1 May 2019 (UN Environment)* — Edmond Prifti, a Project and Investment Specialist based in Kolonja, Albania, has been trying for years to grow specific tree species in his municipality. Although state-owned lands are ready to be used for this, his lack of expertise greatly hampered progress.
Meanwhile, Albania has been experiencing a set of unfortunate events including deforestation, illegal logging, erosion and flooding, all contributing to making land degradation a major problem in the country.
1 May 2019 — A plan to protect the global marine environment from the dangers of non-indigenous invasive aquatic species has been launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
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IMO/Lee Adamson | A cleaning operation is being undertaken to remove organisms which have built up on a ship’s hull. (1 June 2016)
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The transfer of sea life including plants, crustaceans and micro-organisms – largely on the hulls of ships – from one part of the world to another, has increased alongside the growth of the global shipping industry.
False claims levelled at the UN expert on the rights of indigenous peoples by her own Government in the Philippines, “are without grounding in fact or law” and must cease immediately, said a statement issued by a group of her fellow experts on Wednesday [1 May 2019].
UN Photo/Manuel Elias | Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, at a press briefing on indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and natural resources on 16 April 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York.
The infamous Abu Ghraib prison complex in Iraq was revealed to be the centre of an extensive network run by the US military after the coalition’s invasion of the country in 2003.An Iranian couple walk past mural paintings depicting scenes from the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, on a major highway in the Iranian capital 1 Tehran June 2004. [BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images]
30 April 2019 — Communities in Colombia in South America are being helped by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to preserve and reintroduce indigenous crops as a way to combat the effects of climate change.*
UNDP/Martina Dorigo | The use of native species of rice helps prevent the contamination caused by mercury from illegal mining.
The Antioquia region, a key agricultural area, has experienced steadily rising temperatures and now dry seasons are lasting longer. Rains, when they arrive, are more intense and often lead to flooding..In response, local farmers have been working with the UN to identify crops which are more resistant to drought and flooding.
A new report on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), published ahead of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April, reviews the ILO’s 100 years of achievements, and reveals some of the emerging challenges and opportunities in creating better working environments.
GENEVA, April 2019 (ILO)* – Changes in working practices, demographics, technology and the environment are creating new occupational safety and health (OSH) concerns, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Growing challenges include psychosocial risks, work-related stress and non-communicable diseases, notably circulatory and respiratory diseases, and cancers.
April 2019 (ILO)* — Can indigenous and tribal peoples help save the planet?
That is a question we looked into when we teamed up with the University of Oxford to research what traditional knowledge means in everyday practice and how it can contribute to addressing climate change.
We learnt that traditional knowledge and occupations cut across multiple sectors – from agriculture and forestry to fishing and hunting-gathering – and blend culture with economic and environmental sustainability.
For instance, Brazilian forests managed by indigenous peoples had 27 times less emissions due to their near-zero deforestation, as compared to forests outside their protected area.
30 April 2019 (International Work Group for indigenous Affairs – IGWIA)* — In a landmark decision on 13 March 2019, the Australian High Court ordered the Government of the Northern Territory to pay $2.53 million AUD (1.78 million USD) in compensation to the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples for the loss of Native Title in the town of Timber Creek.
The verdict is significant, as it is the first time that the issue of compensation for lost rights to Native Title has been considered in Australia by the High Court.
It has set a precedent that will influence and spur future claims for compensation by groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Jakarta, 30 April 2019 (IOM)*– A new mobile app developed by IOM Indonesia provides frontline law enforcement with a powerful tool to quickly detect victims of human trafficking in the fisheries sector.
In March 2015, the Government of Indonesia rescued hundreds of crew from conditions of modern slavery aboard foreign fishing vessels. IOM helped to identify the victims of trafficking, provided shelter, health and catering services and ultimately organized the safe return home of all of the men including these Myanmar nationals. Photo: Ed Wray/IOM Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, Apr 30 2019 (IPS)* – The World Bank has successfully promoted its ‘Maximizing Finance for Development’ (MFD) strategy by embracing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, internationally endorsed in September 2015.
Jomo Kwame Sundaram
It has also secured support from the G20 of twenty biggest economies, and effectively pre-empted alternative approaches at the third UN Financing for Development summit in Addis Ababa in mid-2015.
As the main ‘show in town’, developing countries will need to address the MFD’s implications by responding pro-actively and collectively to address the new challenges it poses.
Managing new macro-financial challenges
As the MFD agenda privileges foreign investors and portfolio inflows, multilateral development banks (MDBs) should be obliged to clearly show how developing countries will benefit.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 