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Melting Glaciers Threaten Food And Water Supply For Two Billion People

March 23, 2025 Cristen Hemingway-Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , , ,
Melting glaciers threaten the supply of food and water for billions across the globe, the United Nations warned in its 2025 World Water Development Report: Mountains and Glaciers: Water towers. Mountains supply 55 to 60 percent of the planet’s annual freshwater flow, with two billion people reliant on the waters flowing from them. “As the world’s water towers, mountains provide life-sustaining fresh water to billions of people and countless ecosystems; their critical role in sustainable development cannot be ignored,” a press release from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said.

Make The World Scared Again: US Threatens United Nations Agencies

March 21, 2025 Daniel Warner, Counter Punch. , , , ,
“Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” was the key question at the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings during the 1950s McCarthy era. At the height of the anti-Soviet/Communist fear, HUAC cost thousands of people their jobs and created a powerful chill to freedom of speech and association. A similar chill with global consequences has now come to 2000 U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. funding. An Office of Management and Budget questionnaire asks them to describe with whom and how they do business. It has created stupor and confusion here in Geneva as they ponder how to reply.

International Law’s Fight For Relevance

March 11, 2025 Ramzy Baroud, Consortium News. , , , ,
International law is fighting for relevance. The outcome of this fight is likely to change the entire global political dynamic, which was shaped by World War II and sustained through the selective interpretation of the law by dominant countries. In principle, international law should have always been relevant, if not paramount, in governing the relationships among all countries, large and small, to resolve conflicts before they turn into outright wars. It should also have worked to prevent a return to an era of exploitation that allowed Western colonialism to practically enslave the Global South for hundreds of years.

30th Anniversary Of The Beijing Declaration And Platform For Action

March 9, 2025 Equal Times. , , ,
Thirty years ago, nearly 200 governments and tens of thousands of activists and civil society organisations from around the world gathered in China to hash out a historic global commitment to equal rights and equal opportunities for all women and girls. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) was signed by 189 governments at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, held between 4-15 September 1995. It outlined 12 critical areas for action, covering everything from jobs to the environment and political participation, as well as ending gender-based violence and harassment, and provided governments with concrete steps to ensure the actualisation of these goals.

‘Biased’ UN Report Ignores Victims Of US-Backed Opposition Violence

March 6, 2025 John Perry, The Grayzone. , , , , , , ,
Masaya, Nicaragua – Reynaldo Urbina rides his motorbike around the streets of Masaya, Nicaragua, with agility, despite having only one arm. Nearly seven years ago, at the height of a US- supported coup attempt against Nicaragua’s left-wing Sandinista government, Urbina was one of those guarding the city’s municipal warehouse when it was attacked by around 200 armed protestors. Warned of the impending attack, the guards had been ordered to hide their weapons and not resist capture, to minimize casualties.

Lawsuit Against Congress Members Over Gaza Genocide Goes International

March 3, 2025 Lois Pearlman, Mondoweiss. , , , , , , ,
What began as one northern California activist’s idea to up the ante on pressure against local congressmen who support Israel’s assault on Gaza has turned into a plan to air the issue in the international arena. Retired high school history teacher Seth Donnelly, a resident of Boyes Hot Springs in Sonoma County, California, said he was fed up with his Congress member Mike Thompson, who refused to respond to phone calls, emails, and protests demanding that he stop funding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. “I even invited him to speak before a student human rights group at Rancho Cotate High School,” Donnelly said, referring to the school where he taught until recently.

Nicaragua Withdraws From United Nations Human Rights Council

March 2, 2025 TeleSur, Orinoco Tribune. , , ,
The Nicaraguan government announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in protest against the falsehoods and slanders against the country perpetrated at the institution. In a statement issued on Thursday, February 27, the Nicaraguan authorities stated that the UNHRC has become a platform for those who are attempting to destabilize Nicaragua and are the perpetrators of numerous murders, abductions, and violations of human rights of the Nicaraguan people. The statement further stressed that the report against the Nicaraguan authorities by the self-styled group of “experts” is evidence of the double standards and politicization of the multilateral mechanisms where human rights are being weaponized.

UN Talks End With Countries Backing Biodiversity Conservation Plan

March 1, 2025 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , ,
The COP16 UN Biodiversity Conference in Rome has ended with a plan for nations to contribute $200 billion a year for the protection of the planet’s biodiversity by 2030, but critics say it’s not enough. The countries came to an agreement on how to contribute the funds. The accord also includes a plan for raising $20 billion annually to finance conservation in developing nations starting this year, with the amount rising to $30 billion a year by 2030, reported The Associated Press. Following hours of tense discussions, delegates at the conference applauded when the deal was finally reached.

Hold Israel Accountable Under The UN Convention On The Rights Of The Child

February 10, 2025 Palestine-Global Mental Health Network, Mondoweiss. , , , , , , ,
A so-called “ceasefire” has done nothing to halt the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Israel’s government is escalating policies that jeopardize the very lives of Palestinian children, and powerful nations are complicit through their silence or direct endorsement. Even now, terror and bloodshed continue in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while the U.S. administration signals tacit support for what amounts to ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Under the Biden administration, sanctions were imposed on extremist Israeli settlers—17 individuals and 16 entities over 11 months—to curb violence against Palestinians.

Lebanon Demands ‘Firm Stance’ From UNSC Over Israeli Ceasefire Violations

February 4, 2025 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , , , ,
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has filed a complaint against Israel to the UN Security Council (UNSC) over its constant violations of the ceasefire that was reached at the end of last year. Lebanon expressed its rejection of “systematic Israeli attacks and violations” and Israel’s removal of the signs on the withdrawal line in southern Lebanon, in the complaint filed on 4 February. Beirut also demanded that the UNSC issue a firm and clear position on Israel’s continuous violations and oblige it to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The complaint called on the Security Council to back support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and UNIFIL forces “to guarantee the protection of the Lebanese sovereignty and the safety of the Lebanese citizens.”

Israel Blocks UN Probe On ‘Hamas Rape’ Claims

January 9, 2025 News Desk, The Cradle. , , , , , ,
Israeli officials have obstructed a UN investigation into alleged sexual crimes committed by Hamas fighters during the 7 October 2023 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, fearing this would open the door to a probe into the rampant allegations of sexual violence against Palestinians inside Israeli torture camps. According to a report by Israeli daily Haaretz, Tel Aviv rejected a request from Pramila Patten, the UN special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, to investigate the allegations against Hamas after she established that a necessary condition would be access to Israeli detention centers to probe claims against Israeli soldiers.

World Leaders Fail to Reach Agreement on Global Plastics Treaty

December 3, 2024 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , , ,
Efforts by nations to come to an agreement on a global plastics treaty failed on Monday. While more than 100 countries sought to put a limit on the world’s plastics production — in addition to tackling recycling and cleanup — oil and gas companies were only prepared to address the problem of plastic waste. The meeting in Busan, South Korea was supposed to be the last, but negotiations will continue into 2025, reported The Associated Press. “It is clear that there is still persisting divergence,” said Inger Andersen, the United Nations Environment Programme’s executive director, as Reuters reported.

The Potential Of Cooperatives For Economic Equality

November 25, 2024 Cooperatives Europe. , , ,
Released on October 17th under the title “Social Development in Times of Converging Crises: A Call for Global Action”, the report is the output of the global call by the GA resolution 77/281 in April 2023 to promote the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development.   Overall, the report estimates that the economic cost of crisis mitigation from 2020 until 2030 will translate into “a cumulative output loss of over $50 trillion”, to the detriment of social development. It is a global plea to prioritise people and the planet over profit, and for public-private social investments to be at the same level as their economic counterparts.  

United Nations Security Council Renews Mission For Western Sahara

November 10, 2024 Abayomi Azikiwe, Black Agenda Report. , , , , , ,
What has been described as “Africa’s last colony”, the Western Sahara territory is still waiting to exercise its decades-long desire for national independence and sovereignty. Formerly known as the “Spanish Sahara”, the area has been under the domination of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1975. The liberation movement which grew out of the struggle for freedom is popularly known as the Polisario Front. The organization engaged in an armed struggle and mass political campaign since the 1970s having designated itself as a “government in waiting”.

Leaders From Key Countries Will Not Attend COP29

November 7, 2024 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. , , ,
Leaders from some of the world’s major economies, including the European Union, the United States and Brazil, will not be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month. COP29, which will convene from November 11 to 22, is expected to have more than 40,000 delegates in attendance. European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will not attend the summit to prepare for a second term in office, reported The Guardian. Instead, a team of negotiators, including energy commissioner Kadri Simson and climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, will represent the commission at the talks.
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