News headlines in March 2023, page 8

Humanity is facing a “difficult truth” the UN chief said just ahead of World Meteorological Day, marked on Friday – the damage already being caused by climate change is “making our planet uninhabitable.”

Global trade slowed down in the second half of 2022, but demand for environmentally friendly goods stayed strong, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, said on Thursday. 

The UN Water Conference has been hailed as an opportunity to ramp up international cooperation to address water issues and avoid a looming crisis. Experts and UN officials agree that stronger partnerships are key to finding lasting solutions.

LONDON, Mar 23 (IPS) - Human life is sacred and every individual deserves an equal chance in life. We have a common desire, we all want to lead a free, fulfilling existence, with dignity, where our basic needs are met, with opportunities to advance and equal treatment under the law. These are fundamental human rights, protected by international law, which we all have a shared responsibility to protect.

GENEVA, Mar 22 (IPS) - Given the complex interplay between geopolitics and financial markets, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent shockwaves across the global economy. Admittedly, the implications both within and between countries have varied. However, there were some common denominators, including higher commodity prices.

LUSAKA / PUNE, Mar 22 (IPS) - Despite being both curable and preventable, the TB pandemic is a global health crisis and a leading cause of death worldwide. COVID-19 brought into sharp focus how women bear the brunt of pandemics. In 2021, over three million women and girls fell ill with TB, resulting in 450,000 needless deaths.

NAKURU, Kenya, Mar 22 (IPS) - Using naturally occurring microbes, a Kenyan entrepreneur has developed a molasses-based supplement that pre-ferments animal feeds to unlock all the necessary nutrients that would otherwise find a way out of the animal through cow dung, and dairy farmers have fallen in love with the product.

A lack of clean water is threatening the well-being and “cultural identity” of the people of Samoa and other Pacific Island nations according to the UN’s most senior representative across the region.

Glaciers are “critical to all life on Earth”, the UN chief reminded the UN 2023 Water Conference on Wednesday, warning that unless the rise in sea level due to global warming is reversed, “the consequences will be catastrophic.”

Marking the most significant global conference on water in five decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on all nations to invest in better access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all.