News headlines in 2022, page 13

London, Dec 09 (IPS) - Elephant populations are starting to recover in parts of Africa as law enforcement agencies and local communities turn the tide in their long-running battle against wildlife poachers and traffickers.

WASHINGTON DC, Dec 09 (IPS) - Delegates from more than 190 countries are donning thick coats and winter boots to attend the long-delayed UN biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada—the land of caribou, beluga whales and wolverines.

Today’s “trying times” highlight the need for a recommitment to human rights, which are central to solving global problems, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message for Human Rights Day on Saturday. 

The only way to end the suffering and devastation in Ukraine, “is by ending the war”, the UN’s top disarmament official told the Security Council on Friday.

As humanitarian needs soar to unprecedented levels, top UN officials on Friday highlighted the importance of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in supporting emergencies and responding rapidly to crises.  

In response to rising hate speech and discrimination worldwide, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to take concrete steps to protect minorities and other communities at risk of genocide. 

Despite the resilience of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), security is “one of the most significant challenges” it faces, the head of the UN mission in the country, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Friday.

Just ahead of Human Rights Day on Saturday 10 December, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted that despite so many seemingly “intractable” crises around the world, solutions can still be found.

Some 20 million jobs could be created by investing in policies that support nature and address climate change, disaster risk, food insecurity, and other major challenges, according to a UN report published on Friday. 

Although the Philippines has made gains in combatting the sale and sexual exploitation of children, greater effort needs to be made to protect them, a UN-appointed human rights expert has said.