June 26, 2022 No comments
Countries urged to ‘dig deep’ and support Afghanistan in aftermath of deadly earthquake
INTERNATIONAL, 26 June 2022, Humanitarian Aid - The top UN official in Afghanistan appealed on Sunday for greater international support for the country, following a one-day visit to communities hit hard by the devastating earthquake on Wednesday. “Yesterday’s visit reaffirmed to me both the extreme suffering of people in Afghanistan and their tremendous resolve in the face of great adversity,” said Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan. The UN and partners have developed a three-month emergency appeal, included within their humanitarian plan for Afghanistan this year, to respond to the catastrophe. Step up aid The goal is to scale up and expedite the delivery of humanitarian and resilience assistance to nearly 362,000 people in the two provinces, Paktika and Khost, that were most affected. “Notwithstanding...
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June 26, 2022 No comments
Youth are the generation that will help save our ocean and our future, says UN chief
INTERNATIONAL, 26 June 2022, Climate and Environment - The world must do more to stop the dramatic decline in ocean health, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday, urging young people gathered in Carcavelos, Portugal, for a UN Youth and Innovation Forum to step up because his generation’s leaders had moved far too slow. The two-day event brought together hundreds of youth from some 165 countries with a shared goal: protecting the Ocean. Speaking in front of 100 youth advocates who gathered to inspire, amplify, and accelerate youth action for our ocean, Mr. Guterres reiterated the need to rescue the planet. At Carcavelos beach, on the edge of the ocean near the centre of his home city, Lisbon, the Secretary-General apologized on behalf of his generation for the state...
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June 26, 2022 No comments
First Person: The Barbadian entrepreneur turning sargassum into money
INTERNATIONAL, 26 June 2022, Climate and Environment - Sargassum seaweed has been blighting many of the beaches on Barbados for several years. Joshua Forte, a local entrepreneur, is convinced that it can be turned into a valuable commodity, and turned into highly effective, organic compost. In 2014, Mr. Forte started Red Diamond Compost, a biotech business that focuses on research, development, and commercialization of organic and biologic soil treatment and crop protection solutions made primarily organic environmental hazards, such as sargassum seaweed. Joshua Forte, founder and CEO of Red Diamond, a company in Barbados making organic compost from sargassum seaweed., by Red Diamond Mr. Forte is recognized as a national and regional expert in the field of climate-smart environmental management. “I started getting interested in organic...
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June 26, 2022 No comments
Monkeypox not presently a global public health emergency: WHO
25 June 2022, Health - The monkeypox outbreak does not currently constitute a global public health concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday, though “intense response efforts” are needed to control further spread. The announcement comes two days after WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus convened an Emergency Committee on the disease, under the International Health Regulations (IHR), to address the rising caseload. “The WHO Director-General concurs with the advice offered by the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak and, at present, does not determine that the event constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),” the UN agency said in a statement. The PHEIC declaration is the highest level of global alert, which currently applies only to the COVID-19 pandemic and polio. Monkeypox, a rare viral disease, occurs...
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June 25, 2022 No comments
Seafarers' Day honours maritime journeys and voyages
INTERNATIONAL, 25 June 2022, SDGs - The United Nations has underlined its support for the men and women working at sea, whose immeasurable contributions help to keep global trade moving. Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted both their critical role, as well as the challenges they face, In his message to mark the Day of the Seafarer on Saturday. “The world counts on seafarers,” he said. “Ships transport a remarkable 90 per cent of the world’s commodities — from grains and energy, to consumer goods and much more. Without ships and the women and men who work on them, economies would stall and people would starve.” Pandemic challenges However, seafarers have faced immense challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN chief listed some of these issues, which include contracts extended long beyond their expiry dates and...
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