Can the way we see ourselves in relation to the natural world create a greater sense of responsibility and stewardship towards nature? Global awareness about the degradation of nature, climate change and unsustainable resource use is increasing and our responses to these challenges need to accelerate. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, discusses the way we see ourselves in relation to nature, how that can affect the actions we take towards sustainability, and how a new mindset could create a greater sense of responsibility.
The way humans have affected the Earth, its climate and ecosystems has prompted thinking about our time as a new geological period — ‘the Anthropocene’ — where our actions have lasting and potentially irreversible effect on the planet.
The EEA briefing notes that humans are deeply interconnected with and dependent on other life forms and ecosystems. However even well-intended policies and initiatives of the past have been based on the divide between ‘us’, humans, and ‘them’, the other species.
Achieving sustainability requires us to move from viewing nature as a source of capital to respecting its inherent value, the EEA briefing argues.
This could reframe our approach to policy responses in the EU and globally and help us address several challenges including overconsumption, inequality, power asymmetries, vested interests, and short-termism.
The EEA briefing is part of the ‘Narratives for change’ series, which brings new perspectives to the fore that could trigger change in the way we think and act towards sustainability.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague accused Putin and the children’s ombudsman of the President of the Russian Federation, Maria Lvova-Belova, of war crimes. An arrest warrant has been issued for both of them. The accusation is that thousands of Ukrainian children were deported to Russia and held in camps or handed over to Russian families, which in wartime is considered a war crime.
Maria Lvova-Belova is the wife of a priest who was ordained in 2019. This is the year his wife became a member of the United Russia party and was immediately elected a member of the party’s presidium.
Previously, Maria Lvova-Belova headed a foundation in Penza for the care of disabled and elderly people. Demonstrated great activity, widely covered by the media – took custody of more than ten disabled children, performed mass baptisms of sick children, to whom she became godmother. Opens care centers for the disabled, collects donations. She herself has five children and as many adopted children. In the local press, from the homes for the disabled, there are reports against her of abuses, for making loans in the name of the patients with whom her foundation has access, but they remain uninvestigated. She is also accused of being rude to children, with whom she communicates only when media and sponsors come, of often accepting orphaned children into her home with promises of adoption, after which they are returned to orphanages, etc. However, she creates a strong media image of a young leader, and the acceptance of church rank by her husband, until then a programmer by profession, contributes to her image as a church benefactor.
At the end of 2021, she was chosen by President Putin as the ombudsman for children’s rights, where she replaced the previous ombudsman, Anna Kuznetsova, also the wife of a priest.
The removal of Ukrainian children from the territories occupied by Russian troops began to be reported at the beginning of the war. Initially, the Russian side claimed that it was only orphan children, permanently placed in homes, who were taken to Russia and given for adoption to families, mainly in the Far East.
On March 8, 2022, Le Monde newspaper published an open letter from a collective of intellectuals and child psychiatrists: “Deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia has signs of genocide.” Among other things, the letter notes that “the forced resettlement of minors in Russia is part of Vladimir Putin’s project to eradicate the Ukrainian identity and nation.”
On April 13, children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova stated at the All-Russian Forum “To live and be brought up in a family” that it is important for orphaned children from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics to be placed in Russian families. In July, it became known that 108 children aged 5 to 16, taken out of orphanages in the DPR in Russia, were placed with adoptive families in Moscow, Moscow, Voronezh, Kaluga and Tula regions, as well as in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. All children received Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure. As of August 8 of this year, according to data from Lvova-Belova, about 400 orphaned children from the LPR can be adopted by families from 11 Russian regions. According to the ombudsman, these are only children who have lived in orphanages for a long time.
On May 30, Russian President Putin simplified the granting of Russian citizenship to Ukrainian orphans. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that in this way “Putin practically legalized child abduction.”
On June 14, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, said that Ukrainian children taken to Russia after the start of the war should not be adopted by Russian families. From the point of view of international law, the forcible deportation of minors to an aggressor country is considered a crime against humanity.
According to official data of Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, as of June 18, 307,423 children were taken from Ukraine to Russia. Of these, two to five thousand are orphans, and the rest are taken “for rehabilitation, recreation in camps, evacuated to a safe place.”
According to the Ukrainian side, nearly 700,000 children have been deported to Russia to date. Many parents have no contact with their children, nor do they know their whereabouts.
In November 2022, a conference was held in Paris dedicated to the “illegal deportation of children from Ukraine during the full-scale aggression of Russia”. In it, the writer Jonathan Littel compares the methods of the Russians and the Nazis, who forcibly adopted tens of thousands of “Aryan” children from Poland.
The judgment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague states that “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms. Lvova-Belova is personally responsible for the aforementioned crimes, having committed these acts directly, jointly with other persons and (or) through the actions of other persons’. Maria Lvova-Beleva said for her part that she accepts the decision of the court in The Hague as recognition of her activity:
“It’s great that the international community appreciates the work we do to help children in our country, that we don’t leave them in a war zone, that we take them outside, that we create good conditions for them, that we surround them with loving and caring people. There were sanctions against me from all countries, even from Japan, now there is an arrest warrant, I wonder what will happen next”.
The study, released on Monday ahead of the historic UN Water Conference, reviewed household access to WASH services, the burden of WASH-attributable deaths among children under five, and exposure to climate and environmental hazards, revealing where children face the biggest threat, and where investment in solutions is desperately needed to prevent unnecessary deaths.
“Africa is facing a water catastrophe. While climate and water-related shocks are escalating globally, nowhere else in the world do the risks compound as severely for children,” said UNICEF Director of Programmes Sanjay Wijesekera.
“Devastating storms, floods, and historic droughts are already destroying facilities and homes, contaminating water resources, creating hunger crises, and spreading disease. But as challenging as the current conditions are, without urgent action, the future could be much more bleak.”
The triple threat was found to be most acute in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Somalia, making West and Central Africa one of the world’s most water-insecure and climate-impacted regions, according to the analysis. Many of the worst-affected countries, particularly in the Sahel, are also facing instability and armed conflict, further aggravating children’s access to clean water and sanitation.
Across the 10 hotspots, nearly one-third of children do not have access to at least basic water at home, and two-thirds do not have basic sanitation services. A quarter of children have no choice but to practise open defecation. Hand hygiene is also limited, with three-quarters of children unable to wash their hands because of lack of water and soap at home.
As a result, these countries also carry the heaviest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate WASH, such as diarrhoeal diseases. For example, six of the 10 have faced cholera outbreaks over the past year. Globally, more than 1,000 children under five die every day from WASH-related diseases, with around two out of five concentrated in these 10 countries alone.
Accelerated action is needed to ensure safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
Vulnerable to climate threats
These hotspots also rank within the top 25 per cent of 163 countries globally with the highest risk of exposure to climate and environmental threats. Higher temperatures – which accelerate pathogen replication – are increasing 1.5 times faster than the global average in parts of West and Central Africa. Groundwater levels are also dropping, requiring some communities to dig wells twice as deep as just a decade ago. At the same time, rainfall has become more erratic and intense, leading to floods that contaminate scarce water supplies.
All 10 countries are also classified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as fragile or extremely fragile, with the stresses of armed conflict in some countries threatening to reverse progress toward safe water and sanitation.
For example, Burkina Faso has seen a ramping up of attacks on water facilities as a tactic to displace communities. Fifty-eight water points were attacked in 2022, and more than 830,000 people – over half of whom are children – lost access to safe drinking water in the last year.
The new Effort Sharing Regulation reduces the allowed maximum level of greenhouse gas emissions in member states from transport, buildings and agriculture until 2030.
Parliament today adopted with 486 votes to 132 and 10 abstentions the revision of the so-called Effort Sharing Regulation. It sets binding annual reductions for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission for road transport, heating of buildings, agriculture, small industrial installations and waste management for each EU member state and currently regulates roughly 60% of all EU emissions.
The revised law increases the 2030 GHG reduction target at EU level from 30% to 40% compared to 2005-levels. For the first time, all EU countries must now reduce GHG emissions with targets ranging between 10 and 50%. The 2030-targets for each member state are based on GDP per capita and cost-effectiveness. Member states will also have to ensure every year that they do not exceed their annual GHG emission allocation.
The law strikes a balance between the need for EU countries to be flexible to achieve their targets while ensuring a just and socially fair transition, and the need to close loopholes so the overall EU reduction target is met. For this reason, there are limits on how many emissions member states can save from previous years, borrow from future years as well as on how much they can trade allocations with other member states.
In order to be able to hold member states accountable, the Commission will make information public on national actions in an easily accessible form, as requested by Parliament.
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After the vote, rapporteur Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, SV) said: “With this law, we take a major step forward in delivering on the EU’s climate goals. The new rules for national emission cuts ensure that all member states contribute and that existing loopholes are closed. This allows us to send a clear signal that the EU is serious about being the global champion for a competitive and efficient climate agenda.”
Next Steps
The text now also has to be formally endorsed by Council. It will then be published in the EU Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later.
Background
The Effort Sharing Regulation is part of the “Fit for 55 in 2030 package”, which is the EU’s plan to reduce GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels in line with the European Climate Law.
The call comes amid reports that the situation in Haiti is deteriorating by the day, with citizens facing spiralling violence, human rights, and food emergencies, as well as a cholera epidemic.
The influence of armed gangs is growing exponentially in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond, reaching the Department of Artibonite, the country’s breadbasket. Armed violence – including kidnappings and sexual violence against women and girls – is also surging.
The six senior officials, representing UN aid agencies and international NGOs, met with people who need humanitarian aid, as well as with local and international partners.
They also held talks with Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other senior Government officials, and met with community representatives from areas controlled by, or under the influence of, armed gangs.
UN briefing on Haiti, with Osnat Lubrani, UN Women, Tareq Talahma, OCHA, and Dominic MacSorley, Concern Worldwide
“The humanitarian needs in Haiti are unprecedented,” said Sara Bordas Eddy, Chief of the Humanitarian Field Support Section of UNICEF, at the end of the two-day trip. “The suffering of a Haitian child today is not comparable to the suffering of a Haitian child a few years ago. As humanitarians, we are finding ways to reach those in need including in gang-controlled areas. For that to happen in a sustainable way, we also need the donor community to not give up on Haiti.”
Despite the difficulties, the UN and NGO officials noted that the humanitarian response continues to be scaled up, and committed even more support to aid workers on the ground.
“The population feels desperate, but I also saw the resilience and potential of the women and girls who want to help build a better future for their country, communities and families,” said Shoko Arakaki, Director of the Humanitarian Response Division of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). “They need urgent health and psychosocial support, but also livelihood and economic empowerment for recovery.”
This year, the UN and its partners will need $715 million to help more than three million people in Haiti. This is more than double the sum appealed for last year, and the highest amount since the 2010 earthquake.
Also taking part in the visit were Tareq Talahma, the Acting Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Osnat Lubrani, the Acting Director and Head of the Humanitarian Section of UN Women’s Geneva Office, Dominic MacSorley, the Humanitarian Ambassador for Concern Worldwide, and Mark Smith, Vice President of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs of World Vision.
“More than just humanitarian assistance, what the people of Haiti need is peace, security and protection,” said Mr. Talahma “We cannot let Haiti become a forgotten crisis.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres this week announced the names of seven young climate leaders selected to serve on his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent.
The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the first since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 by 193 countries.
It’s expected to confirm that the world is not on track to mitigate climate change, but some of the findings show we can still keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if dramatic emissions cuts can be made across different sectors.
“Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice. The unrelenting conviction of young people is central to keeping climate goals within reach, kicking the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, and delivering climate justice,” said the Secretary-General.
Magnificent Seven: Who are the new advisers?
Ayisha Siddiqa (United States) is a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender. She is the Co-founder of Polluters Out and Fossil Free University. Her work focuses on uplifting the rights of marginalized communities while holding polluting companies accountable at the international level. She is currently a research scholar at NYU School of Law. Ayisha was recently named a Time magazine Woman of the Year.
Beniamin Strzelecki (Poland) is a climate action and energy transition advocate. He coordinated a global network of youth-led energy organizations and worked with intergovernmental entities, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, Sustainable Energy for All, and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to create opportunities for young people in the energy transition field. He currently co-chairs the Student Energy Summit 2023 and is continuing his studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.
Fatou Jeng (The Gambia) is dedicated to grassroots, national, and international mobilization as a climate educator, frontline activist, and campaigner. Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia in 2017, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian young people to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change.
Fatou holds a Masters’ degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex in the UK. She is also a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the UNFCCC and was recognized as a TOP 100 Young African Conservation Leader by the WWF, in 2022.
Jevanic Henry (Saint Lucia) is a climate and development professional and advocate. He previously served as Climate Change Special Envoy for the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, and was a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. Jevanic worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the Government of Saint Lucia, as well as with the climate change unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat and co-authored a practical guide on enhancing access to climate finance.
He is currently an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow, assigned to the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York.
Josefa Tauli (Philippines) is an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot indigenous youth activist. She is Policy Cocoordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves as the youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An advocate for meaningful youth participation, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge, she has coordinated the engagement of youth delegations to more than 10 rounds of CBD negotiations during the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Joice Mendez (Colombia/Paraguay) is a migrant, social entrepreneur, and climate advocate focused on the nexus of water, food and energy justice. Joice co-founded several local and regional youth organizations, including the Moema Viezzer Environmental Education Observatory, the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics of Energy, and the binational Youth Collective of the Parana Basin 3 from the Cultivating Good Water Initiative – a recipient of the UN-Water Best Practice Award in 2015.
Joice has also supported Paraguay’s National Conference of Youth since 2016 and the National Forum of Water and Youth, and continues to be active in YOUNGO, the Climate Reality Project América Latina.
Saoirse Exton (Ireland) is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future. As a proud Gaelic speaker from Ireland, Saoirse believes that the wealth of knowledge held in traditional languages and storytelling, can re-establish the vital concept of Earth as sacred within capitalism-imposed mindsets. Saoirse is a member of the C40 Cities Global Youth and Mayors’ Forum, a high schooler, and a strong advocate of degrowth.
Youth and climate ambition
“As an organizer and youth activist, I have been working towards pushing the intergovernmental space further on climate ambition. It is a great honor to continue doing this work as an advisor to the Secretary-General,” said Ayisha Siddiqa.
Another key element for young people is that they are often part of local and regional conversations regarding climate change, but local issues can feel removed from conversations about global solutions.
“Coming from a small island developing state, the climate crisis continues to be relentless in negatively impacting lives and livelihoods. Our survival is now dependent on a global community which is unified in urgently advancing the climate agenda, with the power of young people being a catalyst to drive this much needed accelerated action,” said Jevanic Henry.
Members of the Youth Advisory Group will work widely in collaboration with other young leaders and consult with youth climate movements and leaders around the world, to incorporate different perspectives on climate solutions and report findings directly to the Secretary-General.
Delegations during the press conference at Sikyong Auditorium on 10th March 2023.
Dharamshala: To demonstrate their genuine solidarity and support towards resolving the Tibet-China conflict and to express their concerns over China’s enforcement of repressive policies inside Tibet, the distinguished guests of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) spoke at the joint press conference organised by the Department of Information and International Relations, CTA, today in the afternoon of the 64th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day.
The visiting guests comprise a four-member European Parliamentary delegation led by honourable Mikulas Peksa; a nine-member Parliamentary delegation of Mexico led by honourable Salvador Caro Cabrera (members of Tibet Support Groups); and honourable Arunas Valinskas, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament.
Honourable Mikulas Peksa, a European Parliament member, speaking to the media.
Honourable Mikulas Peksa, a European Parliament member, speaking to the media.
Addressing the press meeting held at Sikyong’s Auditorium, Member of the European Parliament honourable Mikulas Peksa briefed the collective experiences of his and his co-parliamentarians’ visits to the CTA and other Tibetan institutions in Dharamshala, expressing that they witnessed very good cooperation within the Central Tibetan Administration and the excellent care provided to Tibetans in exile and other countries. He added, “we have also witnessed very good signs of cooperation between the Central Tibetan Administration and its host country India.”
Honourable Salvador Caro Cabrera, a Mexican politician and a member of Tibet Support Groups, addressing the press conference.
Honourable Salvador Caro Cabrera, who led the nine-member Parliamentary delegation of Mexico, shared their contentment about meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama this morning. He contended that His Holiness is just and legitimate (solution to) the cause of Tibet. Highlighting their visit to Dharamshala as a gesture of support for the Tibet cause, he stressed their denouncement of the one china policy that intends to endanger Tibetan identity. He encouraged non-violence as the guaranteed measure to resolve differences and conflict. To terminate China’s continued execution of atrocities inside Tibet, he acknowledged the existence of a “big team” in Mexico to work on the issue while ensuring their dedicated commitments to resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict.
Honourable Arunas Valinskas, a Lithuanian Parliament member, speaking to the media.
Representing the third group of the delegation, honourable Arunas Valinskas, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament, lauded that “it’s truly fascinating to see what the Tibetan people in exile have done with organising themselves and maintaining their democracy” despite multiple challenges. He assured the existence of numerous groups in Lithuania contributing and supporting the cause of Tibet, including parliamentary and non-parliamentary groups, NGOs, and many intellectuals. Considering the connection between the Lithuanians and Tibetans as “interesting” yet “strange” given the distance and distinction between the two, he said, “if you think about (the relations) in a deeper way, it stops being strange because our nations have gone through similar trials and tribulations”. He continued, “being the victims of oppression is what makes us similar”.
Following the address from the team leaders of each delegation, the speakers answered questions from reporters representing both Tibetan and Indian media houses that were assembled at the joint press meeting.
When asked about their views on the intervention of the Communist Party of China in recognising His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, the three unanimously condemned China’s interference. Arunas Valinskas underscored the issue of His Holiness’ reincarnation “as a matter of wider principles of religious liberty and freedom of conscience whether it’s reincarnation or just the matter of Tibetans to practice their religion”. At the same time, Salvador Caro Cabrera stressed the requisite of global attention on this matter, while Mikulas Peksa regarded His Holiness and CTA as the legitimate authority in recognising the reincarnation of the current Dalai Lama.
The visitors further answered various questions raised by the media persons concerning the possibility of appointing a special coordinator for Tibet in the European Union, the trajectory of China’s domestic politics and its repercussions to Tibet and the wider world, and the authenticity of the dialogue if happened between Tibet and China. The three representatives of visiting delegation also shared their respective experiences of meeting with His Holiness and the messages they want to convey to China by attending today’s official event of the sixty-fourth anniversary of the Tibetan People’s Uprising Day.
Martin Griffths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed ambassadors on the eve of the expiration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly 25 million metric tonnes of foodstuff from Ukraine to reach global markets.
The accord was signed in Türkiye in July 2022, in parallel with a Memorandum of Understanding on Russian food and fertilizer exports.
“It is vital for global food security that both of these agreements continue and will be fully implemented,” he said.
Both Russia and Ukraine are leading suppliers of key food commodities such as wheat, maize and sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizer.
Mr. Griffiths said the world relies on these supplies and has done so for many years.
“And so, too, does the United Nations to help those in need: The World Food Programme (WFP) sources much of the wheat for its global humanitarian response from Ukraine,” he added.
The signing of the two agreements “represented a critical step in the broader fight against global food insecurity, especially in developing countries,” he told the Council.
“Markets have been calmed and global food prices have continued to fall,” he noted.
Stepping up engagement
Mr. Griffiths said the UN is doing everything possible to make sure that the Black Sea Grain Initiative can continue, and is engaging with all the parties.
Additionally, Secretary-General António Guterres and the head of the UN trade agency, UNCTAD, Rebeca Grynspan, “are sparing no effort” to facilitate the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia.
“We have made meaningful progress. Impediments remain, however, notably with regard to payment systems. There is more to do and our efforts to overcome these remaining impediments will continue unabated,” he said.
Staggering humanitarian needs
The UN relief chief also warned of the threat to sustainable development in the face of an unstable global economy and growing poverty, and with humanitarian needs outpacing resources.
This year, humanitarians will require an unprecedented $54 billion to support nearly 347 million people in 69 countries. Last year, donors gave a historic $38.7 billion for their operations.
He said it was uncertain that this level of financing can be achieved so that humanitarians can deliver for the world’s most vulnerable people.
End the war
Mr. Griffiths also highlighted the need for closer collaboration between the humanitarian and development communities, and financial institutions, to seek sustainable solutions in the face of spiralling global needs, and new crises on the horizon.
“More than ever, in this context do we need a political solution to the war in Ukraine,” he said. “The people of Ukraine deserve peace, first and foremost. They deserve to turn the page on this terrible war, as do we all.”
At the outset of the meeting, Council members declined Russia’s proposal to allow Daria Morosova, reportedly an ombudsperson of the Donetsk People’s Republic, to brief as a civil society representative.
The Council is comprised of 15 members. Four countries voted in favour, eight against, and three abstained.
Martin Griffths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed ambassadors on the eve of the expiration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly 25 million metric tonnes of foodstuff from Ukraine to reach global markets.
The accord was signed in Türkiye in July 2022, in parallel with a Memorandum of Understanding on Russian food and fertilizer exports.
“It is vital for global food security that both of these agreements continue and will be fully implemented,” he said.
Both Russia and Ukraine are leading suppliers of key food commodities such as wheat, maize and sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizer.
Mr. Griffiths said the world relies on these supplies and has done so for many years.
“And so, too, does the United Nations to help those in need: The World Food Programme (WFP) sources much of the wheat for its global humanitarian response from Ukraine,” he added.
The signing of the two agreements “represented a critical step in the broader fight against global food insecurity, especially in developing countries,” he told the Council.
“Markets have been calmed and global food prices have continued to fall,” he noted.
Stepping up engagement
Mr. Griffiths said the UN is doing everything possible to make sure that the Black Sea Grain Initiative can continue, and is engaging with all the parties.
Additionally, Secretary-General António Guterres and the head of the UN trade agency, UNCTAD, Rebeca Grynspan, “are sparing no effort” to facilitate the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia.
“We have made meaningful progress. Impediments remain, however, notably with regard to payment systems. There is more to do and our efforts to overcome these remaining impediments will continue unabated,” he said.
Staggering humanitarian needs
The UN relief chief also warned of the threat to sustainable development in the face of an unstable global economy and growing poverty, and with humanitarian needs outpacing resources.
This year, humanitarians will require an unprecedented $54 billion to support nearly 347 million people in 69 countries. Last year, donors gave a historic $38.7 billion for their operations.
He said it was uncertain that this level of financing can be achieved so that humanitarians can deliver for the world’s most vulnerable people.
End the war
Mr. Griffiths also highlighted the need for closer collaboration between the humanitarian and development communities, and financial institutions, to seek sustainable solutions in the face of spiralling global needs, and new crises on the horizon.
“More than ever, in this context do we need a political solution to the war in Ukraine,” he said. “The people of Ukraine deserve peace, first and foremost. They deserve to turn the page on this terrible war, as do we all.”
At the outset of the meeting, Council members declined Russia’s proposal to allow Daria Morosova, reportedly an ombudsperson of the Donetsk People’s Republic, to brief as a civil society representative.
The Council is comprised of 15 members. Four countries voted in favour, eight against, and three abstained.
The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for urgent funding for its operations in the country, where families are battling crisis after crisis, including growing hunger, since the Taliban takeover of 2021.
Catastrophic hunger could become widespread across Afghanistan, and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more people will need assistance to survive, the agency said in an alert.
Due to funding constraints, at least four million people will receive just half of what they need to get by in March. Ss food stocks have run out before the next harvest is due in May, this is traditionally the most difficult time of the year for rural families, WFP said.
The cuts come at a time when already vulnerable Afghans are just emerging from yet another freezing winter. Sub-zero temperatures combined with economic distress has pushed millions into despair, the agency added.
WFP urgently needs $ 93 million to assist 13 million people in April and $800 million for the next six months. Although donors gave record amounts in 2022, since November last year WFP had been warning that funds would run out just as the lean season is reaching its peak in March and April.
‘Last lifeline’
The country is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century, with half of all families living in crisis-coping mode to survive. For millions in Afghanistan, WFP’s food assistance is now the “last lifeline”.
Since August 2022, nine out of 10 Afghan families cannot afford enough food – the highest in the world. Nearly 20 million Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from, and six million of them are one step away from famine.
Levels of moderate acute malnutrition are the highest ever recorded in the country. Two thirds of the population – more than 28 million people – need humanitarian assistance in 2023, almost triple than in 2021.
In response, WFP massively scaled up its assistance across Afghanistan in 2022, thanks to generous funding. The agency supported 23 million people, distributing more than 1 million metric tons of food and $326 million in cash or vouchers to help families survive.
Afghanistan: WFP facts & figures
Nine million are suffering acute food insecurity (November 2022 to March 2023)
People suffering emergency-level acute food insecurity (November 2022 to March 2023): one million
Malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women in 2023: 800,000
Children aged 6 to 59 months with moderate acute malnutrition in 2023: 2.3 million
Children aged 6 to 59 months with severe acute malnutrition in 2023: 800,000
Beneficiaries reached in 2022: 23.4 million
Beneficiaries assisted in 2023 to date: 14.2 million
Beneficiaries planned to be reached in 2023: 21 million
