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UNICEF warns of deepening inequalities in Europe and Central Asia

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United Nations News
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UNICEF warns of deepening inequalities in Europe and Central Asia
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters and ongoing conflict have deepened inequalities among children in Europe and Central Asia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published on Thursday, calling for more robust support for boys and girls at risk of poverty and social exclusion. 

The report on children’s rights is the first of its kind to bring together existing data and analysis for all countries in the region, while highlighting critical data gaps that need to be filled. 

Data deficit 

UNICEF Regional Director Afshan Khan said the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, climate change and the current economic and energy crisis have plunged many families into uncertainty, affecting their well-being and that of their children. 

A NEW @UNICEF REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACT OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, NATURAL DISASTERS AND ONGOING CONFLICT ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN ACROSS THE REGION, MAKING THEM MORE VULNERABLE TO INEQUALITIES.

HERE ARE 6 FACTS ABOUT CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN THE REGION.👇 PIC.TWITTER.COM/20QCRDCZTD— UNICEF Europe C.Asia (@UNICEF_ECA) March 9, 2023

“However, lack of data of how these events have affected children’s rights makes it difficult to assess how we can meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and families, so that no child in the region is left behind,” she added. 

At a disadvantage 

An estimated 35 to 40 million children across Europe and Central Asia are living in poverty, according to UNICEF. The report reveals inequalities in access to healthcare and education for some of the most vulnerable.   

For example, Roma children, along with some 11 million boys and girls with disabilities, are among the most disadvantaged when it comes to access to quality education. 

Preventable deaths 

Although the region includes countries with the lowest number of infant and child deaths globally, under-five mortality rates in some nations are higher than the global average.  More than half of these deaths are due to preventable and treatable diseases. 

Europe and Central Asia also have some of the world’s highest rates of children separated from their families, or in care homes.  Again, Roma children and those with disabilities are disproportionally represented in residential care. 

The pandemic caused severe disruptions to routine immunization services, with 95 per cent of countries showing backsliding in coverage.  “As a result, every year, almost one million children in the region do not receive their scheduled vaccinations,” UNICEF said. 

Toll on mental health 

The global crisis also affected children’s emotional and mental wellbeing, and suicide is now the second leading cause of death in high-income countries in the region, according to the report. 

UNICEF said air pollution is the single most significant environmental risk in the region, impacting an estimated four out of five children in Europe and Central Asia.  Additionally, communities also lack the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change.  

Ukraine war effect 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented exodus from the country, and the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe and Central Asia from other parts of the world also continues to increase. 

Host countries have been stretched to capacity to sustain equal access to quality basic services, with gaps in areas such as accommodation and sanitation facilities, health and protection services, and care and support for unaccompanied and separated children. 

Social protection programmes 

Last year, UNICEF published a report on how the economic fallout from the war has had an impact on child poverty in Europe and Central Asia.  Since then, the agency has been calling for countries to expand and strengthen social protection systems, including cash assistance programmes. 

In issuing its latest study, UNICEF urged governments to meet the needs of every child, especially the most vulnerable, and to prioritize children in the collection and analysis of data.

World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries

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United Nations News
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World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
The Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) concluded on Thursday with countries adopting concrete measures to implement the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) – which aims to renew and strengthen commitments between LDCs and their development partners – marking a transformative turning point for the world’s most vulnerable countries. 

The Doha Political Declaration was adopted to a round of applause in the plenary hall of the Qatar National Convention Centre, where LDC5 has been under way since 5 March. 

Ushering in new era of solidarity, and enormous socio-economic benefits for world’s 46 least developed countries, today’s action comes nearly one year after the DPoA was adopted at the first part of the Conference on 17 March 2022 in New York.  

The Declaration outlines measures to promote transformation and unlock the potential of LDCs, including the development of a system of reserves or alternative means, ranging from cash transfers to comprehensive multi-hazard crisis mitigation and resilience-building measures for the least developed countries. 

“The commitments and responsibilities do not stop and start with the signing of the documents or attending Conferences. They must be integral to our efforts towards 2030 and extend for the full decade,” said Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations at the closing plenary meeting. 

‘We must go further still’ 

She pointed out that the five key deliverables from the DPoA – an online university, a graduation support package, a food stock holding solution, an investment support centre, and a crisis mitigation and resilience building mechanism – “will answer key challenges facing the LDCs, and set the path for a more prosperous, equitable future”. 

“But success is not automatic. But we must go further still,” stressed Ms. Mohammed. “To achieve these deliverables, LDCs will need massive financing – at scale, and directed where it matters most.” 

She noted that Secretary-General António Guterres had earlier proposed reforms to the international financial architecture, alongside an SDG Stimulus of at least $500 billion a year, to direct resources towards long-term sustainable development and just transitions. This funding could help LDCs tackle issues that are preventing them from realizing their potential. 

“If we are to have any hope of achieving the SDGs, we must put first those who are furthest behind on their development journeys,” stated the UN deputy chief. 

While in Doha, Ms. Mohammed also, engaged with Government officials, civil society representatives and UN Resident Coordinators from around the world. In her meetings, she underscored the importance of crisis mitigation and increasing resilience for LDCs, with the DPoA as the blueprint to uplift the most vulnerable countries. 

image770x420cropped - World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

This week at LDC5 

Under the theme ‘From Potential to Prosperity’, the LDC5 Conference aimed to drive transformational change to positively affect the 1.2 billion people who live in the LDCs. 

LDC5 welcomed some 9,000 participants, including 46 Heads of State and Government and nearly 200 ministers and vice-ministers, who called for urgent support from developed countries to advance socio-economic and environmental development in LDCs.  

Business leaders, together with civil society, youth and other partners, shared initiatives, and recommendations in a range of areas, from enhancing LDCs’ participation in international trade and regional integration to harnessing the power of science, technology, and innovation. 

The Deputy Secretary-General acknowledged this broad-based participation, saying: “Throughout this week we have seen what can be achieved through genuine partnership and multilateral dialogue. Each track — youth, South-South Cooperation, private sector, Parliamentarians, and civil society — has contributed energy, vision and ideas for lasting change.” 

Discussions at LDC5 centred on the implementation of the DPoA. The agreements reached this week will help LDCs address the current crisis, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, and help them get back on track with the SDGs and make progress towards graduation from the LDC category.

“The LDCs have the most untapped potential in the world, from natural to human resources.” said Rabab Fatima, Secretary-General of the Conference and UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).  

“What we delivered this week can harness this potential and chart a prosperous future for people in LDCs.” 

She urged those present, upon leaving Doha, to consider “what we can contribute to implementing to Doha Programme of Action in our own context and capacities”.  Emphasizing that political commitment is the “fuel that will drive the engine of progress”, she welcomed expressions of national ownership of the DPoA and urged development partners to tailor their national cooperation policies in a manner that meets the expectations and aspirations of least developed countries.   

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi and Chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries, described the Conference as “a triumph of style and of substance”.  The stakes could not have been higher when the Conference began, he said, recalling the many calls for stronger partnerships made over the past five days.   

Developed countries were reminded of their official development assistance (ODA) commitments, he said, stressing that it is time to fulfil that historic commitment to allocate between 0.15 per cent and 0.20 per cent of their gross national income. If this, and other promises in the areas of trade, investment and technology transfer can be honoured, then we will leave with fresh hope that the Doha Programme of Action will be implemented in full, he added. 

Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, also delivered closing remarks as President of the Conference.  Noting the commitments pledged during the last five days, he stressed the need for practical measures and recalled his own country’s significant financial pledges. Qatar would place least developed countries at the heart of international cooperation, he said.

image770x420cropped 17 - World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
UNDP/Yuichi Ishida

Commitments made at LDC5:

  • Qatar announced a financial package of $60 million: $10m to support the implementation of the DPoA and $50 million to help build resilience in the LDCs.
  • Germany dedicated €200 million in new money in 2023 for financing for LDCs.
  • Canada announced $59 million to deliver Vitamin supplements in 15 LDCs and ecosystem conservation in Burkina Faso.
  • The EU Commission announced cooperation agreements advancing sustainable investments in Africa totalling more than €130 million.
  • Finland announced an annual event called the United Nations LDC Future Forum in Helsinki, with the Office of the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States – OHRLLS –, to ensure the latest thinking and research is being put to work to ensure progress on the most vulnerable states.
  • The Green Climate Fund announced a new project to give $80 million in equity to offer green guarantees to business in LDCs and bring down the cost of capital..
  • The United Nations World Tourism Organisation, announced a new €10 million Tourism for Development Fund for LDCs, supported by TUI Care Foundation, that will invest by 2030 to support sustainable tourism in LDCs as a key driver of development.
  • The Government of Kazakhstan pledged $50,000 to continue their work supporting the most vulnerable member states of the United Nations.

Archaeologists have come across a smiling sphinx near the temple of Hathor

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EuropeanTimes
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Archaeologists have come across a smiling sphinx near the temple of Hathor
Image of the sphinx found near the temple of Dendera and which could represent the Roman emperor Claudius. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Monuments of Egypt/ BTA

An Egyptian archaeological expedition from Ain Shams University discovered a smiling sphinx during excavations near the Temple of Hathor in Dendera (Dandara), Qena District, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Monuments announced.

In the place where in the past there was a temple of the god Horus, the scientists came across a sanctuary carved in limestone. It consists of a two-level platform with a ramp and a small clay brick basin covered with plaster. The interesting statue was found during the clearing of the pool, specifies BTA.

The face of the statue has regal features, dimples and wears a traditional pharaonic headscarf in the shape of a cobra

“It’s a beautifully and precisely carved sphinx,” said Mahdou el Damati, professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University and former tourism minister.

The face, which has royal features, is distinguished by its smile with two dimples, the scientist adds. The sphinx wears the nemes headscarf, traditional for pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, with a uraeus in the shape of a cobra.

Initial research suggests that the statue may belong to the Roman emperor Claudius, who ruled North Africa between 41 and 54 AD.

Under the sphinx was found a stone slab with inscriptions in Demotic and hieroglyphs. Relying on them could reveal the identity of the smiling man and shed new light on the area’s ancient past.

Europe‘s New Equality Champions

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Newsdesk
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Europe‘s New Equality Champions

Europe honors its new equality champions. This happened at a special event in the Berlemont building in Brussels on March 8, and the leaders in the fight for equality within the European Union were honored by European Commissioner Maria Gabriel.

The ceremony marked the beginning of a two-day forum of women entrepreneurs in Europe, which brings together representatives of various fields and businesses, inspiring speakers and investors, united by the idea of gender equality in the business climate of the European Union.

The awards were presented in three categories, with the prize for “Sustainable Champion” shared between Trinity College Dublin and Karolinska Institutet. The “Newcomer Champion” award went to Maynooth University of Ireland and the Irish Technical University was awarded the “Continuity Champion”.

During the ceremony, European Commissioner Gabriel outlined three valid steps towards improving the European business environment for women entrepreneurs. Among them are training, internships and jobs for women with STEM education, as well as the upcoming Women to invest program. Last but not least, among the highlights was an award for women innovators.

The beginning of the European Forum for Women Founders (European Women Founders Group) was set in the summer of 2022 in Sofia under the auspices of European Commissioner Maria Gabriel. Among the priorities of the forum are the challenges and opportunities for women in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to data from the European Commission from 2018, women make up 52% of the population of Europe, and only 30% of them are part of the entrepreneurs within the European Union. In 2021, start-up companies in Europe generated over 100 billion euros in venture capital investments, with only 2% of them going to teams led by women, and less than 10% to teams with leaders of different genders.

Photo: European Union

Haiti: Surge in gun trafficking fuels spike in gang violence

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United Nations News
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Increasingly sophisticated and high-calibre firearms and ammunition are being trafficked into Haiti, fuelling an ongoing surge of gang violence that has plagued residents for months, according to a new UN assessment released on Thursday.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, Haiti’s criminal markets: mapping trends in firearms and drug trafficking, warns that a recent increase in arms seizures alongside intelligence and law enforcement reporting, suggests trafficking of weapons is on the rise.

NEW UNODC REPORT: HAITI’S CRIMINAL MARKETS: MAPPING TRENDS IN FIREARMS AND DRUG TRAFFICKING.

GANG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN HAITI HAS REACHED LEVELS NOT SEEN IN DECADES, AND FIREARMS & DRUG TRAFFICKING ARE FEEDING THE CASCADING SECURITY CRISES.

MORE: HTTPS://T.CO/7C1CR3YTGZ PIC.TWITTER.COM/YRYTBWB8RA— UN Office on Drugs & Crime (@UNODC) March 3, 2023

‘Volatile situation’

“By providing a rapid assessment of illicit firearms and drug trafficking, this UNODC study seeks to shed light on the trafficking flows enabling gangs in Haiti and fuelling further violence in a volatile and desperate situation to help inform responses and support to the people of Haiti,” said Angela Me, Chief of the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch.

Gang violence fuelling cholera

Gang-related violence in Haiti has reached levels not seen in decades, the UN Secretary-General stated in his January report to the Security Council – compounding the severity of a cholera outbreak, increasing food insecurity, displacing thousands, and keeping children out of school.

At the same time, the incidence of homicides, kidnappings, and displacement is rising across Haiti, which is suffering the worst human rights and humanitarian emergency in decades. Authorities reported 2,183 homicides and 1,359 kidnappings in 2022, almost double the number of cases for the previous year.

Porous borders

As the UNODC assessment has shown, Haiti remains a trans-shipment country for drugs – primarily cocaine – and cannabis entering via boat or plane at public, private, and informal ports, as well as clandestine runways.

Haiti’s porous borders – including 1,771 kilometres of coastline and a 392-kilometre land border with the Dominican Republic – are severely challenging the capacities of the under-resourced and under-staffed national police, customs, border patrols and coast guard, who are themselves targeted by gangs, UNODC said.

image1024x768 - Haiti: Surge in gun trafficking fuels spike in gang violence
UNODC- Indicative volume of firearms seized by source in Haiti (2020-2022).

The assessment also provides an overview of international, regional, and national responses to date, including efforts to increase support to Haiti’s law enforcement and border management.

It also spotlights the need for comprehensive approaches encompassing investments in community policing, criminal justice reform, and anti-corruption investigations.

Japan Tibet Support Group Warns China Not to Interfere in Tibetan Religious Matters

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Tokyo: Japan Tibet Support Group members passed a five-point resolution today, in which, among other things, the members warned China not to interfere in Tibetan religious matters, including the selection of high Tibetan Lamas, especially the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama. The resolution also called for the immediate withdrawal of the forced indoctrination of Tibetan children in Chinese boarding schools.

The Save Tibet Network and the Tibetan Community in Japan jointly organized the online Support Group`s annual meeting today in which ten major Support Groups and 28 people participated, including guest participants from the National and Local lawmakers and the Representative and staff of the Tibet House Japan.

Makino Seishu, former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Save Tibet Network, welcomed the participants and gave a brief outline of the Tibet support network in Japan and his association with the Tibetan struggle for freedom and justice. In addition, he spoke on his meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and how all the members should work and follow the non-violent path espoused by His Holiness.

Representative Dr Arya Tsewang Gyalpo thanked the organizers, lawmakers, and participants for their interest and support for the Tibet issue. He spoke on the office’s activities and briefed them about the cultural revolution-like atrocities and desecration of religious objects happening in Tibet. He appealed to the lawmakers and the members to be more vocal on the human rights violations, religious persecutions, and elimination of Tibetan identity taking place in Tibet.

Ishikawa Akimasa and Nagao Takashi, current and former General Secretary of the Japan Parliament Support Group for Tibet, spoke on the importance of the Tibet issue as a struggle for freedom and justice through non-violence against a brutal communist regime. They assured their continued support and requested the support group members` cooperation in educating the Tibet issue to the Japanese public.

The representatives of the support groups spoke about the groups` activities and condemned the Chinese policy to eradicate Tibetan identity, religion, and culture. They expressed shock and outrage at China’s destruction of religious idols, prayer wheels, and flags and yet claiming authority over the selection of reincarnated Lamas.

Karma Choying, Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), thanked the organisers for inviting him to talk and expressed gratitude to the members for supporting the Tibetan cause.

Taguchi Yoshinori and Arisawa Yuma, Chairperson and Vice Chair of the Local Parliamentarian Support Group for Tibet expressed their support and willingness to work with the support group members to create more awareness about the Tibet issue.

In the end, the members resolved to pass a five-point resolution and make an effort to realize the contents of the resolutions as follows:

We, the representatives and members of Japan Tibet Support Group, on this date of February 12, 2023, resolve and issue the following statements:

  1. The Chinese communist party (CCP) leadership must stop human rights violations in Tibet and must let the Tibetans exercise their fundamental rights. 
  2. The CCP leadership must stop the forced indoctrination of Tibetan children in communist environment boarding schools.
  3. The CCP leadership must implement the minority law, where minority nationals are allowed complete freedom to practice and preserve their language.
  4. The CCP leadership, who does not believe in religion, should refrain from interfering in Tibetan religious matters and stop claiming authority in selecting the Dalai Lama`s reincarnation.
  5. We, the representatives and members of the Japan Tibet Support Group, will protest and never accept any Lamas or Dalai Lama appointed by the CCP leadership.

The resolution is hereby passed unanimously on this date.

-Report filed by the Office of Tibet, Japan-

Screenshot 2023 02 13 at 11.09.52 AM - Japan Tibet Support Group Warns China Not to Interfere in Tibetan Religious Matters
Screenshot of the online participants. Photo: THJ

Key actions for safer and more sustainable chemicals

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