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Category: United Nations

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Global financial reform addresses challenges facing developing nations: UN deputy chief

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    SDGs

    Decisive action is needed to address the financial challenges facing developing nations, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on Tuesday in remarks to the Second Preparatory Committee for the Forth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4).

    The four-day meeting at UN Headquarters began with discussions on international debt architecture, feminist fiscal policy for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global tax reform.

    “The SDGs have stalled,” Ms. Mohammed said, emphasising that their revival depends on “unlocking the scale and quality of finance required to power investments, loosening the grip of debt service that is crippling dozens of countries and protecting economies from external shocks”. 

    Preparation for Seville Conference 2025

    This preparatory meeting, which follows a first session in Addis Ababa in July, has already generated nearly 300 stakeholder contributions ahead of the main conference scheduled for June 2025 in Seville, Spain. 

    These inputs have informed an Elements Paper containing proposals for transformative change across the Addis action areas, which will be central to discussions at the main conference next year.

    Key proposals for financial reform

    Ms. Mohammed outlined several key proposals under consideration. A central focus is domestic resource mobilisation, which she described as “the core of development financing and the compact between citizens and states”. 

    One concrete proposal calls for ensuring all developing countries can raise their tax-to-GDP ratio above 15 per cent. The conference is also tackling the challenge of private investment mobilisation.

    “After 10 years of billions-to-trillions discussions, we still don’t see results at the scale or impact required,” Ms. Mohammed emphasised, calling for firm commitments “to do better on blending: to focus on impact, to utilise instruments at scale and to align with national priorities”.

    Reforming financial architecture  

    The Deputy Secretary-General also highlighted the FfD4’s important role in fulfilling the vision articulated in the recently adopted Pact for the Future on financial architecture reform. Ms. Mohammed called for “bold ambition to create a debt architecture that truly empowers sustainable development”.

    Proposals for this include “expanding the capital bases of Multilateral Development Banks” she said.

    The conference also aims to transform Special Drawing Rights to make them more effective for future crises response.

    Concrete action needed in the future

    A key focus will be strengthening the voice and representation of developing countries in International Financial institutions. “This would be real and transformative change,” Ms. Mohammed said.

    Additionally, she stated that “we must pledge concrete actions to strengthen the voice and representation of developing countries in International Financial Institutions, ensuring that they become genuinely inclusive and more effective”.  

    The Deputy Secretary-General also called on participants to “push boundaries” and ensure that reforms match the ambition needed for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted nearly a decade ago. 

    “Together, let us honour our 2015 commitments for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous world for all,” she concluded.   

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: From Declaration to action: Antimicrobial resistance initiatives centre stage at Jeddah conference

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Health

    Antimicrobial resistance initiatives are back in the spotlight as stakeholders gather in Jeddah, on the Saudi Arabian coast, a few months after a high-level meeting in New York led to the unanimous adoption of a political declaration by the UN General Assembly. With that declaration the 193-member body pledged concerted action against the under-recognized but serious health concern.

    Concerned parties from around the world gathered on Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton in the Red Sea city ahead of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on AMR for a session focused on non-state actors – non-governmental organizations, private sector, academia and others – to work across sectors to address “one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges”.

    The conference is expected to bring together representatives of 57 states, including 48 Ministers and Vice-Ministers, and more than 450 participants from leading international and civil society organizations, including UN offices and agencies.

    The aim is to move from “declaration to implementation” through multisectoral partnerships in the combat against antimicrobial resistance, which has had disastrous effects on health, economies, and societies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

    A silent pandemic

    When bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites stop responding to antimicrobial medications, it’s known as antimicrobial resistance. Drug resistance raises the risk of disease transmission, serious sickness, disability, and death by making antibiotics and other antimicrobial medications ineffective and making it harder or impossible to treat infections.

    In the political declaration adopted by the General Assembly, world leaders agreed to reduce the estimated five million human deaths associated with AMR annually by 10 per cent by 2030. They further called for sustainable national financing and $100 million in catalytic funding, to help achieve a target of at least 60 percent of countries having funded national action plans on AMR by 2030.

    It also formalized the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance, which includes the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Development Programme (UNEP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) along with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), as the central coordinating structure to support the global response.

    Minsitry of Health/Saudi Arabia

    Opening session of AMR, the urgent global health and socioeconomic crisis that threatens all age groups in all regions, especially with low- and middle-income countries most affected.

    Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel has stressed the need to adopt a “One Health” approach that systematically addresses the obstacles hindering progress as AMR impacts humans, animals, and the environmental alike. “The Jeddah meeting is a crucial opportunity to strengthen our collective global response to the risks of this growing, silent pandemic”, he has said.

    The meeting will address priorities, including surveillance and stewardship, capacity building, funding provision, governance, innovation, research and development.

    UN News/Nabil Midani

    Political commitment at the highest level

    UN News is in Jeddah covering this global conference and spoke to Kathrine Urbaez, Executive Director of the Geneva-based non-governmental organization (NGO), Health Diplomacy Alliance.

    The Alliance focuses on advocacy and diplomacy to advance global health issues. She told us that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven the vital importance of ‘One Health’ policies and of garnering cooperation and awareness across sectors and stakeholders.

    Ms. Urbaez underscored the need to move from commitments to practical actions and added that the General Assembly’s Political Declaration and the Jeddah Conference are great steps in the right direction, and what is needed is to ensure that the political momentum continues. The Executive Director insisted that implementing commitments is feasible if there is a political will to do so, and establishing “a monitoring and accountability mechanism” is key.

    She added: “We have to see antimicrobial resistance from a really holistic global health perspective. I think it is important to have the involvement of politicians at the highest level, not only Ministers of Health, Environment, Agriculture or Finance. We really need political commitment to advance AMR policies and to engage in the one health approach”.

    More than a health threat

    The complexity of the issue, a lack of funding, and political will in some nations “with the competing health issues that governments have to grapple with” have made it difficult to move from policy documents to action, according to Julian Nyamupachitu, Deputy Director of ReAct Africa, a global network that works to catalyze action on AMR primarily in low- and middle-income countries.

    UN News/Nabil Midani

    As countries are reviewing and weighing new national plans, Ms. Nyamupachitu said ReAct Africa is helping them prioritize activities that are more practical, and use tools that are available to them to help inform their policy making, such as the WHO costing and budgeting tool.

    The Deputy Director said the Political Declaration was an improvement over its 2016 predecessor, but it would have been “good to see commitments, and not just targets” on funding.

    She said the theme “moving from declaration to implementation” is very timely and she hoped to see a serious commitment by Ministers in Jeddah.

    “I believe awareness has been raised. They have appreciated the statistics that have been shared. This is indeed a global health threat, not just affecting the health sector, not just affecting the agriculture, environment, and animal sectors, but it’s actually an economic problem as well”, she added.

    ‘The antibiotics market is broken’

    Michiel Peters is the Secretariat Representative of the AMR Industry Alliance, which includes companies and industry organizations in the fields of research and development (R&D), pharmaceuticals, generics, biotech and diagnostics. He also represents the broader private sector on the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform Steering Committee, which was established and is facilitated by the four organizations supporting the global response.

    UN News/Nabil Midani

    Mr. Peters said antibiotics are “fundamentally different” than any other product brought to market “where your goal would be to sell as much of it as possible”. He said with antibiotics, the goal is to get the “right drug to the right person when they need it”, which is not always a lucrative business. He also noted that developing antibiotics requires an “incredible amount of time and investment” and in many cases the drugs don’t reach the market, and so “the marketplace for antibiotics is broken”.

    Mr. Peter’s added that there is a serious lack of government funding and incentives for antibiotic R&D, but the larger concern is that “the researchers actually needed to do the science in the laboratories are leaving this field”, as opposed to diseases like cancer, for example, where research is strong.

    The private sector representative said a lot of progress was made since the first High-Level Meeting on AMR took place in 2016, but there is still so much more to do and “nobody can tackle this problem alone”. 

    He said the Jeddah conference and the plenary meeting for the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, running in parallel on the closing day, are both very important to see “not just what we can put on paper, but what it is that we are actually going to do”.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Will COP29 deliver the trillions needed to tackle the man-made climate crisis?

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    The latest round of UN climate negotiations, COP29, opened this past Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, following a year that broke multiple extreme heat records and saw widespread climate-driven chaos – from wildfires to destructive floods and hurricanes – hit nearly every corner of the world. A major increase in financial commitments to assist vulnerable countries in mitigating and adapting to climate impacts is the main goal of this year’s conference, which has been dubbed the “climate finance COP.”

    Can countries agree on a new climate finance target?

    The UN’s main climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has issued increasingly dire warnings about the accelerating pace of global warming. To limit temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, substantial investments are needed in clean energy technologies, infrastructure, and adaptation measures.

    Developing countries, particularly small island nations and least developed countries, are disproportionately vulnerable to climate impacts like sea level rise, extreme weather events, and droughts. They require significant financial support to build resilience, transition to low-carbon economies, and compensate for loss and damage.

    The midway point at COP29 comes as leaders are heading to Brazil for next week’s G20 summit. 

    Round-the-clock negotiations in Baku on the always thorny topic of money are reportedly moving slowly. Delegates from developing nations are calling for more and faster progress on new funding for loss and damage and accelerated clean energy goals.

    Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes the annual COP meetings, had a message for G20 leaders early on Saturday before they hopped on their planes for Rio de Janeiro:

    “Climate finance progress outside of [the UNFCCC process] is equally crucial, and the G20’s role is mission-critical…the global climate crisis should be order of business Number One, in Rio next week. The [G20] Summit must send crystal clear global signals. That more grant and concessional finance will be available; that further reform of multilateral development banks is a top priority, and G20 governments – as their shareholders and taskmasters – will keep pushing for more reforms.”

    Finally, the UN climate chief said that “in turbulent times and a fracturing world, G20 leaders must signal loud and clear that international cooperation is still the best and only chance humanity has to survive global heating. There is no other way.”

    Earlier in the week, Mr. Stiell gave a stark assessment of the stakes: Worsening climate change and the socioeconomic damage it inflicts mean “billions of people simply cannot afford for their government to leave COP29 without a global climate finance goal.”

    “So, for leaders here and back in capitals – make it clear that you expect a strong set of outcomes. Tell your negotiators – skip the posturing – and move directly to finding common ground,” he said.

    In his opening remarks on Tuesday to the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that 2024 has been “a masterclass in climate destruction.” He emphasized the critical role of climate finance in addressing the crisis: “The world must pay up, or humanity will pay the price…climate finance is not charity, it’s an investment. Climate action is not optional, it’s an imperative.”

    Mr. Stiell later echoed this sentiment: “Let’s dispense with the idea that climate finance is charity. An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every single nation, including the largest and wealthiest.”

    Beyond the $100 billion pledge

    In 2009 at the 15th Conference of UNFCCC Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, developed countries committed to mobilizing $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020. While this target was finally met in 2022, it has been criticized as insufficient and delayed.

    At COP29, negotiators are aiming to set a new, more ambitious target for climate finance. Developing countries are pushing for a significantly higher figure, potentially in the trillions of dollars per year. However, discussions on the exact amount and the modalities for delivering the funds remain contentious.

    An early breakthrough on carbon

    A significant breakthrough on the opening day at COP29 was the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, paving the way for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.

    James Grabert, head of the Mitigation Division at UN Climate Change, the shorthand by which the UNFCCC secretariat is known, said that this historic agreement will provide countries with a “valuable tool” to meet their climate targets and drive sustainable development.

    With COP29 coming on the heels of presidential polls in the United States, impact of a new US Administration on global climate action has been on the minds of many in the corridors of Baku Centre.

    At a press conference, President Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands and Ireland’s Environment Minister Eamon Ryan stressed that despite worries about a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the combat against climate change is a global effort that requires global cooperation towards a better economy for all. The two leaders also cited the ongoing progress by states and cities as reasons for hope.

    UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

    Around the clock negotiations are underway at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on a new global climate finance deal.

    A just transition, not a ‘stampede of greed’

    Before heading to the G20 summit in Brazil, Mr. Guterres held several climate-related meetings, including one on critical minerals essential for renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles.

    These minerals, such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are crucial for the transition away from fossil fuels, with demand expected to triple by 2030.

    Many of these minerals are found in Africa, which could benefit financially. However, there’s concern about a “resource curse,” where countries where these resources are located don’t benefit.

    Mr. Guterres emphasized managing demand without triggering a “stampede of greed” that exploits and crushes the poor but instead ensures local communities benefit.

    Dario Liguti from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) also highlighted the need for “sustainable exploitation of these minerals”, especially in emerging markets, to protect the environment and support local communities. In April, the UN chief formed a High-Level Panel to ensure countries and communities with these resources benefit the most.

    © UN Office for Partnerships

    Youth activism and climate justice

    Young people around the world are increasingly demanding climate action and climate justice. They are calling on governments and businesses to take bold steps to reduce emissions, protect vulnerable communities, and create a sustainable future for all.

    After meeting with youth representatives and climate advocates at COP29, the Secretary-General posted on social media that he understood their frustrations: “You have every right to be angry. I am angry too…because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”

    Basmallah Rawash, a Climate Activist with Care About Climate, said, “We are not the ones that are supposed to carry the burden of mitigation. We are not the ones who have caused this, but we are the ones that will carry the burden of the biggest struggle at the moment.”

    The decisions made in Baku will have far-reaching consequences for generations to come. It is imperative that negotiators reach an ambitious agreement that delivers the finance needed to build a resilient and low-carbon future for all.

    Stay tuned to UN News! Our team in Baku will be following the action through the end of next week.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29: ‘You have every right to be angry’ Guterres tells youth advocates frustrated over lack of climate action

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    As negotiations over how to tackle climate change head into their fifth day in Baku, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed solidarity with young climate advocates at COP29, who told him they are frustrated by the lack of political action on the crisis.

    “You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”

    While the opening days of this year’s COP have featured the expected speeches, report launches and expert interventions, today’s youth roundtable was something different.

    Organized by the Youth Advisory Group and YOUNGO – the official youth community of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the discussion was a candid departure from the usual formalities of the UN Secretary-General’s usual schedule.

    Opting out of traditional speeches, young eco-activists from across the globe chose to present their visions on tackling climate change, engage in frank discussions about challenges they encounter, and even to solicit advice from the UN chief on how to take significant steps towards preventing a climate catastrophe.

    An everyday reality

    The participants spoke of their dreams and fears, proposing concrete steps to make the world more sustainable and secure for future generations. For many, climate issues are not abstract concepts but everyday realities they are determined to face head on.

    “We discussed the role of youth in sustainable development and the fight against climate change. The fact that Mr. Guterres listens to young people’s opinions and values their ideas is very important to me,” said Aysel Azizova, a young environmental activist from Azerbaijan, who told UN News afterward that her meeting with the Secretary-General “was very productive and inspiring”.

    “This dialogue helped me and my colleagues better understand the causes of climate change and potential solutions. He gave us practical advice,” Ms. Azizova said.

    She said that during the discussion, she had suggested measures to stimulate investment in green technologies and tackle resource limitations, especially for developing countries. “Mr. Guterres kindly addressed my question and explained all the details,” she added.

    Youth are central to climate action

    Lamin Jawo, an 18-year-old child rights activist from the Gambia, shared his reflections with UN News: “I took two important points from his speech, one was about youth involvement. The voices of young people, especially marginalized groups like children and people with disabilities, are essential in climate action.”

    The perspective of young people should be integral to climate initiatives, he said, and added: “The second point concerns climate finance. The Secretary-General mentioned that funding is available, so I want to say that it should be accessible to all nations, especially the most vulnerable to climate change.”

    © UN Office for Partnerships

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with young climate and environmental activists at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    Urban resilience, indigenous knowledge

    Architect and urban planner HY William Chan, who is also the youngest-ever Lord Mayoral City Councilor from Sydney, Australia, also spoke with UN News, highlighting the role of cities on the front lines of climate change.

    “The UN Secretary-General’s remarks resonated with me, particularly since Australia has a deep Indigenous history that emphasizes a harmonious relationship with the environment,” he said.

    “The Secretary-General also emphasized the need for global reform, which our generation has long called for,” Mr. Chan added. “Current governance systems are failing us, especially the vulnerable communities and developing nations on the front lines of the climate emergency. He reinforced the need for a more equitable approach to development and financing – one that ensures resources and policies are accessible and responsive to the most affected communities, including small island states, particularly in my backyard, the Pacific.”

    According to Mr. Chan, young people should be decision-makers, not just participants in the process. He emphasized that the Mr. Guterres’ words serve as a powerful reminder of the collective moral responsibility to pursue systemic change for the sake of future generations.

    UN Video | ‘You Can Count On Me’ UN Secretary-General Tells Youth Climate Activists at COP29

    ‘I count on you, you can count on me’

    In a follow-up message to young people, the UN chief urged: “I ask you to be even more determined and imaginative in keeping up the pressure for climate action. We need a strong youth movement – now more than ever.”

    The UN Secretary-General reaffirmed his commitment to supporting young climate advocates, calling the climate crisis “the most important battle of our time” and insisting, “we must win.”

    “I count on you, and you can count on me,” he concluded.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Colombian conflict survivors turn forest heroes in search of climate change solutions

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    “What do I want the river to carry away? The deforestation,” Sandra Donado says, her voice competing with the sudden storm lashing her canoe as it floats down the Guaviare River in Colombia’s Amazon biome region.

    This waterway, a silent witness to the turmoil of the municipality of Mapiripán, has seen it all – the wildlife trafficking, the coca harvests that fuelled conflict, the human bodies left behind amid a heinous massacre and the relentless erosion of the rainforest it once nourished.

    Now, Sandra hopes it will carry away the pain of the past and usher in an era of healing for her community and for its land.

    Mapiripán has long been trapped in a cycle of conflict and environmental degradation exacerbated by climate change. Many years ago, it was known for its illegal wildlife fur trade; later, it became a coca-growing region, attracting armed groups that turned the lush rainforest into a battleground.

    Promise of prosperity

    A young Sandra, facing extreme poverty and violence, arrived in Mapiripán in the early 2000s, drawn by a promise of prosperity. “There was an economic boom,” she recalls, “but it came from illicit crops – there was no other way to live.”

    But the area’s prosperity was short-lived. Eventually, the conflict escalated, and the coca trade collapsed, leaving the community in ruins. “We lived with both prosperity and conflict,” Sandra says, her voice trembling as she recounts harrowing experiences of hiding from armed groups.

    By 2009, most of the people in the rural communities in the region were forced to leave.

    Many, including Sandra, returned after the signing of the Colombia Peace Agreement in 2016 which ended a decades-long rebel insurgency.

    But the land, scarred by conflict and unsustainable cultivation, now struggled to produce. With a lack of infrastructure and limited market access, farmers like Marco Antonio Lopez turned to cattle ranching for survival.

    Deforestation boom

    This meant clearing more forests. “We would deforest 15 or 20 hectares with our own hands for our cattle,” he admits, “not to destroy biodiversity, but to find a way to survive.”

    They also watched helplessly as newcomers took over abandoned areas and deforested even larger swaths of land. “They didn’t care about deforesting 700 to 1,000 hectares,” Sandra says with disgust. “They would just cut right through the centre of the mountain.”

    The consequences were becoming all too clear: “That’s when we started to feel the heat, to notice the change in the climate,” she adds.

    © FAO/Felipe Rodríguez

    A silvopastoral system in the Amazon integrates trees and shrubs into livestock pastures. This increases carbon storage in trees and soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilizer and boosting resilience to climate change.

    Sandra and Marco now long for a future where they can improve their lives while protecting the forests, a desire shared across the country.

    In fact, Colombia has made significant progress in curbing deforestation. The nation demonstrated that, between 2015 and 2016, deforestation rates in its Amazon Biome dropped substantially, preventing almost seven million tons of CO2 emissions.

    This success helped the nation secure a $28.2 million Results-based Payment (RBP) from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2020 to implement the Colombia REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project, known in the country as Vision Amazonia.

    Led by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Vision Amazonia promotes conservation and sustainable land management in rapid deforestation areas like Mapiripán.

    © FAO/Felipe Rodríguez

    A silvopastoral system in the Amazon integrates trees and shrubs into livestock pastures. This increases carbon storage in trees and soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilizer and boosting resilience to climate change.

    ‘We, the community’

    In coordination with the Colombian government and local communities, the FAO project which runs until the end of 2026, protects the Amazon biome through forest monitoring and sustainable management practices, benefitting smallholders, farmer associations and local authorities alike.

    “We, the community, are already aware of the problem caused by climate change. Now when we go out into the field to do work, the sun is so strong that we cannot resist the heat anymore. We have truly begun to develop an awareness of the need for preservation of these beautiful ecosystems that we have in the territory,” says Marco.

    “If the forest thrives and we thrive, the animals thrive,” Sandra adds.

    © FAO/Felipe Rodríguez

    Deforestation releases carbon into the atmosphere, which fuels climate change and further harms forests.

    “With this project,” explains Sandra Vanegas, FAO local markets coordinator, “we are ensuring forest conservation while families generate resources through associative projects.

    “We are promoting agroforestry gardens where they can produce for their own consumption and conserve seeds and endemic plants.”

    Indeed, Marco and Sandra’s communities have now gained a deep understanding of agroforestry, a sustainable land use practice that combines agriculture and forestry. Through educational visits, they’ve witnessed firsthand how to revitalize their soils with organic fertilizer and grow their own food.

    Marco recounts a gradual awakening regarding their livestock. “We didn’t know at the time,” he admits, “that we didn’t need a huge extension of pastures for our cows to have good nourishment.”

    The initiative, he says, opened their eyes through a series of training sessions. Now they have started to implement silvopastoral systems by planting trees on their family farms.

    “They gave us a broader perspective, helping us realize the damage and consequences of continued deforestation. That’s when we, as leaders, took a stronger stance to protect the forest.”

    This newfound awareness led them to form the AGROCIARE association to pursue sustainable projects. For instance, they have been actively working to plant and commercialize the cacay tree, a native Amazonian species known for its nutritious fruit.

    With training in legal and organizational skills, they’ve strengthened their association’s capacity to advocate for environmental protection and better livelihoods.

    “Our vision is to ensure that the treasure of our environment and rainforest is protected by those of us who live here,” Marco declares.

    By working with the rural communities, the programme is finding climate solutions that are effective, equitable and offer a different future for the Amazon.

    Agrifood systems solutions are climate, biodiversity and land solutions

    This story is part of a three-part series from FAO on climate, biodiversity and land solutions in Colombia. These stories take you from the arid landscapes of La Guajira, where the SCALA programme is supporting climate resilience and food security, to the Pacific coast, where a Global Environmental Facility-supported project is working to conserve rich biodiversity while also contributing to the pursuit of peace.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Cut the theatrics’: UN climate chief tells COP29 negotiators to focus on solutions as talks enter final week

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    As COP29 climate talks in Baku enter their final week, the UN climate chief told negotiators on Monday to “cut the theatrics,” get down to business and hammer out a new finance deal to compensate countries for climate-driven damages and pay for a clean-energy transition.

    “We can’t lose sight of the forest because we’re tussling over individual trees,” said Simon Stiell, urging delegates to wrap up “less contentious issues” as early as possible this week, so there is enough time for the major political decisions.

    COP29 opened in the Azerbaijan capital this past Monday with the main goal of reaching agreement on scaling up finance to address the worsening impacts of global warming.

    Despite an early breakthrough on standards that will pave the way for a UN-governed carbon market, the talks on climate finance have been slow and contentions, with delegations digging in their heels rather than looking for common ground.

    Time for business, not brinkmanship

    “Bluffing, brinksmanship, and pre-mediated playbooks” are burning up precious time and running down the goodwill needed for an ambitious package, emphasized Mr. Stiell, who is the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes the annual COP meetings.

    The stakes are too high for “an outbreak of ‘you-first-ism’…where groups of parties dig in and refuse to move on one issue, until others move elsewhere,” he said and the only way to get the job done is “if Parties are prepared to step forward in parallel, bringing us closer to common ground.”

    Mr. Stiell’s plea comes after UN Secretary-General António Guterres also voiced concern over the state of negotiations at COP29, noting that countries must agree to an ambitious climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries.

    Speaking to reporters in Rio on Sunday ahead of the G20 summit, the UN chief said that “now is the time for leadership by example from the world’s largest economies and emitters. Failure is not an option.”

    Beyond the negotiations, other meetings and high-level events at COP29 touched on a range of topics – from the climate-health nexus to human development and education.

    UN News/Nargiz Shekinskaya

    Catarina from Brazil (left) and Francisco from Columbia (right) call for a UN children’s COP during a UNICEF press conference on youth-led climate action, held at COP29 in Baku

    ‘No decisions about us without us!’ 

    Children and young people also made their voices heard at several lively and well attended events, as they called for protection from the effects of climate change; measures to prevent further destruction of the planet; and stepped-up efforts to preserve nature.

    They urged decision-makers at COP29 to give them a seat at the climate negotiating table and to urgently consider organizing a separate UN climate conference specifically for children.

    According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), climate change impacts the well-being of nearly 1 billion children – half of the world’s child population. Air pollution, infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and extreme weather events compromise children’s health, hinder their education, and deprive them of the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.

    During heatwaves, young children are at risk of dehydration because their bodies cannot regulate temperature effectively. Floods and droughts impoverish families, leaving children to bear the consequences.

    “Floods force school closures in Liberia, and children miss school,” said Juanita Tamba of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the world’s largest volunteer movement for the empowerment of girls and young women.

    “And during the dry season, we have to travel long distances to fetch water, and girls often face violence while trying to get water,” she told UN News.

    UNICEF estimates that climate-related disasters cause approximately 40 million children to miss school each year, and the number is rising. 

    Zunaira, from Pakistan, one of the youngest participants in Baku, is attending COP29 with the support of UNICEF.  

    She told UN News: “When there are floods in my country, resources become limited, and there are not enough for everyone. Children, especially girls, are the most affected.”

    Speaking at a UNICEF press conference on youth-led climate action, Rasul, a youth from Azerbaijan highlighted the dire condition of the Caspian Sea. “Due to rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves, the water level in this amazing body of water is falling,” he said.  

    Baku is situated on the coast of the Caspian, the biggest inland body of water in the world. Rasul observed that the effects on Azerbaijan’s people are becoming more noticeable as the shoreline recedes, particularly the rising temperatures: “Both summer and winter in Azerbaijan are getting warmer.” 

    ‘The future needs a voice!’

    Catarina, a 16-year-old environmental activist from Salvador, Brazil, a city on the Atlantic Ocean, also shared her experiences.  

    A passionate surfer since childhood, she noted: “When I was nine years old, I actually felt the ocean warming. I was constantly in the water and… I realized something was wrong when [it] was much hotter than normal in areas I frequented. Then I noticed coral reefs covered in white spots – coral bleaching was something I had never seen before.”

    Despite her young age, Catarina is an experienced climate activist. When she was just 12 years old, she joined other children in filing a complaint with the Geneva-based UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to protest government inaction on the climate crisis.

    “It was the first time children brought a global complaint through a UN mechanism. We denounced five countries, and as a result, the UN officially recognized that children’s rights are affected by the lack of climate action,” Catarina said.

    In an emotional speech, she emphasized: “Children have things to say, and we know how to say them. We need the space… not at COP30. We need a COP for children right now!”  

    According to Catarina, she was fairly certain that it might be too late to make significant change by the time she started her job or rose to a position of influence.

    “Effective actions must happen now. That’s why children need to be included in the decision-making process. If we are the future, then this future needs to have a voice,” she concluded. 

    UNICEF Executive Director Katherine Russell has echoed Catarina’s sentiments, saying earlier this month: “At COP29 and through Nationally Determined Contributions, governments must prioritize children’s rights,”  

    “Children need to be included in the solutions, and global leaders must make health care, education, water, and sanitation systems more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Now is the time to act.”

    Under the Paris Agreement, countries are required to submit updated national climate action plans, or NDC’s, next year at COP30.  

    In that context, UNICEF has warned that less than half of the current plans are child- or youth-sensitive, and only three percent were developed through participatory processes involving children.

    Against this background, 16-year-old Payton Esau from Canada brought a manifesto to the climate conference, signed by 800 of her peers.  

    “We demand that governments communicate in a language young people can understand so we know what measures are being taken to combat climate change. Governments must act without delay to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Payton told UN News.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29 draft deal proposes wealthy nations give $250 billion in climate finance

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    A new draft finance deal delivered to harried negotiators in Baku on Friday – the final scheduled day for the UN climate talks that have been under way for the past two weeks – proposes rich countries commit $250 billion a year to help vulnerable nations cope with our warming planet and to accelerate the global switch to renewable energy.

    The new draft outcome text, which will surely push this round of talks into the weekend, called for the overall climate financing goal to reach “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”, but left out specifics – grants, loans, or from the private sector – on how these funds will be raised.

    Delegations in Baku are expected to keep negotiating on several key issues:

    • Specifics about the role of developed countries in providing this new finance.
    • A global goal on a just transition.
    • Clear way forward on both adaptation and mitigation.

    The conference plenary is expected to reconvene on Saturday to work towards a final agreement.

    ‘A slap in the face’

    Civil society climate and environment advocates were quick to react to this latest draft.

    Some expressed their anger and disappointment at the draft by taping pieces of paper on their faces or foreheads with “Pay up!” written on them.

    Kelly Stone from ActionAid International Foundation explained to UN News, “I am wearing this because we are calling on Global North countries to pay up for climate finance and the debt they owe to the Global South.”

    Namrata Chowdhary from the 350.org, an international environmental organization, stated: “I can say it is disappointing [at] the very least.”

    “It is a slap. It is an insult. It is shocking that we are at this state now. The rich countries are basically gambling with the lives of people in the developing nations and small islands,” she said.

    Lidy Nacpil from Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development also expressed her disappointment. She also pointed out that “climate finance should not come in the form of loans because this will add to the debt burden”.

    “One of the issues that is preventing the Global South from undertaking urgent climate actions and also from providing our people with the essential services we need is the debt burden,” she told UN News.

    Jacobo Ocharan of Climate Action Network International said: “We urge all developing countries to have the courage in the negotiations to keep pushing, because this deal is terrible. We keep pushing on the idea that no deal is better than a bad deal.”

    UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

    Negotiating teams at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, pictured here during a break in the talks, are working to reach agreement on a new climate financing deal.

    What’s at stake

    COP29, formally the 29th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has been dubbed, the ‘climate finance COP’ because parties are expected to establish a new global climate finance target.

    This target, or new collective quantified goal (NCQG), is seen as one of the summit’s main deliverables. It will replace the existing $100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.

    Climate experts have pegged the new annual funding goal at between $1 trillion and $1.3 trillion, which would assist vulnerable nations to deal with loss and damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems.

    Last week, in a move to support a new funding target, the World Bank Group and other multilateral development banks announced a significant boost in climate finance for low- and middle- income countries. This would reach $120 billion a year by 2030 with another $65 billion mobilised from the private sector, and a natural projection that would increase these values for 2035.

    A significant breakthrough on the opening day at COP29 was the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, paving the way for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29: Governments, industry must stop ‘lip-service’ on methane and slash emissions, says UNEP

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    The UN environment agency chief warned the COP29 climate summit in Baku on Friday that methane emissions must come down – “and come down fast” –to have any chance of controlling global warming. 

    That message comes after a new UN report revealed that, over the past two years, a sophisticated system that detects significant methane leaks has sent 1,200 notifications to governments and businesses, but only one per cent of those notifications have been answered.

    Soundcloud

    “We now have a proven system to identify major leaks so they can be quickly stopped – often with simple repairs. We are quite literally talking about screwing bolts tighter in some cases,” Inger Anderson said, launching the report, which highlights plume alerts from the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS).

    The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) chief’s alert was just one of the many key events taking place today at COP29. The latest annual UN climate summit has been underway in the Azerbaijan capital city since Monday and heads into the weekend with experts and government negotiators set for tough talks over climate finance and emission reductions. The goal is reaching an agreement by the time the meeting wraps up at the end of next week.

    What is methane?

    According to UNEP, human-caused methane emissions are responsible for roughly one-third of the planet’s current warming. Reducing these emissions is the fastest, most cost-effective way to slow global warming in the near-term and is essential to averting critical climate damage.

    Three industries account for the majority of human-caused methane: agriculture, waste and fossil fuels. Coal mining contributes 12 per cent of emissions in the fossil fuel industry, while the extraction, processing, and distribution of oil and gas account for 23 per cent. 

    About 20 per cent of methane emissions in the waste sector come from wastewater and landfills. Finally, about 32 per cent of emissions in the agricultural sector come from grazing livestock and manure, while a further eight per cent come from rice farming.

    Right now, there is roughly 2.5 times the amount of methane in the atmosphere than there was during pre-industrial times and emissions have been rising in recent years, according to the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

    How can we slash methane?

    While methane is considered an ‘aggressive greenhouse gas’ it is actually easier to reduce than carbon dioxide, or CO2, the better-known heat-trapping gas, because methane has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere.

    The UNEP-led International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the hi-tech MARS system use artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite data to detect gas releases and to help industry and countries identify and deal with large methane emissions.

    “Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip-service to this challenge when answers are staring them in the face,” stated Ms. Anderson, UNEP Executive Director. 

    Instead, they should recognize the significant opportunity presented “and start responding to alerts by plugging leaks that are spewing climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. The tools are ready, the targets are set – now it is time to act,” she said.

    While more remains to be done, the report does highlight examples of nations and companies responding – proving the value of data-driven solutions such as MARS. In 2024, the IMEO facility verified action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the United States. 

    In Algeria and Nigeria, MARS notifications and engagement led to direct action from the governments and oil and gas companies to address large methane leaks. For example, UNEP says that in the Nigeria case, the six-month leak emitted methane equivalent to 400,000 cars being driven for a year and was able to be fixed in under two weeks by simply replacing faulty equipment.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29 countdown: Failure on climate finance ‘not an option’, says Guterres

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Having just returned from the G20 Summit in Rio, Mr. Guterres shared the resounding message he delivered there: an ambitious climate finance goal is not only essential, but urgent.

    “Failure is not an option,” he emphasized, warning that the result of inaction could be catastrophic.

    Just 24 hours before COP29 is due to wrap up in the Azerbaijan capital, negotiators reportedly remained at loggerheads over a new climate finance goal to help developing countries combat flash flooding, drought, wildfires and other natural shocks made worse by human activity.

    The first draft text on a potential outcome dropped in the early morning hours on Thursday and received mixed reactions from government negotiating teams and civil society groups.

    Largely divided in two parts, the draft reportedly sets out proposals from developing and developed countries, with some sticking points still unresolved, including on funding goals.

    ‘Clock is ticking’

    Emphasizing the urgency of the moment, the Secretary-General said: “The clock is ticking. COP29 is now down to the wire.”

    While progress has been made and areas of convergence are emerging, significant differences still remain, the UN chief continued.

    But without decisive action, the consequences could ripple far beyond this summit, potentially undermining near-term efforts and complicating preparations for COP30 in Brazil, he noted.

    “Failure might jeopardize both near-term action and ambition in the preparation of new national climate action plans,” Mr. Guterres warned, adding that it could accelerate the approach of irreversible climate tipping points.

    A clear path forward

    The Secretary-General underscored the critical need for an ambitious new climate finance goal: a comprehensive financial package designed to mobilize resources for developing countries, enabling them to implement climate action plans aligned with the 1.5-degree Celsius target. 

    He emphasized the importance of financing initiatives that support nations in transitioning to clean, affordable energy while reducing emissions.

    Additionally, he highlighted the necessity of strengthening disaster resilience by securing funds to protect vulnerable populations from the escalating impacts of climate disasters. Restoring trust between nations was also a key focus, with a call to build solidarity through international cooperation under the framework of the Paris Agreement. 

    Mr. Guterres underscored the significance of this agreement as more than a mere negotiation. “This is a COP to deliver justice in the face of climate catastrophe,” he said.

    An investment, not a handout

    Challenging the notion of climate finance as a form of charity, the UN chief argued that it is a critical investment in the planet’s future. “It’s a downpayment on a safer, more prosperous future for every nation on Earth,” he asserted.

    He recalled that multilateral development banks have pledged to increase their climate finance to $120 billion annually by 2030, with an additional $65 billion mobilized from the private sector.

    Meanwhile, the Pact for the Future – adopted in New York this past September by the 193-member UN General Assembly – commits to improving access to finance and increasing the lending capacity of development banks.

    A call for unity

    Recognizing the geopolitical divisions that could undermine progress, the Secretary-General urged leaders and negotiators to “soften hard lines”, navigate their differences and “keep eyes on the bigger picture”.

    Appealing for unity and reminding all parties of what is at stake – a liveable planet for future generations – he stated: “Never forget what is at stake…This is not a zero-sum game.”

    Deliver for all humanity

    Wrapping up his remarks, Mr. Guterres said: “The need is urgent. The rewards are great. And time is short.”

    He emphasized that COP29 must deliver not only for those in the negotiation halls but for all humanity.

    Alongside the Secretary-General’s press conference and the ongoing intense negotiations, discussions at COP29 today also spotlighted the critical importance of gender equality in combating the climate crisis.

    UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

    Participants at the High-Level event on Gender Transparency, a highlight of ‘Gender Day’ at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    A high-level session on gender and transparency emphasized the necessity of integrating gender considerations into climate policies.

    Women, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities, often bear the brunt of climate-induced disasters due to their roles as primary caregivers and food providers.

    Meanwhile, in many regions, their limited access to resources, education, and decision-making power further deepens their vulnerability. Women frequently shoulder the burden of securing water, food, and fuel for their families, often at great personal risk.

    By ensuring that women have equal access to resources, education, and opportunities to participate in climate solutions, more effective and sustainable strategies can be created for mitigating and adapting to the effects of our rapidly warming planet.

    UN News/Nargiz Shekinskaya

    Jemimah Njuki, Chief of the Economic Empowerment section at UN Women, speaks to UN News at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    ‘200 million hours fetching water’

    “Women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa are spending 200 million hours [daily] just fetching water,” said Jemimah Njuki, Chief of Economic Empowerment and Head of the Economics Division at UN Women, in an interview with UN News.

    “To put this into context, this is equivalent to the entire workforce of the UK’s working hours per day.”

    Ms. Njuki said women and girls are more likely to face food insecurity as a result of climate change.

    “Our analysis already shows us that in the worst climate case scenario, 236 million more women and girls will become food insecure, and 158 million more women and girls will fall into poverty,” she warned, ad added: “We also see climate change significantly increasing the unpaid care work performed by women and girls.”

    While noting that there has been significant progress on girls’ education, reducing maternal mortality, and reducing child mortality, she underscored that at the same time, “we are seeing huge pushbacks against women’s rights.”

    With all this in mind, Ms. Njuki stressed the vital importance of the outcome of COP29 for gender equality.

    “As people working on gender equality, we are concerned not just about the quantity of climate finance but also about its quality,” she said.

    She posed a few questions that negotiators could consider: “How do we make the financing more gender-responsive? How do we ensure that we are directing funds toward issues of gender equality? How do we ensure that feminist movements, indigenous movements, and the women working on climate action can actually access this finance?”

    Courtesy of Dr. Jessica Hernande

    Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Binnizá & Maya Ch’orti’) is an Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest.

    Indigenous women and land rights

    UN News also spoke with Jessica Hernandez, an indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. In her current role at Landesa, a non-profit organization, she advocates for indigenous peoples’ land rights and tenure in the Global South.

    “One of our goals for COP29 is to advocate for the inclusion of land rights and tenure into the nationally determined contributions (NDCs),” she said.

    “We know that 2.5 billion people in rural and indigenous communities worldwide already safeguard these ecosystems, especially land ecosystems crucial for human survival.”

    Ms. Hernandez, recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 most powerful and influential women in Central America, highlighted the critical role of indigenous women in sustainable land and resource management and food security.

    “Unfortunately, only a minority of this land is legally recognized, leaving these communities vulnerable to exploitative land grabs and without the foundations needed for long-term planning and access to government services,” she added.

    Carolina Santos from Engajamundo, a youth-led civil society organization in Brazil, told UN News, “I would like to see more women and girls taking leadership roles in discussions about land rights and access to climate financing, as their bodies are also on the line when it comes to the climate crisis.”

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP requires $16.9 billion in 2025 as hunger reaches alarming highs

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Humanitarian Aid

    The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday called for some $16.9 billion to address the escalating global hunger crisis – or roughly what the world spends on coffee in just two weeks.

    This call follows the release of the agency’s Global Outlook 2025, which assesses global food security needs.

    According to WFP, hunger continues to rise, with 343 million people across 74 countries experiencing acute food insecurity – a 10 per cent increase from last year.

    This includes 1.9 million people who are on the brink of famine, with catastrophic hunger recorded in regions such as Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali.

    Cindy McCain, WFP’s Executive Director, described the gravity of the situation: “Global humanitarian needs are rising, fuelled by devastating conflicts, more frequent climate disasters, and extensive economic turmoil. Yet funding is failing to keep pace.”

    Funding shortfalls in 2024 forced WFP to scale back activities, often leaving some of the most vulnerable behind. 

    Sub-Saharan Africa, ground zero

    In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 170 million people face acute hunger, making the continent the focus of half of WFP’s funding needs for 2025.

    Conflict in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Sahel, combined with climate extremes exacerbated by El Niño, has deepened the crisis.

    Humanitarian operations are under significant strain, with rising displacement and reduced access to essential resources creating further challenges. 

    © UNRWA

    Children queue for food in Gaza.

    Dire hunger in the Middle East

    The Middle East is witnessing alarming levels of food insecurity, with Gaza, Syria, and Yemen among the hardest-hit regions.

    In Gaza, 91 per cent of the population is acutely food insecure, and 16 per cent are living under catastrophic conditions.

    Syria and Yemen face similar challenges, with millions dependent on food assistance amid ongoing conflict.

    Asia and Pacific suffer climate shocks

    In Asia and the Pacific, 88 million people are struggling with hunger caused by climate-related disasters.

    The region’s vulnerabilities have been compounded by extreme weather events, which have disrupted food systems and livelihoods.

    WFP plans to enhance social protection systems and anticipatory action to mitigate the effects of these crises.

    © CAPAC/Jean Valder Presume

    WFP distributes hot food to Haitians in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

    Urgent support needed in Latin America  

    Latin America and the Caribbean are also severely affected, with over 40 million people food insecure and 14.2 million identified as needing immediate assistance.

    WFP’s focus in the region includes strengthening food systems, building climate resilience, and supporting social protection programmes to stabilise vulnerable communities and prevent further deterioration. 

    A global call to action

    The $16.9 billion funding would allow the organization to feed 123 million of the hungriest people globally in 2025.

    “At WFP, we are dedicated to achieving a world without hunger. But to get there, we urgently need financial and diplomatic support from the international community to reverse the rising tide of global needs and help vulnerable communities build long-term resilience against food insecurity,” Ms. McCain emphasised.

    In 2025, WFP will continue prioritising and adapting its responses to each country’s specific needs and aligning its capabilities and resources to deliver high-quality programmes, the agency concluded.

    Soundcloud

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: COP29 gets boost from Rio as G20 leaders back scaling up climate finance from ‘billions to trillions’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    The high-level diplomatic push for climate action shifted southward on Tuesday as G20 leaders meeting in Rio sent a clear signal to negotiating teams at stalled UN climate talks in Baku on the need to rapidly and substantially ‘scale up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.’

    While the statement from the world’s leading economies – and biggest emitters – stopped short of explicit reference of ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’, to which all nations agreed last year at COP28 in Dubai, the G20 leaders did ‘welcome the balanced, ambitious outcome’ of those talks.

    The G20 communiqué comes as the clock ticks down on COP29, which is set to wrap up this Friday in the Azerbaijan capital, Baku. The complex negotiations on new and significantly scaled-up funding for loss and damage and accelerated clean energy goals are moving slowly, as some countries dig into their positions while waiting for others to pull back from their own. 

    UN climate chief Simon Stiell who earlier warned against brinkmanship and what he called ‘you-first-ism’, said today that G20 leaders sent a clear message to their negotiators at COP29: “A successful new finance goal… is in every country’s clear interests.” 

    “Leaders of the world’s largest economies have also committed to driving forward financial reforms to put strong climate action within all countries’ reach,” said Mr. Stiell, who is the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes that annual COP meetings.

    He added: “This is an essential signal in a world plagued by debt crises and spiraling climate impacts, which are wrecking lives, disrupting supply chains, and fueling inflation in every economy.”

    ‘Failure is not an option’

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in Rio to participate in discussions on sustainable development the combat against poverty and hunger, as well as climate change, noted during a session earlier this morning that Brazil is set to host COP30 next year in the eastern Amazon region.

    “Failure [in Baku] is not an option. It might compromise the ambition in the preparation of the new national climate action plans, with potential devastating impacts as irreversible tipping points are getting closer. The preservation of the Amazon is a case in point,” he said.

    Missing the opportunity to reach agreement on a new climate finance deal in Baku “would inevitably also make the success of COP30 in Brazil much more difficult,” the Secretary-General said, and added: “I appeal to the sense of responsibility of all the countries around this table to help ensure that COP29 will be a success.” 

    Some climate and environment activists in Baku said they were cautiously optimistic about the communique, while others gave it a mixed verdict, saying the statement was vague on climate finance and failed to explicitly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

    Harjeet Singh, a climate activist who is the Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, shared his views with UN News: “Developed nations remain unmoved, failing to quantify the trillions needed or to ensure these funds are provided as grants – essential for achieving climate justice.”

    He added: “Their rehashed rhetoric offers no solace for the fraught COP29 negotiations, where we continue to see a deadlock on climate finance.”

    Agrifood solutions

    Alongside the negotiations, dozens of meetings and events are underway COP29, with the bulk of today’s activities focused on agriculture, food security and water. Delegations from around world shared experiences on sustainable food production practices and addressed agriculture-related challenges.

    Just in time for COP29, new analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that nearly all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate change adaptation (94 per cent) and mitigation (91 per cent) in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

    According to the FAO, this highlights the tremendous potential of agrifood systems as climate solutions, especially as countries prepare to submit their third round of NDCs in 2025.

    “Agrifood systems are key to achieving food security and hold the solutions to multiple challenges: climate change, biodiversity, land degradation, and water scarcity,” FAO Assistant Director-General Viorel Gutu said, as climate change is a significant driver of food insecurity in a world where around 730 million people still live in hunger.

    He noted, “Unfortunately, current financing and investment are not sufficient to affect the transformation we need.” He added that, over the past two decades, funding for agrifood systems has declined from 37 per cent to 23 per cent of all climate-related development finance.

    While agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, if done right, the industry can also help overcome the climate crisis.

    Also spotlighting the importance of agriculture – for climate action and broader sustainable development efforts – was Jemimah Njuki, Chief of Economic Empowerment and Head of the Economics Division at UN Women

    In an interview with UN News, she called on governments to provide special support to women-led farms.

    “Without women, we will not be able to feed the world,” Ms. Njuki stressed. At the same time, she lamented that women are less likely than men to own the land they cultivate, and it is more difficult for them to secure loans to develop their businesses.

    It is not only women who are affected but also other vulnerable groups, such as Indigenous peoples.

    Andrea Echiverri of the Global Forest Coalition, an international nongovernmental organization advocating for social and gender justice for rural communities, said that she believes current agricultural practices are destructive to the environment.

    “Take livestock, for example, which requires more and more pasture, meaning forests continue to be cut down, and Indigenous peoples are being expelled from their lands,” Ms. Echiverri said.

    Governments, she emphasized, do not pay enough attention to the sustainability of livestock farming, although this industry accounts for about 16 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 15 per cent of all fossil fuels consumed.

    UN News

    View of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from the Caspian Sea

    Action on Water

    Elsewhere in the giant Baku Stadium complex where COP29 has been running since last Monday, water-related challenges were in the spotlight at a panel discussion where experts and participants stressed that floods, droughts, shrinking water sources, and rising water levels threaten the well-being of populations, provoke forced displacement, and undermine food security.

    For example, in countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, glaciers are shrinking rapidly, threatening long-term water supplies.

    “The climate knows no borders, and water knows no borders,” emphasized Sonja Koppel, Secretary of the UN Water Convention. “At the same time, water can be both the cause of conflict and the key to its resolution.”

    Speaking to UN News, she noted that 153 countries share water bodies with other nations, but only 28 per cent of them have agreements with their neighbors to cooperate most of their shared water resources. One successful example is the Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which have overcome differences and established cross-border cooperation on the Chu Talas River.

    Ms. Koppel called on countries to use water resources to establish peace with their neighbors and effectively manage shared natural resources.

    Formally the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the treaty is a unique international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform which aims to ensure the sustainable use of transboundary water resources by facilitating cooperation. Initially negotiated as a regional instrument, it has been opened for accession to all UN Member States in 2016.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Baku talks heat up: New climate finance deal, urban challenges in COP29 spotlight

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    As intense round-the-clock COP29 climate talks enter their final stretch in Baku, delegates on Wednesday are eagerly awaiting updates on the progress of negotiations regarding a new climate finance target. Meanwhile, high-level discussions also continued, with a focus on key issues such as urbanization, transport, and tourism.

    The source of the hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of funds that developing nations say will be needed to adapt to a fast-changing climate – governments, multilateral banks, or the private sector – has become a major subject of contention during the last eight days.

    The good, the bad about cities

    Meanwhile, away from the COP29 negotiations, the urgent need to cut emissions, adapt to a changing climate, lessen the effects of the crisis, and shield people from catastrophic weather events are among the themes in the many speeches given by government officials, heads of UN organizations, climate experts and leaders of civil society.

    Home to half the world’s population, with some 2.4 billion more expected to move to urban areas within the next 20 years, cities contribute significantly to global emissions while also being disproportionately impacted the effects of climate change.

    In its latest World Cities report, UN-Habitat, the UN agency dealing with human settlements and sustainable urban development, says billions of people currently living in cities could experience an additional temperature rise of at least 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2040.

    At the same time, measures to offset the impact of climate change on urban populations still do not match the scale and intensity of the challenges faced by cities.

    Addressing a ministerial meeting at COP29 today, Anaclaudia Rossbach, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, warned that rapid and unplanned urban development pose threats to biodiversity, the environment, and food security.

    This also leads to social fragmentation and financial deterioration. While the construction sector accounts for 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, the UN-Habitat chief said 96 homes need to be built every day to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

    As such adequate funding and cooperation at all levels are necessary to address these twin challenges.

    “There is only one road to pursue, one track, one we walk collectively where social, urban, and climate needs are addressed harmoniously over solid economic ground,” Ms. Rossbach stressed.

    She added: “Yes, we do need more finance flowing to cities. We need to plan and prioritize. Land is scarce and needs to fulfill its social and ecological functions. Social and housing needs are vast.”

    “We take care of people; people take care of the planet. And we should leave no one behind,” she concluded.

    UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

    Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, addresses a Ministerial meeting on urbanization and climate change, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

    Emissions rising

    In a separate session today, speakers noted an ongoing issue that could seriously hamper many efforts to address climate-driven impacts in cities, and elsewhere.

    According to the latest report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), global emissions increased by 1.3 per cent in 2023 – when they should have decreased.

    “To limit warming to 1.5°C, updated National Contributions – climate commitments that each country makes – should enable a 42 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

    She highlighted that 52 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from just 25 megacities, including, among others, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, and New York City.

    “This means the actions you take in setting standards for energy efficiency, determining energy sources, managing waste and methane emissions, improving public transport, encouraging electric mobility, and promoting pedestrian-friendly cities can make a massive impact,” she told mayors from around the world gathered at the event.

    Tourism and climate change

    For the first time ever the issue of tourism is being discussed at a COP, formally the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in the context of its impact on climate.

    In 2023, the tourism sector recovered from the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, as international arrivals rebounded to almost 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. That year, the sector contributed three per cent to the global gross domestic product (GDP), amounting to $3.3 trillion, and employed one in every ten people worldwide.

    In an interview with UNifeed, Ms. Andersen reiterated her call on stakeholders at COP29 to make sure tourism industry lessens its carbon footprint.

    “We need to understand that the tourism sector is impacted by climate change. And so, it is both a victim of and a contributor to climate change. That is why having this first tourism focus at a COP is very important.”

    Renewable energy transition

    Meanwhile, Selwyn Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action, reminded attendees at COP29 that humanity already has the knowledge and tools needed to effectively combat climate change.

    “A revolution in the transition to renewable energy is already underway. It cannot be stopped,” he said.

    “However, the question remains whether the speed of this transition will prevent its worst consequences. And secondly, whether it will be fair enough to reduce inequality within and between countries.”

    UNFCCC/Kiara Worth

    Negotiating teams at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, pictured here during a break in the talks, are working to reach agreement on a new climate financing deal.

    Will a breakthrough at COP29 be possible?

    The results of the negotiations in Baku will provide answers to some of these questions.

    The focus of the Baku talks is on agreeing a new climate finance goal that will provide countries – especially the most vulnerable – with the means to take stronger climate action. At stake are trillions of dollars that developing countries need to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to rapidly changing conditions.

    According to UNEP, Cedric Schuster, chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), stated yesterday that the “top-level priority is minimum allocation floors for small island developing States of $39 billion a year, and $220 billion a year for least developed countries, both in grant-equivalent terms. Any [outcome] texts that do not include these aspects will not be acceptable for these groups.”

    Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jiwoh Abdulai, emphasized the concern many developing countries share, namely, the form this money should take.

    “Don’t use the word ‘donor,’” he said on Tuesday. “That implies charity. There is a climate debt that needs to be paid. We are talking about lives and livelihoods. Our people are paying with their lives.”

    Discussions also touched on the very definition of a ‘developing country.’ Some negotiators have argued that countries like China or certain Gulf states no longer fall into this category, given the growth of their economies since the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992.

    Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Director of the Division of Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress of the UNFCCC, noted that every delegation comes to COP29 with its aspirations and hopes.

    “In multilateralism, the results are sometimes different from what any one country imagines. This underscores the importance of flexibility, cooperation, and the willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and international relations,” she said.

    Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Lebanon: UNHCR chief issues urgent aid appeal to stem humanitarian catastrophe

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the “humanitarian catastrophe” now engulfing Lebanon following a massive escalation in Israeli airstrikes and a “limited” ground invasion there targeting Hezbollah militants.

    According to the Lebanese health ministry over 2,000 Lebanese have been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded since the start of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza a year ago.

    Israel intensified its bombing campaign across the whole of Lebanon following the killing of Hezbollah’s leader last month, and Iran’s ballistic missile assault on Israeli cities, in a bid to allow some 60,000 Israelis to return to their homes in the north where rocket fire across the UN-patrolled Blue Line of separation has caused mass evacuations on both sides.

    UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi, who arrived in the capital Beirut on Saturday, said hundreds of thousands have been made destitute in recent days and appealed for an immediate ceasfire.

    Two weeks of deadly Israeli airstrikes have forced over a million people to flee their homes. Mr. Grandi visited Beirut to express his solidarity with Lebanon and to mobilize more support for all those affected, both Lebanese and refugees.

    © UNHCR

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visits Lebanon on a solidarity mission as humanitarian needs grow.

    Tragic toll

    The conflict ravaging the country is disrupting urgently required supply shipments, said UNHCR, calling for supply routes within and into Lebanon to be preserved, so the flow of relief items can continue.

    During his visit, Mr. Grandi met Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other senior officials, together with senior humanitarians, UNHCR staff, and displaced families.

    “I’ve witnessed today the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,” said Mr. Grandi.

    “International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatized children unable to understand what’s happening. They all told me how desperate they are to feel safe, and for the airstrikes to stop so they can return to their towns and villages.”

    He said it was an “urgent moral imperative to help the people affected by this recent escalation. They should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence. Now, in this hour of overwhelming need, the world must come to Lebanon’s aid.”

    With large numbers displaced within the country in just two weeks, government-run shelters are overwhelmed and UNHCR is working with humanitarian partners and the authorities to urgently find safe shelter for those forced to flee.

    UNHCR relief

    UNHCR is also providing people with essential relief items, cash assistance, shelter assistance, medical care and other support. But the international community must significantly increase funding in order for humanitarians to respond adequately, the agency said on Sunday.

    UNHCR has launched an appeal for $111 million to assist one million displaced people in Lebanon through the end of 2024, as part of a wider UN appeal for $425.7 million.

    Mr. Grandi’s visit to Lebanon included meeting displaced Syrian refugees in Beirut’s Nabaa neighbourhood.

    “I deeply appreciate Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees over the years – including those forced to flee Syria – despite the considerable challenges the country has faced. These refugees are now forced to flee again with scant resources and nowhere safe to go.”

    UNIFIL alert

    The UN peacekeeping mission that patrols the Blue Line and offers support to civilians in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has expressed deep concern over military activity by the Israeli Defense Forces close to one of the mission’s positions inside Lebanese territory.

    UNIFIL has said all its Blue Helmets are remaining in place at observation points and bases along the line of separation in accordance with their UN mandate.

    “The IDF has been repeatedly informed of this ongoing situation through regular channels. This is an extremely dangerous development,” said UNIFIL in a tweet.

    “It is unacceptable to compromise the safety of UN peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks.”

    UNIFIL reminded all combatants of their obligations to protect UN personnel and property.

    In an update on the situation facing Irish military personnel serving with UNIFIL, the Irish Defence Forces said in a post on X that despite the “tough conditions”, personnel remain steadfast in their determination and resilience to fulfill the mission.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Families ran for their lives’: Syria receives 250,000 refugees fleeing Lebanon

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has concluded an urgent visit to Syria, highlighting the plight of 250,000 people who have crossed into the country fleeing airstrikes in Lebanon.  

    “Families I spoke with had run for their lives and have no idea what tomorrow may bring after an exhausting, dangerous journey to the border. They arrive with few means and in need of urgent relief,” UNHCR chief Mr. Grandi said, visiting the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing.  

    The exodus comes as the conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalates, forcing Lebanese refugees to seek safety across the border.

    The arrival of refugees in Syria adds another layer of complexity to an already strained humanitarian situation. The Syrian civil war which began in 2011 has resulted in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

    The country continues to face significant challenges which the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warns is falling deeper into a humanitarian crisis that threatens to spiral out of control.

    Only a quarter of this year’s humanitarian needs in Syria have been funded, while needs are at their highest since the start of the conflict: 13 million Syrians face acute food insecurity and over 650,000 children show signs of stunting from severe malnutrition.

    Dangerous journey amid destruction

    With the main road between Lebanese and Syrian border posts destroyed by an airstrike, refugees are forced to make the journey on foot, with their children and whatever belongings they can carry.

    UNHCR – in collaboration with the Syrian Red Crescent, other UN agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), and NGOs – are providing immediate assistance at the border, including water, food items, and blankets. Teams are also supporting the new arrivals with legal assistance, documentation and advising them on administrative and other procedures.

    Calls for increased support

    Mr. Grandi emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating that: “The new influx of people comes at a time when millions of Syrians are living in hardship and themselves need humanitarian assistance. We must scale up support for the new arrivals and the vulnerable host communities receiving them”. 

    The High Commissioner underlines the critical need to mobilise humanitarian aid and substantial resources for early recovery activities, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution.

    Emergency Appeal

    Earlier in Damascus, Mr. Grandi launched an inter-agency emergency appeal for $324 million to support all those fleeing into Syria and their host families over a six-month period.

    UNHCR is expanding its humanitarian programmes across Syria to address the needs of both new arrivals and host communities. The agency is also strengthening its legal support programmes.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Trailblazing women win top UNHCR award for life-changing work

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    Five trailblazing women – a nun, an activist, a social entrepreneur, a volunteer aid worker, and an advocate for ending statelessness – have been named the winners of this year’s UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.

    This year’s global laureate for the UN refugee agency award, Sister Rosita Milesi, is a Brazilian nun, lawyer, social worker and movement builder who has championed the rights and dignity of people on the move for nearly 40 years. The four others have been named regional winners.

    “All too often, women face heightened risks of discrimination and violence, especially when forced to flee,” said UNHCR Filippo Grandi.

    “But these five winners show how women are also playing a critical role in the humanitarian response and in finding solutions,” he underscored.

    Mr. Grandi praised their dedication to driving action in their own communities, building grassroots support and even shaping national policies.

    Sister Rosita has personally assisted thousands who have either been forced from the homes or gone in search of new opportunities – helping them access legal documentation, shelter, food, healthcare, language training and access to the labour market in Brazil.

    As a lawyer, she has also been instrumental in shaping public policy, the refugee agency said. 

    Her work on Brazil’s 1997 refugee law, for example, helped to amplify refugee rights in line with the 1984 Cartagena Refugee Declaration, ensure that it does more to protect, include and empower people forced on the move within the Central America region, in line with international standards.

    Life of dedication

    “I decided to dedicate myself to migrants and refugees. I’m inspired by the growing need to help, to welcome, and to integrate refugees,” said Sister Rosita, aged 79.

    “I’m not afraid to act, even if we don’t achieve everything we want to. If I take something on, I will turn the world upside down to make it happen,” she added.

    Regional winners

    Maimouna Ba, the regional winner from Africa this year, is an activist from Burkina Faso. She has helped more than 100 displaced children return to the classroom and put over 400 displaced women on a path to financial independence.

    Meanwhile, Jin Davod, the winner from Europe, drew on her own experience as a Syrian refugee to build an online platform that has connected thousands of trauma survivors with licensed therapists providing free mental health support.

    Sudanese refugee Nada Fadol, the winner from the Middle East and North Africa region, has mobilized essential aid for hundreds of refugee families fleeing to Egypt in search of safety.

    Lastly, Deepti Gurung, the winner from the Asia-Pacific region, campaigned to reform Nepal’s citizenship laws after learning that her two daughters had become stateless – opening a path to citizenship for them and thousands more in similar straits.

    The people of Moldova will also receive honourable mention for acting as a beacon of humanity. Setting aside their own economic challenges, they rapidly transformed schools, community spaces and homes into sanctuaries for more than one million people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

    © UNHCR/Etinosa Yvonne

    UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, 2024 Regional Winner for Africa, Maimouna Ba, from Burkina Faso.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: UNAMA concern over migrant deaths, ‘war tactics’ in the West Bank, UN political chief underscores support for Somalia

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed its deep concern over disturbing reports that Iranian border police opened fire on a group of Afghan migrants, resulting in deaths and injuries. 

    The alleged attack occurred on 14 to 15 October in the Kala Gan border area of Iran’s Sistan Province near the Iran-Pakistan border. 

    The organisation Haalvsh, which focuses on Baloch rights in Iran, has claimed that up to 260 civilians may have been killed or wounded. However, these figures remain unconfirmed. 

    Afghanistan’s de facto authorities stated that an investigation into the incident has begun. UNAMA’s Human Rights Service is in contact with the DFA regarding the matter. 

    UNAMA has called for a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the reported attack. The mission emphasised that the  “rights, of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are protected by international law.”

    © UNICEF/Alaa Badarneh

    Families are being displaced from their homes in Jenin in the northern West Bank due to an escalation of violence.

    West Bank Palestinians facing deadly ‘war-like tactics’, warns OCHA

    Palestinians continue to face “war-like tactics” used against them by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Friday.

    According to OCHA, from 8 to 14 of October, Israeli forces in the West Bank killed nine Palestinians, including a child. Another 104 were injured, including nine youngsters. 

    “Israeli forces accused most of those fatalities of being involved in attacking Israelis,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.

    The olive harvest which takes place during October and November and is “an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of Palestinian families in the West Bank” has also been targeted, Mr. Laerke warned, with hundreds of olive trees and saplings “vandalized, sawed off, or stolen”. 

    Killed picking olives

    “Yesterday, a Palestinian woman was reportedly killed while she was harvesting olives in Jenin. This follows 32 attacks by Israeli settlers this month on Palestinians engaged in the ongoing olive harvest happening right now.”

    The woman was with her family and other community members on land near the Wall separating Israel and the West Bank. 

    According to information gathered by the UN rights office, OHCHR, the harvesters were not posing any threat whatsoever when Israeli security forces fired multiple shots at them without prior warning.

    The arbitrary killing comes in the context of intensified, organized attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian harvesting teams to sabotage the olive harvest, along with use of force by Israeli security forces to block Palestiniansˈ access to their lands in an apparently arbitrary manner. 

    During the first week of the official Palestinian olive harvest season OHCHR recorded dozens of incidents of violence against Palestinian harvesters and disruption of access to olive groves.

    Among other alarming incidents, on 13 October, Palestinian landowners from Qusra, Nablus, found 115 of their trees cut down with a chainsaw after resisting harassment and threats by settlers and security forces to vacate their groves.

    Mr. Laerke said that although there has been settler violence for “a very long time, this year is extraordinary”.

    He noted that about 160,000 people have had their work permits for Israel cancelled, depriving families of livelihoods and income.

    Senior official underscores UN support for Somalia

    The UN political affairs chief concluded a two-day visit to Somalia on Friday where she reaffirmed the world body’s support for the country’s efforts towards peace- and state-building.

    Rosemary DiCarlo said the UN has been a longstanding partner to Somalia and remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Government and people.

    “Together, we aim to build on the commendable achievements and priorities agreed upon to address key development challenges facing the country – we stand ready to work alongside the Federal Government of Somalia to accomplish this,” she added.

    Achievements and transitions

    While in the capital, Mogadishu, Ms. DiCarlo met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and senior members of his team for wide-ranging discussions, in addition to meeting with representatives of civil society, international partners and the diplomatic community.

    In her meeting with the President, Ms. DiCarlo noted Somalia’s many achievements in the past year, including debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, the accession to the East African Community, and the lifting of the arms embargo.

    Looking forward, she offered her congratulations on Somalia taking up a seat on the UN Security Council starting next year. She also underscored the commitment of the UN to continue to support Somalia in the period ahead and to work closely on the proposed transition of the UN mission in the country, UNSOM.

    Ms. DiCarlo also met with Ambassador Mohammed El-Amine Souef, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission for Somalia and Head of the AU Transition Mission there, ATMIS. 

    They discussed ATMIS’s upcoming transition to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which begins in January. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Displacement crisis reaches 123 million amid ongoing conflicts

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called for “urgent international support” as the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reaches 123 million, with ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Sudan and other areas driving further displacement.  

    In a statement to the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Mr. Grandi highlighted the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have caused massive civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, including schools, hospitals and roads. 

    “The humanitarian consequences are overwhelming and require urgent international support,” he stated, noting that 470,000 people have crossed into Syria in recent weeks. 

    In Sudan, the situation has also reached critical levels, with more than 11 million people displaced since the conflict began 18 months ago. 

    “Conditions in Sudan defy description – wanton violence, sexual atrocities, starvation, floods, disease. We are witnessing in real time the collapse of a nation’s social infrastructure,” he warned. 

    Call for new approach 

    Mr. Grandi expressed particular concern about the increasing trend of governments implementing restrictive measures that focus on border controls and sometimes attempt to “outsource, externalize or suspend asylum.” He emphasized that such approaches are “not only ineffective but also breach their international legal obligations”. 

    He called for a more comprehensive and effective approach to addressing displacement, urging countries to look beyond border control and consider “entire displacement routes”. 

    He urged countries to “look for opportunities in countries of origin” to  “strengthen the resilience of communities at risk of climate displacement”. 

    He encouraged Member States to “look for opportunities to expand legal stay and regularisation programmes in countries of asylum or transit, creating access to services and to employment”, and to establish more “pathways so people can move legally and safely.” 

    Addressing funding challenges, Mr. Grandi revealed that the UN refugee agency UNHCR, had to reduce 1,000 positions and freeze critical life-saving activities due to recent financial constraints. He noted that “funding levels for 2025 and beyond remain uncertain, further jeopardising our and host countries’ ability to respond to refugee and displacement crises in a predictable and flexible manner”. 

    “We must be able to act – together – even in difficult times,” he concluded, emphasizing the need for continued international solidarity with displaced and stateless people worldwide.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Nigeria: UN agencies assist families affected by floods

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Humanitarian Aid

    UN agencies and their humanitarian partners are providing life-saving relief to families in Nigeria who lost their homes during recent flooding.

    Heavy rains have ravaged 30 of the country’s 36 states, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.

    The Government has reported 269 deaths so far, while over a million people have been affected and more than 640,000 are now displaced.

    Major dam breach

    Nigeria is among a handful of West African countries that have been hit by torrential rains that have triggered devastating flooding, impacting millions across the region.

    The northeastern town of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state and a major humanitarian hub, is at the epicentre of the crisis there.  

    Rains caused a breach in nearby Alau Dam, causing severe flooding that has uprooted more than 400,000 people in recent days. 

    Half of Maiduguri has been submerged and most residents have lost everything. Many had already been displaced by conflict or the effects of climate change.

    Displaced once again

    The UNHCR Representative in Nigeria, Arjun Jain, said the floods have compounded years of prior displacement, food insecurity and economic hardship, with disastrous consequences.

    “Communities which, after years of conflict and violence, had started rebuilding their lives were struck by the floods and once again displaced,” he told journalists attending the regular UN humanitarian briefing in Geneva.

    Assistance to families

    In response to the crisis, UNHCR and partners have been working tirelessly to support those affected. 

    Staff are providing tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and other essential items. Emergency cash assistance is also being given to single-parent families, people with disabilities and families with young children to help them purchase food and other necessities. 

    Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has set up food kitchens in four camps in Maiduguri, where families can get nutritious meals of rice and beans.

    WFP is ramping up support across West Africa, where torrential rains have unleashed catastrophic floods impacting over four million people in 14 countries.

    The agency is providing people in hard-hit areas in Chad, Liberia, Mali and Niger with emergency cash and food assistance.

    At the same time, WFP is calling for investments in early warning systems, disaster risk financing and other measures to help mitigate flood and climate risks.

    Urgent action required

    Back in Nigeria, UNHCR warned, however, that supplies there are quickly depleting meaning the agency can only meet less than 10 per cent of the urgent needs.

    “When the floodwaters finally recede, thousands of families will face the daunting task of returning to homes that have been destroyed. They will need significant support to rebuild homes, livelihoods, and a sense of normalcy,” said Mr. Jain.

    In the meantime, the UN and partners are collecting more data to help assess and address the overall needs.

    “But we cannot afford to wait,” he warned. “The urgency of this crisis requires immediate action and increased support for flood-affected families, in Maiduguri and elsewhere in Nigeria.”

    Mr. Jain said there are currently 3.6 million internally displaced people in Nigeria, mostly in the northeast, and the country hosts almost 100,000 asylum-seekers and refugees.

    UNHCR is seeking $107.1 million for operations there this year, but he said the appeal was just 28 per cent funded by the end of August.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN agencies urge Security Council to stop ‘mass graves for migrants’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    Action is needed now to stop the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea from “becoming mass graves for migrants”, two UN agencies warned the Security Council on Monday.

    “The scale of this tragedy, its impact on survivors, families and communities and the frequency with which we witness deaths in transit constitute an intolerable and utterly soluble, humanitarian crisis,” said Pär Liljert, director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office to the UN, referring to one of the world’s most deadly routes for migrants and refugees, as they attempt to reach countries of the European Union.

    In 2023, IOM recorded 8,542 migrant deaths globally – the highest since it began collecting this data in 2014 – with 37 per cent of these deaths occurring in the Mediterranean, he said.

    Echoing that message, Sivanka Dhanapala, who directs the New York office of the UN refugee agency, UNCHR, told the Council the tragedies of lives lost on sea and land routes continue “with no end in sight”.

    He said UNHCR has registered more than 350,000 refugees and asylum-seekers so far this year, many of them Sudanese refugees, seeking protection in North Africa.

    Between January and August, over 134,000 refugees and migrants departed by sea from North and West Africa towards Europe, a 24 per cent drop from last year.

    As of 17 September, the IOM Missing Migrants Project reported that 1,450 people were accounted as dead or missing during the crossing, a 44 per cent drop from 2023, he said, adding that in Libya, over 97,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in the last year, with 300 to 400 people continue to arrive daily as the recent conflict in Sudan has triggered many to flee.

    While numbers may be dropping, concerns remain, he continued.

    Dearth of protection, safety and refuge

    Mr. Dhanapala said there has been no improvement in access to protection along key routes alongside an increase in challenges relating to access to territory and asylum, evidenced by an increase in interceptions and collective expulsions.

    A UN refugee agency report highlights major gaps in access to protection and humanitarian assistance along the routes and people moving are facing high risks of deaths, gender-based violence, kidnapping for ransom, trafficking, robbery and other physical violence, he said, citing a new joint report by UNHCR, IOM and the Mixed Migration Centre.

    To remedy this dire situation, he offered a set of recommendations, including that human rights safeguards must be upheld, strengthening access to protection, prosecuting smugglers and increased search-and-rescue at sea.

    “Saving lives at sea and providing humanitarian assistance is one of the most basic obligations of humanity, and those performing rescue operations or helping in good faith should not be penalised for doing so,” he said, adding that efforts must centre on inclusion, resettlement and complementary pathways for refugees and migrants while addressing the root causes.

    IOM: Conflict among main drivers

    IOM’s Mr. Liljert said the primary drivers are economic reasons (44 per cent), war and conflict (29 per cent) and the desire to escape from personal or targeted violence (26 per cent), according to the agency’s displacement tracking matrix (DTM) data from 2023 and 2024.

    Compounding these hardships is the devastation caused by disasters, exacerbated by climate change, as well as challenges in host countries, he said, pointing to Libya as an example.

    Almost 70 per cent of migrants IOM interviewed in Libya in June and July stated that high food prices were the main shock experienced prior to leaving the country while 63 per cent cited low or decreased daily wages.

    At the same time, a UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission in Libya found that the country is not considered a safe place for disembarkation, with reports of rights violations, including detention, torture and trafficking.

    Ever more dangerous routes

    Mr. Liljert said migrants are pursuing even more dangerous pathways to reach Europe as is evident in the sharp increase of arrivals on the Western African Atlantic route.

    The international community should not allow the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea to “continue becoming mass graves for migrants”, he cautioned, calling for ensuring search-and-rescue operations have a stronger focus on saving lives.

    “We must move beyond reactive measures…with a holistic approach that tackles the adverse drivers of irregular migration,” he said, strongly encouraging the expansion of humanitarian pathways for those in search of safe refuge, including temporary protection permits, private sponsorships and family reunification, among others.

    “By adopting these measures,” he said, “we can not only reduce the immense human suffering associated with irregular migration, but also create sustainable, long-term solutions that promote peace, stability and shared responsibility.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deforestation-free trade dialogue

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

     

     

     

     

    On 13 November 2024, UNECE organized the Deforestation-free trade dialogue. We invited everyone from the wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber and soy sectors as well as those involved in the leather, chocolate, tires and pulp and paper trade and industry to this discussion.

    The special focus of this dialogue was the European Union’s Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products (EUDR) and its implications.

    The event was part of the 82nd session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry and was held in Geneva, Switzerland with simultaneous interpretation in English, Russian and French.

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan’s displaced have endured ‘unimaginable suffering, brutal atrocities’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    Sudan’s displaced have endured “unimaginable suffering” in their search for shelter from the country’s ongoing war, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.

    Nineteen months since conflict erupted between rival militaries the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the transfer of power to civilian rule, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) expressed deep concern that more than three million people have now been forced to flee the country in search of safety.

    “It’s been over a year and a half of unimaginable suffering, brutal atrocities and widespread human rights violations,” said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations. “Every day of every minute, thousands of lives are shattered by war and violence away from the world’s attention.”

    Speaking in Geneva after visiting displaced communities sheltering in neighbouring Chad, Ms. Hyde described Chad as “a sanctuary, a lifeline” for 700,000 war refugees.

    Unimaginable testimony

    “I spoke to people who watched while their families were murdered,” she said. “People are targeted on the basis of their ethnicity. Men and boys are killed and their bodies are burned. Women raped while fleeing. People told me over and over again how they remember the bodies they saw abandoned by the road as they were fleeing.”

    The UNHCR official explained that in the face of massive needs, the UN agency and partners had relocated more than 370,000 refugees in Chad “to six new-build settlements and 10 extensions of pre-existing settlements, all completed in record time. But tens of thousands of families are still waiting for that opportunity to start over”.

    Forgotten emergency

    The exodus from Sudan has put pressure on surrounding countries to provide assistance to all those in need of shelter and basic services.

    “Other countries neighbouring Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Central African Republic have gone above and beyond their means, not only providing safety for people to flee, but extending a chance to refugees to start rebuilding their lives while in exile,” the UNHCR official said.

    “Continuing bloodshed” in Sudan’s Darfurs and across the country has created the world’s worst civilian protection crisis in decades, but “the world is not paying any attention”, Ms. Hyde insisted.

    In October alone, some 60,000 Sudanese arrived in Chad following an escalation of fighting in Darfur and as floodwaters receded.

    The border town of Adre used to be home to 40,000 people, but it now hosts around 230,000 Sudanese refugees; many spend months in harsh conditions while waiting to be relocated inland.

    “The exodus from Sudan continues, reaching levels not seen since the beginning of the crisis,” explained Ms. Hyde. “People are arriving in desperate conditions, carrying nothing but memories of unimaginable violence they witnessed and survived – things no one should have to endure.”

    As UNHCR continues to register new arrivals in Chad, it reported that a full 71 per cent of suffered human rights violations in Sudan while fleeing.

    Of 180 people who fled the Darfur city of El Geneina towards Chad, all but 17 were “massacred”, Ms. Hyde said, recounting the testimony of one young woman who escaped. “Of the 17 that survived, all of the women were raped…six of the women who survived the rape committed suicide.”

    The $1.5 billion Refugee Response Plan for Sudan’s displaced which aims to assist 2.7 million people in five neighbouring countries is only 29 per cent funded. “Chad and its people…have been more than generous, more than welcoming,” Ms. Hyde said.

    “I heard over and over again that they felt one with the Sudanese community. But we need that support. We need support now.”

    Soundcloud

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNHCR amplifies voices of displaced on frontlines of climate change

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Thursday launched the Refugees for Climate Action initiative in a bid to mobilise the world’s forcibly displaced to join the fight against global warming. 

    Actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Theo James kicked the campaign off at the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, alongside a group of eight displaced people with first-hand knowledge of how the climate crisis is impacting families.

    The actor has been lending his voice to UNHCR’s urgent call to address the impact of record rising temperatures on displaced communities.

    Passionate about climate activism, the refugees taking part in the initiative will be advocating for climate justice and demanding a voice in policy discussions.

    The Refugees for Climate Action group was initially convened in 2023 by UNHCR to create a space where refugees and displaced communities on the frontlines of climate change could share their unique experiences and knowledge.

    Theo James calls for more action

    Following a recent visit to Mauritania, Mr. James said he was committed to supporting their efforts. His own grandfather was a refugee who fled Europe for the safety of Syria during World War Two: “I’ve seen the profound injustice of the climate crisis on refugees, and the urgency is real,” he said.

    “Yet, I’ve also seen the resilience of those affected – refugees are finding solutions, and they must be heard”, he added, calling on leaders to put the displaced at the centre of the conversation.

    Refugee climate activists

    The network brings together refugees and displaced people from countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Bangladesh and Brazil, each with lived experiences of displacement interlinked with conflict and climate change, and who are already driving climate action initiatives in their communities.

    “We refugees are on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” said Najeeba Wazefadost, a member of the group and founder of the Asia Pacific Network for Refugees (APNOR) who empowers Afghan women through solar energy to support their businesses.

    “For us, climate change is not an abstract threat. It is a daily fight for survival, stability and dignity. We urge leaders to listen to our stories and to take decisive action that includes us, supports our resilience and empowers refugee-led solutions”, added Ms. Wazefadost, who fled Afghanistan in 2000.

    © UNHCR/Markel Redondo

    Najeeba Wazefadost, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees.

    Impacts or war and climate emergency

    Other members of the group include Mohammed Anowar, a Rohingya refugee based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, who trains fellow refugees on flood resilience; Eman Al-Hamali, an internally displaced woman from Yemen, who leads a solar microgrid project providing affordable energy to vulnerable households in her community; and Ermano Prévoir, from Haiti, now living in Brazil, who is an agronomist looking at sustainable farming techniques to improve food security.

    “As refugees and displaced people, we have intimately witnessed the profound impacts of war on our lives and communities – and now a global climate emergency,” said Opira Bosco Okot, a refugee climate activist living in Uganda, who uses communication technologies to advocate for refugee access to climate policy discussions.

    In its first ever climate report released on Tuesday, UNHCR said three out of four forcibly displaced people worldwide – 90 million out of 120 million – lived in countries exposed to high to extreme climate change impacts.

    UNHCR commitment

    The initiative embodies UNHCR’s commitment to place displaced communities at the centre of climate action. The group will serve as a consultative body on climate issues, contribute to key global and local climate events, and work to ensure that the voices and perspectives of refugees and displaced people are integrated into UNHCR’s work and international climate discussions.

    UNHCR provides members of the group with opportunities for training and capacity building, helping them sharpen their advocacy skills and expand their influence in key climate events such as COP29.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNHCR launches $10 billion appeal to address global refugee crisis in 2025

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Migrants and Refugees

    The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has launched a $10 billion appeal for 2025 to meet critical needs and implement sustainable solutions for millions of refugees, displaced persons and stateless people worldwide.

    Announced earlier this week, the agency’s Global Appeal comes amid escalating humanitarian crises, as conflict, persecution and the growing impacts of climate change continue to force millions from their homes.

    “We live in an era of relentless emergencies. Of crises without end,” High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said, emphasising the scale of the challenges in a foreword accompanying the appeal.

    He highlighted recent and ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon, which have driven massive displacement, while also noting the protracted nature of many refugee situations, including those involving displaced populations from Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Fully funded, the appeal aims to support more than 139 million refugees and other vulnerable groups in some 136 countries and territories.

    Three primary areas

    The appeal focuses on three primary areas: emergency response, inclusion, and long-term solutions.

    UNHCR remains committed to its frontline role in emergencies, providing life-saving aid to displaced individuals, Mr. Grandi said, adding: “When conflict breaks out, UNHCR is among the first to respond.”

    The appeal also goes beyond immediate assistance, calling for sustainable approaches that integrate displaced individuals into local and national systems.

    UNHCR aims to work with governments, civil society and development actors to promote inclusion in education, healthcare, and employment.

    Numbers breakdown

    Of the 139.3 million targeted beneficiaries, 34 million (24 per cent) are refugees, 68 million (48 per cent) internally displaced, 12 million are returnees, and about 4.5 million are stateless people under the agency’s mandate.

    Around $2.1 is required for UNHCR programmes in Middle East and North Africa, $1.2 billion in Europe, $957 million in Asia and the Pacific, and $815 million in the Americas.

    Across the African continent, $2.1 billion is needed in East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, $1.2 billion in West and Central Africa and $451 million in Southern Africa.

    Worries for Asia and the Pacific

    UNHCR anticipates that the Asia-Pacific region in 2025 could face increased displacement due to conflict, persecution, climate change impacts and yet more disasters. It projects a rise in the complexity and scale of emergencies, compounded by diminishing donor support, which threatens to fall short of escalating needs.

    In response UNHCR will focus on fulfilling the pledges from the Global Refugee Forum, including more than 60 commitments from States to strengthen protections and find solutions for Afghan refugees and stateless Rohingya populations.

    Afghanistan remains the top country of origin for the region’s displaced, where over nine million forcibly displaced are located. Neighbouring nations Iran and Pakistan bear the brunt, sheltering 3.9 million and 2.4 million Afghan refugees respectively.

    Similarly, Bangladesh continues to host over one million stateless Rohingya driven from their homes in neighbouring Myanmar over several years.

    Other regional overviews can be found by clicking here: Americas, East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes,  Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Southern Africa, and West and Central Africa.

    © UNICEF/Maria Spiridonova

    Driven from their homes in Myanmar, over a million Rohingya refugees have sought refuge in Bangladesh.

    Working together

    Mr. Grandi also highlighted the importance of innovation and collaboration, reiterating that addressing forced displacement requires a united global effort.

    “We do not work alone. Reaching those in need – both displaced people and their hosts – requires partnerships with governments, local actors, academia, and the private sector.”

    UNHCR plans to build on the progress made at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, where thousands of pledges were made to support displaced populations.

    A key focus for 2025 will be turning these promises into tangible action, supported by technical expertise and funding from the international community.

    Unpredictable times

    Mr. Grandi also acknowledged the unpredictable nature of global crises, expressing confidence in UNHCR’s readiness.

    “Our determination and experience enable us to face the future – as uncertain as it may be – with conviction,” he said.

    With forced displacement reaching record levels, he stressed the importance of global solidarity, urging governments, donors, and the private sector to contribute to the $10 billion target.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Major milestone’ on solutions to internal displacement: Top adviser

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    There have been significant advances in addressing the worldwide internal displacement crisis, but urgent action is still needed as numbers continue to rise, topping 76 million people worldwide, the top UN official on the issue said on Wednesday.

    UN Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement Robert Piper was delivering his final press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York before concluding his mandate.

    “There are around 76 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world today, 76 million people who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their assets, their community because of wars, because of disasters, because of criminal violence,” he told correspondents.

    Internally displaced people are “relatively invisible despite their numbers, unlike refugees and migrants,” Mr. Piper emphasised. Their numbers have doubled in the last ten years.

    “Tens of millions of displaced people do not get home quickly, especially when they’ve been displaced by conflict,” Mr Piper emphasised, adding that “they get stuck in displacement”.

    ‘Major milestone’ in investments

    The Secretary-General commissioned a high-level panel to advise him in 2021, focusing on this growing pattern of protracted displacement. To fix this issue, the panel insisted that only national governments can provide long term fixes.

    “The right kind of investments, more development, more capacity building, less substitution, less short-term fixes,” said Mr. Piper.

    In a positive development, governments have demonstrated increased commitment to addressing the crisis, he continued.

    Iraq, Libya, Columbia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Somalia have collectively pledged to help over 11.5 million internally displaced persons find solutions. Some countries have backed these commitments with substantial funding – Iraq and Libya will fully fund their solutions processes, while Columbia is committing approximately $1 billion annually.

    Reaping the rewards

    “We are starting to see the results when governments take that responsibility seriously,” the Special advisor noted, pointing to recent initiatives such as Somalia’s commitment of $140 million for land purchases to facilitate displaced people’s integration.

    In Nigeria’s northeastern states, governances have allocated specific portions of their revenue to address displacement, with the Governor of Borno state, committing 15 per cent of revenue for the next five years to this cause.

    New laws and policies on internal displacement have been implemented in various countries – from Chad to Nigeria to the Philippines – demonstrating growing national ownership of the issue.

    Challenges amid rising numbers

    Despite progress, significant issues remain. The number of IDPs has doubled in just a decade with approximately 20 million new IDPs joining the long-term displaced since 2019.

    The Special Adviser also highlighted specific areas where solutions cannot currently be implemented: “We cannot apply our model in Myanmar at the moment, for example, or in Gaza, where 85 percent of the population has been deliberately, repeatedly displaced by Israeli government acts”.

    Strengthened response

    Prevention tools need strengthening, particularly in light of climate change impacts and the need for better conflict prevention and disaster risk reduction.

    Mr Piper said new ideas were being put into motion to address internal displacement including a solutions fund, strengthened country teams and increased development and peacebuilding assets. International financial institutions have also stepped up their involvement, with both the World Bank and The African Development Bank introducing IDP solutions indicators into their corporate scorecards.

    The issue has gained increased visibility in international forums, including the climate COPs, the World Bank’s Fragility Forum, and the World Urban Forum. A group of 30-member states has formed to support these efforts, while Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and UN migration agency, IOM, have released new analyses on children and climate displacement.

    Return to normal

    Additionally, the humanitarian response remains robust, with UN operations reaching 50 million IDPs with assistance in 2023, while country-based pool funds assisted nearly 12 million displaced people.

    However, reflecting on his tenure and the path forward, the Special Advisor warned that “we need to get better at preventing new displacements. Our prevention tools are not up to task”.

    He concluded that “the core task is to keep saving lives, while we also help governments wherever possible, to build exit ramps for their displaced citizens back from crises to some sense of normality and stability”. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy UN chief demands action to protect vulnerable migrants

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Migrants and Refugees

    Migration is one of the defining issues of our time, with migrants accounting for 3.6 per cent of the global population, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Thursday, urging coordinated action to find better solutions that prioritise safety, equity and opportunity for migrants.

    “Migration is not just a statistic; it is the lived experience of women, men and children, each with unique identities and vulnerabilities – pursuing better lives and opportunities. But along their journeys, they face unimaginable violence, hardship and risk,” Amina J. Mohammed said, addressing an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the subject.

    Last year was the deadliest on record for migrants. Nearly 8,600 deaths were documented along migration routes, pushing the total recorded since 2014 to almost 70,000 and many more remaining unaccounted for.

    At the same time, xenophobia and anti-migrant sentiments are on the rise in societies, with women and girls at heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence.

    Transformative potential

    “This is not only inhumane – it is counterproductive,” Ms. Mohammed said, stressing that failure to govern migration inclusively undermines societal equity and human rights, ultimately stalling sustainable development.

    The Deputy Secretary-General underscored the transformative potential of migration, stating that when well-governed, it serves as a vital enabler of sustainable development, contributing to inclusive growth and social cohesion.

    “The persistence of migrants in seeking a dignified life speaks to our universal drive for hope,” Ms. Mohammed said.

    IOM/Gema Cortés

    With close to half a million Venezuelan nationals, Ecuador hosts the third largest Venezuelan migrant population worldwide.

    Roadmap for action

    Referring to the Secretary-General’s implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), she urged Member States to intensify efforts to protect migrants and ensure justice.

    These include strengthening search and rescue efforts on land and at sea, fostering international cooperation nations along migration routes, and supporting affected families with legal, administrative or economic assistance.

    Alongside, justice, accountability and redress mechanisms must be strengthened to uphold migrants’ rights, and data and forecasting improved to enable more effective humanitarian responses.

    “These recommendations are not abstract ideals – they are a practical roadmap for action,” Ms. Mohammed emphasised, urging Member States to commit to implementation ahead of the next International Migration Review Forum in 2026.

    Alignment with Global Goals

    Director-General of the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Coordinator of the UN Network on Migration Amy Pope also addressed the General Assembly, stressing the interconnected nature of the Global Compact’s objectives, calling for a holistic approach that engages all stakeholders.

    She highlighted some key achievements, including a new voluntary framework.

    “After extensive consultations with States and other stakeholders, we now have a new voluntary framework to support governments measure their progress, develop evidence-based policymaking and align their policies with [the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development],” she said.

    The new voluntary framework, she added, would foster more accountability, as well as help integrate migration into national plans and innovative solutions for legal identity and safe pathways.

    Ms. Pope urged Member States to adopt these indicators in their national GCM reviews and make actionable ideas a reality.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Financial Accounts Workshop

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    Provisional Timetable PDF PDF
    Session 1. New Recommendations in the 2025 SNA pertaining to financial accounts    
    Session 1: Video recording Link Link
    Recommendations in the 2025 SNA pertaining to the financial accounts (IMF) PDF PDF
    Session 2. Use of financial accounts for analytical purposes    
    Session 2: Video recording Link Link
    Use of Financial Account Balance Sheet in the EU (Eurostat) PDF PDF
    Use  of Financial Accounts for Analytical Purposes (Central Bank of The Republic of Türkiye) PDF PDF
    Use of financial accounts for analytical purposes. Private Sector Debt with a focus on NFCs (National Bank of Belgium) PDF PDF
    Session 3. Issues related to non-financial corporations    
    Session 3: Video recording link link
    Analyzing Non-Financial Corporation Using Institutional Sector Accounts (IMF) PDF PDF
    Financial Accounts in Armenia (Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia) PDF PDF
    Compilation of Financial Accounts for Non-Financial Corporations (Central Bank of The Republic of Türkiye) PDF PDF
    Compilation and Utilisation of the Financial Account of the Non-financial Corporations (NFC) Sector: Experience, Challenges, and Opportunities (Bank Indonesia) PDF PDF
    Non-financial corporations: compilation process in the Belgian financial accounts matrix (National Bank of Belgium) PDF PDF
    Non-financial Corporations (Statistics Iceland) PDF PDF
    Session 4. Issues related to household sector    
    Session 4: Video recording link link
    Household Sectors Issues Using Institutional Sector Accounts (IMF) PDF PDF
       Exercise 1 XLSX, PDF XLSX, PDF
       Exercise 1 – Solution XLSX XLSX
       Exercise 2 XLSX, PDF XLSX, PDF
       Exercise 2 – Solution XLSX XLSX
    The household sector (Statistics Iceland) PDF PDF
    Recording Crypto Assets in Macroeconomic Statistics (IMF) PDF PDF
       F.18 The Recording of Crypto Assets in Macroeconomic Statistics PDF PDF
    Challenges with Cryptocurrencies in Georgia (National Statistics Office of Georgia) PDF PDF
    Foreign currency held by Households (National Bank of Moldova) PDF PDF
    Session 5. Issues related to financial instruments and specific transactions    
    Session 5: Video recording link link
    Financial instruments (ECB) PDF PDF
       Exercises on  Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) XLSX XLSX
       Exercises on  Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) – Solutions XLSX XLSX
    Statistical measurement of illicit financial flows (UNCTAD) PDF PDF
    Non-financial Corporations equity liabilities (National Bank of Moldova) PDF PDF
    Session 6. Who-to-whom, consistency and balancing    
    Session 6: Video recording link link
    Recommendations to improve the Vertical Consistency of EU Sector Accounts (ECB) PDF PDF
    Combining sources and balancing the accounts (ECB) PDF PDF
       Exercises on balancing XLSX XLSX
       Exercises on balancing – Solution XLSX XLSX
    Financial Accounts in Kyrgyzstan (National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic) PDF PDF
    From-whom-to-whom – practical solution for compiling FA statistics, NBRNM case (National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia) PDF PDF
    Who-to-whom, consistency and balancing (Statistics Iceland) PDF PDF
    Session 7. Conclusions and recommendations    
    Session 7: Video recording link link
    Conclusions and way forward PDF PDF

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Migrant workers ‘indispensable’ to global economic growth: UN labour agency

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    International migrants comprised 4.7 per cent of the labour force in 2022 – an indication of the crucial role they play in the global economy, the UN labour agency ILO said in a report published on Monday. 

    Some 167.7 million migrants were part of the labour force in their destination countries in 2022 – an increase of more than 30 million since 2013, according to the ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers.

    Of this number, 102.7 million were men and 64.9 million were women.

    Regional distribution

    Most migrants were concentrated in high-income countries, which accounted for more than 68 per cent of the overall total.

    They were mainly drawn to three regions: Northern, Southern and Western Europe; North America and the Arab States.

    The share living in Northern, Southern and Western Europe rose from 22.5 per cent in 2013 to 23.3 per cent in 2022, while the other two regions saw slight declines.

    Gender disparities

    The term “international migrants in the labour force” means that persons can be working or unemployed, and more than 155 million had jobs. 

    The ILO noted, however, that significant gender disparities persisted, as migrant women had an employment-to-population ratio of only 48.1 per cent, compared to nearly 73 per cent for their male counterparts.

    Migrants also faced a higher unemployment rate compared to non-migrants, or 7.2 per cent versus 5.2 per cent.  Again, women were more affected.

    “This disparity may be driven by factors such as language barriers, unrecognized qualifications, discrimination, limited childcare options, and gender-based expectations that restrict employment opportunities, particularly for women,” the ILO said.

    Further findings reveal that a significant portion of migrants, 68.4 per cent, were employed in the services sector – a trend largely driven by the global demand for care and domestic work, particularly among women.

    Nearly 30 per cent of migrant women, and 12.4 per cent of men, were employed in these types of jobs, compared to 19.2 per cent of non-migrant women and 6.2 per cent of non-migrant men.

    UN Women/Staton Winter

    In Singapore, an Indonesian domestic worker prepares food in her employer’s kitchen after an early morning trip to the grocery store (file).

    An ‘indispensable’ force

    The report underscored the complexities of labour migration and the need for targeted policies to support international migrants. 

    With most of these workers employed in high-demand sectors, ensuring equitable access to employment opportunities must be a priority. 

    “Migrant workers are indispensable in addressing global labour shortages and contributing to economic growth,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. 

    “Ensuring their rights and access to decent work is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Migrants Day, hunger in the Arab world, arbitrary arrests in South Sudan

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    Migration patterns continue to be shaped by conflicts, climate disasters, and economic pressures, with 2024 marking record levels of internal displacement, the UN reported on Wednesday, marking International Migrants Day.

    Tragically, the year also saw the highest death toll of migrants in transit.

    “These challenges are made worse by the rising tide of mis- and disinformation and hate speech which sows division and distorts the valuable contributions migrants are making each and every day,” said Secretary-General António Guterres.

    The potential of safe and well-managed migration remains clear, as migrants boost economies, address labour shortages in aging societies and drive innovation globally.

    The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration third report underscores the urgency of addressing migrant safety. Since 2014, nearly 70,000 migrants have died or gone missing, with the true numbers likely higher.

    The report calls for stronger international cooperation to prevent migrant deaths, enhance identification efforts, and support affected families.

    Meanwhile, the issue of migrant smuggling continues to pose severe risks. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), smugglers exploit barriers to legal migration, profiting from the desperation of those fleeing conflict or poverty.

    Ending migrant ‘smuggling’

    The UN Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants serves as the primary legal framework to combat this crime. Efforts by UNODC include supporting countries to implement the protocol, prosecute smugglers, and protect migrants’ rights.

    This year, two UN Committees stressed the urgent need to address the compounded challenges faced by migrants with disabilities, often overlooked by available policies and services.

    As migration remains a global reality, these initiatives emphasise the need for collective action to create pathways that prioritise safety and opportunity, the UN says.

    Hunger deepens in Arab region amid conflicts and economic struggle

    Hunger in the Arab region has intensified amid escalating crises in 2023, according to a new report released by the UN on Wednesday.

    The report, titled 2024 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, was launched by several UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

    It reveals that 66.1 million people, or approximately 14 percent of the Arab region’s population, faced hunger in 2023.

    Access to adequate food remains a significant challenge, with 186.5 million people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, an increase from the previous year. Alarmingly, 72.7 million people faced severe food insecurity.

    Conflict is identified as the primary driver of food insecurity and malnutrition in the region, the report says.

    Rising prices

    Economic challenges, high income inequalities, and climate extremes further exacerbate the situation. Rising food prices have also worsened the crisis, with undernourishment rates in conflict-affected countries soaring to 26.4 per cent, compared to 6.6 per cent in non-conflict areas.

    The report warns that food security and nutrition indicators are likely to deteriorate further due to ongoing conflicts and persistent droughts.

    Economic access to healthy diets remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the population. In 2022, 151.3 million people could not afford a healthy diet, with the highest rates in conflict-affected countries.

    The Arab region continues to suffer from the triple burden of malnutrition, including rising trends in obesity, wasting, and nutrient deficiencies. Despite some progress in reducing stunting rates, achieving nutrition targets remains a challenge.

    Adult obesity rates in the Arab States are also alarmingly high, the report warns, with a prevalence of 32.1 per cent in 2022, more than double the global rate. Upper-middle-income countries, particularly Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait, have the highest rates of obesity.

    The report underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address food insecurity and malnutrition across the region.

    South Sudan: arbitrary arrests and detentions include 87 children

    South Sudanese women and girls who are refusing to accept an arranged marriage are among those being arrested and detained unlawfully, UN human rights investigators said on Wednesday.

    A new report from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNSMISS) found that a total of 1,140 civilians were arbitrarily arrested and detained between January 2023 and May this year; most were men, but that number also included at least 162 women and 87 children.

    In many cases their detention was on the orders of a customary court presided over by a traditional chief, for refusing an arranged marriage, seeking divorce, or for alleged adultery, the report’s authors said.

    Cash incentive

    Women and girls are often detained to compel the bride’s family to return her dowry to her future husband.

    Other detainees have included those with disabilities – who “have often been detained without having committed an offence – and political opposition members.”(?) End quote was missing, so I asumed it coes here.

    UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, appealed to the South Sudanese authorities to release all those held arbitrarily and to continue efforts to reform the country’s judicial system.

    Cause for concern

    “It is concerning that individuals have been arrested and detained – in many cases for alleged conduct that does not amount to criminal offences,” the UN rights chief said.

    The report’s authors highlighted how the rule of law remains “weak” in South Sudan where State institutions “have been weakened” amid ongoing targeted killings, conflict-related sexual violence that disproportionately affects women and girls, along with looting and movement restrictions.

    Most of the arrests were carried out by Government security agencies – the National Security Service, the National Prison Service and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces.

    Other arrests were carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – In Opposition and the National Salvation Front armed groups, as well as on the orders of state and county officials.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNHCR urges greater support for people fleeing post-election violence in Mozambique

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    The UN refugee agency, UNHCR is deeply alarmed by the ongoing situation in Mozambique, where post-election unrest has forced thousands to flee their homes, including to seek safety in neighbouring countries. 

    The violence comes after the top court in Mozambique confirmed on 23 December that the ruling Frelimo party won the disputed presidential election held in October, sparking protests.

    The southern African country is also still recovering from the devastating effects of Cyclone Chido, which hit just weeks ago. 

    The current situation is hampering vital humanitarian efforts for communities who lost everything in the storm, while challenging the response to assist them.

    Fleeing to Malawi and Eswatini

    UNHCR and the Government of Malawi have identified around 2,000 people who crossed the border during the past week, while another 1,000 entered Eswatini.

    Among the new arrivals are refugees and asylum seekers of various nationalities who have been living in Mozambique, and the agency is raising concerns over the escalating displacement and its impact on t affected populations.

    Chansa Kapaya, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Southern Africa, said refugees and civilians are both facing immense risks, losing their livelihoods and relying on humanitarian assistance.

    “While we are grateful for the generosity of Malawi and Eswatini, immediate support is crucial to tackle the worsening crisis and prevent further suffering,” she said.

    Overcrowded shelters, insufficient food

    People who fled to Malawi reported that they escaped attacks and looting in their villages. Many walked long distances and crossed the Shire River on foot or by small boats. Among them are pregnant women, elderly persons and children who have had little to eat.

    UNHCR has provided tents, blankets and hygiene kits to assist the most vulnerable, but noted that significant humanitarian assistance gaps remain. 

    Shelters are overcrowded, sanitation facilities are inadequate, and access to food and clean water is insufficient, the agency said. Furthermore, over 1,000 people are sharing a single latrine at some sites, significantly increasing the risk of disease.

    Additional resources essential

    In Eswatini, many of the new arrivals report losing their shops and businesses due to the violence. 

    The Malindza refugee reception centre, originally designed for 250 people, is now housing over 1,000. UNHCR is collaborating with local authorities and partners to provide assistance, but said additional resources are urgently needed to sustain the response and prepare for more newcomers.

    The agency warned that the situation in both Malawi and Eswatini is becoming critical, with the rising number of refugees and asylum-seekers straining already overstretched resources. 

    While underlining its commitment to work with local authorities and partners, UNHCR urged the international community to provide support to host countries and affected populations. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Over 115,000 Syrians have returned home since end of Assad dictatorship

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Migrants and Refugees

    More than 115,000 people have reportedly returned to Syria from countries such as Türkiye, Jordan and Lebanon since 8 December – the fall of the Assad regime – the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday. 

    The information is based on public statements by host countries, contacts with immigration services from inside Syria, and border monitoring by the agency and partners.

    UNHCR said the Turkish Minister of Interior reported that 35,113 Syrians have voluntarily returned home.

    Jordan returnees’ demographic shift

    For its part, Jordan noted that more than 22,000 people have entered Syria through its territory, 3,100 of whom were registered refugees.

    UNHCR teams noticed a shift in demographics of returnees from Jordan this week, with more women and children returning rather than men travelling alone. 

    “When interviewed, some families reported that the head of household would stay in Jordan for several more months in order to earn money that will support the family’s re-integration inside Syria before joining them,” the agency said.

    Displaced within Syria

    Approximately 664,000 people remain newly displaced across Syria, mainly in Idlib and Aleppo governorates. The majority, 75 per cent, are women and children.

    Moreover, nearly 486,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin, mainly in Hama and Aleppo governorates.

    “Prevailing insecurity – including armed clashes, increased criminal activity, and unexploded ordnance – continues to present challenges for civilians and will likely influence the potential decision to return home faced by Syrians living outside the country,” UNHCR said.

    Figuring out needs

    The agency continues to engage with caretaker authorities, which includes a meeting held this past Sunday with the Governor’s Office in Dar’a to discuss humanitarian needs there.

    UNHCR also continues to visit active border crossings, monitor processes, and listen to Syrians crossing back into the country about their priorities and needs.

    Furthermore, rehabilitation of 200 partially damaged houses in Rural Damascus has resumed, with completion expected by the end of this month. 

    Core relief and winter items have also been distributed to returnee families in Damascus, Homs and Idlib governorates as well as to IDPs living in collective centres and unfinished buildings across Ar-Raqqa and Al-Hassakeh governorates.

    The view from Lebanon

    Meanwhile, the number of Syrians departing Lebanon through official border crossings remains “low but steady”.  

    These journeys are predominantly through the Masnaa crossing and include people who may be making short trips to assess the situation in Syria.

    Over the last 10 days, a maximum of 100 to 200 people have been in the no-man’s land area at any one time, UNHCR said, either being processed to enter Lebanon or going back into Syria. 

    A small number of families who were stranded over the New Year period were assisted by UNHCR and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) while waiting to be processed for entry.

    Iraq: Crossings from Kurdistan Region

    The movement of Syrians through the Peshkabour border crossing with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has also continued, reaching approximately 300 to 400 daily.

    Most of those making the crossing into Iraq are of Kurdish ethnicity and indicate that they are either coming to the Kurdistan Region temporarily for family visits or using it as a transit point – planning to return to Syria afterwards. 

    Over the past three weeks, 948 Syrians have permanently returned through official processes, and 105 were refugees registered with UNHCR.

    Seeking assistance in Egypt

    In Egypt, UNHCR continues to see a higher-than-average number of case closure requests from Syrian refugees. 

    Between 8 and 29 December, a total of 1,448 closure requests involving 2,695 individuals have been submitted, averaging 97 per working day compared to the November average of seven closure requests.

    UNHCR Egypt continues to provide counseling support to Syrians seeking information about the situation in their homeland.

    Of most concern is whether the agency can assist with repatriation support; whether fines for overstays and delayed residence permits can be waived upon exit; if returning to Syria is safe; and which routes should be avoided. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –