Protecting the planet rests on this generation’s youth and their inclination “to hold leaders and decision-makers accountable,” especially in the combat against climate change, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told university students in China

Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed lectures on climate change at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. (21 November 2018)

“Do not take this planet for granted – it is the only one we have,” she said, addressing Tsinghua University students.

She highlighted that the last three years have been the warmest on record, spotlighting signs of climate change such as more frequent and exceedingly intense natural disasters, and declines in food security and prosperity.

The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes clear that the pressure is on to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Neglecting to address these warnings signs means leaving the future vulnerable to competition over scarce resources, injuring economies, and creating “a fertile ground” for chaos.

She turned to the younger generation for hope to protect the planet.

“I am counting on young people like yourselves to hold leaders and decision-makers accountable to ensure a secure future for yourselves and future generations,” she told students.

Praising collective action, she said the Paris Agreement, a pact within the UN framework convention, known by the acronym UNFCCC, aimed to strengthen the global response to climate change, indicated a strong start for countries committing to lowering their emissions, and added that the Agreement’s potential has yet to be fully unleashed.

Countries must raise their ambitions, she counseled, and implement their own national contributions, highlighting that China has done its part in deploying more solar and wind capacity than any other country in the world in the last five years.

“We have all the tools we need to create a new reality and you are in a position to lead us with new innovations,” she said.

“Let us join hands and use this as an opportunity to strive for a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for all.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/11/1026371

Wellness Tip: Amazing Benefits of Onions

SDG: More countries partner to target #ZeroHunger in global south - UN Sustainable Development Goals

FAO/Alessandro Stelzer
FAO’s South-South Cooperation promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing between Chinese experts and Ugandan farmers.


2 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid


More than 20 countries committed to a new declaration on agricultural and rural development on Friday, in a bid to stamp out poverty and hunger. The commitment came at the end of a forum on international development cooperation in Changsha, China.


The Changsha Declaration aims to ramp up the efforts towards South-South Cooperation - an initiative working to eliminate hunger and malnutrition through the mutual sharing and exchange of good practices, resources, and know-how between countries of the “global south”.

At the forum’s conclusion, 26 countries and 11 international organizations signed on to the Declaration, which includes more information-sharing towards constructing common policies and programmes.

The forum coincided with the launch of a new report, jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), alerting of severe food shortages plaguing Asia and the Pacific.

The region faces risk of “a colossal human loss” if countries in the region do not recommit themselves to ending all forms of malnutrition, regional experts from the four specialized UN agencies warned in a joint press release on Friday.

One recent large-scale example of cooperation can be seen in Bangladesh, where hundreds-of-thousands of displaced mainly-Rohingya refugees fleeing violence, faced a major hunger crisis, effecting the whole region. China has been fielding experts and technicians to share knowledge in various technical areas, including aquaculture, crop production and livestock breeding to boost the country’s agriculture sector.

Around the world, climate-related disasters, limited access to safe water, and violence have contributed to a general rise in malnutrition.

Director-General for FAO Jose Graziano da Silva announced plans to establish an International Centre of Excellence for Agriculture Innovation and Rural Development in Beijing during the forum; a facility that will provide training in agriculture innovation and promote investment in rural areas in an effort to reach the first 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.
#ZEROHUNGER|SDG 2

PEACE LEADERSHIP on Climate Change: To Solve Bullying,Do not expose Children to Violen...

“Exposure to toxic stress, domestic violence and a violent family environment has an irreversible impact on the development of very young children”



Around 130 million, or one-in-three children worldwide experience some form of bullying, the United Nations stated in its latest report on how children can be better-protected. This form of violence has long-lasting and direct consequences for their health, school performance and overall well-being.





“Being protected from bullying is a fundamental human right,” said Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.



At an event at UN headquarters in New York, co-organized with the Governments of Mexico and Lithuania, Ms. Santos Pais presented the key findings of the Secretary-General report and welcomed the “growing interest” from the world on the matter, applauding efforts made so far in terms of policy, law and advocacy to protect the safety of children.



Earlier this year, for example, Member States agreed on the adoption of a new indicator in the monitoring of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indicator 4.a.2 now measures the percentage of students who have experienced bullying in the past year, by gender, and for each contributing country.



Despite such encouraging signs, the Special Representative identified several key areas where improvement was needed for Governments and institutions.



First, she emphasized the importance of early childhood prevention and noted that the “parent-child relationship is a critical factor in predicting the risk of bullying in adolescence”. According to the report, today, 176 million children under-five, witness domestic violence on a regular basis and children who bully others are twice as likely to have been exposed to domestic violence than other children.



“Exposure to toxic stress, domestic violence and a violent family environment has an irreversible impact on the development of very young children,” she said, adding that “it contributes to normalize the use of violence”.



Today, approximately 30 per cent of adolescents in 39 countries in Europe and North America, admit to bullying others at school.



"Cyber Cocoon Kids" exhibition at UN headquarters in New York, October 2018. UN Photo/Kim Haughton



In addition, Ms. Santos Pais noted that teachers also play a great role in promoting “a culture of respect and safety” in schools and that sports environments can often become contexts where competitiveness leads to “humiliation, shaming and exclusion of those who fail to win”.



“Analyses of data from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam reveal that violence in schools, including physical and verbal abuse by teachers and by other students, is the most common reason given for disliking school, and, significantly, it is associated with lower scores in mathematics and lower self-esteem,” the report highlights.



To address these negative impacts, experts and decision-makers are lacking sufficient data to form evidence-based strategies and programmes. However, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has committed to tackling this gap and to producing an annual report to be released in January 2019 for the first time.



Some of the initial findings published already denote that physical appearance – such as being overweight or having non-conforming gender expressions – is the main driver for bullying. Race, nationality and skin color are also high on the list. In the report, religion was not highlighted as major contributing factor.



While the term “bullying” covers physical, psychological and sexual violence (understood in this context to mean sex-related mockery and gender-based discrimination), very little data is available on the psychological occurrence of it, and countries must do more to gain a better understanding of this issue. The UNESCO report shows that girls and boys are equally affected overall by bullying, but that boys are more likely to suffer from physical violence.



Cyberbullying on the rise



Cyberbullying, which can cause profound harm as it leaves a permanent footprint online and can quickly reach wide audiences, is on the rise, UNESCO’s report notes. In seven European countries overall, the proportion of children online aged 11-16 who’ve suffered cyberbullying, increased from 7 per cent in 2010, to 12 per cent in 2014.



Countries and institutions can adopt a wide variety of measures to help reverse these trends, including carrying out awareness-raising campaigns and teacher-trainin, adopting laws that clearly define bullying and pushing schools to implement concrete actions such as helplines for children.



The report of the Secretary-General will be presented on Tuesday to the Third Committee of the General Assembly so next steps can be determined.



“Children are eager to see action to bring this manifestation of violence to an end,” said Ms. Santos Pais. “And they deserve no less!”



Note: To draw attention to how deeply cyberbullying impacts the lives of millions of children every day, the UN has launched an innovative multimedia experience at its headquarters in New York, titled “Cyber Cocoon Kids”, highlighting the abuse that children undergo online.







PEACE LEADERSHIP on Climate Change: To Solve Bullying,Do not expose Children to Violen...: “Exposure to toxic stress, domestic violence and a violent family environment has an irreversible impact on the development of very young c...

UN stresses power of space to ‘unite the world’

Scott Kelly/NASA
The breaking of dawn over planet Earth, seen from the International Space Station.


4 October 2018
SDGs


Highlighting the importance of space and its applications for humankind, the United Nations is celebrating World Space Week 2018 with a focus on the role the cosmos plays in bringing people together, back on earth.


“Space Unites the World,” the theme for World Space Week (WSW) 2018 is inspired by UNISPACE+50 – a UN conference in June this year – that brought together leaders in exploration, and experts on space applications from all over the globe.

In addition to promoting cooperation between space-faring and emerging space nations, UNISPACE+50 saw Member Sates pledge their collective efforts to enhance the ways space science is used for sustainable development.

► READ ALSO: If we can build the International Space Station, ‘we can do anything’ – UN Champion for Space

Marked annually from 4-10 October, World Space Week commemorates the launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to be put into orbit, by the Soviet Union, on 4 October 1957, as well as the entry into force just over a decade later, of what’s formally-known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

Since 2007, over 94 nations have participated in more than 2,250 Space Week events, drawing more than 1.3 million attendees.

Major events this year include:
A Transatlantic Space Week at sea, onboard the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship, as it voyages from New York to Southampton.
The European Space Agency (ESA) hosts an Open Day on 7 October 7 at its technical centre in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
The Leicester National Space Centre in the UK hosts a Space Week Family Sleepover, giving enthusiasts the chance to snuggle up next to giant rockets – spacesuits are also available.
In the United States, women in the space industry in various cities, will take part in the ‘Ladies Do Launch’, event, consisting of a series of live audience interviews.
In Bangladesh, the non-profit Youthpreneur Network , hosts the Astronomy for Girls event, in the capital Dhaka.
Space boost for women and girls, in STEM fields

The Bangladesh event shows the emphasis being placed during Space Week on encouraging young women and girls to take up space science and the so-called STEM fields overall - science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Speaking at UNISPACE+50, from the International Space Station – at a height of over 400 kilometres in low-Earth orbit – US astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, offered some excellent advice for girls and young women wishing to pursue careers in the STEM fields but feel ambivalent asking questions or learning more people those already established.

“I tell them…bother people” she said. “Bother them if you are interested in their work and research, get them to tell you about it, ask questions … explore, discover and that is the best way for young girls and women to get interested in STEM fields.”

► READ MORE: From low-earth orbit, ‘envoys’ of humanity join UN space forum
Photo Gallery: Space for a better future, the journey of UNISPACE+50

Left: Secretary-General U Thant (centre) with Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin (right) and Valentina Tereshkova (left), the first man and woman in space, respectively. Right: Scott Kelly, the UN Champion for Space, on board the International Space Station where he spent an entire year in space.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022292

Prime Minister Modi awarded for his extensive efforts to control plastic pollution, including a pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India, by 2022. He has also been recognized for his joint initiative with French President Emmanuel Macron to champion the International Solar Alliance – a global partnership to scale up solar energy use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

UN Photo/Deepak Malik


Secretary-General António Guterres (centre) honors Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India with the Champion of Earth award, the highest environmental honour of the United Nations, at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi. UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim (right) looks on.

















3 October 2018




SDGs




United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday conferred the Organization’s highest environmental honour on India’s Prime Minister, recognizing Narendra Modi’s efforts against climate change and pollution.


“Prime Minister Modi represents an extraordinary legacy,” said Mr. Guterres at the “Champions of the Earth” award ceremony, in the Indian capital New Delhi.


“Prime Minister Modi not only recognizes, knows and understands” the benefits of taking action to stop global warming, said the UN chief, but also “acts with enormous energy to make this change. And this leadership is today more necessary than ever.”


According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Prime Minister Modi has been recognized for his extensive efforts to control plastic pollution, including a pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India, by 2022. He has also been recognized for his joint initiative with French President Emmanuel Macron to champion the International Solar Alliance – a global partnership to scale up solar energy use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.


In his prize-giving speech, Mt. Guterres called on other world leaders to draw lessons from India and apply them in their own circumstances to “win the race against climate change.”


He also highlighted that climate action and development are not contradictory but are mutually supportive.


“The green economy is the good economy. Technology is on our side. Those that will bet on the grey economy will have a grey future, and those that, like in India, are betting on the green economy will have a dominant role in the global economy in the decades to come,” said the Secretary-General.


Prime Minister Modi, in accepting the award, said that he was doing so on behalf of millions of Indians “who protect the environment each day.”


“From fisherfolk who only take what they need or tribal communities who think of forests as their family. We will never be able to tackle climate change without bringing climate into our culture. And this is why India is taking so much action for our climate,” said the Indian leader.





Giles Clarke


Secretary-General António Guterres pays visits to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, where he expressed his gratitude for a place that receives and shares with everybody.
Secretary-General shares a meal at a Langar


Also, on Wednesday, Secretary-General visited the Golden Temple in the city Amritsar, where he attended Langar – a community kitchen run by Sikh volunteers where people from all backgrounds and communities are provided nutritious food and clean water, at no cost.


During his visit, Mr. Guterres expressed his deep gratitude to the “wonderful practice that the Golden Temple represents, receiving everybody, sharing with everybody the food, but, more than the food, sharing this wonderful spirit of peace, of harmony, of understanding that we badly need in today’s world.”


The Langar at the Golden Temple is attended by thousands of people and pilgrims each day. It is the biggest community kitchen in the world, open 24 hours a day and uses no plastic or disposable utensils and cutlery.


Mr. Guterres is currently on his maiden visit to India as Secretary-General, during which he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the 149th anniversary of his birth; inaugurated ONE UN House – the newly-refurbished building housing UN offices; held bilateral meetings with top Indian Government officials and spoke at the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention, among other engagements.



















Paying respects at Gandhi memorial


On 2 October, the birth-anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Secretary-General Guterres (right) paid his respects to the world leader of non-violence at Raj Ghat, a memorial dedicated to the Mahatma.


Giles Clarke



Click here to view the gallery in full screen mode
UN Champions of the Earth award


Established by UNEP in 2005, the Champions of the Earth award recognizes “outstanding leaders” from Government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment.


Other winners of the Champions of the Earth award for 2018 are: Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, an initiative creating high-quality vegetarian meat-alternatives; the Zhejiang River Chiefs programme, which works for protecting water from pollution as well as ecological restoration; Joan Carling, an indigenous and environmental rights activist; Cochin International Airport, the world’s first to be fully solar-powered; and French President Macron, for his international cooperation on environmental action.

Beyond food and fuel: Healthy soils help grow our food, clean our water, store carbon, and reduce risks of droughts and floods

To beat hunger and combat climate change, world must ‘scale-up’ soil health – UN







FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri












Healthy soils are essential to achieve ‘Zero Hunger’ – and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – peace and prosperity, the United Nations agriculture agency chief underscored in Brazil at the World Congress of Soil Science.


On Sunday, more than 2,000 scientists gathered in Rio de Janeiro under the theme “Soil Science: Beyond food and fuel,” for a week of exploring the increasingly complex, diverse role of soils; grappling with resilient agriculture practices to address environmental and climatic changes; and confronting threats to food security and sovereignty.


“Soil degradation affects food production, causing hunger and malnutrition, amplifying food-price volatility, forcing land abandonment and involuntary migration-leading millions into poverty,” saidJosé Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organizaation (FAO), in a video message noting that approximately one-third of the Earth’s soil is degraded


The FAO The Status of the World's Soil Resources report had identified 10 major threats to soil functions, including soil erosion, nutrient imbalance, acidification and contamination.


Mr. Graziano da Silva stressed the importance of sustainable soil management as an “essential part of the Zero Hunger equation” in a world where more than 815 million people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.



Soils and climate change


“Although soils are hidden and frequently forgotten, we rely on them for our daily activities and for the future of the planet,” the FAO chief said, underscoring the important support role they play in mitigating or adapting to a changing climate.


Mr. Graziano da Silva specifically pointed to the potential of soils for carbon sequestration and storage – documented in FAO’s global soil organic carbon map.


“Maintaining and increasing soil carbon stock should become a priority,” asserted the UN agriculture chief.


He also noted how soils act as filters for contaminants, preventing their entry into the food chain and reaching water bodies such as rivers, lakes and oceans, flagging that this potential becomes limited when contamination exceeds the soils’ capacity to cope with pollution.


In his message, Mr. Graziano da Silva noted the Global Soil Partnership in which FAO works with governments and other partners to build technical capacity and exchange knowledge on sustainable soil management through the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management.


“Let us make soils a vehicle of prosperity and peace, and show the contribution of soils to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” concluded the FAO Director-General said.


AGRICULTURE|CLIMATE CHANGE