(UN News)* — At least two-thirds of households with children have lost income since the COVID-19 pandemic hit two years ago, according to a joint report published on Wednesday [9 March 2022] by the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) and World Bank.
The report, Impact of COVID-19 on the welfare of households with children, presents findings from data collected in 35 countries, and notes that households with three or more children were most likely to have come up short, with more than three-quarters experiencing a reduction in earnings.
(UN News)* — Top UN-appointed rights investigators on Wednesday [9 March 2022] urged renewed efforts for a political solution to Syria’s devastating war, which has been marked by an uptick of violence and a deepening humanitarian crisis in recent months.
Presenting the latest UN Human Rights Council-mandated report on the nearly 11-year-old conflictat a virtual press conference in Geneva, Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, described the “devastating” impact on communities.
LIMA, Mar 7 2022 (IPS)* – “Pachamama (Mother Earth) is upset with all the damage we are doing to her,” says Hilda Roca, an indigenous Peruvian farmer from Cusipata, in the Andes highlands of the department of Cuzco, referring to climate change and the havoc it is wreaking on her life and her environment. | En español
Peruvian farmer Hilda Roca, 37, stands in her agro-ecological garden in Cusipata, a town located at more than 3,300 meters above sea level in the highlands of Cuzco, where she grows vegetables for her family and sells the surplus with the support of her adolescent daughter and son. CREDIT: Mariela Jara/IPS
Rome, 7 March 2022 (FAO)* – Whether it’s new foods like jellyfish, edible insects and cell-based meat, or new technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, the future promises exciting opportunities for feeding the world. However, the time to start preparing for any potential safety concerns is now.
9 March 2022 (UNEP)* — Whether it’s the Australian coast or the rainforests of Brazil, unrestrained wildfires – shrouded by black smoke and punctuated by the crackle of burning vegetation – have laid waste to some of the world’s most-iconic landscapes in recent years.
UN-REDD/Andri Tambunan / 09 Mar 2022
These blazes, directly and indirectly, impact millions of people and myriad habitats globally – and they’re becoming more common.
Record-breaking temperatures in 2021 increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires and their associated risks to human and environmental health, according to Spreading like Wildfire, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal.
(UN News)* — The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process on Tuesday [8 March 2022]expressed deep concern over the “deteriorating security situation” this week in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where daily violence has claimed the lives of six Palestinians, including a child.
Tor Wennesland added that 26 Palestinians and seven Israelis have also been injured during the confrontations.
According to news reports, Israeli police shot a Palestinian man dead on Monday after he stabbed two officers at a gate to the Old City of Jerusalem. Militant group Hamas, reportedly claimed the attacker as a member.
Africans support the Ukrainian people, but centuries of experience also make us wary of ‘solutions’ by our former colonisers| ESPAÑOL
A sign protesting against US and European sanctions in Zimbabwe | Yagil Henkin / Alamy Stock Photo. All rights reserved
3 Marcch 2022 (openDemocracy)* — Scrolling through my social media and news feeds, “I stand with Ukraine” is the dominant statement of support for a country that undeniably needs it at this time.
But this stance is not as black and white as Western liberals like to think.
Although we all condemn President Putin`s action in entering Ukraine we must now consider what steps can be taken to de-escalate the situation. Although some low level talks have been held we must consider the best options to not stroke or escalate a war in Europe.
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Both sides need assurances of their own safety with Russia requesting that Ukraine remaining non-NATO/neutral state.
This is very important to the Russians. Before the break-up of USSR, NATO promised never to move east into ex-soviet countries. They now have missiles and bases in most ex-soviet countries.
The Ukrainians also need guarantees of their own security. There would have to be a full withdrawal of Russian troops and possibly a UN Monitoring body along borders of Donbas region, to prevent ongoing war that has been carried out along the borders of Donbas where thousands of civilians have been killed following the 2014 uprising.
It is my belief that the escalation will continue if we go on weaponizing the region by UK/USA/EU.
MADRID, Mar 7 2022 (IPS)* – The picture is gloomy: not only do women represent 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in conditions of poverty, but also up to 40% of the poorest households in urban areas are headed by women.
Women predominate in the world’s food production (50-80 per cent), but they own less than 10 per cent of the land. Credit: Jency Samuel/IP
5 March 2022 (UN News)* — “Slave” tattoos, electric shock devices, and plastic bracelets. These are examples of the kinds of objects and physical abuses deployed by human traffickers to control, torture, and brand their victims, and which are crucial to securing a conviction.
The plastic bracelets the women wore in a bar in Argentina indicated the number of men they had been forced to have sex with. In Thailand, men and children from Myanmar were exploited in the fishing industry: an electric shock device was used if they refused to work.
And a Chinese symbol for “slave” was tattooed on the ankle of a woman in the United States.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 