing rising sea levels that would be catastrophic to the survival of coastal communities
  • The impact of the increasing temperatures in the Antarctic is affecting the jet streams

‘Antarctica is geographically remote for most of us, but its future is closely linked to that of future generations,’ said the Secretary-General during his stay, referring to up how the consequences of what happens there will catastrophically affect the rest of the world.

‘What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica,’ he added.

A view from Chile 

Thousands of miles north in Chile, where I serve as the UN Resident Coordinator, the effects of Antarctica’s melting ice and rising sea levels cannot be ignored.

From cycles of drought, desertification and wildfires to deadly heatwaves, coastal erosion and other extreme weather events, I’ve seen first-hand how climate change is ravaging communities and upending livelihoods across the country.  

The UN is supporting government efforts to prevent biodiversity loss in Chile.
Unsplash/Toomas Tartes

The UN is supporting government efforts to prevent biodiversity loss in Chile.

The impact of Chile’s water crisis is particularly severe, with rural populations facing the heaviest burden.

As these threats loom larger, our UN team in Chile is working closely with the national authorities to scale up urgent action to combat the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Together we are supporting the Government to realize its ambitious national agenda to protect Chile’s biodiversity, reduce emissions through the expansion of carbon markets and steer social, economic and environmental transitions that support renewable energy. But, Chile’s role in combatting climate change goes beyond its own borders. 

Leading from the South

Known as ‘the door to the Antarctic’, Chile is a logistic enabler for many countries that have scientific bases in the territory and benefit from the vital work of the Chilean Armed Forces.

During my visit to the continent, I listened to many stories from scientists and officers who spoke about the special mystique and beauty of the Antarctic. I was particularly struck by their sense of sacrifice and their willingness to spend an entire year away from their families in order to protect this endangered territory. 

COP28 is getting underway in Dubai, UAE.
© UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

COP28 is getting underway in Dubai, UAE.

At the national level, I was also impressed by the strong leadership of the President of Chile and his team for organizing this visit and helping to amplify the conversation on climate action and the unique role of the Antarctic ahead of COP28. 

Towards COP28 

The need for strong regional leadership and renewed commitments towards climate action could not be timelier. 

Just days before we travelled to Antarctica, the world reached a grim new milestone. For the first time in modern recorded history, the planet is on average two degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, falling short of the commitments made in the Paris climate agreement. 

In Antarctica, I saw the impact of these failed promises, but also witnessed the determination of the Secretary-General to convey a strong message from the South: to end the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, COP 28 must be a call to action, not just words. The commitment and cooperation I saw on my visit to Antarctica shows that this is possible. 

As the Secretary-General put it: ‘People in Antarctica are guided by cooperation, not competition; this is the spirit we need at COP28.'”

UN Resident Coordinator:

  • The UN Resident Coordinator, sometimes called the RC, is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level.
  • In this occasional series, UN News is inviting RCs to blog on issues important to the UN and the country where they serve.
  • Learn more about the UN’s work in Chile here.
  • Find out more about the UN Development Coordination Office here.

Somali-born champion of refugee education wins top UNHCR award

Abdullahi Mire grew up in the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya with its population today of more than 240,000 registered refugees, mostly from Somalia.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) coordinates operations there together with partners, relying also on the support of the Kenyan Government and host communities.

The majority of the population, around 56 per cent according to 2020 figures, are children.

At that point there were over 60,000 students enrolled up to secondary school level, but despite that, the demand for teachers, supplies and classroom space, has long outstripped supply, leading to poor educational outcomes.

Educational pioneer

Of those managing to complete secondary school only a small number have been able to carry on into tertiary education.

Mr. Mire spent 23 years living in the Dadaab complex himself, from the early 1990s, and eventually went on to graduate with a diploma in journalism and public relations in 2013 from Kenya’s Kenyatta University.

After working for the UN migration agency IOM, in Somalia, specialising in the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants, he realised that without being literate, many were being brainwashed and radicalized.

Abdullahi Mire, a former refugee championing education for displaced children and youth, is the 2023 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award’s Global Laureate.
© UNHCR/Anthony Karumba

Abdullahi Mire, a former refugee championing education for displaced children and youth, is the 2023 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award’s Global Laureate.

Life-changer

His experience led him to start the Refugee Youth Education Hub (RYEH) in 2018, focusing on refugee education and youth development.

“I want to change the lives of refugee children and youth living in Daadab”, he told the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in 2020.

“The only way to do that is through education. If you give quality education for these children or youths, their lives will be improved for good,” he added. “For societies to progress, especially the ones recovering from decades of conflict, education must be a priority. I think it’s the midwife of peace and stability, if not more.”

Personifying change

Speaking ahead of the award announcement, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “Abdullahi Mire is living proof that transformative ideas can spring from within displaced communities.

“He has shown great resourcefulness and tenacity in strengthening the quality of refugee education.”

UNHCR noted that after growing up in the Dadaab camps, Mr. Mire had resettled to Norway, “but a yearning to serve his community drew him back”.

His education hub has opened three libraries in the camps – stocked with donated books – and expanded learning opportunities for tens of thousands of displaced children and youth.

“The win is not for me alone,” said Mr. Mire, 36. “It is for all the volunteers I work with… It is for the children in the schools.”

Regional winners

UNHCR also announced the regional winners to be honoured this year:

•   Elizabeth Moreno Barco (Americas): a human rights defender who advocates for communities affected by armed internal conflict in Colombia

•   Asia Al-Mashreqi (Middle East & North Africa): founder and chairperson of the Sustainable Development Foundation, which has assisted nearly two million individuals in Yemen affected by conflict

•   Abdullah Habib, Sahat Zia Hero, Salim Khan and Shahida Win (Asia-Pacific): four Rohingya storytellers documenting the experiences of stateless Rohingya refugees

•   Lena Grochowska and Władysław Grochowski (Europe): a Polish couple whose hotel chain and foundation provide shelter and training to refugees

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Geneva on 13 December at the Global Refugee Forum 2023.

Hosted by the prominent US television journalist Ann Curry, the event will showcase the winners’ work and feature performances by Lous and the Yakuza, MIYAVI and Ricky Kej. It will also be livestreamed.

The awards are made possible through support from the Governments of Norway and Switzerland, IKEA Foundation, and the City and Canton of Geneva.

They are named after the Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen.
 

Day highlighting journalists under fire focuses on protection during elections

Between January 2019 and June 2022, the agency documented 759 individual attacks against journalists, including five killings, during 89 elections in 70 countries.

Most of these attacks – which included beating and arbitrary arrest – were committed by police and security forces.

Attacked from all around 

The findings come in a report published in tandem with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed annually on 2 November.

It examines the role of law enforcement agents, in ensuring the safety of journalists during public demonstrations and elections. 

From January 2015 to August 2021, UNESCO registered incidents in at least 101 countries where journalists were attacked while covering protests, public demonstrations and riots. At least 13 were killed in such contexts. 

Journalists were injured by police firing non-lethal ammunition, such as rubber bullets or pepper balls. Many others were arrested, beaten and in a few cases humiliated. 

“At the same time, a significant number of physical and verbal attacks were perpetrated by demonstrators and people attending the protests,” the report said.

Keeping truth alive 

In his message for the Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the risks journalists face in fulfilling their vital role in both upholding and enabling democracy and holding power to account.

“Today and every day, we are grateful to the journalists and all media professionals who risk their health and lives to keep us informed, and to keep the truth alive,” he said.

Citing UNESCO, he said at least 88 journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2022, marking a sharp increase over preceding years.

“The current conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory is taking a horrific toll on journalists,” he added. 

Better safeguards needed 

Furthermore, he noted that the majority of journalists killed are not war reporters. In fact, they are working in countries that are at peace, investigating issues such as corruption, trafficking, human rights violations, and environmental issues. 

“I am deeply alarmed by these figures, and by the rise in threats of all kinds against journalists,” he said.

“Detention of journalists is at an all-time high. Online harassment of journalists, particularly women, is being used as a tool to silence them.  We need better safeguards to defend the journalists who are keeping us informed.”

The Secretary-General called on all States to prevent violence against journalists, to provide a safe environment for them to do their jobs, to bring to justice those who commit crimes against them, and to ensure support for victims and survivors.

Protests and polls 

UNESCO has long been advocating for the safety and protection of journalists and all who work in media, and the report contains a number of recommendations for law enforcement agents/agencies (LEAs) and media outlets covering public assemblies.

For example, the sides are encouraged to cultivate “a good and professional relationship” beforehand so that they have clear understanding about their respective roles, responsibilities, potential issues and response.   

LEAs are urged to facilitate the work of journalists, such as identifying a press area or “defined media perimeter” that provides a safe vantage point for them, though understanding that journalists are not obliged to remain there. 

Particular attention should also be given to the specific threats and risks women journalists face, “and it is important to take a gender-sensitive approach when considering measures to address the safety of journalists, especially online.”  

“Regular training for senior LEA management in working with media organisations, notably during elections periods, and for officers working on the ground during public assemblies, notably in facilitating safe media coverage, should be regularly conducted,” the report said.

 

Banksy highlights cultural revival amid rubble strewn Kyiv suburb

The artwork – a ballerina balancing precariously on the rubble – solidified the town’s reputation as a beacon of resilience. Despite Borodianka’s sudden fame, the efforts of its local artists musicians and librarians to revive their beloved hometown remain largely unknown outside Ukraine.

Now, cultural activities, one supported by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), are drawing hundreds of fans, choirs are singing again, and art is being made and taught by inspirational local artists.

Despite the war, Natalia is determined to help her community in Ukraine preserve and revive its cultural identity.
IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

Despite the war, Natalia is determined to help her community in Ukraine preserve and revive its cultural identity.

Revival and resilience

Natalia Vyshynska is committed to reviving cultural life in the town. She and her colleagues have organized several public events since last year.

“We don’t use the word ‘concert’,” she explained. “We say ‘a public gathering with musical performances.’ Concerts will be after our victory.”

Taking part in this revival and resilience, Ms. Vyshynska has led Borodianka’s culture department for nearly two decades. She works out of the local cultural centre, still scarred from shelling and standing next to homes destroyed in the devastating March 2022 bombings.

Despite the dangers of war, she has remained dedicated to her colleagues and the important work they carry out. She even returned to the office two days after the invasion to ensure staff would get their salaries.

Since April 2022, she and colleagues worked in the offices for the following year, with broken windows covered with plastic film.

A town in ruins

Ms. Vyshynska, along with her husband, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, took refuge in a cellar, where they survived weeks of heavy fighting. Eventually, the family was able to escape and briefly relocated to western Ukraine.

This depiction of a dancer in Borodianka was the first of a series Banksy spray painted in Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
IOM

This depiction of a dancer in Borodianka was the first of a series Banksy spray painted in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

When they returned home, they found their town in ruins. Of its 26 cultural establishments, 18 were damaged or destroyed, losing 95 per cent of their facilities and assets, among them a local art school.

“Every musical instrument, including a grand piano, was ruined,” she said. “We had a violin from 1826 stored in a protective box, but it was consumed by fire. Only a scorched metal violin clef was found amidst the rubble.”

Life before war

Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ms. Vyshynska and her colleagues were working to modernize the cultural institutions in Borodianka, a town with a pre-war population of roughly 13,000.

Applying her background in psychology to transform a local sewing class into a fashion theatre, students were able to walk onto a stage, showcasing their creations, gaining confidence, and overcoming fears of sharing their art with a live audience.

Before the war, town librarians helped senior citizens develop digital literacy skills.

Coming home

While many young people have left to find safety and jobs elsewhere, a steady stream is returning since the Government of Ukraine regained control over Borodianka and the northern areas of the country.

Many displaced people make the decision to return, even as the war continues. Most of those returning are in their forties and fifties, Ms. Vyshynska said.

‘They are singing now’

Acknowledging that some people still might find public events inappropriate, she said for the hundreds of attendees and for those who organize them, it all has meaning.

“Many of our singers lost their relatives; many lost their homes,” she said. “They could not sing for some time. Some needed two months, some needed three. They managed. They are singing now.”

However, coping with death and losses is a reality in the town.

“We go to the cemetery; we cry and remember our dead,” she said. “I think, they would like life in Borodianka to go on.”

The monument of renowned Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, was damaged in the conflict.
IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

The monument of renowned Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, was damaged in the conflict.

Healing power of art

Ms. Vyshynska and her team continue to engage psychologists in their efforts, particularly with children.

“Children are afraid of death, injury, and losing their parents and homes,” she said. “By using drawing, music and games, they can express their fears and traumatizing experiences, and we help them process these difficult emotions and continue with their lives.”

Members of her community give her strength and make her proud. She can point to many examples.

There is local history expert Valentyn Moiseenko. He miraculously survived the bombing of Borodianka and escaped with his wife, who has a mobility impairment. They spent weeks sheltering in a basement. Recalling those times, he wrote a book about the days when the town was under Russian military control and at the centre of heavy fighting.

Another inspirational town resident is Svitlana Vyskochy, a local artist who creates decorated Easter eggs called pysankas. She conducts master classes for hospital patients every week, including people with amputations.

Pins adorned with “Borodianka’s culture is alive” alongside the famous maiolica rooster were created by Natalia’s team.
IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

Pins adorned with “Borodianka’s culture is alive” alongside the famous maiolica rooster were created by Natalia’s team.

‘Borodianka’s culture is alive’

Ms. Vyshynska’s team have produced pins, adorned with the famous maiolica rooster and the words “Borodianka’s culture is alive”.

The town cultural centre relies on grants from businesses and international organizations. 

One project supported by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funding from the Republic of Korea and Canada, is helping to refurbish a local museum. It is also creating a space for young families, purchasing equipment for a local library, and providing a huge tent that will allow Ms. Vyshynska’s team to bring services to people in war-affected communities around Borodianka.

With support from IOM, she and other community members took part in inclusive dialogue sessions, where they could collectively shape the future of their community through projects for social change.

Together with volunteers from across Ukraine, they applied these skills to transform their cultural centre, so that Borodianka can continue to celebrate its unique culture for generations to come.

The “Girl under the Sun” sculpture represents the victory of life over destruction.
IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

The “Girl under the Sun” sculpture represents the victory of life over destruction.

WMO: Stocktake of water resources needed as global hydrological cycle is in distress

Destructive droughts and heavy rains are causing harm, while melting snow and glaciers heighten flood risks and endanger long-term water security. 

The UN weather agency’s State of Global Water Resources 2022 report emphasizes the need to better understand freshwater resources and urges a fundamental policy shift. It calls for enhanced monitoring, data sharing, cross-border cooperation, and increased investments to manage water extremes effectively.

“This WMO report offers a comprehensive, and consistent overview of water resources worldwide, highlighting the influence of climate, environmental, and societal changes,” said Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General. 

Substantiated by field observations, satellite-based remote sensing, and numerical modelling to evaluate global water resources, the WMO State of Global Water Resources 2022 report contains in-depth data on key hydrological factors like groundwater, evaporation, streamflow, terrestrial water storage, soil moisture, cryosphere (frozen water), reservoir inflows, and hydrological disasters. 

Disrupted water cycle

Glaciers and ice cover are retreating before our eyes. Rising temperatures have accelerated – and also disrupted – the water cycle. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture causing much heavier precipitation episodes and flooding. And at the opposite extreme, more evaporation, dry soils and more intense droughts, explained the WMO chief. 

According to UN Water, currently, 3.6 billion people lack access to sufficient water at least a month per year and this is expected to increase to more than five billion by 2050.

Villagers in Pakistan’s Khairpur Mirs District in Sindh province cross flooded land to get to their homes.
© UNFPA / Shehzad Noorani

Villagers in Pakistan’s Khairpur Mirs District in Sindh province cross flooded land to get to their homes.

Stocktake

Though further research is needed, and more information from regions like Africa, the Middle East and Asia is required, the conclusions made based on data from 273 stations around the globe are straightforward, the Report authors believe.

In the realm of river discharge and reservoir inflow, over 50 per cent of global catchment areas and reservoirs displayed deviations from normal conditions, of which a majority were drier than usual.

There were anomalies in soil moisture and evapotranspiration (transfer of land water into the atmosphere, either by evaporation or through plants) registered throughout 2022. 

For instance, Europe experienced increased evapotranspiration and decreased soil moisture during summer. Moreover, droughts on the continent posed challenges in rivers like the Danube and Rhine and even disrupted nuclear electricity production in France due to the lack of cooling water. 

Severe droughts impacted also vast regions including the United States, Horn of Africa, Middle East and La Plata Basin in South America.

In Asia, the Yangtze river basin in China faced a severe drought, while Pakistan’s Indus river basin witnessed extreme floods. The disaster resulted in at least 1,700 fatalities, with 33 million people affected and nearly eight million displaced.

Africa’s hydrological situations are contrasting too. While the Horn of Africa dealt with a severe drought affecting 21 million people’s food security, areas such as the Niger basin and coastal South Africa saw above-average discharge and major floods.

On thin ice 

In 2022, the snow cover in the Alps remained significantly below the 30-year average, affecting discharge of the major European rivers. The Andes saw declining winter snow, with the lowest amount in 2021 and some recovery in 2022, impacting water supplies in Chile and Argentina. Observations of Georgia’s glaciers revealed a doubling of melting rates over recent years. 

A mountain glacier that is shrinking due to rising temperatures and less snowfall at the Kargil District, India.
© UNICEF/Srikanth Kolari

A mountain glacier that is shrinking due to rising temperatures and less snowfall at the Kargil District, India.

Significant glacial melting was observed in the Asian Water Tower, along with changing river run-offs in the Indus, Amu Darya, Yangtze and Yellow River basins, highlighting the deepening influence of climate change on regional water
resources.

“This report is a call to action for more data sharing to enable meaningful early warnings and for more coordinated and integrated water management policies that are an integral part of climate action,” urged Mr. Taalas.

The report combines input from dozens of experts and complements WMO’s flagship State of the Global Climate report. 

No meaning lost in translation: The UN’s quirkiest contest

Bursting with translation anticipation, a quirky UN contest has had translators, interpreters, students, and lovers of a good multilingual idiom challenge submitting entries from around the world to the 2023 St. Jerome Translation Contest.

On hiatus for three years, the contest is back and participants from across the world were limbering up for a new bout of linguistic gymnastics. 

AI beware

A panel of expert judges have combed through entries for each language, looking for accuracy in conveying not only the meaning of a frustrating household task, artificial intelligence (AI), and a traditional Spanish dish, but also the nuances of the source text, as well as style, submitted by students to seasoned translators.

The goal as always is to make sure nothing is lost in translation.

“In spite of the rise of Google and AI, which are threatening the very existence of our profession, there is continuing interest in translation,” said one of the judges, a senior text revisor in the Russian section of the UN Office at Vienna.

“We were very pleased with the liveliness of the language of many translations; it seemed like most of the contestants had had the same kind of problem loading dishwashers, and some of them seem to have PTSD when recalling those feats,” he told the audience in Vienna at the official award ceremony on Wednesday.

“At a time of tweets, likes, and reposts, live language literature – given the biting and ironic nature and humour of the original [texts] – is something we found in the work we read,” he said. “This was a breath of fresh air.”

Patron saint of translators

This year’s glottologists [check that one before translation!] united in their love for philology were current and former UN staff and interns, UN-accredited diplomatic mission staff, and students at partner universities.

The English Translation Service at UN Headquarters kicked off the annual contest in 2005 for International Translation Day, commemorated on 30 September, a landmark date for translators worldwide.

That’s the day to celebrate the feast of St. Jerome, considered by many as the patron saint of translators. The northern Italian priest translated the Bible into Latin from Greek manuscripts and parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. The multilinguist of Illyrian ancestry died near Bethlehem on 30 September 420.

More than a millennium and a half later, the UN’s eponymous translation contest has gone global. German translators even have their own edition.

Hanine Jaafar (left) of the St. Joseph University of Beirut receives her award in the Arabic student category.
UN video

And the winners are….

Prizes were awarded on Wednesday for translations of the English text into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, or German and of the Spanish text into English. The UN’s six official languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, and Russian. Winners came from all regions of the world.

They included Hanine Jaafar, a student at Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Kaiss Jarkass, an Arabic translator at UN Headquarters, and Mustafa Daraghma, an Arabic reviser at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

For details on all prize winners and their titillating translations, visit the contest’s website here.

In case you missed it, watch the official award ceremony courtesy of UN WebTV here.

World News in Brief: Water ‘being taken for granted’, global teacher crisis, Nipah in India update

“We must stop taking water for granted,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said at the opening of the Rome Water Dialogue, focused on its critical role relating to soils, land, climate change, biodiversity and agriculture.

With agriculture accounting for more than 70 per cent of the planet’s freshwater withdrawals, “by increasing efficiency, reducing negative impacts and reusing wastewater, agriculture holds the solutions to the global water crisis”, he said.

FAO supports countries to develop technical solutions for rainwater harvesting and storage, map out irrigation needs, provide data on water scarcity and assess the impact of floods on rural areas.

The UN agency has indicated that this year’s World Food Day on 16 October will focus on the direct link between water and food security, highlighting ways to “produce more food and other essential agricultural commodities with less water, while ensuring water is distributed equally, our aquatic food systems are preserved, and nobody is left behind”.  

World needs millions more teachers but profession deemed too ‘unattractive’

New data from the UN educational, social and cultural organisation (UNESCO) has revealed a global shortage of teachers as the profession faces a “major vocations crisis”.

Ahead of Thursday’s World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO pointed to a gap of 44 million teachers without whom the world will not be able to provide primary and secondary education for all by 2030. The agency said that the problem lies not only in a lack of funding, but also in the “unattractiveness” of the profession.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay underscored that that while some regions of the world lack candidates for the job, other regions face a very high dropout rate during the first few years of work.

“In both cases, the answer is the same: we must better value, better train and better support teachers,” she said.

Regional shortages

Southern Asia is experiencing the largest lack of teachers worldwide – 7.8 million – while sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for one in three of the current global shortfall.

In the 79 countries studied by UNESCO to better understand the reasons for the shortage, the attrition rate among primary school teachers almost doubled from 4.6 per cent in 2015 to 9 per cent in 2022.

The UN agency said that three main factors stand out: poor working conditions, high levels of stress and low pay.

UNESCO made a number of recommendations to countries to improve the status of teachers, including investment in competitive salaries and benefits, improved teacher education and mentorship programmes and access to mental health counselling.

India: Nipah virus outbreak update

In India, six laboratory-confirmed cases of Nipah virus, including two deaths, were reported over the course of three days in September, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

Nipah virus infection is spread to humans through contact with infected animals such as bats and pigs, and less frequently, through direct contact with an infected individual.

WHO warned that symptoms are “severe” and may include acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. Case fatality rates in past outbreaks across southern Asia have ranged from 40 to 100 per cent and there are no available therapies or vaccines.

“The only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is by raising awareness about the risk factors and preventive measures,” WHO said.

The cases, all in one district of Kerala, were reported between 12 and 15 September. Large-scale contact tracing was put in place by the health authorities and since 15 September, no new cases have been detected.

According to WHO, this is the sixth outbreak of Nipah virus in India since 2001.

UNESCO chief calls for ‘intensification’ of investment in girls’ education

Audrey Azoulay was speaking on Friday in Beijing, China, where she co-chaired the award ceremony for the 2023 UNESCO Prize for the Education of Women and Girls, alongside the agency’s Special Envoy, Professor Peng Liyuan.

She appealed for an “intensification of global investments in favour of girls and women’s access to education”.

Striving towards equality 

Ms. Azoulay said “significant progress” has been made in education since the international community adopted the UN Declaration and Programme of Action for Women’s Rights in 1995.

Today, 90 per cent of girls worldwide have completed primary education, and more than 40 per cent have access to higher education.

“This dynamic must continue because gender equality in education is not yet a reality. Currently, two-thirds of illiterate adults in the world are women,” she said.

Honouring outstanding initiatives 

The UNESCO Prize honours outstanding and innovative contributions made by individuals, institutions, and organizations to advance girls’ and women’s education. 

The award, which is presented annually, was established in 2015 and is supported by China. Two projects in Pakistan and China are this year’s recipients.

A better future for girls

The Star Schools programme in Pakistan ensures girls’ education in emergency situations. More than 540,000 minority girls benefit, including Afghan and Rohingya refugees, and victims of natural disasters such as the deadly and devastating floods last year.

UNESCO spoke to Fajer Pasha, Executive Director of the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE), which runs the project. 

“When girls have been through a Star School, we want them to come out not just literate but confident and above all aware of their rights so that they believe a future exists for them,” he said.

Putting girls first 

The Spring Bud project in China supports access to quality education for four million adolescent girls from 56 ethnic groups, spread across 31 provinces.

The initiative by the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) was created at a time when nine years of compulsory education was not yet fully established across the country, and families still had to pay fees and textbook costs. 

“Some rural families were too poor to send their girls to school. Some parents in remote areas, influenced by old cultural biases, would choose boys, not girls when they could only afford to send some of their children to school,” CCTF Secretary-General Zhang Yanhong told UNESCO. 

Cultural heritage visit 

While in China, Ms. Azoulay also met with President Xi Jinping, who reaffirmed the country’s commitment to supporting UNESCO’s mandate and working together with all Member States of the organization.

She travelled to two World Heritage sites: the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Beijing Man site in Zhoukoudian, where remains of prehistoric human societies were found.

World Heritage sites are natural and cultural places that are of outstanding universal value to humanity, and there are more than 1,000 across the planet. 

These locations are protected under the World Heritage Convention, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. 

Rights experts warn against forced separation of Uyghur children in China

Classroom teaching at these institutions is almost exclusively in Mandarin, with little or no use of the Uyghur language, they said in a statement.

They warned that separating the children from their families “could lead to their forced assimilation into the majority Mandarin language and the adoption of Han cultural practices.” 

‘Orphans’ with families 

The experts said they have received information about large-scale removal of youngsters from their families, including very young children whose parents are in exile or “interned”/detained.

The children are treated as “orphans” by State authorities and placed in full-time boarding schools, pre-schools, or orphanages where Mandarin is almost exclusively used.

“Uyghur and other minority children in highly regulated and controlled boarding institutions may have little interaction with their parents, extended family or communities for much of their youth,” the experts said.

“This will inevitably lead to a loss of connection with their families and communities and undermine their ties to their cultural, religious and linguistic identities,” they added. 

Local schools closed 

They said the children reportedly have little or no access to education in their own Uyghur language and are under increasing pressure to speak and learn only Mandarin, compared to education aimed at bilingualism. 

Teachers can also be sanctioned for using the Uyghur language outside specific language classes.

The UN experts said they were also informed of an exponential increase in the number of boarding schools for other Muslim and minority children in Xinjiang in recent years. 

Conversely, many local schools providing education in Uyghur and other minority languages have been closed. 

“The massive scale of the allegations raises extremely serious concerns of violations of basic human rights,” they said. 

About UN experts

The statement was issued by Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, and Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education. 

The experts receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and are independent from any government or organization. 

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

Ban smoking and vaping in schools worldwide urges WHO

According to the UN health agency, the tobacco industry’s approach has resulted in increased use of e-cigarettes, with nine out of 10 smokers starting before the age of 18 – and some as early as 11. 

“Considering that children spend nearly one-third of their waking hours in school, and much of the peer pressure they encounter occurs within these educational environments, schools play a pivotal role,” WHO said.

Schools are in “a uniquely powerful position to play a major role in reducing the serious problem of smoking and other tobacco and nicotine use by kids”.

The appeal of e-cigarettes

Although smoking has continued to decline among European teens, WHO reported that there has been a rise in novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products – including electronic cigarettes.

The UN agency pointed out these products have been made more affordable for young people owing to the sale of single-use cigarettes and e-cigarettes, which also typically lack health warnings. 

“If we don’t take urgent action now, we risk seeing the next generation of tobacco and nicotine users recruited through tobacco industries’ unethical practices,” said Dr Hans Henri Kluge, Regional Director for WHO European Region.

Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs.
© Unsplash

Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs.

New guidance

The alert comes as the WHO released two new publications to coincide with the return to school of children in many countries of the global north: “Freedom from tobacco and nicotine: guide for schools,” and the “Nicotine and Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit”.

The launch also coincided with a warning last month by regulators in the United States that companies must stop selling illegal e-cigarettes that appeal to youth by resembling school supplies, cartoon characters, and even teddy bears.

“Whether sitting in class, playing games outside or waiting at the school bus stop, we must protect young people from deadly second-hand smoke and toxic e-cigarette emissions as well as ads promoting these products,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion.

“It is deeply concerning that the tobacco industry is still targeting young people and makes vast profits, harming their health”, he continued.

Schools must be safe spaces for young people, where they are free from exposure to, or pressure to use nicotine products. Creating a smoke- and nicotine-free environment in school settings is fundamental to helping prevent young people from starting smoking”.

The WHO guides also highlight countries that have successfully implemented policies in support of tobacco and nicotine-free campuses. They include India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.

‘Whole-of-school’ approach

WHO emphasized a “whole-of-school” approach to creating nicotine and tobacco-free campuses. Input is needed from teachers, staff, students and parents, WHO maintained. 

The UN health agency’s documents include information on how to support students wanting to quit, education campaigns, implementing policies and how to enforce them.

Advice to educators and policymakers includes:

  • Banning nicotine and tobacco products on school campuses 
  • Prohibiting the sale of products near schools 
  • Banning direct and indirect ads and promotion of nicotine and tobacco products near classrooms
  • Refusing sponsorship or engagement with tobacco and nicotine industries, for instance for school projects.

Dangers of tobacco smoke

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, WHO medical officer Dr Kerstin Schotte warned that tobacco kills “eight million people every year, or one person every four seconds”.

Meanwhile, 1.3 million people who die from tobacco smoke don’t even use the product themselves but breathe in second-hand smoke.

Dr Schotte noted that “half of the world’s children breathe tobacco polluted air and as a consequence, 51,000 children die every year due to exposure to tobacco smoke”. 

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