September 21, 2019 No comments
At UN, youth activists demand bold climate action, vow to hold leaders accountable at the ballot box
INTERNATIONAL, 21 September 2019, Climate Change - Students and young activists on Saturday threw down the gauntlet to world leaders heading to United Nations Headquarters next week for high-level climate talks, demanding that they “stop wasting time” and work harder to curb carbon emissions, “or we will vote you out.” “We have been waiting for you!” Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Youth Envoy, said, welcoming the boisterous crowd of young climate leaders, who made it clear from the very start of the day-long event that global political leaders are now on notice: they must make radical changes to shift the world away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy, protect our oceans, and promote sustainable consumption. This first-ever UN Youth Climate Summit follows Friday’s global ‘climate strike’, which saw millions of...
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September 21, 2019 No comments
UN chief urges restraint following reported Saudi-led assault in Yemen
INTERNATIONAL, 21 September 2019, Peace and Security - Amid reports of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike near Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah, Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concerns for the attacks in a Saturday statement attributable to his Spokesperson, Stephane Dujjaric. An early morning strike on 20 September in the vicinity of the Al Hali District of Hudaydah governorate-in the country’s western coast- was carried out by a Saudi military operation, according to media reports. The assault comes after Yemen-based Houthi rebel forces launched two drone attacks on major Saudi oil facilities on 14 September, a violation of UN ceasefire agreements reached at peace talks in Sweden last year. “The Secretary-General continues to urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and ensure adherence to the terms of the Hudaydah Agreement of...
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September 21, 2019 No comments
UN chief calls for ‘a fair globalization’ with first-ever Global Goals Summit
INTERNATIONAL, 21 September 2019, SDGs - “We need more investment, more political action, more priority for a fair globalization”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in an interview on Thursday, when asked about his expectations for the first-ever Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, on 24-25 September at New York headquarters. Mr. Guterres emphasized that, with just over 10 years to go, the world is not on track to hit targets related to sustainable development, and urged world leaders to “take the decisions necessary, in order to come together more effectively to make sure that the 2030 Agenda is successfully implemented”. Accelerating progress towards a better future In 2015, the Member States of the UN adopted the landmark 2030 Agenda, which provides a blueprint for the transition to a healthier...
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September 20, 2019 No comments
World’s 1.8 billion youth must ‘have a say in the future of the planet’
INTERNATIONAL, 20 September 2019, Climate Change - It is “crucial” that the world’s 1.8 billion young people have a say in the fight against climate change and ultimately “the future of the planet” according to the UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake. Young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers are due to gather at UN headquarters in New York at the Youth Climate Summit on Saturday 21 September to put pressure on global leaders to take action to prevent climate change. Ms. Wickramanayake will be there, and UN News asked her why young people are so important to the climate action debate. UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, speaking to some of the members of the 4th Batch of Trainees following their Graduation Ceremony in Chamen, Gambia. 5...
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September 20, 2019 No comments
INTERVIEW: Guterres urges world leaders to ‘do what is necessary’ for peace and the planet
INTERNATIONAL, 20 September 2019, SDGs - As global leaders prepare to convene in New York next week to debate the best way forward for the planet, Secretary-General António Guterres is urging them to “do what is necessary” to ensure that “we are able to solve the dramatic problems we face.” The UN chief is urging Member States to bring “concrete plans” to the 74th session of the General Assembly, in hopes of bolstering the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the ambitious goals that are the bedrock of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In a special interview for UN News conducted this week by newly-appointed head of Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, Mr. Guterres lamented that “we are not on track” to meet a 2030 deadline in many aspects, highlighting that the first-ever SDG summit on 24 and 25 September, will inject more momentum. The UN chief told Ms. Fleming that “more and more of the crises...
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