A strongly worded statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. Antonio Guterres, it says, urged the Government of Israel to halt and reverse the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to immediately and completely cease all settlements activities there and to respect its relevant legal obligations.
The statement refers to the Monday’s advancement of plans for over 5,500 housing units in Israeli settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank, including the retroactive regularization, under Israeli law, of three settlement outposts adjacent to the settlement of Eli.
Settlements impede peace
Antonio Guterres emphasized that Israel’s persistent expansion of settlements, including in East Jerusalem, “deepens humanitarian needs, fuels violence, increases the risk of confrontation, further entrenches the occupation, and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.
The UN chief warned that the ongoing settlements are eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and viable sovereign Palestinian State, based on the pre-1967 lines and impede the ability to achieve a viable two-State solution, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
The UN’s top humanitarian official in the country Matthias Schmale informed that severe hunger is affecting 4.3 million people in Nigeria’s Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The number of children under five at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition has doubled in one year to reach 700,000.
Describing the situation in the region, Mr. Schmale said: “I have been to Borno and the other two states several times, I’ve seen mothers fighting for lives of their malnourished children in nutrition stabilization centres.” The children he spoke to complained about being hungry for days.
“Those of us who are parents must imagine what it’s like when you cannot ensure your children have enough to eat,” he emphasized.
Drivers of crisis
The “catastrophic” situation is primarily the result of more than a decade of insecurity linked to non-State armed groups, which prevents people from farming and earning income from the land, Mr. Schmale said.
Another harmful factor is climate change and extreme weather impacts. Last year saw the worst floods in ten years in Nigeria, which affected more than 4.4 million people across the country, not just the north-east.
Soaring prices of food, fuel and fertilizers have exacerbated the crisis, and the response remains severely underfunded. The UN official said that out of the $1.3 billion in humanitarian funding needed for the region, only 25 per cent has been secured so far.
The setbacks also hit insect breeders and lab-grown meats
Unreal Food has ended its attempts at an eggless egg. Remastered Foods has stopped developing vegan bacon. The Meatless Farm has discontinued its plant-based sausages.
The big shake-up in the global meat substitute sector is here and expanding.
With money flowing less freely due to rising interest rates, investors have sharply withdrawn funding just as inflation is driving up production costs and making consumers more selective about their food choices. This hits a crowded field that mushroomed after the early success of Beyond Meat Inc. and Impossible Foods Inc.
With consumers put off by excessive processing, nutritional value and taste, a growing list of alternative protein companies are closing, laying off staff and selling their businesses. Industry observers say there is more upheaval to come before the sector stabilises.
Enthusiasm for alternatives to beef and pork grew after Beyond Meat’s initial public offering in 2019, and venture capital was willing to invest in companies that offered little more than a recipe book.
But sales fell short of wildly optimistic forecasts, as high prices and strange flavors and textures made expensive products easy to cross off shopping lists. The streak of failures stretches from plant proteins and vertical farmers to insect breeders and lab-grown meats. Global investment in food and agricultural technology is set to drop by 44% in 2022, according to AgFunder.
The downturn so far has wiped out mostly obscure names and early-stage companies, such as Canada’s Merit Foods and China’s Hey Meat.
In the UK, two promising companies recently appointed administrators: The Meatless Farm cut staff at its Leeds headquarters, while Plant & Bean was hit by a spike in food and energy prices just two years after opening a mega factory in Lincolnshire.
The upheaval is part of an adjustment phase happening in almost every high-growth consumer segment from smoothies to popcorn, said Andy Shovell, co-founder of British plant-based meat company THIS, whose sales have grown about 45% this year.
The result will be less confusion in stores, better quality and prices that will approach those of meat, according to Chauvel. “From the customer’s point of view, this is only good news,” he said.
Strong industry leaders have also stumbled. Beyond Meat, whose market value is down more than 90% from its peak, has had several rounds of layoffs in the past year, as has Impossible Foods. The cuts also affected Spain’s Heura Foods and California-based Eat Just Inc., which continued to expand its U.S. distribution.
Traditional food companies are also downsizing. Nestle SA has pulled its Garden Gourmet line and Wunda pea milk from the UK due to stiff competition. Meat giant JBS SA has spun off its Planterra unit after pouring cash into a mega factory in Colorado.
Despite the turmoil, some investors remain optimistic. Big Idea Ventures, a fund of food-tech investors, said last month it was closing in on a $75 million fundraising goal. Fake bacon maker MyForest Foods raised $15 million in new funding earlier this month, and Israeli startup Chunk Foods announced a seed round of the same size in the spring.
Emissions of key air pollutants monitored under EU law continued to decline across most EU Member States maintaining a trend since 2005. However, the most problematic area remains reducing ammonia emissions, emitted mostly by the agriculture sector. The latest annual European Environment Agency (EEA) analysis of air pollution data provided by EU Member States is published today.
In 2021, 13 Member States met their respective 2020-2029 national emission reduction commitments under the EU’s National Emission reduction Commitments Directive (NECD) for each of the five main pollutants (nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and fine particulate matter) according to the EEA assessment. Thirteen Member States failed to do so for at least one of the five main air pollutants (and one Member States did not report this year). The overall downward trend since 2005 comes despite economic growth over the same period.
The EEA briefing is based on the latest available data reported by Member States in 2023 for their 2021 emissions. It describes the progress made towards reducing emissions of the five main air pollutants regulated under the directive. It presents an assessment of Member State performance against the emission reduction commitments for 2020-2029 as well as their progress towards achieving the more ambitious reduction commitments that will apply from 2030 onward.
Achieving further reductions for 2030 and beyond will be a significant challenge for nearly all EU countries for nearly all pollutants, as the reduction rate for some pollutant emissions is now levelling off according to the briefing. One exception is sulphur dioxide, where many countries are already compliant with their 2030 reduction commitment. Sulphur dioxide emission contribute to acidification and is responsible for damage to ecosystems and buildings, among other detrimental effects.
Reducing ammonia emissions remains the biggest challenge. Ammonia emissions are a concern as they contribute to excessive nitrogen presence in water ecosystems leading to the known phenomenon of eutrophication, among other environmental negative impacts. Ammonia is also a precursor to fine particulate matter, very harmful to health. Ten Member States will have to reduce their ammonia emissions compared to 2021 levels to fulfil their 2020-2029 reduction commitments. The agriculture sector is the principal source, responsible for 93% of total ammonia emissions in the EU. Since 2005, ammonia emissions have only slightly decreased in many Member States and in some cases have even increased.
This information is based solely on data provided by Member States and does not constitute a compliance check by the European Commission. The numbers presented here may be subject to change in relation to the result of the NEC directive inventory review.
The separate annual EU emission inventory report 1990-2021, also published today by the EEA, showed a continued downward trend in emissions for most main air pollutants, however emissions decreased more slowly from 2007 to 2021. The report looks at air pollutant emissions reported by the EU under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (the Air Convention) and includes a wide range of substances. These include the five main air pollutants (NOX, NMVOCs, SO2, NH3 and PM2.5) but also others such as heavy metals, black carbon or persistent organic pollutants.
Background
Under the National Emission reduction Commitments (NEC) directive 2016/2284, EU Member States are required to meet national commitments to reduce emissions for these five air pollutants to deliver clean air for human health and the environment.
The EEA analysis is based on the latest air pollutant emission inventory data, as reported by Member States in February 2023 both under the Directive and the UNECE Air Convention.
“We’ve already seen over 560,000 people crossing into neighbouring countries…[and] nearly two million people displaced internally,” said Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, following a visit to Sudan.
Since conflict erupted there on 15 April when rival militaries clashed, more than half a million people have reached neighbouring countries in a bid to escape the fighting, with Egypt receiving the most refugees followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.
Based on the continuing violence, the UN agency now expects that its previous estimate of one million refugees will be surpassed.
In response to the crisis, UNHCR and other UN agencies, humanitarian partners, and host communities have increased efforts to provide emergency shelter, clean water, health care services, psychosocial support, and other vital assistance to help displaced populations inside and outside Sudan.
Host communities unaffected by the conflict until now are also “seeing the consequences”, Mr. Mazou said.
“All are in need of protection and assistance,” he added. “What is also quite striking, and which needs to be underlined, is how welcoming the host populations are.”
West Darfur horror
Although violence has erupted across multiple fronts, UNHCR raised particular concerns about West Darfur. Aid access is “limited” amid reports of “wanton killings” by militia that the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has condemned.
Bordering West Darfur, Chad has seen 170,000 people crossing its borders to flee the conflict, according to the UN refugee agency. Many, including women and children, have arrived needing treatment for their injuries, the agency said.
At the same time, the rainy season has thwarted aid workers from reaching those crossing the border and transporting them to refugee camps, the agency said.
Tents have been set up at the Gorom refugee camp in South Sudan to host new arrivals from Sudan.
South Sudan returnees
More than 120,000 people crossed the border into South Sudan, where sparse infrastructure and security concerns represent significant challenges that are preventing new arrivals from moving on, the agency warned. Much of the assistance they need will have to be airlifted, which is both costly and complex.
Meanwhile, UNHCR teams are registering new arrivals, providing them with emergency relief, and helping them to reach different locations as quickly as possible.
Most of the arrivals are South Sudanese, returning to their country, Mr. Mazou said.
“They are part of the 800,000 South Sudanese refugees who were in Sudan, but they are now going back,” he said.
Strained resources
Capacity at border reception and transit facilities in neighbouring countries have been strained by the sheer numbers of people arriving, leading to overcrowding and further stretching of already limited resources, the UN refugee agency said.
Those fleeing Sudan arrive exhausted after days or sometimes weeks on the road, shocked by the violence they have witnessed and in need of food, medical care, and relief items, UNCHR reported.
During a donor conference for Sudan in Geneva on 19 June, $1.52 billion in pledges were received against an appeal for $3 billion to address the current situation.
Learn more about how UNHCR is helping the people of Sudan and those fleeing the violence here.
“The effects of climate change are becoming more severe, and the number of people displaced across international borders is rapidly increasing,” said Ian Fry, independent human rights expert on climate change, who took up the new post last year.
“In 2020 alone, 30.7 million people were displaced from their homes due to weather-related events. Droughts were the main factor,” Mr. Fry said in his latest thematic report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. “We must take immediate steps to give legal protection to these people.”
The independent expert said that people displaced by climate change face multiple human rights violations including of their rights to food, water, sanitation, housing, health, education and, for some, their basic right to life.
“The human rights implications of climate change displacement, in particular across international borders, are significant and truly disturbing,” the expert said.
He called it “profoundly worrying” that large numbers of people displaced across borders, die or go missing every year on both land and sea.
More than 50,000 lost their lives during migratory movements between 2014 and 2022. “It is equally shocking to note that more than half of those deaths occurred on routes to and within Europe, including in the Mediterranean Sea,” he said.
Displacement and natural disasters
According to the independent expert, displacement due to climate change can take many different forms.
It can involve sudden events or more slow acting factors such sea level rise or drought. Most people affected by these events feel they have no choice but to move. Women and children are the most impacted by disasters and the effects of climate change, and also account for the majority of displaced people.
“The international community must realise its responsibility to protect people displaced across borders by climate change impacts,” the expert said.
Legal protection
Mr. Fry explained that the world was not operating in a total vacuum in terms of legal protection safeguards, with several options already in place.
“The Human Rights Council should prepare a resolution for submission to the UN General Assembly urging the body to develop an optional protocol under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees to address displacement and legal protection for people all over the world affected by the climate crisis,” the expert said.
“Until then, I urge all nations to develop national legislation to provide humanitarian visas for persons displaced across international borders due to climate change, as an interim measure,” he said.
Independent experts and other UN Human Rights Council-appointed rights experts, work on a voluntary and unpaid basis, are not UN staff, and work independently from any government or organisation.
Bulgarian trace in the theft of a large amount of used oil in France, which is sold for recycling and converted into biofuels, Agence France-Presse reported on 18 June 2023.
The country’s media reported that an organized crime group had been located, specializing in stealing oil from large fast food chains, then selling it for processing in the Netherlands.
The French authorities claim that the price per ton of used oil has risen from 150 to 1,200 Euros per ton in recent years. The gang have found a profitable business precisely in this jump in the market. The oil is filtered and then is usually combined with methanol to create a fuel that traditional diesel engines can run on.
In a special operation, the French police invaded premises used by the Bulgarian gang. They found 250 barrels of used stolen oil, amounting to 36,000 liters. Used fat is sold quite legally in both Belgium and Spain. There are companies buying this oil, which then recycle it using special machines and use it as biofuel.
In 2016, a law was passed in France, according to which all establishments and restaurateurs who use oil and waste fat are obliged to collect it in cans or barrels. The reason – if it gets into a sewer, it can be particularly polluting. If the provision is not followed, violators face up to 2 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 EUR.
On Mar 21, 2023, Luke Whelan reported for express.co.uk that a Bulgarian gang travels 100 miles to steal cooking oil from Morrisons (UK). There has been a surge in the number of thieves posing as recycling workers so they can steal cooking oil. On March 20, the trio were fined £525 each at Norwich Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to attempted theft in October last year.
“So far, the ceasefire between the M23 and the FARDC has held up relatively well and has contributed to some security gains”, said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee.
“The relative calm in Rutshuru territory, for example, allowed more than 45,000 people from the Bishusha group to return home”, she said.
She noted, however, that M23’s withdrawal from territory has been “piecemeal, tactical, and political”, while the armed group still controls much of Masisi and Rutshuru, together with the movement of people and goods in these areas.
Moreover, its “offensive repositioning in recent weeks” raises fears that hostilities could resume at any time.
She applauded the efforts of regional leaders to engage the parties concerned in implementing the decisions of the Luanda Road Map and the Nairobi process. She reiterated the readiness of the UN mission in DRC, MONUSCO, to back up Congolese authorities with the “pre-cantonment and disarmament” of the powerful rebel force.
Ms. Pobee said she was pleased to note that last week, MONUSCO, the East African Community Regional Force and the expanded Joint Verification Mechanism had undertaken a reconnaissance mission to the Rumangabo base, to assess the conditions for beginning the disarmament and demobilization process of M23 in earnest.
“For these efforts to bear fruit, it is urgent that the M23 withdraw completely from the occupied territories, lay down its arms unconditionally and join the Demobilization, Disarmament, Recovery and Community Stabilization Programme,” she added.
She noted the security gains in North Kivu are fragile and overshadowed by the deteriorating situation in Ituri province, which has suffered from the security vacuum created by the redeployment of FARDC to North Kivu.
More than 600 people have been killed by armed groups in the past three months, with CODECO, the Zairean militia and the ADF, being the main perpetrators of these atrocities.
The senior UN official urged all armed groups to “cease hostilities” and called for the redeployment of national security forces, particularly in Ituri, to restore State authority.
In response to the ongoing insecurity in eastern DRC, MONUSCO continues to “do everything possible to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians.” In Beni, Bunia, Bukavu and Goma, Mission-supported workshops eased tensions and strengthened local capacity to better respond to security challenges, including disinformation. At the same time, the Mission provided direct physical protection for civilians.
To date, between 50.000 and 70.000 displaced people are being protected by MONUSCO forces in the Roe site, located in Djugu territory, Ituri.
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, briefs members of the UN Security Council.
Often ignored crisis
Insecurity in eastern DRC continued to fuel a long-standing humanitarian crisis often ignored by the international community, said Ms. Pobee.
An estimated 6.3 million people have been displaced within the country and since March 2022, more than 2.8 million have fled their homes in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces due to insecurity.
Currently, around 28 per cent of the population of North Kivu and 39 per cent of Ituri’s regular population are displaced.
This situation has been further aggravated by inflation, epidemics and natural disasters, including last month’s floods in Kahele territory in South Kivu, which killed more than 470 people and left thousands missing. At the same time, nearly 26 million people, more than a quarter of the population, face food insecurity in the DRC.
The top Africa official expressed particular concern about the increasing number of women and girls who are becoming victims of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Gender-based violence increased by 2.3 per cent across the country and by 73 per cent in North Kivu province alone, compared to the same period last year.
She said the humanitarian response falls far short of the unprecedented level of need, welcoming the start of a system-wide scale-up response in eastern DRC for an initial period of three months.
Pockets of instability
In addition to security and humanitarian challenges in the east, pockets of instability have resurfaced in the west and south of the country. Violence persisted in Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Kwango provinces, and has spread to Maluku in Kinshasa province, Ms. Pobee said. Tensions and violence were also reported in Kindu, Tshopo and Katanga.
She urged authorities to hold perpetrators to account and take steps to strengthen social cohesion in order to preserve stability in these areas.
Hate speech continues
She said she was particularly alarmed by “the restriction of civic space and the increase in hate speech” and expressed concern at reports of an increase in violence against women political leaders and activists.
Regarding the scheduled departure of the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, she said it was necessary to “stay the course for an orderly, gradual and responsible transition“.
“MONUSCO’s departure is planned and initial steps are being taken in several areas. However, MONUSCO’s withdrawal must not compromise the protection of civilians. We must avoid creating security vacuums,” she said.
“An orderly and responsible transition depends on the ability of national security forces to deploy and respond effectively wherever the security situation requires it,” she insisted.
Today, more than 100 armed conflicts are raging worldwide, devastating communities, winding back development, and leading to grave violations of human rights.
Ranging from severe beatings to sexual humiliation and rape, torture iswidely used as a means of war. And often, torture involves the use of tools or instruments, mock executions, and forcing victims to watch family members also being tortured, said the UN human rights chief Volker Türk.
Torture happens in both official detention centres as well as secret sites, away from any scrutiny.
In a video address Mr. Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled meeting a victim of torture whose harrowing story left an indelible mark: “It revealed the horror of what human beings are capable of inflicting on one another. He will carry that deep trauma for the rest of his life.”
Torture is a serious crime, unequivocally prohibited under international law, and never justified under any circumstances.
Under the UN Convention against Torture all States must investigate and prosecute allegations of torture, as well as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. They are obligated to prevent torture through every possible means.
“Yet in almost all cases, the people who ordered and commit the crime of torture escape justice”, said the OHCHR chief.
The Committee against Torture, a body of 10 independent human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention, regularly reminds States of their obligations to educate and inform all military personnel, especially those charged with duties related to detention, about the prohibition.
“States must take a zero-tolerance approach in investigating and prosecuting acts of torture committed by their regular armed forces, and those forces under their effective control,” said Claude Heller, the Committee’s chair, “A vital first step in this is the explicit criminalization of torture at the domestic level.”
Help to the victims
The scale of torture is alarming, with hundreds of thousands of victims spanning prisoners of war, human rights activists, and innocent civilians who can be caught up in random sweeps. Such acts of brutality occur in thousands of locations across countries on every continent, the UN rights chief reminded.
He said it was especially important to ensure that “torture – wherever it takes place – is documented, investigated, prosecuted and punished.”
By establishing the facts and seeking accountability, much needed help can be extended to victims of torture.
“Every torture victim has a right to acknowledgement, justice and redress”, said Mr. Türk.
Over four decades ago, the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture was established to provide social assistance, medical care, psychological support, and to help victims secure justice and deter future acts of torture.
It works with civil society groups in more than 120 countries and has reached over one million survivors. Today, however, the demand for the Fund’s assistance is so high, that thousands of requests for aid have had to be turned down.
“We need more funds to match rising demand,” said the rights chief in a tweet.
Taking away torture tools
The High Commissioner said that another effective way of preventing future cases of torture away from the battlefield, was to go after the trade in instruments of torture.
“I am fully supportive of all efforts to limit trade in items that could be used for torture, including through a new international torture-free trade treaty”, he said.
With a deepening refugee crisis, security breakdowns and conflicts, urgent action is required to address the escalating challenges faced by millions forced on the run worldwide.
“We are witnessing a concerning increase in the number of refugees in need of resettlement in 2024. Resettlement remains a critical lifeline for those most at risk and with specific needs,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Asia region tops the list, with nearly 730,000 refugees likely requiring resettlement support, representing around 30 per cent of the total.
Urgent assistance
With the Syrian war extending into its 13th year and remaining the world’s largest refugee situation, refugees there continue to need the most resettlement support for the eighth consecutive year, with around 754,000 requiring urgent assistance.
Refugees from Afghanistan are estimated to have the second-highest level of needs, followed by refugees from South Sudan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“I ask all States with the means to step up and provide sustainable and multi-year resettlement commitments to offer safety and protection to those in need and to share the international community’s responsibility for refugees”, urged Mr. Grandi.
Resettlement provides a lifeline of hope and protection to those facing extreme risks by offering a durable solution while at the same time playing a pivotal role in relieving the pressure on host countries and strengthening the broader protection framework.
