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среда, 28 февраля 2024 г.

Глава администрации Тайваня присутствовала на приеме в Тайбэе по случаю дня рождения императора Японии


Глава администрации Тайваня присутствовала на приеме в Тайбэе по случаю дня рождения императора Японии


Обновлено 18 часов назад
Taiwan president attends Japanese Emperor's birthday reception in Taipei

В понедельник глава администрации Тайваня Цай Инвэнь и ее заместитель посетили прием в Тайбэе по случаю дня рождения императора Японии Нарухито.

Это произошло впервые после разрыва Японией дипломатических отношений с Тайванем в 1972 году.

Этот шаг, очевидно, отражает более тесные отношения, которые Япония и Тайвань строили в последние годы.

Прием был организован Ассоциацией японо-тайваньских обменов, которая занимается связями между Японией и Тайванем.

Цай в своем выступлении заявила, что Тайвань будет продолжать укреплять дружбу с Японией. Ее заместитель Лай Циндэ, недавно избранный на пост главы администрации Тайваня, призвал к более тесным экономическим обменам и увеличению потока людей между Тайванем и Японией.

Он также выразил надежду, что обе стороны смогут укрепить сотрудничество ради мира и стабильности как в Тайваньском проливе, так и в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе.

Япония прекратила проводить на Тайване приемы по случаю дня рождения японского императора в 1972 году, когда Токио нормализовал отношения с Пекином.

Это мероприятие возобновилось в 2003 году, однако, как сообщают информированные источники, японская сторона сначала воздерживалась от официального приглашения главы внешнеполитического ведомства Тайваня из соображений поддержания японо-китайских связей.

Источники сообщают, что с течением времени уровень приглашенных с тайваньской стороны возрос.



https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ru/news/20240227_19


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Япония отошла на 4-е место в мире по объему ВВП в 2023 году


Япония отошла на 4-е место в мире по объему ВВП в 2023 году

21 февраля Среда 7:03

Номинальный валовой внутренний продукт Японии за 2023 год составил около 4,2 трлн долларов. Это означает, что Япония уступила Германии место третьей экономики мира. Мы задали эксперту вопрос о том, что вызвало это падение и каковы перспективы японской экономики.



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https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ru/news/programs/special/202402211300/

Биткоин-ралли продолжается


27.02.24 14:51 

Коган Евгений
инвестбанкир, профессор НИУ ВШЭ
Валюта XBTUSD

Bitcoin достиг двухлетнего максимума выше $57 тысяч. Востребованность первой криптовалюты только растет:

- В биткоин продолжают вкладываться крупнейшие институционалы.

- Объем торгов спотовыми BTC-ETF (за исключением GBTC) достиг рекордных $2,4 млрд.

- Совокупный чистый приток в биржевые фонды на базе биткоина превысил $6 млрд.

RIA (зарегистрированный инвест-консультант) Carson Group одобрил инвестиции в четыре биткоин-ETF. За ним, вероятно, последуют и другие.

- «Бычьи» прогнозы по биткоину (а сейчас в тренде только такие) похожи на какой-то аукцион «кто предложит больше»: $100 тысяч, $200 тысяч за монету… Это еще относительно осторожные прогнозы. 

На что я хочу обратить внимание? 

Крипта, которая буквально десяток лет назад была уделом программистов и гиков, сегодня становится во главе мировой повестки. Глядя на успех BTC-ETF, понимаешь, что одобрение аналогичных инструментов на Ethereum, а в дальнейшем и на другие криптовалюты — это вопрос времени.

* Сообщение носит информационный характер, не является индивидуальной инвестиционной рекомендацией или предложением приобрести упомянутые ценные бумаги или активы. Приобретение иностранных ценных бумаг связано с дополнительными рисками.

Источник


https://www.finam.ru/publications/item/bitkoin-ralli-prodolzhaetsya-20240227-1450/

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Universal connectivity gets a $9 billion private sector boost


Universal connectivity gets a $9 billion private sector boost

A girl in Bosnia studies English online.
© UNICEF/Almir Panjeta
 
A girl in Bosnia studies English online.


27 February 2024
Economic Development

The mobile phone industry has pledged over $9 billion towards the goal of connecting the world, said the chief of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Monday, addressing the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

“Universal meaningful connectivity is within our grasp,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Thanks to these new commitments, millions of people will benefit from accessible and affordable connectivity across the world.”

Fresh investments from e&, China Telecom, Ooredoo and VEON build on strong industry support for the UN digital agency’s efforts to “connect the world”, she said.

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Bridging the digital divide

Around 2.6 billion people remain offline worldwide, according to data from the specialized UN agency, which drives innovation in communications technology.

As telecommunications infrastructure forms the backbone of connectivity and digital transformation, it is vital for closing the global digital divide and overcoming development impediments in areas from education and health to government services and trade, the agency said.

To achieve that, ITU has called for $100 billion in overall investments by 2026 to provide the expertise and resources required to extend universal, meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation to every corner of the globe.

ITU also launched Partner2Connect in 2021 to reach this goal. Today, more than 400 organizations have committed to investing over $46 billion in the coming years to realize this shared vision.

Fresh private-sector investments

The fresh commitments aim to make strides across the world.

That includes accessible and affordable network connectivity and digital services across countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well as providing information and communication services to over 80 million people in remote villages across China and building infrastructure in Ukraine by providing connectivity and digital services essential to the country’s reconstruction.

The UN digital agency also announced that it now has over 1,000 industry, academia and organizational members in addition to 193 Member States, a milestone in its 159-year-old history, ITU said.

This multistakeholder model of collaboration will continue to be a strong force in the UN system to bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive, safe and sustainable digital future for all,” the ITU chief said.


https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146987

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понедельник, 26 февраля 2024 г.

5 things you should know about ‘clean energy’ minerals and the dirty process of mining them


A copper mine in Tabriz, Iran.

5 things you should know about ‘clean energy’ minerals and the dirty process of mining them

© Unsplash/Omid Roshan
 
A copper mine in Tabriz, Iran..

25 February 2024
Climate and Environment

If the world is to move away from fossil fuels, we will need to extract far more rare minerals, to power renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar plants. However, energy experts point out that mining these minerals can be a dirty process, ravaging the environment, and leading to human rights abuses. 

We all know that we’re in the middle of a climate crisis: temperatures are rising, the weather is becoming more extreme, and this is having a negative effect on the economy, the environment, and society in general.

Although many will argue that we’re not moving fast enough to deal with the climate emergency, the energy sector is starting to turn away from energy sources that rely on big, dirty power stations, sending plumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and turn to cleaner sources such as solar and wind.

However, to power a low-emission world, we will need to mine a lot more minerals, and this is often a dirty process. Here is what to know about “energy transition minerals” and how we can limit the damage caused by getting them out of the ground.

1 Energy transition minerals: what they are, and where are they found.

Transition minerals are naturally occurring substances that are ideal for use in renewable technology. Lithium, nickel and cobalt are core components of batteries, like those that power electric vehicles. Rare earth elements are part of the magnets that turn wind turbines and electric motors. Copper and aluminium are used in massive amounts in power transmission lines. 

They are found in rocks all over the world, but a handful of countries and companies control their extraction: China mines most rare earth materials, Indonesia extracts the most nickel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces most of the cobalt. Many energy transition minerals are also found in a group of land-locked developing countries, some of which are among the world’s least developed nations.

2 The market for energy transition minerals is growing, massively. 

The shift to a clean energy system will lead to a huge increase in the need for these minerals. Between 2017 and 2022, demand for lithium tripled, demand for nickel rose by 40 per cent, and demand for cobalt jumped by 70 per cent, according to the International Energy Agency.

If the world is to fully embrace renewable energy and reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, the use of energy transition minerals will need to increase six-fold by 2040. That would push the market value of transition minerals to over US$400 billion.

A man works in a mine in DR Congo.
© UNDP
 
A man works in a mine in DR Congo.

3 The economies of the mineral-rich countries could benefit…

With effective policies and safeguards, the extraction of these substances could kick off a new era of sustainable development, creating jobs and helping countries to reduce poverty. “For some countries, energy transition minerals could be absolutely transformative, under the right conditions,” says Ligia Noronha, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York office of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

4 ...But there are several concerns.

“We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past with a systematic exploitation of developing countries reduced to the production of basic raw materials,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently warned. Rights groups have warned of human rights abuses throughout the industry, including at mines in developing countries. There have also been reports of forced labour at some sites.

Mining can devastate the environment if done unsustainably, leading to deforestation, water pollution and what is known as dewatering. Just to take one example, it takes two million litres of water to extract a single tonne of lithium. But some 50 per cent of global copper and lithium production are concentrated in areas with water scarcity.  

Ore containing copper, cobalt and nickel at a mine in Western Australia.
© Unsplash/Paul-Alain Hunt
 
Ore containing copper, cobalt and nickel at a mine in Western Australia.

5 The UN is working to ensure the sustainable mining of minerals.

UN-wide effort is under way to ensure energy transition minerals are fairly and sustainably managed. The push was launched in 2023, with the aim of building trust, reliability and sustainability into the supply chains of these minerals. 

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN Environment Programme is working with the authorities to develop a national plan for the extraction of minerals, like cobalt. The plan would focus on minimizing the environmental impact of mining and explore whether local and international institutions can help resolve conflict around mineral extraction.  

The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) will be held from 26 February to 1 March 2024 at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Delegates are expected to advance action on the sustainable mining of minerals and metals, and other key environmental issues.



https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146922


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With eyes on Gaza, Ukraine, UN chief launches rights protection pledge


With eyes on Gaza, Ukraine, UN chief launches rights protection pledge

The UN Human Rights Council gathered in Geneva for its 55th session.
UN Photo / Elma Okic
 
The UN Human Rights Council gathered in Geneva for its 55th session.


26 February 2024
Human Rights

An all-out Israeli offensive on Rafah would spell the end for UN-led humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, in a wide-ranging call to the international community to fulfil its “primary responsibility” of promoting and protecting human rights everywhere and for everyone.

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva at the start of its first high-level session of the year, the UN chief insisted that any further extension of Israel’s ground operation in the south of Gaza “would not only be terrifying for more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there; it would put the final nail in the coffin of our aid programmes”. 

Rules of war ignored

The top human rights body also heard the UN chief decry how the  “rule of law and the rules of war” were being undermined from Ukraine to Sudan and from Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond – a theme echoed by the UN’s top human rights official, Volker Türk, and by President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis.

To respond to these emergencies, and in a call for reasoned and long-term solutions to these conflicts and other serious threats to human rights around the world, UN chief Mr. Guterres emphasised that the Summit of the Future in September would be the ideal opportunity for Member States “to step up and re-commit to working for peace and security rooted in human rights”. 

Protection pledge

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.
UN Photo / Elma Okic

Mr. Guterres also pledged the global body’s system-wide support to all governments in this endeavour, announcing the launch of the United Nations Agenda for Protection, in partnership with the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

“Under this Agenda, the United Nations, across the full spectrum of our work, will act as one to prevent human rights violations, and to identify and respond to them when they take place,” the Secretary-General said. “That is the Protection Pledge of all United Nations bodies: to do their utmost to protect people.”

Disinformation target

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Welcoming the UN chief’s initiative and offering to help advance people’s fundamental rights “in every circumstance, no matter how challenging”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk cautioned that the global body’s work was at serious risk from “continued attempts to undermine the legitimacy and work of the United Nations and other institutions”.

Mr. Türk explained that these attempts “include disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organizations, UN peacekeepers and my Office. The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures”. 

This malign influence was “profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it”, insisted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

General Assembly chief’s alert

Echoing warnings that international humanitarian law and even the UN Charter were coming under increasing threat around the world, the head of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, told the Human Rights Council that it was time for all global citizens to “do our part”.

Today, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “humanity’s cherished Magna Carta”  –  conflict, the impact of climate change “including the existential threat of sea-level rise” – had left 300 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, some 114 million of them being refugees and other displaced people, he warned. 

“We must not simply stand-by as callous observers, less we be seen as complicit in the expanding web of dehumanization…We must do our part,” he said.

Highlighting the crisis in the Middle East, the UN General Assembly President said that the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza had reached an “unbearable tipping point”.

More than 90 per cent of the enclave’s population had been displaced and was now “teetering on the brink of starvation and trapped in the depths of an impending though avoidable public health catastrophe”, Mr. Francis told the forum’s 47 Member States.

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And as war continues in Gaza – triggered by unprecedented Hamas-led attacks and bloodshed that left some 1,200 butchered and more than 250 taken hostage on 7 October, “the most vulnerable suffer most”, Mr. Francis continued; “hostages and their families are living in anguish; women and children are facing desperate and uncertain futures; and innocent civilians are unjustly caught in life threatening crossfire.” 

In the name of humanity

To help the most vulnerable – not only in Gaza but in Ukraine, Haiti and Yemen, Sudan, the wider Sahel and Myanmar – the General Assembly President insisted: “we must not fail the victims – the victims of human rights violations… We must never tolerate or ignore the flagrant disregard for the rights and freedoms our forebearers worked so arduously to define and to codify. Nor should we ignore the systemic impunity with which it is perpetrated.”

Mr. Francis also insisted on the need for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and for humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to some 1.5 million homeless Palestinians “in the name of humanity”. 

The appeal by the President of the General Assembly came days after receiving a letter from the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, warning of a “monumental disaster” in Gaza and the West Bank, amid repeated Israeli calls to dismantle it and the freezing of $450 million in funding by dozens of donors.

“I implore  donor States to uphold and sustain their contributions to the critical funding necessary for UNRWA to discharge its mandated responsibilities to the Palestinians. Even in the midst of the current extraordinary challenges, UNRWA has been and continues to be an indispensable lifeline of support to the Palestinians,” Mr. Francis said.



https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146942


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Умер британский финансист Джейкоб Ротшильд

 Британский финансист лорд Джейкоб Ротшильд умер в возрасте 87 лет, сообщает в понедельник Financial Times.

Причины смерти не уточняются. Согласно заявлению семьи, церемонию похорон проведут по еврейскому обычаю в кругу родственников.

Джейкоб Ротшильд родился в 1936 году в Беркшире. В 1963 году начал работать в банке N M Rothschild & Sons, в начале 1990-х стал сооснователем J. Rothschild Assurance Group (ныне St. James's Place plc). До 2019 года Ротшильд был председателем совета директоров фонда RIT Capital Partners plc.

В 2002 году стал кавалером британского Ордера "За заслуги", а в 2020 году - командором Королевского Викторианского ордена.

Джейкоб Ротшильд

https://www.interfax.ru/world/947729


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What is the UN Environment Assembly and why does it matter?

Sixth Open-Ended Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-6) in Nairobi, Kenya.

What is the UN Environment Assembly and why does it matter?

UNEP/Duncan Moore
 
Sixth Open-Ended Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-6) in Nairobi, Kenya.


25 February 2024
Climate and Environment

Every two years, all 193 UN Member States have an opportunity to collectively address critical environmental issues facing the planet. This moment is the United Nations Environment Assembly, or UNEA, the sixth edition of which will be held from 26 February to 1 March, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Set up as a sort of ‘world parliament on the environment’, UNEA aims to define priorities for environmental policies and develop international legislation on the matter.

Why is UNEA important?

The 2024 Environment Assembly, or UNEA-6, is expected to host a record 6,000 delegates, including seven Heads of State and 139 Ministers and Vice-Ministers, as well as experts, activists, and industry representatives.

UNEA was created in 2012, as an outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil. Since its establishment, the Assembly has ushered in a new era of multilateralism with environmental issues given the same level of importance as such global concerns as peace and security, and health.

Over the years, UNEA has approved important resolutions on topics such as combating illegal wildlife traffickingprotecting the environment in areas of armed conflictsustainable urban mobility, among others. 

Due to the discussions at the Environment Assembly’s 2022 session, negotiations have begun on the first legally binding international instrument to end plastic pollution, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

What’s at stake for UNEA-6?

The central theme of UNEA-6 will be multilateral environmental agreements and how they can help overcome the triple planetary crisis of climate chaos, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Despite the socio-economic uncertainties that arose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current growing geopolitical tensions, the last two years have been marked by very important victories for environmental cooperation.

For instance, in 2022, the UN General Assembly recognized the universal human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, opening space for constitutional and legal changes at the country levels in favor of the environment and humanity.

That same year, the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was approved, with measures to protect 1 million species of animals and plants that are on the verge of extinction.

In June 2023, the 193 UN Member countries signed the so-called High Seas Treaty, to conserve marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions.

Last November, a long-awaited agreement on ‘loss and damage’ financing for vulnerable countries hard-hit by climate change was announced at the UN climate conference, COP28.

UNEA-6 has set aside a day during its session that will be dedicated to discussion of these and other successes, and consideration of how governments can take broad and unified actions, including adequate financing, to implement the multilateral agreements they have signed.

At the same time, UNEA-6 will not just focus on new commitments, but on fulfilling all those that already exist.

UNEP's Executive Director Inger Andersen at the 31st Session of the International Resource Panel in Nairobi.
UNEP

What are the priority topics?

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), has highlighted the six priority areas for UNEA-6: Water scarcity; responsible mining; mineral management, especially phosphorus; climate-altering technologies; financing environmental actions; and implementation of the Kunming-Montreal framework.

According to Ms. Andersen, “All we need to do is get together and deliver on these global solutions that we have promised to each other so that we can secure the future for all of humanity, living on a healthy and thriving planet.”

Negotiations ahead of and during the event are focused on the proposed resolutions presented by Member States and the ministerial declaration that will be adopted at the conclusion of the Assembly. The resolutions aim to identify and prioritize common challenges and possible solutions. They also define priority areas of work for UNEP. 

At UNEA-6, 20 resolutions and 2 decisions will be debated, covering topics such as solar radiation modification, mining, desertification, circularity of the sugar cane agroindustry, highly dangerous pesticides, increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities to drought, regional cooperation for air quality, among others.

Single-use plastic bag floating by a coral reef, Bali.
© Ocean Image Bank/Naja Bertolt

What’s up with the negotiations?

In the Environment Assembly, resolutions are expected to be approved by consensus. In practice, this means that every member present has the right to veto a decision. Therefore, the week leading up to the conference is essential for delegations to review draft texts and avoid or overcome impasses. Negotiations often extend into the week of the conference, with closed-door sessions that can go on late into the night.

As the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment, UNEA aims to help restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people.

UNEP will purchase certified carbon credits to offset travel emissions from funded participants as part of its annual environmental inventory process to offset greenhouse gas emissions, as well as several other measures to reduce the environmental impact of the conference. 



https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146932



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Global Cybercrime Treaty: A delicate balance between security and human rights


Cybercrime is a multi trillion dollar illegal industry.

Global Cybercrime Treaty: A delicate balance between security and human rights

Unsplash/Jefferson Santos
 
Cybercrime is a multi trillion dollar illegal industry.


25 February 2024
Law and Crime Prevention

Cybercrime is a multi-trillion-dollar business. Drugs and weapons are being bought on the “dark web”, fraudsters are fleecing members of the public in elaborate online scams, and terrorists are grooming supporters and recruiting fighters. 

Recognizing the growing dangers of cybercrime, the UN has set about drafting a legally-binding international treaty to counter the threat. Five years later, negotiations are still ongoing, with parties unable to reach an acceptable consensus, and the latest meeting of the Committee members in February 2024 did not conclude with an agreed draft, with countries unable to agree on wording that would balance human rights safeguards with security concerns.

One of the nongovernmental organizations taking part in the negotiations is Access Now, which defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk around the world. Whilst the February session was still taking place at UN Headquarters, Raman Jit Singh Chima, the Senior International Counsel and Asia Pacific Policy Director for Access Now, stepped out to speak to Conor Lennon from UN News, to explain his organization’s concerns.

Raman Jit Singh Chima: This treaty needs to address “core cybercrime”, namely those crimes that are possible only through a computer, that are sometimes called “cyber dependent” crimes, such as hacking into computer systems, and undermining the security of networks. Clearly, these should be criminalized by states, with clear provisions put in place enabling governments across the world can cooperate with each other. 

If you make the scope of the treaty too broad, it could include political crimes. For example, if someone makes a comment about a head of government, or a head of state, that might end up being penalized under the cybercrime law. 

When it comes to law enforcement agencies cooperating on this treaty, we need to put strong human rights standards in place, because that provides trust and confidence in the process. Also, if you have a broad treaty with no safeguards, every request for cooperation could end up being challenged, not only by human rights advocates and impacted communities, but by governments themselves.

UN News: What has the mood been like in the negotiation room?

Raman Jit Singh Chima: Pretty grim. It was obvious that the process would not be completed by the end of this session, so the secretariat behind the negotiations [the UN Office on Drugs and Crime] circulated a resolution indicating that the process will be suspended, and requesting the Secretary-General’s support to carry forward negotiations later this year.

Actually, our biggest fear sometimes is that there's too much agreement in the room on certain provisions; because of the accelerated pace of these negotiations, there is a desire to come to some sort of agreement, even if the language is not good, and even if it harms human rights.

Sometimes, as is natural, when you put Ministry of Justice officials and prosecutors together in a room, they all tend to agree, because they all want as many powers as they can with few safeguards. And that's why we are in the room, not because we’re worried about the contestation and the politics, which are significant, but because we worry that there will be too much agreement to undermine human rights and lower due process standards. 

UN News: Do you think that we will see a treaty at some point this year? 

Raman Jit Singh Chima: I think that states want to see some sort of outcome, or at least not be seen to be spiking the process or harming it. But if the final product is not good enough, they may not sign it. In fact, a joint statement was put out by civil society, industry and technical experts, that says the current text of this treaty is not fit for purpose, and States should not sign it, or should not even tell the ad hoc committee to accept an outcome report if they go ahead with this current version of the text.

This discussion is taken from the latest episode of the UN’s flagship news podcast, The Lid Is On, which covers the various ways that the UN is involved in global efforts to make AI, and other forms of online technology safer.

You can listen to (and now watch!) The Lid Is On, on all major podcast platforms. 



https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146772


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суббота, 24 февраля 2024 г.

‘Robot cars’ are coming. How can we make sure they’re safe?


A Tesla car in "autopilot" mode

‘Robot cars’ are coming. How can we make sure they’re safe?

© Ian Maddox
 
A Tesla car in "autopilot" mode


24 February 2024
Economic Development

The concept of “autonomous” cars, moving us all around in an orderly, congestion-free fashion has been around, in various forms, for decades. But, despite some impressive technological advances in recent years, that vision is still some way off.

“Connected vehicles” also raise fears of hacking, and cars being remotely controlled by unscrupulous individuals or organizations. A good example is the recent movie, Leave the World Behind, which features a scene in which hundreds of electric cars are hacked, causing them to smash into each other on a New York highway. 

Nevertheless, the industry is forging ahead with plans to introduce increasing levels of autonomy in the latest car models, and the UN is at the heart of those discussions, which involve governments and the transport industry, aimed at developing international regulations and guidelines governing automated driving. 

Francois Guichard is the lead UN official on Intelligent Transport Systems and Automated Driving, and secretary of the Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles. He told Conor Lennon from UN News that the hype surrounding the arrival of driverless cars has always outpaced the reality.

Francois Guichard: Almost a decade ago, people were announcing that truly driverless cars would be on the road within four years. However, it turned out to be much more complex than that. At the UN we began calling for international cooperation on the subject back in 2015, and now we convene discussions with authorities and vehicle manufacturers, and develop global rules for these vehicles.

Autonomous vehicle on the streets of San Fransisco, USA.
© Unsplash/Timo Wielink
 
Autonomous vehicle on the streets of San Fransisco, USA.

UN News: Can you envisage a future in which cars are mostly autonomous?

We want to create a safety-first environment and we hope that, with technical progress, automated technologies will lead to roads that are much safer. For context, there are around 1.3 million road fatalities, globally, every year: that constitutes a road safety crisis.

It’s a step-by-step progress. The car industry has defined different levels of automation, from zero (no automation) to five, which is full automation, meaning that a system controls the vehicle under all conditions. Today, many countries have cars with level two technologies, in which the driver is in control, with some assistance. We’re beginning to see some level three technologies in some cars, where there is more autonomy in traffic jams and on motorways.

The next step will be vehicles which are able to drive completely autonomously, under limited circumstances, and we’re already starting to see this happening. 

This year, we are developing global technical regulations for automated driving systems. The industry says its ready for this, so we hope it will happen, because we have so many challenges to tackle: aside from the road safety crisis, transport makes a huge impact on the environment, and we have to mitigate that effect with support from the technology.

UN News: What can be done to minimize the threat of hackers endangering connected cars and endangering our safety?

This is a very serious issue, and there is a risk with every new vehicle. That is basically the reason why this Working Party adopted technical regulations for cyber security back in 2020. Some countries are now mandating these regulations, so the industry is getting ready. The regulations are there to make sure that all processes are in place and that in case of an issue, we have the means to react. 

This discussion is taken from the latest episode of the UN’s flagship news podcast, The Lid Is On, which covers the various ways that the UN is involved in global efforts to make AI, and other forms of online technology safer.

You can listen to (and now watch!) The Lid Is On, on all major podcast platforms. 



https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146767

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пятница, 23 февраля 2024 г.

How to develop ‘ethical AI’ and avoid potential dangers


UNESCO calls out to implement its recommendations on the ethics of artificial intelligence to avoid its misuse.

How to develop ‘ethical AI’ and avoid potential dangers

Unsplash/D koi
 
UNESCO calls out to implement its recommendations on the ethics of artificial intelligence to avoid its misuse.


23 February 2024
Human Rights

After a year of hype surrounding the latest version of ChatGPT and other new AI tools, governments are starting to make concerted efforts to bring in effective regulations on the use of this powerful technology, with the support of the UN science agency, UNESCO. 

UNESCO first developed its Recommendations on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence back in 2021, when much of the world was preoccupied by another international threat, the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recommendations, which were adopted by the 194 UNESCO Member States, contain concrete guidance on how public and private money can be channelled to programmes that benefit society.

Since then, a great deal of work has been done to put this guidance into practice, with legislators, experts and civil society representatives meeting at UNESCO forums to share information and report on progress.

Shortly after the 2024 forum, which took place in Slovenia in early February, Conor Lennon from UN News spoke to some of the participants: Aisen Etcheverry, Minister of Science and Technology in the Chilean Government; Irakli Khodeli, Head of the AI Ethics unit at UNESCO; and Mary Snapp, Vice President of Strategic AI Initiatives at Microsoft.

Aisen Etcheverry: We were one of the first countries to not only adopt the Recommendations, but also to implement them, with a model that ensures AI is being used ethically and responsibly. So, when ChatGPT came on to the market, and we saw all the questions it raised, we already had expert research centres in place, and capabilities within the government. Our companies were already working with AI, and we had basically all the pieces of the puzzle to tackle a discussion that is complicated on the regulation side. 

Over the last year things have evolved, and we’ve seen an increase in the use of AI by government and agencies, so we launched something similar to an executive order, basically instructions on how to use AI responsibly. 

One great example is at the agency charged with providing social benefits. They generated a model that allows them to predict which people are least likely to ask for the benefits that they’re entitled to. Then they send people to go and visit those who have been identified, to inform them of their entitlements. I think it's a beautiful example of how technology can enhance the public sector, without removing the human interaction that is so important, in the way governments and citizens interact. 

Artificial Intelligence can contribute to fighting climate change and supporting progress towards all the SDGs.
UN Photo/Elma Okic
 
Artificial Intelligence can contribute to fighting climate change and supporting progress towards all the SDGs.

UN News: What is your government doing to protect citizens from those who want to use AI in harmful ways? 

Aisen Etcheverry:  The UNESCO recommendations really helped us to develop critical thinking about AI, and regulations. We have been having public consultations with experts, and we hope that we can present a bill to Congress in March.

We have also been thinking about how we can train people, not necessarily in programming, but to empower those who are using and designing AI, so that they are more responsible for the outcome, from a more social perspective. 

On a related subject, we need to remember that there is a digital divide: many people do not have access to digital tools. We need regional and international cooperation to ensure that they benefit from this technology.

Irakli Khodeli: Tackling the digital divide is a big part of the UNESCO recommendations. One of the fundamental ideas on which the agency is based is that science, and the fruits of scientific progress, should be equitably divided amongst all peoples. That rings true for Artificial Intelligence, because it holds so much promise for assisting humans in achieving our socio-economic and developmental goals.

That’s why it’s important that, when we talk about the ethical use and development of AI, we don’t just focus on the technologically advanced part of the world, where the companies are actually wielding these tools, but we also reach out to the global south countries that are in different stages of development, to involve them in this conversation about the global governance of AI. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (right) attends the AI Safety Summit in London, UK.
UN Photo/Alba García Ruiz
 
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (right) attends the AI Safety Summit in London, UK.

Mary Snapp: Technology is a tool that can enhance human experience, or it can be used as a weapon. That's been true since the printing press and it’s true now. So, it’s very important for us, as an industry, to ensure that there are safety breaks, that we know what computers can do and what technology can do, and what it should not do. 

Frankly, in the case of social media, perhaps we didn't address the issues earlier on; this is an opportunity to really work together early on, to attempt to mitigate what could be some more negative effects, while still recognizing the tremendous promise of the technology. 

UN News: At the UNESCO meeting in Slovenia, Microsoft signed up to an agreement to develop AI on ethical lines. What does that mean in practice?

Mary Snapp:  In 2019, we created an office of responsible AI, that sits within [Microsoft President] Brad Smith's organization. This office has a team of experts; not only technology experts, but also humanities academics, sociologists, and anthropologists. We do things like “red teaming” [using ethical hackers to emulate real attacks on technology], encouraging the AI to do harmful things, so that we can mitigate that. 

We don’t necessarily share exactly how the technology will work, but we want to ensure that we are sharing the same principles with our competitors. Working side by side with UNESCO is absolutely critical to doing this work right for humanity. 

This discussion is taken from the latest episode of the UN’s flagship news podcast, The Lid Is On, which covers the various ways that the UN is involved in global efforts to make AI, and other forms of online technology safer.

You can listen to (and now watch!) The Lid Is On, on all major podcast platforms. 


https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146762


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Climate and conflict collide on the high seas: UN warns of soaring costs and delays


Climate and conflict collide on the high seas: UN warns of soaring costs and delays

A Singaporean cargo ship docks in a northern European port, having navigated the busy East Asia-Europe transit.
UNCTAD Photo
 
A Singaporean cargo ship docks in a northern European port, having navigated the busy East Asia-Europe transit.


22 February 2024
Economic Development

Attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea coupled with wider geopolitical and climate-related crises, are upending international trade, inflating costs and causing major delays, the UN’s trade and development body said on Thursday.

In a new study, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimated that over the past two months, the volume of trade through the Suez Canal has fallen by a whopping 42 per cent.

“With major players in the shipping industry temporarily suspending Suez transits, weekly container ship transits have fallen by 67 per cent, and container carrying capacity, tanker transits, and gas carriers have experienced significant declines,” it said.

Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships using the vital waterway as an act of solidarity with Gaza and protest over Israel’s offensive. In response, a US-led coalition has launched airstrikes against Houthi targets at sea and on land.  

Panama Canal

But it’s not only geopolitics that’s to blame. At the same time transits through the Panama Canal have plummeted 49 per cent compared to its peak, due to dwindling water levels as a result of a severe, climate-change-induced drought.

A vital artery connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Panama Canal is particularly important for the trade between countries on the west coast of South America, and for links between Asia and the western United States.

Vulnerable populations, especially in landlocked and developing countries could bear the brunt of the impact on the two key trade routes, potentially increasing their living costs and reducing access to essential items.

Environmental cost

Ships avoiding the Suez and the Panama Canals and seeking alternative routes, translating into longer cargo travel distances, rising costs and insurance premiums, and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

For more than a decade, the shipping industry had adopted reduced speeds to lower fuel costs and their carbon footprint, according to UNCTAD.

However, due to the interplay of conflict and climate shocks, ships have been authorized to speed up - leading to higher fuel consumption and emissions.

For instance, a Singapore-Rotterdam (Netherlands) round trip avoiding the Suez Canal/Red Sea route could result in up to 70 per cent increase in GHG emissions.

Far-reaching implications

UNCTAD underscored the potential far-reaching economic implications of prolonged disruptions in container shipping, threatening global supply chains and potentially delaying deliveries, causing higher costs and inflation.

Energy prices are surging as gas transits are discontinued, directly impacting energy supplies and prices, especially in Europe.

Global food prices are also expected to take a major hit due to higher freight costs.

“Disruptions in grain shipments from Europe, Russia, and Ukraine pose risks to global food security, affecting consumers and lowering prices paid to producers,” UNCTAD warned.

Shifting patterns

The UNCTAD study also noted a shift in transport patterns, such as in the United States, where demand for rail transport services between the coasts has surged in recent weeks.

Major Pacific ports such as Los Angeles and Long Beach in west are now using rail routes vs. more costly and unreliable sea routes.  

Major changes are afoot in the trading of commodities too. For example, grain shipments to Egypt are being sourced from Brazil or the US instead of Ukraine, while Russian oil shipments have becoming increasingly focused on India and China instead of Europe.




https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146862


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среда, 21 февраля 2024 г.

Gaza has become a ‘death zone’, warns UN health chief


Gaza has become a ‘death zone’, warns UN health chief

WHO led two crucial missions to transfer 32 critical patients from Nasser hospital, in southern Gaza on 18 and 19 February.
© WHO/Christopher Black
 
WHO led two crucial missions to transfer 32 critical patients from Nasser hospital, in southern Gaza on 18 and 19 February.


21 February 2024
Peace and Security

An “inhumane” health and humanitarian situation now prevails across Gaza with conditions continuing to deteriorate, the head of the UN World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.

“Gaza has become a death zone,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General told correspondents at a press briefing in Geneva.

“Much of the territory has been destroyed. More than 29,000 people are dead; many more are missing, presumed dead; and many, many more are injured,” he added.

Across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, severe malnutrition has shot up dramatically since the start of the war on 7 October, from under one per cent of the population, to over 15 per cent in some areas.

“This figure will rise the longer the war goes on and supplies [are] interrupted,” Tedros said, expressing deep concern that agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) are unable to access the north.

WFP suspended its aid deliveries there due to lack of security for both humanitarian personnel and those seeking assistance.

‘What world do we live in’

“What type of world do we live when people cannot get food and water, and when people who cannot even walk are unable to receive care?”, he lamented.

“What type of world do we live in when health workers are at risk of being bombed as they carry out their life saving work [and] hospitals must close because there is no more power or medicines to help save patients?”

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He underscored the need for an immediate ceasefire, for hostages to be released, the guns to fall silent, and unfettered humanitarian access.

“Humanity must prevail,” Tedros said.

Hospital evacuations

Over the past three days the UN health agency and partners carried out several emergency missions to the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, to evacuate critically ill patients, including children.

“With the intensive care units no longer working, WHO helped move patients, many of whom cannot even walk,” Tedros said.

Around 130 sick and injured patients and at least 15 doctors and nurses remain in the hospital, amidst ongoing Israeli military operations, no electricity and running water and dwindling lifesaving medical supplies.


https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146792


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вторник, 20 февраля 2024 г.

«Игры будущего» в Казани


19 февраля 16:57
Автор материала:Павел Мельников

Студентов не сгоняют, Валиеву прячут: о чем говорят перед стартом «Игр будущего»

Казань в очередной раз задает миру спортивные тренды.

Студентов не сгоняют, Валиеву прячут: о чем говорят перед стартом «Игр будущего»

Павел Хацаюк

Тысячелетие, Универсиада, чемпионат мира, WorldSkills – что только Казань уже не видела и не проводила, но на этой неделе столица Татарстана возьмет новую высоту.

Сегодняшнего дня, признаюсь, я ждал с особым трепетом. Все большие международные состязания я либо застал в качестве болельщика у телевизора, либо и вовсе пропустил мимо, поэтому, усевшись в просторный автобус, который должен был довезти нас из центра в «Экспо», я предался размышлениям о своих ожиданиях.

На таких встречах вряд ли можно услышать от спикеров что-то новое. Все же комментарии по поводу различных регламентов проведения, целей, задач турнира мы получали задолго «до». Гораздо интереснее было пообщаться с иностранными коллегами, а если не пообщаться, то хотя бы увидеть их: действительно есть такой интерес к соревнованию за рубежом?

Ответ я получил практически сразу по выходу из автобуса. Рядом со мной, оказывается, ехал японский журналист, с которым мы живо вошли в беседу.

В Японии знают о турнире и имеют мысли по поводу него. Конкретики добыть не удалось. «По-своему думают, но интерес определенный есть», – ответили мне. Я же в ответ попытался рассказать гостю о жизни в Казани и поделился своими рассуждениями по поводу как Игр, так и просто идеи «фиджитал».

Другая область моего интереса сегодня – инфраструктура. Буквально три дня назад мы были на еще пустом, наверное, можно сказать «голом» объекте. Какие-то строения уже были поставлены и подключены, а что-то ютилось по углам, облаченное в строительную пленку.

Автор фото: Павел Хацаюк/«Вечерняя Казань»

Вошедший японский журналист с ходу начал фотографировать декорации «Экспо», я же решил удивить коллегу, показал фотографии объекта в наш первый приезд и сказал: «Представляете, еще три дня назад это выглядело так». На лице японца возникло удивление.

Полтора часа до пресс-конференции прошли тихо: прогулка по «Городу будущего» длительной не получилось – серьезный участок «поселения» был для посещения медиа закрыт.

Большинство иностранных журналистов подошли точно ко времени: делегация из Танзании распределилась по всему конференц-залу, где-то за спиной находился гость из Сербии, конечно, присутствовали и китайские СМИ, сбоку от меня сидела женщина из Кубы.

Были ли сегодня и представители других стран – сказать сложно, все же флаги они на себе не носят.

Сразу удивило количество спикеров – 7 табличек. Среди отвечающих – киберспортсмены, участники Игр, организаторы турнира Владислав Ершов и Игорь Столяров, а также мэр Казани Ильсур Метшин. В качестве модератора выступила Кристина Колесникова.

После традиционных приветственных слов, которые вмещали в себя представление различных цифр «обо всем» (буквально от данных по участникам турнира и до количества номерного фонда), а также знакомство с определенными дисциплинами.

Ильсур Метшин имеет богатый опыт подобных речей, поэтому сразу четко обозначил опорные точки:

– Для нас не впервые оказываться в центре событий. На этот раз мы стоим на пороге нового формата, который объединит реальность и цифровой мир. Мы искренне рады этому событию. Мы соревновались за это право с 19 городами. Мы рады большим ивентом, ради этого объединяемся с федеральными коллегами, – сказал мэр.

Но вопросный ряд предстояло открыть мне. Кто бы что ни говорил, но в Казани, равно как и во всей России, мне кажется, есть практика «искусственной наполняемости объекта». Так, например, «Рубин» обеспечивает себе фан-сектор – приглашает играть на «фанку» целый оркестр.

Так и тут, в Сети стали сообщать о том, что в вузах начали распространять билеты по квоте, которые учреждениям нужно обязательно закрывать. Это называется «сгоном». Мэр, естественно, и бровью не повел:

– Программой реализации занимаемся не мы. Но задачи, безусловно, нет, дефицита внимания мы не имеем. Это сделано только с той целью, чтобы разрешить вопросы по удобной покупке билетов для нашей целевой аудитории, – заявил Метшин.

Автор фото: Павел Мельников/«Вечерняя Казань»

Включился в обсуждение и директор Игр Игорь Столяров: «Если у какого-то вуза есть избыток билетов – обращайтесь, мы выкупим!».

На этом, как мне казалось, наше взаимодействие закончилось: пошли другие вопросы, в том числе и от иностранных коллег, но ни господина Столярова, ни господина Метшина это не заставило забыть обо мне. Чуть позже, рассказывая о том, что билетов на церемонию открытия – нет, Игорь Юрьевич вновь обратился ко мне в надежде получить подтверждение того, что у вузов билеты найти можно, а Метшин включился еще сильнее. Мэр повернулся к Столярову и в голос сказал: «Да он, наверное, и образования высшего еще не получил».

Потом, чтобы не быть голословным, повернулся вновь ко мне и спросил: «Нет же высшего?». Я, не крича, лишь прошептал, надеясь, что мэр прочтет по губам: «Учусь». «Ну и понятно тогда», – ответил Ильсур Раисович.

На удивление, не вызвал никакой реакции очередной вопрос про Камилу Валиеву. Спикеры спокойно ответили, мол, увидите 21 февраля во время церемонии открытия.

В остальном мы услышали вполне классические вопросы и ответы: о легкой подготовке, о том, что старт турнира – большое событие для всех, чуть-чуть о том, чуть-чуть об этом.

Напомним, «Игры будущего» стартовали уже сегодня, 19 февраля, групповым этапом по «Дота 2», чуть позже, вечером, увидим первые столкновения в рамках фиджитал-хоккея. До главного события первых дней турнира остается два дня – 21 февраля состоится официальная церемония открытия «Игр будущего».

Надеюсь, что к окончанию Игр понимания, зачем и для чего все это проводится, у меня и у казанцев станет больше.



https://www.evening-kazan.ru/obshhestvo/articles/studentov-ne-sgonyayut-valievu-pryachut-o-chem-govoryat-pered-startom-igr-budushchego

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понедельник, 19 февраля 2024 г.

Технологические гиганты подписали соглашение по борьбе с вмешательством искусственного интеллекта в выборы


Технологические гиганты подписали соглашение по борьбе с вмешательством искусственного интеллекта в выборы

18 февраля Воскресенье 6:20
Tech giants sign accord to fight AI interference in elections

Крупнейшие IТ-компании обязались работать вместе, чтобы предотвратить вмешательство фейкового или вводящего в заблуждение контента искусственного интеллекта в выборы по всему миру в этом году.

Двадцать компаний подписали соглашение в пятницу на Мюнхенской конференции по безопасности. В их число входят Microsoft, Google, китайская компания TikTok и компания X, ранее известная как Twitter.

В этом году во многих странах запланированы выборы с потенциальными глобальными последствиями, включая президентские выборы в США. В соглашении говорится, что распространение вводящего в заблуждение контента ИИ может дезориентировать общественность таким образом, что поставит под угрозу целостность избирательных процессов.

В нем также говорится, что защита честности выборов и общественного доверия является общей ответственностью и общим благом, которые выходят за рамки партийных интересов и национальных границ.


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https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ru/news/20240217_12/

суббота, 17 февраля 2024 г.

Lifesaving medical care collapsing under assault in Gaza: WHO


A man cooks food for his children over a wood fire in front of his destroyed home in an area west of Gaza City.
© UNICEF/Omar Al-Qattaa
 
A man cooks food for his children over a wood fire in front of his destroyed home in an area west of Gaza City.


16 February 2024
Peace and Security

The largest remaining hospital in southern Gaza is “barely functional”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday amid reports of intense attacks by Israeli forces.

There have been reports of damage to Nasser Hospital’s orthopedic unit, reducing its ability to provide urgent medical care, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević told correspondents at a press briefing in Geneva.

More degradation to the hospital means more lives being lost,” he said.

According to the UN agency, of the 36 hospitals in the war-ravaged enclave, only 11 are functioning. There are also reports that several patients have died during the Israeli operation.

The Israeli military has alleged that Hamas was holding hostages or withholding the bodies of Israelis within the Nasser compound, situated in Khan Younis.

Places of healing, not burial

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The hospital has been providing lifesaving services to the most critically ill and has been a refuge to countless civilians displaced from elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Jašarević added that WHO was trying to gain urgent access to the complex.

We really need to get there to bring fuel so [the] hospital can continue to function and those patients who are still there can continue to receive medical care,” he said, also stressing the need to assess the conditions of patients and for their safe referral to other facilities.

“We have been saying all this time…that patients, health workers and civilians who are seeking refuge in hospitals deserve safety and not a burial in those places of healing,” he added.

Intense bombardment continues

Meanwhile, intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement and infrastructure damage, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

“Widespread ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, especially in the centre of Khan Younis and east of Deir Al-Balah,” OCHA noted in a flash update issued on Friday.

Between the afternoon of 15 February and 11am on 16 February (local times), according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 112 Palestinians were killed, and 157 Palestinians were injured, and since 7 October, at least 28,775 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and a further 68,552 reported injured.

Tiny sliver of land

OCHA also relayed reports that intensified airstrikes on Rafah and statements by Israeli officials of a ground operation have led to the movement of people sheltering there towards the town of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

Over half of Gaza’s population are crammed into Rafah, which is located at the southern end of the Strip, in an area that represents just one fifth of the entire enclave.

‘Humanity must prevail’

The situation is particularly dire for pregnant women, new mothers and newborns.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital in Rafah is “overwhelmed and struggling” to provide adequate care.

If the bombs don't kill pregnant women, if disease, hunger and dehydration don't catch up with them, simply giving birth could
– UNFPA

“Put simply, if the bombs don't kill pregnant women, if disease, hunger and dehydration don't catch up with them, simply giving birth could,” the UN agency, which works for safe motherhood, said.

Further attacks, UNFPA warned, would mark another devastating turn in the war, and thousands more could die in the violence or through lack of access to food, water and critical lifesaving services. 

Humanity must prevail, it added, reiterating the call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the safe and immediate release of all hostages.

‘Clock is ticking fast’

The UN independent committee monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women echoed that call.

It urged Israel to allow the provision of medicines and medical personnel and humanitarian assistance, including the special needs of women and girls such as sexual and reproductive health services, and sanitary and hygiene products.

“The clock is ticking fast towards famine and an outbreak of epidemics. The lives and health, physical and mental, of the women and girls of Gaza are severely compromised,” said the committee, which is composed of experts independent of any government and the United Nations. 


https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146632



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четверг, 15 февраля 2024 г.

Secretary-General Urges Bold Action to Speed Up Renewable Revolution, Phase Out Fossil Fuels in Fiftieth Anniversary Message for International Energy Agency

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Secretary-General Urges Bold Action to Speed Up Renewable Revolution, Phase Out Fossil Fuels in Fiftieth Anniversary Message for International Energy Agency

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the International Energy Agency fiftieth anniversary celebration, in Paris today: 

I congratulate the women and men of the International Energy Agency on your fiftieth anniversary.  And I want to recognize and thank Executive Director Fatih Birol.  Under his strong and insightful leadership, the International Energy Agency has carved out a critical role at the heart of the renewables revolution.

The work of the International Energy Agency is shaping public debate; supporting a just, sustainable energy transition; and showing how net zero can and must become reality.  Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C ultimately depends on putting an end to fossil fuels.

And the International Energy Agency has shown the astonishing speed at which renewables prices are falling, and renewables roll out is happening. The work of the IEA is helping to demonstrate that the phase out of fossil fuels is both economically inevitable and environmentally essential.  The end of the fossil fuel era is assured.

The only questions are:  Will we move fast enough to limit the worst of climate chaos?  And will the transition to renewables be fair, just and equitable?  It is up to all of us to ensure the answer to both these questions is yes.

Every person on earth must be connected to clean, affordable power by 2030.  And every community and country must benefit from the transition to clean, cheap renewables.  Today, too many emerging and developing economies are being left behind.

We need G20 [Group of 20] countries to lead a rapid phase out of fossil fuels.  We need finance to flow to renewables — particularly by reforming the business models of multilateral development banks to leverage far more private finance at reasonable cost to developing countries.

And we need all countries to implement the commitments made at COP28 [twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]:  To triple global renewables capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030; To accelerate the move away from fossil fuels this decade;  And to create ambitious new economy-wide national climate plans aligned with the 1.5°C limit, by 2025.

As we look ahead, the International Energy Agency’s continued analysis, advice and coordination will be essential — throughout this crucial decade and beyond.  The next 18 months are vital.

And I invite the International Energy Agency to intensify technical support to countries preparing the next round of national climate action plans.  Help them create ambitious, practical plans that are a magnet for private investment.  And urge them to back those plans up with credible climate policies — from regulations that support investment, to placing an effective price on carbon, to putting an end to fossil fuel subsidies.

The clean energy future is coming.  As we celebrate half a century of the International Energy Agency, let’s commit to harnessing your spirit of cooperation to bring that future into being faster.



https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22134.doc.htm


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среда, 14 февраля 2024 г.

With 1 Million Plant, Animal Species at Brink of Extinction, Secretary-General Urges Using Digital Technologies to Bolster Conservation, in World Wildlife Day Message


SG/SM/22132

With 1 Million Plant, Animal Species at Brink of Extinction, Secretary-General Urges Using Digital Technologies to Bolster Conservation, in World Wildlife Day Message

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Wildlife Day, observed on 3 March:

Human activities have devastated our wildlife.  Human ingenuity can help to save it.

Pollution, climate chaos, habitat loss and exploitation of nature have pushed a million plant and animal species to the brink of extinction.  This is horrifying in itself.  It is also a direct threat to the health and livelihoods of billions of people around the world — particularly the most vulnerable.

As the theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day reminds us, digital technologies can help to turn things around.  Already, satellites are helping to track animals under threat.  And data is charting wildlife migration and land use, supporting efforts to protect them.

When used responsibly, sustainably and equitably, digital technologies have the potential to revolutionize conservation.  But they are a tool in our arsenal, not a silver bullet.  We still need concerted efforts by countries, companies, and individuals to help pull the world’s wildlife back from the brink and build a just, sustainable future.

At this year’s Summit of the Future, Members States will discuss our proposals to develop new metrics to complement gross domestic product (GDP).  Activities like overfishing and forest clearance increase GDP while devastating nature.  Complementary metrics can provide balance, by measuring the things that really matter to people and planet.

I also urge countries to take urgent action to drastically reduce emissions, adapt to climate extremes, prevent pollution and put the brakes on biodiversity loss, including recognizing the role Indigenous Peoples play in protecting biodiversity.

Developed countries must invest in biodiversity and climate action in developing countries.  And all Governments must create new national climate plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as well as national biodiversity strategies that implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

We depend on nature.  Let’s show that nature can depend on us — and act now to protect it.


https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22132.doc.htm


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среда, 7 февраля 2024 г.

World News in Brief: Unprecedented cholera spike in Africa, Julian Assange extradition update, locusts compound Sudan crisis


World News in Brief: Unprecedented cholera spike in Africa, Julian Assange extradition update, locusts compound Sudan crisis

A health worker cares for patients in a cholera treatment centre in rural Malawi.
© UNICEF
 
A health worker cares for patients in a cholera treatment centre in rural Malawi.


6 February 2024
Health

Cholera cases are surging globally, and there’s been an unprecedented spike in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 

Dr. Fiona Braka from WHO’s regional office in Brazzaville, Congo, said that eastern and southern Africa have been particularly badly affected.

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In just the first four weeks of the year, 10 African countries reported more than 26,000 cases and 700 deaths, which is nearly double the number reported last year over the same period.

Zambia and Zimbabwe have been worst hit, but Mozambique, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria are also in the grip of “active outbreaks”, with a high risk of further spread, Dr. Braka said.

Preventable and treatable 

“We will continue to see records being broken as long as people do not have access to clean water and sanitation facilities," she explained. "Cholera is preventable and treatable. No one, no longer, should die from it.”

Increased flooding associated with climate change has helped the spread of cholera, a preventable waterborne disease. More cyclones and droughts have also reduced access to clean water, creating an ideal environment for cholera to thrive.

Despite a global shortage of oral cholera vaccines, WHO supports inoculation drives in Zambia, where over 1.7 million people have been vaccinated. A campaign is also underway in Zimbabwe, which expects to provide protection to 2.3 million people.

WHO has also deployed over 100 medical experts and dispatched emergency supplies to affected areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

More than 30 tonnes of emergency supplies have already been delivered to both countries, including cholera kits and rehydration salts, with more assistance on the way.

UN torture expert urges UK to halt extradition of Julian Assange to the US 

The UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert on torture urged the United Kingdom on Tuesday to halt the possible extradition of Julian Assange to the United States.

Alice Edwards called on British authorities to consider Mr. Assange’s appeal based on the substantial fears that, if extradited, he would be at risk of treatment amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment or punishment.

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“Julian Assange suffers from a long standing and recurrent depressive disorder. He is assessed as being at risk of committing suicide,” the Special Rapporteur said in a statement.

He faces numerous charges in the US, including under the Espionage Act of 1917, for the alleged unlawful release of diplomatic and other cables and documents via the investigative site he co-founded, WikiLeaks.

Lifetimes in jail

“If extradited, he could be detained in prolonged isolation while awaiting trial or as an inmate. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison,” Ms. Edwards said.

The independent expert questioned whether his extradition is compatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations considering the risks to his mental health through solitary confinement or likelihood of “disproportionate” sentencing. 

“Diplomatic assurances of humane treatment provided by the Government of the United States are not a sufficient guarantee to protect Mr. Assange against such risk,” she added, calling on the UK to carefully review the extradition order.

A final domestic appeal after a long-running legal battle on Mr. Assange’s extradition is scheduled to take place before the High Court in London on 20 and 21 February.

Rapporteurs and other rights experts are independent of any government or organization, receive no salary and serve in their own capacity. 

Sudan: Food scarcity set to worsen as threat increases from desert locusts

UN humanitarians are warning that food will become even more scarce in the coming months as Sudan enters the lean season, the UN Spokesperson told journalists on Tuesday. 

“An estimated 18 million people are food insecure – that’s 10 million more than last year,” said Stéphane Dujarric.  

This comes as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) cautioned earlier in Geneva that the damage caused by desert locusts in the country has worsened significantly since the middle of last year.

Existential threat to seed supplies

FAO Deputy Representative in Sudan Adam Yao warned that the pest problem had reached a “threatening level”, and without sustained efforts to control the invasion, significant agricultural losses are inevitable.

Locusts swarm in the Nugal region of Somalia.
© FAO/Haji Dirir
 
Locusts swarm in the Nugal region of Somalia.

This is due in part to the absence of surveillance and control operations in central and western Sudan resulting from the ongoing war between Government forces and the rival RSF militia, which has plunged the country into crisis. 

Nonetheless, locust control officers supported by the FAO have managed to survey more than 113,500 hectares and control around 23,000 hectares of land already infested.

Mr. Yao said FAO was working together with the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, to secure immediate access to Wad Madani to ensure seed collections under threat can be moved to a safer location.

Aid agencies have managed to deliver lifesaving assistance to seven million people in Sudan since last April.



https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146292


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