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UN Daily News Thursday, 19 January 2017
Issue DH/7330
In the headlines: • At Davos forum, UN chief Guterres calls businesses
• Turkey: UNICEF cites risk of 'lost generation' of
• Gambia: Security Council backs regional efforts to
• UN agency eyes recycling wastewater for large-
• Processed foods drive surge in obesity rates in
• UN agencies, partners launch new plan to address
•
• UN rights expert urges Saudi Arabia to use
‘best allies’ to curb climate change, poverty
ensure peaceful transfer of power to Barrow
Latin America and Caribbean – UN-backed report Syria: Ceasefire a ‘disappointment’ for aid access; UN envoy invited to Astana peace talks
Syrian children despite enrolment increase scale farming
plight of refugees and migrants in Europe economic plan to bolster women’s rights
• UN rights expert welcomes US decision to lift most of its unilateral sanction on Sudan
At Davos forum, UN chief Guterres calls businesses ‘best allies’ to curb climate change, poverty 19 January – Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today called for a new generation of partnerships with the business community to limit the impact of climate change and to reduce poverty. In an address this morning to a special session on cooperation for peace, the Secretary-General said he was particularly interested in the “alignment of the core business of the private sector with the strategic goals of the international community.” He spoke about the Paris Agreement, which the international community signed on to in 2015 with the aim of combating climate change by limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 19 January 2017. Photo: World Economic Forum/Valeriano Di Domenico.
“The best allies of all those that want to make sure that the Paris Agreement is implemented, the best allies today in the world are probably in the business sector and it is very important to fully mobilize them,” Mr. Guterres said. He also underlined the importance of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting that conditions for an inclusive and sustainable development are a main method of preventing crises and conflicts. “Without the private sector we will not have the necessary innovation, we will not have the necessary capacity to discover
For information media not an official record
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new markets, new products, new services and to be able to develop new areas in the economy,” Mr. Guterres said, adding also that only the private sector can create enough jobs to stabilize societies. He said that a calculation that was recently made shows that the returns on investments that can be generated by the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would mean something in the order of magnitude of $30 billion per year. As such, partnerships with the business sector are attractive for both sides, generating investment for the private sector but allowing the private sector “to play an absolutely essential role in making sure that those goals are effectively achieved.” A new platform of partnerships would not only aid the current goals, but address the challenges of the future, Mr. Guterres, said referring to a so-called “fourth industrial revolution” that includes, for example, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. Very strong dialogue and partnership between governments, international organizations and the private sector is the only way to allow such advances to bring “fantastic increase in the well-being of people” and prevent them from turning into “a nightmare for mankind.” Also today, Mr. Guterres met separately with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May; the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif; and President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine.
Gambia: Security Council backs regional efforts to ensure peaceful transfer of power to Barrow 19 January – Urging all Gambian parties to respect the outcome of the 1 December election recognizing Adama Barrow as the country’s President-elect, the United Nations Security Council today expressed its support for the commitment of West African States to “ensure, by political means first, respect of the will of the people.” Amid a political standoff over Gambia’s presidency – President-elect Barrow is reportedly expected to be sworn in later today at the Gambian embassy in neighbouring Senegal even as incumbent Yahya Jammeh refuses to step down, the Council unanimously adopted a resolution expressing grave concern at the risk of deterioration of the situation in Gambia. Wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file)
The Council strongly condemned former President Jammeh’s 9 December statement rejecting the official election results and the takeover of the Independent Electoral Commission by the Gambian Armed Forces on 13 December 2016, as well as the attempt by the Parliament on 18 January 2017 to extend President Jammeh’s term for three months beyond his current mandate, which ends today. Against this backdrop, the Council strongly condemned the attempts to usurp the will of the people and undermine the integrity of the electoral process in Gambia, as well as the attempt to prevent a peaceful and orderly transfer of power to President-elect Barrow by declaring a state of emergency. Endorsing the decisions of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to recognize Mr. Barrow as the President of Gambia, the 15 nation Council called upon the countries in the region and the relevant regional organization to cooperate with him in his efforts to realize the transition of power. The Council also requested the Gambian defence and security forces to demonstrate “maximum restraint” to maintain an atmosphere of calm in country, and stressed “their duty and obligation to place themselves at the disposal of the democratically elected authorities.” The text further commends and strongly supports continued efforts of the AU and ECOWAS to promote peace and stability UN News Centre • www.un.org/news
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in the region. By the text, the Council requests for the Secretary-General to update the body on the resolution’s implementation within 10 days. Earlier today, Secretary-General António Guterres called President Barrow to discuss the latest developments in the country and to congratulate him on his inauguration. According to a statement issued by Mr. Guterres spokesperson, the Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the refusal of outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to step aside and about the high outflow of Gambians into Senegal. “The Secretary-General told President Barrow of his full support for his determination, and ECOWAS’s historic decision, with the unanimous backing of the Security Council, to restore the rule of law in The Gambia so as to honour and respect the will of the Gambian people,” said the statement, adding that Mr. Guterres conveyed the readiness of the UN system to support President Barrow and his government in their efforts to promote democracy and achieve sustainable development in Gambia.
Processed foods drive surge in obesity rates in Latin America and Caribbean – UN-backed report 19 January – Obesity and overweight are on the rise throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and are prevalent particularly among women and children, according to a new United Nations-backed report. Nearly 360 million people, or 58 per cent of the inhabitants of the region, are overweight with the highest rates observed in the Bahamas at 69 per cent, Mexico at 64 per cent and Chile at 63 per cent, according to a news release on the Panorama of Food and Nutrition Security in Latin America and the Caribbean report, compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Countries should promote the sustainable production of fresh, safe and nutritious foods to counter overweight and obesity, which have greatly increased, especially among women and children, in Latin America and the Caribbean. Photo: FAO
“The alarming rates of overweight and obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean should act as a wake-up call to governments in the region to introduce policies that address all forms of hunger and malnutrition and to do this by linking food security, sustainability, agriculture, nutrition and health,” said FAO Regional Representative Eve Crowley.
The report said that overweight affects more than half the population of all countries in the region, except for Haiti at 38.5 per cent, Paraguay at 48.5 per cent and Nicaragua at 49.4 per cent. The report also noted obesity affects 140 million people, or 23 per cent of the region’s population, and that the highest rates are to be found in the Caribbean countries of Barbados at 36 per cent, and Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda at around 31 per cent each. The increase in obesity has disproportionately impacted women: in more than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the rate of female obesity is 10 percentage points higher than that of men. PAHO’s Director Carissa F. Etienne explained that: “the region faces a double burden of malnutrition. This needs to be tackled through balanced diets that include fresh, healthy, nutritious and sustainably produced food, as well as addressing the main social factors that determine malnutrition, such as lack of access to healthy food, water and sanitation, education and health services, and social protection programmes, among others.” Linking agriculture, food, nutrition and health
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The FAO/PAHO report points out that one of the main factors contributing to the rise of obesity and overweight has been the change in dietary patterns. Economic growth, increased urbanization, higher average incomes and the integration of the region into international markets have reduced the consumption of traditional preparations and increased consumption of ultra-processed products, a problem that has had greater impact on areas and countries that are net food importers. To address this situation, FAO and PAHO call for the promotion of healthy and sustainable food systems that link agriculture, food, nutrition and health.
Syria: Ceasefire a ‘disappointment’ for aid access; UN envoy invited to Astana peace talks 19 January – Despite a cessation of hostilities in war-ravaged Syria, aid workers are still unable to reach many people desperately needing assistance, the United Nations reported today, also announcing that Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura will attend upcoming talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana. “An exhausted civilian population is still trapped, with no escape, we are still unable to reach hundreds and hundreds of thousands,” UN Senior Adviser on Syria Jan Egeland told the press in Geneva today, emphasizing that “in terms of humanitarian access, the cessation of hostilities period has been a disappointment.” Special Advisor to the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Jan Egeland. UN Photo/Pierre Albouy
“In January, only half of the population that we asked to reach were approved for access in full,” he added.
According to Mr. Egeland, even when a monthly humanitarian plan is approved, a bureaucratic “quagmire” including having to seek facilitation letters, permits and different levels of agreement from different actors, including armed opposition groups, prevents its effective implementation. “All of them it seems, to avoid us helping women, children, wounded on the other side,” he said. Life-line to Deir ez-Zor disrupted Mr. Egeland further said the situation in Deir ez-Zor, a desert town in eastern Syria with an estimated 93,000 civilians, was extremely concerning. In a major offensive, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) fighters have cut the besieged area into two and captured, among other locations, the drop zone for humanitarian supplies. “It has not been possible since Sunday to drop new humanitarian relief to the people there who really do not have any other life-line than relief by air,” he said. Water supply to millions in Damascus still cut off Turning to the situation in Wadi Barada, where intense fighting had damaged the infrastructure that supplied water to more than five million people in Syria’s capital, Damascus, Mr. Egeland said: “Repairmen are able and willing to go [and] went at one point, [until] a few days back, when one [person] was killed by a sniper [and] the whole repair mission was called off […] This situation is screaming for a cessation of hostilities […] that can enable the repairs.”
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Major relief operation underway in Aleppo The UN Senior Adviser further reported that the UN has been helping some 500,000 people in war-battered Aleppo recently. “We will be able to reach now all populations, all over Aleppo, and that's a first for many months,” he noted. However, Mr. Egeland added that according to reports, including by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Ali AlZa’tari, “the devastation is absolutely shocking and all of the unexploded ordinances make life very difficult in the city and still, Aleppo citizens now want to go back increasingly and they need our help to rebuild it.” Alongside this situation, more than one million people in the city remain without water because it is not possible to repair a pumping station, held in ISIL-controlled territory. “To deny populations water, to deny repair of water supplies, is a criminal offense under international law,” he underscored. Astana meeting – an opportunity to change things Highlighting the significance of the upcoming meeting convened by Iran, Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, between the Syrian Government and opposition groups, Mr. Egeland said that the meeting offered an opportunity to help the humanitarian actors on the ground “who are able and willing to go to places with relief.” Meanwhile, earlier today, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General announced that in light of the complexity and importance of the issues likely to be raised in Astana, as well as of the senior level at which the conveners of the meeting will be represented, the UN chief had appointed Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, to lead the UN team at the talks. “The Secretary-General is looking forward to the Astana meeting being a positive step, ahead of the resumption of intraSyria negotiations in Geneva,” noted the spokesperson.
UN rights expert welcomes US decision to lift most of its unilateral sanction on Sudan 19 January – A United Nations human rights expert today welcomed the decision of President Barack Obama to lift most sanctions unilaterally imposed by the United States on Sudan. “By lifting sanctions on Sudan, after adopting similar decisions on Cuba and Iran, President Obama will be remembered as a leader who listened to the international community and stakeholders, in particular the poor and the wretched who were the unintended main victims of such measures,” said Special Rapporteur on human rights and international sanctions, Idriss Jazairy, in a press release.
A panoramic view of Nyala, South Darfur, the second largest city in Sudan, after the capital, Khartoum. Photo: UNAMID/Hamid Abdulsalam
Since visiting the country in 2015, Mr Jazairy, who has reported extensively on the negative impact of the sanctions, noted that President Obama’s decision acknowledged the fact that the Government of Sudan has adopted positives actions over the past six months.
“I urge the Sudanese authorities to intensify their efforts to enhance peace and stabilization efforts and uphold human rights,” he said.
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“The decision by the Obama administration to revoke sanctions, is in line with the recommendation I made in my 2016 report to the Human Rights Council,” the Special Rapporteur emphasized. In his report, Mr. Jazairy had warned that imposing unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) on Sudan would “restrict trade and investment in the country, which in turn forces the population to face enormous challenges to their enjoyment of human rights.” The UN rights expert cautioned that such measures significantly affected the right to health and an adequate standard of living, the right to food, the right to education and the right to development in the country. He also deplored that exemptions to the sanctions regime were largely ineffective “when financial transactions with the banking system in the Sudan are prohibited.” In his report, Mr. Jazairy had made a number of recommendations to mitigate the impact of sanctions, including exceptions or waivers regarding trade in agricultural products and certain life-saving drugs, and called for the progressive lifting of prohibitions on remittance transfers from abroad, starting with imports recognized to be crucial to ensure basic human rights. Finally, the expert said he was satisfied that his recommendation for a mechanism between the UN and Sudan to procure life-saving medicines had been implemented – with US approval under the auspices of the UN Office in Khartoum, in cooperation with the Sudanese Ministry of Health in March 2016. Independent experts and Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Turkey: UNICEF cites risk of 'lost generation' of Syrian children despite enrolment increase 19 January – More than 40 per cent of Syrian refugee children in Turkey are missing out on education, despite a sharp increase in enrolment rates, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today. “Unless more resources are provided, there is still a very real risk of a 'lost generation' of Syrian children, deprived of the skills they will one day need to rebuild their country,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth, speaking after a visit to southern Turkey.
A little Syrian girl outside her family tent in Nizip 1 refugee camp, Gaziantep, southern Turkey. Photo: UNICEF/UN048823/Ergen
According to UNICEF, nearly half a million Syrian refugee children are currently enrolled in schools across Turkey. But over 40 per cent of children of school-going age – or 380,000 child refugees – are still missing out on an education, despite a more than 50 per cent increase in enrolment since last June.
“For the first time since the start of the Syrian crisis, there are more Syrian children in Turkey attending class than there are out of school,” said Mr. Forsyth. “Turkey should be commended for this huge achievement.” Diversity ‘is richness, not a threat,’ UN chief Guterres tells forum on combatting anti-Muslim discrimination Turkey is home to more than 1.2 million child refugees, making it the top child refugee hosting country in the world. In partnership with the Government of Turkey, UNICEF is helping strengthen education systems, increase access to learning and improve the quality of inclusive education for Syrian and vulnerable Turkish children.
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Since 2013, UNICEF has helped build, renovate or refurnish nearly 400 schools, and trained some 20,000 Syrian volunteer teachers. Approximately 13,000 teachers receive monthly incentives. Efforts are also under way to include Syrian children in a national programme that grants cash allowances to vulnerable families for them to send, and keep, their children in school.
UN agency eyes recycling wastewater for large-scale farming 19 January – With agricultural land thirsty and water increasingly scarce, the United Nations agricultural agency is today hosting an international event to discuss the use of municipal liquid waste for farming. “Properly managed, wastewater can be used safely to support crop production – directly through irrigation or indirectly by recharging aquifers – but doing so requires diligent management of health risks through adequate treatment or appropriate use,” the Food and Agricultural Organization said in a press release. A trickling filter at a wastewater treatment plant in Danbury,
Sound management of wastewater in agricultural production is the Connecticut, in the United States. UN Photo/Evan Schneider focus of a discussion by a group of experts today in Berlin, Germany, at the opening day of the annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture. The Forum – this year organized around agriculture and water – has been convened by FAO, along with the United Nations University, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Leibniz Research Alliance. “Although more detailed data on the practice is lacking, we can say that, globally, only a small proportion of treated wastewater is being used for agriculture, most of it municipal wastewater,” said Marlos De Souza, a senior officer with FAO's Land and Water Division. The use of water recycling is already being used by some small farmers and has shown successful results near cities where wastewater is widely available and inexpensive. An increasing number of countries are now exploring its use on a larger scale. Among these Egypt, Jordan, Mexico, Spain and the United States. Participants at the Berlin event will also discuss how to manage risks. The biggest concern is proper treatment of the wastewater, often contains microbes and pathogens, chemical pollution, antibiotic residues, and other threats to the health of farmers, food chain workers, and consumers.
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UN agencies, partners launch new plan to address plight of refugees and migrants in Europe 19 January – The United Nations refugee and migration agencies along with a host of partners today unveiled a new strategy and appeal to help address the challenges confronting hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants in Europe. The Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan, launched today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 72 other partners, is expected to play a key role in ensuring more efficient operations and a better coordinated response throughout 2017. “Over the past two years, Europe's response to the arrival of over 1.3 million refugees and migrants on its soil has been faced with many challenges, including how to protect refugees and migrants,” said Vincent Cochetel, Director of Europe Bureau at UNHCR, adding that the Plan will help address those issues.
Syrian refugee children looking out from their new home in the small town of Gänserndorf, Austria. They are on a resettlement program for Syrian refugees, in cooperation with UNHCR. Photo: UNHCR/Mark Henley (file)
The Plan seeks to complement and strengthen Governments' efforts to provide safe access to asylum and protection of refugees and migrants and accords priority to enhanced partnership and coordination. It also stresses the need for orderly and dignified migration management, and long-term solutions for refugees and migrants, including a robust relocation scheme, support to voluntary returns and reinforced alternative legal pathways to dangerous journeys, including resettlement and family reunification. Emphasis on needs of refugee and migrant children and those of women and girls According to the UN agencies, particular emphasis is placed on addressing the specific needs of refugee and migrant children as well as those of women and girls, including strengthening efforts to identify and support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and pilot projects for a more effective response to the needs of unaccompanied and separated children in Europe. In 2016, over 25,000 unaccompanied and separated children arrived by sea in Italy alone. “We are especially concerned about vulnerability and needs of migrant and refugee children especially women and girls and this initiative is exactly what is needed,” explained chief IOM spokesperson Leonard Doyle. Large geographic scope to address requirements of people on the move Further, highlighting the necessity to address not only the needs of a mainly static population, but also those of people who will continue to move irregularly within Europe, the agencies noted that the Plan covers a large geographical area, encompassing Turkey, Southern Europe, Western Balkans, Central Europe, and Western and Northern Europe. They added that the total financial requirements amount to $691 million, with a population planning figure of up to 340,000 people, based on previous arrivals trends and people present in countries who will receive support through this Plan.
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UN rights expert urges Saudi Arabia to use economic plan to bolster women’s rights 19 January – An independent United Nations expert today urged Saudi officials to use their bold new plan for economic transformation to improve the human rights of women and the poor. Known as Vision 2030, the plan, which was announced in April 2016, is meant to reduce Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil and develop other service sectors, such as tourism.
Special Rapporteur Philip Alston. UN Photo/Loey Felipe
“Despite the plethora of serious human rights issues in Saudi Arabia […] Vision 2030 recognizes that Saudi women represent ‘a great asset’ which is currently under-utilized, and the need to recognize women’s rights points in the same direction,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, at the end of his official visit to the country.
He noted that a 2012 decision allowing women to work in the retail sector “transformed the lives of millions of women” who could work outside of the home. He calls for the economic transformations to lift restrictions on women’s economic and independence. “The driving ban should be lifted, and women should no longer need authorization from male guardians to work or travel,” Mr. Alston said. During his 12-day visit, Mr. Alston met with ministers and other senior officials, as well as experts, academics and individuals living in poverty in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Jizan. “In meetings with me the Government was severely self-critical of the shortcomings of its current social protection system and it appears to be making genuine attempts at reforming that system,” said the UN expert. The Special Rapporteur described the current social protection system for the poor as “a veritable hodgepodge of programmes which is inefficient, unsustainable, poorly coordinated and, above all, unsuccessful in providing comprehensive social protection to those most in need.” Independent experts and Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)
