UN News: The Russian war in Ukraine has reached a tragic milestone. Are there any hopes that this war will end anytime soon?
Amin Awad: “There is optimism that the war will end, because neither Ukraine nor Russia can afford it. Ukraine is suffering from the loss of life, the destruction of hospitals, schools, homes, railway stations and tracks, and the transport sector. And the sanctions on Russia are severe.
It is also destructive for the world. Ukraine supports about 15 to 20 per cent of the world’s food needs. This food is trapped, and we have another harvest season coming up: we have an impeding disruption of food pipelines and supply chains.
We’re also seeing inflationary problems and countries defaulting on their debt: Sri Lanka, for example, is unable to pay its loans. The world is not in a good place.
UNOCHA/Ivane Bochorishvili
Aid workers prepare to deliver the much-needed assistance from the UN and humanitarian partners in Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine.
UN News: Civilians are paying the highest price for this invasion. Many were killed, while millions have sought refuge in neighboring countries. What is the situation like for those who are still in the country?
Amin Awad: There is a sense of despair. There are almost eight million people displaced internally, and another six million abroad. Around 15 million did not leave their homes, but they’re impacted by the loss of their livelihoods, and have lost access to services like education, health, and other amenities. Millions of children are not going to school.
The social security system is strained. Government services are stretched. So is the humanitarian community. It’s a really bad situation.
UN News: The UN and Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the evacuation of desperate civilians trapped in the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Are there any similar operations the UN is involved in right now, to evacuate those who are trapped in the hostile zones?
Amin Awad: We haven’t received requests for evacuations, such as the one in Mariupol, but we have been putting requests forward for access to areas where populations are in need of food, medical supplies, and other kind of support.
Civilians from Mariupol flee the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in a UN-led evacuation.
Moreover, I think now we have to really concentrate on winter: we are already in June, and winter is around the corner and, in this part of the world, temperatures are sub-zero. With the destruction of many of the power energy plants, and the loss of alternative energy supplies, we need to quickly come up with a strategy to support millions of people during this winter.
UN News: You have been in Ukraine for a while now, and you’ve seen the ugly face of this war. Can you tell us a human story that touched you deeply?
Amin Awad: There’s a lot of suffering. Driving through some of these areas of destruction, I see children who have escaped the destruction of their homes or apartment building, and find themselves alone on the road, with no parents, no guardians, and nowhere to go.
There’s a lot of suffering. Driving through some of these areas of destruction, I see children who have escaped the destruction of their homes or apartment building, and find themselves alone on the road, with no parents, no guardians, and nowhere to go.
I think this is one of the ugly faces of war that we have to stop.
UN News: Regarding the safety of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, is the UN working with parties to address any possible threats?
Amin Awad: The International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) has been here many times. They went to all the plants. Zaporizhzhya is under Russian control, and I believe that there’s a negotiation underway to provide access to the agency.
Nuclear plants could pose a danger, not only to Ukraine, but to the whole continent. So, they need the utmost attention, and security procedures and protocol have to be followed.
UN News: There were many attacks on schools across Ukraine. You’ve been calling on warring parties to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and you stressed that these obligations under international humanitarian law are non-negotiable. Are there any signs that Russia is listening to these calls?
Amin Awad:We continue to call on Russia to really spare what we call civilian infrastructure, which is sources of water, electricity, schools and hospitals.
We will continue to make these calls, because the number of people who fled because of these attacks is huge and unacceptable.
Ambassadors were briefed by the President of the UN’s highest court, the UN human rights chief, and an Oxford University law professor, who advocated for the adoption of a convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.
A draft developed by the International Law Commission, a UN expert body, is currently under consideration by the General Assembly.
At the ready
“Adoption of a convention on crimes against humanity would be one way to promote accountability for violations of some of the most fundamental obligations found in international law,” said Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The Court stands ready to decide any disputes over which it would have jurisdiction on the basis of such a convention.”
The ICJ, which is known as the world court, settles legal disputes submitted to it by countries, and its judgements are binding. However, she said the Court must convince national governments that it has the jurisdiction to proceed.
Recognizing ICJ jurisdiction
The ICJ can consider claims, and any counter claims, if both parties recognize its jurisdiction, said Judge Donoghue, who spoke via videoconference from The Hague, in the Netherlands, where the Court is based.
In other cases, jurisdiction is limited, such as when clauses in particular international conventions – on genocide or racial discrimination, for example – have been invoked as the basis for jurisdiction.
“Today, when armed conflicts and mass atrocities continue to drive human suffering in various parts of the world, I take this opportunity to remind Member States that the Court can promote accountability only to the extent that Member States accord it the jurisdiction to do so,” she said.
Filling the gap
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called for enhancing the normative and institutional framework to further strengthen the legal basis for accountability and justice efforts.
“The adoption of a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity would, in my view, fill a significant gap in the current international framework, and facilitate international cooperation in this area,” she said, speaking from Geneva.
Relevant treaties which provide the jurisdictional basis for accountability deserve universal adherence, she added, and should be ratified by all States.
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Centre on victims
They include the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), which prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Ms. Bachelet encouraged all States to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICC “in the common interest of the entire international community”.
The UN Security Council’s support for independent and impartial investigation, justice and accountability efforts is essential, she added, while stressing the importance of putting victims at the heart of these efforts.
“This is not only the right thing to do, in acknowledgment of the victims in whose names these processes were created. But it also helps to identify and address the conditions that have led to the serious violations in the first place,” she said.
Also address aggression
For Professor Dapo Akande of Oxford University, adoption of the draft convention “will ensure that the framework for punishing crimes against humanity is put on a similar level as that with respect to genocide and war crimes”.
Mr. Akande further stated that the focus for accountability is incomplete as the fourth international crime – aggression – often goes unaddressed.
“To improve the normative framework with regard to accountability for all international crimes, States should consider ratifying the amendments on the crime of aggression so as to allow the ICC to be able to exercise jurisdiction over the supreme international crime,” he said.
The world population is already using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain the current way of life. Credit: Mario Osava/IPS
by Baher Kamal (madrid)
Inter Press Service
MADRID, Jun 02 (IPS) – This article is part of a series to mark World Environment Day June 5As an introduction to this year’s World Environment Day on 5 June, this report deals with how the excesses of the world’s population, mostly in the wealthiest countries, are causing so much harm to Planet Earth.
For this purpose, the following account of some of the major facts and figures that the world’s largest multinational body–the United Nations Organisation– has been successively providing, should be enough to complete the picture.
For this purpose, the following account of some of the major facts and figures that the world’s largest multinational body–the United Nations Organisation– has been successively providing, should be enough to complete the picture.
In contrast, in the specific case of Africa –54 countries home to 1.4 billion humans– causes a negligible 2% to 3% of all global greenhouse emissions, however it falls victim to more than 80% of the world’s climate catastrophes.
Meanwhile, in high-income countries, the material footprint per capita – the amount of primary materials needed to meet the world’s needs — is more than 10 times larger than in low-income countries.
Moreover, some 93 billion cubic metres of water — enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people — is used by the fashion industry annually.
Gobbling up the Earth’s resources
The current demand for natural resources is at an all-time high and continues to grow — for food, clothing, water, housing, infrastructure and other aspects of life, the UN reports.
Specifically, the extraction and processing of materials, fuels and food contribute half of total global greenhouse gas emissions and over 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress.
Currently, the transport sector is almost completely dependent on fossil fuels. It contributes approximately one quarter of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Every year around the globe 1.3 billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted, that is 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption.
Food losses represent a waste of resources used in production such as land, water, energy and inputs, increasing the greenhouse gas emissions in vain, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reports further
Every year, an estimated 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected worldwide, and decay of the organic proportion of solid waste is contributing about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Where waste cannot be avoided, recycling leads to substantial resource savings. For every tonne of paper recycled, 17 trees and 50% of water can be saved.
From 2010 to 2019, e-waste generated globally grew from 5.3 to 7.3 kilograms per capita annually. Meanwhile, the environmentally sound recycling of e-waste increased at a much slower pace – from 0.8 to 1.3 kilograms per capita annually.
Conclusion
In short, the world population is already using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain the current way of life.
But the fact is that ecosystems cannot keep up with such demand. Consequently, should the world continue to consume the resources at the rate it now does, at least five Earths would be needed.
Opinion by Kwan Soo-Chen, David McCoy (kuala lumpur, malaysia)
Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jun 02 (IPS) – It is increasingly clear that human health and wellbeing are being threatened everywhere because of global warming and environmental damage. Extreme weather events, sea level rise, increasing scarcity of freshwater, drought and high temperatures, combined with loss of biodiversity and other aspects of ecological degradation such as soil erosion and coral bleaching are all features of anthropogenic self-harm and an increasingly inhospitable planet for human society.
The 2015 Paris Agreement established a target of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial temperatures. We are now at 1.1°C of warming. A special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paints a grim picture of what we would face should we reach 1.5°C of warming.
Crucially, failing to limit global warming to 1.5°C could result in the planet being pushed over a number of tipping points that would see accelerated and irreversible warming, with a variety of cascading effects (e. g. loss of the polar ice caps and massive dieback of the Amazonian rainforest) that would see billions of people facing an existential crisis.
Such concerns are not alarmist or exaggerated. The most recent set of Assessment Reports by the IPCC, released over the past few months, presents clear evidence that we are in trouble. Among other things, it projects that average global surface temperatures will most likely reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial averages before 2040.
The theme of World Environment Day this year – “Only One Earth” – correctly points out that all of humanity shares a common dependency upon a single planet. Perhaps nothing is more emblematic of the need for global solidarity and international cooperation than the planetary crisis we face. However, there are also regional differences in terms of both the impacts that will be experienced and the contributions that can be made to averting the crisis.
So, what can be said about South East Asia?
For one, in line with global warming trends and the continued rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the region has seen its annual mean temperature increase at a rate of 0.14°C to 0.20°C per decade since the 1960s. It is hotter than it used to be and the region can expect further increases in temperature. South East Asia is also expected to see an increased frequency of heatwaves.
The high humidity of the region will compound the high temperatures and increase the incidence of heat stroke and heat-related deaths. According to one study, heat-related mortality has already gone up by 61% in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines since the 1990s.
Higher temperatures and heat stress at 3°C warming are expected to reduce agriculture labour capacity by up to 50% and reduce agricultural productivity and food production. According to one study, this will lead to a 5% increase in crop prices from increased labour cost and production loss.
Rates of malnutrition will likely rise in the region, especially as crop production in other parts of the world come under stress. An example is the drought caused by 2015-2016 El-Niño in South East Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa which resulted in 20.5 million people facing acute food insecurity in 2016 and 5.9 million children became underweight. Rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will also reduce the nutritional quality of certain crops and increase the likelihood of greater micronutrient deficiency.
The higher levels of energy and moisture in the atmosphere, produced by global warming, will translate into changing rainfall patterns. Increased annual average rainfall has already been observed in parts of Malaysia, Vietnam and southern Philippines.
Paradoxically, some parts of the region would observe a reduction in the number of wet days. According to the IPCC, the Philippines had observed fewer tropical cyclones, but they were more intense and destructive.
Changes to the hydrologic cycle will also impact on the availability of freshwater and undermine water security in the region. This will in turn lead to associated health problems due to lower levels of sanitation and hygiene.
In the Mekong River basin, due to both climate change and unsustainable levels of water consumption, it is projected that groundwater storage will reduce by up to 160 million cubic meters and that this will be accompanied by delta erosion and sea level rise, affecting coastal cities such as Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.
Three quarters of the cities in the South East Asia will experience more frequent floodings, potentially affecting tens of millions of people every year by 2030. In 2019, South East and East Asia had already recorded the internal displacement of 9.6 million people from cyclones, floods, and typhoons, representing almost 30% of all global displacements in that year.
Climate change and extreme weather events will also increase mental illness. Children, youth, women and elderly are particularly at risk of developing anxiety and depression, as well as post-traumatic disorder associated with extreme weather events and the loss of homes and other assets.
A recent nationwide survey by UNICEF Malaysia in 2020 found that 92% of young persons are already worried about the climate crisis (ecoanxiety).
These forecasts highlight the importance of GHG reductions and the preservation of vital ecosystems services. Unfortunately, progress on this front remains inadequate across the region. Between 2010 and 2019, the region saw an annual average increase of 1.8% in carbon intensity, and of 5.1% in CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2019 in the energy sector.
South East Asia also recorded the fastest per capita growth in transport emissions (4.6% per year) in the world, and saw its forest cover decrease by a whopping 13% between 1990 and 2015, with mangrove forest loss growing by 0.39% per annum between 2000 and 2012.
One ray of hope, according to the IPCC, is that South East Asia has the potential to rapidly reduce as much as 43% of GHG emissions by 2050 from reduced energy demand and increased energy efficiency in the building sector, and that further GHG reductions would be possible with more investment and research on decarbonization.
This is critical. If the world is to have a decent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, we need to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 at the very least. Presently however, policy makers and politicians are either not taking the problem seriously enough or feel unable to break out of our dependency on fossil fuels as indicated by an ASEAN report that shows a gap between current country commitments and the necessary GHG reductions.
Similarly, the radical change required to the way we treat and use the land currently appears to be beyond the capabilities of society.
The last United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow last year that brought together 120 world leaders saw some welcome commitments from governments. For example, Indonesia, as one of the world largest carbon emitters through deforestation and land use change, made a commitment to the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use.
A number of countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam) signed the Global Methane Pledge to cut 30% methane by 2030, and a portion of ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam) fully or partially signed the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement. These pledges and commitments must still be translated into action. But even if they are, more rapid and radical change is needed.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 02 (IPS) – The following article is part of a series to commemorate World Environment Day June 5
The writer is Program Associate, Sustainable Energy Futures Program, Society for International Development (SID)A global transition to lower-carbon energy sources is crucial for our species’ survival given the worsening effects of climate change. With many people increasingly advocating for a rapid shift from an energy system dependent on fossil fuels, questions on how to make this transition arise – one that is just and equitable, especially in the developing world.
There are many questions that need to be answered. How do we make realistic and enforceable policies that support energy transition in an equitable way? What changes do we need to make to existing infrastructure and in storage technologies?
How can we increase funding and investments to develop clean and effective energy sources inclusive of clean cooking technologies? How do we ensure employment, prosperity and other opportunities are maintained and increased during this transition?
According to CDP Africa report (2020), Africa accounts for the smallest share of greenhouse gas emissions at 3.8% of the total global emissions but experiences harsh climate change effects. Even with continued growth in industrialization and development activities in Africa, emissions remain low.
The energy sector is a major contributor to growth and development of a country but also accounts for high emissions with burning of fossil fuels needed for building roads, cold storage facilities and transport in and out of the cities.
There is need to focus on where we can reduce emissions and start on climate mitigation while providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy.
Transport Sector
Two-thirds of the global greenhouse gases emitted today are linked to the use of fossil fuels in the generation of energy for lighting, transport, and in industry. The transport system in Africa is highly dependent on fossil fuels, recent price increases of which have had a knock-on effect on food prices and more generally, impacted negatively on living standards for many in poverty-stricken areas.
Furthermore, the transport system contributes largely to outdoor pollution, especially in the East Africa which has seen in recent years, an increase in the road infrastructure and the acquisition of motor vehicles (most of which are imported ‘reconditioned’ from Europe and the Far East, and whose tail-pipe emissions would not be considered acceptable in those countries).
African countries are consolidating mitigation approaches to reduce the effects of fossil fuels from the transport sector. This includes a shift from fossil fuel-powered transport, an example of that being Kenya launching electric shuttle buses in the public transport system this year (CitiHoppa and East Shuttle) and motorcycles (Ecobodaa).
While these shifts are appreciable, they still have a long way to go in terms of replacing traditional vehicles, as the costs remain prohibitive for most, and the support infrastructure needed for electric vehicles is still largely absent.
Clean cooking
In Africa more than half the population has no access to clean and reliable energy sources which results in the use of biomass (charcoal and firewood) for their heating and cooking needs, in turn contributing to environmental and health complications.
Clean cooking is an integral aspect not to be left behind in this transition. According to latest SDG7 (IEA) tracking report, 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean cooking facilities and rely on kerosene, coal and solid biomass for cooking.
This number has increased with population growth and challenges levied by the COVID-19 pandemic which led to governments shifting priorities, and increase in poverty with loss of employment opportunities making basic energy services unaffordable.
The use of biomass not only increases pollution, and affects the total forest cover globally, but also poses serious health risks to users, particularly women and children who are the most vulnerable segments of the population.
Encouraging clean cooking innovations seeks to provide alternative technologies that are sustainable, efficient, reliable, and affordable to these communities. Incentives towards adoption and use of liquified petroleum gas can greatly reduce illness, deaths, and indoor air pollution.
Awareness creation and training initiatives by both governments and civil society groups have yielded some results with more households adopting clean cooking technologies. This has been further made possible through government incentives and policies that create a conducive environment for the production and/or importation of these technologies as well as facilitating access to them.
Government Policies
Government policy is a key component in addressing energy-related issues and ensuring that a just transition can be achieved. In particular, governments have a crucial responsibility in ensuring that innovations and technologies are developed and delivered. Well thought out strategies and policies are required for this transition to work.
The policy development process should be participatory and inclusive of all stakeholders to ensure equal and adequate representation of interests, ideas, and issues in the transition plans. This means governments working together with local communities, businesses, the labor market, and development partners to identify areas for improving and developing clean effective sources of energy and clean cooking technologies and develop policies to encourage innovation, investments, and new markets.
Strategies to support incentives for technology transfer and development and reduced taxation are also a requirement to accelerate this shift.
During this year’s SE4All forum held in Kigali, Rwanda, conversations around a just and equitable transition were held with ministries and high-level delegates of several African countries agreeing on seven transformative action points of implementation.
Governments committing and actioning these seven transformative actions would ensure that Africa is on a path towards economic prosperity and achieving a net zero future. These action points look to making modern sustainable energy available, pursue a modern energy of up to 6000kWh per capita in Africa which prioritizes clean cooking, scale up private and public sector investment in new energy technologies, infrastructures, and distribution systems.
They also point out support to Africa in deployment of gas as a transition fuel and green hydrogen for industrial development with the sustainability aspect checked, prioritizing local job creation in the energy sector for local economies, lifting development finance restrictions limiting project in Africa to ramp up domestic resource mobilization and make changes towards technology transfer mechanisms to ensure Africa has access to latest energy innovations.
These transformative actions offer opportunities to engage local communities and better meet the needs of the disadvantaged and those that lack modern energy services.
Renewable energy
Energy generation from renewable sources is one of the ways we can achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Replacing conventional forms of energy generation with new energy sources has boosted the sector and energy decarbonization, thus, ensuring reduced carbon emissions and costs while providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable power.
Technology innovation and investments in new technologies must be put to work to respond effectively to arising challenges in consumption and power generation. Adopting new technologies will ensure that power generation is more efficient and that the power grid is more secure and resilient to support and supply consumer needs.
With a huge population in Africa living in rural areas coupled with poor infrastructure development, there is need to accelerate the green mini grids and off grid plans in the sector for enhanced and reliable energy access.
Green mini grids are flexible, and their designs can be altered to fit specific sites and are deployed in closer proximity to the user hence more reliable and accessible.
Renewable energy technologies and green mini grid systems must be included in energy policies and plans to address the barriers that hinder the adoption of these new, more reliable, efficient, and sustainable technologies worked out.
Governments should put in place and support policies that promote technological advancement in renewable energy generation and distribution while facilitating financing and investment opportunities in the sector.
Energy planning should leverage existing data to develop demand-based plans to ensure energy needs are met. Decision-making in the energy sector must be data-driven to ensure useful information is captured and analyzed to reflect and support the advancement of and forecast predictive maintenance.
Today 759 million people live without electricity, with many millions living with unreliable and insufficient access. Though significant progress has been made, gaps in this sector are daunting, and more needs to be done.
To accelerate progress, Africa requires support through stronger government commitments in terms of adequate policy and incentives and long-term energy demand planning. This will spur fast uptake of sustainable energy solutions while supporting innovations and investments in technology development.
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The Iraqi capital of Baghdad covered in a layer of dust during the third dust storm in two months, 24th May 2022. Credit: Zaid Albayati/Oxfam 2022
Opinion by Sally Abi Khalil (beirut, lebanon)
Inter Press Service
The following article is part of a series to commemorate World Environment Day June 5
The writer is Oxfam Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jun 01 (IPS) – We are in the midst of so many crises across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: the most unequal, water scarce, least democratic region in the world, with the widest gender gap, multiple armed conflicts raging across it, and fragile states on the brink.
For weeks, the region has been struggling with sand storms and dust, affecting the health and well-being of all, especially women and their children. Back in January the images of snowstorm hitting refugee camps in Syria were haunting.
Women shoveling snow and melting it to use for washing and cooking was a jarring insight into how women in our region will be burdened by the climate emergency. Increasingly people here are feeling the burn of the climate crisis, through extreme weather conditions, heat waves, snowstorms, desertification and draughts.
The International Panel on Climate Change has projected that the MENA region will be one of the world’s regions hit hardest by climate change in the 21st century.1
On this World Environment Day, June 5, the urgency of the climate emergency is creeping closer and closer to home. Oxfam’s recent report “Inequality kills” warned that 231,000 people each year could be killed by the climate crisis in poor countries by 2030. This is a conservative estimate, millions could die in the second half of this century.
The root of many of challenges in MENA is the patriarchal nature of societies and the woeful level of participation of women. From the formal economy to government, women’s representation and participation rates are some of the lowest in the word.
Women in MENA are removed from the core of public life and political engagement, therefore, our ability to manage the next looming challenge of a climate catastrophe is set to fail. Unless climate change is seen as a feminist issue- in need of a feminist response- its impacts cannot be managed effectively.
Vital to addressing the climate crisis is recognizing the inequalities that perpetuate it and the impact of such inequality on men and women in the region. There is no shortage of evidence that climate change is incredibly gendered.
The UN estimated in 2018 that 80% of people displaced by climate change were women. It leads to internal displacement and migration where women disproportionately suffer different forms of gender-based violence, shoulder the bulk of family responsibilities like water collection and care work, and further entrenches poverty.
Water scarcity impacts women’s ability and accessibility to basic water and sanitation services, leaving them heating snow or walking long distances to find household water. Climate change increases women’s existing difficulties accessing assets and resources.
Women in many countries across MENA are already pushed to cultivate less fertile land, diminishing their ability to produce food and limiting their voices.
As the climate crisis takes hold at breakneck speed, we are grossly underprepared and underequipped to manage and adapt to its impacts as long as women lack the agency they need to be part of an effective response to this new climate normal.
As goes the long-worn rally cry, there cannot be climate justice without gender justice. One cannot be achieved without the other. We know women in the region will be most impacted by climate change. It leads to internal displacement and migration where women disproportionately suffer all forms of violence as they shoulder the responsibility of care work and household responsibilities.
The layered crises we face here in the region of gender disparity, inequality and climate are all interlinked, however the intersectionality of climate change and gender in MENA is ignored. It is often absent from the government and civil society responses and even from the agenda of feminist movements and women rights organizations, with concerns that this may divert feminist action on poverty and gender-based violence for example.
However, the linkages are important because they are at the cutting edge of addressing systemic and oppressive power structures that favor rich nations over poor nations, urban centers over rural areas, those with education versus those without, those who have access to technology verses those who do not and, ultimately, men over women.
For far too long in the hierarchy of needs across the region, climate change as been seen as the least pressing issue effecting lives, however we cannot triage what competing crises can and cannot wait.
As droughts dry up farmland, water sources evaporate as rivers shrink, and rainfall becomes more scarce, the impacts of climate on the region are becoming increasingly dire. More dire still is that women are not on the forefront of conversations about the future.
They are left behind the same way they are ignored in conversations related to peace and security, reconstruction and economic recovery. Such conversations are controlled by the same power structures that created them This time, they cannot be left behind.
Climate justice cannot be seen as an issue of the west, or of the privileged. It is an integral, cross cutting issue that must be coupled with gender equity for us to be equipped to battle the growing challenges it is bringing us.
There is no doubt women are the key to addressing these challenges. The evidence is clear. By organizing, mobilizing and building voices and agency, women can lead the climate conversation and set an agenda for change.
Food insecurity in Syria has reached an historic high, amidst a downward socio-economic spiral, while humanitarian needs soar to peak levels. UNDP and other humanitarian partners are now ramping up their response, focusing on that most basic of needs – affordable, daily bread.
Bolstering wheat-to-bread chain
With an estimated 60 per cent of Syrians food insecure, UNDP is working within the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) framework to assist the most vulnerable.
Around 12.4 million people depend on bread from public bakeries to meet their minimum daily calorie intake. Through the HRP, UNDP and partners have launched a series of integrated humanitarian interventions to strengthen the wheat-to-bread value chain, that has been greatly disrupted by years of conflict and drought.
This includes supporting farming communities, rehabilitating irrigation systems, and restoring public bakeries across the country.
Baking bread, saving lives
It also encompasses the rehabilitation of the country’s only public yeast factory, located in Homs governorate.
Before the crisis, Syria had four State-owned factories that provided around 113 tonnes of yeast to an extensive network of public bakeries throughout the country on a daily basis.
Today, only the Homs factory is left, and it’s operating at a much-reduced scale.
Only six to 10 tonnes of yeast – five to nine per cent of pre-crisis production – are produced and distributed each day to public bakeries in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Tartous and Lattakia governorates.
And there are no major, private yeast producers in the country.
This means yeast must be imported, at great cost – given the acute devaluation of the Syrian pound – driving up bread prices as vulnerable households can only cover 50 per cent of their basic costs.
Increasing yeast production in Homs represents “a high-impact intervention to rapidly and significantly scale up access” to affordable bread in these governates, which contain roughly one-third of the country’s food insecure population targeted by the humanitarian response, according to UNDP.
Cost of rehab
Based on UNDP technical assessments, rehabilitating the Homs yeast factory will cost approximately $1 million, which will be divided between the technical rehabilitation of yeast processing (80 per cent) and packaging equipment, factory safety and hygiene standards (20 per cent).
Once completed, the factory is expected to produce 24 tonnes of yeast daily for distribution to public bakeries in those areas and enable an additional three million vulnerable Syrians to afford their daily bread.
Children receive bread from a bakery in Aleppo, Syria, where WFP are assisting with food distribution.
Prioritizing the needy
UNDP’s overarching objective in Syria is to deliver much needed early recovery assistance to crisis-affected populations.
Access to essential humanitarian services such as health, education, safe water and affordable food, are critical to the resilience of vulnerable Syrian communities.
UNDP prioritizes assistance based on independent and thorough needs assessments, such as those presented in the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and UNDP’s specific studies and sector assessments.
The agency said it was “committed to meeting needs in a principled way that advances basic human rights and mitigates risks across its operations to ensure that assistance is needs based, free from interference, and in line with humanitarian principles”.
For roughly an hour, the convoy came under direct fire from suspected members of a terrorist group using small arms and rocket launchers.
Four Jordanian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, were injured in the attack, one of whom died from his injuries after being evacuated.
Under constant threat
The Mission reported that the attack was the fifth incident to occur in the Kidal region in just one week, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York.
“It is a tragic reminder of the complexity of the mandate of the UN Mission and of its peacekeepers, and the threats peacekeepers face on a daily basis,” he said.
While a formal UN statement is forthcoming, Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General has denounced the attack.
Condolences and commitment
The UN chief has sent his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased peacekeeper, and to the people and Government of Jordan. He has also wished a prompt recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Mali, El Ghassim Wane, underlined that despite the difficulties, MINUSMA remains determined to support the people and Government of Mali in their quest for peace and security.
“I strongly condemn this attack, which is part of the desperate efforts of terrorist groups to hamper the quest for peace in Mali and the implementation of MINUSMA’s mandate,” he said in a statement, translated from French.
Rights violations increase
MINUSMA this week published its quarterly human rights report which showed that 812 cases of violations and abuses were recorded in the first three months of the year.
The figure represents a 150 per cent increase compared to the previous quarter.
The Malian Armed Forces have stepped up military operations to combat terrorism, with occasional support from foreign military elements.
Some of these operations have resulted in serious allegations of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, according to the report.
Overall, some 320 violations were attributed to the Malian defense and security forces, compared to 31 in the last quarter of 2021.
Relief chief’s visit
Meanwhile, UN relief chief, Martin Griffiths, was in Mali this week to draw attention to the deteriorating humanitarian situation there and the need for greater support.
People are reeling from the impact of years of conflict, deep poverty, climate shocks and mounting insecurity.
Currently, 5.7 million require humanitarian assistance, and 4.8 million do not have access to sufficient food.
Furthermore, it is estimated that a staggering 1.8 million people will be acutely food insecure during the lean season from June to August of this year.
Resilience amid difficulties
During his four-day visit, Mr. Griffiths met with the transitional Government in the capital, Bamako.
He also travelled to Mopti, in the centre of the country – one of the regions where Islamist rebels have been operating for years following a failed coup – and met with internally displaced persons in Socoura village.
“Incredibly resilient women shared with me the difficulties they face,” he said. “Some had lost their husbands to violence and had to flee their homes at great risk. With the help of local communities, authorities and humanitarian partners, some are now able to get back on their feet, for example by running small businesses.”
The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported that the crisis in the Central Sahel is rapidly deteriorating, with over 13 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger needing assistance.
Mr. Griffiths concluded his mission to Mali on Tuesday, marking his first visit to the region since being appointed a year ago.
While he left concerned about the impacts the crisis will have on millions, he stressed there is also “hope for turning this around, for building on the huge potential of youth, the traditional way of mediating conflicts through dialogue and bringing peace to Malians across the country.”
Local singers and instrumentalists joined rights activists and politicians in a protest against Afghan musicians’ arrest in Peshawar. They fear that there could be serious repercussions if the musicians are deported back to Taliban-led Afghanistan. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS
by Ashfaq Yusufzai (peshawar)
Inter Press Service
PESHAWAR, Jun 01 (IPS) – The arrest of Afghan musicians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan has elicited protests from local politicians, artists and rights activists who demand their release and say they should be allowed to stay as refugees.
“Four musicians arrested by police in Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for lack of visa and travel documents have been sent to jail and will be deported under the 14 Foreigners’ Act,” a police officer, Nasrullah Shah, told IPS.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan located on the border with Afghanistan.
Police arrested the artists on May 27. They had been performing on TV and radio for years in Afghanistan, but the Taliban government’s opposition to music silenced them. The group includes Saidullah Wafa, Naveed Hassan, Ajmal and Nadeem Shah.
According to Shah, they crossed into Pakistan illegally.
The musicians, however, insisted that there was a ban on music back home, and as a result, they faced economic problems.
“Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August last year, there was an unannounced ban on musical activities, which has landed the singers and musicians in hot water,” Saidullah Wafa, one of the arrested singers, told IPS. Taliban are notorious for killing musicians, and they will murder us if we go back,” Wafa said. Before fleeing to Pakistan, he lived in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
He claimed that Taliban militants consider music against Islam and have killed many singers and others associated with it in the past. Fearing prosecution, we came to Pakistan to seek refuge, the 25-year-old said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has condemned the arrest and possible deportation.
“HRCP is concerned to learn that four Afghan nationals have been arrested by the KP police under the Foreigners’ Act 1946; the court has ordered they be deported. All four face significant threats from the Taliban government in Kabul,” it tweeted.
Local music journalist Sher Alam Shinwari, who writes for Dawn newspaper, said the seized Afghan musicians are refugees. He said they cannot and should not be deported to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
“Afghan musicians, since they arrived in Peshawar and elsewhere in KP, have never been involved in any unlawful activities. Secondly, they have re-joined their relatives already living in refugee camps or rented homes in and around Peshawar,” Shinwari said.
Most have valid documents or ration cards, while some of them carried artists’ registration cards issued by local artists’ organisations, he said.
Deporting Afghan musicians to the Taliban is tantamount to throwing them to the wolves because the Taliban had murdered several artists in the recent past, Shinwari explained.
Families of most of the musicians were already living in Pakistan, and their deportation would be a human rights violation.
Rashid Ahmed Khan, head of Honary Tolana, an organisation striving for musicians’ rights, told IPS that the arrested musicians would be in danger if sent back.
“They were taken into custody by police without a search warrant, sent to jail and be handed over to the Taliban – which is an inhuman act. These famous artistes moved to Peshawar last year when Taliban seized power in Afghanistan to save their lives,” he said.
On May 30, local artists held a protest demonstration against the arrest of Afghan musicians in Peshawar and urged the government to allow them to stay in Pakistan as refugees.
Politicians also joined the protest.
Sardar Hussain Babak, a local lawmaker, assured them that they would raise the issues on the floor of the parliament.
Some Afghan artists present at the protest said they had come to Pakistan for their safety and could not continue their profession in their own country.
They demanded police stop their action against the artists because they were guests in Pakistan and their lives were at risk in Afghanistan.
Local artists, including Saeeda Bibi and others, condemned the police action against the Afghan musicians and demanded their early release.
“Taliban have resorted to violence against the musicians, destroyed their equipment at different places, and shot dead people even participating in the wedding ceremonies in Nangrahar and other provinces of Afghanistan,” Saeeda Bibi told IPS.
“We have applied for bail of the detained artists with the hope to get them released at the earliest,” she said. “We have set a three-day deadline for police to stop action against the artists. Otherwise, Afghan and Pakistani artists would march on Islamabad and stage a sit-in until their demands were heard.
“We also appealed to UNHCR to take notice of the ordeal of Afghan artists so that they could live in Pakistan as refugees.”
KP Information Minister Muhammad Ali Saif told IPS that the artists should be prosecuted in terms of the law.
“We have been hosting 3 million Afghan refugees for the past four decades, which is the glaring example of hospitality. They will be treated as per the law,” he said.
There were no instructions to police regarding the arrest of Afghan musicians, and the court would decide about their deportation, he said.
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