April 18, 2024 No comments
Renewable energy transforming the landscape
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, Climate and Environment - Renewable energy, if supported by governments, can “truly change the landscape” in terms of achieving equitable access to affordable and clean energy, but only if those governments can move from “commitment to action”; That’s according to the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable energy is generally defined as any energy source that is continuously replenished. It includes solar and wind power as well as bioenergy (organic matter burned as fuel) and hydroelectric power. IRENA’s Francesco La Camera, spoke to UN News ahead of a special meeting on Friday on transitioning to sustainable sources of energy which is taking place at the United Nations in New York as part of the first ever Sustainability Week. Ensuring access to affordable reliable, sustainable...
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US vetoes Palestine’s request for full UN membership
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, UN Affairs - The Security Council rejected Palestine’s request for UN membership on Thursday, with the United States casting a veto. In a vote of 12 in favour to one against, with two abstentions, the Council did not adopt a draft resolution that would have recommended the General Assembly to hold a vote with the broader UN membership to allow Palestine to join as a full UN Member State. The draft resolution is among the shortest in the Council’s history: “The Security Council, having examined the application of the State of Palestine for admission to the United Nations (S/2011/592), recommends to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.” For a draft resolution to pass,...
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Guterres appeals for maximum restraint in the Middle East
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, Peace and Security - Recent escalations in the Middle East make it even more important to support efforts towards lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday. “Failure to make progress towards a two-State solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region, who will continue to live under the constant threat of violence,” he said. Regional conflict, global impact With the Middle East “on a precipice”, he appealed for maximum restraint, warning against the far-reaching consequences. “One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable – a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved –...
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Palestine’s status at the UN explained
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, UN Affairs - What will it take for Palestine to become a full UN Member State? As the Security Council takes up the matter while the devastating war in Gaza enters its seventh month, we looked at Palestine’s current status and what it takes to become a UN Member State. Palestine’s current status Right now, Palestine is a “Permanent Observer State” at the UN, enjoying the status that allows it to participate in all of the Organization’s proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies, from the Security Council to the General Assembly and its six main committees. However, some other participation is off-limits to Permanent Observers. This was made clear by a General Assembly resolution, which temporarily,...
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Gaza: UN experts decry ‘systemic obliteration’ of education system
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, Peace and Security - UN independent human rights experts on Thursday raised alarm over the “systematic destruction” of the Palestinian education system in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s military operation continues unabated. Since the brutal 7 October attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on southern Israel, and the ensuing military assault by Israel, over 5,800 students and teachers have been killed and a further 8,575 have been injured across the enclave. Many others have been arrested, while attacks on places of learning have left more than 625,000 students without any ability to study. UN schools sheltering civilians displaced from their homes have also come under fire, including some inside Israeli military-designated “safe zones”. Hopes and dreams destroyed “With more than 80 per cent...
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