'Unseen' News and Views
Speaking to young Māoris and people of the Pacific Islands in New Zealand on Monday [13 May 2019], UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his gratitude for the leadership of the youth of the country in fighting climate change.
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The number of people living in internal displacement worldwide as of the end of 2018 is the highest it has ever been, according to the Global Report on Internal Displacement, launched today at the United Nations in Geneva.
This is an increase of more than a million since the end of 2017 and two-thirds more than the global number of refugees.
Routes traditionally used to escort trafficking victims out of Africa have shifted to others in Nigeria, Algeria and Turkey
Researchers said police efforts to link illicit financial transactions to smuggling humans across Africa are still in their early stages. | Photo: Reuters | Photo from teleSUR.
10 May 2019 (teleSUR)* — Human traffickers in east and north Africa are re-strategizing their business models to avoid detection, a new report from the Research and Evidence Facility (a European Union affiliate) said Friday [10 May 2019].
According to the study, routes which traditionally were used to escort trafficking victims out of Africa have shifted to others in Nigeria, Algeria and Turkey.
Bonn, 9 May 2019 (UN Environment)* -– Plastic pollution poses serious health risks to wildlife globally, affecting a wide range of species including whales, turtles, fish and birds.
Bo Eide | Photo from UN Environment.
On World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated on 11 May, two UN wildlife treaties and conservationists around the world are calling for urgent action to stop plastic pollution by highlighting its negative effects on seabirds and other migratory birds.
10 May 2019 — A seeming paradise, life on the Pacific islands is threatened by climate change and extreme weather, frustrated by remoteness and a lack of educational and economic opportunities. Secretary-General António Guterres begins a visit to the region this weekend, where he will speak to people living on some of the islands and see for himself how the UN is helping to mitigate some of the biggest issues.
Forests are vitally important for sustaining life on Earth, and play a major role in the fight against climate change. With the 2019 session of the United Nations Forum on Forests wrapping up on Friday [10 May 2019] in New York, we delve deeper into the subject, and find out what the UN is doing to safeguard and protect them.
– The rise of right-wing nationalism and the proliferation of authoritarian governments have undermined human rights in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
As a result, some of the international human rights experts – designated as UN Rapporteurs – have either been politically ostracized, denied permission to visit countries on “fact-finding missions” or threatened with expulsion, along with the suspension of work permits.
Cox’s Bazar, 10 May 2019 (IOM)* – When Cyclone Fani – one of the most powerful Indian Ocean storms of the past decade– barrelled up the Bay of Bengal a week ago making landfall in northern India and western Bangladesh, it left 24 people dead, a trail of destruction and thousands displaced. Some 2.6 million people – a million in India and 1.6 million in Bangladesh – were evacuated from its path, potentially saving thousands of lives.
Refugees plant vetiver grass on sandy slopes to prevent monsoon-related landslides. Photo: IOM
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 