News headlines in April 2023, page 19

The UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for SomaliaAdam Abdelmoula, made a passionate appeal for sustained support for the country’s most vulnerable on Wednesday, where climate shocks and protracted conflict have created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

The UN on Wednesday called for a “sustainable industrial transformation” to close the widening development gap between countries, meet ambitious climate targets, and reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

Cindy McCain of the United States takes the helm of the UN emergency food relief agency amid “unprecedented” global hunger fuelled by conflict, climate change and soaring fertilizer prices, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday.

MADRID, Apr 04 (IPS) - Straight to the point: the current system of voracious money-making production and the induced over-consumption patterns have turned Planet Earth into a giant garbage dump.

PORT VILA, Vanuatu, Apr 04 (IPS) - One month after the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu was hit by two Category 4 cyclones within three days, food scarcity and prices are rising in the country following widespread devastation of the agriculture sector.

BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr 04 (IPS) - The unprecedented fiscal firepower used to protect the vulnerable from the harsh socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic contraction have pushed the average government debt level in the Asia-Pacific region to its highest since 2008.

Independent human rights experts expressed their solidarity with the people of Malawi on Tuesday, following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy that killed and injured hundreds, leading the Government to declare a state of emergency.

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have issued an order banning women nationals who are UN staff members from continuing to work, the UN spokesperson said on Tuesday.

A staggering 4.7 million people in Burkina Faso, a fifth of the population, will need humanitarian assistance this year, the UN and partners said on Tuesday, announcing a $877 million response plan to meet urgent needs. 

Tunisia must take swift action to curb racist rhetoric and halt ongoing rights violations of Black Africans, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said on Tuesday.