Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD), a UN-supported coalition of 30 business leaders, works to provide decisive leadership in mobilizing resources for sustainable development, with the core objective being to identify incentives for long-term sustainable investments. Business leaders join UN to rev up sustainable development investments

#PEACEVIGIL2019

#SDGs


In a bid to scale up investment efforts to reach sustainable development targets, the Secretary-General on 16 October 2019 Wednesday convened the first meeting of a new UN-backed corporate alliance to discuss plans for spending on sustainability, likely to be in the trillions of dollars.


The Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD), a UN-supported coalition of 30 business leaders, works to provide decisive leadership in mobilizing resources for sustainable development, with the core objective being to identify incentives for long-term sustainable investments.

“We face widening inequality, increased devastation from conflicts and disasters and a rapidly warming Earth. These leaders have seized our sense of urgency, recognizing that our pace must be at a run, not a crawl”, António Guterres told business leaders. “They are committing to cooperate across borders, across financial sectors and even with their competitors, because it is both ethical and good business sense to invest in sustainable development for all people on a healthy planet.”



UN DESA
✔@UNDESA



We can be a force for good within our own world, but there's so much more we can do together.

Deanne Stewart, CEO of Australia's First State Super pension fund explains why she has joined UN's new #Fin4Dev alliance of investors for the #SDGs. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/financing/gisd-alliance-launches.html …


The Alliance will operate on a two-year timeline, from October 2019 through October 2021, focusing on solutions related to long-term SDG investment, identifying such investment opportunities for developing countries, and enhancing the impact of private funding in development efforts.

Development needs are estimated at trillions of dollars per year, and even if funding from all public sources is maximized, there will still be significant shortfalls. The mobilization of the private sector “will be critical to the implementation of the SDGs”, the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has said.

Formation of the alliance comes amidst growing recognition in the corporate community that the success of companies is “inextricably linked” to a sustainable future for the world.

“The Alliance has come together to help drive financing for the 2030 Agenda as we enter a crucial decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said “and, in particular, to help forge concrete solutions for securing the long-term finance and investment necessary to achieve the SDGs.”

Spotlighting the range of “crucial agreements” to tackle issues of poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis, Ms. Mohammed credited the progress made through the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the UN’s 2030 Agenda, and the 2015 Paris Climate accord.

“This is a very important day. But it is only the beginning. Over the next two years the GISD will help drive the Decade of Action toward success and report back to the Secretary-General on a regular basis”, she added.

A few of the actionable solutions the alliance is expected to advance, include encouraging innovation in financial instruments, revisiting existing and new business models aligned with the 2030 Agenda, and addressing industry obstacles to long-term investment in sustainable development.

As for UN support, GISD members are backed by a number of actors within the organization’s system, and other partners who will assist the alliance in implementing the coalition’s plan of action. View the full list of supporters here.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed awarded Nobel Peace Prize

UNESCO/Vintage Pixels
The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addresses the World Press Freedom 2019 event in Addis Ababa.


11 October 2019
Peace and Security
The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been praised by the UN Secretary-General for creating a pathway to stability in the Horn of Africa region.

“His vision helped Ethiopia and Eritrea achieve a historic rapprochement, and I was honored to witness the signing of the peace agreement last year.”

The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea began in 1998 over a border dispute. The war lasted two years and costs tens of thousands of lives, though tensions persisted.

Mr. Abiy took office in April 2018, previously serving as minister for science and technology. He began implementing several political reforms including achieving good relations with Eritrea.

The UN Secretary-General described the September 2018 peace agreement between the two nations as a “milestone” which has opened up new opportunities for the region to enjoy security and stability.

He added that Prime Minister Abiy’s leadership “has set a wonderful example for others in and beyond Africa looking to overcome resistance from the past and put people first.”


Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was announced the winner of the prestigious award on Friday for his efforts to resolve two decades of conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

“I have said often that winds of hope are blowing ever stronger across Africa. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is one of the main reasons why,” UN chief António Guterres said in a statement.



The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has also congratulated the new Nobel laureate. Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, noted that Ethiopia has a long history of welcoming and hosting refugees from across the region.

“By allowing refugees to be better integrated into society, the country is not only upholding its international refugee law obligations, but is a model for other refugee hosting nations around the world,” he said.

Prime Minister Abiy will be among the conveners of the forum taking place in Geneva in December to strengthening commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees signed one year prior.

Countries will be expected to deliver concrete pledges and contributions to support nations and communities which welcome refugees, as well as to enhance refugee self-reliance.

Day of the Girl Child spotlights 25 years of progress -UN

The world’s one billion young girls, are being celebrated as an “unscripted and unstoppable” force for change, with 11 October designated each year the International Day of the Girl Child.


Every day, girls under-18 are challenging stereotypes, breaking barriers, and leading movements to tackle the issues that affect them, and beyond, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the Day.

“As the theme of this year’s observance underscores, they are proving to be unscripted and unstoppable” in their undertakings, from eliminating child marriage, to closing the education gap, addressing violence and standing strong against the climate crisis.

The Day is an opportunity to recognize developments in the livelihoods of girls since the adoption of a visionary blueprint for the empowerment of women and girls in 1995, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which grew out of a meeting involving some 30,000 men and women at the Fourth World Conference on Women, in China.

Since the landmark policy agenda was put into force, Mr. Guterres highlighted that “we have seen more girls attending and completing school, fewer getting married or becoming mothers while still children themselves, and gaining the skills they need to excel in the workplace.”


Brave
Powerful
Bold
Innovative
Resilient
Courageous
Strong
Unscripted
Unstoppable

Girls can do any - and every - thing! Let's tear down all barriers and lift them up. Let's step aside and let girls lead. #DayoftheGirl


Figures from the UN’s children’s agency (UNICEF) indicate that in the past decade, the proportion of young women who were married as children has decreased by 15 per cent, and from the year 2000 to 2016, the number of girls out of school at the primary level, fell from 58 to 34 million.

Yet, many are still barred from reaching their full potential, and “it is no longer acceptable for girls to have to scale-back their dreams or be made to believe they were unreachable in the first place,'' the UN chief urged.

Harmful gender norms can take hold of girls’ livelihoods, as they “influence everything they do”, Mr. Guterres noted. Such expectations dictate their marriages, limit school attendance, access to health services or earning a living, among other vital aspects of their lives.

A number of factors have a tight grip on their futures, with 200 million girls and women subjected to female genital mutilation worldwide, women and girls representing three of every four trafficking victims, and for those living in crises, the protracted nature of conflict can affect the future of entire generations, according to UNICEF.

Shortfalls in education mean youth growing up in conflict will also be deprived of skills to contribute to their families and economies, exacerbating desperate situations and spiraling into crisis. However for every year of secondary schooling a girl receives, her earning ability is boosted by as much as 25 per cent.

To ensure a bright future for all young girls, “we need concerted efforts and investments in their health, safety and 21st-Century skills,'' the Secretary-General said.

“If all girls and boys complete secondary education, 420 million people could be lifted out of poverty. The benefits unfold across generations”, he explained.

Efforts to empower girls around the world were reinforced on Friday, through the announcement of a multi-year partnership between UNICEF and a skincare brand to support the agency’s Gender Equality Program.

Clé de Peau Beauté, a luxury skincare and makeup brand of Tokyo-based Shiseido Company Limited, pledged the world’s largest contribution of $8.7 million to fund the initiative, making it the first ever Japanese brand to commit to a multi-year effort with UNICEF for girls' empowerment and education.

The beauty brand’s contribution will reach some 6.5 million girls through programs in empowerment, employment and education, which UNICEF’s Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, has deemed “one of the best ladders out of poverty.”

On 10 October, rights experts in Geneva applauded the efforts of girls and young women around the world, calling youth activism, spearheaded by girls, a means of bringing about “a fresh energy and renewed sense of urgency” to issues than generations before them, and they are earning their recognition.

Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate at the age of 17; 16-year-old Greta Thunberg grabbed world attention this year through her commitment to combatting climate change, and Autumn Peltier, the 13-year-old indigenous girl and clean water advocate, has been nominated for a global peace prize.

Evidence is mounting that “girls can be powerful agents of change”, Mr. Guterres stressed, “and nothing should keep them from participating fully in all areas of life.”

Making every day the Day of the Girl

At 3pm on Friday, the Working Group on Girls, a coalition of more than 80 NGO's with representation at the UN, highlighted the needs and challenges girls face in an event at Headquarters in New York.

With Girl Advocates moderating the event in place of adults, the event hosted young presenters for the Girls Speak Out Summit.

Opening the meeting, youth advocate for the Working Group on Girls, Emily, said events such as these "give us an opporunity to our reality and our revolutionary voices."

From the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber, girl advocates staged a performance depicting the real stories of young girls living from Ethiopia to Singapore, struggling with gender-based-violence, wokplace inequality, and other injusticies.

Speaking to the young leaders and girls across the world, Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed reminded them that "the UN will continue to advocate for your rights and to support governments in providing you with a safe childhood, access to quality education and skills, and an environment where you can make informed decisions about your own lives."

"We hear you and we're committed to making every day the Day of the Girl", she added.

11 October 2019 Human Rights

Africa must ‘value youth’ in the drive towards lasting peace, young envoy tells Security Council

Peace and Security


Recognizing the potential of African youth caught up in conflict to forge peace, is crucial for nurturing their developing identities, and could help them turn away from violence, a youth representative told the Security Council on Wednesday. 


“We have to value youth and their contribution to society, they will look for recognition elsewhere, if we don’t,'' Aya Chebbi, youth envoy for the African Union (AU) who hails from Tunisia, explained during the Council’s meeting on peace and security, in line with a flagship AU project to “silence the guns by 2020.” 

In order for youth to give up their guns “we have to give them direction” and provide “the enabling environment” for them to thrive, she explained.

The meeting, convening under the presidency this month of South Africa, follows a vision established by African leaders to end all wars in Africa by 2063, which involves stamping out gun violence by 2020.



South African Mission to UN@SAMissionNY



Amb. Jerry Matjila: "It is an honour for #SouthAfrica to preside over the #UNSC under the theme “Continuing the Legacy: Working for a Just and Peaceful World”. This is the embodiment of the legacy of #NelsonMandela".





The Council endorsed the commitment through resolution 2457 in February, outlining steps to achieve continent-wide peace through international support. In December 2015, the 15-member body also mandated a study on harnessing the energy and creativity of youth in resolving conflict, through adoption of resolution 2250.

Youth - persons aged between 15 and 24 – make up 1.2 billion of the world's population, 600 million of whom live in violent regions. Roughly 20 percent of the population of the African continent fall within this age range.

Given these figures, the active engagement of youth is vital in shaping peace and contributing to reconciliation, the Security Council has said.

“We must change the narrative about African youth,” Ms. Chebbi urged, adding that recent waves of youth-led peace movements are indicative of what the young generation desire and can achieve.

In South Sudan youth are replacing bullets with books, she explained, while Kenya is making progress in empowering women to use art as a cultural bulwark against violence, showcasing momentum amongst youth “with little resources” who “did not wait on resolutions to act”. 
2020 deadline, ‘an absolute necessity’

Underscoring the core aspect of the meeting’s theme, Special adviser of the Secretary-General on Africa, Bience Philomena Gawanas, said “mobilizing the youth toward silencing the guns by 2020, is not a choice, but an absolute necessity.”  

The number of conflicts on the African continent have compromised peace and security across borders, and too often, perspectives of youth associated with the violence and conflict, she added. 

Correcting the stereotype, she insisted that “it must always be recognized that the large majority of youth in Africa are in reality peaceful, they are agents and partners of peace - the connective tissue - and have a critical contribution to make.” 

Africa will remain at the core of the Council’s work every week this month, with a second thematic debate on peace and security set for 7 October. 

By May of 2020, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to submit a report on the implementation of resolution 2250, along with 2419, adopted in June of 2018, with the aim of recognizing the role of youth in peace contributions.

“Young Africa deserves a seat at the table and in decision-making positions to make peace possible”, Ms. Chebbi urged. 

“Young Africa cannot continue to be ignored, as the most youthful population in the world. My generation is ready to make an impact that may not be comprehended but cannot be denied”, she maintained. 

fCAT: food: Restore land to save the planet, boost the economy, says head of UN body combating desertification

Climate Change

Investing in land restoration could not only help keep our planet healthy, but also be the starting point for resolving some of the biggest issues of our time, the head of the UN entity tackling desertification told journalists via video conference, from the ongoing global summit on the issue, underway in India’s capital.


Put concisely, we must “invest in land restoration as a way of improving livelihoods, reducing vulnerabilities contributing to climate change, and reducing risks for the economy,” Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) said, speaking on the sidelines of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties, in New Delhi.

The COP14 summit hosts ministers, scientists, government representatives, non-governmental organizations, and various community groups from 196 countries, in the hope of agreeing new actions to boost land fertility.


“Land is providing us with 99.7 per cent of the food we eat,” Mr. Thiaw shared in his remarks, “It is also providing us with water we drink - the quality of the water we get is coming from land and its ecosystems,” but, he added, the precious resource is in serious jeopardy.

Last year, 25 countries called for emergency measures following widespread drought, Mr. Thiaw said, and on average, 70 countries are affected by droughts per year. Often the poorest communities are those who bear the brunt; facing depletion of resources and left relying on humanitarian aid.

Land degradation also “has connections with peace and security,” he added, forcing communities to compete for access to land and water, and in some cases, spiralling into conflict.

As the phenomenon of desertification intensifies, a thirsty planet has given rise to forced migration, rising pressures on fertile soil, food insecurity, and financial burdens.

“It is estimated that desertification alone “is generating a loss between 10 and 17 per cent of the global GDP,” Mr. Thiaw lamented.

Poor land health combined with biodiversity loss - exacerbated by the effects of climate change - has given birth to environmental shifts that could force up to 700 million people to migrate by 2050, the UNCCD calculates.

The Conference is expected to agree on about 30 decisions in a bid to ensure the Convention’s goals for 2018-2030 are achieved, as outlined in the Convention’s Strategic Framework—the most comprehensive commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).

Parties in attendance will adopt a land degradation declaration to be presented at the upcoming UN Climate Action Summit on 23 September, which will highlight land restoration as part of the solution in combating the climate change scourge. ­

New UN book club helps children deal with global issues

UN/Steven Bornholtz
Ari Afsar, singer, songwriter and storyteller, reads at the SDG Media Zone during the High-Level Political Forum 2019 at UNHQ. (10 July 2019)



4 September 2019
SDGs


For children in Chad, getting an education can involve manual labour. That’s because, every year, there’s a chance that the rainy season will destroy their school, and they will have to join their teachers in rebuilding it. This is the story recounted in the children’s book “Rain School”, which is on the reading list of the UN's SDG Book Club.


Every day brings news about wars, humanitarian crises, and the climate emergency. These subjects can be a source of fear and nightmares for children, and parents can struggle to find the best way to explain them in a balanced way that does not worry their children even more. The SDG Book Club is one way to help.

The Club, which was set up in April by the UN, in collaboration with several book-related partners, selects books which contain messages related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the core of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, with the aim of providing a playful and participative way to learn about the Goals, through stories and characters children can relate to.


Book suggestions from around the world are reviewed, and a reading list for children aged between six and 12 is compiled and promoted on the SDG Book Club website and elsewhere, in the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

“Rain school” illustrates that quality education (Sustainable Development Goal 4) can’t be taken for granted for all children, and shows that, no matter your age, you can take action to improve your life and the lives of others.

Another example from the reading list is “Thank you, Omu!”, a favourite amongst the Book Club staff, which tells the story of an elderly woman who cooks a delicious stew which smells so good, that people on the street stop and knock on her door asking for it. The book teaches a lesson about zero hunger (Sustainable Development Goal 2), and about helping and caring for others.

Parents can find out more by reading the SDG Book Club Blog, which contains stories from book clubs, educators and parents from around the world, who have used the books to discuss complex issues, like poverty or health, with their children, helping them take concrete steps to help others in their communities.

The Club also encourages feedback and dialogue on social media, using the hashtag #SDGBookClub, and tagging @UNPublications.

‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’: Mass Adoption of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, ‘Big Data’ Processing, Internet of Things IOT, Autonomous Vehicles and Blockchain Technologies

Digital technology has the potential to bring about a sustainable future, but the “collateral damage” of this transition must be mitigated"-UN

At UN Technology Innovation Lab (UNTIL), a newly-established initiative in Malaysia, researchers and scientists are looking into ways of understanding and expanding the benefits of smart cities, promoting sustainable living, and helping to make inclusive growth possible in the country and region.

27 August 2019
Economic Development

Digital technology has the potential to bring about a sustainable future, but the “collateral damage” of this transition must be mitigated, says the head of the UN’s technology strategy team, Salem Avan.

Speaking to UN News, Mr. Avan stressed the importance of acknowledging the negative aspects of new technology – which could include job losses and a drastic shift away from traditional ways of working – and finding ways to achieve a successful transition to the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, which involves the mass adoption of artificial intelligence, robotics, ‘big data’ processing, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and blockchain technologies.

Mr. Avan, the Director of the Strategy, Policy & Governance Division of the UN’s Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT), took part in a discussion on the impact of emerging technologies and innovation on society, held on Tuesday during the 2019 UN Civil Society Conference, taking place in Salt Lake City, USA, between 26 -28 August.

The UN, he says, has a strong focus on so-called “smart cities”, which make full use of inter-connected technology to empower disadvantaged residents and tackle challenges in housing, transport, employment and education in urban areas.

At UN Technology Innovation Lab (UNTIL), a newly-established initiative in Malaysia, researchers and scientists are looking into ways of understanding and expanding the benefits of smart cities, promoting sustainable living, and helping to make inclusive growth possible in the country and region. Mr. Avan noted that, in many parts of the world, positive change is already taking place: “technologies are being implemented to improve the overall communal and individual lives of residents”.

Farming with no pesticides, and no soil

For example, a Malaysia-based company, Vfarm, is pioneering a technology which has the potential to have a transformative effect on the citizens of Kuala Lumpur: vertical farms.

According to Rahman Roslan, the brand director of Vfarm, it is far easier and cheaper to buy a bag of candy in Kuala Lumpur than fresh fruit or vegetables. Vertical farms could change this harmful situation, and make nutritious food available to all city dwellers.

The company’s vertical farms in Kuala Lumpur look like laboratories, in which plants are grown in environments where heat and light are precisely controlled to ensure optimal growing conditions, and all without the use of herbicides and pesticides.

Even soil is unnecessary, and a tiny amount of water is used, compared to that needed in traditional agriculture. These factors, says Mr. Roslan, coupled with the fact that transport costs are drastically reduced, mean that the crops produced in vertical farms are healthier and have a far smaller carbon footprint.

Speaking to UN News during the Conference, Mr. Roslan explained that, whilst his company’s vertical farms are currently only producing around one per cent of Kuala Lumpur’s food, he can foresee a future in which the majority of crops in cities around the world are grown in a similar way.
Bridging the digital divide

All elements of society must, said Salem Avan, actively assist lesser-developed cities to integrate advanced technologies, and reduce the stark disparity in the digital divide that exists between richer and poorer parts of the world, as well as within cities:

“While it is inarguable that technology is beneficial to improving the daily lives of many, it also runs the risk of excluding certain urban inhabitants who either lack the resources or the capabilities to adapt to the rapid changes that digitization entails”.

One of the solutions he proposes, is to build partnerships across different sectors, including local and national authorities, civil society and others, to ensure that sustainability, and making sure that no one is left behind, are key goals when new technology is introduced.

UN’s International Youth Day: Transforming Education; "Students need not only to learn, but to learn how to learn"

11 August 2019

“Education today should combine knowledge, life skills and critical thinking. It should include information on sustainability and climate change. And it should advance gender equality, human rights and a culture of peace”. -UN Secretary-General António Guterres

The UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which is co-organising the Day alongside the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), says that statistics demonstrate that significant transformations are still required to make education systems more inclusive and accessible: only 10% of people have completed upper secondary education in low income countries; 40 % of the global population is not taught in a language they speak or fully understand; and over 75 % of secondary school age refugees are out of school.

Ensuring access to inclusive and equitable education, and promoting lifelong learning, is one of the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and International Youth Day 2019, will present examples that show how education is changing to meet modern challenges.

The role of young people as champions of inclusive and accessible education is also being highlighted, as youth-led organizations are helping to transform education, through lobbying, advocacy, and partnerships with educational institutions.



All these elements are included in Youth 2030, the UN’s strategy to scale up global, regional and national actions to meet young people’s needs, realize their rights and tap their possibilities as agents of change.

‘We are facing a learning crisis’, UN chief warns on International Youth Day




Culture and Education


Schools are “not equipping young people with the skills they need to navigate the technological revolution”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned, in a message released to mark the UN’s International Youth Day.


Transforming Education is the theme for this year, which comes at a time when the world is facing a “learning crisis”, says Mr Guterres, and students need not only to learn, “but to learn how to learn”.

Economic Development: Economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions stall growth in Latin America and Caribbean region, UN says

31 July 2019

Launching the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2019 at a press conference in Santiago, Chile, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena pointed to “less momentum from world economic activity and global trade; greater volatility and financial fragility; questioning of the multilateral system; and an increase in geopolitical tensions” as the reasons driving the downward-looking forecast.

According to the report, an unfavorable international scenario will spark a drop in the region’s growth to 0.5 per cent this year – lower than the 0.9 per cent registered in 2018.


Likewise, low internal growth is attributed to a lack of momentum in investments and exports as well as a fall in public spending and private consumption.

Compared to previous years, the 2019 slowdown will affect 21 of the 33 countries in the region.

On average, South America is expected to grow by 0.2 per cent, Central America 2.9 per cent and the Caribbean 2.1 per cent.

The 2019 Survey cited restricted fiscal space that is fueled by insufficient income levels to cover spending that translates into deficits and debt increases in recent years.

Moreover, growing foreign exchange volatility and greater depreciation will limit central banks in the region to deepen policies to stimulate aggregate demand.

Additionally, structural conditions accentuate external vulnerability and do not help to spur growth – as the export structure focused mainly on primary goods and falling trend in productivity.

According to ECLAC, policy space needs to be expanded to tackle the slowdown and contribute to economic growth, with measures in the fiscal and monetary areas, as well as in investment and productivity.

In the fiscal arena, the survey cites the need to reduce tax evasion and illicit financial flows; promote taxes related to the digital economy, environment and public health; and realign tax expenditures toward productive investment.
Structural changes

The second part of the Economic Survey 2019 analyzes the structural changes in international finance subsequent to the 2007-2008 global crisis – from a regional perspective.

The report suggests that the bond market has gained relative importance with respect to the banking system and that levels of concentration, interconnectivity and pro-cyclicality have intensified. In addition, global debt registers record low levels of 320 per cent of gross domestic product in a context of growth.

To tackle these challenges, the report recommends expanding and standardizing of vulnerability indicators.

It also advocates advancing toward broader and more homogeneous macro-prudential regulation to encompass not only the formal banking sector but also all financial agents, including the so-called “shadow banking system”, in which groups of financial intermediaries facilitate in creating credit across the global financial system.



https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/07/1043531
Citing “an external context of greater uncertainty and growing complexity”, the head of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), said on Wednesday that the region’s economic growth is expected to decline.

Culture:Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins ‘came in peace’ to UN Headquarters ‘for all mankind’ 13 August, 1969, when the first men to land on the moon appeared in the main plaza of the UN General Assembly building, welcomed by the Secretary General at the time, U Thant, as “three great pioneers” on behalf of the entire human race

UN Photo/J. Grinde
American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. and Col. Michael Collins of Apollo 11, the first men to land on the moon, visited the United Nations where they attended a ceremony in their honour at the North Plaza of the United Nations General Assembly Building. (13 August 1969)


19 July 2019
Culture and Education


As the world remembers Saturday’s 50th anniversary of the “giant leap for mankind” made by all those involved in the pioneering Apollo 11 space programme, we take a look back at the visit made by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, to UN Headquarters in New York, just a few weeks after their historic mission.


It was a sunny day on 13 August, 1969, when the first men to land on the moon appeared in the main plaza of the UN General Assembly building, welcomed by the Secretary General at the time, U Thant, as “three great pioneers” on behalf of the entire human race.

Standing on a special outdoor podium, notably lacking any women in the front row, the Burmese UN chief – the first non-European to hold the position – hailed the heroes of the United States’ Apollo 11 moon landing programme as having “already taken their place in that select roster of men, who down through the centuries have demonstrated the power of man’s vision, man’s purpose, and man’s determination.”


I can tell that you share with us, the hope that we citizens of earth, who can solve the problems of leaving earth, can also solve the problems of staying on it - Commander Neil Armstrong at UN Headquarters

He told the crowd of delegates, diplomats, UN staff and journalists gathered there, that the whole human race had been able to share in their “great achievement” with everyone who had watched or listened, participating in a truly “unique moment in history”.

Watching the astronauts walking on the moon had “helped us vicariously to satisfy the age-old longing to get away from it all”, he quipped and the extraordinary flight, moonwalk and return to earth had “brought to us a renewed realization of what we, as members of the human race, can accomplish on this planet, with our resources and our technology, if we are prepared to combine our efforts and work together for the benefit of all mankind.


Building on the theme of the power of collective effort, exemplified by the UN Charter, the Secretary-General said it was “particularly gratifying to me, that the plaque which the astronauts placed on the moon is inscribed: ‘we came in peace for all mankind’. The words are few, but they spell out the common identity of all the inhabitants on this planet and our never-ending search for peace”.

Taking the microphone, Commander Neil Armstrong, who uttered the immortal words “The Eagle has landed” as the lunar module touched down on the surface, addressed the crowd to warm applause as: “Distinguished representatives from the planet earth”.

He said it was “with great pride that we accept the honour of having the opportunity of seeing your warm smiling faces today” accepting on behalf of all the hundreds of dedicated scientists and NASA professionals involved in the Apollo programme, “your gracious words”.

His closing remark that day, was an eloquent testimony to the scale of their achievement, and the ambition of the whole United Nations: “I can tell that you share with us, the hope that we citizens of earth, who can solve the problems of leaving earth, can also solve the problems of staying on it”.

The astronauts brought an exact replica with them to the UN of the plaque left on the moon’s surface by them, engraved with the words: “Here men from the planet Earth set foot upon the Moon, July 1969. We came in peace, for all mankind.”

Another treasured memento of the Apollo mission, stored at UN Headquarters, ins a sample of lunar rock, gifted by former US President Richard Nixon, on July 20, 1970 when the international community celebrated the first anniversary of the lunar landing.

The three astronauts returned once more that day, to participate in a ceremonial handover of the moon relic.
Listen below to the address from UN chief U Thant, and Neil Armstrong, as the three astronauts and their familes were honoured at UN Headquarters in August 1969. Audio courtesy of our UN Audiovisual Library.



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fCAT: 4 key measures that Governments should prioritize in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 -UN Sec Gen

12 May 2019
Climate Change


Speaking to young Māoris and people of the Pacific islands in New Zealand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said “nature does not negotiate” and emphasized four key measures that Governments should prioritize in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.


Acknowledging the role that youth needs to play in advancing climate action worldwide, he reminded the room of our common “central objective: not to have more than 1.5 degrees of increasing temperature at the end of the century. The international community, and especially the scientific community, has been very clear that to reach this goal we absolutely need to have carbon neutrality by 2050.”

For this, he called on nations worldwide to make four pivotal shifts:

1. Tax pollution, not people

The UN chief called for an emphasis to be placed on taxes on carbon emissions, known as “carbon pricing,” instead of being placed on salaries.
2. Stop subsidizing fossil fuels

He stressed that taxpayer money should not be used to increase the frequency of hurricanes, the spread of drought and heatwaves, the melting of glaciers and the bleaching of corals.
3. Stop building new coal plants by 2020

Coal-based power is key according to UN-environment’s 2018 Emissions Gap Report: all plants currently in operation are committing the world to around 190 giga tonnes of CO2, and if all coal power plants currently under construction go into operation and run until the end of their technical lifetime, emissions will increase by another 150 giga tonnes, jeopardizing our ability to limit global warming by 2°C as agreed upon in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
4. Focus on a green economy not a grey economy

“It is very important that around the world young people, civil society and those that in the business community have understood that the green economy is the economy of the future and the grey economy has no future,” said Mr. Guterres. “It’s very important that you convince governments that they must act because there’s still a lot of resistance,” he told the youth gathered in the room.

“Governments are still afraid to move forward,” he deplored explaining that “they feel the costs of climate action forgetting that the costs of inaction are much bigger than any costs of climate action”.

“Nature does not negotiate,” he added. “It’s very good to see youth in the frontline.”

On 23 September, the UN chief is convening a Climate Change Summit to galvanize increased ambition for decisive climate action.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1038381

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‘Global clarion call’ for youth to shape efforts to forge peace in the most dangerous combat zones -UN

UN Youth Envoy/Nikke Puskala
First International Symposium for Youth Participation in Peace Processes takes place in Helsinki, Finland. March 2019

Peace and Security
For the first time ever, youth from the frontlines of conflict have joined mediators, researchers and Government representatives at an international conference, to discuss new and innovative ways for young people to contribute to peace processes.


The First International Symposium on Youth Participation in Peace Processes concluded in Helsinki, Finland, with a global policy paper, according to reports, that aims to integrate their efforts, interventions and contributions towards sustaining the search for peaceful solutions to conflict.

In her keynote address, General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa highlighted Youth, Peace and Security as one of her seven priorities.


She called young people “agents of change” and outlined examples in which they have helped foster inter-communal dialogue, such as in Kenya, and consolidate peace, such as in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other countries.

Ms. Espinosa also addressed the importance of gender equality, decent work and the support for young migrants and refugees.

The General Assembly President concluded by underscoring that the world must improve youth participation in national and international decision-making and encouraged Member States to embrace young people in their delegations and to work closely with the Office of the Secretary-General's Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake.

With over half of the world’s population under-30 and an estimated 600 million youth living in fragile and conflict-affected States, it is apparent that young people must engage in conflict prevention and mediation processes – a domain where they are often marginalized.

"Young people account for a considerable share of people living in the developing world and in conflict areas but they are often left outside of the scope of all decision-making in society, including peace processes”, said Timo Soini, Foreign Minister for Finland, one of the governments co-hosting the event.

For her part, the Youth Envoy called the Symposium “the global clarion call for a collective response in bringing voice and credibility to young people on the frontlines actively leading efforts to shape peace processes”.

Considering their sheer numbers and vital force, young people are key participants in development, democracy, peace-sustaining initiatives and peacebuilding interventions. As such, they must be empowered as decision makers to actively and meaningfully contribute to peace processes that affect their lives, according to the UN Envoy’s office.

“Young people are bridges”, said youth participant Leonardo Parraga. “They play a key role in connecting local actors like civil society organizations, with decision-making actors that have a seat inside the room”.

At the two-day Symposium ending on Wednesday, inter-generational participants exchanged views and best practices on involving young people in both formal and informal peace processes. Youth attendees, moderated, facilitated and acted as rapporteurs throughout all plenary discussions and working groups.

Noting “progress in advancing the Youth, Peace and Security agenda" Ms. Wickramanayake asserted: "We cannot stop now”.

The event was co-hosted by the Governments of Finland, Qatar, and Colombia, and co-organized by the office of the UN’s Youth Envoy and Search For Common Ground in partnership with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UN Population Fund, UN Development Programme and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034211

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UN chief hails victory of ‘political will’ in historic Republic of North Macedonia accord

UN Photo/Mark Garten
North Macedonia flag raising for the first time at UN Headquarters in New York. The flag is alphabetically located between the flags of Nigeria (left) and Norway (right).


14 February 2019
UN Affairs


The UN-brokered agreement between Athens and Skopje to formally recognize the “Republic of North Macedonia”, is a welcome, “historical” step that should be supported by regional and international Member States, António Guterres has announced.


In a statement following on from the entry into force of the Prespa Agreement between the two countries on Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General confirmed that he had received official notification of the development, which settles a near 30-year dispute between the two neighbours.

Mr. Guterres congratulated the two sides and Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras, of Greece, and Zoran Zaev, of North Macedonia, “on their determination in creating a forward-looking vision for relations between the two countries and reconciliation in the Balkan region and beyond”.

He added that he was “deeply grateful” to the UN’s longest serving envoy Matthew Nimetz of the United States, for his “unwavering commitment and dedication” in pursuing the deal.

On Thursday afternoon, the UN Protocol and Liaison Service announced the official switch over within the UN, from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to the new name of North Macedonia. The official long version of the name will be Republic of North Macedonia.

Secretary-General António Guterres on the Prespa agreement.
Name-change deal solves ‘seemingly intractable’ split

The Prespa Agreement was signed by both countries on 17 June last year and ratified by their parliaments last month. It demonstrates that “even seemingly intractable issues can be resolved through dialogue and political will”, Mr. Guterres insisted.

Negotiations on the name dispute began in 1993 and have been led by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Mr. Nimetz since 1999.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032731

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Tanzania the “regional peacemaker” of Africa for the long-standing welcome it offers hundreds of thousands of refugees- UNHCR

Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to the east African nation, Filippo Grandi called for greater investment in the north-west region of Tanzania, where some 300,000 refugees are being hosted, and pledged to mobilize more support for humanitarian efforts, local community development, improved camp security, and environmental projects.

In a meeting with Tanzanian President John Joseph Magafuli, Mr. Grandi commended the country’s tradition of welcoming refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in neighbouring countries, and said Tanzania deserved greater international recognition for its role as “one of the most important refugee asylum countries in Africa.”

However, Mr. Grandi also impressed upon government officials the importance of not forcing refugees to go back to their countries of origin. Over 57,000 refugees from Burundi have been assisted to voluntarily leave Tanzania and return home in the last two years, but some refugees report their decision was partly based on perceived pressure from the authorities, restrictions on freedom of movement and a lack of access to jobs, so they can support themselves.

“It is important that nobody is forced back, that repatriation remains a voluntary exercise,” Mr. Grandi told reporters, after visiting the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Kasulu, home to around 15,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees. He noted that some refugees are volunteering to go back to their countries of origin, despite uncertain conditions in both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, and said that sustainable refugee return happens when refugees feel confident that it is safe to go back, and receive the necessary support to do so. Nearly three-quarters of Tanzania’s refugees are from Burundi, and the other 26 per cent are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC.

Mr. Grandi praised Tanzania for supporting the UN’s Global Compact on Refugees, which calls for greater international support to host countries and more refugee self-reliance which, he said, stimulates local economies and provides opportunities for host communities.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032291

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Yemen Hodeidah Agreement: Lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the verge of starvation. Security Council backs new mission in support of key port city truce

Peace and Security

The Security Council unanimously voted in favour of deploying up to 75 observers to monitor a fragile ceasefire in Yemen's port city of Hudaydah which went into effect late last month; a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the verge of starvation.


Among other things, the newly adopted resolution establishes what will be officially known as the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA).

Last month, after UN-brokered consultations in Sweden aimed at getting the warring sides together to end nearly four years of brutal civil war, the Houthi movement leadership and Yemeni Government representatives, signed the Hodeidah Agreement.

The resolution sets out, for an initial six months, an increase from around 20 observers already in place to monitor the ceasefire, up to 75, positioned in and around the Red Sea port, where Yemen’s receives most of its commercial goods and lifesaving aid.


The new special political mission will support the implementation of the December Stockholm Agreement, consisting of three separate pledges between the two sides: halting hostilities in Hudaydah and mutually redeploying forces from the city and the ports, Salif and Ras Issa; a prisoner exchange mechanism; and a statement of understanding on the city of Taiz, where fighters have wrestled for control for years now.

According to news reports, both Houthi rebels and the UN-backed Government have accused each other of multiple ceasefire breaches, calling the terms flawed because they lacked precision. Adding more monitors, will allow for more accurate assessment.

Retired General Patrick Cammaert, chairs the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), and in accordance with the Security Council resolution, will now head up UNMHA, reporting to the Secretary-General through Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

The UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) will:

Lead and support the Redeployment Coordination Committee to oversee the governorate-wide ceasefire, redeployment of force and mine action operations;

Monitor compliance to the ceasefire in Hodeidah governorate and the mutual redeployment of forces from the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa.

Work with the parties to secure the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Issa in accordance with Yemeni law.

Facilitate and coordinate UN support to assist the parties to fully implement the Hodediah Agreement.


The RCC includes Yemen government representatives and Houthis, to supervise implementation of the Stockholm Agreement. The UN advance team has already been working with the RCC on monitoring and supporting implementation.

The UK-sponsored resolution requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on a monthly basis on the resolution’s implementation and to present it with a review of UNMHA in five months’ time.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1030582

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Warning From Man Who Designed RFID Microchip

Carl Sanders sat in seventeen New World Order meetings with heads-of-state officials such as Henry Kissinger and Bob Gates of the C.I.A. to discuss plans on how to bring about this one-world system. The government commissioned Carl Sanders to design a microchip for identifying and controlling the peoples of the world—a microchip that could be inserted under the skin with a hypodermic needle (a quick, convenient method that would be gradually accepted by society).

Carl Sanders, with a team of engineers behind him, with U.S. grant monies supplied by tax dollars, took on this project and designed a microchip that is powered by a lithium battery, rechargeable through the temperature changes in our skin. Without the knowledge of the Bible (Brother Sanders was not a Christian at the time), these engineers spent one-and-a-half-million dollars doing research on the best and most convenient place to have the microchip inserted.

Guess what? These researchers found that the forehead and the back of the hand is not just the most convenient place, but is also the only viable place for rapid, consistent temperature changes in the skin to recharge the lithium battery. The microchip is approximately seven millimetres in length, .75 millimetres in diameter, about the size of a grain of rice. It is capable of storing pages upon pages of information about you. All your general history, work history, crime record, health history, and financial data can be stored on this chip.

Brother Sanders believes that this microchip, which he regretfully helped design, is the “mark” spoken about in Revelation 13:15–17. The original Greek word for “mark” is “charagma,” which means a “scratch or etching.” It is also interesting to note that the number 666 is actually a word in the original Greek. The word is “chi xi stigma,” with the last part, “stigma,” also meaning “to stick or prick.”

In light of these definitions, implantable microchips could very well be the physical mark spoken of in the Book of Revelation.

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