Archive for ‘Africa’

23/03/2021

Wastewater and Excreta an Untapped Resource for Solving Environmental Risks

Human Wrongs Watch

Nairobi/Stockholm, 22 March 2021 (UNEP)* – A book by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), launched on World Water Day, reports that the sanitation waste of 50% of the global population is still disposed of without having been treated – posing enormous risks to both public health and the environment.
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23/03/2021

Climate Change Is Hitting the Ocean Hard, Increasing Hazards for Hundreds of Millions of People

Geneva, 23 March 2021 (WMO)* – The ocean drives the world’s weather and climate and anchors the global economy and food security. Climate change is hitting the ocean hard, but also increasing hazards for hundreds of millions of people.

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23/03/2021

Massive Humanitarian Assistance to Tens of Thousands of Rohingya Refugees After a Devastating Fire in Their Densely Populated Camp in Bangladesh

Human Wrongs Watch

23 March 2021 (UN News)*United Nations humanitarian personnel are on the ground evacuating and assisting tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees, after a devastating fire tore through their densely populated camp in southern Bangladesh. 

UNICEF Bangladesh 2021 | Charred remains of shelters and belongings of Rohingya refugees after a devastating fire tore through the Kutupalong refugee camp on 22 March.
 
Though exact numbers are yet to be confirmed, initial estimates indicate that more than 87,000 refugees could have been affected in the fire, which started around 3pm on Monday (local time) in Camp 8W of the Kutupalong mega camp.
 

It is not currently clear exactly how the fire started.

The blaze then rapidly spread to Camps 8E, 9 and 10. In all, about 66 per cent of the four camps’ populations have been impacted, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

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23/03/2021

Racism: “Horrific” Deadly Attacks, Harassment, Bullying in Schools, Workplace Discrimination, Incitement to Hatred, Incendiary Language…

Human Wrongs Watch

UN chief ‘profoundly concerned’ over rise in violence against Asians

Unsplash/Jason Leung | In San Francisco in the United States, demonstrators take to the streets to protest against the rise of race-related hate crimes against people of Asian descent.
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22 March 2021 (UN News)* —  The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a statement expressing his profound concern over the rise in violence against Asians, and people of Asian descent, during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
23/03/2021

The Poison of Racism Is “Insidious, It’s Far-Reaching; It’s Ever Ready to Rear Its Head Again…”

Collective commitment needed to end the ‘poison’ of racism: UN cultural chief says

UN News/Shirin Yaseen | Anti-racism protesters in Brooklyn, New York, demonstrate demanding justice for the killing of African American, George Floyd.

(UN News)* — With the COVID-19 pandemic providing fertile ground for the resurgence of racism and discrimination, the head of the UN’s educational and cultural agency, UNESCO, on 22 March 2021 called for countries to stand united in what she described as “these testing times”.

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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

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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