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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Disaster losses and damages data

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Reviewing existing applications and use cases

    Data on disaster losses and damages is an essential basis for preparedness, effective response, recovery and reconstruction, the quantification and economic valuation of losses and damages, for understanding root causes and shifts in exposure and vulnerability, and to assess the risk of cascading events and impacts across multiple hazards.

    Not all countries, however, collect and use disaster data systematically and there are major disparities across countries regarding methods, coverage and system governance, creating barriers to effective risk management.

    The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are jointly addressing this gap and developing an enhanced disaster tracking system for hazardous events and related losses and damages aimed at national users interested in upgrading and institutionalizing national disaster tracking systems.

    The report and life repository of case studies below explore current data applications and ways that stronger data collection and management could support better decision-making and informed action.

    Application areas for disaster losses and damages data

    1. Understanding risks

    While still a comparatively young science, hazard modelling has accelerated dramatically in recent years, in terms of the number of models developed, research budgets and expertise, granularity, quality and coverage. Impact information, vulnerability models and integrated assessments have not followed. As a result, the different drivers of vulnerability and, therefore, of underlying risk, remain hidden in plain sight.

    Disaster losses and damages data can make such drivers and hidden vulnerabilities visible. In addition, where solid foundations of exposure, vulnerability and capacity baseline data exist, they provide critical information on the cost of loss, i.e. the ratio of loss compared to total exposure. Disaster data must be collected consistently and over time for them to provide evidence of trends and inform longer-term planning. The importance of baseline information on exposure and vulnerability for risk modelling cannot be underestimated. While high quality is desirable, even modest improvements in increasing coverage, consistency and frequency of updating can go a long way. Combined with disaster losses and damages data information on pre-existing vulnerabilities becomes a powerful contribution to risk modelling and analysis.

    Case study: Understanding multidimensional vulnerability in Sri Lanka: combining disaster losses and damages data with national survey data

    In Sri Lanka, data collected as part of national citizen surveys provide a clear picture of the multiple dimensions of vulnerability and could directly inform hotspot, vulnerability and risk analysis (UNDP, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative [OPHI] and Government of Sri Lanka, 2023 (c)). Analysed through the lens of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MDVI) (UNDP, 2023 (a)), data from the surveys clearly highlight pre-existing vulnerabilities

    Combined with long-term records on the impact of disasters from their Desinventar-based national disaster losses and damages database, a disaggregated analysis makes apparent differences on vulnerability dimensions and their drivers providing useful insights for more in depth risk analysis.

    Recommendations to enhance the usability of disaster losses and damages data for risk analysis and modeling

    Disaster losses and damages data can provide a “real time” window on ongoing risk accumulation identifying new risk patterns and trends that should feedback into recalibrated risk information. Disaster data can illustrate changing patterns and trends that can be interpreted through qualitative analysis of the underlying risk drivers to explain the changes. Historical disaster data cannot replace risk analysis but can provide additional or substitute information to improve risk modelling for both short-term forecasting and longer-term climate impact assessments. Historic data is particularly useful for capturing frequently occurring, localized and small-scale events, such as local landslides or flash floods – often called extensive disaster events – where global risk models have limitations.

    Risk assessments are only useful if they are communicated in a manner that is meaningful to decision makers. While historical losses alone are not a good guide to the future, presenting data on actual (realized) losses and damages alongside more complex risk analysis can help in communicating risk effectively. Data on disaster losses and damage can contribute to improved modelling of existing as well as emerging or newly accelerating risks. To improve its usability, it is recommended to:

    • Strengthen disaggregated data collection and analysis both in terms of hazard type, geography, and sectoral impacts, as well as in regard to data sex, age, disability status, income levels, and other dimensions of differentiated exposure and vulnerability.
    • Enable georeferenced impact data collection to support the development of more accurate and replicable risk models.

    2. Preparedness, early warning and early action

    Hazardous event and disaster losses and damages data is critical in the design, development and monitoring of early warning systems and early action. By informing key components of multi hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) – as proposed in 1997 and later adopted by WMO, the United Nations and national governments – these systems and related anticipatory and early action can become impact-based.

    Case study: Impact-based forecasting for anticipatory action to typhoons in the Philippines

    To reduce the humanitarian impact of TC, both the Philippines Red Cross and United Nations OCHA Philippines have designed an agency-specific protocol, respectively in 2019 and 2021, which can be used to trigger early actions and release funding based on an impact-based forecasting model. Building on the Netherlands Red Cross 510 model, early actions (such as distributing house-strengthening kits) are pre-identified and triggered when the impact-based forecasting model indicates a pre-defined danger level is exceeded (with a lead time of 120 to 72 hours before landfall). The machine learning model consists of a classification and regression component and is trained on over 60 historical events.

    Recommendations to enhance the usability of disaster losses and damages data for preparedness, early warning and early action

    • Record losses and damages recorded along with the associated characteristics of the hazardous event (physical phenomena) to be able to link impacts to vulnerability, exposure and specific hazard intensity, characteristics and cascading events.
    • Enhance spatial resolution of damage records to enable training of machine learning models that could enhance resolution of predictions and allow impact-based forecasting model to achieve a higher performance.
    • Collect sector, geographic and population groups disaggregated impact information to be able to understand common disruptions to livelihood systems and services associated with recurrent hazards and to device and monitor effectiveness of early/ anticipatory actions.

    3. Disaster risk reduction financing

    Disaster losses and damages data are the backbone of any financing strategy and plan for preparedness, response, recovery or risk reduction. Without knowing what has been lost in the past and what is at stake in the present and future, the case for investment in risk management and even for contingency planning remains weak (UNDRR, 2013). National ministries of finance, regional financing institutions and multilateral development banks, as well as private-sector finance and insurance companies, all require data to underpin budgets, financing plans and funding proposals for priority sectors or systems

    Strategies for disaster risk reduction financing can look very different, depending on scale, risk context and financing sources. However, as states are insurers of last resort in disasters, it is increasingly important that they have ownership of the data that informs disaster financing strategies and lead the development of financing instruments, including insurance (Radu, 2022).

    Insurance mechanisms

    Methods from the insurance sector have been replicated across the public sector, from modelling approaches to estimations of disaster losses. A critical gap that both the private and public sectors face in developing financing strategies for disaster risk management, however, is the question of indirect and downstream costs, for example in the form of business disruption, cascading costs from power outages or disruption in water supply, etc.

    Case study: Using disaster data to calibrate parametric insurance in Manizales, Colombia.

    In Manizales, Colombia a disaster database registered a total of 1,149 local landslides, between March 2003 and August 2021. These events were classified according to the severity of their impacts on a D-Index using a scale from 1 – 10. A parameter called C5Max, was then established for a critical level of rainfall over 5 days, captured in selected meteorological stations, that could trigger landslides. The level of critical rainfall could then be associated with the severity of landslide impact. This enabled the prediction of expected landslide impacts once a given rainfall threshold was surpassed. In Manizales this was used for the development and calibration of a parametric insurance scheme to cover emergency response. However, the same approach could also be used in impact-based early warning.

    DRR Financing strategies

    Whereas the insurance industry usually employs fully developed risk estimation methods, including actuarial data from past disaster impact assessments, many public-sector institutions lack the resources and experience to undertake analysis based on systematic assessments of past events (UNDRR, 2023 (b)).

    As a result, many national disaster risk reduction financing strategies and risk management budgets rely on a weak evidence base and only a few use disaster loss data collected in the past as a critical input into their assessments (Radu, 2022; UNDRR, 2015; Climate Adapt, n.d.). Instead, estimates of financing needs often use financing commitments or humanitarian spending in previous disasters, rather than records of actual losses.

    Case study: Sri Lanka – disaster losses and damages data to identify financing needs in the agriculture sector

    In Sri Lanka, analysis of historical disaster losses in the infrastructure sector helped identify risk and potential financing gaps in the irrigation sector (see Figure 13a). The calculation of these historical costs provides the basis for modelled estimates of costs associated with damage from future disasters and the potential financing gap the Government of Sri Lanka may face (see Figure 13b).

    Recommendations to enhance applicability of disaster losses and damages data for disaster risk reduction financing

    • Improve the collection of sector-specific asset and service system (e.g. water distribution or electricity generation) disaggregated and georeferenced data to enhance the understanding on how specific parameters of hazardous events (e.g. water level, flow speeds, stagnation time) cause damage and dysfunction to different structures to better enable sector-specific catastrophic insurance products
    •  Ensure losses and damages data is recorded in a way that private vs public sector effects are accounted separately, understanding which losses are incurred by individuals, households and private sector versus those borne by public sector will be particularly helpful when devising risk reduction financing strategies for productive and infrastructure sectors.

    Disaggregated historical damage data solid baseline data on sector exposure, i.e. inventories of assets and production processes beyond the basic exposure data on buildings and people would enhance the evidence base to develop catastrophic insurance products.

    4. Risk-informed planning and development

    Disaster losses and damages data that is of good quality, geographical and temporal coverage, and consistency of metrics and indicators, can inform and enhance local assessments for sector-specific preparedness, response and recovery planning and beyond, risk-informed development and sector planning. Particularly relevant sectors in this regard are health and education, urban planning (including building and zoning regulations), agriculture and natural resources management, and basic infrastructure and services (transport, energy, waste, and drinking water).

    High-quality disaster losses and damages data with good geographical and temporal coverage and consistent metrics and indicators, can inform and enhance local assessments for sector-specific preparedness, response and recovery planning, as well as risk-informed development and sector planning.

    Case study: Planning resilient roads in Cambodia

    The Government of Cambodia has recognized that the transportation sector, vital for the country’s economic development, is regularly and severely affected by disaster impacts. Road damage and destruction from disasters is systematically collected and recorded and stored in the Cambodia Disaster Loss and Damage Information System (CamDi), national database managed by the National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM). Baseline data is collected with details on all roads and related infrastructure and recorded together with disaster loss data, allowing for lost cost assessments, seasonal analysis, and analysis by region or specific location and by road or infrastructure type.

    Recommendations to enhance the usability of disaster losses and damages for risk-informed development

    • Sector and geographic disaggregated data recording and management would further enable the application of disaster losses and damages data for risk-informed policies, plans, budgets and actions
    • Consistent and institutionalized tracking of losses and damages with engagement of whole-of-government entities and following agreed definitions, metrics and standard would enable creating relevant time series of historic impact data required for enhancing relevance and applicability of data for risk-informed planning.
    • Application of disaster losses and damages data for risk-informed planning at multiple levels should be complemented by monitoring and evaluation frameworks and mechanisms that utilize same data elements to measure progress against targets and milestones.

    5. Reporting, benchmarking and progress monitoring

    Monitoring progress on resilience building

    Progress on climate change adaptation and action on losses and damages can be efficiently monitored, among other things, by maintaining consistent and granular impact records. Reducing losses and damage from hazardous events over time is the ultimate measurement of progress and the Sendai Framework specifies several indicators that all require disaster losses and damages quantification. Similarly, reporting against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires disaster-related data, as 25 targets relate directly to disaster risk and to reducing the negative impacts of disasters).  The ongoing development of indicators to monitor the Global Goal on Adaptation targets contained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Framework for Global Climate Resilience will also benefit from the enhanced disaster tracking system, enabling monitoring of the reduction in losses and increase in resilience across several sectors (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC], 2023 (a)). Other national frameworks and processes, such as for Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans or Biennial Transparency Reports, can also draw on the enhanced tracking system to strengthen coherence in reporting (UNFCCC, n.d. (a); UNEP, n.d.; UNFCCC, n.d. (b)).

    Recommendations to enhance usability of disaster losses and damages data for monitoring, reporting and benchmarking progress.

    • Utilize globally agreed definitions and standards, such as the hazard classification and information profiles to organize database and tracking systems to further enable cross-cutting and regional benchmarking.
    View more case studies

    Related and further reading

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Gender Advisor (Programme Management Officer), P-4, Bangkok

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Apply here

    Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyses action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. 

    The project position is located in the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Bangkok. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Regional Office.

    Under the supervision and guidance of the Chief of Regional Office, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities: 

    • Develops, implements and evaluates a regional program designed to enhance women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific (WIN DRR), including liaising with relevant parties and ensuring follow-up actions, and supporting the expansion to other regions. This program will provide leadership skills training, expand networks and build partnerships to strengthen the role of women leaders in DRR. 
    • Facilitates and guides the integration of gender equality and disability inclusion into core UNDRR global processes, including strategic planning, programme management, resource mobilization, global and regional platforms, communications, staff training and partnerships. 
    • Leads UNDRR’s implementation of the Gender Action Plan to Support Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and initiates and coordinates outreach activities on gender-responsive DRR with UNDRR partners and stakeholder groups. 
    • Supports UNDRR’s commitment to, and implementation of, UN-wide gender initiatives and ensures appropriate reporting processes. 
    • Researches, analyzes and presents information related to inclusive disaster risk reduction, including gender equality, disability inclusion and human rights, gathered from diverse sources and provides recommendations to UNDRR SRSG, Director, management and staff to enhance inclusive and accessible DRR. 
    • Coordinates policy development related to gender equality, disability inclusion and human rights, including Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the review and analysis of issues and trends at the global and regional levels. 
    • Promotes sex, age and disability disaggregated data and supports the use of gender data to improve Sendai Framework Monitoring and evidence-based decision making that leaves no one behind. 
    • Contributes technical expert advice on gender, women’s leadership and DRR and represents UNDRR at regional and national meetings where needed. 
    • Organizes and prepares written outputs related to gender equality and women’s leadership, disability inclusion and human rights e.g. draft background papers, speeches, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc. 
    • Supervises staff and coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.). 
    • Performs other duties as required.

    PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. 

    ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. 

    CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

    Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent degree) in gender and women’s rights, development studies, social science or related humanities field, international relations, human rights, law, gender studies, or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

    Not available.

    A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible programme management experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s leadership and disability inclusion in disaster risk management, humanitarian response, or development programming is required. 

    Experience in conducting gender analysis is required. 

    At least two years of experience designing and managing large projects is required. 

    At least two years of experience working in international organizations such as the United Nations or other comparable organizations is required. 

    Experience in developing partnerships and collaborative networks is desirable.

    Experience in improving organizational systems and processes to strengthen gender results is desirable.

    English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

    Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

    Special Notice

    This is a project post. The appointment against this project position is limited to the duration of the project. The appointment or assignment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. In line with the overall United Nations policy, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction encourages a positive workplace culture which embraces inclusivity and leverages diversity within its workforce. Measures are applied to enable all staff members to contribute equally and fully to the work and development of the organization, including flexible working arrangements, family-friendly policies and standards of conduct. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher, temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

    United Nations Considerations

    According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

    No Fee

    THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

    Apply here

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Why earthquakes still matter

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    In the early hours of 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck west-northwest of Gaziantep, Türkiye. Less than 10 hours later another shock measuring 7.7 shook the same area.

    The disaster took more than 60,000 human lives across southern and central Türkiye and northern and western Syria, causing catastrophic damages and suffering.

    In the aftermath, national and local authorities and communities have undertaken remarkable reconstruction efforts, setting new benchmarks for swift recovery and “build back better” principles.

    The upcoming World Resilient Recovery Conference – during the preparatory days of the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction – will be an opportunity to learn from these experiences.

    Rising risks and built environments

    This earthquake was another reminder of the high risk of catastrophic losses from earthquakes.

    Hydro-meteorological disasters are increasing, keeping them in public policy focus. Earthquakes, however, get overlooked, even while they pose increasing risks, driven by expanding, unsafe built environment.

    The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) estimated in its 2023 Biennial Report that nearly 30% of expected average annual losses globally are linked to earthquakes.

    There’s a much-repeated adage that goes “it is not earthquakes that kill people, it’s weak buildings and infrastructure that kill people.” And weak buildings and infrastructure – in other words unsafe built environments – are an outcome of social and economic processes characterized by low awareness (with low social demand for seismic safety), inadequate capabilities (not enough trained engineers, contractors and building artisans), low or no standards (inadequate seismic safety codes and building by-laws), and weak governance capacity (capability to enforce the adoption of seismic safety codes where they do exist).

    We have the know-how

    Our understanding of the physics of earthquakes has improved. We also understand how buildings and infrastructure respond to earthquakes, and we know how to make them safer. From designing a simple structure to a complex physical infrastructure, engineering knowledge is at an all-time high.

    Yet the risk of losses from earthquakes is rising in most seismic countries.

    But trend is not destiny. It can be arrested. It can be reversed.

    Four public policy approaches for seismic safety

    1) Take a long view, but start now.

    Every long journey starts with a first step. Our stock of unsafe buildings and infrastructure was accumulated over decades, and it is a daunting prospect to consider replacing and retrofitting them quickly. However, if each city and each village in every earthquake-prone region were to resolve to build every new building or infrastructure project to an earthquake-resistant standard, in just a decade we would be having a very different conversation. We need to redouble efforts to develop seismic building codes (where they don’t exist) and enforce them.

    For existing buildings and infrastructure, we need to develop shared priorities across communities, governments and the private sector to systematically retrofit and strengthen them. This prioritisation must be underpinned by a clear understanding of the risks, which is the first priority of the Sendai Framework.

    Disaster scenarios, such as those created by GeoHazards International can allow communities to visualize potential impacts and prioritize mitigation strategies effectively. Using whatever resources are available, we can strengthen one hospital, one school at a time. This will not only improve seismic safety but will also have other co-benefits in terms of enhanced awareness and better quality of built environment for everyday use.

    At the same time, we must find retrofitting solutions that are practical, that help prevent the catastrophic collapse of buildings, and that can be implemented at scale. To do this means creating a functioning market for retrofitting- nudged by regulation and fuelled by public sector investments such as advance market commitments.

    In Kathmandu Valley, Nepal’s National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) retrofitted 260 schools between 1997 and 2015. Of these, 160 were struck by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, and all experienced, at worst, minor damages – while in other schools more than 25,000 classrooms were destroyed. We have ample proof that investments in retrofitting pay dividends – in avoided losses and in precious lives.

    However, these efforts are not easy – they require strengthening disaster risk governance at the local level in very tangible ways.

    Innovation is required not just in terms of new technologies but also in risk governance – such as Japan’s introduction of innovative systems after the 1995 Kobe earthquake, involving private sector enforcement of new, stricter codes that mandated retrofitting of older buildings.

    Another example is the innovative approach to owner-driven reconstruction taken by SEEDS India after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and continuing through multiple seismic events. Their experience demonstrates that empowering homeowners and local masons leads to safe, sustainable, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate housing-achieved at scales and speeds unmatched by contractor-led programmes.

    2) Invest in capabilities at all levels.

    Shaping an earthquake-safe built environment requires capabilities in many disciplines and at all levels – urban planning, seismology, earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, enhancing disaster resistant construction skills of masons, bar benders, contractors and so on – and in many countries theses capacities are woefully inadequate.

    There is no short cut but to systematically invest in developing these capabilities, and to drive demand though regulation and certification.

    3) Treat every disaster as an opportunity to learn.

    As a fresh architecture graduate, I learned more from the 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake

    than from any textbook. Observing the performance of buildings and the mode of their failure under earthquake forces brought my theoretical lessons to life.

    We say that every disaster is too precious to waste: we must systematically collect data and undertake forensic analysis after every earthquake, so we can improve building codes and enforcement systems, launch awareness campaigns, and better understand the epidemiology of earthquakes. This involves setting up learning systems in our national and sub-national institutions.

    4) Foster public awareness.

    Maintaining awareness of less frequent but potentially devastating hazards is always a challenge.

    Again, there are no quick fixes. Building public awareness starts in the school (catch them young!) and over time can generate greater social demand for seismic safety.

    While we transform our built environment over the long term, in the short term we need to teach people how to manage risks. Awareness of simple protection measures – such as DROP, COVER and HOLD during an earthquake, and fixing non-structural elements like flowerpots on balconies, large cupboards in houses – goes a long way in protecting lives.

    The path to seismic safety is well established, with many proven success stories from countries and communities that have persevered to reduce earthquake risks enormously. The 1960 Chile earthquake, for example, was the largest earthquake ever recorded since the measurements began, and its impacts were catastrophic. Just 50 years later – in 2010, the same year that Haiti earthquake caused more than 200,000 deaths – Chile was struck once more, by 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. While 523 people tragically lost their lives, this is a fraction of the number that could have died had Chile not applied strict building codes during reconstruction.

    We need to follow their lead and make seismic safety a global movement. It is a long journey – but the first step must be taken now.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Ten actions to combat extreme heat

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    We need bold solutions to extreme heat – now. We are not going to be able to air-condition our way out of this.

    In July, UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a global call to action on extreme heat which was widely welcomed, and during the recent G20 Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction in Belém, Brazil, the Government of Brazil and UNDRR hosted a ministerial event to unpack it further.

    The extreme heat problem is enormous and requires transformational actions. We need an integrated short, medium and long-term approach to tackling mounting extreme heat disaster risks. At the Belém meeting, I laid out a ten-point DRR action plan for the consideration of G20 in response to the Secretary-General’s call:

    1. Establish heat thresholds: We need to establish location and sector-specific heat thresholds that take temperature, humidity, wind, diurnal variation and persistence into account. These must use the evidence generated by research bringing together meteorology, human and animal health, engineering, and economic sectors. When the Indian city of Ahmedabad applied this approach in 2010-11 it paid rich dividends, showing significant reductions of heat-related deaths.
    2. Develop and practice Heat Action Plans: Many countries have recently developed Heat Action Plans or Strategies. Such approaches are being explored by a number of countries, such as the US National Integrated Heat Health Information System, which brings together all government agencies to guide collective planning, education and action. Heat Action Plans must be localized and above all they must be practiced. Just as we do simulations for cyclones and earthquakes (such as mock drills and table-top exercise), we must run exercises for conditions of extreme heat. Germany, for example, is already planning a table-top simulation for extreme heat for 2025.
    3. Strengthen social protection systems: Extreme heat has immediate and debilitating impacts on those who have the least capacity to absorb any disruption. For example, activating a Heat Action Plan may reduce working hours or completely stop work on construction sites, and so disrupt the subsistence livelihood of the poorest daily-wage workers. We need innovative mechanisms in place to protect such groups. The Mahila Housing Trust in India, for example, launched parametric climate risk insurance for women working in the informal sector. We need to learn from and expand such initiatives.
    4. Heat-responsive building regulations: Building regulations – in the Global North as well as in the Global South – seldom account for extreme heat. We should revise building regulations to take more intense, more frequent extreme heat into account. This could incorporate both passive cooling solutions (appropriate design, orientation, roof and wall materials, and openings) as well as smarter active technology-based cooling solutions.
    5. Enhance the use of nature-based solutions: Natural facilities – green cover, water bodies – provide protection against extreme heat. Where possible, we must proactively incorporate nature-based solutions in development and urban design. Increasing tree cover in urban neighborhoods can improve the microclimate significantly and provide protection against extreme heat. A growing body of research shows that these measures can offer significant benefits beyond extreme heat and urban spaces – reducing risks from other hazards, increasing biodiversity and environmental resources, and improving quality of life
    6. Encourage market-based interventions to stimulate investment in heat resilient building and infrastructure technologies: We need to transform our built environment at scale. For example, to combat extreme heat in low-income settlements, we need cool-roof technologies over millions of square metres. However, the market hasn’t yet responded to such a need. We must find ways to stimulate a market for cool roofing: Governments could provide advance market commitments to encourage innovators and investors (for example, by advance purchases of roofing for low-income settlements).
    7. Go back to vernacular architecture for inspiration: Traditional building designs in historically hot regions can teach us a lot. But many of these practices are being lost to modernization. We must document these traditional building systems, revive, adapt and adopt these for present conditions. This could prompt a transformation of our built environment, particularly in rural settlements. In West Africa, the ‘Association la Voûte Nubienne‘ is doing precisely this with the ancient ‘Nubian vault’ building design, offering financial and practical assistance to locals to replace hot tin roofs with traditional cool designs.
    8. Recognize the connection between urban morphology and extreme heat: We need to adequately recognize the connection between extreme heat and how cities are laid out. Urban planners and climatologists need to join forces in planning heat-resilient towns and cities. We need to support the emerging discipline of urban meteorology.
    9. Exploit emerging technologies to combat extreme heat: Space based systems, sensor technologies, and AI offer exciting opportunities to understand patterns of extreme heat in real time. We can use these tools to identify distress signals, trigger early actions, and mobilize immediate public health response to protect people. SEEDS and Microsoft, for example, have been applying AI for targeted humanitarian action in India. These emerging technologies can also offer insights for heat-responsive architectural and urban design.
    10. Develop an ecosystem of vulnerability studies: While the impact of extreme heat on human health and other bio-physical systems – agriculture, animal husbandry – has been studied at length, we need to go further to examine how extreme heat affects other economic, social, ecological and infrastructure systems. This requires a vibrant research ecosystem that both broadens and deepens our understanding of risks associated with extreme heat.

    The Secretary-General’s Call to Action on extreme heat is timely and urgent. This plan to reduce the disaster risks associated with extreme heat is just part of a wider, global and ambitious response, requiring coordinated action across sectors and nations. But it is undeniable that we can’t waste a moment in making sure that everyone, everywhere, is protected from the impacts of intensifying extreme heat.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Inter-agency cooperation on climate change and resilience fosters better understanding of and preparedness for climate phenomena in the Latin America and the Caribbean region

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    The United Nations Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) for Latin America and the Caribbean unites all UN entities working on sustainable development to ensure full collaboration and coordination of UN assets in addressing key challenges that transcend country borders. It provides policy support and access to expertise at the service of the specific needs and priorities of each region and in support of the work of Resident Coordinators and UN country teams at the country level. The RCP comprises 7 Issue-Based Coalitions (IBC) and Thematic Working Groups, and 6 Operational and Programmatic Working Groups.

    The Issue-Based Coalition on Climate Change and Resilience is a collaborative effort involving 22 UN entities, with UNDRR and UNEP leading the coalition. The primary goal of this Thematic Coalition is to facilitate a cohesive and synchronized implementation of global agendas, specifically focusing on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. By promoting inter-agency coordination and accountability, the IBC seeks to strengthen the United Nations System’s collective efforts in addressing climate change, resilience, and disaster risk reduction at both regional and subregional levels in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    In 2023, in partnership with UNEP, the IBC on Climate Change and Resilience conducted a comprehensive series of capacity-building activities addressing key topics requested by the United Nations Country Teams/Resident Coordinators (UNCT/RCs) in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. These sessions, held from February to December of 2023, aimed to 1) enhance participants’ knowledge and capabilities in the domains of climate change and disaster risk reduction; 2) ensure the effective integration of DRR into the Common Country Analysis and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework; and to 3) provide support and guidance to country offices on how to systematically integrate Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation with the principle of leaving no-one behind, economic impacts, and other relevant factors.

    In 2023, as El Niño impacts were expected towards the later part of the year, a webinar, reaching over 5,000 ,people was held on the Preparation for the Impact of the El Niño Event in Latin America. It aimed to provide information and tools to support decision-makers in the region in implementing urgent preventive measures across various levels and strategic sectors. A meeting with RCs and UNCTs was organized to follow up on the webinar, providing a platform for country offices to ask questions to IBC members regarding the El Niño event. After the webinar, a brief on El Niño in Latin America and the Caribbean was published, which forecast the El Niño impacts in the region and provided key recommendations to prepare for them. Based on the success of the webinar and forecasts, the IBC will be leading a WMO-facilitated session on La Niña events in the region in 2024.

    A series of six regional dialogues were held in preparation for COP28, with 5,800 participants between April and October 2023, gathering inputs to assist UN negotiators and country teams in Latin America and the Caribbean. The outcomes contributed to the preparations for the XXIII Forum of Ministers of Environment in October 2023. More than 20 side events were organized by two or more IBC members during the Regional Climate Week. After COP28, the IBC led a webinar with RCOs/UNCTs to discuss the implications of COP28 outcome for the Americas and the Caribbean.

    In February 2023, FAO, UNEP, UNDRR, and WMO, along with the participation of other IBC members and co-organized with DCO, presented to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) the Technical Brief on Wildfires developed in 2022 in response to the severe wildfire seasons of 2020 and 2021 in the Gran Chaco and Amazonia region. This agreed inter-agency approach on wildfires is based on the Sendai Framework. Uncontrolled fires significantly affected societies, economies, and the environment, and insufficient resources and technical capacities hindered effective mitigation measures, which highlighted the need for standardized international methodologies to record and analyze historical wildfires for informed policy and decision-making. The report will further be shared with key stakeholders and members states that have been impacted by wildfires.

    Pathways for sustainable development and policy coherence in the Caribbean region through comprehensive risk management is a study revealing that all sixteen Caribbean countries have achieved a partial level of coherence in aligning their national policies and plans with Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Change Adaptation, and Disaster Risk Reduction. The study was then followed up by a webinar attended by 350 participants, most importantly by RCOs/UNCTs of the Caribbean region in January of 2024.

    The regional brief Gender Mainstreaming in Climate Change, Resilience, and Disaster Risk Reduction aims to provide strategic information and tools for decision-makers, UN Resident Coordinators, and country teams, supporting coherent implementation of global agendas and enhancing coordination, accountability, and gender mainstreaming. Agencies that supported the development of the brief include UNEP, UNDRR, UNDP, OIT, UN Women, ECLAC, UNICEF, UNHCR, and IOM. For 2024, the launch of the brief is planned, accompanied by a webinar to present the brief to RCOs and UNCTs and other events.

    A regional brief on Energy Transitions in the Latin America and the Caribbean provided a concise overview of the current state of the energy sector in the LAC region, highlighting Greenhouse Gas Emissions, economic and social development, environmental commitments, investment trends, global dialogues prioritizing energy transitions, and identifies four key areas where the UN can influence and promote sustainable energy transitions. The brief was developed in collaboration with UNDRR, UNEP, ECLAC, FAO, ILO, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOPS, WFP, UNFCCC, UN Women, DCO, and presented to RCOs/UNCTs in December 2023. For 2024, meetings are planned to facilitate discussions on additional support needed.

    The strengthened interaction between the Issue-Based Coalition at the regional level and the RCOs/UNCTs in 2023 through webinars and the community of practice is expected to lead to an increase in requests for regional inter-agency collaboration within the scope to the IBC’s Terms of Reference going forward.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Visionary leadership for comprehensive risk management is supporting resilience building in Bangladesh

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Bangladesh is exposed to a range of natural hazards including tropical cyclones, monsoon and flash floods, storm surges, landslides, extreme temperature events, and droughts, which are exacerbated by climate change, as well as earthquakes. In 2023 alone, Bangladesh witnessed a surge in natural hazards and extreme weather events, including three cyclones affecting around 2.5 million people, and flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains affecting over 1.3 million people.[1] While investments in disaster preparedness and response have been prioritized, the wide-reaching impacts of climate change and disasters threaten to exacerbate social, political, and economic vulnerabilities. Reducing existing risk and preventing the creation of new risk is therefore a priority for sustainable development, as reflected in priority 3 ‘sustainable, healthy and resilient environment’ of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2022 to 2026. The work of the United Nations in Bangladesh has a strong focus on anticipatory interventions at the nexus of development and humanitarian programming to sustainably build resilience and address the underlying causes of vulnerability, while reinforcing national systems and capacities.

    Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, the United Nations organizations take a comprehensive risk management approach to disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem health management, supporting the government and key non-state actors to coordinate and implement innovative, whole-of-society and gender-responsive initiatives, and build institutional capacity to improve ecosystem health and to better manage dynamic risks. The United Nations Resident Coordinator co-chairs, jointly with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT), an effective coordination mechanism between government agencies and international partners, comprising the humanitarian clusters, aligning emergency responses with national disaster risk management strategies. In its co-chair role, the Resident Coordinator is supported by the Humanitarian Advisory Group that is composed of UN humanitarian agencies, donors, international and national NGOs (including women-led organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities), and deliberates on disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. The effective leadership for and coordination of a comprehensive risk management approach, including through the establishment and strengthening of area-based initiatives and district-level coordination structures, has yielded a lot of progress on disaster risk reduction and resilience building through comprehensive technical support.

    In 2023, having accumulated valuable experience in anticipatory action, particularly regarding monsoonal river floods, the Anticipatory Action framework for floods was extended to two more river basins, a common beneficiary database was established covering 200,000 vulnerable households in 15 climate hotspots, and additional funding sources were joined to the pre-agreed UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to the anticipatory action framework that comprises actions by FAO, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, and Save the Children. A second UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Anticipatory Action Framework was approved in November 2023 for cyclones. This makes Bangladesh a pioneer with a multi-hazard trigger for both floods and cyclones. Ahead of Cyclone Mocha and related flash floods, 45,000 individuals received anticipatory cash support, mitigating the impact of the event.

    A Disaster Risk Reduction Financing Strategy (DRRFS) for Bangladesh was developed, led by the Ministry of Finance and supported by the UN system, with UNDRR as the technical lead who developed the model and drafted the strategy in consultation with relevant government ministries and International Financial Institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB), and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office providing critical coordination support. The strategy aims to ensure the determining and distribution of limited financial resources in a way that strengthens economic, social, health, and environmental resilience before a hazard event.

    The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office facilitated coordination with the Government, UN and other humanitarian entities to implement UN Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) initiatives, including organizing a national consultative workshop to develop a EW4ALL roadmap in November 2023. Also, the Resident Coordinator’s Office has supported the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in developing the first sub-national earthquake risk assessment in Bangladesh, in collaboration with UNDRR and the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation.

    [1] United Nations in Bangladesh, 23 April 2024, https://bangladesh.un.org/en/266779-government-and-humanitarian-partners-recommit

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hamas report to mediators accuses Israel of pervasive Gaza ceasefire violations

    As Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to resume war, Hamas outlines widespread Israeli ceasefire violations in document sent to the mediators.

    By Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous of Dropsite News

    Hamas officials submitted a two-page report to mediators yesterday listing a wide range of Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire since the agreement went into effect on January 19 — including the killing of civilians, repeated ground and air incursions, the beating and humiliation of Palestinian captives during their release and the deportation of some without their consent, and the denial of humanitarian aid.

    Drop Site News obtained a copy of the report delivered to mediators from Qatar and Egypt.

    “Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement if the occupation is committed to the agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.

    “We confirm that the occupation is the party that did not abide by its commitments, and it bears responsibility for any complications or delays.”

    The move comes in response to accusations by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas had violated the agreement, threatening a full resumption of the war — yet it was Israel’s nearly daily breaches of the deal that prompted Hamas to announce it would postpone the next release of Israeli captives.

    On Monday, Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, announced the next planned release of three Israeli captives, scheduled for Saturday, would be “postponed indefinitely”.

    Abu Obeida cited “delays in allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, targeting them with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas of the Strip, and failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed”.

    Israel violating ceasefire agreement
    Hamas issued a statement soon afterwards reiterating that Israel was violating the agreement by blocking aid, attacking civilians, and restricting movement in Gaza, and warning that the next release of captives would be postponed until it complied.

    “By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations,” the statement said.

    Three Israeli officials and two mediators speaking anonymously to The New York Times confirmed that Israel had not fulfilled its obligations to send humanitarian aid into Gaza. This fact was mentioned in the 9th paragraph of the Times story.

    In response, President Trump, on Monday told reporters that the ceasefire should be cancelled if Hamas did not release all the remaining captives it was holding in Gaza by midday Saturday, warning “all hell is going to break out”.

    Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on Trump’s comments.

    “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, “the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”

    Netanyahu reportedly ordered the military to add more troops in and around Gaza to prepare for “every scenario” if the captives were not released.

    It was not immediately clear if he was referring to the three Israelis originally scheduled for release Saturday, all remaining captives, or all living Israelis slated for release in Phase 1.

    Document submitted to mediators
    The two-page document submitted by Hamas to mediators yesterday divided the violations into five separate categories: Field Violations, Prisoners, Humanitarian Aid, Denial of Essential Supplies, and Political Violations.

    Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire deal since it came into effect, targeting Palestinians in Gaza on an almost daily basis. The document outlines 269 “field violations” by the Israeli military, including the killing of 26 Palestinians and the wounding of 59 others.

    Page 1 of the Hamas report of ceasefire violations by Israel. Image: Hamas screenshot APR/DDN

    The number of people killed appears to be a dramatic undercount compared to the official toll documented by the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

    The Director-General of the Health Ministry, Dr Monir al-Barsh, announced separately yesterday that 92 Palestinians had been killed and 822 wounded in “direct targeting” by the Israeli military since January 19, when the ceasefire came into effect.

    The report also lists repeated ground incursions into Gaza beyond the designated buffer zone, particularly in the Philadelphi corridor — the 14km strip of land that runs along the border of Egypt.

    These incursions “were accompanied by gunfire and resulted in the deaths of citizens and the demolition of homes,” the report said.

    It also accused Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian captives to beatings and humiliation during their release, forcibly deporting released captives to Gaza without their coordination or consent, preventing families of deported prisoners from leaving the West Bank to join them, and delaying prisoner releases by several hours.

    The report also says that fewer than 25 fuel trucks per day have been allowed into Gaza, which is half of the allotted 50 fuel trucks per day, as outlined in the deal. The entry of commercial fuel was blocked entirely, the report says, again in violation of the agreement.

    Only 53,000 tents allowed
    Just over 53,000 tents were allowed into Gaza, the reports says, out of the 200,000 allotted and no mobile housing units out of the 60,000 agreed on.

    Heavy machinery for the removal of massive amounts of debris and retrieval of bodies was similarly blocked, with only four machines allowed in.

    Israel also blocked the entry of supplies to repair and operate the power plant and electrical grid, the report said.

    No medical supplies, ambulances have been allowed in and no equipment for civil defense teams. Meanwhile banks were not allowed to receive cash to replenish a severe currency shortage.

    The report ends on “Political Violations” criticising statements by the “Israeli Prime Minister and ministers openly calling for the expulsion of Gaza’s population, sending a clear message that the occupation does not wish to honour the agreement and aims to implement Trump’s plan to displace Gaza’s residents”.

    It also criticises the “deliberate delay” in starting the negotiations on Phase 2 of the ceasefire and “the introduction of impossible conditions.”

    A summary of the Israeli ceasefire violations. Image: QudsNews

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: The Keg Royalties Income Fund announces February 2025 cash distribution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Keg Royalties Income Fund (the “Fund”) (TSX: KEG.UN) today announced that its February 2025 distribution of $0.0946 per unit has been declared and is payable to unitholders of record as at February 21, 2025. The February 2025 distribution will be paid on February 28, 2025.

    The Fund is a limited purpose, open-ended trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario that, through The Keg Rights Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Fund, owns certain trademarks and other related intellectual property used by Keg Restaurants Ltd. (“KRL”). In exchange for use of those trademarks, KRL pays the Fund a royalty of 4% of gross sales of Keg restaurants included in the royalty pool.

    With approximately 10,000 employees, over 100 restaurants and annual system sales exceeding $700 million, Vancouver-based KRL is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouse restaurants in Canada and has a substantial presence in select regional markets in the United States. KRL continues to operate The Keg restaurant system and expand that system through the addition of both corporate and franchised Keg steakhouses. KRL has been named the number one restaurant company to work for in Canada in the latest edition of Forbes “Canada’s Best Employers 2025” survey.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 31 January 2025 A family affair: Traversing the seas to bring vital immunizations to island communities

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Though Mimi stayed home while her mother was at work, she’d often spend her free time playing doctor. Years later, Rabiah, a single mother, would send Mimi to midwifery school following in her footsteps. Her three other siblings would also become health workers.  

    “She is the greatest inspiration in my life,” says Mimi. “Since I was a child, I saw her fighting for the community. So, I also feel the desire to be like her, to be dedicated to the island communities.” 

    Braving big waves to prevent diseases 

    With over 17 500 islands in Indonesia, many people face challenges accessing sufficient medical care, including routine immunizations. As a result, the risk of disease is very high, especially for vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles. 

    On Sanane Island in South Sulawesi Province, where Mimi provides care, more than 95% of children have received their routine immunizations, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the country’s health workers and health cadres. 

    Because some islands are small and remote, it is difficult for each one to have a dedicated immunization centre or clinic. Without an immunization centre, some islands lack the ice or refrigeration needed to keep vaccines cold.  

    Midwife Rahmi (Mimi) prepares vaccines at Baring Primary Health Care Centre in Pangkep, Indonesia, for transport to a remote island, while her daughter watches. © WHO / Harrison Thane 

    However, the District Health Office organizes specific vaccination days in the communities where Mimi works. On those occasions, Mimi wakes up well before dawn, gathers her vaccine carrier and collects the vaccines she needs from the primary health care centre. She then boards a boat and starts her long journey to the island, storing her vaccine carrier within the boat’s ice box to further keep the vaccine vials cold—the same journey her mother took throughout her career before retiring in 2013.  

    Once she arrives on the island, she and other health workers and volunteers spend the afternoons educating families and caregivers about the importance of immunization, and building trust among the community, a skill Mimi’s mother handed down to her.  

    “When you go to an island, first, be nice to the people,” advises Rabiah to Mimi. “Be kind to them. Promote your work well, using gentle words. If they don’t accept your promotion the first time, try again.” 

    The efforts to build trust in the community have paid off. On this day, Mimi is vaccinating children at Pala Island Public School #24 in South Sulawesi against human papillomavirus (HPV) and measles and rubella depending on each child’s immunization schedule. 

    Kurniati Yasin, Pala Island Public School #24 headmistress says, “When the health workers came to our school, braving the big waves, I felt happy, moved, proud. The programme at our school has helped our students understand the importance of health, how to take care of themselves, how to protect themselves, especially through the immunizations they received.” 

    Rahmi (Mimi), a midwife, applies an adhesive bandage to 10-year-old Fitriani, after she receives her vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). © WHO / Harrison Thane 

    The immunizations have improved the children’s health, says Mimi. “I see that the children are healthier. The diseases that usually affect children who aren’t vaccinated don’t affect the children who are vaccinated. That’s why I continue this immunization programme.” Besides providing immunization for children, Mimi also provides immunization for pregnant women, protecting them against tetanus and diphtheria.  

    Reaching all children with immunizations 

    The Government of Indonesia has been intensifying efforts to address the decline in immunization rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on reaching un- and under-vaccinated children, particularly in remote and underserved areas like Pangkep, where Mimi operates. The pandemic caused significant disruptions to routine immunization services in the country, resulting in a drop in immunization coverage from 85% in 2019 to 67% in 2021. 

    In response, the government has implemented comprehensive and multi-faceted strategies to restore immunization coverage. A new electronic immunization registry has been introduced to ensure accurate tracking and improve follow-up efforts.  

    To catch up on missed vaccinations, three rounds of nationwide periodic intensification of routine immunization have been conducted, targeting children under age 5 who missed their doses. Technical assistance has been strengthened for priority provinces, and WHO’s Sustainable outreach services approach ensures immunization services are delivered to even the most remote communities, such as those on isolated islands.  

    “Every child, no matter where they live, has the right to immunization to protect them from life-threatening diseases. Together, let’s ensure no child is left behind—because every dose matters, and every child counts,” says Dr Prima Yosephine, Director of Immunization at the Indonesia Ministry of Health. These combined efforts aim to rebuild immunization coverage, strengthen health systems, and protect every child in Indonesia from preventable diseases.  

    ———–

    Do you want to receive the latest news on vaccines and immunization? Click here to subscribe to the Global Immunization Newsletter.

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    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Around 90,000 children impacted by Cyclone Chido in Mozambique

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    Tropical Cyclone Chido struck northern Mozambique over the weekend, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds that caused devastation for communities in Cabo Delgado province.

    Current assessments show the storm destroyed or damaged over 35,000 homes, displaced thousands of families, and impacted more than 90,000 children, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

    Classrooms destroyed; infrastructure damaged

    According to the latest situation report, at least 174,000 people have been impacted overall but numbers may increase as assessments continue.

    In addition to homes damaged, at least 186,000 classrooms were destroyed, and 20 health facilities hit, after the storm made landfall on Sunday.

    Cyclone Chido hit close to the city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado, blowing away roofs, damaging civilian infrastructure, and leveling electricity and communication systems.

    “Mozambique is considered one of the most affected countries in the world by climate change and children were already experiencing several life-threatening emergencies before Cyclone Chido, including conflict, drought, and disease outbreaks,” said Mary Louise Eagleton, UNICEF Representative in Mozambique.

    UNICEF – along with other UN agencies, the government, NGOs and local partners – is “responding and prioritizing decisive actions for emergency humanitarian action despite the enormous challenges children face in Mozambique”, Ms. Eagleton added.

    Seven years of conflict

    Cabo Delgado has endured at least seven years of brutal conflict, leading to more than 1.3 million people becoming internally displaced, 80 per cent of them women and children.

    For many, Cyclone Chido has caused renewed hardship, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild, according to UN agencies in the region.

    © UNICEF/Guy Taylor

    Young boys look at the damage caused by Cyclone Chido.

    The cyclone also tore through Nampula and Niassa provinces, leaving over 25,000 families without electricity and damaging two water facilities.

    In a region already fighting a cholera outbreak, the latest devastation creates an ominous likelihood that the outbreak will further deteriorate, UNICEF added.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has experts on the ground in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, supporting authorities to conduct health assessments to identify and address immediate needs.

    Affected rural areas

    Within the first 48 hours, UN refugee agency, UNHCR, provided aid to those in need in Pemba, where more than 2,600 people received emergency relief and essential items such as blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, and emergency shelter supplies.

    Speaking to the media on Tuesday in Geneva, UNCHR’s spokesperson Eujin Byun said that “while the full extent of the damage in rural areas remains unclear, preliminary assessments suggest that around 190,000 people urgently need humanitarian assistance, 33 schools have been affected and nearly 10,000 homes were destroyed. In some villages, very few houses remain standing”.

    UN standing ready

    Posting on X, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that UN teams in the region are helping deliver emergency assistance, and that the organization stands ready to provide additional support as needed.

    According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, limited supplies are hampering the response. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $4 million to Mozambique in support of the early humanitarian response.

    With nearly 3.3 million people projected to be in “crisis” or higher levels of food insecurity in Mozambique next year, the World Food Programme (WFP) added that the agency would be scaling up to help those most affected by the cyclone.

    Other affected areas

    Cyclone Chido also caused significant devastation in Mayotte, a French overseas territory, resulting in fatalities, infrastructure damage, and increased risks for vulnerable communities, including asylum-seekers and refugees, added UNHCR.

    And in southern Malawi, the storm brought strong winds and rains leading to destruction of houses and infrastructure in several areas. The agency is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with local partners.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN World Court concludes landmark hearings on States’ responsibility for climate change

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Climate and Environment

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from 2 to 13 December addressing States’ obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats.

    Initiated by a UN General Assembly resolution, the proceedings involved 96 countries and 11 regional organizations presenting their views on the “obligations of States with regard to climate change” under international law.  

    While ICJ advisory opinion will be non-binding, it is expected to shape the future of international climate law.

    Small islands call for justice

    The hearings opened with an appeal from Vanuatu and Melanesian Spearhead Group, representing nations most vulnerable to climate change.  

    “The outcome of these historic proceedings will have repercussions for generations to come, determining the fate of nations like mine and the future of our planet,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change.  

    The Pacific Island nation highlighted the catastrophic impacts of rising seas and extreme weather, calling the failures of high-emitting States “illicit”.

    The country’s Attorney General Arnold Kiel Loughman argued that “the failure of a handful of high-emitting states to meet their obligations constitutes an internationally wrongful act,” as they have brought humanity “to the brink of the abyss.”  

    Small island developing States (SIDS), represented by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), echoed these calls.  

    They asked the World Court to affirm principles of international law that address sea-level rise, including the recognition of maritime zones and statehood even if territories are inundated.  

    Differentiated responsibilities: Brazil, China weigh in  

    Brazil highlighted its commitment to ambitious emissions reductions, stressing that despite being a developing country, it faces significant challenges like poverty eradication and extreme climate impacts.  

    The country’s special envoy on climate change, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, underscored the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, asserting that high-emitting developed countries bear the greatest burden in addressing the crisis.  

    China, meanwhile, urged the ICJ to avoid creating new legal obligations and focus on existing frameworks such as the Paris Agreement on climate change.

    As one of the world’s largest emitters, China argued that developed nations must bear historical responsibility, while developing countries require longer timelines to meet climate goals.

    UN Photo

    The towers and gables of the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

    US, EU take diverging stances  

    The United States acknowledged the severity of the climate crisis but argued that international treaties like the Paris Agreement are not legally binding.  

    Margaret Taylor, the US representative, also rejected the notion that “common but differentiated responsibilities” is a fundamental principle of international law.  

    On the other hand, the European Union (EU) emphasised cooperation and stressed the non-adversarial nature of the advisory proceedings.  

    EU representatives pointed to the importance of existing treaties in addressing climate change but stopped short of calling for enforcement mechanisms.  

    A crucial moment for international climate action

    While the ICJ deliberates, nations and observers alike await its advisory opinion, expected to guide future legal interpretations of States’ responsibilities for the climate crisis.

    For small island nations and vulnerable communities, the stakes are existential.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Spirit of resilience braces desertification winds in Saudi Arabia

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Daniel Dickinson, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

    Climate and Environment

    A low tech and sustainable solution to holding back advancing desert sands in eastern Saudi Arabia could help farming communities to thrive and conserve vulnerable habitats.

    The deserts of Saudi Arabia are amongst the largest in the world and controlling the natural migration of sand has always been a challenge not just to farmers, who want to increase agricultural productivity, but also to communities that want to ensure a more prosperous future or seek investment for growth.

    The Al Ahsa oasis in the eastern province of the Gulf state, one of the country’s largest and most productive oases, is threatened by encroaching sands.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Villages like this one close to the Al Ahsa oasis have been fully submerged by sand.

    At least nine villages in the immediate area have been inundated by sand dunes which can reach up to 15 metres high. Some have been dug out, others have remained buried.

    Holding back desertification

    “This is not a new phenomenon,” said Mona Dawalbeit from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which has been working with the Saudi government and local communities on trials to hold back desertification, “but communities and farmers especially do need extra support as they do not have the resources to do this alone.”

    Climate change has made the issue more pressing as higher temperatures and lower ground moisture contribute to drier sand and the increased likelihood of desertification.

    The state-owned oil company, Aramco, which extracts oil and gas in the eastern desert has over many decades protected infrastructure, including roads, mechanically removing sand amongst other measures, but the costs are high, so FAO has been promoting more sustainable approaches.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Palm fronds arranged in quadrants can help to slow down the pace of desertification.

    It is trialing low-level sand barriers made of palm fronds which are inexpensive and use material may otherwise would go to waste.

    Various designs can be tailored to protect farms and service facilities based on the geographical and geomorphological conditions,” said Mona Dawalbeit.

    These designs may include checkerboard and linear patterns with varying heights, ranging from 10 cm to one metre, depending on the specific purpose of the sand barrier.

    Environmental benefits

    The checkerboard technique effectively reduces sand encroachment and promotes the growth of natural vegetation including createing favourable conditions for planting trees or the spreading of seeds.

    “The palm barriers will not fully prevent the wind from moving sand towards land you want to protect,” said Mona Dawalbeit, “but it does slow the speed and completely change the flow of the sand.”

    There are additional environmental benefits of using palm fronds as typically they would be burned as waste, releasing the harmful carbon dioxide gas which is fuelling climate change.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Palm fronds are collected and reused as sand barriers.

    FAO is also piloting weather stations based on global standards which provide data on the complicated science of sand movements.

    Preventive action

    By analysing sand grain ‘deposit suspension’ (particles are suspended in mid-air and are blown by the wind across land), ‘saltation’ (smaller particles which are blown in jumps across the surface) and ‘surface creep’ (particles which are rolled over the ground) the volume and direction of sand encroachments can be predicted in conjunction with other climatic factors such as wind speed and direction, humidity and temperature.

    Preventative action can be targeted in specific locations where sand tends to move onto valuable agricultural land eroding the topsoil.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    An FAO-supported meteorological station measures sand movements.

    FAO collaborated with Green Environment Society in Al Ahsa to implement sand barriers aimed at protecting Al Ahsa National Park, a government-managed entity.

    The initiative sought to strengthen the relationship between governmental institutions and local communities while building the capacity of NGOs to construct sand barriers using palm fronds.

    Community involvement 

    “This approach not only ensures local sustainability,” said FAO’s Mona Dawelbait “but also promotes community involvement in environmental conservation efforts”.

    “In Saudi Arabia and in Al Ahsa in particular, there are concerns about land degradation and the loss of productive land,” she added, “but together we can change these challenges into opportunities.”

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Climate change is contributing to increased sand movements in Saudi Arabia.

    “I have worked with desert communities for 20 years. They are resilient people with strong spirits and I believe, the wind of change in terms of holding back land loss will carry on beyond this FAO intervention.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: It’s official: January was the warmest on record

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Climate and Environment

    The world has just experienced the hottest January ever recorded, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday, citing data crunched by UN partner the Copernicus Climate Service

    Last month was 1.75 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level and 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average, despite expectations that the La Nina weather phenomenon might bring cooler temperatures.

    In 2015, the international community agreed to try to limit average global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

    Surprise data

    The January data was “surprising” even to climate change experts at Copernicus, the European climate change service, which noted that it was the 18th month in the last 19 where the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.

    “January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures,” said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus Strategic Lead for Climate.

    For many in the northern hemisphere January 2025 will be remembered by “wetter-than-average conditions” over western Europe, as well as parts of Italy, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, Copernicus said, highlighting “heavy precipitation” and flooding in some regions.

    Regional variations

    On the other hand, drier than average conditions were recorded in the northern UK and Ireland, eastern Spain and north of the Black Sea.

    Beyond Europe, it was wetter than average in Alaska, Canada, central and eastern Russia, eastern Australia, southeastern Africa, and southern Brazil, with regions experiencing floods and associated damage.

    But drier-than-average conditions took hold in southwestern United States and northern Mexico, northern Africa, the Middle East, across Central Asia and in eastern China as well as in much of southern Africa, southern South America and Australia.

    Global temperature rise is primarily attributed to humans burning fossil fuels which have led to record concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Other factors are also key, including deforestation. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Rescue, relocation operations underway after deadly landslide

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Rescuers in southwest China’s Sichuan Province pressed on for a fourth day on Tuesday in their search for survivors after a landslide struck Jinping Village in Junlian County, Yibin City, on Saturday.
    Unstable terrain and ongoing rockfalls have made operations challenging, but rescue teams are advancing with a methodical, grid-based approach.
    “We have divided the site into grid-based zones, equipping each team with specialized rescue and communication tools,” said Li Wanqiang, head of Yibin’s emergency management bureau.
    So far, one person has been confirmed dead, 28 are missing, and two others have been injured and transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital Chengdu for further treatment, according to local authorities. A total of 360 people from 95 households have been evacuated to temporary shelters.
    Drone footage on Sunday morning showed the landslide spanned around 100 meters in width, with a vertical drop of over 400 meters and extending 1.2 kilometers.
    A total of 949 personnel from multiple rescue teams including armed police, firefighters, mine rescue workers, police officers, and experts from transportation, medical, and telecommunication sectors have been deployed to assist in the search.
    In addition to excavators, rescuers are using search dogs, life-detection cameras and other specialized rescue equipment to locate survivors. At night, floodlights and drones illuminate the disaster site, allowing search efforts to continue uninterrupted.
    Displaced villagers at a temporary shelter set up in a secondary school in Junlian County are being provided with hot meals and medical care. Psychologists have also arrived to offer counseling to survivors and the families of the missing.
    “Psychological recovery is a vital part of disaster response. We will do our best to help victims overcome trauma and restore their emotional well-being,” said Yuan Minlan, a psychologist at the site.
    At the temporary shelter, displaced villagers were seen gathered around a fire, chatting with one another, as the warmth provided relief from the night’s chill.
    To prevent secondary disasters, officials have deployed drones, slope radars, and crack monitors to ensure 24-hour surveillance. “We combine human expertise with technology to monitor risks and ensure the safety of rescue teams,” said Liu Zhengyu, head of the Yibin natural resources and planning bureau.
    Authorities are also expanding geological hazard inspections across the region to prevent future disasters. “We are conducting thorough checks on similar slopes throughout the city and launching multiple rounds of inspections around identified risk areas,” Liu said.
    “We aim for early detection, early warning, and prompt action to ensure the maximum protection of lives and property in mountainous regions,” Liu added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Foreign trade grows despite headwinds

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    An aerial drone photo shows the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base in Lianyungang, east China’s Jiangsu Province, July 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Continuous innovation, global expansion and industrial upgrade will empower Chinese companies to counter rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions this year, driving foreign trade growth and reinforcing China’s global competitiveness, said market observers and exporters.

    Despite challenges, China’s foreign trade remains resilient, adapting to an increasingly complex global landscape shaped by the United States’ new tariff policies, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory uncertainties in certain countries, they added.

    Zhang Xiaotao, dean of the School of International Trade and Economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, said that as a major player in global trade, China has accumulated extensive experience in navigating international political and economic shifts over the past decade.

    “Foreign trade companies have already seen positive results from their strategic adjustments to tackle headwinds, including building new factories and overseas warehouses in countries such as Thailand, Hungary, the U.S. and Brazil, as well as increasing investment in research and development,” Zhang said.

    Denis Depoux, global managing director at German management consultancy Roland Berger, said that China is now increasingly recognized for its high-value, technologically advanced products, including electric vehicles, solar cells and liquefied natural gas carriers, as it moves up the value chain to drive export growth.

    Chinese companies exporting high-value products include Narwal, a manufacturer of household robots based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The company saw the number of its export markets expand from less than 10 in 2023 to over 30 last year, covering multiple regions and countries including North America, Europe, Australia and Japan.

    “We will continue to invest in multiple fields such as 3D perception, artificial intelligence solutions, binocular vision technologies and big data applications to win more orders,” said Zhang Junbin, the company’s founder.

    Li Lizhong, sales director at Zhejiang Yueli Electrical Co, a home appliances manufacturer based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, said the company’s personal care products, such as hair dryers and curling irons, previously targeted the U.S. and Western Europe markets.

    “However, our exports to these traditional markets have been impacted by the U.S. tariff hike and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in recent years,” he said, adding that the company has launched more intelligent, eco-friendly home appliances to expand into markets in Central and Eastern Europe, and economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

    Data from Ningbo Customs showed that Zhejiang Yueli’s hair dryer exports reached 602 million yuan ($82.4 million) in 2024, marking a 6.3 percent year-on-year increase, while the company’s exports in this category to Central and Eastern Europe totaled 45.46 million yuan, up 39.2 percent compared with 2023.

    Li said the increasing penetration of the internet in Central and Eastern Europe has allowed e-commerce to expand at a remarkable pace in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. The company’s cross-border e-commerce exports emerged as a key growth driver after it deployed resources in this business segment in the region, he added.

    As China continued to enhance its high-value export portfolio and deepen its market presence in emerging economies, the nation’s foreign trade rose 5 percent year-on-year to reach a record high of 43.85 trillion yuan in 2024, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    Meanwhile, China’s mechanical and electrical product exports grew 8.7 percent year-on-year, accounting for 59.4 percent of the country’s total exports. Last year, the country’s EV exports rose 13.1 percent compared with 2023, while its 3D printer exports increased 32.8 percent and industrial robot exports surged 45.2 percent.

    Lan Qingxin, a professor at the School of International Trade and Economics of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the restructuring of global supply chains and protectionist moves in certain countries have pushed Chinese companies to adapt and leverage their strong manufacturing and technological capabilities.

    By responding innovatively to these changes, the companies can meet market needs in other emerging economies, thereby enhancing their competitiveness and expanding their global presence, said Lan.

    A Chinese business delegation, organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, departed on Monday for Kazakhstan to explore new opportunities for economic and trade exchanges.

    During the four-day trip, the delegation, comprising representatives of more than 30 Chinese companies across industries such as petrochemicals and machinery manufacturing, hopes to sign several cooperation agreements and foster mutually beneficial outcomes.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: China is committed to dialogue, ‘not throwing gas on the fire’, Foreign Minister Wang says

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China reiterated on Saturday his country’s commitment to playing a constructive role and engaging in mediation for peace, not exploiting volatile situations for “selfish gains”.

    To that end, China, jointly with Brazil and other countries of the Global South, launched a Group of Friends for Peace, he said in his address the UN General Assembly.

    “Its very purpose is to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build consensus for a political settlement of the crisis and contribute to a prospect of peace,” the Minister said.

    He noted that the question of Palestine is the “biggest wound” to the human conscience.

    The ongoing conflict in Gaza is causing more casualties with each passing day, he said, adding that fighting has started again in Lebanon.

    “But might cannot replace justice. Palestine’s long held aspiration to establish an independent state should not be shunned anymore, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people should not be ignored anymore.”

    The Foreign Minister also noted China’s partnerships with African nations as well as with some least developed countries (LDCs), while highlighting its opposition to unilateral coercive measures, such as sanctions and blockades, and disruption of supply chains.

    “Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages. Suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home. The right of people of all countries to pursue a better life should not be taken away,” he said, calling on the United States to completely lift its blockade, sanctions and terrorism related designation against Cuba.

    Mr. Wang also emphasized China’s commitment to a “path of green, low-carbon, and sustainable development”.

    “We will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in world history, contributing China’s efforts to harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature at the global level,” he said.

    He also highlighted that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld, and that the Paris Agreement on climate change must be implemented in earnest.  

    Developed countries should also assist developing nations in building their capacity to cope with climate change, he added.

    Foreign Minister Wang further highlighted China’s support for UN reform and modernization, as well as for international financial systems to be fit for current times. China would also continue fulfil its obligations, providing financial support and qualified human resources.

    He urged the Organization to “respond to the legitimate calls” of developing countries and increase the representation and voice of those in the Global South.

    Concluding his address, Mr. Wang said next year will mark the 80th anniversary of end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations.

    “China stands ready to work with all countries to renew the founding purposes and mission of the UN, reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the UN Charter, advocate and practice true multilateralism, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly usher in a better world.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Indian minister says ‘we can change the world for the better’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the world stands fractious, polarized and frustrated amid war, unfair trade practices, climate change and food and health insecurity. Trust has eroded, processes have broken down and countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put in it, enfeebling it along the way.

    “Conversations have become difficult, agreements even more so,” he said. “This is surely not what the founders of the UN would have wanted for us. Reforming multilateralism is, therefore, an imperative.”

    The General Assembly must ask itself “how has this come to pass?” he said.

    “Every change must begin somewhere, and there is no better place than where it started,” he continued.

    “We, the Members of the United Nations, must now seriously and purposefully address ourselves to that task. If we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse, and that could mean that more of us are going to be left behind.

    For its part, India has sought to respond in a variety of ways, including targeted policies and initiatives focused on issues of the vulnerable, women, farmers and youth, from assured access to piped water, electricity, cooking gas and new homes to financial support for food producers.

    India has also expanded employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, created digital infrastructure for public services and convened three Global South summits while also responding to pressing needs in 78 nations.

    “In these troubled times, it is necessary to provide hope and rekindle optimism,” he said.

    “When India lands on the moon, rolls out its own 5G stack, dispatches vaccines worldwide, embraces fin-tech or houses so many Global Capability Centres, there is a message here. Our quest for a Viksit Bharat, or developed India, will understandably be followed closely.”

    However, challenges persist, he said, underscoring that many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences, with one example being neighbouring Pakistan, “a dysfunctional nation coveting the lands of others”. As such, he stressed, “Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed.”

    When it comes to deciding on key issues, large parts of the world cannot be left behind, he said, emphasising that an effective, efficient UN must be more representative and fit for purpose.

    “Let us, therefore, send out a clear message from this UN General Assembly session: we are determined not to be left behind,” he said. “By coming together, sharing experiences, pooling resources and strengthening our resolve, we can change the world for the better.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Kazakhstan tightens laws to combat trafficking of newborns

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By  Kulpash Konyrova, in Kazakhstan

    Law and Crime Prevention

    Babies are being sold for up to $4,500 in Kazakhstan, but the government is cracking down on traffickers with a new law adopted earlier this month.

    To fight against trafficking newborns, the new legislation facilitates the criminal prosecution for such crimes as kidnapping, illegal deprivation of liberty, human trafficking, involvement in prostitution and more.

    Approved ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, marked annually on 30 July, the law responds to a grim reality.

    Last year, 19 cases of trade in newborns were registered in the country, for which more than 15 people were brought to justice, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

    So far in 2024, six cases of trade in newborns have been registered, with the ministry reporting prices for each child range from $200 to $4,500.

    © Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan

    Doctors check the condition of a newborn baby who needs medical assistance at a hospital in Kazakhstan.

    True extent of the problem

    But, that is just the surface, said Gulnaz Kelekeyeva, head of the project Kazakhstan’s Actions in Combating Child Trafficking project at Winrock International, a United States-based non-governmental organization (NGO). Ms. Kelekeyeva said she believes that official statistics do not reflect the real state of affairs.

    “Unfortunately, in Kazakhstan, there has been virtually no nationwide research on socially vulnerable children and the vulnerability of children to trafficking and exploitation,” she told UN News. “There are also no accurate statistics to assess the true scale of the problem.”

    The only study on vulnerable Kazakhstani children who have been victims of human trafficking in and outside the country, as well as sexual exploitation, was conducted in 2012 by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan.

    Trafficking moves online

    Since then, human and child trafficking has moved online, Ms. Kelekeyeva warned.

    “Much has changed over the past 12 years, in particular, human and child trafficking is now increasingly taking place in cyberspace,” she said. “It is necessary to conduct a new analysis of the current situation in the country regarding the protection of children from trafficking and exploitation.”

    Human and child trafficking is now increasingly taking place in cyberspace

    Today, there is only isolated information about cases of child trafficking that gets into the media from crime reports, she emphasised.

    Last fall, media reports spotlighted a case about the sale of an abandoned baby by obstetricians at a maternity hospital in Kazakhstan. The doctors were found guilty of selling a newborn for $3,000 and sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.

    Another case involved a 23-year-old mother tried to sell her two children. The eldest was about a year old, and the second was less than a month old. The children are now under state protection.

    Protecting children

    Unfortunately, those tasked with caring for children are often unaware of the role they play in preventing and combatting child trafficking, Ms. Kelekeyeva said. That includes health and education authorities, maternity hospitals and schools, children’s homes, guardianship and trusteeship institutions, visiting nurses and paediatricians at clinics, emergency wards and private medical centres in Kazakhstan.

    “Often, they mistakenly believe that this issue falls within the competence of purely law enforcement agencies,” she said. “Although it is precisely in this issue that there should be interaction between all interested services.”

    Child trafficking is not only the adoption of children, but also sexual exploitation, forced labour and the sale of organs, she said.

    Digital tools are helping

    The new Kazakh law is toughening penalties for human trafficking requires healthcare workers to report abandoned newborns or face administrative liability, and digital technologies are helping to identify such cases.

    Since last year, a pilot project has been tested in one of the maternity hospitals Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Each newborn was immediately given an individual identification number, which eliminates the possibility of criminal transactions.

    This year, the pilot is being rolled out across the country.

    Legal support

    Scientific achievements at the time, such as the possibility of artificial insemination, are now causing many difficulties in developing a law aimed at preventing the trafficking of newborns, explained member of parliament Sergei Ponomarev, who took part in developing the new anti-trafficking legislation.

    Today, cases have been encountered where women from Kazakhstan, especially from the southern regions of the country, are used as incubators to bear other people’s children, he said.

    The child’s DNA is then taken to determine parental rights with a man who is a citizen of another country, he said, noting that when determining kinship, the biological father has every right to take his child abroad.

    “Regarding this matter, we are open to studying the experience of other countries,” he said.

    A Kazakh sold abroad returns home

    When 21-year-old Eddy Jean (born Zhanibek) was born, he was adopted by a single Belgian woman who reportedly paid €12,000. In 2022, he came to Kazakhstan in search of his birth mother.

    “I don’t need anything; I just want to see my mother’s face, hug her at least once and calm my heart,” Eddy said at the time on a popular talk show that aired on national television. “I still worry, especially when I talk about my mother.”

    I just want to see my mother’s face, hug her at least once and calm my heart

    Renowned journalist Kymbat Doszhan told UN News that she was so moved by Eddy’s story that she became his official representative in Kazakhstan in the search for his biological mother.

    She said Eddy’s biological mother had asked to leave the maternity hospital with a receipt in 2002, but never returned. In those years, when the nation’s economy was recovering after the Soviet Union’s collapse, she said many Kazakhstani children were adopted by foreigners and taken abroad.

    The Kazakhstan Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that foreigners can now pay as much as $50,000 for a trafficked newborn. But, Ms. Doszhan said “it is still very difficult to find Eddy’s biological mother.”

    She said archival documents from the orphanage have either disappeared or do not contain accurate information.

    “Perhaps this was done intentionally,” she continued. “There were two meetings with Eddy’s alleged mothers, but the DNA results did not confirm the relationship. When we contacted his adoptive mother from Belgium, it turned out that she had paid the orphanage staff €12,000.”

    Today in Kazakhstan, issues of child adoption are regulated by law. In the event of the detection of a crime, in particular an act of purchase and sale or other transactions in relation to a minor, the fact is registered under article 135, on trafficking minors, of the Criminal Code.

    Still, the search for Eddy’s birth mother continues, Ms. Doszhan said.

    “We were faced with the fact that we had no one to even file claims against,” she said. “Those who sold children in those years have long since left Kazakhstan.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Guinea: Senior UN officials welcome verdict in 2009 stadium massacre trial

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Law and Crime Prevention

    The fight against impunity must continue in Guinea, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday, welcoming the long-awaited verdict in the trial into the 2009 massacre at a stadium in the capital, Conakry.

    On Wednesday, a court in Conakry found former President Moussa Dadis Camara and several other military leaders guilty of crimes against humanity. Four other men were acquitted.

    Those convicted were also ordered to provide reparations to the victims and their families.

    Right to justice

    “After nearly 15 years, the victims, survivors and their families have the right to full justice and transparency,” UN rights chief Volker Türk said.

    “It is necessary to continue the path that Guinea has already started towards an end to impunity and ensuring that all those responsible for human rights violations are brought to justice,” he added.

    The High Commissioner also called for further strengthening of Guinea’s judicial institutions and guaranteeing their independence as key to preventing such violations from recurring.

    Killings, sexual violence and torture

    At least 156 people were killed, many disappeared and at least 109 girls and women were subjected to sexual violence, including sexual mutilation and sexual slavery, when security and military forces attacked a peaceful political rally at the Conakry Stadium on 28 September 2009.

    A number of victims were tortured to death and buried in mass graves.

    In the aftermath, a UN Commission of Inquiry was mandated to establish the facts and circumstances, to identify those responsible and make recommendations.

    With the support of the UN human rights office, OHCHR, the Commission concluded at the time that there was a “strong presumption that crimes against humanity were committed”, with “reasonable grounds to suspect individual criminal responsibility”.

    “Those who have lost loved ones and those who have been subjected to torture and sexual violence have the right to comprehensive psychosocial as well as financial support,” Mr. Türk said.

    The High Commissioner noted that it was also crucial for the Guinean Government to determine the whereabouts of all those who went missing and ensure those responsible for enforced disappearances and associated violations are held to account.

    He also stressed the importance of guaranteeing the defendants’ right to appeal.

    Powerful message against impunity

    Separately, the senior UN official working to end rape in wartime also welcomed the outcome of the trial.

    Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, said the verdict sends a powerful message that impunity will not be tolerated and reaffirms commitment to upholding the rights of survivors.

    “The delivery of the first-instance verdict is a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for survivors of sexual violence and accountability for perpetrators. Sexual violence crimes have always been at the centre of this accountability process, both in investigations and trial,” she added.

    The Special Representative’s Office has supported this process since 2011, when the Guinean Government and the UN signed a joint communiqué on the fight against impunity for the 28 September 2009 events, including sexual violence.

    Through the Team of Experts on the rule of law and sexual violence in conflict, the Office has provided technical assistance to the investigating judges throughout the investigation phase and in the establishment of a steering committee for the organization of the trial.

    Ms. Patten commended the crucial efforts by Guinean authorities in organising this nationally owned process.

    She also praised the proactive role of the national judicial system and the magistrates’ professionalism in the conduct of a fair trial.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Venezuela: UN rights office describes pervasive ‘climate of fear’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The UN human rights office, OHCHR, reiterated deep concerns on Tuesday over the continuing “climate of fear” in Venezuela, after an arrest warrant was issued for the opposition’s presidential candidate in the country’s recent election.

    “It is a climate of fear in the country at the moment. We are urging the government to ensure that all steps are taken in line with international human rights law with transparency and that steps are taken to resolve this dispute peacefully,” OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.

    The alert is just the latest of many warnings from the UN, top independent rights experts and independent investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council over the violent repression of dissenting voices in the South American country.

    “People are being detained for expressing their right to political participation, for their freedom of expression, for freedom of assembly,” Ms. Shamdasani said, a day after the authorities called for the detention of Edmundo Gonzalez.

    His campaign proved unsuccessful against President Nicolas Maduro who was announced the winner of the July election, a result contested by opposition supporters who have questioned the absence of voting numbers to back up the victory from official electoral authorities.

    Polling result query

    According to news reports, Mr. Gonzalez’s arrest followed publication by his camp of granular polling data indicating that he had won the election easily. He stands accused of numerous crimes including falsifying documents.

    Although the UN human rights office does not have a presence in Venezuela, Ms. Shamdasani noted that OHCHR still has had “contact” and “engagement” with the authorities in Caracas, amid street protests and online criticism following the election result, which returned Mr. Maduro to power.

    “We still put our concerns to them; we are continuing to urge…all parties to resolve all electoral disputes by peaceful means and there needs to be a climate where there is a full protection of the human rights of all individuals regardless of their political affiliation,” Ms. Shamdasani insisted.

    State-sponsored violence

    According to the Human Rights Council-appointed Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, the election protests were met with “fierce repression by the State, as directed by its highest authorities, inducing a climate of widespread fear. The Mission has recorded 23 deaths, the vast majority caused by gunfire, between 28 July and 8 August in the context of the protests. In 18 of these cases, the victims were men under the age of 30.”

    Echoing those concerns last month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, noted that more 2,400 people have been arrested in Venezuela since 29 July, following the Presidential elections.

    “It is especially troubling that so many people are being detained, accused or charged either with incitement to hatred or under counterterrorism legislation. Criminal law must never be used to limit unduly the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,” the High Commissioner said. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Venezuela: Rights probe points to ‘unprecedented’ repression

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Daniel Johnson

    Human Rights

    Violence used against opponents of the Venezuelan authorities has reached unprecedented levels, a top independent human rights probe alleged on Tuesday, citing arrests, sexual abuse and torture as just some of the methods used by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power.

    In a new report, the Human Rights Council-mandated investigators described how security forces had raided dozens of homes of suspected critics of the Government “just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people”.

    Violence and threats

    Victims’ testimonies gathered either side of the disputed Presidential election on 28 July which returned Mr. Maduro to office for the third time pointed to “one of the most acute human rights crises in recent history”, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela further maintained.

    Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Marta Valiñas, Chair of the investigation, insisted that that its latest findings were “overwhelming: not only have there been no improvements, but the violations have intensified, reaching unprecedented levels of violence”.

    The independent rights expert described “an intensification of the State’s repressive machinery” with regard to its critics which represented “a continuation of previous patterns” that the independent rights panel had already condemned as likely crimes against humanity.

    Following the re-election of Mr. Maduro – whose victory announcement prompted widespread protests across Venezuela – Ms. Valiñas said that the probe had confirmed 25 fatalities.

    Grisly findings

    Most of the victims were “young people under 30 years old from popular neighbourhoods. There are two children among them,” she said. One of the deceased was a member of the Bolivarian National Guard, Ms. Valiñas noted, before adding that 24 “died from gunshot wounds [and] the other was beaten to death”.

    The fact-finding mission’s latest report examines the human rights situation in Venezuela between September 2023 and August 2024. It points to a further deterioration of the rule of law following the presidential elections, while public authorities “have abandoned all semblance of independence”, leaving citizens “helpless” against the “arbitrary exercise” of power.

    “We documented more than 40 cases in which the security forces entered private homes without warrants, just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people who they thought had participated in protests or who had expressed criticism in social media,” explained Francisco Cox Vial, Member of the fact-finding mission that was created by the Human Rights Council in 2019.

    Children among those arrested

    According to the independent investigators, more than 120 people were arrested in July in the context of opposition campaign events. In the first week of protests following the elections, based on figures released by the authorities, more than 2,000 people were detained.

    Individuals included more than 100 children, some with disabilities, who faced accusations of terrorism and incitement to hatred and serious violations of due process, the investigators added.

    “Of the people detained in this period, many were subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as sexual violence which was perpetrated against women and girls, but also against men with reported electric shocks, beating with blunt objects, suffocation with plastic bags, immersion in cold water and forced sleep deprivation,” said Patricia Tappatá Valdez, member of the fact-finding mission.

    “We had been able to verify that at least 143 of these arrests involved members of seven opposition parties, including 66 leaders of political movements,” she noted.

    According to the rights probe, from December 2023 to March 2024, at least 48 people were detained on the grounds of “so-called conspiracy theories” against the Government, with arrest warrants issued for others. The individuals included military personnel, human rights defenders, journalists and political opposition representatives, the fact-finding mission said.

    “We cannot ignore that these violations represent a clear and deliberate line of conduct by the authorities of politically motivated persecution,” said Mr. Cox Vial. “We have come to the conclusion that many of these allegations constitute crimes against humanity.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan war becomes more deadly as ethnically motivated attacks rise

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The conflict in Sudan is taking an “even more dangerous turn for civilians”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday. 

    His warning comes in the wake of reports that dozens were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in Al Jazirah state in the southeast, and amid reports of an imminent battle for control of the country’s capital, Khartoum.

    The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a rival military, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023 in what Mr. Türk called a “senseless war”.

    Desperate situation worsens

    As they “battle for control at all costs…direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common,” he noted.

    “The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. I fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn,” he said.

    Attacks on camps

    In the last week alone, his office, OHCHR, documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks on camps in Al Jazirah, located some 40 kilometres from the state capital, Wad Madani.  

    However, the actual number of attacks directed at civilians, and of civilians killed, are likely to be higher. 

    On 10 January, at least eight civilians were killed in an attack on Taiba Camp, and at least 13 women and one man were abducted. Houses were burnt and livestock, crops and other property looted, while dozens of families were displaced. 

    The next day, at least 13 civilians were killed, including two boys, in an assault on Khamsa Camp. 

    Authorities promise investigation

    The attacks came in the context of the recapture of Wad Madani by the SAF. Reports suggest they were carried out by the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikal, a former RSF commander who defected to the other side last October. 

    The attacks reportedly targeted the Kanabi, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes.

    Mr. Türk noted the Sudanese authorities’ assurance that the attacks would be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice, and that an investigation committee has been established.

    “Retaliatory attacks – of shocking brutality – on entire communities based on real or perceived ethnic identity are on the rise, as is hate speech and incitement to violence. This must, urgently, be brought to an end,” he said.

    Violence captured on video

    OHCHR received three videos that document scenes of violence, including unlawful killings. They were reportedly filmed in Wad Madani, with men in SAF uniforms visibly present.

    In the videos, victims were dehumanised and denigrated as “Wassekh” (dirt), “Afan” (mould), “Beheema” (animal) and “Abnaa E-dheif” (bastards), and summary executions were hailed by perpetrators as “Nadhafa” (a cleaning operation). 

    Concern for North Darfur

    Serious concerns also persist for civilians in North Darfur, where ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias against African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur, continue to exact a horrific toll. 

    Separately, some 120 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 150 injured in drone attacks in the city of Omdurman, on 13 January, allegedly launched by the SAF on a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square, an RSF-controlled area.

    End the fighting

    Mr. Türk reiterated his call for the fighting to end, and for the warring sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. 

    He also warned the proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters – largely along ethnic lines – risks unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence.

    Appeal to warring sides

    “The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf,” he said. 

    He urged them to “take immediate measures to ensure the protection of all civilians, including by taking all feasible measures to avoid or at the very least minimise harm to civilians in the conduct of hostilities.”

    Prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all reports of violations and abuses are crucial, he added. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Stories from the UN Archive: Roots of ‘no justice, no peace’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Eileen Travers

    Human Rights

    As the United States marks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re looking back this Monday at a story we produced last year examining the roots of the civil rights’ icon’s powerful call to action – “no justice, no peace”.

    Read our story here:

    When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, visited UN Headquarters in the 1960s to protest the Viet Nam conflict, the civil rights leader likened the anti-war movement to the struggle for equality for Black people in the US, declaring then what has today become a rallying cry in the continuing battle against racism.

    On 15 April 1967, a delegation led by Dr. King held a meeting with the legendary Ralph Bunche and other top UN officials. Mr. Bunche was the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and Dr. King was the second.

    Watch our report from the archives about UN legend Mr. Bunche, here.

    During the meeting, Dr. King presented a petition, calling for an immediate and peaceful solution to the Vietnam conflict (1961-1975). Earlier that day, he had marched alongside 125,000 protesters in what was the first of many mass marches in opposition to the war.

    Watch UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive episode on the world-renowned civil rights advocate below:

    ‘No justice without peace, no peace without justice’

    Outside UN Headquarters in the spring of 1967, Dr. King read aloud a powerful petition for peace amid turbulent times.

    “From towns and villages, cities, campuses and farms, we have come in tens of thousands to march and rally at the United Nations in New York and at the birthplace of the world organization in San Francisco on the 15th day of April 1967,” he said. “We the participants in today’s unprecedented national peace demonstration, although of many national origins, faiths and shades of political opinion, are united in our conviction of the imperative need for an immediate, peaceful solution to an illegal and unjustifiable war.”

    “We are determined that the killing be stopped and that a nuclear holocaust be avoided,” he said. “We rally at the United Nations in order to reaffirm our support of the principles of peace, universality, equal rights and self-determination of peoples embodied in the Charter and acclaimed by mankind, but violated by the United States.”

    In terms of the priority of the peace movement and the civil rights movement, Dr. King said “from a content point of view, the issues are inextricably tied together”.

    “In the final analysis, there can be no peace without justice, and there can be no justice without peace,” he said.

    UN Photo/Teddy Chen

    Dr. King speaks to the press at UN Headquarters in New York in 1967. (file)

    Inspiring future generations

    The civil rights leader continued to advocate for peace throughout the last year of his life before he was assassinated in 1968, exactly one year after he visited UN Headquarters. His anti-war activism reinforced the connection between the conflict abroad and injustice at home in the US.

    Dr. King’s lifetime efforts, from the March to Montgomery to his iconic I Have a Dream speech in Washington, have inspired future generations, including his own granddaughter. Earlier this year, 15-year-old activist Yolanda Renee King addressed an audience in the General Assembly Hall at a special commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, marked annually on 25 March.

    “I stand before you today as a proud descendant of enslaved people who resisted slavery and racism like my grandparents, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” she said from the green marbled podium in the Assembly Hall.

    “My parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, have also dedicated their lives to putting an end to racism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination,” said the author of the children’s book We Dream a World, which pays tribute to her celebrated grandparents.

    “Like them, I am committed to the fight against racial injustice and to carrying on the legacy of my grandparents who championed social justice and equality,” Ms. King said, calling on young people around the world to take action.

    “We must connect via the internet and organise across national boundaries around the world. This will open up new possibilities for global campaigns to advance human rights and social justice in all nations. I hope that my family’s legacy of social justice advocacy will inspire my generation to action and to confront issues affecting our world.”

    Watch her full statement below:

    Stories from the UN Archive

    UN News is showcasing epic moments across UN history, cultivated from the UN Audiovisual Library’s 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings.

    Catch up on UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive playlist here and our accompanying series here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN rights chief in historic meeting in Syria’s with caretaker authority in Damascus

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The UN human rights chief Volker Türk has described the unbearable suffering of former detainees under the deposed Assad regime and insisted that he stands with the people of the war-torn nation as they “rebuild a country that works for all Syrians”. 

    Speaking from Damascus after meeting the leader of the caretaker authorities, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Mr. Türk said that he had been “assured…of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society”.

    Syria’s de facto leader – who spearheaded the lightning overthrow of Bashar Al Assad on 8 December at the head of opposition fighters Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) –  also underscored “the pursuit of healing, trust building and social cohesion, and the reform of institutions”, the High Commissioner said. 

    Staggering needs 

    “But the challenges are immense,” he continued, pointing to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and the fact that “much of the country lies in ruins”.

    Today, nine in 10 Syrians are “mired in poverty, the health system is on its knees and many schools are closed,” Mr. Türk said. “Millions are still displaced both inside and outside the country. The rights to food, health, education and housing are fundamental human rights, and there must be prompt, collective and concerted efforts to guarantee them.”

    Calling for “an urgent reconsideration” of ongoing sanctions on Syria “with a view to lifting them”, the UN rights chief said that considering their impact on the lives of the Syrian people was key. 

    Sednaya horrors

    Mr. Türk – whose visit to Syria is a first for any UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – said that he had heard harrowing testimony from numerous victims of torture. 

    They included some jailed at the notorious Sednaya prison outside Damascus, where his Office documented violations “for years”.

    The UN rights chief described prisoners telling him that “early in the morning, as they heard the guards at their door, trembling in fear, they retreated to the rear of the cell, fearing they would be hauled out again to be tortured, or even executed.”

    Thousands died in prisons throughout Syria, the High Commissioner explained, as he went on to condemn the “apocalyptic wasteland” of the bombed-out residential neighbourhood of Jobar, in Damascus, which he visited.

    Mass killing, destruction

    “Not a single building in the area was spared bombardment in wave after wave of attacks,” Mr. Türk said, adding that it was “inconceivable that such mass killings and destruction” had happened. 

    It was equally difficult to believe “that banned chemical weapons were used against civilians elsewhere in the country and not just once”, the UN rights chief said – a likely reference to several deadly chlorine gas attacks, including on two residential buldings in Douma in northeast Damascus by the Syrian air force on 7 April 2018.

    It “says a lot about the extreme brutality of the tactics used by the former regime”, whose acts “constitute some of the most serious crimes under international humanitarian law.”

    ‘Real threats’ to Syria remain

    Away from the immediate destruction and grief of war, the High Commissioner highlighted that the people of Syria “need every ounce of help they can get to rebuild a country that works for all Syrians”. 

    The UN human rights office, OHCHR – which has had a dedicated Syria monitoring team since 2013 – “will continue to support inclusive, nationally owned and driven processes”, Mr. Türk said.

    He warned of “very real threats” to Syria’s territorial integrity and independence. The country’s sovereignty “must be fully respected and rigorously upheld. The ongoing conflicts and hostilities must end,” the High Commissioner insisted, adding: “This is really a seminal moment for Syria after decades of repression. 

    “My most fervent hope is for all Syrians to be able to thrive together, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity and to build a common future.”  

    Soundcloud

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The climate crisis: 5 things to watch out for in 2025

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Conor Lennon

    Climate and Environment

    The Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, will be the global focus of efforts to tackle the climate crisis in November 2025, when it hosts one of the most significant UN climate conferences in recent years. 

    However, throughout the years there will be plenty of opportunities to make important progress on several climate-related issues, from the staggering levels of plastic pollution to financing the shift to a cleaner global economy.

    1 Can we keep 1.5 alive?

    “Keep 1.5 alive” has been the UN’s rallying cry for a number of years, a reference to the goal of ensuring that average global temperatures don’t soar beyond 1.5 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels. The scientific consensus is that a lack of action would have catastrophic consequences, not least for the so-called “frontline States”, such as developing island nations which could disappear under the ocean, as sea levels rise.

    © UNICEF/Lasse Bak Mejlvang

    A man fishes sitting on sandbags which protect the Pacific Ocean island nation Tuvalu against sea erosion.

    At COP30, the UN climate conference scheduled to take place between 10 and 21 November 2025, mitigation (in other words, actions and policies designed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to rising temperatures) is likely to a key focus.

    The nations of the world will arrive with upgraded, more ambitious commitments to lowering greenhouse gases. This is both a recognition that existing pledges are wholly inadequate, in terms of getting temperatures down, and part of the deal that Member States signed up to in 2015 at the Paris COP (nations are expected to “ratchet up” their commitments every five years. The last time this happened was at the 2021 Glasgow COP, delayed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

    2 Protecting nature

    Holding COP30 in the Amazonian rainforest region of Brazil is of symbolic importance. It harks back to the early days of international attempts to protect the environment: the pivotal “Earth Summit”, which led to the establishment of three environmental treaties on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification, took place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

    © Unsplash/Sreenivas

    A parrot stands on a tree branch in Maharashtra, India.

    The location also highlights the role that nature has to play in the climate crisis. The rainforest is a massive “carbon sink”, a system that sucks up and stores CO2, a greenhouse gas, and prevents it from entering the atmosphere, where it contributes to warming.

    Unfortunately, rainforests and other “nature-based solutions” face threats from human development, such as illegal logging which has devastated huge swathes of the region. The UN will continue efforts begun in 2024 to improve the protection of the rainforest and other ecosystems, at biodiversity talks due to be resumed in Rome in February.

    3 Who’s going to pay for all this?

    Finance has long been a thorny issue in international climate negotiations. Developing countries argue that wealthy nations should contribute far more towards projects and initiatives that will enable them to move away from fossil fuels, and power their economies on clean energy sources. The pushback from the rich countries is that fast-growing economies such as China, which is now the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, should also pay their share.

    © UNFCCC/Habib Samadov

    Activists protest against fossil fuels at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, a breakthrough of sorts was made, with the adoption of an agreement to triple the amount of climate finance paid to developing countries, to $300 billion per year, by 2035. The deal is a definite step forward, but the final sum is far less than the $1.3 trillion that climate experts say these countries need in order to adapt to the crisis.

    Expect more progress to be made on financing in 2025, at a summit in Spain at the end of June. The Financing for Development conferences only take place once every 10 years, and next year’s edition is being billed as an opportunity to make radical changes to the international financial architecture. Environmental and climate concerns will be raised, and potential solutions such as green taxation, carbon pricing and subsidies will all be on the table.

    4 Laying down the law

    When the attention of the International Court of Justice turned to climate change in December, it was hailed as a landmark moment with regards to States’ legal obligations under international law.

    © UNDP/Silke von Brockhausen

    Vanuatu often experiences destructive extreme weather, such as typhoons, which are being exacerbated by climate change.

    Vanuatu, a Pacific island state particularly vulnerable to the crisis, asked the court for an advisory position, in order to clarify the obligations of States with regard to climate change, and inform any future judicial proceedings.

    Over a two-week period, 96 countries and 11 regional organizations took part in public hearings before the Court, including Vanuatu and a group of other Pacific islands States, and major economies including China and the USA.

    The ICJ will deliberate for several months before delivering its advisory opinion on the subject. Although this opinion will be non-binding, it is expected to guide future international climate law.

    5 Plastic pollution

    UN-convened talks on getting to grips with the global epidemic of plastic pollution edged closer to a deal during negotiations in Busan, South Korea.

    Some key advances were made during the November 2024 talks – the fifth round of negotiations following the 2022 UN Environment Assembly resolution calling for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

    Agreement on three pivotal areas needs to be ironed: plastic products, including the issue of chemicals; sustainable production and consumption; and financing.

    UNDP India

    Plastic bottles are collected for recycling in India.

    Member States are now charged with finding political solutions to their differences before the resumed session begins, and with landing a final deal that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics and delivers on the growing global momentum to end plastic pollution.

    “It is clear that the world still wants and demands an end to plastic pollution,” said UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen. “We need to ensure we craft an instrument that hits the problem hard instead of punching below its potential weight. I call on all Member States to lean in.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 2024 to become the hottest year on record

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Climate and Environment

    The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

    “Today I can officially report that we have just endured a decade of deadly heat. The top ten hottest years on record have happened in the last ten years, including 2024,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the New Year.  

    “This is climate breakdown — in real time. We must exit this road to ruin — and we have no time to lose,” he gravely emphasised.

    WMO will publish the consolidated global temperature figure for 2024 in January and its full State of the Global Climate 2024 report in March 2025.  

    Climate catastrophes 

    Throughout 2024, a series of reports from the WMO community highlighted the rapid pace of climate change and its far-reaching impacts on every aspect of sustainable development.

    Record-breaking rainfalls were documented as well as catastrophic flooding, scorching heat waves with temperatures exceeding 50°C, and devastating wildfires.  

    The organization found that climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, harming human health and ecosystems in their report When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather.  

    Climate change also intensified 26 of the 29 weather events studied by World Weather Attribution that killed at least 3700 people and displaced millions. 

    Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary-General, described the year as a sobering wake-up call. 

    “This year we saw record-breaking rainfall and flooding events and terrible loss of life in so many countries, causing heartbreak to communities on every continent,” she stated.

    “Every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts and risks,” she underscored.  

    Hope amid crises  

    Despite the grim realities, the year 2024 saw notable advancements with the adoption of the Pact for the Future – a landmark agreement to promote disarmament, financial reform, gender equality, and ethical technological innovation.  

    The COP29 UN climate conference also recently discussed ways to increase finance for poor countries to support them in coping with the impacts of extreme weather.  

    Developing countries are responsible for a small amount of historic carbon emissions, but as WMO research has highlighted, are being hit the hardest by extreme weather. 

    Moreover, in response to the Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat, a targeted group of experts representing 15 international organizations and 12 countries convened at WMO headquarters in December to advance a coordinated framework for tackling the growing threat of extreme heat.  

    2025: A pivotal year  

    With 2025 designated as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, WMO and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aim to prioritise efforts to protect the cryosphere – the Earth’s frozen regions, critical to regulating global temperatures.  

    Additionally, WMO is advancing initiatives like the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch which aims to improve the monitoring of greenhouse gas (GHG) net fluxes globally.  

    By 2027, the organization also aims to ensure universal protection from hazardous environmental events through life-saving anticipatory systems currently developed in the Early Warnings for All programme.  

    Reflecting on WMO’s upcoming 75th anniversary, Ms. Saulo reinforced the shared responsibility to act.

    “If we want a safer planet, we must act now. It’s our responsibility. It’s a common responsibility, a global responsibility,” she firmly stated.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Climate emergency: 2025 declared international year of glaciers

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Pia Blondel

    Climate and Environment

    As glaciers disappear at an alarming rate due to climate change, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).

    Co-facilitated by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this global initiative seeks to unite efforts worldwide to protect these vital water sources, which provide freshwater to more than 2 billion people.

    Glaciers and ice sheets hold around 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater and their rapid loss presents an urgent environmental and humanitarian crisis.

    WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasised this urgency, saying “Melting ice and glaciers threaten long-term water security for many millions of people. This international year must be a wake-up call to the world.”

    Alarming data

    In 2023, glaciers experienced their greatest water loss in over 50 years, marking the second consecutive year in which all glaciated regions worldwide reported ice loss.

    Switzerland, for instance, saw their glaciers lose 10 per cent of their total mass between 2022 and 2023, according to the WMO.

    Dr. Lydia Brito, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, explained during the launch event in Geneva that the “50 UNESCO heritage sites with glaciers represent almost 10 per cent of Earth’s glacier area.” However, a recent study warned that glaciers in one-third of these sites are projected to disappear by 2050.

    With 2024 confirmed as the hottest year on record, the need for immediate and decisive action has never been more critical.

    2025 key initiatives

    A key focus, the panel explained, is raising global awareness about the essential role glaciers, snow and ice play in regulating the climate and supporting ecosystems and communities.

    “Glaciers don’t care if we believe in science – they just melt in the heat,” said Dr. Carolina Adler of the Mountain Research Initiative.

    The initiative also aims to enhance scientific understanding through programmes like the Global Cryosphere Watch, ensuring that data guides effective climate action.

    Strengthening policy frameworks is another priority, with the integration of glacier preservation into global and national climate strategies, such as the Paris Agreement.

    Mobilising financial resources is another priority – essential to support vulnerable communities and fund adaptation and mitigation efforts – alongside engaging youth and local communities.

    Milestones on climate

    The first World Glacier Day will be celebrated on 21 March 2025, coinciding with World Water Day, coming a day later.

    In May, Tajikistan will host the International Glacier Preservation Conference, bringing together scientists, policymakers and community leaders to discuss solutions and form partnerships.

    “Tajikistan is immensely proud to have played an instrumental role in advocating for this resolution,” said Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chair of Tajikistan’s Committee of Environmental Protection.

    “Let us be clear, the only way to preserve glaciers as an important resource for the entire planet is for all governments to collectively course correct with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) fully consistent with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement limit,” he underscored.

    Challenges ahead

    According to the policy brief on the IYGP, “Some level of glacier loss remains inevitable given current loss rates, which modelling shows will continue until temperatures stabilise.”

    “We must prepare for cryospheric destruction through urgent policy changes,” explained Dr. John Pomeroy from the University of Saskatchewan.

    These efforts will require global cooperation, particularly in regions like Central Asia, where glacier loss has led to significant water security challenges.

    “In Tajikistan alone nearly 1,000 glaciers have melted, accounting for one-third of the country’s glacier volume,” Dr. Brito highlighted.

    A shared responsibility

    The IYGP seeks to unite nations, organizations and individuals in a common mission.

    “[It] provides a mechanism to kick start both renewed efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the science and adaptation necessary to prepare for a warmer, less icy world,” said Dr. Pomeroy

    “History will record that 2025 was the tipping point where humanity changed course and eventually saved the glaciers, ourselves and our planet,” he concluded.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: US, Australia, and UK forces conduct joint combined operations

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SOUTH CHINA SEA  –  

    The U.S. Navy (USN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and Royal Navy (RN) joined together to conduct a link exercise, a coordinated maneuvering exercise, and a variety of other combined operations in the South China Sea, Feb. 6-7.

    Participating units included the USN Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65), the RAN Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer HMAS Hobart (DDG 39), the RN River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P234).

    “Regular military engagements between the defense forces in the Indo-Pacific will help maintain regional security and stability” said Commodore Jonathan Ley, Joint Force Maritime Component Commander for Australia’s Headquarters Joint Operations Command. “This activity is a testament to the growing ability of Australia and the United States to work together in this complex maritime environment. As one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes and home to almost two thirds of the world’s population, it is essential we are ready, willing and able to meet any challenge.”

    During the maritime training, the three ships exercised their ability to exchange data using their tactical datalink systems, while the maneuvering exercise trained the crews’ ability to sail alongside each other in various conditions, improving the self-defense and communication capabilities of the three countries.

    “Operating alongside our Royal Navy and Australian counterparts strengthens collaboration at sea,” said Capt. Justin Harts, Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15. “We will continue to reinforce our interoperability with our allies at every corner to maintain a consistent presence in the Indo-Pacific.”

    The U.S. Navy regularly operates alongside our allies in the Indo-Pacific region as a demonstration of our shared commitment to upholding international law. Combined operations provide valuable opportunities to train, exercise and develop tactical interoperability across allied navies in the Indo-Pacific.

    Benfold is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

    U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deadly floods in Spain highlight need to cut greenhouse gas emissions

    Source: United Nations 2

    Climate and Environment

    The record-breaking rainfall and deadly flash floods that hit Spain this week underscore why saving lives as climate change turbocharges extreme weather must be a top priority, the World Meteorological Office (WMO) said on Friday. 

    The UN weather agency is highlighting the importance of early warning systems for all corners of the planet and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

    “The flooding that we’re seeing in Spain is just one of many, many, many, extreme weather and water-related disasters that have been taking place around the world this year. Almost every week we’re seeing such shocking images,” spokesperson Clare Nullis told journalists in Geneva. 

    Lives lost as rains continue

    More than 150 people have been killed in Spain, where a massive search and rescue operation is ongoing even as the rains continue. 

    The Valencia region was worst affected, and “some areas received more than the equivalent of a year’s amount of rainfall in the space of eight hours.” 

    Spain’s meteorological and hydrological service, AEMET, has been issuing constant advisories and alerts throughout the week via the common alerting protocol, she said, referring to the standardized message format for all media, all hazards, and all communication channels.

    A red alert – the top level – was issued on Friday in the southwest province of Huelva, “so, unfortunately, this episode is not finished yet”.

    Extreme weather increasing

    Ms. Nullis recalled that other areas in Europe have been badly affected by floods this year. In mid-September, parts of Central Europe experienced very heavy rainfall, breaking local and national records.

    “According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, extreme weather events causing highly impactful floods and droughts have become more likely and more severe due to anthropogenic climate change,” she said.

    She pointed to WMO’s recently released report on the State of Global Water Resources. Commenting at the time, the agency’s chief, Celeste Saulo, said that the hydrological cycle has accelerated due to rising temperatures.  

    As a result, the world is facing growing problems of either too much or too little water. Furthermore, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which is conducive to heavy rainfall.

    Ms. Nullis said this is what is happening in Spain.

    “As the air warms, it becomes more moist. So, every additional fraction of warming increases the atmospheric moisture content, and this increases the risk of extreme precipitation, flooding,” she explained.

    World must act now 

    Asked what action can be taken to avoid the devastation caused in Spain and elsewhere, Ms. Nullis said the international community “can make a good start by reducing greenhouse gas emissions which are the driver behind this.”

    Countries also “need to ensure that early warnings lead to informed early action.”

    WMO will publish its latest State of the Global Climate update at the COP29 UN climate change conference in Azerbaijan later this month.  The report will provide more details about extreme events around the world over the past year. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN expert calls for action as Marshall Islands faces dual displacement crisis

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    An independent UN expert on Thursday called on the international community to fulfill its “urgent moral obligation” to support the Marshall Islands in addressing displacement challenges stemming from the impacts of historical nuclear testing and the growing threat of climate change. 

    The appeal from Paula Gaviria Betancur, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, comes as the Pacific nation grapples with generational displacement and the threat posed by rising sea levels and unprecedented global heating.

    The Marshall Islands, a frontline nation in the fight to slow global warming, faces unique challenges.

    As one of the small island developing States (SIDS), it has played a significant role in international climate action. Under the Paris Agreement of 2015, the Marshall Islands was instrumental, along with other SIDS, in advocating strongly for the inclusion of the 1.5 C temperature goal.

    The nation also submitted one of the first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCS) under the agreement.

    The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) identifies the Marshall Islands as particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, with rising sea levels posing an existential threat.

    Despite these challenges, the agreement on ‘Loss and Damage funding’ at COP27,  marks a critical development for vulnerable nations like the Marshall Islands. This mechanism aims to provide financial assistance to the most vulnerable nations impacted by climate change effects.

    Nuclear testing threatens communities

    Beyond environmental challenges, research conducted by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, revealed that 67 nuclear tests performed between 1946 and 1958 by the United States Government in the Marshall Islands left communities displaced and contributed to radioactive land and sea pollution.

    “Legacies of nuclear testing and military land requisitions by a foreign power have displaced hundreds of Marshallese for generations,” while the adverse effects of climate change threaten to displace thousands more,” said Ms. Gaviria Betancur, following her 10-day visit to the country.

    The UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert who receives no salary and represents no government or organization, welcomed Marshall Islanders’ efforts to seek remedy and solutions for displaced persons while emphasizing that the “situation has been largely driven beyond the country’s control”.

    Indigenous rights

    During her visit, Ms. Gaviria Betancur emphasized the profound impact of displacement on Marshallese communities.

    “Many Marshallese I spoke with recounted the profound sense of dislocation they feel as a result of their displacement from lands deeply intertwined with their sense of culture and identity as Indigenous Peoples,” she reported.

    She congratulated the Marshall Islands on its recent election to the Human Rights Council and its introduction of a resolution addressing the human rights implications of the nuclear legacy.

    She also outlined specific recommendations for the government, stating, “the Government should adopt a comprehensive, rights-based policy on displacement, promote greater transparency around laws and policies relevant to displaced persons and continue working with traditional leaders”.

    International Responsibility

    Addressing historical responsibility, the expert noted that displacement occurred while the Marshall Islands were under US administration as a Strategic Trust Territory of the United Nations. She urged the United States to provide complete information about the displacement and health risks to affected communities, ensure meaningful remedy, and seek full consent from those with traditional rights to lands it currently occupies for military purposes.

    “While current compensation agreements may have been put in place after independence, these aims to codify displacement that took place when those displaced could not reasonably have provide free, prior and informed consent in line with Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination,” she stated.

    Ms. Gaviria Betancur called on the international community to provide more support for the Marshall Islands’ climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, highlighting the countries minimal contribution to global emissions. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –