(UN News)* — Innovative measures to address debt are required to help the world’s more than 100 middle-income countries expand their economies and exit the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the General Assembly on Thursday [17 June 2021].
Addressing a high-level meeting on these nations, which account for more than half of the UN’s 193 Member States, he underlined the need for financing to help them recover in the wake of the global crisis.
WHO guidance to help the world reach the target of reducing suicide rate by 1/3 by 2030
Unsplash/Dmitry Schemelev | Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, according to WHO’s latest estimates.
(WHO)* — Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, according to WHO’s latest estimates, published on 17 June 2021 in “Suicide worldwide in 2019”.
Every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria or breast cancer ̶ or war and homicide.
Already a “cruel tactic of war, torture, terror and repression”, Secretary-General António Guterres pointed to the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that “has made it even more difficult to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account”.
“Even as we respond to the pandemic, we must investigate every case, and maintain essential services for every survivor”, he said.
(Milan) – European Union governments have a collective responsibility to protect the lives and rights of people on the move along the central Mediterranean route, Human Rights Watch on 16 June 2021 said.
16 June 2021 (WFP)* — Famine — driven by conflict and fueled by climate shocks and the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — could soon become a reality for millions of people. Below, the World Food Programme’s acting director of nutrition, Allison Oman Lawi, explains what famine is — and spells out the urgent need for action to avert it.
Yemen: A child at a WFP-supported clinic in Hajjah is diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition. Photo: WFP/Issa Al-Ragh
15 June 2021 (IFAD)* — Every year, on 16 June, the International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is observed to raise further awareness on the abnegation and sacrifice of migrant workers, who support their families and communities of origin through the money they send back home, particularly in these times of crisis.
This year, the IDFR lauds the human spirit and resilience of over 200 million migrants who defied predictions of the pandemic and continued to send money home to their countries of origin.
16 June 2021 (United Nations)* — The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and is observed on 16 June. The IDFR recognizes more than 200 million migrant workers, women and men, who send money home to over 800 million family members.
Left: A market vendor sells produce at Victoria Market in Port Victoria, Seychelles. Right: 64 years old, Christine Banlog, has been a market woman for 22 years. She is widowed, and raising her three grandchildren in Nyalla, Cameroon. PHOTO:UN Women/Ryan Brown
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(United Nations)* — Although all age groups are at risk of contracting COVID-19, older persons are at a significantly higher risk of mortality and severe disease following infection, with those over 80 years old dying at five times the average rate.
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An estimated 66% of people aged 70 and over have at least one underlying condition, placing them at increased risk of severe impact from COVID-19.
(FAO)* — Cotton is one of the most common fabrics in the world, from its origins in ancient India to the modern garments many of us wear today. This durable, versatile and naturally organic fabric is made from the white, fluffy fibres around the seeds of cotton plants.
However, the backstory of cotton is more complicated. Its production is heavily dependent on natural resources and labour; and unfortunately, child labour is often a part of this.
The International Labour Organization and UNICEF warn nine million additional children at risk as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
GENEVA, 12 June 2021 (ILO)* – The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.
©IFAD/GMB Akash
