(UN News)* — The UN and its global partners will grapple with the massive loss of animal and plant species and how to avoid further extinction at a major conference beginning 23 January [Report dated 22 January 2024].
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UNEP/NOOR/Kadir van Lohuize | An underwater sculpture at Molinere Bay, in the Marine Protected Area of Grenada.
Here’s a primer on what exactly biodiversity is and how the UN can help support efforts to enable nature to survive and thrive.
In simple terms, biodiversity refers to all types of life on Earth. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) describes it as “the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi”.
(UN News)* — Countries from around the world are meeting in the Colombian city of Cali, to discuss how best to protect biological diversity and develop a lasting blueprint that will allow humankind to live in harmony with nature.
CALI, Columbia, Nov 3 2024 (IPS)* –The curtains fell on the 16th Conference of the Parties of UN Biodiversity (COP16) on Sunday without any formal closing. In a voice message, David Ainsworth, the Communications Director of the UNCBD, confirmed that the COP was suspended due to a lack of quorum in the plenary and would be resumed sometime later.
An image of an indigenous woman at the Plenary in session at COP16 which took a historic decision on the indigenous peoples and local communities. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS
(UN News)* — People in Lebanon continue to be killed, injured and displaced by airstrikes, hostilities and displacement orders, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on .
The war in Gaza has taken a catastrophic toll on women and girls. They have lost homes and loved ones and lack access to food, water, protection and health care. Many have been displaced at least once, moving from one unsafe place to another.
Shelters are overcrowded, and sanitation conditions are dire, exposing women and girls to violence, infection and disease.
(UN News)* — Between 2006 and 2024, over 1,700 journalists have been killed around the world, and around 85 percent of the cases did not make it to court, according to a report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The dangers faced by journalists, including risks to their lives, are highlighted each year on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, which falls on November 2.
(UN News)* — In a landmark move towards ending statelessness, Thailand’s cabinet has approved an accelerated pathway to permanent residency and nationality for nearly half a million stateless people, marking one of the region’s most significant citizenship initiatives.
The decision announced on Friday [] will benefit 335,000 longtime residents and members of officially recognized minority ethnic groups, along with approximately 142,000 of their children born in Thailand.
Rome, 31 October 2024(FAO/WFP)*– Acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity across 22 countries and territories, according to a new United Nations report.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 1 2024 (IPS)* – The United Nations continues to be virtually paralyzed – and remains politically impotent amidst two raging conflicts—as Russia and Israel keep defying the world body.
Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías
The killings of civilians and the destruction of cities, particularly by Israel, are devastating and continue despite repeated warnings from the UN, its humanitarian agencies, the International Criminal Court (ICC), UN human right experts and the Security Council.
Which prompts the question: has the UN outlived its usefulness –even as it commemorated its 79th anniversary on the annual UN Day on October 24?
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday [] once again urged the United States to end its economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba, renewing a demand it has made annually since 1992.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider | UN General Assembly votes on the draft resolution on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.
The resolution, titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” passed with 187 votes in favor, two against (Israel and the US), and one abstention (Moldova).
UNEP/NOOR/Kadir van Lohuize | An underwater sculpture at Molinere Bay, in the Marine Protected Area of Grenada.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 