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Governments adopt global migration pact to help ‘prevent suffering and chaos’

INTERNATIONAL, 10 December 2018, Migrants and Refugees - The Global Compact for Migration was adopted on Monday by leading representatives from 164 Governments at an international conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, in an historic move described by UN Chief António Guterres as the creation of a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.

Speaking at the opening intergovernmental session, Mr. Guterres, said that the Compact provides a platform for “humane, sensible, mutually beneficial action” resting on two “simple ideas”.

“Firstly, that migration has always been with us, but should be managed and safe; second, that national policies are far more likely to succeed with international cooperation.”

The UN chief said that in recent months there had been “many falsehoods” uttered about the agreement and “the overall issue of migration”. In order to dispel the “myths”, he said that the Compact did not allow the UN to impose migration policies on Member States, and neither was the pact a formal treaty.

“Moreover, it is not legally-binding. It is a framework for international cooperation, rooted in an inter-governmental process of negotiation in good faith,” he told delegates in Marrakech.

The pact would not give migrants rights to go anywhere, reaffirming only the fundamental human rights, he said. Mr. Guterres also challenged the myth that developed countries no longer need migrant labour, saying it was clear that “most need migrants across a broad spectrum of vital roles.”

Acknowledging that some States decided not to take part in the conference, or adopt the Compact, the UN Chief expressed his wish that they will come to recognize its value for their societies and join in “this common venture.”

The United States did not endorse the Compact, and more than a dozen other countries either chose not to sign the accord or are still undecided.  

Marrakech Compact, reality vs myth

The Moroccan minister of foreign affairs, Nasser Bourita, banged his gavel announcing the adoption of the Compact, while outlining the various efforts his country has made to bring about global consensus on international migration.

Along with Climate Change, unregulated migration has become a pressing issue in recent years. Every year, thousands of migrants lose their lives or go missing on perilous routes, often fallen victim to smugglers and traffickers.  

Mr. Guterres welcomed the overwhelming global support for the pact, saying that for people on the move, “voluntary or forced; and whether or not they have been able to obtain formal authorization for movement, all human beings must have their human rights respected and their dignity upheld.”

The adoption of the pact, now known as Marrakech Compact, coincides with the 70th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document which is central to the pact. Mr. Guterres said “it would be ironic if, on the day we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we would consider that migrants are to be excluded from the scope of the Declaration.”

After the adoption, the UN chief told journalists that “it was a very emotional moment” for him when he saw “the members of the conference unanimously in acclamation” adopt the Compact.

It was fitting that the conference is taking place in Marrakech, Morocco, a major migration route for centuries. UN data shows that globally more than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since the year 2000, prompting the Secretary-General to call it “a source of collective shame.”

‘Great achievement’ for multilaterlalism

UN senior migration official Ms. Louise Arbour, tasked with overseeing the process, applauded the adoption, calling it “wonderful occasion, really a historic moment and a really great achievement for multilateralism.”

She congratulated Member States for working “very hard to resolve differences, to understand the complexities of all questions related to human mobility for the last 18 months.”

Ms. Arbour, who is the UN Special Representative for International Migration, said the Compact “will make an enormous positive impact in the lives of millions of people – migrants themselves, the people they leave behind and the communities that will then host them.” She revealed that this will depend on the implementation of the Global Compact’s initiatives.

Representing civil society and youth at the conference opening, children right’s activist Cheryl Perera, spoke of her volunteer work against child trafficking. She urged the delegates to make full use of the opportunity the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) provides.

“The GCM offers a historic opportunity now for you to deliver on your existing obligations to protect children and invest in young people all around the world. But it doesn’t end here. You need to address the underlying risks of forced and unsafe migration, like climate change, social political exclusion, disasters and inequality, and you need once and for all to end immigration detention,” she said, adding that everyone needed to do more “to prevent trafficking and protect victims. You need to stop criminalizing migrants.”

‘Go it alone approach’ doesn’t work: Merkel

The longstanding German Chancellor Angela Merkel, welcomed the adoption saying that it was high time the international community came to a more realistic understanding over global migration.

Ms. Merkel warned that the “go it alone approach will not solve the issue,” stressing that multilateralism is the only possible way forward. She admitted that her country – which has already welcomed more than a million migrants and refugees in recent years from countries such as Syria - will need more skilled labour from outside the European Union and has a vested interested in legal migration. But she also reaffirmed that Member States must tackle illegal migration and clearly commit to effective border protection to prevent human trafficking, as put forward in the Compact.

“States cannot accept that traffickers are the ones deciding who crosses into countries. We must settle such matters among us”, Ms. Merkel said. 

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In Marrakech, UN chief urges world leaders to ‘breathe life’ into historic global migration pact

INTERNATIONAL, 9 December 2018, Migrants and Refugees - Leading Government representatives from more than 150 States have arrived in Marrakech, Morocco, with a view to adopting a ground-breaking UN-led global migration compact which is designed to make the growing phenomenon safer and more dignified for millions on the move.  

On the eve of the opening of the intergovernmental conference centred around the Global Compact for Migration, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the diverse array of delegates who have come together in the historic North African city to agree a way forward on Monday and Tuesday.

He said “essential roles” would be “played by many actors, including Governments and migrants themselves, of course, but also civil society, academia, trade unions, the private sector, diaspora groups, local communities, parliamentarians, national human rights institutions and the media.” he said.

Mr. Guterres urged world leaders to “breathe life” into what has been agreed on, identifying the “Compact’s utility to Governments as they establish and implement their migration policies,” as well as “to communities of origin, transit and destination; and to migrants.”

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

It was born out of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in September 2016, and is the culmination of 18 months of discussions and consultations among Member States, and other actors, including national and local officials, civil society, private and public sectors and migrants.

UN Photo/Mark Garten
The UN Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour, addresses delegates at the flag-raising ceremony of the Global Compact for Migration conference in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The United Nations Special Representative for International Migration Ms. Louise Arbour emphasized that “the adoption of the Migration Compact is a re-affirmation of the values and principles embodied in the UN Charter and in international law.”

The UN asserts that the GCM is not a legally binding document and that its text is an agreed outcome from several years of intergovernmental negotiations and it is for each State to determine its own next steps.

Launch of new UN Migration Network to support States

During the reception ceremony, the Secretary-General officially launched the United Nations Network on Migration, with the aim of mobilizing the full resources of the world organization and expertise, in support of Member States. He announced that the “the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will play a central role” in the network.

Expressing his confidence in the new network, Mr. Guterres highlighted some of its core features saying that “it will focus on collaboration.” In addition to that, the network will have an inclusive structure, while embodying UN values, like diversity and an openness to working with all partners, at all levels, he explained.

Marrakech leaves its mark on Global Compact

In the morning, the head of the conference Ms. Arbour, accompanied by the Moroccan Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, at a flag-raising ceremony. A symbolic act of solidarity and intent, for the gathering in Marrakech, which has taken months of negotiation and effort, and seen several countries in recent weeks waver in their support for the adoption of the Compact.

Calling it a historic moment for both his country and the United Nations, Mr. Hilale said it was “a historic moment for two reasons”, both as the first ever international conference on the issue, and “the second reason is that the Marrakech document will be the first document in UN history that will address the rights of migrants and defend it. Marrakech will lend its name to this document.”

Ms. Arbour praised the Kingdom of Morocco for creating an inspiring environment to launch “one of the defining projects of our generation,” as she described it, adding that “the Marrakech Compact will remain the reference for all future initiatives dealing with cross-border human mobility.”

With hours to go before Governments are expected to adopt the Compact, Ms. Arbour stressed that what came next was the crucial phase.

It is the implementation of the Compact “that will forever change the way the International Community manages human mobility,” she said.

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Ahead of key UN-backed Marrakech migration conference, youth recount harrowing journeys

INTERNATIONAL, 8 December 2018, Migrants and Refugees - Paving the way to the key UN migration conference in Marrakech, Morocco, which it is hoped will agree new measures to make life safer and more dignified for people on the move, UN agencies held a series of side events to highlight the different aspects of migration, paying special attention to the most vulnerable, and the challenges they face on their often perilous journeys.

The UN Special Representative for International Migration, Ms. Louise Arbour, opened the Youth Forum segment at the conference, asserting the importance of making “migration policies consistently uphold children’s rights and best interests.”

“One guiding principle of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is the promotion of existing international legal obligations in relation to the rights of the child and the need to uphold the principle of the best interests of the child at all times,” said the Special Representative.

“While politicians are squabbling over migration, 4,000 uprooted children and young people are telling us they need more support,” said Laurence Chandy, Director of Data, Research and Policy for UNICEF, in a press release.According to a poll conducted by the UN Children's Fund UNICEF, that surveyed nearly 4,000 refugees and migrants – aged 14 to 24 – more than half of the respondents revealed that they were forced to leave their countries, while 44 per cent did so of their own volition.

Mr. Chandy urged states to make migration safe, through adopting the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), and the commitments and actions proposed in it, saying that “migration is inevitable, but the danger and discrimination experienced by refugee and migrant children doesn’t have to be.”

He explained that “the GCM provides an operating manual for local and national authorities on good practices and approaches for the benefit of uprooted children.”

The number of children surveyed by UNICEF is a drop in the ocean compared to the actual number of children on the move. Ms. Arbour pointed out that “there are 258 million migrants globally, 50 million of whom are children.”

“Against this background it is important to remember that the Global Compact is a re-affirmation that human rights belong to us all, regardless of migration status. The Compact emphasises this and places added focus on the most vulnerable, including children,” she said.

UN Photo/Mark Garten
An artistic display representing migration in the conference centre of the Global Compact for Migration meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco. (December 2018)

Young migrant stories brought alive 'through art' in Marrakech

In an effort to shed more light on the issue, UNICEF joined by the host government, Morocco, opened an art exhibition titled “Journey of a Young Migrant: Bringing Stories Alive Through Art”.

Kader, a young Ivorian migrant spoke of his experience travelling alone, on one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes, across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy where he has found a new home. He recounted to the audience the solace migrants seek, from the objects they bring with them.

My father used to say, ‘when you travel bring three things with you. A book, a pair of shoes and a pen' - young migrant from Côte d'Ivoire, Kader

“You are confident, you are more strong when you see that you have that object with you,” Said Kader, who brought a book with him on his voyage, explaining its huge importance.

“My father used to say, ‘when you travel bring three things with you. A book, a pair of shoes and a pen.’ The book will give you the knowledge. I will be learning. I took also some stuff from my mommy, because I am very tied to my mommy.”

UN Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake, was among the attendees, and spoke of her last visit to Cox's Bazaar, in Bangladesh, where more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees are seeking shelter from atrocious rights abuses in Myanmar: “Most of the young people in the camp are not in school… in the camp there are about 117,000 young people with only 2,000 of them having access to any type education.”

Pointing to a photo in the exhibit of a young Rohingya girl holding a book, the Youth Envoy said that "In a situation like that, the fact that a young person, a young women specifically, is holding on to a book, actually tells us a lot about what their hopes and expectations are for the future.”

UNICEF’s poll shows the vulnerability of young people on the move, with 58% of respondents reporting that they had sacrificed one or more years of school,. Nearly half of them were unable to see a doctor when they needed one, and 38% received no help from anyone – family, friends or institutions.

Commenting on the poll, Mr. Chandy said that 'uprooted children can teach us a great deal about their needs and vulnerabilities if we are willing to hear them”.

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The costs of corruption: values, economic development under assault, trillions lost, says Guterres

INTERNATIONAL, 8 December 2018, SDGs - Every year, trillions of dollars - equivalent to more than five percent of global GDP - are paid in bribes or stolen through corruption, the United Nations reported on the International Day which serves to highlight the pervasive crime, marked this Sunday.

Secretary-General António Guterres deemed corruption “an assault on the values of the United Nations,” in a message on International Anti-Corruption Day, which is marked each 9 December.

He said that "it robs societies of schools, hospitals and other vital services, drives away foreign investment and strips nations of their natural resources,” he said.

One trillion dollars are paid in bribes annually, while another 2.6 trillion are stolen; all due to corruption.

The United Nations is fighting the global scourge, which affects both rich and poor countries, through initiatives like the global campaign launched jointly by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The campaign recognizes corruption as one of the biggest impediments to achieving the SDGs, or 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agreed by all nations of the world in 2015, to advance the whole of humankind. And to counter that pernicious reality, the campaign is asking communities to use the Anti-Corruption logo during related events, and highlight community actions related to the Day on social platforms by using the hashtag #UnitedAgainstCorruption and tagging @UNDP, @UNODC.

Government officials, civil society, the private sector, and anti-corruption advocates can reference the campaign’s “Call to Action Matrix,” which offers recommendations for strategies to stand against corruption.

Additionally, the United Nations Convention against Corruption, adopted in 2003, exists as the only legally-binding, universal anti-corruption instrument.

Its far-reaching approach covers the full spectrum of corruption, and a vast majority of Member States, 186, are parties to the Convention.

Mr. Guterres called the Convention a “primary tool” for advancing the fight, and highlighted the positive outcomes made possible through its implementation.

“Through the Convention's peer review mechanism, we can work together to build a foundation of trust and accountability,” said the UN chief.

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COP24 addresses climate change displacement ahead of key UN migration meeting in Marrakech

INTERNATIONAL, 8 December 2018, Climate Change - As hundreds of decision-makers are gathering in Marrakech to agree new standards for global migration, the United Nations climate change conference ‘COP24’ is looking at concrete ways to help countries tackle large-scale displacement caused by the impacts of climate change, including water scarcity, flooding, storms and rising sea levels. 

“Changing weather, floods and droughts in many places increasingly threaten people’s safety and livelihoods. That is leading a lot of families to have to consider whether they can stay where they are, or try to live somewhere else,” said Koko Warner, who leads on migration issues at the UN climate change convention (UNFCCC) secretariat. 

While it is very challenging to quantify the number of people who have been displaced by climate change, today, over 258 million people live outside their country of origin. Global warming is expected to increase this number as its impacts increasingly render some areas of the planet uninhabitable.

“For example, if you’re a farmer and the rains fail you for several years in a row, you may all of a sudden lose not only your access to food, but your entire source of income, and the well-being of your entire family can become very precarious,” explained Ms. Warner.

Currently, four times more people in the world are displaced by extreme weather events than they are by conflict. 

To address this, a set of recommendations to help countries cope with climate-change-related displacement was presented here at COP24, the key two-week meeting being held in Katowice, Poland, to define the way forward on the commitments made by all countries for climate action in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“We’ve come a long way. Climate change migration was more or less absent from discussions until 2010, in Cancún. In Paris, five years later, the countries asked for some recommendations on how to better prepare and respond to this phenomenon, and in Katowice, now, we are hoping they will adopt them,” Ms. Warner explained. 

The various recommendations delivered to the 197 parties to the UN Climate Change Convention include proposals on contingency planning, consultation and data analysis, and cooperation among countries. The document was prepared by a Task Force on Displacement and presented on Saturday for endorsement by the technical delegates of the Member States. Next week, they will be presented for adoption at ministry-level. 

“The goal is really to help countries understand the scale of what is coming and really prepare for it,” UNFCCC’s climate vulnerabilities expert noted. “It’s really about finding ways to reduce the suffering and ensure the safety, dignity of the people at risk of displacement in the face of climate change.”

These discussions are taking place just two days before the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – the first-ever UN global agreement for a common approach to international migration – to be held in Marrakech, this coming Monday and Tuesday.

The recommendations vary in size and their criticality will depend on contexts. On planning, for example, one of the recommendations includes suggestions like forecast based finance which would enable communities who are facing natural disasters to prepare adequately. Another recommendation made is to focus on data collection and risk analysis to better map and understand human mobility. 

The document insists on the need to include and ensure the participation of affected communities every step of the way, so they feel empowered and well-informed when making decisions about their lives.

“We are very pleased with how far this topic has moved in the discussions, and we hope the countries will use the recommendations,” said Ms. Warner. “The real impact,” she noted, “will only be measured through the steps countries take to avoid and minimize unnecessary suffering, and address the risks involved in climate-related displacement.” 

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70 years on, landmark UN human rights document as important as ever

INTERNATIONAL, 8 December 2018, Human Rights - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reaches its 70th anniversary on Monday, a chance to highlight the many important breakthroughs brought about by the landmark UN document, and to remind the world that the human rights of millions are still being violated on a daily basis.

Thanks to the Declaration, and States’ commitments to its principles, the dignity of millions has been uplifted, untold human suffering prevented and the foundations for a most just world have been laid.

High Commissioner hails continued relevance of Declaration

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the document has gone from being an “aspirational treatise” to a set of standards that has “permeated virtually every area of international law.”

The Declaration has shown itself to be as relevant today, as it has always been, and is applicable to situations and scenarios that could not have been foreseen at its inception, such as the need to govern artificial intelligence and the digital world, and to counter the effects of climate change on people.

Ms. Bachelet said the she remains convinced that the human rights ideal, laid down in the Declaration, has been one of the most constructive advances of ideas in human history, as well as one of the most successful.

The human rights chief pointed out that women played a prominent role in drafting the document: Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the drafting committee, and women from Denmark, Pakistan, the Communist bloc and other countries around the world also made crucial contributions. Consequently, the document is, for its time, remarkably free from sexist language, almost always referring to “everyone,” “all” or “no one” throughout its 30 Articles.

Human rights violations perpetrated ‘on a daily basis’

Celebrating the resilience of the human rights system, and the contributions of the Declaration to advancing human progress, peace and development, a team of independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, in a statement published on Friday, echoed Ms. Bachelet’s comments, noting that the “protection provided by the international human rights system has increased including by addressing new and emerging human rights issues and demonstrating its capacity to evolve and respond to people’s needs and expectations.”

However, the experts detailed some of the many violations of international law and human dignity that are perpetrated on a daily basis in many countries: “Recent memory is replete with multiple examples of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Impunity reigns supreme in many countries undergoing conflicts or political upheavals, encouraged by narrow national objectives, geopolitics and political impasse at the United Nations Security Council.”

They also said that the upsurge of nationalism and xenophobia seen in countries of asylum, at a time of rising forced-migration, is “reversing the gains of international humanitarian cooperation of the last 70 years.”

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day.

In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, the UN is urging people everywhere to “Stand Up for Human Rights”: www.standup4humanrights.org.

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‘Complacency is still strong’ over stopping genocide, says top UN adviser

INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2018, Peace and Security - The current rise in hate speech, racial tensions and identity-based violence is alarming, the UN Special Adviser on preventing genocide said on Friday, highlighting his concern that ‘complacency is still strong’, when it comes to stopping the mass-killing or extinction of national, ethnic, racial or religious groups.

Marking the 70th anniversary of The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,  in the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, Adama Dieng said it was important to speak out more forcefully.

 “At a time of decline of the respect for international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law,” we must commit to turn prevention into reality, he added.

The Convention was adopted on 9 December,1948, by the General assembly in a call for preventative action so that “never again” would the world see the kind of mass-murder perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews in the Holocaust, during World War Two.  

The critical message at Friday’s commemoration was clear. Mr. Dieng, Secretary-General António Guterres, and President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, all outlined that the atrocity crime and scourge of genocide remains a threat and reality today.

My generation believed that after the Holocaust, we would never see genocide again. We were wrong – Secretary-General António Guterres

“My generation believed that after the Holocaust, we would never see genocide again. We were wrong,” said Mr. Guterres.

He lamented the UN’s failures to heed the signs of genocide in time, citing the massacres in Rwanda, Cambodia and Srebrenica, in Bosnia and Herzegovina; all monumental killings, nursed by hatred.

Today, people are still being brutally killed, raped and displaced simply because of their identities, said Mr. Guterres. Violence by the extremists of Da’esh in Iraq, and the “bone chilling accounts” of persecution by Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are of extreme concern, the UN Chief said.

“Around the world, racism, hate speech, violent misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of xenophobia are on the rise,” he said, warning that this dehumanizing language is not harmless, but rather, “may also sow the seeds for far more evil acts, including genocide.”

Assembly President Espinosa urged greater preventative action. “We cannot turn away and ignore the signs, or tolerate justice not reaching those responsible. The price of inaction is too high,” she said.

‘Strengthen’, don’t withdraw from multilateral action

 “There is a need to strengthen, not pull away, regional and international cooperation and multilateral institutions to respond to the dramatic challenges of today’s crisis,” said Mr. Dieng, who heads the UN Office on Genocide Prevention.

“The disregard for the rule of law is a breeding ground for the commission of international crimes, including genocide.”

The Genocide Convention document was the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, meant to prevent genocide and prevent those who commit the crime.

Listen to our podcast here about the man who was the driving force behind the convention

So far, the Convention has been ratified or acceded to by 149 Member States, meaning 45 have not become party to it.

The International Court of Justice has stated that the Convention’s contents are guided by principles reflective of general customary international law, meaning that whether or not States have ratified the Convention, they are still bound by the principle that genocide is a crime.

Its preamble recognizes that “at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity,” and urges parties to enact relevant legislation and punish perpetrators “whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials, or private individuals.”

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UN emergency relief fund has ‘never been more critical’: Guterres

INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2018, Humanitarian Aid - The mission of the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), which enables humanitarian responders to deliver life-saving assistance whenever and wherever crises strike, is more critical than ever, said Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, as a key pledging conference got underway at UN Headquarters in New York.  

Looking back on his time as High Commissioner for Refugees, between 2005 and 2010, the UN chief described the CERF as the “most precious instrument” he had, to respond to new emergencies, and to address “forgotten” crises which the international community sometimes overlook.

For the last 13 years, said the Secretary-General, the CERF has been at the forefront of the UN’s humanitarian response, raising over $5.5 billion in life-saving assistance to over 100 countries and territories, thanks to the support of 126 Member States and Observers.

An 'essential enabler of human action'

Mr. Guterres described the fund as “not only the fastest and most effective way to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches people caught up in crises,” but also “an essential enabler of global humanitarian action.”

Today, there is a far greater scale of global suffering than there was in 2005, the year the CERF was launched, he added, citing protracted armed conflict and mass displacement; lack of development progress; social inequality, including gender, disability and high levels of poverty; and extreme weather conditions: all of these factors are being amplified by climate change.

The Secretary-General gave some examples of the ways that the CERF has played a key role in emergencies this year. It had helped to avert hunger and malnutrition in the Sahel region; contributed to life-saving response efforts following the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami; and funded food, water, sanitation support and health care services for Ethiopians displaced by inter-communal violence.

The meeting concluded with pledges from representatives of Member States to increase funding of the CERF to record levels, which if met, would provide the fund with budget of $1 billion for the coming year.

In 2019, we can anticipate more natural disasters and emergencies around the world, with greater intensity, said the UN chief, thanking the assembled representatives for endorsing the call for an increased CERF budget, and supporting the fund at the General Assembly.

Mr. Guterres said that the CERF is the UN’s message of hope and global solidarity with people trapped in crises, showing that the Organization stands with those who are furthest behind.

More to come on this story and pledges made, later...

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COP24: Huge untapped potential in greener construction, says UN environment agency

INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2018, Climate Change - Noting some progress in greening the global construction industry, the United Nations environment agency (UNEP) co-released a report on Friday at the COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland, sounding the alarm on the need for “dramatic action” to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s critical we have a big change over the next couple of years in how we do buildings and construction”, said Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP. “We only need to look at the current norms and quality of many buildings to see that we can do so much better,” she said, emphasizing that “we need to raise the bar in energy-efficient, green buildings and far better practice in construction.”

Currently, buildings account for close to 40 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and 36 per cent of all energy consumption. In the report, which was co-authored by the International Energy Agency (IEA), UNEP warned that “dramatic action will be needed by governments, cities and business if the global buildings and construction sector is to cut its carbon footprint in line with international agreements.”

Titled ‘Towards a Zero-Emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector’, the report was presented against the backdrop of ongoing COP24negotiations on how to move ahead with the implementation of the climate action agreement adopted in Paris, in 2015, when 197 parties committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The development of new techniques, tools, products and technologies – such as heat pumps, better windows, stronger insulation, energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy and smarter design – has enabled emissions to stabilize over the past few years.

There are other encouraging signs. Several property, construction, cement and steel-manufacturing firms are among the 500 companies (representing trillions of dollars in revenue) which have aligned their emission reduction targets with the Paris Agreement; and the 71-member private sector network, the World Green Building Council non-profit organisation, is advocating for all buildings to emit zero net emissions by 2050.

There is huge potential to reduce the current level of emissions, but action has been too slow, environmentalists say. To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, hosted by UNEP, is targeting a 30 per cent energy use improvement in the buildings and construction sector.

Buildings are ‘key driver of energy demand’

What will make things even more challenging, is that the number of new buildings is anticipated to grow rapidly in the coming years, especially in the urban areas of Africa and Asia.

“Buildings are a key driver of energy demand, and developments within the sector such as the growing uptake of air conditioners are having a big impact on energy and environmental trends at the global level,” said Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, which is an autonomous intergovernmental organization.

If we don’t make buildings more efficient, their rising energy use will impact us all, whether it be through access to affordable energy services, poor air quality or higher energy bills –Dr. Fatih Birol

The new report highlights a major gap between the amount of money spent on energy efficient solutions and the rapidly growing amount invested in building construction and renovation. “If we don’t make buildings more efficient, their rising energy use will impact us all, whether it be through access to affordable energy services, poor air quality or higher energy bills,” warned Dr. Birol.

In particular, the data raises a red flag over the sharply rising demand for cooling systems and air conditioners; linked with improving living-standards in developing countries coupled with rising temperatures in many parts of the globe, due to climate change. Since 2010, the energy used by cooling systems has increased by 25 per cent and there are now more than 1.6 billion air conditioning units in service.

One of the commitments of the Paris Agreement is for countries to develop and scale-up their own national climate action plans but, to date, only 104 plans mention specific actions to enhance energy-efficiency in buildings, building codes and energy certifications. Very few tackle the issue of construction materials – such as steel and cement – and the carbon emissions involved in their manufacturing.

Another area of action recommended by the report is the need for building standards to evolve towards buildings that are more resilient in the face of climate change and extreme weather events, such as storms and hurricanes, floods, high winds and soaring temperatures.

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CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: The fruits of sustainability and decent work

INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2018, Climate Change - Costa Rica’s is taking the lead in promoting the socially-conscious production of pineapples whilst protecting the environment, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
UNDP Green Commodities Programme

The Central American country is the world leader in growing the fruit, a business worth more than US$800 million a year.

In a new approach, some plantations have adopted socially responsible practices including equal pay for men and women, worker education programmes and agricultural techniques which aim to protect the environment.

Read more here about how pineapples are promoting decent work and environmental sustainability.

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