Archive for July, 2019

19/07/2019

Lives in the Peace Movement

Human Wrongs Watch 

By John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media Service*

I would like to announce the publication of a book describing the lives of some of the people who have contributed importantly to the peace movement. The book can be freely downloaded from the following link: http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lives-in-the-peace-movement-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf

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Humphrey Muleba @good_citizen/Unsplash

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I hope that the lives of these women and men can inspire us as we work together to abolish the institution of war.

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19/07/2019

New Research Outlines 5-Course ‘Menu of Solutions’ to Achieve Sustainable Food Future

Washington, D.C. 17 July 2019 (UN Environment)*With the world’s population expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, a major new report shows the global food system must undergo urgent change to ensure there is adequate food for everyone without destroying the planet.  
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The World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future reveals that meeting this challenge will require closing three gaps:
19/07/2019

Yemen: UN Special Envoy ‘Guilty’ of Optimistic Hope that War Is ‘Nearing the End’

Human Wrongs Watch

With Yemen once again at a “crucial moment” the UN Special Envoy trying to facilitate peace there told Security Council members on Thursday [18 July 2019] that despite the dangers of being over optimistic, he could not help thinking the country could finally be “nearing the end of its war.”

© UNICEF/Saleh Baholis | Children sitting next to their tent at the Al-Meshqafah camp in Yemen. (26 February 2019)

“It was not me, but a very senior and wise official in the region who recently said that this war can end this year”, said Martin Griffiths.

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19/07/2019

World ‘Off Track’ to Meet Most Sustainable Development Goals on Hunger, Food Security and Nutrition

Human Wrongs Watch

ROME (FAO)* – The world is off-track to meet most of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets linked to hunger, food security and nutrition, according to a FAO report released on 18 July 2019.

Photo: ©FAO/Junio D. KannahThe world is off track to meet most of food and agriculture-related SDGs. Pictured: a farmer from DRC.

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19/07/2019

Monsoon Rains Turn Millions of Children’s Lives ‘Upside Down’ across South Asia

Human Wrongs Watch

Heavy rainfall, severe flooding and landslides across Nepal, India and Bangladesh have killed at least 93 children, and put the lives of millions more at risk, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which is “responding urgently”.

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UNICEF/Thomas Nybo | A young boy in Bangladesh navigates a river swollen from days of monsoon rain. He is collecting plastic bottles washed into the river to sell to recyclers to help his family purchase food. (July 2019)
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18/07/2019

Rising CO2, Climate Change Projected to Reduce Availability of Nutrients Worldwide

Human Wrongs Watch

17 July 2019 (IFPRI)* One of the biggest challenges to reducing hunger and undernutrition around the world is to produce foods that provide not only enough calories but also make enough necessary nutrients widely available.

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New research finds that, over the next 30 years, climate change and increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) could significantly reduce the availability of critical nutrients such as protein, iron, and zinc, compared to a future without it.

The total impacts of climate change shocks and elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are estimated to reduce growth in global per capita nutrient availability of protein, iron, and zinc by 19.5%, 14.4%, and 14.6%, respectively.

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18/07/2019

US Defunds UNFPA for Third Consecutive Year– on Misconceived Assumptions

Human Wrongs Watch

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 17 2019 (IPS)*The Trump administration, in its continued hostility towards the United Nations– and as part of its policy aimed at undermining multilateral institutions and international commitments– has withheld its annual contributions to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) – for the third consecutive year.

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17/07/2019

DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Now a Public Health Emergency – World Health Organization

The second worst Ebola outbreak of all time, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Wednesday [17 July 2019], with the head of the World Health Organization calling for countries to ‘take notice and redouble our efforts”.

Finnish Red Cross/Maria Santto | Rinsing Ebola protective gear in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (31 May 2019).
17/07/2019

‘Greater Urgency’ Needed in Fight against HIV/AIDS, Warns UNAIDS amidst $1 Billion Investment Cuts

The UN programme leading the global effort to end AIDS is calling for greater urgency and more funding in the fight against the disease, with data showing that the pace of progress in reducing new HIV infections is slowing, and some countries experiencing a rising number of cases.

UNICEF | At the UNICEF supported Regional AIDS Centre in Osh in Southern Kyrgyzstan, a female doctor explains proper doses of ARV treatment for HIV. (26 May 2014)
17/07/2019

Politicization of Migrant ‘Crisis’ in Hungary Making Them Scapegoats, Independent UN Human Rights Expert Warns

Human Wrongs Watch

Expressing deep concern over how migration and migrants themselves are being politicized and scapegoated in Hungary, an independent United Nations human rights expert on Wednesday [17 July 2019] urged the Government to immediately end its “crisis” approach to the issue. 

Photo: UNHCR/Béla Szandelszky | Asylum-seekers rest in their room in the Debrecen Reception Centre, Hungary. Photo: UNHCR/Béla Szandelszky
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