World Humanitarian Day – 19 August 2015
A number of organizations released statements recognizing World Humanitarian Day which are presented along with other announcements.

‘Each of Us Has the Power, Responsibility to Create a More Humane World’, Secretary-General Says at Event Marking World Humanitarian Day
Press Release 18 August 2015
SG/SM/17018-IHA/1373-OBV/1506
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s remarks at the event marking World Humanitarian Day, in New York today:

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…Each year, on World Humanitarian Day, we honour the selfless dedication and sacrifice of those who devote themselves — often at great personal risk — to assisting the world’s most vulnerable people.

The General Assembly designated World Humanitarian Day to mark the anniversary of the bomb attack in Baghdad that took the lives of 22 people, including our colleague, the great humanitarian, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Today we remember Sergio and all the humanitarian aid workers who have given their lives helping others. These workers and volunteers from around the world remind us of our common humanity — and our duty to support those who need us most.

Today more than 100 million women and men, children and adolescents require life-saving humanitarian assistance. Each has a unique and heart-rending story. Each hopes for a better future. Some are victims of natural disasters. Others are fleeing violence and persecution.

Not since the Second World War have so many people been displaced by conflict.

The families and communities struggling to survive in today’s emergencies do so with resilience and dignity. They need and deserve our solidarity.

Each one of us can make a difference. Each of us has the power — and the responsibility — to help create a more humane world.

On this World Humanitarian Day, I urge everyone to show solidarity as global citizens by signing up to the ShareHumanity campaign.

Help us to share moving stories of hope and resilience from around the world. Help us to inspire new heights of humanitarian awareness and action…

…As we celebrate tonight, I also ask you to look ahead to the first ever World Humanitarian Summit, next May, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Summit will focus world attention on how we can better reduce risk, build resilience and meet the needs of millions of people affected by conflict, disaster and crisis.
I expect Heads of State and Government, and leaders from civil society and private sector, crisis-affected communities and multilateral organizations to announce bold new ideas to help set the course of humanitarian action for years and decades to come.

The Summit will also reinforce the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and our global commitment to end poverty and leave no one behind. I count on the support of all sectors of society to make the World Humanitarian Summit a great success.

I know you are all as pained as I am by the suffering in so many places across the world. We see systemic brutality against women and girls, indiscriminate bomb attacks on civilians, migrants facing exploitation and mortal danger as they undertake desperate journeys in search of a better life. And all the while, repressive governance continues in too many places.

Indifference among those with the power to make a difference leaves too many people without hope.

World Humanitarian Day is a day on which we express our determination not just to empathize but to engage.

In this year, in which we mark the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, let us reaffirm our commitment to unite our strength to fulfil our shared humanitarian imperative.

Let us work to make this a better [world] for all. I thank you for your commitment and engagement…

Humanitarian System Urgently Needs Reform to Save More Lives
Fairfield, Conn. (August 19, 2015) — On World Humanitarian Day, Save the Children issued a stark warning that the current humanitarian system is not fit for purpose, putting the lives of vulnerable children and families at risk.

The children’s aid agency claims that as the frequency and severity of natural and man-made disasters continues to rise, major overhauls in the aid sector are needed to ensure adequate funding for, and improved efficiencies of, delivering support to those affected.

Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles said: “Disasters like earthquakes and cyclones blighted the lives of 107 million people in 2014. At the same time, 60 million people have been forced from their homes because of conflict. This is the greatest movement of humanity since the Second World War. Yet the humanitarian system meant to help them is not fit for purpose and urgently needs reform.”

The aid agency says the humanitarian system needs four fundamental changes:
A greater proportion of funding ought to go to agencies directly involved in delivering aid, rather than UN agencies who sub-contract to operational partners. This reduces double-handling of humanitarian funds, and ultimately means greater efficiency on the ground.
More inventiveness in acquiring humanitarian funding by tapping the tens of billions from the corporate sector and from very wealthy individuals

Increased emphasis on what is known in the aid sector as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) so aid agencies can prepare for and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events before they occur. For a relatively modest investment in DRR, billions of dollars and thousands of lives worldwide could be saved.

The aid sector needs to become better innovators, pioneering new ways of solving humanitarian problems and reaching the most vulnerable people. For example, using mobile phone call data to chart the likely spread of a disease by tracking population flows, then deploying resources accordingly. While this has been successfully used in the past, it was not used following the outbreak of Ebola due to privacy concerns and other red tape.

“Our cause is not helped by the all-too familiar trend of slashing aid budgets. Globally, the gap between funds needed and funds provided continues to widen, meaning that aid agencies like Save the Children are asked to do a lot more with a lot less,” Miles said.

“The humanitarian system is stretched beyond capacity. There is a perfect storm brewing resulting from a system that is not fit for purpose, a lack of funding and a huge increase in man-made and so-called natural disasters,” Miles said.

World Humanitarian Day takes place on August 19, coinciding with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as a time to recognise those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe.

Global Evaluation Report: Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Emergencies Remains Fatal Omission
04 Aug 2015 IRC Press Release
:: While the majority of preventable deaths in women and girls occur in crisis-affected countries, these same countries receive less than half of the amount of funding as compared to non-conflict countries.
:: Lack of access to reproductive health care is the leading cause of death and illness among women of reproductive age in the developing world. Consequences are particularly dangerous in areas affected by crisis, which are responsible for a staggering 60 percent of preventable maternal deaths.
:: Evaluation released today by the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health in Crises shows that reproductive health in crisis settings remains chronically underfunded.

August 5th 2015 – Reproductive health remains drastically underfunded in humanitarian settings according to a global evaluation released today by the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health in Crises. The largest gaps— including the provision of comprehensive family planning, emergency contraception and abortion care — have only marginally improved since the last global evaluation in 2002.

David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee, a steering committee member of the group, said: “Women in conflict are being short-changed by international efforts to address their reproductive health needs. Millions of women lack access to life-saving health services, despite extreme needs for family planning and obstetric care, and heightened risk of experiencing sexual violence. As the scale of humanitarian crises reaches historic proportions, we cannot betray our commitment to these paramount needs.”

Evaluation Highlights
The global evaluation finds that conflict-affected countries receive 57 percent less funding for reproductive health than those countries not experiencing conflict. While funding for reproductive health has increased since 2004, it amounts to only 43 percent of the total need.
“The international community cannot claim to prioritize saving the lives of women and children while neglecting some of the most life-saving and cost-effective interventions in health,” said Sandra Krause, Director of Reproductive Health at the Women’s Refugee Commission, another steering committee member.

Highlights of the global evaluation include:
:: Obstetric and newborn care: While obstetric and newborn care receives the largest share of the funding, money primarily supports less expensive, rather than life-saving, interventions.
:: Comprehensive family planning: Only 14 percent of funding appeals for reproductive health included family planning. Long-acting or permanent methods of contraception were rarely mentioned.
:: Abortion care: Less than 1 percent of proposals mentioned abortion, which included post-abortion care.
:: Emergency contraception beyond post-rape care: Emergency contraception was provided at less than half of facilities evaluated.
:: Clinical care for rape survivors: Providers could identify less than half of the 11 essential services that should be provided to rape victims in a clinical setting.

The evaluation’s recommendations call for:
:: Sustained, dedicated, predictable funding for reproductive health
:: Commodity management and security, including long-acting family planning methods; obstetric and newborn care, and comprehensive clinical and psychosocial care for rape survivors
:: Support for regional actors, Ministries of Health and Disaster Management, national and community-based organizations, health workers and communities themselves to lead and manage humanitarian reproductive health response

“We must seize upon this sobering evaluation and the growing momentum of worldwide efforts to expand access to reproductive health needs for women and girls around the world,” said Barbara Jackson, Global Humanitarian Director of CARE International, another steering committee member. “We look forward to working with all of our humanitarian and development colleagues to ensure that this gap is closed as quickly as possible.”

Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change
[Introductory language from symposium website]
This year, 2015, is a watershed year for the climate movement. In December governments will converge in Paris where they are expected to forge a new, international climate agreement that is robust, ambitious and commensurate with the scientific imperatives outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We believe that their ambition has to be driven by a bigger, broader and stronger citizens’ movement.

Faith communities increasingly recognise that the climate crisis is also a moral crisis. The adverse impacts of climate change that we have witnessed so far, present a clear case for people of faith to examine the underlying moral causes of this phenomenon. It prompts faith communities to take action to halt the desecration of nature that leads to destruction of creation, human and otherwise. Furthermore this is an opportunity for faith communities to provide a vision, inspire others and lead the way in building a fairer, safer, cleaner world built on renewable energy – leading the way on a journey to an economic system that meets development goals and is also spiritually fulfilling. The Islamic faith community represents a significant section of the global population and certainly, can be influential in the discourse on climate change.

A group of top academics has been engaged in drafting an “Islamic Declaration on Climate Change” and the initial draft has been circulated widely for consultation.

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[Excerpt from Declaration below; Full text at: http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/ ]

3.1 We call upon the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Kyoto Protocol taking place in Paris this December, 2015 to bring their discussions to an equitable and binding conclusion, bearing in mind –
:: The scientific consensus on climate change, which is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate systems;
:: The need to set clear targets and monitoring systems;
:: The dire consequences to planet earth if we do not do so;
:: The enormous responsibility the COP shoulders on behalf of the rest of humanity, including leading the rest of us to a new way of relating to God’s Earth.

3.2 We particularly call on the well-off nations and oil-producing states to –
:: Lead the way in phasing out their greenhouse gas emissions as early as possible and no later than the middle of the century;
:: Provide generous financial and technical support to the less well-off to achieve a phase-out of greenhouse gases as early as possible;
:: Recognize the moral obligation to reduce consumption so that the poor may benefit from what is left of the earth’s non-renewable resources;
:: Stay within the ‘2 degree’ limit, or, preferably, within the ‘1.5 degree’ limit, bearing in mind that two-thirds of the earth’s proven fossil fuel reserves remain in the ground;
:: Re-focus their concerns from unethical profit from the environment, to that of preserving it and elevating the condition of the world’s poor.
:: Invest in the creation of a green economy.

3.3 We call on the people of all nations and their leaders to –
:: Aim to phase out greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in order to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere;
:: Commit themselves to 100 % renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible, to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities;
:: Invest in decentralized renewable energy, which is the best way to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development;
:: Realize that to chase after unlimited economic growth in a planet that is finite and already overloaded is not viable. Growth must be pursued wisely and in moderation; placing a priority on increasing the resilience of all, and especially the most vulnerable, to the climate change impacts already underway and expected to continue for many years to come.
:: Set in motion a fresh model of wellbeing, based on an alternative to the current financial model which depletes resources, degrades the environment, and deepens inequality.
:: Prioritise adaptation efforts with appropriate support to the vulnerable countries with the least capacity to adapt. And to vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples, women and children.

3.4 We call upon corporations, finance, and the business sector to –
:: Shoulder the consequences of their profit-making activities, and take a visibly more active role in reducing their carbon footprint and other forms of impact upon the natural environment;
:: In order to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities, commit themselves to 100 % renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible and shift investments into renewable energy;
:: Change from the current business model which is based on an unsustainable escalating economy, and to adopt a circular economy that is wholly sustainable;
:: Pay more heed to social and ecological responsibilities, particularly to the extent that they extract and utilize scarce resources;
:: Assist in the divestment from the fossil fuel driven economy and the scaling up of renewable energy and other ecological alternatives.

3.5 We call on all groups to join us in collaboration, co-operation and friendly competition in this endeavour and we welcome the significant contributions taken by other faiths, as we can all be winners in this race…

World Bank Board Committee Authorizes Release of Revised Draft Environmental and Social Framework
August 4, 2015 Press Release
Third phase of consultations begins immediately
WASHINGTON, August 4, 2015 — The World Bank is in the process of reviewing, updating and strengthening its environmental and social policies that serve to protect vulnerable people and the environment in World Bank investment projects. On July 1, 2015, the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) of the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors authorized a third phase of consultations on a revised (second) draft of the proposed Environmental and Social Framework and requested the preparation of an accompanying document to outline certain issues that require further attention. The text of the entire revised framework, as well as the issue summary, was made publicly available today. Consultations will begin immediately.

“This revised draft is the result of a robust – in fact, an unprecedented – consultation with World Bank shareholders and stakeholders,” said Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for Operational Policy and Country Services. “The level of engagement and the caliber of feedback has been excellent, which shows in the revised draft. The proposed Environmental and Social Framework would substantially expand the scope of coverage from our current policy, and would help to ensure that project risk is managed more consistently and effectively.”

The proposed framework presents a risk- and impact-based approach to protecting the environment and people, and features a strong emphasis on risk management and achieving sustainable development outcomes over the life of projects; broadened social assessment and management of environmental and social risks; greater clarity of the roles and responsibilities of the World Bank and Borrower; increased harmonization with development partners and recognized good international practices; and renewed and strengthened partnerships with borrowers.

The proposal broadens the range of biodiversity concerns and adds provisions for the sustainable use of living natural resources (e.g., fisheries and forests). Climate change considerations have been added, including requirements to estimate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Bank-supported projects and to promote climate resilience. Assessments of social and environmental risk will be strengthened, ensuring resources are especially targeted to high risk projects. Finally, the draft framework includes Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples, and requires increased and ongoing stakeholder engagement…

…At the request of Executive Directors, the third review phase will focus on implementing the framework in borrowing countries and on issues that require further discussion. Consultations details will be forthcoming on the World Bank’s consultation web site: http://consultations.worldbank.org/consultation/review-and-update-world-bank-safeguard-policies.
Dangerous rollback by World Bank in environmental and social protections
5 August 2015 OXFAM Press Release
The World Bank has released new draft safeguard policies that will vastly weaken protections for affected communities and the environment at the same time as the bank intends to finance more high-risk projects, say 19 organizations. The proposed new Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework pointedly contradicts World Bank President Jim Yong Kim’s commitment to ensure that the bank’s new rules will not weaken or “dilute” existing mandatory environmental and social protection measures and calls into question the extent to which the bank has responded to public input.

In addition, the proposed new framework will not cover substantial sections of the World Bank‘s portfolio, including rapidly disbursing policy-based lending for environmentally and socially sensitive sectors. Despite repeated requests, the bank has also failed to make public a detailed budget for the implementation of its proposed plan.

The independent environmental and human rights groups are: 11.11.11. (Belgium), Alyansa Tigil Mina (Philippines), Bank Information Center (USA), Both ENDS (Netherlands), Bretton Woods Project (United Kingdom), Center for International Environmental Law (USA), Derecho Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Peru), Forest Peoples’ Program (UK), Earthlife Africa (South Africa), NGO Forum on ADB (Philippines/Regional), Gender Action (USA), Human Rights Watch (International), Inclusive Development International (USA), International Accountability Project (USA). International Trade Union Confederation, Oxfam International, Re:Common (Italy), ‘Ulu Foundation (USA), Urgewald, (Germany).

“Clear and mandatory requirements, incentives, accountability structures and a detailed budget are lacking in the proposed new framework” said Korinna Horta of Urgewald in Germany, “yet this is what we urgently need if we are serious about addressing the interconnected problems of poverty, climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss.”…

Seventieth Anniversary of the London Charter
Press Statement
John Kerry, Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 7, 2015

Seventy years ago tomorrow, the United States and its Allies reached a historic agreement in London that set in motion the trials of the century – the prosecution at Nuremberg of the top officials of the Third Reich.

Surveying the wreckage of Europe and the human toll of the Holocaust, the Allies recognized that the survival of humanity would depend on making it clear that the kind of crimes committed by the Nazi regime simply could not go unpunished, and that holding an official position or acting under orders did not diminish one’s responsibility for such crimes.

But the Allies also recognized that even after the worst atrocities in human history, we needed to pursue justice rather than vengeance, and that our common ability to live together in the future depended on assigning guilt to the individuals most responsible, rather than collectively to whole communities.

These principles are reflected in the London Charter and the International Military Tribunal it created, and they have been a foundation for the international community’s work toward justice in the decades that followed.

Working with allies old and new, the United States continues to play a leading role in seeking accountability for atrocities in our own time, just as Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson and other Americans so capably helped lead the successful and historic prosecutions at Nuremberg.

From sexual violence in eastern Congo to the brutal torture in the Assad regime’s prisons in Syria, we will continue to seek accountability for the world’s worst crimes. Such accountability is a stabilizing force in international affairs, and it is what our values – and the memory of the victims – demand.

EBOLA/EVD [to 22 August 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

Editor’s Note:
On 13 August 2015, the UN Security Council received a briefing on Ebola/EVD provided by Margaret Chan, briefing the Council via video link from Hong Kong, was joined by David Nabarro, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ebola; Tété António, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations; Per Thöresson (Sweden), on behalf of Olof Skoog, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission; and Mosoka Fallah, Director of the Community-Based Initiative.

Chance Ebola Can Be Defeated by End of 2015, World Health Organization Chief Tells Security Council, Urging Sustained Focus to Prevent Future Outbreaks
13 August 2015
Secyruty Council SC/12006
Ebola could be “soundly defeated” by the end of the year if the intensity of case detection and contact tracing was sustained, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Security Council today, outlining reforms to improve the organization’s performance and crediting unwavering leadership, especially in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, for a “night-and-day” difference in the situation from less than a year ago.
Ebola Situation Report – 19 August 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: There were 3 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the week to 16 August, all of which were reported from Guinea. For the first time since the beginning of the outbreak in Sierra Leone, a full epidemiological week has passed with no confirmed cases reported from the country. Overall case incidence has held at 3 confirmed cases per week for 3 consecutive weeks. In addition, the number of contacts under observation has halved from over 1600 on 9 August to approximately 800 throughout 3 Guinean prefectures and 3 districts in Sierra Leone on 16 August. Almost 600 contacts in Tonkolili, Sierra Leone, completed the 21-day follow-up period on 14 August, accounting for most of the decline in the number of contacts under follow-up. However, there is still a significant risk of further transmission. In addition to the large number of contacts who remain under observation in Guinea and Sierra Leone, 45 contacts have been lost to follow-up in the Guinean capital Conakry over the past 6 weeks. Several high-risk contacts have also been lost to follow-up in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown. Rapid-response teams remain alert and ready to respond to further cases.

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 27,952 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (figure 1, table 1) up to 16 August, with 11,284 reported deaths (this total includes reported deaths among probable and suspected cases, although outcomes for many cases are unknown). Three new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea in the week to 16 August…

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

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Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
19 August 2015
SC/12016
Relief Coordinator Warns Security Council of ‘Needless’ Suffering in Yemen, Urges Collective Action to Fund Humanitarian Appeal
If the international community did not take immediate measures to end the fighting in Yemen, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the region cautioned the Security Council today, there would be nothing left to fight for.

19 August 2015
SC/12014
Goal of Resolving Israeli-Palestinian Question Clear, but 20 Years of Failed Talks Led to ‘Slow and Painful Withering of Hope’, Security Council Told in Briefing
The recurrent violent incidents and radicalization in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, threatened to further destabilize an already tense environment for Israel and Palestine, a United Nations senior political affairs official told the Security Council today, urging both sides to work together to reduce tensions and prevent extremist attacks.

19 August 2015
SG/SM/17019-IHA/1374-OBV/1507
In Video Message for World Humanitarian Day, Secretary-General Urges Greater Sense of Global Citizenship to End Suffering

18 August 2015
SG/SM/17018-IHA/1373-OBV/1506
‘Each of Us Has the Power, Responsibility to Create a More Humane World’, Secretary-General Says at Event Marking World Humanitarian Day

13 August 2015
SG/A/1585-BIO/4747
Secretary-General Appoints Elia Armstrong of Canada Director of Ethics Office
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Elia Armstrong of Canada as Director of the Ethics Office. She succeeds Joan Elise Dubinsky of the United States, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service to the Organization.

13 August 2015
SC/12006
Chance Ebola Can Be Defeated by End of 2015, World Health Organization Chief Tells Security Council, Urging Sustained Focus to Prevent Future Outbreaks
Ebola could be “soundly defeated” by the end of the year if the intensity of case detection and contact tracing was sustained, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Security Council today, outlining reforms to improve the organization’s performance and crediting unwavering leadership, especially in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, for a “night-and-day” difference in the situation from less than a year ago.

10 August 2015
SG/SM/17005-HR/5266-OBV/1502
Indigenous Peoples Must Not Be Left Behind upon Launch of Sustainable Development Agenda in September, Says Secretary-General at International Day Commemoration

7 August 2015
SG/SM/16995-SC/12002
Welcoming Security Council Adoption of Resolution 2235 (2015), Secretary-General Issues Call to Hold Parties Accountable for Chemical Weapons Attacks in Syria

7 August 2015
SC/12001
Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution 2235 (2015), Establishing Mechanism to Identify Perpetrators Using Chemical Weapons in Syria
The Security Council today decided to establish for one year a Joint Investigative Mechanism of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which would identify “to the greatest extent feasible” individuals, entities, groups or Governments perpetrating, organizing, sponsoring or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons in Syria.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

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UN report reveals “endemic impunity” in Darfur
GENEVA (21 August 2015) – Serious human rights violations and abuses that occurred in Darfur in 2014, including killings and sexual violence, have largely gone uninvestigated and unpunished, according to a new report by the UN Human Rights Office.

The report, based on information provided by the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), details cases of human rights violations and reveals widespread impunity. Of the 411 cases documented by UNAMID of alleged violations and abuses of the right to physical integrity, by all parties to the conflict, very few were investigated or resulted in arrests. Of these, 127 involved the use of sexual violence. These 411 cases are illustrative of a much broader pattern of violence, the report states.

“The report paints a very grim picture of the systemic failure, or outright refusal, by the authorities to take human rights violations seriously. Most victims have not received justice or any remedies for the wrongs that they suffered,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said…

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Video statement by Francois Crepeau, Special Rapporteur on human rights and migrants, at the 15th session of the Advisory Committee, on unaccompanied migrant children 11 August 2015

UNICEF [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

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Selected press release and news notes
Yemen Conflict: Over a thousand child casualties so far – UNICEF
SANAA, Yemen, 19 August 2015 – An average of eight children are being killed or maimed every day in Yemen as a direct result of the conflict gripping the country, according to a report released by UNICEF.

Hygiene practices have helped keep Ebola out of the classroom
CONAKRY/FREETOWN/MONROVIA, 12 August 2015 – As students in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone begin their summer vacations, measures put in place to protect them from the Ebola virus are being credited with having helped keep classrooms free from any infections.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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Selected Press Releases
IOM, Partners Work with the Americas to Protect Migrant Children
08/21/15
El Salvador – IOM, UNHCR and ICRC yesterday concluded the 3rd meeting of the Ad Hoc Group on Migrant Children and Adolescents of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) in El Salvador.

IOM Supports Launch of Afghan Migration Management Database
08/18/15
Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, with the support of IOM, has launched a comprehensive Afghan migration management database.

IOM Supports Nigerian Displacement Tracking Technology
08/18/15
Nigeria – IOM this week donated information technology equipment to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as part of its project: “Strengthening Humanitarian Response Capacity in North East Nigeria through Displacement Tracking, Monitoring and Information Dissemination” – also known as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).

IOM Launches Report on Investing in Somali Youth
08/18/15
Somalia – IOM, with funding from the Government of Japan, has launched its first report looking at the relationship between youth, employment and migration in Puntland and Somaliland, entitled “Investing in Somali Youth”.

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Approach 250,000
08/14/15
Italy – The number of migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe by sea so far in 2015 is now approaching a quarter of a million, according to IOM analysis.

IOM: Over 3.1 Million Iraqis Now Displaced
08/14/15
Iraq – The IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 3,171,606 internally displaced Iraqis (528,601 families) from January 2014 through 30 July 2015.

IOM Monitors Migrant Flows on Haiti – Dominican Republic Border
08/11/15
Haiti – IOM is continuing to monitor migrant flows on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

UN Women [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

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Selected Press Releases
UN Women welcomes CEDAW General Recommendation on women’s access to justice
Date : August 19, 2015
UN Women welcomes the recently published General recommendation no. 33 on women’s access to justice by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in late July.

Statement by UN Women on World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2015
Date : August 18, 2015
In a statement on World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2015, UN Women pays tribute to those who have dedicated their lives to end the suffering of others, and who bring hope where it is most needed. Their humanitarian spirit and actions inspire us every day.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Colombia’s Credifamilia to extend US$240m in mortgage loans to low-income homebuyers: New Business Call to Action member’s loans will build 20,000 homes by 2020
Aug 21, 2015
Colombia’s Credifamilia has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to expand its successful low-income loan portfolio by extending US$240 million in home mortgages to at least 20,000 households in six urban areas which will house 78,000 people by 2020.

UNDP, Red Cross to help reintegrate Ebola volunteers
Aug 14, 2015
UNDP and IFRC kick-start a project to reintegrate and train volunteer workers who have been on the front line fighting the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone.

US$ 41 million to strengthen HIV and TB response in Sudan
Aug 11, 2015
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) have announced two new partnership agreements totaling US$ 41 million for Sudan, to give a major boost to the country’s response to HIV and Tuberculosis.

US$ 17 million to fight HIV,TB and malaria in the Pacific Region
Aug 4, 2015
Two new agreements reached in the Pacific by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) are set to provide a major boost in the fight against the three diseases in the Pacific region.

UN Statistical Commission :: UN Statistics Division [to 22 August 2015]
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/commission.htm
http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/

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Open Consultation with Civil Society, Academia and Private Sector
SDG Indicator Framework – IAEG-SDG
11 AUG – 07 SEP 2015
Background
The Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) is launching an online consultation open to civil society, academia and the private sector to seek their inputs on the development of an indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. This online open consultation follows a consultation initiated in March 2015 that requested inputs from stakeholders on a preliminary proposed list of indicators.
:: To view a summary of the previous consultation click here.
:: To view a complete compilation of comments from the previous consultation click here.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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Selected Press Releases
Homegrown Experts to Tap into Africa’s 20,000 MW Geothermal Energy Thanks to New Excellence Centre
With an estimated potential of 20,000 MW, geothermal energy could provide an answer to the continent’s energy shortage.
13/08/2015

Egyptian Experimental Farm Reveals Possible Market for ‘Sewage Farming’ Agricultural Products
13/08/2015

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

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Selected Press Releases
Preparedness Key to Avoiding Worst Consequences of Disasters
On World Humanitarian Day UNEP provides guidance to help communities cope with technological hazards and environmental emergencies
19/08/2015

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

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Selected Press Releases
On Youth Day, UN officials urge Member States to make young people ‘drivers of change’
12 August 2015, New York
Marking International Day of Youth, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that no one knows better than young people the issues at stake in today’s rapidly changing world or the best way to respond, and declared: “That is why I am calling on young people to speak out – and I am urging leaders to listen.

Sustainable development through geospatial information
10 August 2015, New York
The Fifth Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), which took place from 3-7 August at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, showcased the role of collecting geospatial information in the realization of sustainable development.

UN chief urges greater efforts to improve health and well-being of indigenous peoples
9 August 2015, New York
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to commit to do more to improve the health and well-being of indigenous peoples, who face a wide range of challenges from inadequate sanitation and housing to high rates of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse.

UNESCO [to 22 August 2015]
http://en.unesco.org/news

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International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, 23 August 2015
22 August 2015

Empowering African girls to be the next generation of STEM leaders
17 August 2015

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/press-releases/

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Slum residents contribute to participatory design of community hall
Nairobi, 21 August 2015 – In a landmark project initiated by UN-Habitat and coordinated by the Global Network for Sustainable Housing, the University of Cambridge has engaged a team of researchers to design a community centre in…
Posted August 21, 2015

UN-Habitat goes live with global French website
Nairobi, 20 August 2015: As part of its advocacy, outreach and communications strategy started in 2012, UN-Habitat launched its global website in French today, alongside two new social media channels Twitter and Facebook reporting globally on UN-Habitat’s…
Posted August 20, 2015

Swiss support in Cuba to benefit one million people
Havana, 11 August 2015 – Citizens of thirteen municipalities of Cuba will benefit from an agreement signed between representatives of the Swiss Development Cooperation and UN-Habitat to improve housing infrastructure and living conditions. In addition, the cooperation…
Posted August 12, 2015

UNI portal to provide new outlook for partnerships with academia
Nairobi, 10 August 2015 – A new portal launched by UN-Habitat promotes universities becoming closer partners of cities, actively engaged in problem solving, thus closing the gap between academia and practice and encouraging collaborative learning. The portal,…
Posted August 10, 2015

UN-Habitat releases International Guidelines on Urban Territorial Planning
Nairobi, 10 August 2015– UN-Habitat has released guidelines to provide national governments, local authorities, civil society organizations and planning professionals with a global reference framework that promotes more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories…
Posted August 10, 2015

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

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Soils are the foundation for vegetation
Healthy soils are crucial for ensuring the continued growth of natural and managed vegetation, providing feed, fibre, fuel, medicinal products and other ecosystem services such as climate regulation and oxygen production. Soils and vegetation have a reciprocal relationship.
20-08-2015

Plastic pellets everywhere, and diving robot sensors
The R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen, a research vessel oeprated by Norway’s Institute of Marine Research with advice from FAO, is in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean, assessing the incidence of microplastics and the Gyre…An estimated 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently float in the world’s oceans, up from none in 1950 and posing a question about their potential impact on a food supply chain that stretches from plankton – which have been filmed eating plastic pellets – up through shellfish, salmon, tuna and eventually humans, not to mention whales….
11-08-2015

FAO Food Price Index hits lowest level in almost six years
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 164.6 points in July, down 1.0 per cent from June, and 19.4 percent from a year earlier. The trade-weighted index tracks prices on international markets of five major food commodity groups: cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.
6-08-2015