Tag: UN News

190 million children at risk from water-related crises: UNICEF — Global Issues

The study, released on Monday ahead of the historic UN Water Conference, reviewed household access to WASH services, the burden of WASH-attributable deaths among children under five, and exposure to climate and environmental hazards, revealing where children face the biggest threat, and where investment in solutions is desperately needed to prevent unnecessary deaths.

“Africa is facing a water catastrophe. While climate and water-related shocks are escalating globally, nowhere else in the world do the risks compound as severely for children,” said UNICEF Director of Programmes Sanjay Wijesekera.

“Devastating storms, floods, and historic droughts are already destroying facilities and homes, contaminating water resources, creating hunger crises, and spreading disease. But as challenging as the current conditions are, without urgent action, the future could be much more bleak.”

© UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani

Displaced children wash their hands outside a public toilet at a camp in Sindh Province, Pakistan.

Crises compounded by armed conflict

The triple threat was found to be most acute in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Somalia, making West and Central Africa one of the world’s most water-insecure and climate-impacted regions, according to the analysis. Many of the worst-affected countries, particularly in the Sahel, are also facing instability and armed conflict, further aggravating children’s access to clean water and sanitation.

Across the 10 hotspots, nearly one-third of children do not have access to at least basic water at home, and two-thirds do not have basic sanitation services. A quarter of children have no choice but to practise open defecation. Hand hygiene is also limited, with three-quarters of children unable to wash their hands because of lack of water and soap at home.

As a result, these countries also carry the heaviest burden of child deaths from diseases caused by inadequate WASH, such as diarrhoeal diseases. For example, six of the 10 have faced cholera outbreaks over the past year. Globally, more than 1,000 children under five die every day from WASH-related diseases, with around two out of five concentrated in these 10 countries alone.

Accelerated action is needed to ensure safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene for all.

© WHO/Rob Holden

Accelerated action is needed to ensure safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene for all.

Vulnerable to climate threats

These hotspots also rank within the top 25 per cent of 163 countries globally with the highest risk of exposure to climate and environmental threats. Higher temperatures – which accelerate pathogen replication – are increasing 1.5 times faster than the global average in parts of West and Central Africa. Groundwater levels are also dropping, requiring some communities to dig wells twice as deep as just a decade ago. At the same time, rainfall has become more erratic and intense, leading to floods that contaminate scarce water supplies.

 All 10 countries are also classified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as fragile or extremely fragile, with the stresses of armed conflict in some countries threatening to reverse progress toward safe water and sanitation.

For example, Burkina Faso has seen a ramping up of attacks on water facilities as a tactic to displace communities. Fifty-eight water points were attacked in 2022, and more than 830,000 people – over half of whom are children – lost access to safe drinking water in the last year.

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5 Things You Should Know About the UN 2023 Water Conference — Global Issues

Water is at the core of sustainable development. It supports all aspects of life on Earth, and access to safe and clean water is a basic human right. However, decades of mismanagement and misuse have intensified water stress, threatening the many aspects of life that depend on this crucial resource.

© UNICEF

Clean water is essential to human health.

1. We are facing a global water crisis

Water is essential for human well-being, energy and food production, healthy ecosystems, gender equality, poverty reduction and more.

But we are currently facing a global water crisis. Billions of people around the world still lack access to water. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people die each year from diseases directly attributed to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene practices.

Demands for this precious resource continue to rise: about four billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year. With water being so crucial to many aspects of life, it is important to ensure its protection and proper management to ensure that everyone has equitable access to this essential resource by 2023.

WMO/Edward-Ryu

Droughts drastically impact the availability of water for vulnerable communities.

2. Water and climate are inextricably linked

From increasing floods, unpredictable rain fall, and droughts, the impacts of climate change on water can be seen and felt at an accelerating rate. These impacts threaten sustainable development, biodiversity, and people’s access to water and sanitation.

According to the latest State of the Climate Services on Water report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), water-related hazards have increased by an alarming rate. Since 2000, floods have increased by 134 per cent with the duration of droughts increasing by 29 per cent.

But water can also be a key solution to climate change. Carbon storage can be improved by protecting environments like peatlands and wetlands, adopting sustainable agricultural practices can help reduce stress on freshwater supplies, and improving water supply and sanitation infrastructures can ensure that everyone has access to vital resources in the future.

Water must be at the centre of climate policies and action. Sustainable water management can help build resilience, mitigate impacts of climate change, and protect societies and ecosystems. Sustainable, affordable, and scalable water solutions must become a priority.

United Nations

UN 2023 Water Conference

3. Four decades on, bold new commitments are on the table

The UN 2023 Water Conference will be a crucial moment to decide on concerted action to “take action and address the broad challenges surrounding water,” in the words of Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Secretary-General of the event.

The Conference will bring Heads of State and Government, Ministers, and stakeholders across all different sectors together achieve internationally agreed goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for a fairer future; ensuring access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.

One of the main outcomes of the Conference will be the Water Action Agenda that will capture all water-related voluntary commitments and follow on their progress. The Agenda aims to encourage Member States, stakeholders, and the private sector to commit to urgent actions to address today’s water challenges.

© UNICEF/Odlyn Joseph

A woman in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, carries water she has bought from a local trader.

4. Focus on five key areas

The Conference will feature five “interactive dialogues” to strengthen and accelerate action for key water areas.

The interactive dialogues also support the five principles of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, an initiative to deliver fast results towards ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The five interactive dialogues are:

  1. Water for Health: Access to safe drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation.
  2. Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development.
  3. Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction.
  4. Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation and Water Across the 2030 Agenda.
  5. Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.

Take a closer look at each of the interactive dialogues here.

5. How can you get involved?

Water is a critical issue that affects everyone. As UN Member States, governments and stakeholders prepare to make their own water commitments, the UN is calling on everyone to take their own action. Any action – whether small or big – can help accelerate change and action towards achieving the goals and targets of SDG 6.

Here are some simple actions that can be incorporated into daily routines:

  • Take shorter showers and reduce your water waste in your home. With 44 per cent of household wastewater not being safely treated, taking shorter showers is a terrific way to save this precious resource. Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving Water
  • Participate in clean-ups of local rivers, lakes, or wetlands. Plant a tree or create your own water garden. These actions can help protect water ecosystems from pollution and reduce the risk of flooding and store water efficiently.
  • Raise awareness on the critical connection between toilets, sanitation, and menstruation. Break taboos by starting conversations in your local community, school, or workplace.

Learn more about the goals and targets of SDG 6 and continue to advocate for solutions at the local and national level. Support water-related campaigns and find out other ways you can incorporate simple actions that can help protect water resources.

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Flagship UN gender event closes with ‘blueprint’ for greater role of women in tech — Global Issues

The priority theme for this year’s CSW, an annual, two-week long event which has been advancing rights for women since 1946, was the ongoing discrimination, abuse, and misogyny women face in the virtual world.

The aim was to advance progress towards levelling the digital playing field, and to address persistent issues that affect women and girls, including limited access to technology, disproportionate online violence, and underrepresentation and gender bias in tech industries.

The outcome document of the Commission, officially the “Agreed Conclusions” of the 45 Member States, acknowledged the critical role of technology and innovation in achieving gender equality.

In a statement released by UN Women on Saturday, the document was described as a “blueprint for all stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, civil society and youth to promote the full and equal participation and leadership of women and girls in the design, transformation and integration of digital technologies and innovation processes that fulfil the human rights and needs of women and girls.”

© UNICEF/Mary Gelman

A ‘vision of a more equal and connected world’

Speaking at the conclusion of the negotiations, UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous, said: “This year’s Agreed Conclusions are game-changing and bring forward our vision of a more equal and connected world for women and girls in all their diversity. It is our job, as we leave here today, to translate them into reality. The ultimate success of these Agreed Conclusions lies beyond their finalization today, in how we will collectively take them forward. Let us translate them into reality for all women and girls.”

As well as reaffirming the importance of women and girls’ full participation and leadership in science, technology and innovation, concern was expressed about the limited progress in closing the gender gap in access to technologies, connectivity, digital literacy, and education. The Agreed Conclusions also condemned the interrelation between offline and online violence, harassment, and discrimination against women and girls.

The Commission called for significantly increased public and private sector investments to bridge the gender digital divide, more inclusive innovation eco-systems, and the promotion of safe and gender-responsive technology and innovation. It also underlined the need for inclusive and equitable quality education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, information and communications technology, and digital literacy to ensure that all women and girls can thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Youth at the centre of discussions

For the first time, CSW included an interactive youth session with young people, youth representatives of delegations, civil society, and United Nations organizations, engaging in dialogue and providing recommendations on how to ensure young women and girls are part of the digital transformation.

Important contributions were made by a wide range of civil society organizations, including members of the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality, launched as part of the Generation Equality Forum, a civil society-focused group convened by UN Women.

The Action Coalition has made a significant contribution towards cementing alliances between Governments, private sector, civil society, and the UN system, and in driving momentum and commitments to advance gender equality through technology and innovation.

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Black Sea Grain Initiative extended on deadline day — Global Issues

The announcement was made in a Note to Correspondents, released by the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson’s office on Saturday, which emphasized that the Initiative allows for the “facilitation of the safe navigation for the exports of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from designated Ukrainian seaports.”

Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022, the Initiative has been one of the few areas in which the Russian and Ukrainian governments have been able to reach agreement. It came about in response to the sharp increase in prices for food and fertilizers around the world: Russia and Ukraine are the main suppliers of these products to world markets, and their ability to export was significantly curtailed once hostilities began.

Since the signing of the Initiative in July 2022, some 25 million metric tons of grains and foodstuffs have been moved to 45 countries, and the initiative has been credited with helping to calm global food prices, which reached vertiginous highs in March 2022. Following the implementation of the Initiative, prices began to fall and, a year later, had dropped some 18 per cent.

The deal was mediated by the UN and the Government of Türkiye, which was thanked in the statement for its diplomatic and operational support: as part of the agreement, a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was established in Istanbul, to monitor the implementation of the Initiative.

The Note to Correspondents reaffirmed the UN’s strong commitment to both agreements, and described the Black Sea Grain Initiative, alongside the Memorandum of Understanding on promoting Russian food products and fertilizers to the world markets, as “critical for global food security, especially for developing countries.”

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Don’t give up on Haiti, plead senior UN aid officials — Global Issues

The call comes amid reports that the situation in Haiti is deteriorating by the day, with citizens facing spiralling violence, human rights, and food emergencies, as well as a cholera epidemic.

The influence of armed gangs is growing exponentially in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond, reaching the Department of Artibonite, the country’s breadbasket. Armed violence – including kidnappings and sexual violence against women and girls – is also surging.

The six senior officials, representing UN aid agencies and international NGOs, met with people who need humanitarian aid, as well as with local and international partners.

They also held talks with Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other senior Government officials, and met with community representatives from areas controlled by, or under the influence of, armed gangs.

UN briefing on Haiti, with Osnat Lubrani, UN Women, Tareq Talahma, OCHA, and Dominic MacSorley, Concern Worldwide

“The humanitarian needs in Haiti are unprecedented,” said Sara Bordas Eddy, Chief of the Humanitarian Field Support Section of UNICEF, at the end of the two-day trip. “The suffering of a Haitian child today is not comparable to the suffering of a Haitian child a few years ago. As humanitarians, we are finding ways to reach those in need including in gang-controlled areas. For that to happen in a sustainable way, we also need the donor community to not give up on Haiti.”

Despite the difficulties, the UN and NGO officials noted that the humanitarian response continues to be scaled up, and committed even more support to aid workers on the ground.

“The population feels desperate, but I also saw the resilience and potential of the women and girls who want to help build a better future for their country, communities and families,” said Shoko Arakaki, Director of the Humanitarian Response Division of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). “They need urgent health and psychosocial support, but also livelihood and economic empowerment for recovery.”

This year, the UN and its partners will need $715 million to help more than three million people in Haiti. This is more than double the sum appealed for last year, and the highest amount since the 2010 earthquake.

Also taking part in the visit were Tareq Talahma, the Acting Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Osnat Lubrani, the Acting Director and Head of the Humanitarian Section of UN Women’s Geneva Office, Dominic MacSorley, the Humanitarian Ambassador for Concern Worldwide, and Mark Smith, Vice President of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs of World Vision.

“More than just humanitarian assistance, what the people of Haiti need is peace, security and protection,” said Mr. Talahma “We cannot let Haiti become a forgotten crisis.”

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Starting from zero – Gambian returning migrant counts cost of attempted Europe crossing — Global Issues

“I’m from Jarra, a rural area in the Lower River Region of The Gambia, in the middle of the country. I moved to the capital, Banjul, when I was 15, to live with my brother and go to high school. I didn’t graduate, though, because we couldn’t afford the fees.

Around five years ago, when I was about 20, my friends encouraged me to leave The Gambia. This is not a wealthy country, and we heard that people had left, and became successful in Europe, sending money back to their families.

I wanted to go to Italy, because I thought that this was the easiest European country to get to. I knew that many people had died trying to get to Europe, but I thought that I could make it.

The first step was neighbouring Senegal, and from there we got a bus to Mauritania. I stayed there, with my sister’s husband, for five months, doing construction work, and whatever I could, to earn money for the next stage of the journey.

From Mauritania I went to Mali. This was a very long bus journey, and it took about 12 hours to get to the capital, Bamako. There were many other Gambians on the bus. Then we went to Agadez, in central Niger, via Burkina Faso. At each stage, we had to pay to be allowed to continue. We felt in danger but, by that stage, it was too late to go back.

There were about 25 of us in an open pickup truck, driving through the desert, with no shade. It was very hot and uncomfortable. We drove for three days, sleeping in the desert. At night, it was very cold, and we had to buy blankets and big jackets to keep us warm.

 

‘I was scared they would shoot us’

Sometimes the drivers were nice people, but others were very harsh, and they would beat us. When we got into Libya, we were beaten, and all of our money was taken from us. Luckily, I had hidden some food in the bus. The people who beat us had guns, and I was very scared that they would shoot us.

The next stage of the journey was to Sabhā, in central Libya. Because I had no money, I had to stay in Sabhā for four months, finding work to pay for my fare to Tripoli.

When you travel from Sabhā to Tripoli, you have to be smuggled in. If you are seen, people might kill you, so I had to hide in a dark room with no lights for three days. This was during the civil war, and there was a lot of danger.

‘They shot the boat’

I had to wait over a year in Tripoli before I could get to the coast and take a boat for Italy. One of my brothers found the money for me to get a place on the boat. Before we set off, there was some shooting and we soon realized that our boat was taking on water:.

There were armed men who didn’t want us to leave for Europe, so they just shot the boat, not caring if any of us died in the water. Our only option was to turn back towards the Libyan coast and, when the boat had taken on too much water, we swam to shore.

When we arrived on shore, we were taken to a detention centre. We were beaten by soldiers, who told us to give them money, but I had nothing left. I had to stay there for two months in these harsh, dirty conditions. Our phones were taken from us so we couldn’t contact our families; many of them though that we were dead.

UN News/ Hisae Kawamori

Amadou Jobe found a job in the Gambia capital Banjul, after a failed attempt to reach Europe by boat.

Starting again from zero

Eventually, people from the UN came to the centre. They gave us clothes and some food and offered us a voluntary flight back to The Gambia.

I was very sad: I had lost everything and would have to start again from zero. I didn’t want to return home, but I had no choice.

When I arrived in The Gambia, the UN migration agency (IOM) offered to help me to start a business. They asked me what I wanted to do and, because of my experience working in construction, I told them that I could sell cement.

They provided me with tailored in-kind support in the form of a cement business, but, unfortunately, the place I found to store the bags of cement was not protected from the weather: it was the rainy season, and the water reached all of the cement. It was ruined.

I went back to the UN to ask for more help, and they offered me skills training. This was very useful, and I was able to get a certificate and go back to working with aluminium. I got a job working in a friend’s shop in Banjul, which sells aluminium window frames.

In the future, once I can raise the money, I plan to open my own shop. I’m married now and I have two children. I want to succeed here now, and I wouldn’t try to retry that journey to Europe. It’s too risky. If you don’t succeed, you lose everything.”

UN News/ Hisae Kawamori

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International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin — Global Issues

“The contents of the warrants are secret to protect the victims,” said ICC President Piotr Hofmański. “Nevertheless, the judges decided to make the existence of the warrants public, in the interest of justice and to prevent future crimes.”

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II also issued a warrant for the arrest of Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. The orders state that each are “allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation” of children from occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia, the UN-backed court said in announcing the warrants.

‘Criminal responsibility’

“The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022,” the ICC detailed. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin and Ms. Lvova-Belova bear individual criminal responsibility.”

The court found reasonable grounds that Mr. Putin bears responsibility for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and, or through others, and “for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility”.

All allegations are in line with the Rome Statute. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the statute, which created the judicial body in 1998.

Protecting the victims

ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan saidthose responsible for alleged crimes must be held accountable and that children must be returned to their families and communities.

“We cannot allow children to be treated as if they are the spoils of war,” he said. “Incidents identified by my Office include the deportation of at least hundreds of children taken from orphanages and children’s care homes. Many of these children, we allege, have since been given for adoption in the Russian Federation.”

Through presidential decrees issued by President Putin, the law was changed in Russia to expedite the conferral of Russian citizenship, making it easier for them to be adopted by Russian families.

“My Office alleges that these acts, amongst others, demonstrate an intention to permanently remove these children from their own country,” he said. “At the time of these deportations, the Ukrainian children were protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

The Chamber had initially decided that the warrants should not be published in order to protect victims and witnesses and also to safeguard the investigation, Mr. Hofmański said.

However, mindful that the conduct addressed in the present situation is allegedly ongoing, and that the public awareness of the warrants may contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes, the Chamber considered that it is “in the interests of justice to authorize the Registry to publicly disclose the existence of the warrants, the name of the suspects, the crimes for which the warrants are issued, and the modes of liability as established by the Chamber”, the ICC said.

Asked by reporters to comment on the arrest warrants at the regular Noon Briefing in New York on Friday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, stressed that the ICC and the UN were “separate institutions, with separate mandates.”

About the ICC

The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent judicial body. It was established in accordance with the Rome Statute, signed on 17 July 1998 at a conference in the capital of Italy.

Its competence extends to all the most serious international crimes committed after 1 July 2002, the date the Rome Statute came into force.

The court’s jurisdiction is limited to crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

During the first 20 years of operations, the ICC has tried and resolved cases of significance for international justice, shedding light on the crimes committed by the use of child soldiers, the destruction of cultural heritage, sexual violence, or attacks on innocent civilians.

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Extension of grain export deals vital to global food security — Global Issues

Martin Griffths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed ambassadors on the eve of the expiration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly 25 million metric tonnes of foodstuff from Ukraine to reach global markets. 

The accord was signed in Türkiye in July 2022, in parallel with a Memorandum of Understanding on Russian food and fertilizer exports. 

“It is vital for global food security that both of these agreements continue and will be fully implemented,” he said. 

Feed the world 

Both Russia and Ukraine are leading suppliers of key food commodities such as wheat, maize and sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizer.  

Mr. Griffiths said the world relies on these supplies and has done so for many years. 

“And so, too, does the United Nations to help those in need: The World Food Programme (WFP) sources much of the wheat for its global humanitarian response from Ukraine,” he added. 

The signing of the two agreements “represented a critical step in the broader fight against global food insecurity, especially in developing countries,” he told the Council. 

“Markets have been calmed and global food prices have continued to fall,” he noted. 

Stepping up engagement 

Mr. Griffiths said the UN is doing everything possible to make sure that the Black Sea Grain Initiative can continue, and is engaging with all the parties. 

Additionally, Secretary-General António Guterres and the head of the UN trade agency, UNCTAD, Rebeca Grynspan, “are sparing no effort” to facilitate the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with Russia. 

“We have made meaningful progress. Impediments remain, however, notably with regard to payment systems. There is more to do and our efforts to overcome these remaining impediments will continue unabated,” he said. 

Staggering humanitarian needs 

The UN relief chief also warned of the threat to sustainable development in the face of an unstable global economy and growing poverty, and with humanitarian needs outpacing resources.  

This year, humanitarians will require an unprecedented $54 billion to support nearly 347 million people in 69 countries. Last year, donors gave a historic $38.7 billion for their operations. 

He said it was uncertain that this level of financing can be achieved so that humanitarians can deliver for the world’s most vulnerable people. 

End the war 

Mr. Griffiths also highlighted the need for closer collaboration between the humanitarian and development communities, and financial institutions, to seek sustainable solutions in the face of spiralling global needs, and new crises on the horizon. 

“More than ever, in this context do we need a political solution to the war in Ukraine,” he said.  “The people of Ukraine deserve peace, first and foremost. They deserve to turn the page on this terrible war, as do we all.”  

At the outset of the meeting, Council members declined Russia’s proposal to allow Daria Morosova, reportedly an ombudsperson of the Donetsk People’s Republic, to brief as a civil society representative. 

The Council is comprised of 15 members. Four countries voted in favour, eight against, and three abstained. 

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Announcing new youth advisers, Guterres praises their ‘unrelenting’ drive for climate justice — Global Issues

Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent.

The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the first since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 by 193 countries. 

It’s expected to confirm that the world is not on track to mitigate climate change,but some of the findings show we can still keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if dramatic emissions cuts can be made across different sectors.

“Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice. The unrelenting conviction of young people is central to keeping climate goals within reach, kicking the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, and delivering climate justice,” said the Secretary-General. 

Magnificent Seven: Who are the new advisers?

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Ayisha Siddiqa (United States) is a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender. She is the Co-founder of Polluters Out and Fossil Free University. Her work focuses on uplifting the rights of marginalized communities while holding polluting companies accountable at the international level. She is currently a research scholar at NYU School of Law. Ayisha was recently named a Time magazine Woman of the Year.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Beniamin Strzelecki (Poland) is a climate action and energy transition advocate. He coordinated a global network of youth-led energy organizations and worked with intergovernmental entities, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, Sustainable Energy for All, and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to create opportunities for young people in the energy transition field. He currently co-chairs the Student Energy Summit 2023 and is continuing his studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Fatou Jeng (The Gambia) is dedicated to grassroots, national, and international mobilization as a climate educator, frontline activist, and campaigner. Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia in 2017, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian young people to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change.

Fatou holds a Masters’ degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex in the UK. She is also a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the UNFCCC and was recognized as a TOP 100 Young African Conservation Leader by the WWF, in 2022.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Jevanic Henry (Saint Lucia) is a climate and development professional and advocate. He previously served as Climate Change Special Envoy for the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, and was a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. Jevanic worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the Government of Saint Lucia, as well as with the climate change unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat and co-authored a practical guide on enhancing access to climate finance.

He is currently an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow, assigned to the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Josefa Tauli (Philippines) is an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot indigenous youth activist. She is Policy Cocoordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves as the youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An advocate for meaningful youth participation, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge, she has coordinated the engagement of youth delegations to more than 10 rounds of CBD negotiations during the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Joice Mendez (Colombia/Paraguay) is a migrant, social entrepreneur, and climate advocate focused on the nexus of water, food and energy justice. Joice co-founded several local and regional youth organizations, including the Moema Viezzer Environmental Education Observatory, the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics of Energy, and the binational Youth Collective of the Parana Basin 3 from the Cultivating Good Water Initiative – a recipient of the UN-Water Best Practice Award in 2015.

Joice has also supported Paraguay’s National Conference of Youth since 2016 and the National Forum of Water and Youth, and continues to be active in YOUNGO, the Climate Reality Project América Latina.

The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Saoirse Exton (Ireland) is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future. As a proud Gaelic speaker from Ireland, Saoirse believes that the wealth of knowledge held in traditional languages and storytelling, can re-establish the vital concept of Earth as sacred within capitalism-imposed mindsets. Saoirse is a member of the C40 Cities Global Youth and Mayors’ Forum, a high schooler, and a strong advocate of degrowth.

Youth and climate ambition

“As an organizer and youth activist, I have been working towards pushing the intergovernmental space further on climate ambition. It is a great honor to continue doing this work as an advisor to the Secretary-General,” said Ayisha Siddiqa.

Another key element for young people is that they are often part of local and regional conversations regarding climate change, but local issues can feel removed from conversations about global solutions. 

“Coming from a small island developing state, the climate crisis continues to be relentless in negatively impacting lives and livelihoods. Our survival is now dependent on a global community which is unified in urgently advancing the climate agenda, with the power of young people being a catalyst to drive this much needed accelerated action,” said Jevanic Henry.

Members of the Youth Advisory Group will work widely in collaboration with other young leaders and consult with youth climate movements and leaders around the world, to incorporate different perspectives on climate solutions and report findings directly to the Secretary-General.

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UN chief strongly condemns ballistic missile launch — Global Issues

Strongly condemning DPRK’s Thursday launch of an intercontinental-range missile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his calls on Pyongyang to immediately desist from taking any further destabilizing actions.

News reports said the missile was fired just hours before the start of a Japan-Republic of Korean summit in Tokyo, on regional security – the first such meeting between the leaders of the two countries in 12 years.

Calls for compliance

The Secretary-General also called on DPRK, which is more commonly known as North Korea, to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions.

In recent weeks, senior UN officials had echoed those calls, raising concerns about escalating tensions in the region. In February, the Security Council heard that DPRK had “greatly increased” missile launch activities in 2022, from a briefing by Mohamed Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations.

Seventy of the launches had employed ballistic missile technology, Mr. Khiari said. The launches were characterized as involving systems with nuclear weapon roles, he explained, adding that most of the systems tested are capable of striking targets on the Korean Peninsula, and some capable of reaching parts of North America.

Mr. Khiari had also told that Council that missile launches in February had included what Pyongyang had termed as “a launching drill involving two ‘tactical nuclear’ rockets”.

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