Tag: United Nations news

When refugees bloom in the desert — Global Issues

“‘I kept running for days, holding my children tightly and fearing we could be caught at any time. I left my family, friends, and home to seek safety in another country. I am still running, but now from the memories that haunt me daily and the blurred future that awaits my children.’

These are the words I hear every time I interview a refugee woman. The reasons for seeking asylum vary, but refugees’ stories are different, as their paths to safety are steep. However, they have all been suffering and sharing the same small amount of hope.

Although I have been working with UNHCR to promote the refugee cause for four years now, I still wonder how the world can move forward with ease after every humanitarian disaster that leads to the displacement of people from their homes.

When I first joined UNHCR Egypt in 2019, I was shocked by a comment on our social media channels that refugees are not welcome in our society. I was not surprised as much as I felt the urgency of campaigning to humanize refugees, as their representation in the news rarely goes beyond numbers.

Utopia of using media for development

We kicked off our first localized campaign in 2020 with a cooking show that featured celebrities cooking together with refugees and giving them the space to tell their stories and a platform to be heard.

Surprisingly, we got more than 5.5 million organic views on our social media accounts, far beyond what we expected. More important than the view numbers was positive feedback we received from the refugee communities and the public.

I had also engaged the media and food bloggers to try the refugees’ recipes and post about them. Then, we started seeing the public trying the recipes and giving their feedback on our social media account using the campaign’s hashtag.

After this campaign, I believed that for the first time in my work, I had succeeded, giving refugees a chance to shine and show off their culture, talents, and resilience instead of focusing only on their vulnerabilities and needs.

Then the ball started rolling. Since then, I have worked on engaging more than 30 influencers, content creators, and well-known celebrities in the Arab world in innovative campaigns with refugees at their heart and a dignified media representation of them.

Most recently, I worked on an acapella song for International Women’s Day, engaging eight refugee women of four different nationalities with an Egyptian acapella band and the rising Egyptian-American star Yasmina ElAbd. The song was made up from the lyrics of four songs from Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and Egypt.

It is fantastic work, but the daily reality we live in is the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Syria, the brutal conflict in Sudan, and more.

I have learned that in times of crisis, the focus often shifts away from the human aspect. What is important now is how the hosting countries will be affected, how to meet the direst needs of the displaced populations, and how to get the funds needed to achieve this.

Protection is crucial for displaced people while there are insufficient funds to meet their needs. As media practitioners, we focus on doing all we can to fight against misinformation and disinformation and provide details and real examples to the public to have them get see the reality and help.

Can their stories genuinely make a difference in those intense times? Would engaging in creative expressions such as a beautiful song embodying their cultures offer any aid during emergencies? Unfortunately, the answer is often a no.

Flowers blooming in the desert

I had studied at university how to use a people-centred approach in media campaigns, but was never taught how a camera and a microphone could end armed conflicts, wars, and displacement.

No one explained to me that our hopes for social change are limited to the availability of funds and the desire of people in power, and that our work will be criticized just for not taking one side against another.

One of the most resilient refugees I have met, who finished her Bachelor of Law in Egypt after she sought asylum and now runs her own nursery, said to me ‘mama, at that time, told me there is nothing more beautiful than a flower that blooms in the desert, and if you achieve success once, everything will change’.

Although I know the ongoing emergencies and crises will not cease any time soon, I have learned from refugees that flowers can bloom in the desert. Our role is to document this incredible journey, showcasing how refugees are overcoming the tragedy of displacement. It is the only weapon we can use to defeat stereotypes, xenophobia, and racism, a rewarding endeavour in itself, for now.”

Learn more about how the UN is helping refugees in Egypt here.

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Europe warming twice as fast as other continents, warns WMO — Global Issues

According to a report issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, during 2022, multiple nations in the region had their warmest year on record but the expanded use of renewable energy provides a silver lining.

Extreme heat, drought and wildfire, marine heatwaves, unprecedented glacier melt – the State of the Climate in Europe 2022 report, shows that decades of accelerated heating has had far-reaching impacts on the region’s socio-economic fabric and ecosystems.

Climate change toll

In 2022, the region was approximately 2.3°C above the pre-industrial average used as a baseline for the Paris Agreement.

Climate change is taking a major human, economic and environmental toll, the report highlights.

“Summer was the hottest ever recorded: the high temperatures exacerbated the severe and widespread drought conditions, fuelled violent wildfires that resulted in the second largest burnt area on record, and led to thousands of heat-associated excess deaths,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas outlining the findings.

Worrying indicators

Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom had their warmest year on record last year and the summer in Europe was the hottest ever recorded.

The 2022 annual average temperature for Europe was between the second and fourth highest on record, with an anomaly of about 0.79 °C above the 1991–2020 average.

With precipitation below average across much of the region in 2022, France had its driest January to September, and the United Kingdom had its driest January to August since 1976, with far-reaching consequences for agriculture and energy production.

Spain’s water reserves decreased to 41.9 per cent of total capacity by 26 July, with even lower capacity in some basins.

Glaciers in Europe lost about 880 cubic kilometres of ice from 1997 to 2022.

The Alps were worst affected, with an average reduction in ice thickness of 34 meters. In 2022, glaciers in the Alps experienced a new record loss of mass in a single year, triggered by low winter snowfall, an extremely warm summer and dust deposits from the Sahara.

The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet contributed around 14.9 mm to global mean sea-level rise. And according to scientific assessments, it continued to lose mass during 2022, said the WMO report.

Average sea surface temperatures across the North Atlantic were the warmest on record and large portions of the region’s seas were affected by powerful marine heatwaves. The rates of surface ocean warming, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the southern Arctic, were more than three times the global average.

Weather-related deaths

The record-breaking heat stress that Europeans experienced last year was one of the main drivers of weather-related excess deaths.

Based on information in the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards in Europe in 2022 resulted in 16,365 reported fatalities and directly affected 156, 000 people.

The co-authors of the report warned of more distress to come, as the alarming figures “cannot be considered a one-off occurrence or an oddity of the climate.”

“Our current understanding of the climate system and its evolution informs us that these kinds of events are part of a pattern that will make heat stress extremes more frequent and more intense across the region,” said Dr Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Hope from renewables

The report also highlights the implications of Europe’s extreme weather patterns for the supply, demand and infrastructure of Europe’s energy system.

But, in a sign of hope for the future, renewable energy generated more electricity than natural gas last year. Wind and solar power generated 22.3 per cent of European Union’s electricity in 2022, while natural gas accounted for 20 per cent.

“For the first time, more electricity was generated by wind and solar than by fossil gas in the EU. Increasing use of renewables and low-carbon energy sources is crucial to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” said Mr. Taalas.

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Guterres urges donors to boost aid response to halt death, destruction — Global Issues

Addressing donors at a pledging event in Geneva convened by the UN with Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the European Union, Mr. Guterres said that some $3 billion was needed to assist people in Sudan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries.

“The scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death and destruction is unprecedented,” he warned. “Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region.”

Devastating toll

Speaking via video message as a new temporary ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was coming into effect, the UN chief said that hundreds of civilians had been killed and many thousands more injured since clashes erupted in mid-April.

“These numbers grow by the day. The situation in Darfur and Khartoum is catastrophic. Fighting is raging with people attacked in their homes and on the street,” Mr. Guterres said.

“Before this conflict erupted, Sudan was already grappling with a humanitarian crisis. This has now escalated into a catastrophe affecting more than half the country’s people.”

The UN Secretary-General insisted that it was the international community’s duty to support the people of Sudan and neighbouring countries.

He also condemned violence against aid workers and the looting of humanitarian supplies, appealing to the warning parties to protect civilians and enable humanitarian action, in line with international law.

Streets ‘stained with blood’

Echoing that message, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk reiterated his willingness to mediate between both parties to the conflict.

“I have also urged all States to help advance a resolution to this catastrophe. Yet efforts to pursue and sustain a ceasefire have produced little to no success. We still see a reckless, senseless conflict taking place in a context of total impunity. The streets of Khartoum and its surrounding cities, of El Geneina and of El Obeid are stained with the blood of civilians.”

Mr. Türk said that he was appalled by allegations of sexual violence, including rape, noting that his Office had received credible reports of 18 incidents of sexual violence related to the conflict against at least 53 women and girls – the victims include at least 10 girls.

In one case, 18-20 women were reportedly raped in the same attack. In almost all cases, the RSF was identified as the perpetrator. But there is little access to medical and psychosocial support and many cases remain unreported.

Sudan’s young pay highest price

“This is a human rights and humanitarian crisis that is unfolding at an alarming rate, on a devastating scale and with a complexity not seen before in Sudan”, said the UN Human Rights Chief.

“Every day, children are bearing the harrowing consequences, with more than 13 million across the country in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support, including 5.6 million in Darfur. At least 620,000 are reported to be suffering from acute malnutrition.”

Ceasefire welcomed

Mr. Türk welcomed the new 72-hour nationwide ceasefire agreed on 17 June and urged the two parties to respect their commitments to halt the fighting and to allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the country.

“The new ceasefire is a new opportunity to put an end to this sea of suffering. I remind the two parties of their obligations to respect international humanitarian and human rights law and to take all measures necessary to protect all civilians — including humanitarian and medical workers – from harm.”

The UN rights chief also called on the authorities to conduct prompt, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations into all alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. “I remind them that failure to pursue accountability for past grave violations has contributed to the current crisis,” he said.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of OCHA, Martin Griffiths, said: “Each day the crisis in Sudan continues, the humanitarian situation grows ever more desperate. Despite the raging violence, humanitarian workers – including our heroic local partners operating on the frontlines – are pressing ahead with their efforts to deliver aid to people in need.”

He said the pledges – which include an additional $22 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund – would provide a “lifeline for millions of people living in the world’s most dangerous and difficult conditions.”

Time for ‘durable peace’

The head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said the commitment shown by donors to those affected “comes just in time, as our resources for the situation are dwindling.

“The pledges will save lives and help alleviate some hardship. Ultimately, of course, only a durable peace will allow the Sudanese to restart their lives.”

Addressing the Human Rights Council, Hassan Hamid Hassan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sudan to the UN Geneva condemned the murder of West Darfur governor Khamis Abdullah Abbaker, assigning responsibility “to the rebel forces”.

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We must work together to reign in ‘toxic and destructive’ hate speech — Global Issues

Hate speech reinforces discrimination and stigma and is most often aimed at women, refugees and migrants, and minorities. If left unchecked, it can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts and tensions, wide scale human rights violations.

To turn back the rising tide of hate, the United Nations is marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech by calling on everyone to work together to build a more respectful and civil world, and for effective action to end this toxic and destructive phenomenon.

Responses must protect free speech

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also warns that misguided and ambiguous responses to hate speech – including blanket bans and internet shutdowns – may also violate human rights by restricting freedom of speech and expression.

Similarly, the top UN human rights official, Volker Türk, says that the spread of hate speech-related laws being misused against journalists and human rights defenders is almost as viral as the spread of hate speech itself.

In his message on the Day, he stresses that broad laws – that license States to censor speech they find uncomfortable and to threaten or detain those who question Government policy or criticize officials – violate rights and endanger essential public debate.

“Rather than criminalizing protected speech, we need States and companies to take urgent steps to address incitement to hatred and violence,” Mr. Türk says.

‘Amplify voices that cut through the hate’

But we are far from powerless in the face of hate speech, says Mr. Guterres, stressing that “we can and must raise awareness about its dangers, and work to prevent and end it in all its forms.”

He cites the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech as the Organization’s comprehensive framework for tackling the causes and impacts of hate speech, and notes that the world body’s offices and teams around the world are confronting hate speech by implementing local action plans, based on this strategy.

“The United Nations is consulting governments, technology companies and others on a voluntary Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms, aimed at reducing the spread of mis- and disinformation and hate speech, while protecting freedom of expression,” he adds.

Mr. Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calls for a range of actions – from education initiatives and investing in digital literacy programmes to listening to those most effective by hate speech and holding companies to their human rights obligations.

“More also needs to be done to address mega-spreaders – those officials and influencers whose voices have profound impact and whose examples inspire thousands of others,” Mr. Türk said. “We must build networks and amplify voices that can cut through the hate.”

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Smugglers ‘will take you anywhere’ — Global Issues

In this feature, part of a series exploring trafficking in the Sahel, UN News focuses on migrant smuggling.

Migrant smugglers have been reaping rich dividends over the past decade in the Sahel, where armed violence, terrorist attacks, and climate shocks have displaced three million people and triggered growing numbers of others to flee, according to a new threat assessment report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

External threats like the crisis in Sudan are creating a “snowball effect” on the region, Mar Dieye, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator in the Sahel, told UN News.

“Not stopping this fire that started from Sudan and then spilled over in Chad and other regions could be an international disaster that will trigger a lot of more migrants,” said Mr. Dieye, who also heads the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS).

UNODC

Main migrant smuggling routes in and towards Mali (2020/2021)

‘We will take you anywhere’

Right now, Mr. Dieye said, most trafficking occurs at porous ungoverned border areas where the State is “extremely weak”.

The latest UNODC report identified other drivers alongside solutions buttressed by interviews with migrants and the criminals smuggling them, who revealed how the cross-border crime is unfolding in towns across the Sahel.

Many interviewees said smugglers were cheaper and quicker than regular migration, the report found. In Mali, where monthly income averages $74, a passport costs nearly $100.

In Niger, a key informant said authorities can take three to four months to process official documentation.

“But with us, if you want, we will take you anywhere,” the informant said.

If a passport is needed, a smuggler in Mali said in the report, “I will have it in 24 hours.”

IOM/Monica Chiriac

Due to border closures decreed by governments to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across West Africa, at least 30,000 migrants were stranded at borders, according to the UN.

‘Cash-cash’ partnerships

The report pointed to corruption as both a motivator to use smugglers and a key enabler for the crime.

Migrant smugglers could earn around $1,400 a month, or 20 times the average income in Burkina Faso, according to UNODC.

“Lucky smugglers” can earn as much as $15,000 to $20,000 per month, a smuggler in Niger said in the report.

The degree of collaboration with public officials is so entrenched, a smuggler in Mali explained, that he “has no fear of punishment from the authorities”, according to the report.

“I have never been worried by the authorities,” the smuggler said. “We are in a cash-cash partnership.”

Recalling instances when arriving at police checkpoints, a key informant interviewed in Niger shared his experience.

“You go to see them and give them their envelope, but, if you don’t know anyone in the team, you are obliged to take the migrants out and put them on motorcycles to bypass the checkpoint,” the informant added.

UNICEF/Romenzi

Migrants sit on mattresses laid on the floor at a detention centre located in Libya.

Ever greater risks

Increased demand from men, women, and children seeking to escape worsening violence and the consequent rising food insecurity has fuelled the cross-border crime, according to UNODC.

Since the discovery in 2012 of gold lacing the region, UNODC said research points to mining sites, where women are trafficked for sexual exploitation, and men are forced into indentured labour.

Smuggling routes have also become more clandestine and diverse in attempts to evade growing efforts by security forces, exposing refugees and migrants to even greater risks and dangers, according to the agency.

Stemming the flow

All the Sahel countries except Chad are party to the Protocol against smuggling of migrants, which supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and have dedicated laws that are making progress, the report stated.

On the ground, operations are succeeding, UNODC reported. Among many examples cited in the report, a 2018 operation saw Nigerien police officers arrest ringleaders and dismantle a highly organized network suspected of having smuggled thousands of migrants to Spain, including through the Niger, Libya, and Algeria.

To build on these achievements, UNODC recommended actions States can take to tackle migrant smuggling, address the root causes, combat corruption, and create local job opportunities. The agency also suggested that counter-smuggling policies include development and human rights approaches.

© UNICEF/Juan Haro

A young migrant from Niger is being accommodated in a UN-supported camp in Burkina Faso.

Uprooting the causes

For many UN agencies and Sahelian nations, cooperation is key. Ongoing International Office for Migration (IOM) efforts include boosting livelihoods for returning migrants and forging new partnerships, including a recent agreement with the G5 Sahel Force, a multinational mission aimed at stabilizing the region.

“For IOM, regional cooperation is essential to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration and respond effectively to challenges,” said IOM Director General António Vitorino.

The new agreement provided an opportunity for tailored, joint approaches that address the complex drivers of conflict, instability, and forced displacement, he said, adding that “seeking such solutions will stand as a stepping stone in our overall collaborative frameworks toward improving conditions for populations in the Sahel.”

© Sibylle Desjardins / IOM

A Mauritanian veil produced traditionally, in shop run by a migrant returnee.

Meanwhile, UNISS continues working with all UN entities and partner nations on such efforts as the Generation Unlimited Sahel and helping Sahelians support their families, said Mr. Dieye, emphasizing that the current situation remains “extremely worrisome”.

“It will require a collective response,” he said. “No one country can deal with it alone. I think this has to land on the lap of the international community. After all, it is an international crime.”

What’s the difference between migrant smuggling and human trafficking?

Migrant smuggling and human trafficking are two distinct but often interconnected crimes, according to UNODC.

  • While human trafficking aims to exploit a person, who may or may not be a migrant, the purpose of smuggling is, by definition, to make profits from facilitating illegal border crossing.
  • Human trafficking can take place within the victim’s home country or in another country.
  • Migrant smuggling always happens across national borders.
  • Some migrants might start their journey by agreeing to be smuggled into a country illegally, but end up as victims of human trafficking when they are deceived, coerced or forced into an exploitative situation later in the process, for example being forced to work for no or very little money to pay for their transportation.
  • Criminals may both smuggle and traffic people, employing the same routes and methods of transporting them.
  • Smuggled migrants have no guarantee that those who smuggle them are not in fact human traffickers.
  • Learn more about how UNODC is working to stamp out migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

© IOM/Amanda Nero

Migrants as Messengers’ Volunteers in Senegal participated in a creative residency with Guy Régis Jr, a Haitian playwright and theatre director, and Fatoumata Bathily, a Senegalese filmmaker.

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Countering ‘dark age of intolerance’ starts by tackling hate speech — Global Issues

Social media’s role in crushing hate speech

From COVID-19 to climate change, hateful exchanges among those with opposing views is a growing concern, said Latifa Akharbach, president of the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HACA) in Morocco.

The international community’s “failure” in managing and regulating migration “fuels the sponsors of hate speech” and helps them follow through with their plans, she said, calling on governments to adopt fair positions in the face of separation movements, terrorism, and violations of human rights.

She shared her perspective on the sidelines of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) ninth Global Forum, in Fez, Morocco, where a panel on countering and addressing online hate speech on social media had revisited the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, launched on this day in 2019.

Dwindling diversity is another concern, said Faouzi Skali, president of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture. Promoting diversity must be understood across the media domain and social networks, especially at a time when it is already disappearing around the world, he explained.

Noting that 100 languages are spoken by 95 per cent of the world’s population, he said only “12 of them dominate all digital communication on a planetary scale”. At the current rate, “we lose about one language a week”, he added, noting that there are only 6,000 languages left of the 20,000 spoken in the Neolithic era.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Henriette Mutegwaraba, survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and founder of the Million Lives Genocide relief fund, addresses the commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide.

Pre-TikTok

Had social media existed in 1994, the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda would have been “much worse”, according to survivor Henriette Mutegwaraba, who recalled the hate speech propagated via radio at the time.

“A message that used to take years to spread can now be put out there, and in one second, everybody in the world can see it,” she said. “If there was Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram, it would have been much worse. The bad people always go to youth, whose minds are easy to corrupt. Who is on social media now? Most of the time, young people.”

‘Dark age of intolerance’

Mita Hosali, Deputy Director of the UN Department of Global Communication (DGC), said young people are often seen today as vectors of such toxic trends as online hate speech.

“Increasingly, we are entering this dark age of intolerance, fueled by polarization and mis- and disinformation, and there are all kinds of ‘facts’ swirling out there,” she cautioned.

“It’s like a ladder of incremental extremism,” Ms. Hosali said. “You start at the bottom with a stereotype, move on to emojis and memes that lead to harmful speech. Harmful speech leads to hate speech, a torrent of hate builds up, and results in the incitement of violence. And then you have actual violence.”

Tech companies must now show effective leadership and responsibility around moderation to set up guard rails for respectful online discourse, she said.

“It really boils down to leaders, whether they are political, business, faith, or community leaders,” she said, emphasizing that such efforts must also start within the family and ripple across all circles of influence so that ordinary people fight back against hate speech. “In my view, young people are the catalysts for change.”

© UNICEF Costa Rica

Children at a playground in Costa Rica.

Thinking equal

Leslee Udwin met hate up close when she interviewed perpetrators of a vicious, deadly gang rape of a young woman for her film India’s Daughter.

“These rapists and murderers had been taught to hate,” she said.

With this in mind, she said she put down her camera and launched Think Equal, a UN-supported programme operating in more than 50 countries and founded on the principles of former South Africa leader Nelson Mandela: no child is born hating another human being.

“It’s the very foundation for responsible global citizens for peaceful, inclusive, cohesive societies, and for human development,” she said. “We have to take responsibility, particularly in their early years. We are negligent if we do not take pains to create pro-social brains in our youngest, most vulnerable children, and that is what Think Equal is about.”

Changing history

Valika Smeulders, chief historian at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which held an exhibit, Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery, at the UN, said academia and organizations like the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been calling out museums since the 1990s to present more of the social history of slavery, the legacy of which permeates today’s society.

“It’s not just about history; it’s also about our common future,” she said. “The legacy of slavery is among us every day. We need to address that, especially all the types of discrimination and racism that are still around.”

Part of the solution is “to recognize that by understanding that past, we understand today’s society as well,” she said, adding that to have that conversation going on at the UN and having the exhibit as a ‘talking stick’ is “really important to us”.

‘No short cuts’

There are no shortcuts to making sure hate speech goes away, Ms. Hosali said.

Pointing to the #NoToHate UN campaign, she summed up a common thread, saying that “every one of us, in whatever walk of life we belong to, have to play a role”.

Find out more about what other people are doing to change the narrative with the UN’s UNiting Against Hate podcast series, learn about how the UN is working to combat hate speech here, and test yourself with our quiz.

How can you combat hate speech?

You can make a difference. Join the campaign with the hashtag #NoToHate. Hate speech occurs in all societies, whether offline or online. While it may feel overwhelming to try to deal with obviously hateful content, here are some tips on how you can take a stand, even if you are not personally the victim of hate speech:

  • Pledge to pause: Refrain from making any hateful comments yourself and/or sharing such content. Check out the UN #PledgetoPause campaign to find out why it’s important to take a moment to pause before you share content online.
  • Fact-check: To detect false and biased information, including hate speech propaganda, be sure to check the content’s origin with the help of search engines, fact-checking tools, and other reliable sources. You can also download images and run them through image search tools to find out where they appeared first.
  • React: When possible, do not remain silent, even when others are targeted. Speak up calmly but firmly against hate speech, and call it out to make clear that you do not agree with the content. When relevant, refute misinformation with facts, providing reliable sources.
  • Challenge: Spread your own counter-speech. You can undermine hateful content with positive messages that spread tolerance, equality, and truth in defense of those being targeted by hate.
  • Support: Taking a public stand for, and extending solidarity to, people who are the targets of hate speech demonstrates that rejecting hate is the responsibility of every individual.
  • Report: Most online platforms and communities have rules to keep user discussions respectful and will let you easily report hate messages to administrators or moderators. For more serious cases that may constitute incitement to violence, harassment and/or threats prohibited by law, notify organizations fighting hate speech and/or file a complaint with police or the public prosecutor.
  • Educate: Raise awareness online or offline by engaging with your family and friends in conversations about how hateful content can harm societies. Advocate for responsible behaviour and share public campaigns and educational resources.
  • Commit: Consider joining an initiative that works to address the issue of hate speech in your community.

ILO/Yodhi Prasetyo

Laughter and smiles of children in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Combating drought, one garden at a time — Global Issues

The unpaved road to the village is bumpy and sandy. For people living here, however, the path and the intense heat are part of daily life.

High temperatures have not stopped Foureyratou Saidou, a single mother of four and recent widow, from tending to the community garden next to the village. The payoffs are worth it, she said.

“In this garden, we now grow and harvest onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables that we eat and that we can sell in the local market,” she says. “Before, we didn’t have much to live for. Now we do, and we don’t want to leave.”

Ms. Saidou is among thousands of farmers benefiting from the World Food Programme’s (WFP) integrated resilience programme, launched nearly a decade ago in Niger and four other Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.

WFP/Souleymane Ag Anara

A woman waters a community garden under a baking sun in Satara, Niger.

Harvesting hope

She is also among millions of women farmers across the world who are harvesting hope ahead of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed on 17 June. Her leafy garden represents a step towards cultivating land into a livelihood.

Supporting the Niger government’s national priorities and in partnership with multiple UN and non-governmental partners, the WFP initiative covers such areas as land rehabilitation, livelihood diversification, school meals, nutrition interventions, and improved agricultural production and market access.

So far, the effort is assisting 3 million people across the Sahel region, including 1.8 million in 2,000 villages in Niger last year, to better prepare for and recover from myriad interconnected shocks, including climate change, land degradation, soaring prices, and conflict.

WFP/Pamela Gentile

Women sell their garden surplus at a local market in Niger’s Tillaberi region.

Turning the tables

In regions severely affected by the ongoing food crisis, 80 per cent of villages benefitting from WFP resilience activities did not require humanitarian assistance in 2022, according to the agency. That translates into about 500,000 people who did not need emergency support, or about $30 million in savings, according to the UN agency.

Unrolled across the country, the programmes also promote women’s participation and empowerment, with a sharp focus on areas with the highest food insecurity that tend to face conflict or host large concentrations of displaced people, intensifying demand for scarce resources.

The initiatives include land rehabilitation, using such innovative techniques as digging in half-moon shapes that slow and capture rainwater flow, which helps to improve plant growth.

So far, more than 233,000 hectares have been rehabilitated since the initiative’s launch in 2014, with WFP now planning to expand to new areas and equip more people with the tools they need.

Tools to thrive

Such efforts are critical, as newly released expert findings show that acute food insecurity in the Sahel is expected to reach a ten-year-high by June, the agency said. In Niger, the findings predict some 3.3 million people will be acutely hungry during the June-August lean season, up from 2.5 million now.

“Turning around these numbers requires not only short-term actions but, above all, actors coming together to implement more sustainable and transformative solutions at an impactful scale,” WFP Niger Country Director Jean-Noel Gentile said. “Through our integrated resilience projects, WFP with the government and partners are together empowering vulnerable populations to have the tools they need to thrive.”

‘It all starts with the land’

WFP has scaled up its resilience activities in Niger, after findings showed they have restored natural resources, increased farm revenues, reduced migration and conflict over scarce resources, and improved education and nutrition.

“It all starts with the land,” said Volli Carucci, who heads WFP’s resilience programme. “Without productive land, there’s no food production. The land is the starting point of resilient food systems, which communities can count on.”

That’s the case in Satara, where a WFP-supported community gardening initiative has transformed once-barren land.

WFP/Souleymane Ag Anara

An aerial view of WFP-supported community gardens in Niger’s Tillaberi region, which are part of a broader, multi-partner Sahel resilience initiative.

Reasons for staying

Ms. Saidou is now a member of a village market cooperative that sells the garden’s surplus, beyond what members keep to feed their families, in the local market.

Profits are plowed back into village-level investments to improve land productivity, the UN food agency said. It is also one of many examples where WFP is better linking farmers to markets and expanding their profits and overall food access.

While many men have left villages like Satara in search of work, Ms. Saidou now sees reasons for staying.

“I am working for the good health of my children and to give them the chance to study and stay in our village,” she said. “I want the garden to grow bigger, so that we have more to sell and more income to invest in the family and in the community.”

Community role model

Around southeastern Niger’s Gaffati village, for example, some 300 people are participating in a WFP-supported reforestation project that sees acacia trees, native shrubs, and grasses for fodder sprouting across a region made barren by seasonal drought, floods, overgrazing, and other harmful practices.

“I am determined to teach other women everything I learned in the past years on how to cook healthy and nutritious meals to feed our children, and how to take care of ourselves as mothers,” says 40-year-old Alia Issaka, a single mother of eight, who is enrolled in a community-based nutrition programme.

“It is not an easy job to be a role model for the community,” said Ms. Issaka, who also heads a local women’s association. “But, I feel a responsibility, so more women can participate in decision-making and in improving their family’s health.”

Learn more about WFP’s work in Niger here.

WFP/Souleymane Ag Anara

Women work on a WFP land rehabilitation project in Niger, which promotes reforestation and delivers products like fodder that participants can sell.

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Women suffer disproportionately from ravages of drought, desertification — Global Issues

“Equal land rights both protect land and advance gender equality,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a video message, urging all governments to eliminate legal barriers to women owning land, and to involve them in policy making.

“We depend on land for our survival, yet we treat it like dirt,” the UN chief added, emphasizing the need for action.

Women make up nearly half of the world’s agricultural workforce, yet discriminatory practices related to land tenure, credit access, equal pay, and decision-making often impede their active participation in sustaining land health.

Today, less than one in five landholders worldwide are women, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Women have ‘least control’

“Unsustainable farming is eroding soil 100 times faster than natural process can restore them, and up to 40 per cent of our planet’s land is now degraded, imperiling food production, threatening biodiversity, and compounding the climate crisis,” the UN chief said.

“This hits women and girls the hardest,” he said. “They suffer disproportionately from the lack of food, water scarcity, and forced migration that result from our mistreatment of land, yet they have the least control.”

Calling for support for women and girls to play their part in protecting “our most precious resource”, he said “together let’s stop land degradation by 2030”.

This land is #HerLand

Ahead of the international day, UNCCD launched the #HerLand campaign to raise awareness about women making a difference now and the challenges ahead.

When given equal access, women and girls can increase agricultural productivity, restore land, and build resilience to drought, according to UNCCD.

At the outset of the high-level event, Inna Modja, Malian singer and UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador, performed the world premiere of the song, Her Land, to mark the day.

“As a woman, artist, and climate and social justice activist, I believe it’s vital to empower women and youth and promote gender equality in the fight against desertification and land degradation,” she said. “Together, we can create a brighter, sustainable future.”

High-level speakers, women leaders, renowned scientists, land activists, and youth representatives agreed that much has been done but more efforts are needed to level the land ownership playing field.

Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland and UNCCD Land Ambassador, said action is needed now.

“Solving gender inequalities is not just the right thing to do,” she said. “If we ensure that women are fully able to use their abilities, knowledge, talents, and leadership potential our societies are simply better off.”

© WFP/Michael Tewelde

The Somali region of Ethiopia is experiencing prolonged drought.

‘Unfinished business’

“When women farmers have access to own land, they grow more and so do their nations,” said UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi. “Strengthening women’s land and property rights increases food security and reduces malnourishment.”

These positive shifts have a ripple effect, he said.

“What we are lacking are the policy decisions and measures that recognize their role in managing land,” he said. “We should do our best to remove barriers to women’s participation in decision making.”

UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said this Desertification and Drought Day aims at mobilizing the international community in that direction.

“Of all the gender inequalities we experience in the world, the imbalance in women’s access to fertile land remains arguably the most shocking,” he said. “In every corner of the world, filling this particular gender gap remains an unfinished business.”

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Polar scientists call for more research and observation into rapid sea ice reduction — Global Issues

The rapid changes in the Artic and Antarctic have serious implications for these regions, and for global weather and climate.

The alert follows expert meetings held earlier this month in Europe.

Scientists are concerned

Sea ice extent is among key climate indicators used by WMO in its State of the Global Climate reports. Others include greenhouse gases, sea level rise, and ocean heat and acidification.

Since 2016, Antarctic sea ice has declined at a rate not observed since the beginning of satellite records in the 1970s, the UN agency said – a phenomenon that is concerning scientists and which is currently not well understood.

Antarctic sea-ice extent reached another record low in February following previous record lows in 2017 and last year.

“This prompts grave concerns about the change in the state of Antarctic sea ice within the wider Earth system,” WMO said. “Even now as mid-winter approaches, Antarctic sea-ice extent remains at record low values.”

Ice-free regions

Antarctic landfast ice also experienced a significant loss in 2022 – the first time since observation began nearly 45 years ago.

Landfast ice refers to ice that is attached to the shore, and “some coastal regions are now ice-free where they never were observed to be before.”

Meanwhile, a pattern of “low Arctic sea ice minima” has continued this year. WMO noted that the past 16 years marked the lowest 16 year period on record.

Last July, a notable ice-free area opened near the North Pole and persisted for several weeks. “Thinner, less compact sea ice has continued to replace older, thicker ice in this region over the last several years,” WMO said.

Fill information gaps

In response to these changes, polar scientists have called for sustained long-term observatories and research to fill the information gaps in both polar sea-ice zones.

More than 60 experts attended the annual meetings of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research/Climate and Cryosphere Sea ice Working Group, held earlier this month in Germany.

The organizations are affiliated with the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), which is co-sponsored by WMO.

Attendees from 41 institutions and 14 countries took part in the meetings, which coincided with the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held in Finland.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas highlighted the central role of the Antarctic in the global climate system and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The concluding document, the Helsinki Declaration on Climate Change in the Antarctic, stressed the global implications of climate change and the need for urgent action to protect Antarctica.

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‘Take urgent action now’ urges ECOSOC President — Global Issues

Lachezara Stoeva was addressing a special crisis meeting on Haiti organized by ECOSOC to address the country’s urgent food security needs and noted that the humanitarian response plan for this year is only 22.6 per cent funded.

Wake-up call

“This plan targets 3.2 million Haitian people whereas around 5.2 million Haitian people are in need. This should be our wake-up call”, she told the group of Prime Ministers, UN aid chiefs, civil society and other stakeholders gathered at UN Headquarters in New York.

During the high-level meeting, both the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced they would be travelling to Haiti in the next few days to highlight the depth of the crisis there.

The recent earthquake, flooding and landslides, have exacerbated political and economic turmoil combined with rampant insecurity and violence perpetrated by armed gangs – all of which has triggered a food and health crisis for millions.

“We must learn the lessons of our past efforts in Haiti. A whole-of-society approach that engages the Haitian people would be key to building resilient food systems”, she said, calling for bold thinking combined with immediate action.

‘Alarming’ descent

Bob Rae, Chair of the ECOSOC Advisory Group on Haiti said the crisis was continuing to deteriorate “at an alarming rate.”

Humanitarian needs have doubled in the last year. Now 1.8 million Haitians are facing emergency levels of food insecurity and nearly five million do not have enough to eat. “This represents half of the country’s population”, he added.

UNICEF delivering: Russell

UNICEF chief Catherine Russell warned that the country was “on the precipice of catastrophe.”

She reminded the meeting the agency had worked in Haiti for decades and remained deeply committed to supporting all children there.

“Alongside our partners, we are engaging with community leaders and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian workers and supplies”, she said.

“We are also expanding our response in health, nutrition, protection, education, water, sanitation and hygiene. So far this year, we have screened more than 243,000 children under five for wasting, helped nearly 70,000 women and children access healthcare, provided more over 417,000 people with safe water and reached 30,000 children with learning materials.”

Action is now long overdue, she said, announcing her intention to go to Haiti “in the coming days” to assess the collective response and “reiterate UNICEF’s commitment to helping the Haitian people.”

Investments and action are sorely needed for Haiti, she said.

“Let’s work together to make sure this happens. Together we can join with the Haitian people to break through the cycle of crises and begin building towards a more peaceful and hopeful future.”

Welcome focus on ‘forgotten crisis’: McCain

WFP chief Cindy McCain, said she would be on the ground next week, “so I welcome your focus on this forgotten crisis.”

The situation is dire and getting worse every day, she added.

“Hunger has reached record levels. 4.9 million people – almost half of the population – are acutely food insecure. This includes 1.8 million people who are at serious risk of starvation.”

She said that “a coordinated and well-funded humanitarian response must be part of the broader strategy to restore security and political stability in Haiti.”

Despite the challenges, WFP has stayed and delivered, with support for 1.8 million people and the aim of reaching 2.3 million through this year, having already supported 1.4 million with lifesaving food and livelihood support so far.

“But we urgently need the support of the international community. Without additional funds, we will not be able to reach all those we are targeting for help”, Ms. McCain stressed.

“Ladies and gentlemen: we must act now, and work together to get food and cash transfers to the millions of people who are relying on us. Together we can make a difference – and help the people of Haiti rebuild their shattered lives.”

Build local food resilience

The UN’s Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, told the special meeting that the UN was working hand-in-hand with the Government, together with local and international partners, to make food systems more resilient.

This includes a recent national policy and strategy for food security and independence, and it must not be forgotten how the impact of climate change and climate risks are jeopardizing food supplies.

The UN in Haiti is promoting local production and boosting local farming, through measures such as basing school food programmes on locally produced crops. By 2030, she said all food programmes should be entirely locally sourced.

“Addressing root causes of instability and restoring social and economic wellbeing in Haiti can be achieved through promoting food sovereignty, recalibrating agrifood policies, fostering stakeholder consensus and leveraging international support.”

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