In the first-ever direct contribution between the two UN agencies in the country, the Sudan Emergency Safety Nets Project aims to provide cash transfers and food for more than two million people across the impoverished and crisis-wracked nation, including for those internally displaced.
“WFP is extremely grateful to the World Bank for this generous contribution, at a crucial time in Sudan when more and more people do not know where their next meal will come from,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Sudan.
Food insecure
The country’s economic and political crisis has grown more intense due to rising inflation, conflict and displacement. That’s been exacerbated by climate shocks – including droughts and floods, and a poor harvest – all of which has increased food insecurity throughout Sudan.
As hunger continues to rise at “an alarming rate,” one-third of the population is facing food insecurity, said WFP.
In Sudan, WFP is working to sustain people facing acute hunger while addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
The newly launched project will enable the UN food relief agency to save lives while laying the foundation for a more targeted social safety net system in Sudan by supporting the most vulnerable to withstand shocks and build more resilient livelihoods for the long term.
“This funding will help to mitigate a looming hunger crisis in Sudan and inform future social safety net systems for the country’s most vulnerable that not only saves but changes lives,” said Mr. Rowe.
Shortfall despite generosity
The allocation has been provided by the World Bank-managed Sudan Transition and Recovery Support Trust Fund (STARS), supported by the European Union, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Italy, Finland, Spain, Ireland, and the World Bank-administered State and Peacebuilding Fund.
Yet, despite the substantial contribution, WFP still requires at least $266 million more through the end of the year to reach over 10 million vulnerable people year.
Since the beginning of 2022, WFP has reached 4.8 million people across Sudan with life-saving food or cash and nutrition support, school meals, and livelihood opportunities.
Activists have asked for gender sensitizing of the police, rather than the so-called Romeo squad. Source: Twitter
by Mehru Jaffer (lucknow)
Inter Press Service
Lucknow, Jul 27 (IPS) – Romeo is a bad word in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s largest province with nearly 25 million people.
While the name symbolises love, various shows of affection and love between women and men can be seen as a criminal offence in UP. For their safety, women are advised not to be seen cosying up with their lovers, especially in public places – because the state police department’s anti-Romeo squads could arrest them.
“The Indian Penal Code (IPC) has sufficient sections to arrest and prosecute men harassing women. The anti-Romeo squad has become a tool to harass and embarrass young men and women. It has no place in a civilised democracy,” Bobby Naqvi, senior journalist and former editor of Gulf News, told the IPS. “Disturbing images of these squads harassing youngsters spoil India’s reputation as the largest democracy and a nation where almost 230 million people fall between the age group of 15 years and 24 years.”
Soon after the government was installed in office on March 25, an order was passed reviving the anti-Romeo squads. The squads were first launched in 2017 to safeguard women in public places.
Advocates of women’s rights, including activists Aruna Roy, Kavita Srivastava, Kalyani Menon Sen and lawyers Indira Jaising and Vrinda Grover, had released a joint statement in 2017 demanding that anti-Romeo squads in UP be disbanded immediately and replaced by long-term legal and institutional measures to ensure women’s safety. However, the unpopular squad is now back in action.
Renu Mishra, executive director of the Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives (AALI), a Lucknow-based non-profit organisation, sees the anti-Romeo squad as another way to keep women in check.
Women activists say that gender-sensitising of the police, an increase in the number of policewomen, an enabling environment for women to file FIRs, and more frequent convictions are needed.
They argue that the anti-Romeo squads are a physical manifestation of patriarchy that views women as helpless creatures to be protected rather than empowered.
According to Namita Bhandare, a writer on social and gender issues, there is no need for a squad.
In their previous incarnation, stories abounded of the excesses of the squad. Several young men accused of allegedly harassing girls were forced to shave their heads. A female police officer asked a young man to do sit-ups for being in the company of a female friend. A video of the same incident went viral and led to anger against similar excesses.
While crimes against women are high in Uttar Pradesh, activists fear squads like the so-called Romeo Squad will not resolve the issues. Source: Twitter
The Romeo hunters were disbanded, but now that the same government has returned to office for another five years and they are back. In the eyes of the ruling party, the name Romeo conjures up images of an ‘Eve’ teaser, a female harasser and a stalker. The anti-Romeo squads are expected to perform the role of gallant knights who help women safeguard their purity and honour. The UP Police says that they are trying to book as many roadside Romeos as possible to put an end to the harassment of women.
The squads are viewed with fear by many in the community, and when IPS tried to talk to former victims of the anti-Romeo squads, they declined for fear of retaliation.
Despite the squad’s return, there is no indication that crimes against women have decreased. In statistics released earlier year by the National Commission for Women (NCW) more than 31,000 crimes against women were reported, and over half were from Uttar Pradesh.
The anti-Romeo squad seems helpless before politically powerful men who claim to be religious and dress in flowing saffron robes but threaten to rape women.
In April, a video emerged on social media showing a clean-shaven man in saffron robes speaking on a megaphone from inside an automobile. He threatened to kidnap and rape Muslim women.
The speaker was identified as Mahant Bajrang Muni Das of the Maharishi Sri Laxman Das Udasin Ashram in the Khairabad area of Sitapur, some 80 km from Lucknow.
“I am saying this with love for you that I will publicly drag your daughters-in-law and daughters out of your homes and rape them if any Hindu girl is molested in Khairabad. Muslims will be killed if any Hindu is killed here.”
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the state police chief to register an FIR and arrest the accused. Opposition party spokesperson of the Congress party Supriya Shrinate said that Bajrang Muni is an insult to the Hindu religion and his rape threat mocks law and order in UP.
Shrinate told the Chief Minister that he should act against anyone threatening to rape women.
According to news reports, at least 15 people died overall during a second day of protests in the restive North Kivu region, which began on Monday, with demonstrators accusing the United Nations of failing to do enough to stop a rise in deadly attacks by armed groups, some of which have been active in the area for decades.
Uptick in violence
Millions have been displaced by violence in recent years, with 97 civilians killed just last month alone in attacks across eastern DRC, that included abductions, looting and burning of homes, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.
Several settlements for internally-displaced families have been attacked with more than 160,000 more displaced following a resurgence in activity by the brutal M23 rebel group in North Kivu.
Apart from the UN personnel who died during the violence, five civilians were reportedly killed in Goma, with around 50 others wounded, and seven died in demonstrations in Butembo.
“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers, as well as to the Government and the people of India and of Morocco”, said a statement issued by Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq on Wednesday night in New York. “He wishes a speedy recovery to the injured peacekeeper.”
Multiple attacks
Mr. Guterres condemned the multiple attacks on UN bases across the region which began on Monday, “in which individuals and groups forcibly entered bases and engaged in looting and destruction of United Nations property, while also looting and setting fire to the residences of United Nations personnel.”
In a tweet, MONUSCO said on Wednesday that protesters had “violently snatched weapons” from Congolese police and fired at peacekeeping forces.
The UN chief said he regretted the loss of life among those demonstrating, and affirmed MONUSCO’s commitment to work with the Congolese Government to fully investigate the incidents.
Possible war crimes
He recalled the Status of Forces agreement between the UN and Congolese authorities, “which guarantees the inviolability of United Nations premises. He underscores that any attack directed against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and calls upon the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and swiftly bring those responsible to justice.”
The Secretary-General welcomed a statement condemning the violence issued by a Government Spokesperson on Monday, which also indicated that prosecutions would be forthcoming.
“The Secretary-General reaffirms the United Nations’ strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo”, said Mr. Haq, adding that the head of MONUSCO and the mission overall, “will continue to support the Congolese Government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability in the east of the country.”
KARACHI, Pakistan, Jul 27 (IPS) – In recent days, as Pakistan’s economic woes have intensified, a veritable cottage industry has developed to suggest ways of putting the country back on track.
The latest entrant in this field is the eminent Harvard Economics professor Asim Khwaja. In a long and widely circulated tweet he outlines his analysis of the problem. He argues that the way out is to work to increase productivity. He is not wrong. Indeed, increased productivity is a useful and necessary objective.
The problem however, is that Dr.Khawja and all the other illustrious academics who have contributed to the debate of what has to be done, are missing the point. There is really no dispute about what has to be done. It has been clear for some time.
I outlined the main elements some three years ago in a piece for Daily Times: “Slash imports, boost exports, invest in vital infrastructure, rejuvenate local industry by sharply raising tariff barriers, work on aligning the education system with the job market, the list goes on and on.” This prescription is just as valid, possibly more so, today than it was three years ago.
The point that the academics are missing is not “what has to be done” rather it is “who will do it”. In normal countries, the responsibility would fall on the elected representative of those countries. But in our case, the people who sit in our assemblies simply do not have the ability or desire to do what is necessary.
Sadly, our problem is that whenever there are elections, we succeed brilliantly in putting the worst of our people in parliament. This is the exact opposite of what successful democracies do, or at least endeavour to do, which is to send the best of their people to parliament. And this is why they are successful.
So, why do we in Pakistan get this so wrong? Genuine democracy is conditioned on two important precepts. One, that voters understand the issues. And two, that they are free to vote for the candidates of their choosing. Neither condition obtains in Pakistan.
Feudal control of the levers of power has ensured widespread illiteracy. And vast swathes of the population are obliged to vote the way they are told to vote by their feudal lords. So, voters do not understand the issues and they cannot vote the way they want to.
What we have is not democracy. It is feudalism camouflaged as democracy. This is why the same people or their ilk – the feudal lords and their families – always get elected. And by and large they tend to be corrupt and incompetent. They get elected to parliament to plunder the state not to build it.
And until such time as we replace these “representatives” arguably the worst of our people, with the best nothing, in terms of our economic reality will change. We will continue to decline rather than progress.
So, the challenge for all the well-meaning people, academics and others, is to shift their focus from what needs to be done to the central issue of how do we get genuine democracy in the country.
In previous articles I have suggested a possible solution: Limit the vote to those who have had at least 10 years of schooling. People who are educated have minds of their own. They understand the issues. And they are usually, in my experience, not slave to the feudals.
This is a simple change. It will lead to genuine democracy. And, if enacted, it will change our destiny by truly empowering people and opening the doors of parliament to those who have the competence, energy, desire and will to build the country.
Nadeem Qureshi is founding chairman of the political party Mustaqbil Pakistan and has had a long career in business, mainly in the Middle East. He studied engineering at MIT, and business at Harvard Business School, is fluent in classical Arabic and has published a translation from Arabic to English of a book entitled: Why Muslims Lagged Behind and Others Progressed.
Ambassadors convened late in the afternoon New York time, to discuss the 20 July attack in Zahko, a city in the Kurdistan region near the border with Türkiye, in an area where Turkish forces are conducting counter-terrorism operations against outlawed militant groups.
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert provided a timeline of developments since five artillery rounds struck the Parkha resort, which was packed with visitors, including children. Nine people were killed and 33 injured.
Precautions disregarded
Iraq attributed the attack to Turkish forces, but Ankara issued a press release stating that it is “against all kinds of attacks targeting civilians” and “ready to take all steps to reveal the truth”, she reported.
“This horrific attack on a well-known and clearly identifiable tourist site demonstrates a shocking disregard for civilian life and for the universally accepted standards of international humanitarian and human rights law which seek to protect civilians,” said Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert.
“While all parties to any conflict must take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians at all times, this was clearly not adhered to.”
The UN envoy said she spoke with Iraq’s Prime Minister on Monday, who again emphasized the importance of conducting a transparent and thorough investigation into the incident, whether independently, or jointly.
“It is vital, he said, to put a stop to speculations, denials, misunderstandings and rising tensions,” she told ambassadors. “Meanwhile, I understand that Türkiye is also ready to address the issue jointly, with Iraq, in order to determine exactly what happened.”
Attacks must cease
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert stressed that it is of the greatest importance that all attacks on Iraqi territory cease.
“Such aggression not only recklessly heightens national and regional tensions but also causes, as we have seen, grave human tragedies,” she said.
“As I have said many times in past years, Iraq rightfully rejects the notion that it can be treated as an arena for external and regional rivalries – as an arena where neighbours, and any other actor for that matter, routinely, and with impunity, violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Iraq: Attack against sovereignty
Iraq has categorically condemned the attack, the country’s Foreign Minister, Fouad Hussein, told the Council.
“This is a military aggression against the sovereignty and security of Iraq and its territorial integrity, and a violation and threat to regional and international peace and security,” he said, speaking in Arabic.
Mr. Hussein urged ambassadors to adopt a resolution that calls for Türkiye to withdraw its forces from all Iraqi territory.
The aggression must also be strongly condemned and the perpetrators held accountable, he added, while an international independent inquiry should be established to look into the incident.
The Foreign Minister further called for the situation between Iraq and Türkiye to be included on the Security Council’s agenda, and for the Turkish government to provide recompense for the damage caused in the wake of the aggression.
Türkiye: Terrorists breaching sovereignty
Öncü Keçeli, Türkiye’s Deputy Permanent Representative, said his country was in contact with the Iraqi authorities and the Kurdistan regional authorities immediately after the attack
“We made it clear that Türkiye is ready to take all the steps to unveil the truth,” he said.
“Therefore, we believe that this meeting is very important to set the record straight – not only with the members of the Council, but also with our brothers and sisters in Iraq.”
Mr. Keçeli, said Türkiye has always maintained its strong support for Iraq’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, stability and prosperity, adding that any claims to the contrary are untrue and ill-intended.
“Let us make it very clear. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq are breached by terrorist organizations, not by Turkiye.”
Using a total of 27 cargo trucks, UNICEF was able to access the southern Ukrainian city and pre-position water purification equipment, sanitation and hygiene supplies, to prevent sickness due to lack of clean water and sanitation – a major threat to vulnerable families caught in war.
Around 110,000 people will benefit said UNICEF, from the filters and chemicals which were part of the aid delivery, along with hygiene kits which should help keep some 14,000 children healthy.
Rapid response
“UNICEF is delivering life-saving supplies to important areas including Odesa and surrounds, so we can quickly respond to the most vulnerable families who are affected by the ongoing fighting and shelling in eastern Ukraine,” said UNICEF Ukraine Representative Murat Sahin.
“Provision of safe water supplies and hygiene kits will help an estimated 50,000 children stay healthy in these challenging circumstances.”
As well as Odesa city, these supplies will be delivered to regions close to the fighting, including Mykolaiv, which has come under heavy shelling in recent weeks.
Helping the displaced
Additionally, the supplies will contribute to improving the living conditions of internally displaced families and children, many of whom have fled to Odesa from war-affected districts.
Yesterday we managed to deliver 50 tons of humanitarian supplies to the people in Stepnohirsk, Zaporizka oblast. Yet, since the start of the war, we haven’t been able to deliver life-saving aid to so many in non-Government-controlled areas. pic.twitter.com/bybyuRmayJ
Last Friday’s UN-brokered deal paving the way for Ukraine to begin exporting grain once more to markets in the developing world, will rely on being able to ship cereals out of Odesa’s main port, which has been under threat since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and the mining of waterways around the coastal city.
So far, the city has been relatively unscathed compared with the near total destruction of Mariupol further to the east. But on Saturday, Russia launched cruise missile strikes, reportedly confirming on Sunday via a foreign ministry spokesperson, that it had been targeting military infrastructure in Odesa port.
More aid to Government-controlled areas
Amid continuing hopes that the first shipments of stranded grain could leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports within days, 50 tons of different humanitarian supplies, initially destined for another hard-hit location, have been delivered to the severely affected Government-controlled settlement of Stepnohirsk.
Due to the ongoing hostilities, UN and humanitarian partners have been unable to deliver any assistance to non-Government-controlled areas since the start of the war.
In this instance, the town of Polohy, could not be reached, said a statement from UN humanitarians in Ukraine, issued on Monday night.
According to the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Osnat Lubrani, medicine, food, blankets and supplies for children were delivered to Stepnohirsk and will also be sent to the neighbouring town of Prymorske.
About 5,000 people in urgent need will benefit from the items delivered.
Ms. Lubrani called on all the parties to the conflict to allow life-saving aid to reach those most in need.
The World Economic Outlook Update July 2022: Gloomy and More Uncertain, highlights the significant consequences of the stalling of the world’s three main economic powerhouses – the United States, China and the major European economies.
The world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession – IMF economist
“The outlook has darkened significantly since April,” said Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of Research.
“The world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession, only two years after the last one”.
The baseline forecast for global growth is for it to slow from 6.1 per cent last year, to 3.2 per cent in 2022 – 0.4 per cent lower than forecast in the last Outlook update in April.
Three key economies
With higher-than-expected inflation – especially in the US and the largest European economies – global financial conditions are becoming tighter.
In the US, reduced household purchasing power and tighter monetary policy will drive growth down to 2.3 per cent this year and one percent next year, according to the outlook.
China’s slowdown has been worse than anticipated amid COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, with negative effects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continuing.
Moreover, further lockdowns and a deepening real estate crisis there has pushed growth down to 3.3 per cent this year – the slowest in more than four decades, excluding the pandemic.
And in the Eurozone, growth has been revised down to 2.6 per cent this year and 1.2 percent in 2023, reflecting spillovers from the Ukraine war and tighter monetary policy.
“As a result, global output contracted in the second quarter of this year,” said Mr. Gourinchas.
Inflation
Despite the global slowdown, inflation has been revised up, in part due to rising food and energy prices.
This year it is anticipated to reach 6.6 per cent in advanced economies and 9.5 per cent in emerging market and developing economies – representing upward revisions of 0.9 and 0.8 percentage points respectively. And it is projected to remain elevated for longer.
Broadened inflation in many economies reflects “the impact of cost pressures from disrupted supply chains and historically tight labour markets,” the IMF official stated.
Downward risks
The report outlines some risks ahead, including that the war in Ukraine could end European gas supply from Russia altogether; rising prices could cause widespread food insecurity and social unrest; and geopolitical fragmentation may impede global trade and cooperation.
Inflation could remain stubbornly high if labour markets remain overly tight or inflation expectations are too optimistic and prove more costly than expected.
And renewed COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns threaten to further suppress China’s growth.
“In a plausible alternative scenario where some of these risks materialize…inflation will rise and global growth decelerate further to about 2.6 per cent this year and two per cent next year, a pace that growth has fallen below just five times since 1970,” said the IMF economist.
“Under this scenario, both the United States and the Euro area experience near-zero growth next year, with negative knock-on effects for the rest of the world”.
Mounting tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and continued settlement activity and settler-related violence continue.
“Immediate steps to reverse negative trends and support the Palestinian people are essential,” said Lynn Hastings, UNSCO’s deputy chief, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking on behalf of Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland.
“The violence must stop”.
Corrosive situation
For years, illegal settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank have been steadily shrinking Palestinian land and eroding the prospects for a viable Palestinian State as violence against civilians exacerbate mistrust and trigger a growing sense of hopelessness that Statehood, sovereignty and a peaceful future is slipping away.
“Three hundred and ninety-nine demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures and evictions this year have left over 400 Palestinians displaced,” the UN official said.
Meanwhile, a crumbling Palestinian economy, lack of intra-Palestinian unity, and the urgent need to renew national institutions have also raised Israeli awareness of the perils of continuing along the current path.
Biden visit
Against the worrying backdrop of endless cycles of violence and a constant risk of escalation – with no end in sight – US President Joe Biden’s visit earlier this month signalled renewed consensus for a two-State solution based on the 1967 lines, said Ms. Hastings.
For the first time in years, Israeli, Palestinian and American leaders reiterated their support for a two-State solution as being essential for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
“We must build on these reaffirmed commitments and work collectively to encourage steps that allow for a return to a meaningful political process,” she added.
Death and violence
From clashes to shootings and stabbings throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Resident Coordinator outlined examples of violence that killed close to 300 Palestinians and some Israelis.
She recounted that the bullet used to kill Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh underwent forensic testing overseen by a senior US security official. However, examiners “could not reach a definitive conclusion” due to its damaged condition.
After viewing the results of both Israeli and Palestinian investigations into Ms. Aqleh’s death, it appeared that gunfire from Israel Defence Forces (IDF) positions was likely responsible but “it ‘found no reason to believe that this was intentional’”, said Ms. Hastings.
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Evictions and demolitions
Citing a lack of Israeli-issued building permits, demolitions recently displaced 61 Palestinians, including 31 children, with Ms. Hastings pointing out that the permits are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
And in the wake of a ruling by the Israeli High Court of Justice allowing evictions in the southern West Bank hamlets of Masafer Yatta to proceed, Israeli forces continued to adopt restrictive measures affecting Palestinian communities and humanitarian actors.
“I remain deeply concerned by the potential implications of the High Court’s ruling and the humanitarian toll on the communities in question if eviction orders are carried out,” she stated.
There is no substitute for a legitimate political process that will resolve the core issues driving the conflict — UN Resident Coordinator
Vulnerable in Gaza
Turning to the fragile situation in Gaza, UN and humanitarian partners continue to deliver vital assistance and further ease movement restrictions on people and goods into and out of the Strip.
However, on 16 July, militants in the enclave launched four rockets towards Israel. The IDF retaliated with airstrikes against what it said were Hamas targets. No injuries were reported on either side.
For the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, Israel announced that 400 permits would be issued for men over 55 and women over 50, to visit Jerusalem from Gaza for the first time since 2017.
Legitimate political process needed
In closing, the Deputy UNSCO chief warned that if left unaddressed, the corrosive situation will only deteriorate further and advocated for “the ultimate goal” of two States, living side-by-side in peace.
“There is no substitute for a legitimate political process that will resolve the core issues driving the conflict,” she said assuring that the UN “remains committed” to a just and lasting peace and will continue to work with all concerned to achieve that objective.
Coastal view from the Kalinago Territory in Dominica. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS
by Alison Kentish (united nations)
Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 26 (IPS) – According to the 2021 World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report, extreme events have worsened the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Region, especially for the small island states of the Caribbean.The highest deforestation rates since 2009. The third most active hurricane season on record. Extreme rainfall, floods, and landslides displaced tens of thousands of people. Rising sea levels. Glaciers in Peru lost more than half their size. Add the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the mix, and 2021 was a challenging year for Latin America and the Caribbean.
It states that “sea levels in the region continued to rise in 2021 at a faster rate than globally, notably along the Atlantic coast of South America south of the equator, and the subtropical North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico,” a worrying development for the small island states of the Caribbean and large populations concentrated in coastal communities.
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season brought 21 named storms that included seven hurricanes and was the sixth consecutive above-average season.
It adds that extreme rainfall led to tens of thousands of homes being destroyed or damaged and hundreds of thousands of people displaced
The record-setting drought in Chile continued in 2021, marking the 13th consecutive year of the “Central Chile Mega-drought,” which placed the country at the center of the region’s water crisis.
“Increasing sea-level rise and ocean warming are expected to continue to affect coastal livelihoods, tourism, health, food, energy, and water security, particularly in small islands and Central American countries,” said Professor Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization.
Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Mami Mizutori said as the second most disaster-prone region in the world, Latin America and the Caribbean are proof of how complex risks can be, adding that shocks that affect one sector can create damaging consequences in another, impacting the most at-risk communities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic offers a quintessential example of how interconnected risks can create severe upheaval, particularly when intersecting with climate change impacts. Last year, the fallout from hurricanes Eta and Iota collided with lingering COVID-19 impacts. The result was that 7.7 million people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua faced high levels of food insecurity,” she said.
While the report outlines the dire impacts of extreme weather and climate change on the region, it is also prescriptive in its calls for long-term regional and national solutions.
One of these is a ‘risk to resilience’ goal.
The UNDRR head says the Bali Agenda for Resilience is a critical instrument in understanding the nature of risks and promoting mitigation and adaptation measures. The document promotes policies to shield communities from climate and other disasters and thwart a predicted global rate of 1.5 disasters a day by 2030.
“First and foremost is the need for risk management to become a shared responsibility across sectors. Getting on track to achieve the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals requires decision makers to adopt comprehensive climate and disaster risk management that puts people first, using current data and timely information.”
The report also recommends the expansion of access to multi-hazard early warning systems (EWS). Investment in these systems has been touted as one of the most powerful tools to adapt to climate change, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has challenged the WMO to present an action plan that ensures all people everywhere are covered by an early warning system in the next 5 years. The WMO is expected to present that plan to the 2022 UN Climate Conference in Egypt in November.
“Altogether, there is a need for a 1.5 billion US dollar investment in the next 5 years to get 100 percent coverage of early warning services and improve basic observing systems. We have major gaps in island states, Africa, and some parts of Latin America, and that needs to be improved,” the WMO Secretary-General said.
The report’s launch coincides with the impending peak of the annual Atlantic hurricane season. According to officials of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), there is no question that countries in the region, particularly the small states of the Caribbean and Central America, remain highly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate
“2021 was yet another very active season. Many countries experienced major flooding and landslides that were compounded by a volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, causing major dislocation, damage, and loss, and there was heavy rainfall and floods across Guyana, Suriname, and regions of Central America, affecting housing, fresh water sources and increasing food insecurity,” said ECLAC’s Subregional Office Chief Diane Quarless.
Quarless added that for small states in the region, the post-disaster need to continually source or reassign already scarce resources has eroded the ability of countries to build back better. ECLAC is supporting the call to strengthen and expand early warning systems to improve forecasting and planning for multi-hazards.
The State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report provides science-based, timely information for policymakers on the realities of climate change and weather-related events and the best course of action.
The representatives of the UN agencies involved in sourcing and compiling the report says that the region has the needed data. It is now time to act.
But “time is going by and we all need to pull together to make that happen”, warned Dr Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead on Monkeypox, who was speaking the regular press briefing Geneva.
More than 15000 cases, over two thirds reported in the WHO European Region.
We spoke to two clinicians in Portugal and Italy about their experience of treating patients with #monkeypox to find out how concerned they are about the outbreak.https://t.co/Rkq1O9S12a
On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the spread of the virus to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the organization’s highest level of alert. “Through this, we hope to enhance coordination, cooperation of countries and all stakeholders, as well as global solidarity,” Dr Lewis said.
WHO assessed the risk posed to public health by Monkeypox in the European region as high, but at the global level as moderate.
With “other regions not at the moment as severely affected”, declaring a PHEIC was necessary “to ensure the outbreak was stopped as soon as possible”.
This year, there have been more than 16,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries. Dr Lewis said the real number was probably higher.
She pointed out that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, several thousand cases were suspected, but testing facilities are limited. “The global dashboard did not include suspected cases,” she said.
Some 81 children under the age of 17 were reported as having been infected globally, she added, with the majority of cases being among young men, with the median age being 37.
‘Stigma as dangerous as virus’
First identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person (you can read our detailed explainer on the disease, here).
Until this year, the virus which causes Monkeypox has rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic. But reports of a handful of cases in Britain in early May signalled that the outbreak had moved into Europe.
Dr. Lewis pointed out that stigma and discrimination must be avoided, as that would harm the response to the disease.
“At the moment the outbreak is still concentrated in groups of men who have sex with men in some countries, but that is not the case everywhere,” she said. “It is really important to appreciate also that stigma and discrimination can be very damaging and as dangerous as any virus itself,” she said.
Monkeypox could cause a range of signs and symptoms, including painful sores. Some people developed serious symptoms that need care in a health facility. Those at higher risk for severe disease or complications include pregnant women, children, and immunocompromised persons.
Coordinating vaccines
Dr. Lewis said WHO was working with Member States and the European Union on releasing vaccines, and with partners to determine a global coordination mechanism. She emphasized that mass vaccination was not required, but the WHO had recommended post-exposure vaccination.
Vaccine sharing should be done according to public health needs, country by country and location by location. Not all regions had the same epidemiology, she explained.
Dr. Lewis stressed that countries with manufacturing capacity for smallpox and Monkeypox diagnostics, vaccines or therapeutics should increase production.
Countries and manufacturers should work with WHO to ensure they are made available based on public health needs, solidarity and at a reasonable cost to countries where they were most needed.
Dr. Lewis explained that some 16.4 million vaccines were currently available in bulk but needed to be finished. The countries currently producing vaccines are Denmark, Japan, and the United States.
She reminded that the current recommendation for persons with Monkeypox was to isolate and not travel until they recovered; contact cases should be checking their temperature and monitoring possible other symptoms for the period of 9 to 21 days.
“When someone is vaccinated it takes several weeks for the immune response to be generated by the body”, she said.
What’s in a name?
According to Dr. Lewis, the name “Monkeypox” is already present in the International Classification of Diseases, and a process had to be followed in order to potentially change its name.
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