Mapping vulnerability of climate risk is contentious
10/3/2022: The UN's climate science panel labelled 3.3-3.6bn people as highly vulnerable to climate disaster but many governments saw the underlying map as problematic. IPCC scientists acknowledge that there is no agreed method for measuring vulnerability.
Source: Climate Home News
UN ocean treaty is vital chance to protect the high seas
10/3/2022: UN negotiators are hoping to finalise a new legal framework to protect biodiversity and govern the oceans. Currently all countries have the right to navigate, fish and carry out scientific research on the high seas with few restrictions.
Source: The Guardian
War in Ukraine poised to threaten global food security
10/3/2022: World food prices were already at their highest levels since 1975 and will now rise further due to the loss of food production from Ukraine (and to some extent Russia). Maintaining food export markets and increasing humanitarian aid are key solutions.
Source: Inter Press Service
Is Russia sabotaging the Iran nuclear deal?
9/3/2022: After eleven months of talks negotiators appear close to striking a deal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But the negotiations have been complicated by a last-minute demand from Russia which the US has rejected.
Source: DW
Fears grow for Syria amid deepening humanitarian crisis
9/3/2022: The latest UN Human Rights Council-mandated report on the nearly 11-year-old conflict warns that more than half of the pre-war population of Syria has been displaced. The poverty rate is an unprecedented 90 percent with 14.6 million people dependent on humanitarian aid.
Source: UN News
Lessons to learn from EU’s generous response to Ukraine refugees
9/3/2022: The European Union as a bloc moved quickly to grant temporary protection to all Ukrainians without the delays and bureaucracy of the normal asylum procedure. Geopolitical considerations and proximity do not fully explain the contrast with Europe's harsh response to people fleeing other wars and crises.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Vanessa Nakate confronts ministers over loss and damage
8/3/2022: Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate has confronted rich countries over their refusal to provide finance for victims of the climate crisis in the developing world. UK and European officials agreed in principle yet would not commit to providing finance.
Source: Climate Home News
UN commissioner to travel to Xinjiang on long-delayed visit
8/3/2022: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has announced the first visit to China by a UN rights team since 2005. She has been promised unfettered access to the troubled western Xinjiang province.
Source: DW
China rejects UN text on North Korea missile test
8/3/2022: US and European allies on the UN Security Council have failed to convince China and Russia to back a text noting North Korea's "violations" of resolutions on missile technology. The US Ambassador to the UN expressed concern that such inaction erodes the credibility of the Security Council.
Source: CNA
Covid-19 human rights failures persist on second anniversary
11/3/2022: Safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines have existed for over a year yet billions of people remain unprotected without a single dose. Governments should redouble efforts to uphold their legal obligation to ensure the highest attainable standard of health for people everywhere.
Source: Human Rights Watch