#Intergovernmental Authority on Development

[yohane23]

The African Union and the Regional Economic Communities

[quotesfrommyreading]

African countries are being forced to spend billions of dollars a year coping with the effects of the climate crisis, which is diverting potential investment from schools and hospitals and threatens to drive countries into ever deeper poverty.

Dealing with extreme weather is costing close to 6% of GDP in Ethiopia alone, equating to a spend of more than $1 repairing climate damage for every $20 of national income, according to research by the thinktank Power Shift Africa.

The warning comes just before the major new scientific report from the global authority on climate science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This report, the second part of the IPCC’s comprehensive summary of global climate science, will set out the consequences of climate breakdown across the world, looking at the floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms that are affecting food systems, water supplies and infrastructure. As global temperatures have risen in recent decades, and as the impact of extreme weather has become more apparent around the world, efforts to make infrastructure and communities more resilient have largely stalled.

Africa will be one of the worst-hit regions, despite having done least to cause the climate crisis. According to the Power Shift Africa study, titled Adapt or Die: An analysis of African climate adaptation strategies, African countries will spend an average of 4% of GDP on adapting to climate breakdown.

These countries include some of the world’s poorest people, whose responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions is many times less than those of people in developed countries, or in large emerging economies such as China. Sierra Leone will have to spend $90m a year on adapting to the climate crisis, though its citizens are responsible for about 0.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year each, while US citizens generate about 80 times more.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, said: “This report shows the deep injustice of the climate emergency. Some of the poorest countries in the world are having to use scarce resources to adapt to a crisis not of their making. Despite only having tiny carbon footprints compared with those of the rich world, these African countries are suffering from droughts, storms and floods which are putting already stretched public finances under strain and limiting their ability to tackle other problems.”

He called for more funding from developed countries, which promised at the Cop26 UN climate summit to double the money available to help poor countries adapt to the climate crisis. Rich countries promised in 2009 to provide $100bn a year to help poor countries cut their greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the effects of climate breakdown. But so far they have fallen short of that target, and most of the funds that have been provided have gone to projects to cut emissions, such as windfarms and solar panels, rather than efforts to help countries adapt.

The study examined national adaptation plans submitted to the UN by seven African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan and Togo. South Sudan, which is the world’s second poorest country, was hit by floods last year that displaced 850,000 people, and led to outbreaks of water-borne diseases. The country is to spend $376m a year on adaptation, about 3.1% of its GDP.

Chukwumerije Okereke, director of the centre for climate change and development at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Nigeria, said rich countries must respond to the findings, and to the IPCC report.

“It is both irresponsible and immoral for those that are the chief cause of climate change to look on while Africa, which has contributed next to nothing to climate change, continues to bear a disproportionate share of the impact,” he said. “The time for warm words is long gone. We need urgent, scaled-up, long-term support from the world-leading climate polluters.”

  —  African countries spending billions to cope with climate crisis

[humanrightsupdates]

Tomorrow, eleven Ugandan students will appear before a Kampala court for their activism against the planned East Africa crude oil pipeline (EACOP), one of the largest fossil fuel infrastructure projects currently under development globally. This is the latest in a series of harassment, threats, and arbitrary arrests against EACOP protestors.

These trials are part of a deeply concerning escalation of threats against human rights defenders in Uganda, particularly those raising concerns around oil development.

Police arrested the students last year, and according to media reports, beat them before remanding them to a maximum security prison. They are charged with the colonial era “common nuisance” offense, which Ugandan authorities have used to suppress legitimate protests.

Activists in Uganda oppose EACOP because of the risks it poses to the environment, local communities, and its potential contribution to climate change. And its construction coincides with a growing consensus amongst experts, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that there cannot be any new fossil fuel projects if the world is to limit the worst impacts of climate change. [Human Rights Watch]

[beardedmrbean]

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities in Greece ordered nationwide restrictions for goat and sheep Monday to combat a deadly viral outbreak that is a fresh blow to the domestic livestock industry.

Costas Tsiaras, the minister of agriculture and rural development, announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of goats and sheep as well as movement for reproduction – expanding measures already in effect in parts of central Greece where the outbreak was first reported.

Also known as the “goat plague,” the PPR virus is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep, causing severe illness and death. It has no adverse effect on human health, according to Greek officials.

So far, some 7,000 animals in herds where the disease has been identified have been culled in the hardest-hit central Thessaly region, with another 1,200 to be added early this week, regional governor Dimitris Kouretas said Monday.

Thessaly was also hit by a deadly storm last September that caused severe flooding and widespread damage to livestock farming.

The World Organization for Animal Health, an intergovernmental body based in Paris, describes PPR as “characterized by severe morbidity and mortality rates” with a high economic impact in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where goats and sheep are an important source of food.

[darkmaga-retard]

Bear with me; I am trying to identify the most effective way of conveying this important material. Please share. Consensus on this document will be sought at the UN in 8 days!

Meryl Nass

Sep 15, 2024

In 10 points, what does the Pact for the Future tell us?

Meryl Nass, MD. September 15, 2024

1.  Global governance is to be transformed and strengthened

"We will transform global governance" which will lead "to a brighter future for all of humanity."  But this will require greater international cooperation and compliance with international law. [paragraphs 3-5, and Action 41]

"We will strengthen the UN system" [Action 48]

2.  Assuring compliance

"Where mandated intergovernmental processes exist, we will use them to advance this agenda." [paragraph 17]

"We will strengthen international cooperation for the environment and the implementation of and compliance with our multilateral environmental agreements to deliver on our ambition to protect our planet." [Action 58] 

"Deepen United Nations’ engagement with national parliaments in United Nations intergovernmental bodies and processes, in accordance with national legislation, including through building on the efforts of the United Nations and Inter-Parliamentary Union to engage parliamentarians to maintain support for the implementation of relevant UN agreements and resolutions." [Action 59] 

3.  Dictatorial authority sought for the UN Secretary-General, echoing the plan for the WHO's Director-General in the Pandemic Treaty and proposed IHR amendments

Echoing the WHO's pandemic aspirations, the Pact seeks to give the UN Secretary-General the sole authority to operationalize an "Emergency Platform," for any type of emergency he designates, to decide which emergencies warrant this declaration, to decide when to trigger this authority, and to determine how to manage the emergency. [Action 57]

4.  Sustainable Development to be at the center of multilateralism (i.e., global governance) and at the center of a new global financial architecture

While "development" was one of the original 3 pillars of the UN, sometimes listed as 4 pillars, the Pact now claims that "Sustainable Development" is one of the essential 3 pillars of the UN. [paragraph 9] This is a gross misrepresentation, because the term "sustainable development" is used interchangeably with the Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, none of which existed when the UN was founded, and they have an entirely different meaning than the general term "development."

The Pact claims that sustainable development is "a central objective of multilateralism" [paragraph 10] and furthermore, "we will accelerate reform of the international financial architecture to address the challenges of today and tomorrow... the reform of the international financial architecture should place the 2030 agenda at its center" [Action 50].  But the world's citizens never voted to make Agenda 2030 the centerpiece of multilateralism, nor have they asked for the creation of a wholly new financial architecture, for which the UN lacks expertise and probably also lacks authority.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Multilateral cooperation, the spread of liberal democracy, the embrace of neoliberalism—while these developments were initially seen as auguries of a positive future, a more accurate reflection of things to come were the years of the break-up of Yugoslavia, which led to the Balkan or Yugoslav wars, and the widespread resurgence of extreme nationalist sentiment, especially where it had been either suppressed or rigidly controlled by the communist authorities. At the same time, far-right and populist Eurosceptic reactions to an overreaching, top-down, intergovernmental management and leadership of the EU were manifesting themselves in many of the original member states of the EU. As the 1990s ended, it was the reassertion of state sovereignty, the acquisition of it by nationalist movements driven by exclusivist ethno-nationalism and a whitewashing of pre-Second World War pro-Nazi and fascist nationalist leaders and organisations that had become the norm.

Antony Lerman, Whatever Happened to Antisemitism?: Redefinition and the Myth of the 'Collective Jew'

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Scientists detect sign that a crucial ocean current is near collapse

By Sarah Kaplan

The Atlantic Ocean’s sensitive circulation system has become slower and less resilient, according to a new analysis of 150 years of temperature data — raising the possibility that this crucial element of the climate system could collapse within the next few decades.

Scientists have long seen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, as one of the planet’s most vulnerable “tipping elements” —meaning the system could undergo an abrupt and irreversible change, with dramatic consequences for the rest of the globe. Under Earth’s current climate, this aquatic conveyor belt transports warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, and then sends colder water back south along the ocean floor. But as rising global temperatures melt Arctic ice, the resulting influx of cold freshwater has thrown a wrench in the system — and could shut it down entirely.

The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications suggests that continued warming will push the AMOC over its “tipping point” around the middle of this century. The shift would be as abrupt and irreversible as turning off a light switch, and it could lead to dramatic changes in weather on either side of the Atlantic.

“This is a really worrying result,” said Peter Ditlevsen, a climate physicist at the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the new study. “This is really showing we need a hard foot on the brake” of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ditlevsen’s analysis is at odds with the most recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which drew on multiple climate models and concluded with “medium confidence” that the AMOC will not fully collapse this century.

Other experts on the AMOC also cautioned that because the new study doesn’t present new observations of the entire ocean system — instead, it is extrapolating about the future based on past data from a limited region of the Atlantic — its conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.

“The qualitative statement that AMOC has been losing stability in the last century remains true even taking all uncertainties into account,” said Niklas Boers, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “But the uncertainties are too high for a reliable estimate of the time of AMOC tipping.”

The new study adds to a growing body of evidence that this crucial ocean system is in peril. Since 2004, observations from a network of ocean buoys has showed the AMOC getting weaker — though the limited time frame of that data set makes it hard to establish a trend. Scientists have also analyzed multiple “proxy” indicators of the current’s strength, including microscopic organisms and tiny sediments from the seafloor, to show the system is in its weakest state in more than 1,000 years.

For their analysis, Peter Ditlevsen and his colleague Susanne Ditlevsen (who is Peter’s sister) examined records of sea surface temperatures going back to 1870. In recent years, they found, temperatures in the northernmost waters of the Atlantic have undergone bigger fluctuations and taken longer to return to normal. These are “early warning signals” that the AMOC is becoming critically unstable, the scientists said — like the increasingly wild wobbles before a tower of Jenga blocks starts to fall.

Susanne Ditlevsen, a statistician at the University of Copenhagen, then developed an advanced mathematical model to predict how much more wobbling the AMOC system can handle. The results suggest that the AMOC could collapse any time between now and 2095, and as early as 2025, the authors said.

The consequences would not be nearly as dire as they appear in the 2004 sci-fi film “The Day After Tomorrow,” in which a sudden shutdown of the current causes a flash freeze across the northern hemisphere. But it could lead to a drop in temperatures in northern Europe and elevated warming in the tropics, Peter Ditlevsen said, as well as stronger storms on the East Coast of North America.

Marilena Oltmanns, an oceanographer at the National Oceanography Center in Britain, noted in a statement that the temperatures in the north Atlantic are “only one part of a highly complex, dynamical system.” Though her own research on marine physics supports the Ditlevsens’ conclusion that this particular region could reach a tipping point this century, she is wary of linking that transition to a full-scale change in Atlantic Ocean circulation.

Yet the dangers of even a partial AMOC shutdown mean any indicators of instability are worth investigating, said Stefan Rahmstorf, another oceanographer at the Potsdam Institute who was not involved in the new study.

“As always in science, a single study provides limited evidence, but when multiple approaches lead to similar conclusions this must be taken very seriously,” he said. “The scientific evidence now is that we can’t even rule out crossing a tipping point already in the next decade or two.”

Chris Mooney contributed to this report.

[Washington Post]

[dnickels]

In celebration of Pride Month, and in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities (SDG10), explore a special, curated selection of author interviews, articles and book chapters from across disciplines and Springer Nature imprints on LGBTQ+ issues.

I read this wrong because its early but Happy Pride! We're In Trouble With The UN :( was such a funny concept to me I am NOT letting it go. More celebrants should admit they are being coerced into participating by an intergovernmental organization because they did a human rights uh-oh

and let me tell you it IS a human rights violation that Leadership in the Trenches is still 200 dollars come the fuck on

[sciencespies]

We need to stop thinking of insects as 'creepy crawlies' and recognize their keystone role in ecosystems

https://sciencespies.com/environment/we-need-to-stop-thinking-of-insects-as-creepy-crawlies-and-recognize-their-keystone-role-in-ecosystems/

We need to stop thinking of insects as 'creepy crawlies' and recognize their keystone role in ecosystems

We need to stop thinking of insects as creepy crawlies and focus on the huge benefits they bring to people and the natural environment, scientists say.

The widespread and deeply ingrained cultural perception of insects as creepy crawlies is a key factor holding back the public’s appreciation of the role they play within ecosystems. This perception is in part reflected in government biodiversity policy inaction across the globe, they argue.

This point is among a range of actions highlighted as part of a new paper published in Ecology and Evolution produced by an international team of entomologists which outlines a ‘battle plan’ including steps needed to prevent further insect losses across the globe.

Led by Dr Philip Donkersley of Lancaster University and co-authored by scientists from the University of Hong Kong, the Czech Academy of Sciences and Harper Adams University, the paper is a call to action targeted at other entomologists to step up advocacy for insects.

Despite 30 years of intergovernmental reports highlighting biodiversity targets, global insect abundance, biomass and diversity continues to decline. The paper considers the lack of progress in protecting insects and why meaningful change has not happened.

“Biodiversity, including insect, declines are often unintended consequences of human activities with human wellbeing nearly always trumping nature conservation, and this is likely to continue until we reach a point where we see flat-lining ecosystems are detrimental to our own species,” said Dr Donkersley. “Intergovernmental action has been slow to respond, kicking in only when change becomes impossible to ignore. If we are to see political attitudes and actions change then first societies’ perception of insects needs to be addressed.”

The paper highlights the range of benefits that insects bring, including some that are lesser known. These benefits include fundamental roles within ecosystems through interactions with plants including as pollinators, as a food for other animals, and as a food source for people in many parts of the world. Other benefits the authors highlight include insects’ contributions to wellbeing, culture and innovation, such as the benefits people derive from seeing butterflies in parks and gardens, their inclusion in poetry and literature, and their inspiration for a range of technologies, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The researchers have outlined strategic priorities in their action plan to help support the conservation of insects. These include:

to proactively and publicly address government inaction

highlighting the technological developments we owe to the insects, and that there is a lot still to be discovered

aligning with bird, plant and mammal conservation groups to show species interdependencies and knock-on benefits insect conservation has for other animals

Engage public and school students with the wonders of the insect world to counter perceptions of insects as threatening ‘creepy crawlies’

“The benefits we gain from the insect world are broad, yet aversion of phobias of invertebrates are common and stand firmly in the path of their conservation,” said Dr Donkersley. “We need to move beyond this mindset and appreciate the huge role they play in ecosystems, foodchains, mental health, and even technological innovation.

“This perception change is a crucial step, alongside other measures we outline in this paper. Immediate and substantial actions are needed to protect insect species in order to maintain global ecosystem stability.”

The steps are outlined in the paper ‘Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology’.

Authors on the paper are Dr Philip Donkersley, Lancaster University, Dr Louise Ashton, University of Hong Kong, Dr Greg Lamarre, Czech Academy of Sciences, and Dr Simon Segar, Harper Adams University.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Lancaster University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

#Environment

[eaglesnick]

101 Things You Should Know About the UK Tory Government

Thing 59

“Number of new social homes being built down 90% since Tories came to power in 2010."  (Independent: 19/06/18)

“Conservative Government Hasn't Built A Single Starter Home Since Pledging 200,000 Houses Four Years Ago." (Huffpost: 05/11/19)

“Councils are unable to house homeless people in their areas due to a lack of affordable housing, leaving a third of those who contacted their local authority remaining, or becoming homeless.” (Landlord News.co.uk: 12/03/20)

“... the number of homeless people in the U.K. has risen by 83% over the past decade.”  (The British Tribune: 07/12/21)

What is the government response to this growing crisis? Blame the lack of housing on the quality of design and build of new houses.

“Much of the opposition to new housing developments is often grounded in a fear that the quality of the new buildings and places created will be deficient and therefore detrimental to existing neighbourhoods and properties.

"If a general improvement in the standard of design reassures the general public that this will in fact not be the case, then they may be less likely to oppose it."  (Michael Gove: December 2022)

Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations) may well be right when he says poor build quality and design lead to local opposition to new housing developments. What he neglects to say, however, is that it is government who is responsible for building regulations controlling quality of build and design.

“Building regulations are minimum standards for design, construction and alterations to virtually every building. The regulations are developed by the UK government and approved by Parliament.” (Building control - Building control - Planning Portal)

It really is time the Tory government accepted responsibility for its inaction.

[caalaadd]

Ethiopia: IGAD names PM Ahmed as “champion” of sustainable tourism

Ethiopia: IGAD names PM Ahmed as “champion” of sustainable tourism IGAD names PM Ahmed as “champion” of sustainable tourism The Ethiopian Prime Minister recently called for a day to plant over 600 million trees across Ethiopia, as part of a commitment to reforest the country, an initiative he himself took part in. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has chosen to nominate the…

[cleanair4blueskiesday]

Highlight policy solutions for air pollution and lack of energy access and catalyse evidence-based, multi-sectoral actions in cities, countries and regions.

The Global conference on air pollution and health: accelerating action for clean air, clean energy access and climate mitigation will highlight policy solutions for air pollution and lack of energy access and catalyse evidence-based, multi-sectoral actions in cities, countries and regions.

Key objectives of the conference include:

Share the latest evidence on health risks of air pollution and energy poverty, assessment tools and resources for decision-making.

Take stock of global progress since 2015 after the WHA resolution was passed and the start of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Showcase health, climate, gender and equity co-benefits of air pollution and energy action. 

Mobilize, value and empower health professionals to ‘prescribe’ clean air for health.

Iterate strategies to mitigate the health sector’s environmental footprint.

Harness climate and development finance to tackle air pollution and ensure a just energy transition.

Leverage health arguments to drive country cooperation and financial commitments.

Countries, regions and cities join BreatheLife and commit to air pollution reductions by 2030 and beyond.

Participants include Ministers of Health, respective Ministers of Environment, Energy and officials of national, intergovernmental and development agencies; health professionals; mayors, local authorities and planners; representatives of critical sectors such as energy, transport, industry, waste and land-use; as well as delegates from research, academia and civil society. Attendance to this conference is by invitation only.

Concept Note

[thoughtlessarse]

UK government officials attempted to suppress criticism of the United Arab Emirates and its alleged role in supplying arms to a notorious militia waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Sudan, sources have told the Guardian. Claims that Foreign Office officials put pressure on African diplomats to avoid criticising the UAE over its alleged military support for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will intensify scrutiny of the UK’s relationship with the Gulf state. The RSF, a paramilitary group accused of carrying out crimes against humanity by rights groups, is besieging the city of El Fasher in Darfur, a sprawling region in western Sudan. Fighters have encircled the city, amid evidence they are targeting and murdering civilians based on their ethnicity. The siege has prompting warnings that if El Fasher falls it will precipitate a large-scale massacre and possible genocide. Yonah Diamond, an international human rights lawyer, said that during informal talks earlier this month in Ethiopia – to explore the possibility of legal action against the UAE over its alleged role in the fighting – he was told by sources that the UK was actively dissuading some states from condemning the emirates. It prompted accusations among diplomats that the UK had prioritised its relationship with the UAE over the fate of civilians trapped in El Fasher, home to 1.8 million people. Diamond’s talks in Addis Ababa involved officials from the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country east African trade bloc, along with other diplomats. He said: “We were looking to build support for a civilian protection mechanism [in Darfur] and moves to hold the UAE accountable in the international court of justice or elsewhere in the region.”

continue reading

[warningsine]

The world has enough fossil fuel projects planned to meet global energy demand forecasts to 2050 and governments should stop issuing new oil, gas and coal licences, according to a large study aimed at political leaders.

If governments deliver the changes promised in order to keep the world from breaching its climate targets no new fossil fuel projects will be needed, researchers at University College London and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) said on Thursday.

The data offered what they said was “a rigorous scientific basis” for global governments to ban new fossil fuel projects and begin a managed decline of the fossil fuel industry, while encouraging investment in clean energy alternatives.

By establishing a “clear and immediate demand” political leaders would be able to set a new norm around the future of fossil fuels, against which the industry could be held “immediately accountable”, the researchers said.

Published in the journal Science, the paper analysed global energy demand forecasts for oil and gas, as well as coal- and gas-fired electricity, using a broad range of scenarios compiled for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that limited global heating to within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

It found that in addition to not needing new fossil fuel extraction, no new coal- and gas-fired power generation was needed in a net zero future.

The paper is expected to reignite criticism of the UK’s Conservative government, which has promised to offer hundreds of oil and gas exploration licenses to boost the North Sea industry, a policy that has emerged as a key dividing line with the opposition Labour party before the 4 July general election.

Labour has vowed to put an end to new North Sea licences if it comes to power, and also plans to increase taxes on the profits made by existing oil and gas fields to help fund investments in green energy projects through a new government-owned company, Great British Energy.

Dr Steve Pye, a co-author of the report from the UCL Energy Institute, said: “Importantly, our research establishes that there is a rigorous scientific basis for the proposed norm by showing that there is no need for new fossil fuel projects.”

“The clarity that this norm brings should help focus policy on targeting the required ambitious scaling of renewable and clean energy investment, whilst managing the decline of fossil fuel infrastructure in an equitable and just way,” Pye said.

The report expanded on work by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which has warned in recent years that no new fossil fuel projects were compatible with the global goal to build a net zero energy system.

The IEA ruled out any new investment in long-lead time fossil fuel projects, but acknowledged that continued investment would be required in existing oil and gas assets and already approved projects.

Dr Fergus Green, from the department of political science at UCL, said: “Our research draws lessons from past shifts in global ethical norms, such as slavery and the testing of nuclear weapons. These cases show that norms resonate when they carry simple demands to which powerful actors can be held immediately accountable.

“Complex, long-term goals like ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ lack these features, but ‘no new fossil fuel projects’ is a clear and immediate demand, against which all current governments, and the fossil fuel industry, can rightly be judged.”

The outgoing head of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change, Chris Stark, said last month that the concept of net zero had become a political slogan used to start a “dangerous” culture war over the climate, and may be better dropped.

“If it is only a slogan, if it is seen as a sort of holding pen for a whole host of cultural issues, then I’m intensely relaxed about dropping it,” Stark said. “We keep it as a scientific target, but we don’t need to use it as a badge that we keep on every programme.”

Green said a political stance on supporting new fossil fuel projects should “serve as a litmus test” on whether a government was serious about tackling the climate crisis. “If they’re allowing new fossil fuel projects, then they’re not serious,” he added.

[peacekeepersday]

Remarks by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, on International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2024.

Minister of Federal Affairs, the Honourable Losuba Ludoru Wongo; Excellencies, members of the diplomatic community. My fellow United Nations colleagues and peacekeepers. Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the official commemoration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

Every year, on this day - the 29th of May - we honour the more than two million women and men who have served as United Nations peacekeepers since the first mission was deployed in 1948.

Importantly, we also pay tribute to the 4374 peacekeepers who have given their lives since that time in the cause of peace across the world.

Today, we particularly remember 14 of our colleagues serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan who sadly passed away in the last year. We take the opportunity to again express our deep condolences to their families.

Their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and their legacy inspires us to continue all efforts in the pursuit of peace.   

For 76 years, United Nations peacekeepers have made a tangible impact on the communities they serve.

They have saved and changed lives in some of the world’s most fragile political and security situations and have helped many countries navigate the difficult path from war to peace.

Today, more than 76,000 civilian, military and police personnel are deployed in 11 peacekeeping missions.

The challenges they face are greater than ever.

But they persevere to protect civilians, prevent violence, support political settlements, and build sustainable peace.

Here in South Sudan, around 18,000 civilian and uniformed peacekeepers serve with courage and determination to implement our mandate.

They carry out a wide range of tasks.

Protecting civilians.

Deterring violence.

Facilitating the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.

Monitoring and investigating human rights violations and abuses.

Bringing communities together to reconcile and resolve conflict.

Supporting political processes and election preparations.

And helping to secure peace and progress.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

This year, the theme for the International Day of UN Peacekeepers is “Building Better Together”.

It promotes the importance of peacekeeping as a collective endeavour which can only succeed with the support of many partners.

This theme resonates strongly here in South Sudan where we rely on the support of the Government and people, as well as with regional and international peace partners, including the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC).

These strong and enduring partnerships are more important than ever as we confront a growing catalogue of challenges across all fronts – economic, humanitarian, political and security.

UNMISS is doing its utmost to help overcome these challenges.  

We are intensifying efforts to bring political leaders together to build consensus and increase momentum in the implementation of the peace agreement.

This includes facilitating forums for leaders and representatives of political parties at the national and state levels as well as dedicated sessions for women and youth leaders to support more inclusive decision-making and governance processes.

We are also providing significant support to preparations for elections, including technical assistance and training for electoral bodies.

Another priority is to help build the capacity of South Sudan’s institutions and public services, including the justice sector to more effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate crimes, particularly sexual and gender-based violence.

This includes building 23 courts, prisons, police stations and training centres this year as well as helping to deploy mobile courts which bring justice to communities where it has been missing for far too long.

Further on the infrastructure front, we continue to maintain 80 kilometres of dikes and berms in Bentiu, protecting 300,000 people stranded on a tiny sliver of land surrounded by 4500 square kilometres of flood water.

Our engineers are also repairing 2000 kilometres of roads across Warrap, Western and Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes and Upper Nile, which helps to promote economic activity and peacebuilding efforts among these communities.

In protecting civilians, we are taking a more mobile, agile and nimble approach, including establishing temporary bases in conflict hotspots, such as Koch, Maridi, Jamjang, Tambura and, most recently, in Abiemnhom.

Our presence and patrolling helps protect vulnerable communities, including displaced families, who are caught in the crossfire of intercommunal conflict. It provides a secure environment for humanitarian workers to reach those in need. And it enables feuding groups to safely come together to resolve their differences and grievances through dialogue rather than violence.

While progress is being made in the journey towards peace and stability, there is still much to be done.

Fresh momentum must be injected into the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement which remains the only route towards enduring peace.

Urgent action is also needed to meet the minimum political and technical preconditions required for peaceful and credible elections so that the people of South Sudan have the opportunity they deserve to choose their leaders and own their own future.

On this note, I’d like to reiterate the UN’s position on elections so there is no misunderstanding.

The United Nations supports the sovereign right of the Government and people of South Sudan to conduct their own elections.

Our role has been to provide technical and other assistance for electoral preparations and to support the establishment of the necessary preconditions, as agreed by the parties themselves, so that elections are free, fair, credible, and peaceful and do not become a driver of conflict.

This is in line with our core mandate from the UN Security Council to prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan.

And it is why we are working intensively with the parties and regional peace partners in support of the shared prize of elections.

Ladies and gentlemen.

On this special day, I would like to end my remarks by thanking our dedicated peacekeepers for their immense contribution to peace.  

Our national staff, who strive every day to build a brighter future for their communities and country.

Our international colleagues, including more than 400 UN Volunteers, who work far from home and their families in difficult conditions to support this country on its path to peace.

I’d like to make special mention of the more than 2000 women peacekeepers serving with UNMISS, whose contribution improves the effectiveness of the Mission and makes a tangible difference to the lives of those they serve.  

Lastly, to the people of South Sudan, we thank you for your support, your resilience, and your determination to overcome all obstacles and enjoy the better future that you so deserve.

You are our partner in peace.

Thank you.  

Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General

[intlforestday]

International Forest Governance- A comprehensive global review (Side Event UNFF19).

The study assesses the developments in international forest governance, including main actors and instruments; the forest-related finance landscape; the relevant current discourses; and the different governance designs with deficits and alternatives.

Considering that the international forest governance is a dynamic entity, many of the organisations that form the core of the international forest regime recognise the need for coordination, especially when taking into account that forests play a key role in any cost-effective climate change mitigation actions. While the role of nation states within intergovernmental organisations remains an important component of the forest regime, non-governmental actors, both for-profit and not-for-profit are also significant aspects of the governance complex. The vital role of these actors in international politics and policy should be taken into account when discussing the broader concept of forest governance. The inclusion of new actors and relationships is being institutionalised in a variety of ways, creating new structures of transnational policy networks and partnerships. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of the international forest regime cannot focus solely on the actors, but it also needs to consider the institutions and instruments found at the core of the governance complex. 

IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme has now finished a study based on IUFRO's assessment report published in 2010 on the topic of International Forest Governance. This new study provides an analysis of the latest available knowledge on global forest governance. This session will present the outcomes of this study, discussing the main aspects of the international forest governance context to improve the understanding of its increasing complexity, since new programmes and arrangements have emerged at all scales in the past years, and the interactions among them, including synergies and trade-offs, are often unclear. During the session, besides the presentations of outcomes and key messages of the assessment by some of the lead authors of the study, there will be interventions from policy-makers and implementing organisations to provide the scientific information presented with real world perspectives.

Watch International Forest Governance- A comprehensive global review (Side Event UNFF19)!