UNITED NATIONS, Dec 7 2018 (IPS)*– When the long-awaited UN conference focusing on the rights and safety of migrants and refugees takes off in Morocco, it will be a rare, if not an unprecedented meeting, for one reason: the withdrawal of at least seven member states almost at the 59th minute of the eleventh hour.
Refugees from South Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Will Swanson
As the international community struggles to resolve a spreading global humanitarian crisis, and restrict the intake of refugees and migrants, the approval of a “Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration” is turning out to be a politically sensitive issue.
Every year, trillions of dollars – equivalent to more than five percent of global GDP – are paid in bribes or stolen through corruption, the United Nations reported on the International Day which serves to highlight the pervasive crime, marked this Sunday 9 December 2018.
World Bank/Philip Schuler | Anti-corruption sign in Namibia. | Photo from UN News.
UN Environment is working with governments to collect internationally coherent data on fossil fuel subsidies that can help advance global efforts to address climate change.
Photo by Alfred T. Palmer/Wikimedia.
7 December 2018 (UN Environment)* — Gone are the days when you could fill up your car gas tank with US$20. Yet, despite the steady increases, gas prices are still artificially low, keeping transportation and national production costs relatively contained and internationally competitive.
Unfortunately, this situation is deeply unsustainable, particularly if we are to seriously curb our CO2emissions, slow our impact on climate change and reduce air pollution.
Every year, governments spend between US$160 and US$400 billion as fossil fuel subsidies for the production and use of coal, oil and gas.
Katowice (UN Environment)* – While climate consciousness across the globe is on the rise, the fourth UN Environment Adaptation Gap Report released on 6 December 2018 has revealed a considerable gap between countries’ preparedness for climate change and the actual measures that should be put in place to prepare communities for a future of increasing climate risks.
The research particularly underscores a growing divide between the estimated annual costs of adaptation and the actual global investments in resilience measures, drawing a distinct connection between our adaptation to climate change and sustainable development that results in healthy communities and thriving economies.
8 December 2018(Wall Street International)*– Anyone reading the scientific literature (or the progressive news outlets that truthfully report this literature) knows that homo sapiens sapiensis on the fast track to extinction, most likely some time between 2025 and 2040.
8 December 2018 – Paving the way to the key UN migration conference in Marrakech, Morocco, which it is hoped will agree new measures to make life safer and more dignified for people on the move, UN agencies held a series of side events to highlight the different aspects of migration, paying special attention to the most vulnerable, and the challenges they face on their often perilous journeys.
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UN Photo/Mark Garten | A scupltural figure representing a person on the move in the grounds of the Global Compact for Migration conference taking place in Marrakesh, Morocco. December 2018)
8 December 2018 – As hundreds of decision-makers are gathering in Marrakech to agree new standards for global migration, the UN climate change conference ‘COP24’ is looking at concrete ways to help countries tackle large-scale displacement caused by the impacts of climate change including water scarcity, flooding, storms and rising sea levels.
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UNICEF/Marco Dormino | Huriccane Tomas Floods Streets of Gonaives, Haiti
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reaches its 70th anniversary on Monday [10 December 2018], a chance to highlight the many important breakthroughs brought about by the landmark UN document, and to remind the world that the human rights of millions are still being violated on a daily basis.
UN Photo/Mark Garten | Special Event: Recreation of photo of children with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to commemorate the declaration’s 70th anniversary.
Thanks to the Declaration, and States’ commitments to its principles, the dignity of millions has been uplifted, untold human suffering prevented and the foundations for a most just world have been laid.
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo –to whom quoted text may be attributed –at today’s [7 December 2018] press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Español | Français | عربي
Geneva, 7 December 2018 (UNHCR)* – Nearly 1,500 civilian casualties were reported in Yemen in the period between August to October this year, according to the UNHCR-led Protection Cluster in Yemen. This means an average of 123 civilian deaths and injuries every week during this period.
How would a day without migrants look like? Contrary to what some may believe, migrants play a vital role in the global economy.
Studies show that immigrants bring growth and innovation in both the countries they come from, and in those they move to.
In the United States alone, immigrants have founded or co-founded companies such as Google, Intel, WhatsApp, PayPal, eBay, Tesla and Yahoo!
Although they make up less than 15 percent of the population, skilled immigrants account for over half of Silicon Valley start-ups and over half of patents.
Refugees from South Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Will Swanson
