Archive for March, 2021

22/03/2021

UN Agencies Urge Turkey Not to Abandon International Accord Protecting Women

Human Wrongs Watch

21 March 2021 (UN News)* — United Nations agencies on Saturday [20 March 2021] called on Turkey to reconsider its withdrawal from a key regional treaty on preventing violence against women, including domestic violence, and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

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UN News/Jing Zhang | Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
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Dubbed the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, is the “first and most comprehensive” international treaty specifically addressing these issues, UN agencies said in a statement
22/03/2021

Exploited and Marginalized, Bangladeshi Tea Workers Speak Up for Their Rights

21 March 2021 (UN News)*Tea garden workers in Bangladesh, who are mainly women, are one of the most marginalized groups in the country, with limited access to education for their children and prone to dire health risks.
ILO/Alexius Chicham | Female tea workers are going to drop the collected leaves at factory. Tea leaf pickers get 120 Taka ($1.5 USD) daily wages to collect 24 KG leaves.
A programme supported by the UN’s Joint SDG Fund, which funds initiatives focused on sustainable development, aims to boost social protection for these works, helping them access their rights and improve their life prospects.
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“During my pregnancy, my family planned to help me deliver my baby at home, following in the footsteps of my ancestors”, says tea worker Ruma Munda.
22/03/2021

Do You Know What Nowruz, Nauryz or Nevruz Mean?

Human Wrongs Watch

International Day of Nowruz, 21 March

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Celebration of Nowruz shared by several countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey.© UNESCO

21 March 2021 (UNESCO)* — Do you know what Nowruz, Nauryz or Nevruz mean? These words signify ‘new day’ for more than 300 million people around the world, and correspond to celebrations in large parts of Asia (Central, West and South) and from Southeast Europe to the Caucasus and Ural Mountain Range.

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22/03/2021

Spirit of Nowruz, Now ‘More Vital than Ever’

Human Wrongs Watch

21 March 2021 (UN News)*The United Nations Secretary-General has called on everyone to draw inspiration from Nowruz – the day that celebrates the arrival of the spring season – to strengthen solidarity between communities, as the world looks to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

UNAMA/Fardin Waezi | In Afghanistan, bakeries prepare a special type of cookie, called “Kulcha-e Nowrozi,” which is only baked for Nowruz. Other special dishes include “Haft Mewa,” a fruit salad made from seven different dried fruits, and “Samanak” made by women in a special ceremony that includes singing.
21/03/2021

Over 3 Billion People Are “At Risk of Disease” Because the Water Quality of Their Rivers, Lakes and Groundwater Is Unknown…

Human Wrongs Watch

19 March 2021 (UNEP)* — Globally, over 3 billion people are at risk of disease because the water quality of their rivers, lakes and groundwater is unknown, due to a lack of data.

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UNEP / Lisa Murray / 19 Mar 2021

Meanwhile, a fifth of the world’s river basins are experiencing dramatic fluctuations in water availability, and 2.3 billion people are living in countries categorized as “water-stressed,” including 721 million in areas where the water situation is “critical,” according to recent research carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

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21/03/2021

Water and the Global Climate Crisis: 10 Things You Should Know

Human Wrongs Watch

The world needs to get water smart. Everyone has a role to play, and we cannot afford to wait.

A girl stands in floodwater in front of a well, Bangladesh
UNICEF/UN0328236/Chakma
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18 March 2021 (UNICEF)*Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events, unpredictable water availability, exacerbating water scarcity and contaminating water supplies. Such impacts can drastically affect the quantity and quality of water that children need to survive.

Today, a change in climate is felt primarily through a change in water. Millions of children are at risk.

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21/03/2021

1 in 5 Children Globally Does Not Have Enough Water to Meet Their Everyday Needs – UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

UNICEF launches new initiative, Water Security for All, to mobilize global support and resources to reach children in water vulnerable hotspots

Mother and child walking with water jug.
UNICEF/UN0406867/Andrianantenaina/2021Claudine and her child heading back to their home in Mantara, Madagascar, after walking 14km to find water.

NEW YORK, 18 March 2021 (UNICEF)* – Globally, more than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas of high, or extremely high, water vulnerability, according to a new analysis released by UNICEF.

This means that 1 in 5 children worldwide does not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.

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21/03/2021

Every Drop Counts!

Human Wrongs Watch

(United Nations)* — Access to water and sanitation is a precondition to life and a declared human right. Water is vitally important to sustainable development – from health and nutrition, to gender equity and economics.

Over the coming years, our water-related challenges will become more urgent.

The increasing demands of a growing population and rapidly developing global economy, combined with the effects of climate change, will exacerbate lack of access to water and sanitation for domestic uses.

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21/03/2021

3.2 Billion People Live in Agricultural Areas with “High” to “Very High” Water Shortages or Scarcity

Human Wrongs Watch

World Water Day, 22 March 2021

(UN Water)* — Water scarcity can mean scarcity in availability due to physical shortage, or scarcity in access due to the failure of institutions to ensure a regular supply or due to a lack of adequate infrastructure.
Drought in Niger in 2011. Photo: WFP/Phil Behan

Drought in Niger in 2011. Photo: WFP/Phil Behan

Challenges

Water scarcity will be exacerbated as rapidly growing urban areas place heavy pressure on neighbouring water resources. Climate change and bio-energy demands are also expected to amplify the already complex relationship between world development and water demand.

21/03/2021

UN Sanitizes Killings of Children in Armed Conflicts

Human Wrongs Watch

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 19 2021 (IPS)* – The horrendous killings of children in military conflicts and civil wars – both by national armed forces and militant groups – have triggered widespread condemnation by human rights organizations worldwide.

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Masha Khromchenko stands in the kindergarten classroom that took a direct hit from a shell in the Luhansk region, Ukraine. The UN Security Council has demanded an end to attacks on schools worldwide. Credit: UNICEF/Christopher Morris

But a “list of shame” singling out some of these perpetrators have been politicized leaving out some of these countries under fire, including Afghanistan, Israel (in the killings in occupied territories), Somalia and Yemen (where the killings are blamed on the aerial attacks by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

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