Christians in Syria doomed to disappear in 20 years

Bureau adopts further decision on strengthening transparency and accountability

Parliament calls for an annual ‘European day for the victims of the global climate crises’ to be established to remember the human lives lost due to climate change.

In the resolution, adopted with 395 votes to 109 and 31 abstentions on Thursday, Parliament proposes to hold this day annually -starting this year on 15 July 2023- and invites the Council and the Commission to back the initiative.

MEPs say it is appropriate to commemorate the victims of the climate crises and highlight that it would help to raise awareness of the human lives lost and humanitarian crisis caused by climate change.

They point out that climate change is leading to more unpredictable weather phenomena, including more frequent and intense heatwaves, wildfires and floods, to threats to food, water safety and security, and to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, which are intensifying and taking an ever-greater human toll both globally and in Europe.

Background

Parliament has adopted the European Climate Law, which obliges the EU by law to become climate neutral by 2050 and to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% in 2030. Parliament has also recently adopted key laws as part of the ‘Fit for 55’-package in order to reach that target. On 29 November 2019, Parliament declared a climate and environmental emergency in Europe and globally.

Tea pickers in Kenya are destroying the robots that are replacing them in the fields

By

Gaston de Persigny

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16 June 2023

Just one machine can replace 100 workers

Kenyan tea pickers destroy machines brought in to replace them in violent protests that highlight the challenge facing workers as more agribusiness companies rely on automation to cut costs, reports Semafor Africa.

According to local media reports, at least 10 tea picking machines have been set on fire during protests over the past year. In the latest demonstrations, one protester was killed and several people were injured, including 23 police officers and farm workers. The Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) estimated the value of the destroyed machinery at $1.2 million after nine machines belonging to Ekaterra, maker of the best-selling Lipton tea brand, were destroyed in May.

In March, a local government task force recommended that tea companies in Kericho, the largest city that hosts many of the country’s tea plantations, adopt a new ratio of 60:40 between mechanized and manual tea picking. The task force also wants legislation to be passed to restrict the importation of tea picking machinery. Nicholas Kirui, a member of the task force and former CEO of KTGA, tells Semafor Africa that in Kericho County alone, 30,000 jobs have been lost to mechanization in the last decade.

“We held public hearings in all the counties and with all the different groups, and the overwhelming opinion we heard was that the machines should go,” Kirui says.

In 2021, Kenya exported $1.2 billion worth of tea, making it the third largest tea exporter in the world, after China and Sri Lanka. Multinational companies including Browns Investments, George Williamson and Ekaterra – which was sold by Unilever to a private equity firm in July 2022 – plant tea on about 200,000 acres in Kericho and have all adopted mechanized harvesting.

Some machines are reported to be able to replace 100 workers. Ekaterra’s director of corporate affairs in Kenya, Sammy Kirui, says mechanization is “critical” to the company’s operations and the global competitiveness of Kenyan tea. As the government task force has found, a machine can reduce the cost of picking tea to 3 cents per kilogram compared to 11 cents per kilogram for hand picking.

Analysts partly attribute Kenya’s unemployment rate – the highest in East Africa – to the automation of industries including banking and insurance. In the last quarter of 2022, about 13.9% of Kenyans of working age (above 16) were unemployed or long-term unemployed.

Automation will only continue to develop at breakneck speed not only in rural Kenya, but also in other sectors of countries in Africa – especially with the spread of artificial intelligence. Anger in tea-picking areas may be just an early sign of future tensions if governments and companies do not find ways to help workers.

The majority of tea pickers are young, many are women, and often lack the opportunities and skills to develop outside the tea sector. Retraining farm workers, as well as creating more jobs and diversifying the economies of tea-growing communities, will be key to countering the violence and growing anger.

“My ministry is committed to opening up the labor market to increase employment opportunities for Kenyans,” Labor Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore said on a trip to Kericho, days after the latest wave of protests in May. She added that efforts are being made to resolve the dispute between local residents and tea companies.

The private sector can also play a role in retraining workers. Kirui shared that Ekaterra is keen to partner with local communities on projects involving technical and vocational education and training centres.

Mechanization makes business sense for tea growers and they are unlikely to give up the tea picking machines that reduce their costs. But the trend is likely to continue to hurt rural communities, where farm workers are central to economic activity. Workers and residents will continue to resist these changes as they have no alternative employment options.

The largest exporter of tea in the world is China. In an article calling for more efficient mechanization of tea picking in China, published in March, Wu Luofa of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences notes that manual tea picking represents more than the half of the cost of tea production.

“The development and promotion of tea picking machines is beneficial to increase labor productivity, reduce labor costs, increase the market competitiveness of tea products and promote the sustainable development of the tea industry,” he said.

According to Tabitha Njuguna, managing director of African Commodity Exchange AFEX in Kenya, the introduction of technology and mechanization is key to unlocking the potential of agriculture in Africa and should therefore be embraced despite the discontent of some workers.

“We find that the potential disruptions caused by the integration of technology and mechanization may seem initially threatening, but it is important that all stakeholders (agricultural organizations, farmers, processors) involved see them as increasingly inevitable she tells Semafor Africa.

In February, a BBC documentary revealed widespread sexual harassment and abuse on tea farms in Kericho, with 70 women being abused by their managers on plantations run by British companies Unilever and James Finlay.

The Russian Church has declared pacifism incompatible with Orthodoxy

By

Newsdesk

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16 June 2023

The Russian Orthodox Church claims that pacifism is incompatible with the teachings of the Orthodox Church, as evidenced by its presence in heretical teachings. This is stated in the materials for the meeting of the ecclesiastical court, at which the statements of the priest from Kostroma Ioan Burdin, who was placed under ban for his anti-war stance, will be examined. The case materials were published by Father Ioan Burdin on his Telegram channel.

The meeting, scheduled for June 16, is to consider the statements of Father John Burdin, which “clearly denigrate the activities of the higher church authorities”, “undermine the confidence of the faithful in the patriarch and bishops” and harm “ecclesiastical unity”, according to the materials of the case.

“The pacifism with which priest Burdin tries to protect himself from the accusations against him is incompatible with the true teaching of the Orthodox Church, in particular with that set forth in the Foundations of the Social Concept,” the indictment also said.

According to Russian church figures, “pacifism was present in heretical teachings in various periods of church history – among the Gnostics, Paulicians, Bogomils, Albigensians and Tolstoists, showing, like other utopian ideologies, a connection with the ancient Hiliasm,” the case materials say . It is noted that throughout its history the Orthodox Church has “blessed the soldiers for the defense of the Fatherland”.

In reality, however, the Orthodox Church has never condemned “pacifism” and the reluctance to go to war because of God’s categorical and unequivocal commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” A number of canons prescribe penances (periods of penance and abstinence from Holy Communion) for combatants who have taken human life.

The charges state that “Ioan Burdin’s pacifism is in fact imaginary” and his statements “clearly show his anti-Russian political position, which is perceived as unacceptable in our country”, as reported by dveri.bg.

Ukraine: 700,000 people affected by water shortages from dam disaster

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16 June 2023

Ukraine: 700,000 people affected by water shortages from dam disaster

On Friday, relief supplies were delivered to vulnerable families in the rural Kherson region close to the front line.

The destruction of the dam on 6 June has impacted water supplies, sanitation and sewage systems, in addition to health services.

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Boat deliveries

As part of the aid effort, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN World Food Programme (WFP) transported live-saving water and food to families by boat, only 15 kilometres from the contact line.

“We are using today four boats to deliver assistance to these 500 families, a small community that is here close by where I am now”, said Saviano Abreu, head of communications for UN aid coordination office OCHA, in Ukraine.

“These communities, they already have been facing the consequences of the war. This area was under Russian control. Late last year around November, it was retaken by Ukraine and now, they are now facing this new catastrophe with the flooding here.”

UN agencies and humanitarian partners continue to support the urgent needs of people affected by the Kakhovka Dam blast in eastern Ukraine.

Cut off from drinking water

The emptying of Kakhovka Reservoir has left tens of thousands of people in southern Ukraine without access to piped water, mainly in the Dnipro region.

The reservoir – one of the largest in Europe – is reportedly 70 per cent empty, according to Ukrainian authorities. The width of the reservoir has also decreased from three kilometres to one, while the water level is now at around seven meters, well below the 12-metre operational threshold, OCHA reported.

“Our calculation is that 200,000 people in the Dnipro region, for example, have already been cut off from the water from their houses,” said Mr. Abreu.

But that could rise to affect more than 700,000 people as the reservoir is the only source for that whole part of southern Ukraine, not just the Kherson region, he warned.

Large urban areas in the Dnipro region, including Pokrovska, Nikopolska and Marhanetska, are completely cut off from centralized water and others like Apostolivska and Zelenodolska have extremely limited access.

Deadly mine displacement

The receding floodwater has also created other deadly challenges in the form of landmines that have been scattered far and wide.

“This area, I think it is one of the most mine contaminated parts of the world,” said Mr Saviano. “It is the reason, why for example, agriculture in Kherson, in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia have been impacted because of the mine contamination, so the floodwater is moving the mines, that is a reality.”

Abigail Hartley, Chief of Policy, Advocacy and Donor Relations section from the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) added that “when the water subsides the mines are there.

“(The) good thing is that mines float, so they do stay on the surface. But, of course, there’s a lot of other flood debris and they can get buried in sediment. So, it is a challenge”.

She said Ukrainian authorities had done “a good job of de-mining so far”.

Since the destruction of Kakhovka dam, OCHA and humanitarian partners have continued life-saving operations. At least 10 inter-agency convoys have reached those in need.

UN News/Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer – Abigail Hartley, UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Chief of Policy, Advocacy, Donor Relations and Outreach.

Mediterranean migrant shipwreck: Swift action needed to prevent new tragedy

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16 June 2023

Mediterranean migrant shipwreck: Swift action needed to prevent new tragedy

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Duty to rescue people in distress

In a joint statement, refugee agency UNHCR and migration agency IOM, said that the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay was a “fundamental” rule of the international maritime law.

They underscored that the current approach to Mediterranean Sea crossings – one of the world’s most dangerous and deadly migration routes – was “unworkable”.

According to figures released by the IOM on Tuesday, last year 3,800 people died on migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa – the highest number since 2017.

The recent tragedy adds to the gruesome statistics. While the number of people aboard the boat is still not clear, it is believed to have been somewhere between 400 and 750.

The boat was reportedly in distress as of Tuesday morning. A large-scale search and rescue operation was announced by the Hellenic Coast Guard on the morning of 14 June, after the vessel capsized.

UN support continues

UNHCR and IOM representatives have been on the ground in Kalamata in southern Greece working with the authorities to provide support and assistance to survivors.

These include non-food items, hygiene kits, interpretation services and counselling for survivors.

The agencies said they welcome investigations underway by Greek authorities into the circumstances leading up to the disaster.

‘Unworkable’

“It is clear that the current approach to the Mediterranean is unworkable. Year after year, it continues to be the most dangerous migration route in the world, with the highest fatality rate.

“States need to come together and address the gaps in proactive search and rescue, quick disembarkation, and safe regular pathways,” said Federico Soda, IOM Director for the Department of Emergencies.

UNHCR called on the European Union to put “safety and solidarity at the heart of its action in the Mediterranean”.

Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs said in view of increased migrant numbers, “collective efforts, including greater coordination between all Mediterranean States, solidarity, and responsibility-sharing, as reflected in the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, are essential to save lives.”

The agency continues to advocate for the establishment of an agreed regional disembarkation and redistribution mechanism.

Make traffickers accountable

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk added his voice, reiterating that the incident highlighted the need to fully investigate people smugglers and human traffickers and ensure that they are brought to justice.

He voiced solidarity with the survivors and the families of the victims, many of whom are women and children.

Mr. Türk called on States to open more regular migration channels, enhance responsibility-sharing, and ensure the safe and timely disembarkation of all people rescued at sea.

Haiti: ‘Take urgent action now’ urges ECOSOC President

By

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16 June 2023

Haiti: ‘Take urgent action now’ urges ECOSOC President

Lachezara Stoeva was addressing a special crisis meeting on Haiti organized by ECOSOC to address the country’s urgent food security needs and noted that the humanitarian response plan for this year is only 22.6 per cent funded.

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Wake-up call

“This plan targets 3.2 million Haitian people whereas around 5.2 million Haitian people are in need. This should be our wake-up call”, she told the group of Prime Ministers, UN aid chiefs, civil society and other stakeholders gathered at UN Headquarters in New York.

During the high-level meeting, both the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced they would be travelling to Haiti in the next few days to highlight the depth of the crisis there.

The recent earthquake, flooding and landslides, have exacerbated political and economic turmoil combined with rampant insecurity and violence perpetrated by armed gangs – all of which has triggered a food and health crisis for millions.

“We must learn the lessons of our past efforts in Haiti. A whole-of-society approach that engages the Haitian people would be key to building resilient food systems”, she said, calling for bold thinking combined with immediate action.

‘Alarming’ descent

Bob Rae, Chair of the ECOSOC Advisory Group on Haiti said the crisis was continuing to deteriorate “at an alarming rate.”

Humanitarian needs have doubled in the last year. Now 1.8 million Haitians are facing emergency levels of food insecurity and nearly five million do not have enough to eat. “This represents half of the country’s population”, he added.

UNICEF delivering: Russell

UNICEF chief Catherine Russell warned that the country was “on the precipice of catastrophe.”

She reminded the meeting the agency had worked in Haiti for decades and remained deeply committed to supporting all children there.

“Alongside our partners, we are engaging with community leaders and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian workers and supplies”, she said.

“We are also expanding our response in health, nutrition, protection, education, water, sanitation and hygiene. So far this year, we have screened more than 243,000 children under five for wasting, helped nearly 70,000 women and children access healthcare, provided more over 417,000 people with safe water and reached 30,000 children with learning materials.”

Action is now long overdue, she said, announcing her intention to go to Haiti “in the coming days” to assess the collective response and “reiterate UNICEF’s commitment to helping the Haitian people.”

Investments and action are sorely needed for Haiti, she said.

“Let’s work together to make sure this happens. Together we can join with the Haitian people to break through the cycle of crises and begin building towards a more peaceful and hopeful future.”

Welcome focus on ‘forgotten crisis’: McCain

WFP chief Cindy McCain, said she would be on the ground next week, “so I welcome your focus on this forgotten crisis.”

The situation is dire and getting worse every day, she added.

“Hunger has reached record levels. 4.9 million people – almost half of the population – are acutely food insecure. This includes 1.8 million people who are at serious risk of starvation.”

She said that “a coordinated and well-funded humanitarian response must be part of the broader strategy to restore security and political stability in Haiti.”

Despite the challenges, WFP has stayed and delivered, with support for 1.8 million people and the aim of reaching 2.3 million through this year, having already supported 1.4 million with lifesaving food and livelihood support so far.

“But we urgently need the support of the international community. Without additional funds, we will not be able to reach all those we are targeting for help”, Ms. McCain stressed.

“Ladies and gentlemen: we must act now, and work together to get food and cash transfers to the millions of people who are relying on us. Together we can make a difference – and help the people of Haiti rebuild their shattered lives.”

Build local food resilience

The UN’s Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, told the special meeting that the UN was working hand-in-hand with the Government, together with local and international partners, to make food systems more resilient.

This includes a recent national policy and strategy for food security and independence, and it must not be forgotten how the impact of climate change and climate risks are jeopardizing food supplies.

The UN in Haiti is promoting local production and boosting local farming, through measures such as basing school food programmes on locally produced crops. By 2030, she said all food programmes should be entirely locally sourced.

“Addressing root causes of instability and restoring social and economic wellbeing in Haiti can be achieved through promoting food sovereignty, recalibrating agrifood policies, fostering stakeholder consensus and leveraging international support.”

Sudan’s Darfur spiralling into ‘humanitarian calamity’: UN aid chief

By

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16 June 2023

Sudan’s Darfur spiralling into ‘humanitarian calamity’: UN aid chief

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned in a statement issued late on Thursday night that conditions in the province were particularly dire: babies dying in hospitals, children and mothers suffering from severe malnutrition, camps for displaced persons burned down and sexual violence on the rise.

He deplored spreading inter-communal violence in Darfur that threatens to reignite the ethnic tensions that stoked deadly conflict there 20 years ago.

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‘Not again’

The top UN official highlighted reports of ethnic killings in West Darfur’s capital El Geneina and stressed that Darfur was rapidly spiralling into a “humanitarian calamity”.

The world cannot allow this to happen, “not again”, Mr. Griffiths said.

Devastating toll

The conflict continues to take a devastating toll on people across the country. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that an additional 2.5 million are expected to slip into hunger in the coming months.

WFP has provided food aid to nearly one million people in 14 of the country’s 18 states since resuming operations on 3 May; the UN agency plans to expand support to 5.9 million people by the end of the year.

UN rights chief calls for accountability

The killers of West Darfur’s Governor Khamis Abdullah Abbakar and their commanders must be held to account for their crime, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Friday.

Governor Abbakar was killed on 14 June just hours after he was arrested by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – which for two months has been engaged in heavy fighting against the national army – in West Darfur’s capital El-Geneina, where inter-ethnic violence has risen rapidly since the military showdown began.

The Governor himself belonged to the Massalit community and OHCHR expressed concern about a shocking rise in hate speech in West Darfur against the Massalit and the Nuba ethnic groups.

Almost 3 million children ‘desperately need protection and support’ in Haiti

By

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15 June 2023

Almost 3 million children ‘desperately need protection and support’ in Haiti

“Being a child in Haiti today is harsher and more dangerous than it ever has been in living memory. The threats and hardships children face are simply unimaginable. They desperately need protection and support,” said UNICEF Haiti Representative Bruno Maes.

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Displacement and violence

Children find themselves in the crossfire, or directly targeted, as armed groups terrorize the population in their fight for territory and control, mainly in the capital Port-au-Prince, and increasingly in the neighbouring Artibonite region, said UNICEF.

Children are being killed or injured on their way to school while women and girls face extreme sexual violence, the agency noted. Kidnappings for ransom have skyrocketed, as have attacks on schools. Tens of thousands have been displaced by the violence.

Chronic Malnutrition

At the same time, hunger and life-threatening malnutrition are at record levels across the country, UNICEF said, concentrated in the capital’s poorest and most insecure neighbourhoods, where some families are essentially trapped and cut off from essential services.

The number of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition shot up by 30 per cent since last year, and nearly one in four suffers from chronic malnutrition.

Vulnerability to armed groups

Violence, poverty and despair are driving children towards armed groups, UNICEF continued.

Many children and young people in Port-au-Prince say they are being forced to join armed groups for protection or because it means food and income for the family. Some say they provide a sense of identity and belonging.

In addition to the violence, hunger and diseases such as cholera, Haiti faces the constant threat of violent storms and earthquakes. In early June, heavy rains, which coincided with the start of the hurricane season, caused destructive and deadly flooding. It was followed by a deadly earthquake just days later in Grand Anse.

Urgent need for funding

Nearly three million children are in need in Haiti this year, the highest number on record. But funding falls far short of the humanitarian needs. UNICEF’s $246 million funding requirement for Haiti this year is less than 15 per cent funded.

UNICEF is scaling up its operations and expanding its presence in the field, despite the limited funding. Together with partners, the agency said it was delivering lifesaving support.

“Despite the massive challenges, humanitarian support has helped stave off catastrophic hunger and malnutrition. But far more is needed. The international community cannot turn its back on Haiti’s children in their hour of most profound need,” said Mr. Maes.

UN chief insists on solidarity with people of Syria, with ‘no time to spare’

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15 June 2023

UN chief insists on solidarity with people of Syria, with ‘no time to spare’

The UN was asking for $11.1 billion dollars – its largest appeal worldwide – to support Syrians inside the country and those displaced in the broader region, Mr. Guterres said.

By the end of the conference, donors announced €5.6 billion in grants, tweeted the UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi, reiterating that pledges must “translate into tangible contributions for Syrians inside the country, those on the move and the countries hosting them.

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Severe underfunding

Only about a tenth of the necessary funding for 2023 has been secured so far and needs are sky-high, after a devastating earthquake in February compounded suffering brought on by more than a decade of war.

Nearly the entire population of the country lives below the poverty line. Mr. Guterres warned that there was “no time to spare”, as aid will run out for 2.5 million Syrians next month, for lack of financing.

Political solution sorely needed

Mr. Guterres also reiterated his call for a sustainable political solution to the conflict that would involve all Syrians.

“We must chart a path forward for the Syrian people to find a degree of stability and a measure of hope for the future”, he said, stressing that this required progress towards “credible and comprehensive” negotiations, in line with Security Council resolution 2254. Adopted in December 2015, the resolution drew up a road map for a peace process in Syria.

Displaced children stand in front of their family’s tent in an informal camp in southern Syria.

Status quo ‘unacceptable and unsustainable’

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, echoed this call, saying that it was urgent to renew the intra-Syrian political process, as the current situation in the country was “unacceptable and unsustainable”.

“Average Syrians have yet to see any dividend from diplomacy,” he deplored.

Mr. Pedersen also underscored the need to ensure humanitarian access “via all modalities, including cross-line and cross-border”. He joined Mr. Guterres in calling for a 12-month extension of the Security Council’s authorization for cross-border aid access from Türkiye into northwestern Syria, a lifeline for millions in the area.

‘Astronomical’ human toll

In a joint statement to the conference, Filippo Grandi, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) chief, Martin Griffiths, head of the UN aid coordination office (OCHA), and Achim Steiner who leads the UN Development Programme (UNDP), called the human cost of the Syrian crisis “astronomical”.

Seven out of ten people in the country – more than 15 million in total – need humanitarian aid and protection, they said.

Some 12 million are food insecure, while one in four Syrian children are stunted and risk “irreversible damage” to their development.

Solidarity with refugees

The crisis has driven more than 13 million people to flee their homes, including 6.8 million Syrian refugees who escaped to neighbouring countries.

The UN leaders underscored the generosity of host countries in the region – Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Türkiye – in supporting the refugees.

They called for increased international solidarity with those countries as they find themselves “reeling from global economic pressures”.

The statement noted that conditions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Türkiye have deteriorated in recent years, with nine in 10 refugees unable to cover their basic needs, while in Jordan almost two thirds were forced into debt.

The heads of UN agencies also highlighted the plight of Syrian refugee women and girls, who face widespread gender inequality and higher risks of violence.