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‘Deeply negative impact’ of COVID pandemic, reverses SDG progress
16 July 2021
Closing a key international development forum on Thursday, the deputy UN chief observed that a year of “immense challenges” has reversed progress on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
After eight “solid days” of deliberations at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), Amina Mohammed attributed the COVID pandemic to “a reversal of SDG progress in some…
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Afghanistan: Funding shortfall amid deepening humanitarian crisis
15 July 2021
A senior UN official on Thursday urged donors to step up support for Afghanistan, where ongoing drought and increased military operations amid foreign troop withdrawal, are displacing scores of civilians, creating a growing humanitarian crisis.
Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said a $1.3 billion appeal, launched earlier this year, is less than 40 per…
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Libya: Positive steps needed to break ‘political stalemate’
15 July 2021
The interdependent tracks of implementing Libya’s ceasefire agreement, political progress and economic reform, are in danger of going into reverse, UN Special Envoy Ján Kubiš warned the Security Council on Thursday.
“Positive steps are now needed to avoid backsliding”, he told the ministerial-level meeting.
To avoid a return to conflict, violence and chaos, Mr. Kubiš, who also heads the UN…
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Sharp rise in Africa COVID-19 deaths, WHO reports
15 July 2021
COVID-19 deaths in Africa have risen sharply in recent weeks, amid the fastest surge in cases the continent has seen so far in the pandemic, the regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Fatalities are rising as hospital admissions increase rapidly as countries face shortages in oxygen and intensive care beds.
#Africa has recorded a 43% week-on-week rise in #COVID19 deaths…
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Death in custody of activist priest, a stain on India’s rights record: UN expert
15 July 2021
A UN-appointed independent rights expert has spoken out following the death in custody of a renowned Catholic priest, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.
Stan Swamy, who was 84, was jailed last October on terrorism charges which UN Special Rapporteur highlighting the work of human rights defenders worldwide, Mary Lawlor, insisted were fabricated.
🇮🇳 #India: Death in custody…
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Decline in routine childhood vaccinations, another pandemic fallout
15 July 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major backsliding in childhood vaccinations, with 23 million children worldwide missing out on routine immunizations last year, two UN agencies reported on Wednesday.
This is the highest number since 2009, and nearly four million more than recorded in the year preceding the crisis, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN…
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‘Early stages’ of COVID third wave, amid Delta surge: WHO chief
14 July 2021
The variant’s spread, along with increased social mobility and the inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is driving an increase in both case numbers and deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the recent data in an address to the Emergency Committee on COVID-19, established under the International Health…
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Deaths soar on perilous maritime migration routes to Europe
14 July 2021
Deaths of migrants travelling by dangerous sea routes to Europe have soared in the first six months of the year. At least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe by boat from January to June, the UN migration agency, IOM said on Wednesday.
That’s more than double the number of deaths recorded over the same period last year and it highlights how perilous maritime migration routes are from Africa…
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EU urged to consider impact of new climate mechanism on developing countries
14 July 2021
Although a new European Union (EU) climate initiative unveiled on Wednesday could change global trade patterns to favour countries where production is relatively carbon efficient, its value in mitigating climate change will likely be limited, the UN trade and development agency, UNCTAD, has warned.
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) comes into force in 2023 as part of…
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‘Tear down inequalities’ to end COVID pandemic: UNAIDS
14 July 2021
A new report issued on Wednesday by the UN agency leading the fight against HIV/AIDS shows that people living with the human immunodeficiency virus face the double jeopardy of HIV and COVID-19 – as widening inequalities continue to prevent them from accessing services.
According to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2021, people living with HIV are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness and death, yet…
