Nairobi, 19 December 2014 – The recovery of the ozone layer – the shield that protects life on Earth from harmful levels of ultraviolet rays – would come sooner if we were to fast-track the elimination of the production of the ozone-depleting substance (ODS) hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and manage other ODSs that remain in equipment, building walls and chemical stockpiles, according to the full release of a report by nearly 300 scientists from 36 countries.*
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The Vienna Convention on Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol achieved universal ratification in 2009 and remain the first and only treaties to realize that aspiration | Source: UNEP
Additionally, earlier phase out of relatively small remaining uses of ODSs, which are currently exempted for reasons of essentiality and criticality to society, would hasten ozone recovery, the report says. Altogether, preventing those emissions can speed up the recovery of the ozone layer by about 11 years.
Amman, 19 December 2014 – “The Syria crisis represents the biggest threat to children of recent times. By the end of 2015, the lives of over 8.6 million children across the region will have been torn apart by violence and forced displacement. That compares to a figure of 7 million just one month ago.*
Source: UNICEF
“Since the outset, and in spite of the enormous security and other challenges posed by a conflict of such scale and brutality, UNICEF and its partners have been delivering clean water, sanitation, education, health and immunization services, and psychosocial care to millions of children and their families.
“This year, as part of the 2015 Syria appeal, UNICEF is renewing its commitment to the survival and protection of children, including those living under the harshest conditions of siege.
Geneva — On International Migrants Day 2014, December 18th, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing calls for urgent action to save the lives of migrants and stop smugglers from exploiting their desperation to extort huge sums of money.
IOM Calls for Action to Save Migrants’ Lives On December 18th – International Migrants Day
IOM data show that the number of migrants dying on dangerous journeys in the hope of finding better lives for themselves and their families, is rising.
Some 5,000 migrants (4,868) lost their lives this year at sea or in remote deserts or mountains. This makes 2014 the deadliest year on record, with double the number of last year’s deaths.
**Photo: James Whittle/ Royal Australian Navy | Royal Australian Navy on maritime security deployment | Source: IRIN
Experts say it reflects global trends of treating migration as a security problem, and acknowledge that might be an important avenue for Southeast Asian regional policy development.
Since September 2013 Australia has run Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB), a military-led initiative the government describes as an effort to “to combat people-smuggling and protect Australia’s borders”.
Navy ships intercept boats carrying asylum seekers, who are then detained in off-shore processing centres, the conditions of which have been criticized repeatedly, including by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Far too many migrants still live and work in precarious and unjust conditions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on 18 December 2014 said in a message to mark International Migrants Day.
A scene at the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Thousands of women leave their homes in Indonesia to work as domestic workers each year. Photo: IRIN/David Swanson
“We call for the fulfillment and protection of the human rights of the world’s 232 million migrants,” said Ban.*
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 