Archive for ‘Others-USA-Europe-etc.’

15/10/2024

Dear Pentagon

Human Wrongs Watch

By Alberto Portugheis – TRANSCEND Media Service*

10 Oct 2024 – As someone on the Pentagon’s mailing list, I was recently sent a question:

‘How do you think the Pentagon is faring and what suggestions do you have to improve our performance?

.

My reply:

Dear Pentagon,

For those who love wars, watching the death of millions of innocent people of all ages killed by bullets, landmines, grenades, bombs, ballistic and cruise missiles, torpedoes and laser beams, the Pentagon is doing fantastically well!

For those who don’t mind the 120 million people the War industry forced, since the end of WWII, abandon their homes to avoid and early death, the Pentagon is their model organization. 

read more »

15/10/2024

Gaza: School Set for Polio Vaccine Campaign Hit in Deadly Strike

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — A second round of polio vaccinations for thousands of children began in central Gaza on Monday [] despite reported strikes on a school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat and a hospital courtyard in Deir Al-Balah where “multiple tents” were set ablaze as people slept.

A second round of polio vaccinations begins in Gaza.
© UNRWA | A second round of polio vaccinations begins in Gaza.
“Throughout the night, I spoke to a colleague sheltering in the compound who told me, ‘We miraculously survived, the fire caught everywhere even the tent where we were sleeping burnt. The scene is terrifying,’” said Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
14/10/2024

Catastrophic 73% Decline in the Average Size of Global Wildlife Populations in Just 50 Years Reveals a ‘System in Peril’

Human Wrongs Watch

By World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF)*

WWF’s flagship Living Planet Report details sharp declines in monitored wildlife populations with the steepest drops recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%), followed by North America (39%) and Europe and Central Asia (35%).

The giant panda has been the WWF’s symbol for more than 60 years © Sharon Fisher

Washington, DC (October 9, 2024)There has been a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations* in just 50 years (1970-2020), according to World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2024.

read more »

14/10/2024

Lebanon: ‘Desperate People on the Move, Fleeing Skies Turned Orange-Red from Bombings…’

Human Wrongs Watch

By Elizabeth Bryant

‘De-escalation now’ – WFP warns against spreading Middle East crisis

As conflict hopscotches from Gaza to Lebanon, WFP’s Lebanon Country Director describes the grim fallout and growing humanitarian needs
.
WFP Lebanon Country Director Matthew Hollingworth (R) helps transport our food assistance for conflict-hit people in southern Lebanon. Photo: WFP/Mohammed Awadh
WFP Lebanon Country Director Matthew Hollingworth (R) helps transport our food assistance for conflict-hit people in southern Lebanon. Photo: WFP/Mohammed Awadh

1(WFP)* —  Matthew Hollingworth has seen this all before.

read more »

14/10/2024

Meet the Super Pollutants

Human Wrongs Watch

(UNEP)* — They pollute the air. They warm the planet. They prevent crops from growing. Overall, super pollutants are a pretty nasty group of chemical compounds – and unfortunately, they’re all around us.

Photo by UNEP

A new video from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) looks at some of the most problematic of these creepy critters, including black carbon, which contributes to 4 million deaths a year, and methane, which warms the planet 86 times faster than carbon dioxide.

Despite the pervasiveness of super pollutants, experts say humanity doesn’t have to put up with them. To learn more about what you can do to help, check out this interactive story after you’ve watched the video below.

read more »

14/10/2024

Waiting for the ‘Big One’ – Natural Hazards in the Philippines

Human Wrongs Watch

 A UN Resident Coordinator blog

The Philippines is preparing for the possibility of either a super typhoon or a significant earthquake, often referred to by Filipinos as the “big one.”

Typhoons have caused widespread damage in the Philippines. (file)
© UNICEF/David Hogsholt | Typhoons have caused widespread damage in the Philippines. (file)
.
The Southeast Asian country is the most prone to natural hazards in the world, and these hazards are becoming more intense due to climate change.
12/10/2024

300 Million Children Have Been Affected by Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse over the Past 12 Months

Human Wrongs Watch

Growth in online child sexual exploitation and abuse must be urgently addressed

Download

(UN News)* — 300 million children have been affected by online sexual exploitation and abuse over the past 12 months. 

.© UNICEF

That’s one shocking revelation from a new report being launched by the UN’s Special Representative working to end violence against children, marking the beginning of the mandate 15 years ago.

read more »

12/10/2024

‘Today’s Generation of Girls Is Disproportionately Affected by Global Crises of Climate, Conflict and Poverty…’

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — As the world marked the International Day of the Girl Child on , a town hall held at UN Headquarters provided an opportunity for young women activists to engage directly with policymakers and offer recommendations on what they need to fully realise their rights. 

Young girls fetch water in Jampur, South Punjab, Pakistan.
© UNICEF/Juan Haro | Young girls fetch water in Jampur, South Punjab, Pakistan.
.
“The importance of insisting on completely equal rights of women and young girls is an official commitment of the United Nations, but it is also a personal commitment for which we must wage a combat,” the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSCOC), Bob Rae, who hosted the meeting, stated.
12/10/2024

Over 370 Million Girls and Women Globally Subjected to Rape or Sexual Assault as Children – UNICEF

Human Wrongs Watch

First-ever estimates on sexual violence in childhood reveal alarming prevalence, with devastating impact on children.

.

Silueta de una niña
UNICEF/UNI229285/Vincent Tremeau

NEW YORK (UNICEF)* – More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, according to new UNICEF estimates released on 10 October 2024.

read more »

11/10/2024

‘Pivotal Moment’ as Violence against Children Reaches ‘Unprecedented Levels Worldwide,’ with Up to a Billion Vulnerable to Abuse

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — Violence against children remains a pervasive global issue, with up to a billion children vulnerable to various forms of abuse, according to United Nations  Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.  

Poverty caused by factors including climate change can make children more vulnerable to Violence.
© UNICEF/Sukhum Preechapanich | Poverty caused by factors including climate change can make children more vulnerable to Violence.
.
In a report released on Thursday [], Najat Maalla M’Jid said that violence against children had reached unprecedented levels.