“Today is a day of celebration for an intellectual game that for centuries has managed to entertain, stimulate and sometimes even confound millions of us, the world over”, Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General of UN Global Communications said, at a virtual commemorative event.
“And as we celebrate, we remind ourselves of the special value that a game such as chess is bringing to so many people during this awful COVID-19 pandemic”, she added.
In her keynote address, the UN communications chief noted that the pandemic represents a physical, social and economic crisis – imposing restrictions on everyone and rendering sports that can be played online, or at a safe physical distance, more important than ever.
“They feed our lifelong sense of play…nurture our passion and enthusiasm… refresh our minds and bodies…distract us from troubles, and reduce our anxieties”, said Ms. Fleming.
According to reports, the pandemic has spurred a surge in chess, with more players coming together online, to compete and enjoy the game.
The UN has long recognized that sport, along with the arts and physical activity, has the power to change perceptions, prejudices and behaviours, as well as to break down racial and political barriers.
Playing sport can break down discrimination, defuse conflict, promote education, sustainable development, peace and social inclusion – at local, regional and international levels.
Combining sport, scientific thinking and artistic flair, chess is one of the most ancient, intellectual and cultural of games, according to the UN.
It is affordable, inclusive and can be played anywhere; across barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability or social status.
And because chess promotes fairness and mutual respect, it can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nations.
“The UN is mainstreaming sport initiatives into its work towards development and peace, part of our wider efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”, affirmed Ms. Fleming.
This is being done by strengthening education; realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
“Increasingly people realize that sport can act as an enabler of sustainable development, peace and social inclusion”, she added.
A tool to improve the world
Moderating the event, Armenia’s UN Ambassador Mher Margaryan said that chess was an “essential part of Armenia’s culture, having earned our country, with a population of three million people, the title of Olympic and world champion”.
Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Federation of Chess (FIDE) noted that he looked forward to making chess “a tool to improve the world”.
Also taking part in the event, the fifteenth world chess champion, groundbreaking Indian grandmaster, Viswanathan Anand, reflected on the long history of chess as a masterful “game of strategy”.
The General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution designating the 20th of July as World Chess Day, last year.
Representing five regions of the world, they will compete for the Young Champions of the Earth prize, the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) announced on Monday.
UPDATE? 35 regional finalists were shortlisted to win the @UN‘s highest environmental honor for youth, the UNEP #YoungChamps prize. Whose big ideas to protect or restore the environment will win? Stay tuned, the winners will be announced in December. https://t.co/1zwM8RkkoB
“Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cutting-edge solutions presented by this year’s Young Champions finalists, are truly remarkable. It is clear that this pandemic did not shut down the fight for a better world. Instead, it has reminded us of what’s at stake in our battle for the planet, and highlights how building back better will help address the climate crisis and preserve human and planetary health”, said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
The Young Champions of the Earth prize is the UN’s highest environmental honour for youth.
The global competition celebrates outstanding individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have big ideas to protect or restore the environment.
The 35 finalists were selected from 845 applicants who presented groundbreaking and scalable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems. More information about them can be found here.
A global jury will choose the seven overall winners: one from each region, and two from Asia-Pacific. Their names will be announced in December.
Bringing ideas to life
Each Young Champion will receive $10,000 in seed funding and tailored support to bring their ideas to life, as well as access to powerful networks and mentors.
“Young people all around the world are raising awareness about the wrong choices we have made and the impact of environmental destruction on their future”, said Ms. Andersen.
“We are committed to providing young changemakers a voice, a platform and the opportunity to make their journey a success, while inspiring millions more around the world.”
The UN environment chief will serve on the jury to choose this year’s winners. Other members will include the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake; UNEP’s Supporter for Creative Economy, Roberta Annan, and Chief Executive Officer of the UN Foundation, Elizabeth Cousens.
The prize is sponsored by Covestro, described as the world’s leader in polymer solutions. The company manufactures products used in many areas of daily life, serving the automotive, construction and wood processing industries, among others.
The European Union’s Special Envoy for promoting the Freedom of Religions and Belief outside of Europe will soon be appointed. Maragaritis Schinas, vice-president of the European Commission, announced the Office’s re-establishment in a tweet on July 8.
The announcement brought to a close what had been at times a very lively debate.
The president of the European Commission originally decided not to appoint somebody in the role of advisor to her in the capacity of special envoy “at this time”.
Then, after protests from many organizations, the Commission reversed itself. The position is still vacant, so everything is still up in the air and anything could happen: Why, then, is it so important to have a special envoy for religious freedom in Europe?
The special envoy’s Office was established in 2016, right after Pope Francis had been awarded the Charlemagne Prize. Jan Figel became the Special Envoy. During his mandate, Jan Figel traveled worldwide, opened bridges of dialogue, and had a crucial role in the liberation of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani woman who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy and then acquitted.
Many backed the re-establishment of the position. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg and president of the Committee of the Bishops of the European Union (COMECE), noted that “in some countries, the religious oppression reached the level of a genocide” and for this reason “the European Union must continue to campaign for religious freedom, with a special envoy.”
This semester, Germany is president of the Council of the European Union. So 135 German members of Parliament asked the government to use the position to press the EU to restore the Office.
Austrian members of Parliament signed a joint resolution with the same goal, and Jewish, Orthodox, and Muslim labels protested against the cancellation of the position.
In the letter, the Commission confirmed that they would advance religious liberty according to the 2013 EU guidelines, which recognize the human right to freedom of religion and belief and understand that right under European law to mean that everyone is free to believe, not to believe, change their beliefs, publicly witness their beliefs and share their beliefs with others.
In the letter, the Commission also said that violations were going to be monitored by the EU delegation. The delegation and Eamon Gilmore, special representative for human rights, were supposed to report on the violations
After that, and all the protests, the Commission changed its mind and announced that the Special Envoy position for religious freedom was going to stay. Everything, by the way, is still suspended. We yet do not know who will be the next special envoy, and under which mandate.
There is another issue. The special envoy takes care of religious freedom outside of the EU, but religious liberty is at risk within the EU borders. There are many pieces of evidence that religious freedom is subtly dwindling in Europe.
Religious freedom inside the EU border is guaranteed under the EU charter of fundamental rights which is policed by the EU fundamental rights agency in Vienna. In addition, all the member states of the EU are constrained by fundamental democratic principles for which the commission can hold them to account if their laws don’t correspond.
And yet, there are cases that show that show that religious freedom is at stake.
The most recent cases came from Finland and Sweden.
Päivi Räsänen, a member of Finnish Parliament and former minister, faces four investigations after tweeting a Bible passage questioning that the Evangelical Church in Finland sponsored the Pride 2019.
Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen, two Swedish midwives, appealed to the European Court for Human Rights because they found unemployed and could not apply for any job since they refused to help to perform abortions. The appeal was, however, declared inadmissible.
These are not the only cases, and it is not a new situation. It is worth remembering that the Holy See personally took the floor in 2013. Following the discussion of two cases at the European Court for Human Rights, the Holy See sent a note and widely explained why the religions are not “lawless areas” but instead “spaces of freedom.”
The first case was about a labor union formed in 2008 by the clergy in an Orthodox Church diocese to defend their “professional, economic, social, and cultural interests” in their dealings with the church.
When the Romanian government registered the new union, the church sued, pointing out that her canons do not allow for unions and arguing that registration violated the principle of church autonomy.
A Romanian court agreed with the Church, and the union challenged the court’s judgment in the European Court for Human Rights. The union argued that the decision not to register violated Article 11 of the European Convention, which grants a right to freedom of association.
In 2012, the chamber reasoned that, under Article 11, a state might limit freedom of association only if it shows “a pressing social need,” defined in terms of a “threat to a democratic society,” This did not happen in Romania. So the chamber faulted the Romanian court, and Romania appealed to the Grand Chamber – the final EU judicial appeal venue.
The second case regarded Fernandez Martinez, a Spanish instructor of religion. In Spain, public schools offer classes in Catholicism, taught by instructors approved by the local bishop. Fernandez Martinez did not get his bishop’s approval. A laicized priest, Fernandez Martinez, took a public stand against mandatory priestly celibacy. When the school dismissed the instructor, he brought suit under the European Convention. His dismissal – he argued – violated his right to privacy, family life, and expression.
A section of the European Court ruled against him, because in withdrawing approval – the section stated – the bishop had acted “in accordance with the principle of religious autonomy”; the instructor had been dismissed for purely religious reasons, and it would be inappropriate for a secular court to intrude.
These two cases – the “Vatican foreign minister”, then-Archbishop Dominique Mamberti noted – “call into question the Church’s freedom to function according to her own rules and not be subject to civil rules other than those necessary to ensure that the common good and just public order are respected.”
One should say that this is a vexata quaestio (an already widely discussed issue), with significance far beyond Europe.
Europe, however, is living in a particularly worrisome situation. The Observatoire de la Christianophobie in France and the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christian in Europe report an increasing number of cases that are food for thought.
Religions became even more vulnerable after the coronavirus outbreak. Many provisions of various governments to counter the spread of the infection also jeopardized freedom of worship. It was an emergency, and everybody understands that, but at the same time, it is always essential to re-establish a principle, in order not to set a precedent.
While watching over the religious freedom in other countries, it would be good that Europe had some more proper monitoring of the situation within its borders.
As the Holy See keeps saying, religious freedom is “the freedom of all the freedoms,” a litmus test for the state of liberty in each country. The appointment of an EU special envoy for religious freedom will be a welcome thing, therefore. It is yet to be seen, however, what will be the precise mandate and the powers of the Office. It would be good to expand its scope to address the violations of religious freedom within the EU, as well.
* Catholic News Agency columns are opinion and do not necessarily express the perspective of the agency.
The EU-Vietnam free trade agreement, approved by Parliament in February, will eliminate virtually all tariffs over the course of a decade. As it includes binding rules on climate, labour and human rights, MEPs see it as a standard-setter for global trade.
Tackling disinformation
Fake news about Covid-19 can be as dangerous as the virus. MEPs support EU efforts to tackle disinformation, while protecting freedom of expression. In June, Parliament established a special committee to research foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU, including disinformation.
Water points in Somaliland in Somalia mean that people and their livestock can survive extreme weather events like droughts. UNDP Somalia/Mark Naftalin
Some 70 per cent of Somalis live from agriculture and pastoralism but changing weather patterns have meant many cannot access the water to sustain these traditional activities.
Many younger people have left for cities and towns to live in slum settlements where access to facilities is limited, but now a number of dams, dykes and storage tanks built in Somaliland by UNDP and its partners are encouraging people to carry on with their traditional livelihoods by providing stability in the form of a reliable and consistent supply of water.
And as the virus which causes COVID-19 continues to spread across Africa, the new water sources are also key to slowing the spread of the disease by making it easier for people to wash hands and clean household items.
Read more here about how Somalis are living on the frontlines of resilience
The greatest concentration of need is in Africa, but countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia – including middle-income nations – are also being ravaged by crippling levels of food insecurity.
The two Rome-based UN agencies sounded the alarm in a joint report published Friday as the WFP announced that it is scaling up food assistance to an unprecedented 138 million people who face desperate levels of hunger as COVID-19 tightens its grip on some the world’s most fragile countries.
The cost of the WFP’s response is estimated at $4.9 billion – representing nearly half the updated COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, launched this week – with an additional $500 million special provision to prevent famine in countries most at risk.
“Three months ago at the UN Security Council, I told world leaders that we ran the risk of a famine of biblical proportions”, said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.
“Today, our latest data tell us that, since then, millions of the world’s very poorest families have been forced even closer to the abyss”, Mr. Beasley said.
“Livelihoods are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate and now their lives are in imminent danger from starvation”, he said.
“Make no mistake – if we do not act now to end this pandemic of human suffering, many people will die.”
25 mostly African ‘hotspots’
Most of the 25 “hotspots” named in the report stretch from West Africa and across the Sahel to East Africa, including the Sahel, as well Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
It also identifies, in the Middle East, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen; in Asia, Bangladesh; and in Latin America and the Caribbean, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Citing some examples, it says that COVID-19 is compounding a raft of existing problems in South Sudan, making the prospect of famine loom ever larger in areas where intercommunal fighting makes humanitarian access tough or impossible.
Middle East, Latin America
In the Middle East, the pandemic is exacerbating Lebanon’s worst-ever economic crisis, where food insecurity is growing fast not only among citizens, but also 1.5 million Syrians and other refugees.
Hardest hit in Latin America are more than five million Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in neighbouring countries, the report says, adding that worsening economic conditions in host countries could well make matters worse.
According to WFP estimates, the number of people living in acute food insecurity in countries affected by conflict, disasters or economic crises could jump from 149 million before the pandemic took hold to 270 million by year’s end if assistance is not provided urgently.
The Parliament President was speaking at the start of an EU summit on 17 July dedicated to finding agreement among national governments on the EU’s next long-term budget, which would also include measures to help Europe recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“The discussions and decisions we will be called upon to take will be crucial in rebuilding our Union for the decades to come,” said Sassoli. He said there was no going back following the Covid-19 crisis.
“The pandemic has given us new responsibilities and duties: the responsibility to make choices and the duty to do so in the interests of the many, not the few. If we take this as our brief, it becomes obvious where we should invest: in the green economy, health, education, and in digital, democratic and social rights.”
Sassoli said the recovery plan must help to transform the economy and address widening inequalities: “The recovery plan must be commensurate with our ambitions.”
He said Parliament backed the level of funding proposed by the European Commission and the proposed splits between grants and loans. The President also called for a basket of own resources to be introduced and an end to rebates for some member states, which he called “unfair and hard to justify”.
Sassoli reminded EU leaders that Parliament’s consent to the budget is crucial. “It is unthinkable that a Europe which has reached agreement on a joint response to the crisis should sideline Parliament.”
The President said Parliament was “disappointed” with the Council proposal on the budget being presented at the summit: “If we are to bring about a recovery, we need steady, long-term funding. This is a prerequisite for Parliament’s consent.”
Sassoli stressed the importance of solidarity in the current crisis: ”Europe has grown together based on common values. Let us not reduce the European Union to a continent-wide ATM.”
He added: “Parliament will give its consent to the [EU’s long-term budget] only if it meets the priorities I have mentioned today.”
EURONEWS – The sight of Zinedine Zidane again being thrown into the air by his Real Madrid players could only mean one thing — another title celebration.
With the Frenchman back in charge, Madrid is back to collecting major trophies.
Madrid clinched their 34th Spanish league title — and first since 2017 — after extending their perfect run following the pandemic break with a 2-1 win over Villarreal on Thursday, opening a seven-point gap to second-place Barcelona with one round to go. Barcelona lost to 10-man Osasuna at the Camp Nou Stadium.
Karim Benzema scored twice to give Madrid their 10th consecutive league victory. They were the only team with a perfect record after the coronavirus-enforced break, having trailed Barcelona by two points before the league was halted.
“This is one of the best days in my life professionally,” said Zidane, who also won the Champions League and World Cup as a player. “It’s another league title, after the confinement and everything else that happened. I wish we could celebrate with the fans, but I’m sure they are very happy at home seeing their team win the league again.”
Zidane quit as Madrid coach in 2018 after leading the team to three straight Champions League titles, then returned less than a year later with the team floundering. In his first full season back in charge, Madrid wrested the league title away from Barcelona for the first time in three years.
It was also Madrid’s first league title since Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Juventus two seasons ago.
The title celebrations were subdued as the triumph came with Madrid playing at its training centre because the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is still undergoing renovation work.
Fans have not been allowed into games since the pandemic, and Madrid had warned supporters not to gather at the team’s traditional celebration spots in the Spanish capital. Most of the early celebrations came from fans honking their car horns across the city’s streets.
Captain Sergio Ramos lifted the trophy at the empty Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as confetti blew in the air behind him and his teammates. Players later threw Zidane into the air a few times, then they all posed for photos in front of one of the goals.
“It has been a strange season after everything that has happened,” said Ramos, who won his fifth Spanish league title. “After the confinement, we knew that we had to win every match to clinch the title. There was no margin for error.”
Barcelona had won the last two league titles but stuttered after the break, drawing three times and losing once after the league resumed.
Benzema — one of Madrid’s key players this season — opened the scoring with a shot from inside the area in the 29th minute and added to the lead by converting a penalty in the 77th, reaching 21 league goals and moving within two of scoring leader Lionel Messi, who netted for Barcelona against Osasuna.
Benzema’s goal from the penalty spot came after Ramos’ initial attempt was called back having just rolled the ball sideways to Benzema to score. The French striker had entered the area too soon and the penalty had to be taken again.
Luka Modric set up Benzema’s first goal after a breakaway that started near midfield.
Fifth-place Villarreal pulled one back with a header by Vicente Iborra in the 83rd. They was denied an equalizer by a great save by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in stoppage time.
Madrid’s Marco Asensio had a goal disallowed moments later.
Barcelona needed to win its match and hope Madrid slipped up. Instead, it lost 2-1 at home against midtable Osasuna.
Messi scored his league-leading 23rd goal from a free kick in the second half to cancel out José Arnaíz’s opener.
Osasuna lost substitute Enric Gallego to a direct red card for bloodying the mouth of Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet with an elbow to the face in the 77th.
But Osasuna’s Roberto Torres scored in stoppage time with Barcelona pushing forward searching for a late goal.
It was Barcelona’s first home loss in the league since a 4-3 result against Real Betis in November 2018.
Messi said it was “not the way” Barcelona wanted to end the season.
“Madrid did its part by winning all its matches, which is impressive, but we also helped them to win this league,” Messi said. “We have to be critical of how we have played, starting with the players, and for the rest of the club.”
Other results
Mallorca became the second team to be relegated after a 2-1 loss to Granada at home. Espanyol had already been demoted. Leganés keep its chances of survival alive thanks to a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao. Celta Vigo stayed just outside the relegation zone after a 3-2 loss against Levante at home.
Third-place Atlético Madrid won 2-0 at seventh-place Getafe, while fourth-place Sevilla drew 0-0 at sixth-place Real Sociedad. Valencia moved into eighth place to keep alive its hopes of grabbing a Europa League spot after a 1-0 win against last-place Espanyol.
There was a total of nine red cards handed out during the 10 games.
MEP Elżbieta Rafalska: “During the #COVID19 pandemic, we witnessed discrimination against elderly. We cannot tolerate this social strata being left behind as this #pandemic continues to wreak economic & social havoc, destroying the lives of our elderly citizens.” @EPSocialAffairs
© UNICEF/Jannatul Mawa
