Author: Cecilia Ologunagba

Air pollution, second  leading risk factor for premature death – report

Pollution

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 18, 2024 (NAN)The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that air pollution is increasing impacting human health and is now the second leading global risk factor for premature death.

The State of Global Air (SoGA) report, published in partnership with UNICEF, showed a global deadly and growing impact of air pollution.

The fifth edition of the report, released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), revealed that air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021 and many millions are dealing with debilitating chronic diseases, leaving healthcare systems, economies, and societies.

Further, it found that children under five are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, leaving over 700,000 in this age group dead in 2021.

The SoGA report found that pollutants like outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – which comes from burning fossil fuels and biomass in sectors like transportation, residential homes, wildfires and more – caused more than 90 per cent of global air pollution deaths.were found to be the “most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes around the world.”

Other pollutants like household air pollution, ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – which can be found in traffic exhaust – also contribute to the global deterioration of human health.

HEI President Dr. Elena Craft said she hopes the information in the report will inspire change.

“Air pollution has enormous implications for health. We know that improving air quality and global public health is practical and achievable,” she said.

In addition to affecting people’s health, pollutants like PM2.5 add to greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the earth warms, regions with high levels of NO2 will experience great levels of ozone, which can result in greater health effects.

Dr. Pallavi Pant, HEI’s Head of Global Health said, “This new report offers a stark reminder of the significant impacts air pollution has on human health, with far too much of the burden borne by young children, older populations, and low- and middle-income countries.”

She continued, “This points sharply at an opportunity for cities and countries to consider air quality and air pollution as high-risk factors when developing health policies and other noncommunicable disease prevention and control programmes.”

The report reveals that children are “uniquely vulnerable” to air pollution and effects can begin in the womb.

It states that young children’s exposure to air pollution has resulted in one in five deaths globally, pneumonia and asthma and affects children with inequities more than it does those in high-income countries.

UNICEF  Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden said that nearly 2,000 children under five die every day due to the effects of air pollution.

‘The global urgency is undeniable,” she said. “It is imperative governments and businesses consider these estimates and locally available data and use it to inform meaningful, child-focused action to reduce air pollution and protect children’s health.”

In addition to sharing details on the negative effects of air pollution on human health, the SoGA report also claims that there has been better awareness about the harms of being exposed to household air pollution and a 53 per cent decrease in the death rate of children under five since 2000 due to increased access to clean energy for cooking.

Also, regions experiencing the highest levels of air pollution have begun to address the issue by installing air pollution monitoring networks, implementing stricter air quality policies and more – particularly in Africa, Latin America and Asia. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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edited by Sadiya Hamza

Sustainable sources of energy can help reverse desertification – UNCCD official

Energy

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 17, 2024 (NAN) Mr Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), says sustainable energy sources, including solar and wind power, can help communities globally to reverse desertification and land loss.

No fewer than 130 countries have already pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 toward a world where human activity has a neutral, or even positive, impact on the land under UNCCD.

The UN supports innovative efforts worldwide, including the newly launched Great Green Wall Observatory, which tracks progress of Africa’s largest land restoration initiative to combat land degradation, desertification and the negative impacts of climate change in the Sahel region.

Thiaw said this in his message to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on June 17.

He said desertification is happening at the local level as much as it is global.

“Unless we address this at the local level, we will never be able to actually control it at the global level. Global policies and global decisions are needed.

“The impacts are huge in terms of food security and food sovereignty.

“It also drives forced migration. If people can no longer produce food on their land then they will migrate. As we have seen for example in the Sahel or Haiti, there can be severe consequences for global security.

“When people fight over access to land and water, it leads to more conflicts. We are seeing more of this, and it has consequences on the homogeneity of communities and on national economies,’’ Thiaw told UN News.

Thiaw said it was estimated that up to 50 per cent of the global GDP might be lost by 2050 due to challenges with agriculture and food production unless we address the issue of land loss and desertification.

He said that land loss had been happening around the world and that land degradation had been affecting arid and less arid lands.

“But in terms of drylands and desertification, it is estimated that 45 per cent of the land surface is affected by desertification.

“Maybe it is more striking to say that 3.2 billion people or one third of the world population are affected by that.

“Every year a hundred million hectares of land is being degraded, an area the size of Egypt. We need to halt land degradation, but we also need to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land,’’ he said.

Thiaw said that land degradation could be addressed by improving the techniques of agriculture, reducing the impact on land in terms of extraction of minerals and other extractive industries.

“It is also important that we reduce the pressure in terms of people activities in some parts of the world so as to diversify the economy and create more opportunities to create income.

“Restoring degraded land is not an expensive activity to undertake, but it is absolutely essential to provide more food security and to reduce conflicts.

“Every single dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to $30 in economic benefits, so investment in restoration activities is quite profitable from the economic point of view.

“This is not just the responsibility of local communities but also of governments and crucially of the private sector because the largest driver of land use in the world is big agriculture,” he said.

According to him, land degradation is a global phenomenon that affects all countries, including the U.S., India, China, India, and Pakistan.

The official, however, noted that the impact is much more severe in small countries, and small economies that do not have reserves, nor the insurance systems to protect their people.

“And the level of vulnerability is much higher in communities whose revenues are only based on the income they can generate from land,’’ he said.

Thiaw said that desertification didn’t exist in isolation and that it was an amplifier of climate change. because with extreme events, you also have severe impact on land and on communities and local economies.

“So basically, they are mutually interacting and it is therefore important to have a more comprehensive global picture.

“It is wrong to think that you can protect biodiversity or the land without tackling the climate issue and vice versa,’’ he said.

He further said that small-scale interventions at a local level were very important, noting that we should not discard all of the efforts that are being made by the local communities day in, day out.

“They need much more support from governments. They also need to see less subsidies for the agriculture industry, that is destroying the environment. Public money that, in some cases, is destroying the environment should be used to actually rebuild economies. “

Speaking on Mauritania his country, Thiaw said he had seen land degradation in his lifetime, noting that at the same time, he also has a lot of hope as he expresses optimism in positive changes coming.

“I see the younger generation being conscious of the fact that they need to reverse the trend.

“I see more farmers and pastoralists trying to do their bit.

“I see more interventions from the international community, including from the humanitarian world that are investing in land restoration.

“So, I see a movement which gives me some hope that if we join our efforts and if we work in a collaborative manner, it would be possible to actually reverse the trend.’’

He, however, reiterated that the best hope he had was in energy, which was the missing link for development, and for small and medium enterprises.

According to him,  energy is now accessible in remote places thanks to our ability to harness solar and wind energy.

“The possibility of combining energy and agriculture is very positive, as you can harvest water, store food, and reduce food loss. You can process that food to create chains at the local level,’’ he said, (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vivian Ihechu

UN chief urges leaders to step up desertification convention implementation

Convention

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 17, 2024 (NAN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to world leaders to step up the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to reverse the damage done to the earth.

No fewer than 130 countries have already pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 toward a world where human activity has a neutral, or even positive, impact on the land under UNCCD.

The UN supports innovative efforts worldwide, including the newly launched Great Green Wall Observatory, which tracks progress of Africa’s largest land restoration initiative to combat land degradation, desertification and the negative impacts of climate change in the Sahel region.

Guterres made the appeal in his message on Monday to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on June 17.

He said that as nearly 40 per cent of land across the planet is degraded with more acres lost every second, governments, businesses and communities must galvanise action to reverse the damage and protect Earth.

“We know what we need to do: it’s set out clearly in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

“As we mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, the world must dramatically pick up the pace of implementation.

“Build momentum towards UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh; and ensure young people are heard in the negotiations.

“Together, let’s sow the seeds for a thriving future – for nature and humanity,” he said.

According to him, every second, around four football fields of healthy land are degraded.

“The security, prosperity and health of billions of people rely on thriving lands supporting lives, livelihoods and ecosystems, but we’re vandalising the Earth that sustains us.”

“Desertification, land degradation and drought are currently among the most pressing environmental challenges.”

The Day’s theme is “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future”, spotlighting the future of land stewardship, which is the planet’s most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.

Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95 per cent of food eaten around the world, but so much more.

It clothes and shelters people, provides jobs and livelihoods and protects communities from the worsening droughts, floods and wildfires.

“As the focus of this year’s World Day reminds us, we must be ‘United for Land’.

“Governments, businesses, academics, communities and more must come together and act,” he said.

Growing populations coupled with unsustainable production and consumption patterns fuel demand for natural resources, putting excessive pressure on land to the point of degradation.

At the same time, desertification and drought are driving forced migration, putting tens of millions of people each year at risk of displacement.

Of the world’s eight billion inhabitants, over one billion of young people under the age of 25 years live in developing countries, particularly in regions directly dependent on land and natural resources for sustenance.

Creating job prospects for rural populations is a viable solution that gives young people access to eco-entrepreneurship opportunities and at the same time to scale up best practices. (NAN) (www.nannew.ng)

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Editing by Vivian Ihechu

Action

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 13, 2024 (NAN) The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has commended the works of the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) agency 60 years after its establishment.

Guterres gave the commendation in his address to mark the diamond anniversary of the UN agency on Wednesday while addressing the UN Trade and Development Global Leaders Forum.

According to him, the right to development is inextricably linked with trade, which the world’s poorest countries – now “mired in debt” through no fault of their own – have every right to pursue on much fairer terms

The secretary-general, however, highlighted the multiple challenges against a more sustainable and inclusive global economy for all.

“New and protracted conflicts are having a ripple effect across the global economy.

“Global debt has soared while key development indicators, including poverty and hunger, have regressed,”

On a visit to Switzerland, Guterres reprised previous warnings that the world’s international financial architecture “has been exposed as outdated, dysfunctional, and unjust”.

”It has ‘failed to provide a safety net for developing countries mired in debt’, the UN chief insisted.

He also issued the worrying assessment that the international trading system faced pressure “on all sides”, to the extent that it is now “teetering on the verge of fragmentation”.

Against this deeply concerning backdrop, and amid escalating geopolitical tensions, rising inequality and soaring debt, Guterres insisted that the role of UNTAD was more relevant than ever in working for a more sustainable and inclusive global economy, through trade and investment.

The UN agency cannot be neutral on development problems – “just as the World Health Organization could not be neutral on malaria”, the UN chief said, referencing the famous words of Raul Prebisch, UNCTAD’s first Secretary-General.

“Trade has become a double-edged sword: a source of both prosperity and inequality; interconnection and dependence; economic innovation and environmental degradation,” Guterres said.

He urged greater dialogue between nations in the face of a near-tripling of trade barriers since 2019, “many driven by geopolitical rivalry, with no concern for their impact on developing countries”.

He added: “The world cannot afford splits into rival blocs. To implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and to ensure peace and security – we need one global market and one global economy, in which there is no place for poverty and hunger.” (NAN) (www.nannnews.ng)

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Edited by Dianabasi Effiong

Rwanda: UN war crimes tribunals account for 253 people indicted

Crimes

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 11, 2024 (NAN) All of the 253 people indicted by the UN tribunals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed decades ago in Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, have now been accounted for.

Judge Graciela Santana, President and Prosecutor with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), said this while briefing the Security Council on Tuesday.

She briefed the ambassadors on progress made over the past two years as it moved closer towards wrapping up for good.

The Mechanism was established by the Council to continue essential functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which closed in December 2015, and another for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, which concluded two years later.

“The work of the Mechanism and its predecessors has contributed to justice on two continents, produced an extensive body of international criminal jurisprudence, and created an important reservoir of lessons learned for future courts,” Santana, the IRMCT President, said, underlining the need to safeguard this legacy.

She said that focus had been on providing the Council with timeline projections for completion of all activities, and options for the transfer of those that remained.

A framework document was submitted in April.

Furthermore, budgetary requirements have fallen by more than a quarter, the field office in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, will close in September, and just under half of all posts will be eliminated by December.

“Having now transitioned to our purely residual functions, we have reduced in size and streamlined operations, but remain determined to conclude the final stages of the mandate you have entrusted to us,” she said.

Gotti Santana noted that important work remained to be done, which would require significant resources.

“The Mechanism remains mandated to supervise the enforcement of sentences, with 41 convicted persons currently serving their sentences in 12 states and another seven persons under our jurisdiction.

“In the near term, it is expected that the work related to this function will increase, as more prisoners reach the threshold for consideration for early release,” she said.

Another mandated task involves managing, preserving and facilitating access to the Mechanism’s archives and those of the two former tribunals.

“This function is closely connected with one of my key priorities, namely to consolidate the rich legacy of these courts, which can serve as a powerful resource for combatting denial and revisionism,” she said.

IRMCT Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said the fact that all 253 persons indicted by the tribunals are now accounted for “is an important demonstration of the international community’s determination to secure justice for atrocity crimes,” though adding that more justice is still needed.

Over the past two years, the Prosecutor’s Office has received 629 requests for assistance from UN Member States, providing support to some 219 national case files.

While Rwanda and the countries of the former Yugoslavia are key partners, the Office has also met with prosecutors from Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Belgium, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere.

“Our national colleagues know that there are persons who committed genocide living in their countries with impunity, some in plain sight. And they know that every single case is about victims and survivors who are still waiting for justice to be done,” he said.

Today, bringing perpetrators to justice was now the responsibility of national courts, he said, and while countries had achieved significant results, more accountability was urgently needed.

“Rwandan authorities are still seeking to bring to justice more than 1,000 fugitive génocidaires. Likewise, prosecutors in the former Yugoslavia still have thousands of suspected war criminals to investigate and prosecute.

“Domestic authorities in third-party Member States, particularly in Europe and North America, are also prosecuting these cases under ‘no safe haven’ policies,” he said.

Brammertz insisted that “continuing this work is essential – for the victims and survivors, of course, and for Member States, who have made accountability a priority at the national level, to secure the rule of law and promote reconciliation.”  (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Christiana Fadare