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17 August 2020 (UN News)* — The rehabilitation and replanting of mangrove forests in Cuba’s coastal regions is helping to protect the lives of people living on the Caribbean island, and reduce the effects of climate change, thanks to a UN Development Programme project.
UNDP Cuba | Much of the mangrove forests on Cuba’s coastline have deteriorated in recent decades.
Mangroves not only provide a habitat for fish and other sea life that local communities eat, but also reduce the effects of rising tides and extreme weather that will become more intense with climate change.
In Cuba, the loss and damage over several decades to mangroves, which are typically found on 70 per cent of its coasts, has made coastal communities increasingly vulnerable.
Each year, August 12 marks International Youth Day, with this year’s theme being Youth engagement for Global Action. Here, Sylvia Nagginda, the Nnabagereka (Queen) of Buganda, Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate change activist and Musonda Mumba, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Terrestrial Unit, reflect on some of the initiatives that are ensuring youth voices are heard in environmental decision-making.
Flickr / UNEP
(UN Environment)* — The year 2020 has seen the world grapple with an unprecedented global pandemic as the climate crisis looms on.
With survival at stake, can weapon makers change course?
Today [6 August], the seventy-fifth anniversary of the atomic attack on Hiroshima, should be a day for quiet introspection. I recall a summer morning following the U.S. 2003 “Shock and Awe” invasion of Iraq when the segment of the Chicago River flowing past the headquarters of the world’s second largest defense contractor, Boeing, turned the rich, red color of blood.
Another Mother for Peace, Lorraine Schneider, 1966
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 14 2020 (IPS)* – There is no love lost between the United Nations and US President Donald Trump.
A General Assembly session in a locked down United Nations.
When he addressed the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in September 2018, Trump falsely told delegates that “in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country”
The misleading statement triggered loud laughter from world leaders and delegates from 192 countries—perhaps with the sole exception of the US delegation which, not surprisingly, stayed mum.
15 August 2020 (Wall Street International)* — Sahel is at a crossroads. The region has been in an escalating crisis since 2013. A triple whammy of terrorist attacks, COVID-19 and political tensions can now push the region over the brink. Mali is at the heart of it all. It may have dramatic consequences.
Years ago, I wandered in the sandy streets of Timbuktu in Mali, looking at the ancient buildings with awe. The famous town bordering the desert, associated with Bedouins and adventurers was once the centre not only of the Sahel, but of the communications between the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Africa.
13 August 2020 (UNHCR)* – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are troubled by the proposal to intercept boats and return those attempting to cross the English Channel irregularly. The foreseen deployment of large naval vessels to deter such crossings and block small, flimsy dinghies may result in harmful and fatal incidents.| Español | Français | عربي
Although increasing numbers of people have been crossing the Channel by boat this summer, the numbers remain low and manageable. People forced by wars and persecution to flee their homes and people on the move frequently embark on risky journeys in many parts of the world.
14 August 2020 (UN News)* — Millions of lives could be lost to hunger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid escalating conflict and worsening COVID-19 transmission, the UN emergency food relief agency has warned, urging the international community to step up support for the African nation.
WFP/Ben Anguandia | WFP food distribution to Internally Displaced People in Kikuku, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), latest national data shows that about four in ten people in the DRC are food insecure, with some 15.6 million suffering “crisis” or “emergency” levels of hunger. “So many Congolese are on the edge, and in even greater danger now of being tipped over the edge”, said Claude Jibidar, the head of WFP operations in the country.
15 August 2020 (UN News)* — Hassan Akkad, an award-winning Syrian film-maker, fled the war in his country four years ago and now lives as a refugee in the United Kingdom. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, he decided to help those affected by the pandemic, by becoming a cleaner at a London hospital.
The documentary of Mr. Akkad’s perilous escape from Syria, where he had been imprisoned and beaten, was awarded a British BAFTA. He appears frequently in the media, and a mobile phone video he made, advocating for health workers, has been credited with convincing the UK government to include hospital cleaners and porters in a COVID-19 bereavement scheme.
14 August 2020 (UN News)* — After leaving Gaza as a refugee, Shadi Mohammedali decided to dedicate himself to helping others in a similar situation. Today, he is working for an NGO in a Greek camp for asylum seekers, explaining how they can protect themselves from COVID-19.
IRC | Shadi Mohammedali, a refugee from Gaza, now works for the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Here he is pictured in the Moria Refugee Camp in Greece.
Now a Health and Risk Communication Officer with the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mr. Mohammedali spent a year in a camp on Leros Island, run by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, where he received financial assistance, and learned English, French and Greek.
Flickr / UNEP
Another Mother for Peace, Lorraine Schneider, 1966
A General Assembly session in a locked down United Nations.
Refugees and migrants arrive in port aboard a Border Force vessel after being intercepted while crossing the English Channel from France in small boats on August 11, 2020 in Dover, England. © Leon Neal/Getty Images/AFP*
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