'Unseen' News and Views
With Yemen once again at a “crucial moment” the UN Special Envoy trying to facilitate peace there told Security Council members on Thursday [18 July 2019] that despite the dangers of being over optimistic, he could not help thinking the country could finally be “nearing the end of its war.”
ROME (FAO)* – The world is off-track to meet most of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets linked to hunger, food security and nutrition, according to a FAO report released on 18 July 2019.
17 July 2019 (IFPRI)* – One of the biggest challenges to reducing hunger and undernutrition around the world is to produce foods that provide not only enough calories but also make enough necessary nutrients widely available.
New research finds that, over the next 30 years, climate change and increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) could significantly reduce the availability of critical nutrients such as protein, iron, and zinc, compared to a future without it.
The total impacts of climate change shocks and elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are estimated to reduce growth in global per capita nutrient availability of protein, iron, and zinc by 19.5%, 14.4%, and 14.6%, respectively.
.
–The Trump administration, in its continued hostility towards the United Nations– and as part of its policy aimed at undermining multilateral institutions and international commitments– has withheld its annual contributions to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) – for the third consecutive year.
The second worst Ebola outbreak of all time, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was officially declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Wednesday [17 July 2019], with the head of the World Health Organization calling for countries to ‘take notice and redouble our efforts”.
The UN programme leading the global effort to end AIDS is calling for greater urgency and more funding in the fight against the disease, with data showing that the pace of progress in reducing new HIV infections is slowing, and some countries experiencing a rising number of cases.
Expressing deep concern over how migration and migrants themselves are being politicized and scapegoated in Hungary, an independent United Nations human rights expert on Wednesday [17 July 2019] urged the Government to immediately end its “crisis” approach to the issue.
Geneva, 16 July 2019 (IOM)* – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) this week issued a call for films for the Global Migration Film Festival. The multi-venue festival which takes place annually in over 100 countries in December is the world’s première cultural event on migration.
The UN organization’s call for submissions includes Full-Length Feature and Short Films, in all genres: fiction, documentary and animation. Filmmakers have long viewed migration as a rich source of storytelling.
New York, 16 July 2019 (UN Enbironment)* – A global partnership of some of the world’s largest organizations today launched two new knowledge platforms – the Green Industry Platform and the Green Finance Platform – at the High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York.
.
These platforms provide the financial and private sectors with the latest research, data, guidance, and tools from leading experts and institutions to help green their operations.
.
Many women and girls “still face enormous challenges to their health, well-being and human rights”, Secretary-General António Guterres told a High-level General Assembly meeting on Tuesday [16 July 2019] conevened to mark the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), a milestone in reproductive health and rights.
“Violence against women and girls affects one-in-three women worldwide”, the UN chief stated, adding that that number is “even higher” in parts of the world and during conflict and emergencies.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 