May 2023 - Career Meaning

Economic woes dash job prospects in low income countries: ILO

In its new Monitor on the World of Work report, ILO shows that while in high-income countries, only 8.2 per cent of people willing to work are jobless, that number rises to over 21 per cent in low-income countries – or one in every five people. Low-income countries in debt distress are worst affected, with…

Fresh diplomatic gains must match action on the ground in Syria to end war

“It is vital that the recent diplomatic moves are matched with real action,” said Geir Pedersen, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, briefing the Security Council on recent political and humanitarian developments. A range of diplomatic initiatives have quickened the pace towards finding solutions on, among other things, continuing a direct dialogue with the…

UN humanitarians complete first food distribution in Khartoum as hunger, threats to children, intensify

WFP’s Country Director in Sudan, Eddie Rowe, told reporters in Geneva that in a major breakthrough, the agency distributed food assistance to 15,000 people in both Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled areas of Omdurman, part of the Khartoum metropolitan area, beginning on Saturday. Speaking from Port Sudan, Mr. Rowe highlighted other recent…

WMO makes urgent call to action over melting cryosphere

WMO warned on Tuesday that glaciers and ice sheet melt in Greenland and Antarctica accounts for some 50 per cent of sea level rise, which is accelerating, with disastrous impacts on small island developing states (SIDS) and densely populated coastal areas. Glacier melt The average thickness of the world’s glaciers has plummeted by almost 30 metres since 1970. “The cryosphere…

Nearly half of Haiti going hungry, new food security report warns

The latest integrated food security phase classification (IPC) analysis, reported on Sunday that of the total number of affected people, 1.8 million are in an emergency-level phase of need. This means that households face large food consumption gaps resulting in high acute malnutrition and excess mortality, or are forced to adopt negative coping mechanisms to…

UNESCO names 18 new Global Geoparks

Brazil: Caçapava Geopark Caçapava UNESCO Global Geopark in Brazil. For the Guarani, an indigenous people in Brazil, this geopark is “the place where the jungle ends”, located in Rio Grande do Sul State in southernmost Brazil. Its geological heritage, which consists of mining sulfide metals and marble, has been vital for the region’s economic development.…

Unprecedented joint call to shield children on the move from violence

With more than 42 million children displaced worldwide and increasing exposure to multiple forms of violence, the Office of the Special Representative on Violence against Children co-launched a new brief, Protecting the Rights of Children on the Move in Times of Crisis, which draws on past lessons, and outlines key principles to boost child protection.…

UN agencies warn of rising hunger risk in 18 ‘hotspots’

Sudan, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Mali have been elevated to the highest alert level, joining Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. Additionally, a likely El Niño – a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that has a warming effect on ocean surface temperatures in the central and east Pacific – is also raising fears of climate extremes…

International Day of UN Peacekeepers honours 75 years of service and sacrifice

“United Nations peacekeepers are the beating heart of our commitment to a more peaceful world,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the Day. He called for continued support for these men and women, who help countries to transition from war to peace. Hope and help “They are also critical to the protection of…

Green light for global greenhouse gas tracking network

The landmark decision comes as heat-trapping greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels – “higher than at any time over the last 800,000 years”, WMO warned. Data from Earth and space The new Global Greenhouse Gas Watch will combine observations from Earth and from space with modelling, to fill critical information gaps. It will build…