11 December 2020 (United Nations)* — Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.
Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive.
11 December 2020 (UNEP)* — The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), its Wild for Life campaign, and its Vanishing Treasures programme, invite you on an amazing virtual journey which takes you across four mountain regions to visit and learn about some of the iconic endangered species that roam these wild spaces.
Photo: UNEP / 11 Dec 2020
Awe-inspiring videos and fun quizzes help you learn about conservation efforts to maintain the delicate balance between animals and plants in the Tien Shan mountains in northern China; the Virunga mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; the “third pole” Hindu Kush Himalaya mountain region in south-central Asia; and Europe’s last great wilderness, the seven-country-straddling Carpathian Mountains.
International Mountain Day 2020 highlights need to protect ecosystems and improve livelihoods
Farmer Goma Panthi Khatri in village of Narapani, Nepal.
ROME, 11 December 2020 (FAO)* — Mountains host about half of the global biodiversity hotspots and are home to a growing number of the world’s hungriest people, according to a new study launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners to mark International Mountain Day 2020.
Despite the great challenges faced by youth in El Salvador, becoming a barista has given Moisés the opportunity to pursue his dreams
Access to job opportunities is a challenge for youth in El Salvador. Photo: WFP/Nick Roeder
10 December 2020, Haydee Paguaga (WFP)* — Together with the warmth of its people and beautiful beaches, export-quality coffee is one of the things El Salvador is known for. For 23-year-old Moisés, coffee is what turned his life around.
Like many young people in the country, Moisés has faced several challenges in the pursuit of his dreams. In a context of violence, mainly associated with youth, the stigma that goes with being young makes it difficult to access job opportunities.
9 December 2020 (UN News)* — Prominent journalists and champions of press freedom from across the world are examining ways to overcome increasing challenges facing the media during a two-day online conference organized jointly by the UN’s cultural and educational agency, UNESCO, and the Netherlands.
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UNAMA/Fardin Waezi | A mural on a blast wall in downtown Kabul commemorates journalists killed in Afghanistan in 2016.
The World Press Freedom Conference 2020, which began on Wednesday [9 December 2020], features interactive panels and discussions covering issues such as investigating the killings of journalists, online violence against women journalists, and the media’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Non-communicable diseases account for 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, a sharp increase from two decades ago, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, a new UN World Health Organization (WHO) study has found (*).
UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani | According to WHO, global deaths from diabetes increased by 70 per cent between 2000 and 2019. Pictured here, a health worker checks a woman’s blood sugar level at a community health centre in Jayapura district, Indonesia.
The 2019 Global Health Estimates, released on Wednesday [9 December 2020], “clearly highlight” the need for increased attention on preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as tackling injuries, according to WHO.
PARIS, Dec 10 2020 (IPS)* – On Human Rights Day, civil society calls for the protection of civic space as a fundamental freedom, as more than 80% of the world’s population live in countries where civic space is closed, repressed or obstructed.
Credit: Forus International
Protecting civil society and fundamental freedoms means protecting the rights to associate and assemble, to express views and opinions. Civic space is the bedrock of any open and democratic society.
9 December 2020 (UNHCR)* — While a full picture for 2020 is yet to be established, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that global forced displacement surpassed 80 million at mid-year, according to a report on trends in global forced displacement released today in Geneva. | Español | Français | عربي
A participant examines pamphlet at the 15th Annual International Human Rights Summit 2018, which focused on Youth for Human Rights. UN Photo/Loey Felipe
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10 December 2020 (United Nations)* — The Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds the Guinness World Record as the most translated document. Yet, far too many people are still unaware of their basic rights as human beings.
Drafted by representatives of diverse legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration sets out universal values and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. It establishes the equal dignity and worth of every person.
10 December 2020 (United Nations)*— Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 