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Consign violence against women and girls, ‘to the history books’: UN chief

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 23: Every 11 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member, the UN chief said ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, commemorated on 25 November, urging everyone to “consign violence against women and girls to the history books”.

From the COVID-19 pandemic to economic turmoil, a range of stresses intensify physical and verbal abuse.

Meanwhile, misogynistic hate speech and sexual harassment trigger rampant online exploitation against women and girls.

“This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity comes at a steep cost”, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored in his message for the day.

“It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life, denies their basic rights and freedoms, and blocks the equal economic recovery and sustainable growth our world needs”.

He upheld that it is time for “transformative action” that ends violence against women and girls – the most pervasive human rights violation in the world.

The top UN official outlined what needed to be done, including that governments design, fund and implement national action plans to tackle this scourge.

Moreover, grassroots and civil society groups must be involved at every stage of decision-making and all laws “implemented and respected”, so survivors can see their rights to justice and support upheld.

He also urged everyone to support public campaigns that challenge patriarchal norms and promote different forms of masculinities that reject misogyny and violence.

According to the UN chief, this year’s theme, “UNITE: Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls”, reminds everyone to stand with activists around the world demanding change and support survivors of violence.

“I call on governments to increase funding by 50 per cent to women’s rights organizations and movements by 2026”, he stated.

In closing, the Secretary-General advocated for the world to “take a stand and raise our voices in support of women’s rights…[and] proudly declare: We are all feminists”.

“Supporting and investing in strong, autonomous women’s rights organizations and feminist movements is key to ending violence against women and girls”, says the UN.

Five years ago, the #MeToo movement exploded, sparking global mobilization in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls.

Since then, unprecedented awareness and momentum have been created.

At the same time however, there has been a rise in anti-feminist groups – resulting in shrinking space for civil society, a backlash against women’s rights organizations and a rise in attacks against women human rights defenders and activists.

Impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding violence against women and girls (VAWG) has kept the persistent and devastating human rights violation largely unreported.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”

The adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences of VAWG affect women at all stages of life and can happen to anyone, anywhere.

VAWG take many forms, such as Intimate partner violence, from battering to psychological abuse and marital rape to femicide.

Sexual violence and harassment that can involve rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, stalking and cyber- harassment.

Human trafficking, which encompasses slavery and sexual exploitation.
Female genital mutilation.

Additionally, this violence continues hamper equality, development, peace and the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights – preventing the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to leave no one behind.

The International Day also kicks off the UNiTE campaign, an initiative of 16 days of activism that runs from 25 November to 10 December and concludes on International Human Rights Day.

This campaign aims to prevent and eliminate VAWG, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities to discuss challenges and solutions.

This year, UNITE will mobilize all society globally to stand in solidarity with women’s rights activists and to support feminist movements to resist any rollback on women’s rights.

Meanwhile, General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi visited the Manhattan Family Justice Center, where local leaders and community-based organizations assisting survivors of domestic and gender-based violence told him that because every survivor is unique, judgement-free solutions must be too.

“These issues are complicated. There are families, children involved. People will reach out for help multiple times, they might want to understand their options, connect with family, because these are life-changing decisions,” said Commissioner Cecile Noel, from the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence.

She noted that on average, it takes seven attempts to leave a domestic violence relationship.

“Put what you own in a plastic bag and leave. That’s basically what we’re asking them to do”.

The Manhattan Family Justice Center, one of five in New York City, connects survivors and their children with organizations that provide case management, economic empowerment, counseling, civil legal, and criminal legal assistance.

To get a first-hand look at how services are provided and tease out how the Assembly could support those efforts, Mr. Kőrösi spoke with representatives of the Arab American Support Center, Safe Horizon, Sanctuary for Families, and the Urban Resource Institute.

“We are here to find out the good news from your work that can be brought to the UN and through the UN, to the entire world,” said Mr. Kőrösi, who was accompanied by his wife Edit Móra.

“There is no one size fits all solution”, reiterated Michael Polenberg, from Safe Horizon.

Lauren Schuster from the Urban Resource Institute highlighted the importance of including survivors in solutions, saying, “we cannot deicide for them what their journey looks like”.

The discussion also touched on trust building, domestic and gender-based violence education, and the emotional learning among children as well as helping youth think differently about their behaviors.

Earlier that day, two bills were signed – one focusing on low-barrier grant and supportive services to help survivors maintain housing.

NYC has 54 shelters for survivors of domestic or gender-based violence, which cater to some 4,000 families – separate from the city’s homeless population, which surpassed 60,200 in September.

“Many of the survivors are employed. They cannot continue to do that living off a mother’s couch or out of hosing. And often with children in tow”, said Commissioner Noel.

Kőrösi asked participants to share their experiences with Member States, adding that he would also like to invite a group of survivors and their children to the UN.

‘Catastophic’ winter in store for Ukraine, warns UN peacebuilding chief, following Russian strikes on critical infrastructure

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 23: Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, warned of the devastation caused by Russia’s “relentless attacks” against civilians and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.

Ms. DiCarlo referred to the latest wave of Russian missile and drone strikes in Ukraine which, she said, terrorized the citizens of several cities (Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia).

With winter approaching, the attacks, she said, “renew fears that this winter will be catastrophic for millions of Ukrainians, who face the prospect of months of frigid weather with no heating, electricity, water, or other basic utilities”.

The UN peacebuilding chief went on to catalogue some of the reported consequences of the most recent strikes, from the death of a new-born baby in a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region, which was hit overnight, to dozens of civilian deaths in residential buildings in Kyiv and nearby towns.

According to Ukrainian officials and media reports, the country’s energy supply has been decimated; even before the latest barrage, practically no large thermal or hydroelectric power plants were left intact. All regions of Ukraine have introduced emergency shutdowns, and several regions are reported to be completely disconnected from electricity. Neighbouring Moldova has also been adversely affected.

Humanitarian efforts to support the Ukrainian people have ramped up, said Ms. DiCarlo: more than 430,000 people have received some sort of direct winter assistance in the past weeks, and nearly 400 generators have been distributed to ensure energy in hospitals, schools, and other critical facilities.

“The United Nations strongly condemns these attacks and demands that the Russian Federation immediately cease these actions,” declared Ms. DiCarlo, calling for accountability for any violations of the laws of war, and reiterating that attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law.

Ms. DiCarlo expressed deep concern at the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Zaporizhzhia.

Despite reported shelling at the plant over the weekend, key equipment at the site remains intact, she said, and there are no immediate nuclear safety or security concerns.

However, she went on, “this is the result of sheer luck. We do not know how long this luck will last. The world cannot afford a nuclear catastrophe”.

The Under-Secretary-General briefed the Council that, a matter of hours before her address, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reported that the plant is relying on diesel generators to power cooling and essential nuclear safety functions.

Ms. Di Carlo was able to point to one ray of light in an otherwise downbeat assessment of the situation – a prisoner exchange.

Russia and Ukraine, she said, had reported the release of 35 Russian and 36 Ukrainian prisoners. She called on both parties to continue such releases, and to ensure that they fulfil their obligations under international law, in particular, the Third Geneva Convention, which relates to the treatment of prisoners of war.

All Member States and international organizations, said Ms. DiCarlo, must support efforts to prevent a man-made humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine this winter.

“The resulting shocks”, she concluded, “would exact a heavy price, not only on Ukrainians, but on us all.

Climate Finance Scarce, Early Warning Systems Key: India at Climate Summit

NEW DELHI, Nov 7: With climate finance still scarce, climate adaptation in the form of early warning dissemination is key to safeguarding lives and livelihoods from cascading natural hazards causing substantial losses around the world, Union Environment Minister said at the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt on Monday.

Speaking at the UN Secretary General High Level Round Table to launch the "Early Warnings for All Executive Action Plan", Bhupender Yadav stressed that the global pace of climate mitigation is not enough to contain the rate of climate change.

There is an urgent need to acknowledge the cascading natural hazards that cause substantial losses around the world, he said, adding that India fully supports the UN secretary general's agenda to achieve "Early Warnings for All".

With the intensification of tropical cyclones in the Pacific and the Caribbean, small tropical States have lost 200 per cent of their national income in a few hours. Such instances could have devastating consequences in countries that do not have sufficient means to cope with them, Yadav said.

"With climate finance still scarce, climate adaptation in the form of early warning dissemination is key in safeguarding lives and livelihoods. 'Early Warnings For All' plays a part in not just containing the immediate physical impacts, but also mitigating the far-reaching, long-term socio-economic implications that follow," he added.

Yadav said India has been working on strengthening end-to-end early warning systems for all hydro-meteorological hazards.

Deaths due to cyclones in the country have reduced by up to 90 per cent in the last 15 years, he said, adding that early warning systems for cyclones cover almost the entire east and west coasts.

India is making swift progress in terms of early warning for other hazards such as heat waves, the minister said, adding that the country has made concerted efforts towards making early warnings impact-based, easily understandable and actionable by communities over the last few years.

At the conference being held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from November 6 to 18, developed countries are expected to push developing nations to further intensify their climate plans.

On the other hand, the developing countries would seek commitment from the developed nations to finance and technology that are needed to address climate change and the resulting disasters.

The UN climate summit this year is being held in the shadow of the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the related energy crisis, which has strained the capabilities of countries to urgently tackle climate change.

At Least 15,000 Killed By Heat Wave In Europe This Year: WHO

COPENHAGEN, Nov 7: At least 15,000 people have died in Europe because of hot weather in 2022 so far, the World Health Organization said Monday, with Spain and Germany among the worst-affected countries.

The three months from June-August were the hottest in Europe since records began, and the exceptionally high temperatures led to the worst drought the continent has witnessed since the Middle Ages.

"Based on country data submitted so far, it is estimated that at least 15,000 people died specifically due to the heat in 2022," the WHO's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

"Nearly 4,000 deaths in Spain, more than 1,000 in Portugal, more than 3,200 in the United Kingdom, and around 4,500 deaths in Germany were reported by health authorities during the 3 months of summer," he added.

"This estimate is expected to increase as more countries report on excess deaths due to heat," it said, highlighting the UN climate summit in Egypt and its calls for rapid action.

Crops withered in European breadbaskets, as the historic dry spell drove record wildfire intensity and placed severe pressure on the continent's power grid.

Successive heatwaves between June and July, which saw temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Britain for the first time, saw some 24,000 excess deaths in Europe.

"Heat stress, when the body cannot cool itself, is the leading cause of weather-related death in the European Region," the WHO said.

It added that extreme temperatures can be a danger to people who suffer from chronic heart disease, breathing problems and diabetes.

WHO said increasing heatwaves and other extreme weather will "lead to more diseases and deaths" in the next decades unless "drastic" action is taken.

DPR Korea launches ‘unprecedented number’ of missiles, Security Council hears

UNITED NATIONS: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched “an unprecedented number” of cruise and ballistic missiles over the course of just 48 hours this week, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, told the Security Council in an emergency meeting on Friday.

And yet, despite having conducted missile tests on Wednesday and Thursday, Mohamed Khiari informed the ambassadors that DPRK, more commonly known commonly as North Korea, “has yet to publicly provide details” on the launches.

He pointed out that yesterday’s missile launch was “assessed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)”, which reportedly covered a range of 760 km, and reached a height of around 1,920 km, “indicating that…[it] may not have been successful”.

Shortly before the meeting began at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement through his Spokesperson strongly condemning DPRK’s ICBM launch and “barrage” of other missiles over the past two days.

He called on the DPRK to immediately cease any further reckless acts and to comply fully with its international obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions.

The UN chief expressed deep concern at the overall level of tension on the Korean Peninsula between north and south, and the increase in confrontational rhetoric.

Guterres strongly urged North Korea to immediately return to the negotiating table and asked the key parties to resume their diplomatic efforts with a view to achieving sustainable peace and a complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Briefing ambassadors on the details, Mohamed Khiari said one of the ballistic missiles launched on Wednesday reportedly fell into the sea near the territorial waters of the Republic of Korea, more commonly referred to as South Korea.

“It is troubling that the DPRK has consistently and irresponsibly disregarded any consideration for international flight or maritime safety,” said the senior UN official.

While DPRK’s National Aviation Administration stated on 8 October following an earlier launch, that operations did not pose a risk to civil aviation or the region as a whole, aircraft operators are required to assess the safety of their own flight operations.

“To meet this obligation, operators rely on coordination amongst air traffic services authorities, as well as the promulgation of timely information on hazards”, he explained.

The Assistant Secretary-General reminded that the current meeting was the ninth time this year that the Council has met to discuss North Korea.

Following the last briefing on 5 October, he recalled the DPRK’s claim that its seven earlier missile launches were all part of “tactical nuclear operation units”.

“While all concerned seek to avoid an unintended escalation, the spate of missile launches and military exercises contributes to a negative action-reaction cycle”, underscored Khiari.

To lower the risk of miscalculation and reduce tensions in the region, he said it was “critical” that communication channels be strengthened, “including inter-Korean and military to military”.

Climate change much deadlier than cancer in some places: UNDP data

NEW YORK, Nov 4: The impact of climate change on health if carbon emissions remain high, could be up to twice as deadly as cancer in some parts of the world, according to new data released on Friday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Climate Impact Lab.

The study gives the example of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where under a scenario of very high emissions by 2100, additional deaths due to climate change could rise to nearly twice the country’s current annual death rate from all cancers, and 10 times its annual road traffic fatalities.

“Because of human action, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is reaching dangerous levels, driving Earth’s temperatures higher and amplifying the frequency of intensity of extreme events”, says the newly launched Human Climate Horizons platform, adding that without concerted and urgent action, climate change will further exacerbate inequalities, and uneven development.

Building on the analyses of 2020, 2021 and 2022 Human Development Reports - and fed by an evolving stream of frontier research - the data shows how climate change can impact people’s lives – from mortality to livelihoods, and energy use.

Although higher temperatures and a warmer climate put cardiovascular and respiratory systems under stress everywhere, outcomes will vary between places, according to communities that have the resources to adapt and those that do not.

The data shows that climate change could increase mortality rates in Faisalabad, Pakistan by near 67 deaths per 100,000 population – causing more fatalities than strokes, the country’s third leading cause of death.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, however, higher incomes could keep the death toll to 35 per 100,000, which is still deadlier than Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth leading cause of death globally.

Since the late 19th century, the earth’s average temperature has risen by nearly 1.2°C, changing the entire surface area of the planet, according to the research.

However, billions live in regions that have already experienced warming greater than the global average.

As an example, the platform pointed to Maracaibo, Venezuela, noting that in the 1990s it averaged 62 annual days with temperatures exceeding 35°C. However, by mid-century, that number will likely soar to 201 days.

Electricity availability and fuels used to generate it to power air conditioners and heaters, play a crucial role in our ability to cope with extreme temperatures, said UNDP.

The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy – Human Climate Horizons

Yet, the impacts of climate change on energy use will vary locally, as individuals, communities and businesses adapt to conditions using available resources.

In Jakarta, for example, electricity consumption in response to warmer temperatures is projected to increase by roughly one-third of current household consumption in Indonesia. This will require critical additional infrastructure planning.

More frequent and severe temperature extremes also impact livelihoods, affecting the ability to perform tasks and influencing work intensity and duration.

“The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy with workers in high-risk, weather-exposed industries like agriculture, construction, mining and manufacturing most affected”, according to platform data.

In Niamey, Niger, in sectors such as construction, mining and manufacturing, excessive heat was responsible for 36 fewer working hours annually, taking a 2.5 per cent toll on the country’s future GDP.

In Niger, as in many other parts of the Sahel, climate shocks have resulted in recurring droughts with devastating impacts on the region's already vulnerable populations.

As the impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed globally, they will generate a significant uptick in inequalities over the coming years and decades.

But by highlighting that the future is not predetermined, UNDP hopes the information can empower people everywhere, to step up climate action.

The Human Climate Horizons mission is to ensure equal access to data on future impacts, inform decision-making and help everyone understand the human consequences of climate change in different scenarios.

Meanwhile, UNDP has also launched the How Just Transition Can Deliver the Paris Agreement report this week, highlighting the need to embrace the “green revolution” – or risk increasing social inequality, civil unrest, economic loss.

Ahead of the UN climate conference, COP27, which kicks off on Sunday in in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the report spotlights the importance of “fair and equitable” transitioning to meeting the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

From providing workers with new green economy skills and access to social protection to ensuring that countries lay out a clear pathway to a net-zero future, UNDP chief Achim Steiner said the report provides “real-world insights into how to accelerate momentum around a just transition that is fair and equitable for the energy sector and beyond”.

The report analyses both enhanced short-term climate pledges, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and long-term strategies in which countries lay out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

Encouragingly, 72 per cent of nations with enhanced NDCs that refer to a just transition are linking them to socio-economic considerations, while 66 per cent are proposing concrete actions and measures factoring in climate justice.

However, they fail to make linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or gender equality in either short or long-term climate plans – missing a significant opportunity, UNDP said.

“As climate change intensifies and the world faces an immense energy crunch…decoupling from fossil fuels and investing in the green energy infrastructure of tomorrow…[is] the only logical economic choice”, said Steiner.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Finds No Sign Of 'Dirty Bomb' In Ukraine

KYIV, Nov 3: The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday said its inspectors had found no indications of "undeclared nuclear activities" at three locations in Ukraine during visits requested by Kyiv to address Russia's "dirty bomb" allegations.

"Our technical and scientific evaluation of the results we have so far did not show any sign of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at these three locations," said Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"We will report on the results of the environmental sampling as soon as possible," Grossi added, referring to samples collected by IAEA inspectors.

The inspections at the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Kody and the Production Association Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant in Dnipro followed a written request from Ukraine.

"Over the past few days, the inspectors were able to carry out all activities that the IAEA had planned to conduct and were given unfettered access to the locations," the UN agency's statement said.

On Monday the UN nuclear watchdog said its inspectors had begun verification activities at two locations in Ukraine.

A request to visit a third site in Ukraine was later made by Kyiv after Russia made allegations about activities there too, an IAEA spokesman told AFP.

Russia accused Ukraine of preparing to use dirty bombs against Russian troops while Kyiv suspects Moscow might itself use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack, possibly to justify use of conventional nuclear weapons as ground troops run into setbacks.

A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which are spread in an explosion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously called for the IAEA to inspect Ukraine's nuclear sites "as fast as possible".

 

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