Latest news
26 September 2013
A man from the Pacific island of Kiribati was denied a claim for refugee status based on climate change grounds.
The New Zealand Tribunal said that ‘there is no evidence establishing that the environmental conditions that he faced or is likely to face on return are so parlous that his life will be placed in jeopardy’ and that ‘the appellant’s claim under the Refugee Convention must necessarily fail because the effects of environmental degradation on his standard of living were, by his own admission, faced by the population generally’.
Kiribati is a small island threatened by the rise of sea levels whose government has urged international efforts to support small countries in climate change issues.
Source: Australia Network News | Kiribati man's claim as a climate change refugee denied in New Zealand
25 September 2013
Chad, Egypt, Libya and Sudan signed a UN backed ‘Strategic Action Programme’, to ensure the equitable use of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, a water resource that lies beneath the four states. The Action Programme envisages improving cooperation among the four arid nations, and strengthening their capacity to manage and monitor the aquifer effectively. It also establishes a new Joint Authority for the Nubian Aquifer System.
Source: UN News Centre | Four African nations agree to improve use of key water resource under UN-backed plan
25 September 2013
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) launched the ‘Multisectoral Action Framework for Malaria’, a comprehensive approach to fight malaria. The Framework calls for increased coordinated action among different development sectors to tackle the disease, which exacts its deadliest toll in sub-Saharan Africa and poses a major challenge to development.
According to UNDP, malaria is costing Africa about 12 billion US dollar in lost productivity every year.
Source: UN News Centre | Multi-level strategy to fight malaria launched by UN development arm and partners
25 September 2013
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Armando Emilio Guebuza, president of Mozambique, said that the development agenda should be based on principles of inclusion, national ownership, ‘and shared responsibility among the development partners in its implementation.’
The debate in the UNGA is excepted to set the stage for the post-2015 development agenda, which is designed to define global development after 2015, the deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Armando Emilio Guebuza also said that ‘In carrying out this agenda, it is important that we extirpate from our vocabulary and from our attitude the dichotomy that attempts to group the members of the United Nations family.’
Source: New Europe | Mozambique hopes to see inclusive development agenda with "shared responsibility"
Source: UN News Centre | At UN debate, President of Mozambique urges international support for hotspots
25 September 2013
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, French President François Hollande proposed a ‘code of good conduct to for the Council’s permanent members: in the case of mass crimes they must renounce their right to a veto.’ Hollande said that in fields like security, proliferation, development and climate, ‘there is no worse danger than inaction’, and added that ‘It is the responsibility of the UN to act. And each time it reveals its impotence, peace loses.’
Also Chilean President Sebastián Piñera called for abandoning the veto of the five permanent members, and instituting a super-majority rule when adopting major decisions.
Source: UN News Centre | At UN, Chilean President tells permanent Security Council members to abandon veto
Source: International Law Prof Blog | France Calls on Permanent Members of the Security Council to Renounce Veto in Cases of Mass Crimes
Source: UN News Centre | France calls for strong UN resolution to enforce Syria’s surrender of chemical weapons