Tag Archives: change

How climate change is threatening human rights

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed this message in Geneva earlier this year and posed a question before the Human Rights Council:

“Are we taking the steps needed to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their futures and manage natural resources in ways that respect human rights and the environment?”

His answer was very simple: we are not doing nearly enough.

In this regard, the impacts of climate change must be understood not only as a climate emergency, but also as a violation of human rights, Professor Joyeeta Gupta told UN News recently

She is the co-chair of the international scientific advisory body Earth Commission and one of the United Nations’ high-level representatives for science, technology, and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Who suffers the most?

Professor Gupta said that the 1992 climate convention never quantified human harm. 

She noted that when the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, the global consensus settled on limiting warming to 2° Celsius, later acknowledging 1.5° Celsius as a safer goal. 

But for small island States, even that was a compromise forced by power imbalance, and “for them, two degrees was not survivable,” said Professor Gupta.

“Rising seas, saltwater intrusion, and extreme storms threaten to erase entire nations. When wealthy countries demanded scientific proof, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was tasked with studying the difference between 1.5° Celsius and 2° Celsius,” she continued.

She said that the results were clear that 1.5° Celsius is significantly less destructive but still dangerous.

In her own research published in Nature, she argues that one degree Celsius is the just boundary, because beyond that point, the impacts of climate change violate the rights of more than one per cent of the global population, around 100 million people.

The tragedy, she noted, is that the world crossed one degree in 2017, and it is likely to breach 1.5° Celsius by 2030. 

She underscored that the promises of cooling later in the century ignore irreversible damage, including melting glaciers, collapsing ecosystems, and lost lives.

“If Himalayan glaciers melt,” she said, “they won’t come back. We will be living with the consequences forever.”

A man helps a woman after her car is stranded in waist-deep water. Globally rains are being more extreme due to impacts of climate change.

A question of responsibility 

Climate justice and development go hand in hand. Every basic right – from water and food to housing, mobility, and electricity – requires energy.

“There is a belief that we can meet the Sustainable Development Goals without changing how rich people live. That doesn’t work mathematically or ethically,” Professor Gupta explained. 

Her research shows that meeting basic human needs has a significant emissions footprint. 

The research also highlights that since the planet has already crossed safe limits, wealthy societies must reduce emissions far more aggressively, not only to protect the climate, but to create carbon space for others to realise their rights.

“Failing to do so turns inequality into injustice.” she underlined.

Climate change and displacement

Displacement is one of the most obvious effects of climate injustice. Yet international law still does not recognise ‘climate refugees.’

Professor Gupta explains the progression clearly. 

“Climate change first forces adaptation for example, shifting from water-intensive rice to drought-resistant crops. When adaptation fails, people absorb losses: land, livelihoods, security. When survival itself becomes impossible, displacement begins,” she said.

“If land becomes too dry to grow crops and there is no drinking water,” she said, “people are forced to leave.”

She added that the most climate displacement today occurs within countries or regions, not across continents. 

“Moving is expensive, dangerous, and often unwanted. The legal challenge lies in proving causation: Did people leave because of climate change, or because of other factors like poor governance or market failures?

“This is where attribution science becomes crucial. New studies now compare decades of data to show when and how climate change alters rainfall, heat, health outcomes, and extreme events. As this science advances, it may become possible to integrate climate displacement into international refugee law,” she noted.

“That,” she said, “will be the next step.”

Children in Africa are among the most at risk of the impacts of climate change.

A broken legal framework

Professor Gupta said that climate harms have been quite difficult to address through human rights law due to the fragmented architecture of international law.

“This fragmentation allows States to compartmentalise responsibility…They can say, “I agreed to this here, but not there,” she said. 

“Environmental treaties, human rights conventions, trade agreements, and investment regimes operate in parallel worlds. Countries may sign climate agreements without being bound by human rights treaties, or protect investors while ignoring environmental destruction,” she added.

She asserted that this is why invoking climate change as a human rights violation at the global level has been so difficult. Until recently, climate harm was discussed in technical terms – parts per million of carbon dioxide, temperature targets, emission pathways – without explicitly asking: What does this do to people?

Only recently has this begun to change.

In a landmark advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) clarified that climate change cannot be assessed in isolation. Courts and governments, the ICJ said, must consider climate obligations together with human rights and other environmental agreements.

For Professor Gupta, this legal shift is long overdue but vital.

“It finally tells governments: you cannot talk about climate without talking about people.”

Climate change is transboundary

Assigning responsibility for climate change is exceptionally complex because its impacts cross borders, she said.

“For instance, a Peruvian farmer sued a German company in a German court for damages caused by climate change. The court acknowledged that foreign plaintiffs can bring such cases, but proving the link between emissions and harm remains a major challenge. This case highlights the difficulties of holding states or companies accountable for transboundary climate-related human rights harms,” she added.

Professor Gupta said that attribution science is making it possible to link emissions to specific harms.

The ICJ has now affirmed that continued fossil fuel use may constitute an internationally wrongful act. States are responsible not only for their emissions, but for regulating companies within their borders.

“Different legal strategies are emerging, from corporate misrepresentation lawsuits in the US to France’s corporate vigilance law,” she added

Vehicle emissions, diesel generators, the burning of biomass and garbage have all contributed to poor air quality in Lagos Lagoon in Nigeria. (file 2016)

Climate stability as a collective human right

Rather than framing climate as an individual entitlement, Professor Gupta argues for recognising a collective right to a stable climate.

She explained that climate stability sustains agriculture, water systems, supply chains, and everyday predictability, and without it, society cannot function.

“Climate works through water,” she said. “And water is central to everything.”

Courts around the world are increasingly recognising that climate instability undermines existing human rights even if climate itself is not yet codified as one.

This thinking is now echoed at the highest levels of the UN.

Erosion of fundamental rights

Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in June of this year, UN High Commissioner Volker Türk warned that climate change is already eroding fundamental rights, especially for the most vulnerable.

But he also framed climate action as an opportunity.

“Climate change can be a powerful lever for progress,” he said, if the world commits to a just transition away from environmentally destructive systems.

“What we need now,” he stressed, “is a roadmap to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable.”

Political will, power, and responsibility

“The erosion of multilateralism symbolised by repeated US withdrawals from the Paris Agreement has weakened global trust. Meanwhile, 70 per cent of new fossil fuel expansion is driven by four wealthy countries: the US, Canada, Norway, and Australia,” said Professor Gupta.

She argues that neoliberal ideology focused on markets, deregulation, and individual freedom cannot solve a collective crisis.

“Climate change is a public good problem,” she said. “It requires rules, cooperation, and strong States.”

Developing countries face a dilemma: wait for climate finance while emissions rise, or act independently and seek justice later. Waiting, she warns, is suicidal.

As the UN High Commissioner concluded in Geneva, a just transition must leave no one behind.

“If we fail to protect lives, health, jobs and futures,” Volker Türk warned, “we will reproduce the very injustices we claim to fight.”

UN chief calls for justice and ‘real change’ for people of African descent

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In a message released ahead of the Day, Mr. Guterres honoured the “extraordinary” contributions of people of African descent across every sphere of human endeavour. The Secretary-General also recognised the “long shadows” of slavery and colonialism, which include systemic racism, unequal economies and societies, and the digital divide (between those who are able to benefit from digital technology, and those who don’t have access).

Mr. Guterres hailed the Global Digital Compact – adopted in 2024 as part of the Pact for the Future, which promotes a multilateral system that reflects today’s realities and delivers for everyone, everywhere – as a step forward, citing commitments to tackle discrimination and hate speech in digital technologies. “White supremacy and dehumanising narratives,” wrote the UN chief, “are amplified by social media, and, too often, racial bias is encoded in algorithms.”

“Eighty years after the United Nations Charter reaffirmed the equal rights and inherent dignity of every human being, and sixty years since the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,” he concluded, “it is long past time to right historic wrongs.”

The Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad in Detroit, Michigan, dedicated in 2001.

A decade of action

This year’s International Day is the first to take place during the second International Decade for People of African Descent, which runs from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2034. The decade, which embraces the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice, and Development,” aims to highlight the importance of acknowledging the rights and contributions of people of African descent. Mr. Guterres has called for the next ten years to drive “real change,” including working towards a United Nations Declaration on the full respect of people of African descent’s human rights.

The first Decade saw more than 30 countries change their laws and policies to tackle racial discrimination and address specific issues faced by people of African descent – in some cases for the first time. The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, was created, and new International Days were launched to celebrate the contributions of the diaspora, including those of women and girls.

Building on the progress made between 2015 and 2024, the second Decade seeks to amplify global efforts toward justice and development for individuals of African descent and create a more equitable future, in which the aspirations and rights of people of African descent are fully recognised, honoured, and celebrated.

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Latin America and Caribbean: Millions more children could face poverty due to climate change

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Even worse, the number could triple if countries do not meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to ensure that climate financing prioritises social and climate resilience services for children.

The finding comes in a report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), published on Thursday in Panama.

Bearing the brunt

The report examines the potential effects of extreme weather events on increasing poverty levels among children and youth, along with national efforts to reduce GHG emissions as well as strategies to adapt and reduce losses and damage caused by climate change.

The 5.9 million figure represents the most optimistic scenario. However, if governments are slow in implementing actions to address mitigation and adaptation, as well as loss and damage, the number could reach 17.9 million.

Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that children and adolescents bear the greatest burden of climate change. 

Their developing bodies are more vulnerable to cyclones, heatwaves and other extreme phenomena which at the same time disrupt their families’ livelihoods and their education.

“If children and young people don’t have the resources to meet their basic needs and develop their potential, and if adequate social protection systems are not in place, the region’s inequalities will only be perpetuated,” he said.

Protect children and youth

Yet despite their vulnerability, climate finance does not prioritise the resilient services for health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation that children and young people need, to ensure their optimal cognitive and physical development. 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, only 3.4 per cent of all multilateral climate finance is dedicated to children, according to the report.  This is happening at a time of funding cuts and reduced development aid amid unprecedented needs.  

The report recommends that regional governments take action, including by strengthening the climate resilience of social services and critical infrastructure to better protect children and youth, with a particular focus on the first 1,000 days of life.

Authorities are urged to increase child-sensitive climate policy financing, with actions that specifically target the needs of children at different ages.

They also must promote greater climate awareness, education, empowerment and participation of children and youth. Additionally, environmental and climate education should be included in school curricula and educational programmes.

The report further recommends that countries promote adaptive social protection and emergency response policies that account for the specific needs of children and adolescents. 

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Putting water management at the centre of the climate change fight

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Currently underway in Stockholm from 24 to 28 August, the 35th World Water Week meeting highlights the crucial link between water and global warming, under the theme, Water For Climate Action.

At the core of sustainable development and basic human survival, safe drinking water is critical for socio-economic development, energy and food production – and healthy ecosystems.

Meanwhile, reliable water supply is also at the heart of adaptation efforts in an increasingly warming world.

Landlocked countries

Improved access to water is creating new opportunities for people in some of the world’s most remote communities, particularly in landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). 

On Wednesday, UN-Water – which coordinates the UN’s work on water and sanitation – will bring together LLDCs that have demonstrated substantial progress towards ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).

This session will provide an opportunity for other LLDCs to draw lessons from the progress made by Bhutan, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia in ensuring safe drinking water and effective water management.

Innovative financing

The lack of safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services, severely impacts human well-being, dignity and opportunities – especially for women and girls.

Indeed, contaminated water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene practices are still undermining efforts to end extreme poverty and control disease outbreaks in the world’s poorest countries.

On Thursday, UN-Water and partners will galvanise donors and other key collaborators to address financing gaps in water and sanitation provision.

Discussions will focus on different models and building alliances to unlock innovative funding mechanisms for safer universal access.

Hiroshima, 80 years on: ‘Real change’ needed to end existential nuclear threat

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While the city has been rebuilt, nuclear conflict remains a global threat, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said in remarks at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

It was the only structure left standing near the hypocentre of the bomb, which marked the first use of an atomic weapon in war.

Survivors, family members and representatives from international organizations and 120 countries were among the approximately 55,000 people who attended the ceremony, according to the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office.

Remembering the dead, honouring the survivors

“On this 80th anniversary, we remember those who perished. We stand with the families who carry their memory,” said Ms. Nakatmisu, delivering a message on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

She paid tribute to the hibakusha – the term for those who survived Hiroshima and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki three days later – “whose voices have become a moral force for peace.”

“While their numbers grow smaller each year, their testimony — and their eternal message of peace — will never leave us,” she said.

UN Photo/Yoshito Matsushige

Injured civilians, having escaped the raging inferno, gathered on a pavement west of Miyuki-bashi in Hiroshima, Japan, at about 11 a.m. on 6 August 1945.

Rebuilding hope, sharing the vision

In a single moment on 6 August 1945, Hiroshima was reduced to ruins, tens of thousands were killed, “and humanity crossed a threshold from which there could be no return.”

In the aftermath, many believed the city would never recover and that nothing would grow, she said, but the population proved otherwise.

“You, the people of Hiroshima, didn’t just rebuild a city,” she said.  “You rebuilt hope. You nurtured a vision of a world without nuclear weapons. And you shared that vision with the world.”

Listen to our podcast with Japanese American author Kathleen Burkinshaw whose novel about a young hibakusha ‘The Last Cherry Blossom’ was inspired by her mother’s experience.

Duty to protect

Ms. Nakamitsu noted that 2025 also marks 80 years since the UN was founded.  In May, saplings grown from the seeds of a persimmon tree that survived the bombing were planted at Headquarters in New York. 

“They are more than symbols of survival,” she said.  “They are living testaments to the strength of the human spirit — and of our shared duty to protect future generations from the horrors of nuclear annihilation.”

Furthermore, the UN anniversary is a reminder of why it was created in the first place – to prevent war, to uphold human dignity, and to ensure the tragedies of the past are never repeated.

“Yet, today the risk of nuclear conflict is growing,” she warned. “Trust is eroding. Geopolitical divisions are widening. And the very weapons that brought such devastation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki are once again being treated as tools of coercion.”

At the ceremony, Hiroshima’s Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against the growing acceptance of nuclear weapons, according to media reports.  He cited the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as examples.

Yet, signs of hope have emerged, according to the UN disarmament chief.  

UN Secretary-General António Guterres met with hibakusha from Hiroshima and Nagasaki during a visit to Japan in 2022.

Abolish nuclear weapons

Last October, the Japanese anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo – which represents the survivors of the bombings – was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.  This came just weeks after countries meeting at the UN adopted the Pact for the Future, re-committing to a world free of nuclear weapons.

Ms. Nakamitsu insisted that “commitments must lead to real change by strengthening the global disarmament regime — in particular, the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, complemented by the momentum created by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” 

She urged countries to draw strength from both the resilience of Hiroshima and the wisdom of the hibakusha. 

“Let’s work to eradicate the threat of nuclear weapons by eradicating the weapons themselves,” she said.

“And let’s keep our pledge to the hibakusha, and ensure that their testimony and message of peace is carried forward. Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today — and in the future.” 

Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs (in white), during the tree planting ceremony at Headquarters to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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A mandate for change: UN releases proposals for streamlining of tasks as part of major reform agenda

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Mandates – requests or directives for action issued by the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council – have multiplied significantly since 1945. Today, there are more than 40,000 active mandates, serviced by around 400 intergovernmental bodies. Together, they require more than 27,000 meetings a year and generate roughly 2,300 pages of documentation every day, at an estimated annual cost of $360 million.

A growing challenge

Mandates guide the UN’s work in over 190 countries and territories, from peacekeeping to humanitarian response and development. But many are outdated or overlapping, and their complexity is increasing. Since 2020, the average word count of General Assembly resolutions has risen by 55 per cent, while Security Council resolutions are now three times longer than they were 30 years ago.

“Let’s face facts,” said Secretary-General António Guterres during a briefing to the General Assembly on Friday, “we cannot expect far greater impact without the means to deliver. By spreading our capacities so thin, we risk becoming more focused on process than on results.”

A lack of coordination adds to the strain. Several UN entities cite the same mandates to justify separate programmes and budgets, leading to duplication and reduced impact. More than 85 per cent of mandates contain no provisions for review or termination. “Effective reviews are the exception, not the rule,” Mr. Guterres said. “The same mandates are discussed year after year – often with only marginal changes to existing texts.”

The UN has carried out mandates across the world including certifying the election in Namibia in 1989.

The UN80 Initiative: a systemic approach

The Report of the Mandate Implementation Review, released on 31 July, is part of the Secretary-General’s broader UN80 Initiative – a multi-year effort to modernize how the UN works. Rather than assess mandates individually, the report takes a “lifecycle” approach, looking at how mandates are created, implemented and reviewed, and proposing ways to improve each stage.

“Let me be absolutely clear: mandates are the business of Member States,” Mr. Guterres told the General Assembly. “They are the expression of your will. And they are the sole property and responsibility of Member States. The vital task of creating, reviewing or retiring them lies with you – and you alone. Our role is to implement them – fully, faithfully, and efficiently.”

“This report respects that division,” he added. “It looks at how we carry out the mandates you entrust to us.”

From creation to delivery

To address duplication and complexity, the report calls for digital mandate registries that make it easier to track what has been adopted across different bodies. It also encourages shorter, clearer resolutions with realistic resource requirements. “We cannot expect far greater impact without the means to deliver,” Mr. Guterres said.

The report also highlights the growing operational burden of meetings and reports. Last year, the UN system supported 27,000 meetings and produced 1,100 reports – three out of five on recurring topics. “Meetings and reports are essential,” Mr. Guterres said. “But we must ask: Are we using our limited resources in the most effective way?”

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, was mandated by the Security Council.

Funding and impact

Proposals include reducing the number of reports and meetings, streamlining formats and monitoring report usage to ensure relevance. The Secretary-General is also calling for stronger coordination among UN entities to avoid overlap and ensure each mandate is linked to clear deliverables.

The report warns that fragmented funding is undermining coherent delivery. In 2023, 80 per cent of the UN’s funding came from voluntary contributions, 85 per cent of which were earmarked. “Fragmented funding, combined with fragmented implementation, leads to fragmented impact,” said Mr. Guterres. “Each of us has a role to play to address this. And each of us must act on the levers within our control.”

Putting people first

For the Secretary-General, reforms are not only about process but about impact. “Mandates are not ends in themselves,” he said. “They are tools – to deliver real results, in real lives, in the real world.”

He praised UN staff as central to this effort. “None of the work in implementing mandates is possible without our staff – the women and men of the United Nations,” Mr. Guterres said. “Their expertise, dedication and courage are indispensable to this endeavor. If we are to improve how we implement mandates, we must also support and empower the people who carry them out.”

Many of the UN’s mandates are agreed at the Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York.

A call to Member States

In his concluding remarks, the Secretary-General underscored that the next steps must come from Member States. “The path forward is yours to decide,” he said. “My responsibility is to ensure that the Secretariat provides the capacities and inputs required by the course of action that you choose.”

The report invites Member States to consider a time-bound intergovernmental process to carry proposals forward and ensure that this effort succeeds where earlier ones have fallen short. The upshot, the report says, would be a more agile, coherent and impactful UN that is better at delivering programmes and services. 

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Seeding gender empowerment: Women farmers in Peru contend with climate change

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Ácora, located in the southeast corner of Peru almost 3,800 kilometres above sea level, is one of the Peruvian regions which has been most impacted by climate change – endangering crop production and biodiversity in addition to worsening food insecurity.

“It was not like this before, the climate has changed a lot,” said Pascuala Pari, head of the Sumaq Chuyma Association in Ácora.

Around the world, women farmers like Ms. Pari, who already face a series of intersectional challenges, are working tirelessly to secure their livelihoods despite an increasingly untenable climate situation.

“Women in particular shoulder the burden of food insecurity as traditional caregivers which is intensified during climate crises,” said Bochola Sara Arero, a youth representative from the World Food Forum, at a side event during the ongoing UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on Monday.

Intersecting goals

The forum in New York has been convened to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 to promote global development for current and future generations.

“[The forum] is going to be a major way to assess how we’re doing with respect to the critical issues of sustainability and achieving greater prosperity globally,” said Bob Rae, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), at a press conference for correspondents in New York on Tuesday. 

With only 18 per cent of these internationally agreed upon goals on track to being met by 2030, the Secretary-General António Guterres has called for urgent action and sustained multilateralism to address this gap.

Mr. Guterres has also said that this forum is a unique opportunity to discuss the intersection between various goals, including the intersection between gender equality and climate change.

A bipolar climate

Last year in Ácora, dealing with a climate that oscillated between drought and torrential rains was next to impossible for the women who relied on the land.

Crops would not grow and agrobiodiversity was under threat. In a country where 17.6 million people already experience food insecurity, this dual threat had the potential to wreak havoc on livelihoods.

In response, Ms Pari and other women in Ácora formed seed banks. Not only do organizations like seed banks preserve indigenous agrobiodiversity, they also help sustain the livelihoods of women in the region.

“Our crops were in danger of extinction, but now people are harvesting again and we are changing that,” said Fanny Ninaraqui, leader of the Ayrumas Carumas Association.

Seeds that are not planted can be traded or bartered with other seed bank owners. Over 125 varieties of native crops have now been preserved across the region.

“I am happy with my little seed bank … Now I have all kinds of quinoa: black, red, white. This supports me economically because I preserve and sell my products at local markets,” Ms. Pari said.

© UNDP/MINAM/PPD/Nuria Angeles

Aymara communities in Ácora are working to recover and conserve their agrobiodiversity.

Once shut, doors open for women farmers

In addition to climate challenges, women farmers also face a lack of legal rights. Specifically, they often do not have titles to their land.

According to the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Development Report, released Monday, 58 per cent of the countries with available data lacked sufficient protection for women’s land rights.

“Women’s land rights are fundamental for women’s voice and agency, livelihoods and well-being and resilience as well as for broader development outcomes,” said Seemin Qayum, policy advisor at UN Women.

The in-depth report also noted that less than half of women had secure rights to land, with men being twice as likely to have land deeds and other protected property rights. [1]

Experts say that insufficient legal protections not only negatively impact economic outcomes for women, they also sideline women’s needs and voices in policymaking. Therefore, it is essential to institute legal protections which formally recognize women as farmers.

“When you are recognized as a farmer, a world of possibilities, a world of resources – opportunities for representation and rights – become available to you. Doors open,” said Carol Boudreaux, Senior Director of Land Programs at Landesa.

© UNDP/MINAM/PPD/Nuria Angeles

Another method implemented is the rehabiWaru warus in Thunco: an ancient farming technique with canals and raised beds to manage droughts and floods.

Beyond legal protections

While legal land rights are essential, they are not in and of themselves enough to empower rural women.

“Initiatives that aim to change discriminatory social norms and institutions are also needed,” said Clara Park, senior gender officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Women in Ácora recognize that it is not just climate change which is negatively impacting their livelihoods – they are also grappling with unequal social norms.

“When you are young and a woman, someone always tries to limit your progress,” Ms. Ninaraqui said.

In Ácora, international and civil society organizations, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), have worked to help women establish their seed banks and ensure that these women have the capacity to manage them long-term.

“I can lead, I can teach what I have learned, now I feel I have this capacity,” Ms Pari said.

Intergenerational knowledge

Women like Ms. Pari and Ms. Ninaraqui are part of the Aymara indigenous community in Ácora. For them, the seed banks are a form of innovation which allows them to build upon indigenous knowledge regarding agrobiodiversity.

“We are recovering the seeds from our grandparents’ time,” said Ms. Pari.

And as they save these seeds, Ms. Pari said they are also thinking of the future.

“Today, I would tell more women to keep going, to not be discouraged by what others think, and to take initiative like I did,” said Ms. Pari.

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Human rights can be a ‘strong lever for progress’ in climate change, says UN rights chief

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Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, High Commissioner Volker Türk asked Member States whether enough was being done to protect people from the escalating impacts of climate change  

“Are we taking the steps needed to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their futures and manage natural resources in ways that respect human rights and the environment?” asked delegates at the ongoing session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.  

His answer was simple – we are not doing nearly enough.  

Mr. Türk emphasised that while climate change presents dire risks human rights – especially for the most vulnerable – it also can be a strong lever for progress.  

Central to this is a “just transition” away from environmentally destructive activities.  

“What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable,” he said.  

The right to decent work 

One of the main avenues through which the Council – UN’s highest intergovernmental body on human rights – examined the connection between human rights and climate change was the right to decent work.

“Because of climate change, the very human right of decent work is fundamentally challenged today,” said Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a senior official at the International Labor Organization (ILO).

He warned that 80 million full-time jobs will no longer exist in 2030 if the world continues its current climate trajectory. More than 70 per cent of the global workforce – 2.4 billion workers – will be exposed to excessive heat at some point on the job.  

These alarming statistics underscored the urgent need for robust social protection systems, including social security, for workers as the climate crisis continues to intensify, Mr. Gueye said. Less than 9 per cent of workers in the 20 most climate-impacted countries have any form of social protection.  

“From a climate resilience perspective, nations are far from achieving the human right to social protection,” Mr. Gueye said. “Investments in social protection need to be scaled up, and this must move from shock-responses to institutionalised and rights-based approaches.”

On a more hopeful note, he added, a shift towards low-carbon economies can potentially generate over 100 million new jobs by 2030. However, he cautioned that, that these jobs may not emerge where others are lost, reinforcing the need for strong safety nets and planning.  

‘Defossilize’ the economy and knowledge

Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, also presented her latest report, which calls for “defossilization” of economies. Phasing out fossil fuels, she said, is the most effective way to reduce climate impacts while protecting human rights.

Of course, this is not a simple task, as Ms. Morgera noted that fossil fuels have invaded all parts of our lives and economies.  

“Fossil fuels are everywhere: in our food systems, in our ocean and in our bodies, including in our brains – in many cases without us knowing or choosing for them to be in our lives,” Ms. Morgera said.  

Ms. Morgera – who is mandated and appointed by the Human Rights Council, and is not a UN staff member – also stressed the need to “defossilize knowledge,” noting how fossil fuel interests have distorted public understanding and attacked climate defenders.

While geopolitical divisions may slow progress, she insisted that action can begin now at every level. “We can nourish hope and share concrete learning that can inspire a course correction, within the current decade, toward a safe climate for all.” 

A people-centred approach

Mr. Türk concluded his remarks reinforcing that a just transition must ensure no one is left behind.

“If we don’t safeguard people’s lives, their health, their jobs and their future opportunities, the transition will replicate and exacerbate the injustices and inequalities in our world,” he said.  

Mr. Gueye echoed that message: “The global climate agenda is a human story and it is about human rights. The ambition that nations and the global community seek cannot be confined to numerical targets and indicators – it must fundamentally be about people.” 

It’s time to finance our future and ‘change course’, Guterres tells world leaders in Sevilla

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António Guterres issued his clarion call noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now facing “massive headwinds.”

Addressing the opening session of the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) in baking hot Sevilla, Spain – basking in record high June temperatures – the Secretary-General noted multilateralism itself is also feeling the heat, while trust between nations and institutions fray.

The world is on fire, shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts: “Financing is the engine of development and right now, this engine is sputtering,” he told the conference, attended by more than 50 world leaders, over 150 nations and around 15,000 delegates.

“As we meet, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future – is in danger.”

Some two-thirds of the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets agreed in 2015 are significantly off track – hence the staggering $4 trillion investment needed to turn it around.

“We are here in Sevilla to change course. To repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment at the scale and speed required,” said Mr. Guterres.

He described the outcome known as the Sevilla Commitment adopted on Monday – without the United States which pulled out of the process earlier this month – as a “global promise” to low-income nations to lift them up the development ladder.

The UN chief outlined three key action areas:

  • First, get resources flowing fast at home to spur sustainable growth, and for richer countries to honour their pledge under the accord to double aid to poorer countries to boost development. This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks and innovative solutions to unlock private cash.
  • Second, fix the “unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable” global debt system. Right now, poorer countries are spending around $1.4 trillion just servicing their vast debts in the form of interest payments. Among the innovations, a new borrowers’ forum will ensure fairer debt resolution and action.
  • Third, reform the global financial architecture, with major shareholders playing their part, so that it empowers every country. “We need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just a few.”

The current crisis of affordability and stalled development is “a crisis of people,” he continued, which leaves families hungry, children unvaccinated, and girls left out of education.

“This conference is not about charity. It’s about restoring justice and to facilitate the ability of all people to live in dignity,” said Mr. Guterres.

“This conference is not about money – it’s about investments in the future we wish to build together.”

A tangible and actionable’ roadmap

King Felipe of Spain spoke just ahead of the official opening, telling delegates the multicultural city of Sevilla welcomes the world “with open arms”.

He said a new roadmap would emerge that is based on what is “concrete and tangible and actionable”.

The conference must be a success, because cooperation is one of our fundamental pillars of the multilateral world and “the ultimate embodiment of the values that sustain it – especially at this particular point in history where many certainties are melting away and many fears and uncertainties are taking shape.”

‘Our time is now’

Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez told delegates “our time is now and our place is here.” Millions of lives will depend on the choices made in Sevilla and going forward.

We must choose “ambition over paralysis, solidarity over indifference and courage over convenience,” he continued, adding that the eyes of world are on this hall, to see what we are ready to do together and in the face of this historic challenge we must prove our worth.”

Sevilla was “the New York of the 16th century” in diplomatic terms he told delegates – and a cradle of globalism – we must all do that legacy justice today.

‘Sevilla is not an end point’

Secretary-General of the conference, Li Junhua – who’s in charge of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) – said the week in Sevilla is key moment to mobilise the resources necessary to build a just, inclusive and sustainable future.

The UN effort to finance development has been anchored in multilateralism and solidarity – but today, the whole framework is under “profound stress.”

He said never has sustainable development been so tested but the pact made in Sevilla puts people back at the centre.

“Sevilla is not an end point, it is a launch pad for a new era of implementation, accountability and solidarity.” UNDESA is ready to support all nations to translate the commitment into international action, he underscored.

President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang told delegates above all, “we need leadership to guide the world forward into a brighter more prosperous future for everyone, everywhere.”

He said the Sevilla framework will renew global partnership for the decade ahead and provide a focus on a debt burden which is crippling the developing world.

President of the UN Economic and Social Council Bob Rae said trust between countries had to be strengthened, because its absence “creates chaos.”

“Most of all I want to congratulate states for bringing forward the ambition, deepening engagement between financial institutions.”

The week represents a real commitment to action, he said.

Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, told delegates ending poverty remains his key mission and the surge in population underway in developing countries requires resources “at an unprecedented scale and pace.”

He said everyone knew that governments, philanthropies and institutions are unable to meet every projection or promise – which is why the private sector is essential to the Sevilla Agreement so that capital can flow.

Mr. Banga added that the bank’s reforms of recent years are about being a better partner to the private sector and government clients.

Improving response time, boosting capital and systems of growth are key – but much more is needed to deliver for the next generation.

Exempt least-developed from punishing tariffs: WTO

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of World Trade Organization said the conference was gathering at a time of unprecedented difficulty.

After decades of positive contributions, the global trading system has now been “severely disrupted” leaving exports so hampered by unilateral tariff measures and policy uncertainty that the WTO has sharply downgraded growth forecasts.

Further tariff barriers on 9 July – the deadline set by the US administration – will only make the contraction in global trade worse.

She reminded that the WTO has argued for the least developed nations and Africa overall to be exempted from the tariffs, “so we can better integrate them into the world trading system, not further exclude them.”

She said the Sevilla Agreement rightly recognises international trade as an engine of development.

“We therefore need to bolster stability and predictability in global trade,” through action at many levels that can grow national resources through exports, she told delegates.

IMF calls for broader tax base

Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called for broadening the tax base, building strong financial management systems, coordinating support and addressing debt more sustainably.

“Many countries continue to struggle with high interest costs,” he said, calling on the international community to improve debt restructuring processes.  

Through its capacity development, the Fund is equipping members to chart their own paths and is also providing financial support when they need it most, he added.

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Tide of change in Philippines as women revive watersheds and livelihoods

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Onshore, women in this tropical zone gather to mend torn nets, sort the day’s catch, and prepare their harvests for the market.

Among them is Christina Guevarra, who gently frees a blue swimming crab from her net. “From February to May, we are grateful,” she told the UN ahead of the International Day of the Tropics  marked annually on 29 June. “But after these months, especially when the rainy season begins, we have to find other ways to earn.”

Christina Guevarra removes crabs from fishing nets.

Simple but hard life

Christina’s family, like many others in Sasmuan, relies on the river’s bounty, a livelihood increasingly threatened by dwindling fish populations and environmental degradation.

“It’s difficult in coastal communities like ours because we are so dependent on the river’s harvests,” she explained. “Life for us fishers is simple, but it’s also hard.”

For generations, the local people have depended on the Sasmuan Pampanga coastal wetlands, part of a watershed that drains into Manila Bay.

But pollution, poor waste management, and unsustainable practices now imperil its biodiversity and the local economy.

“The wastes we see in the river also come from upstream communities,” said Irene Villar, Assistant Head of Pampanga’s Environment and Natural Resources Office. “Even with proper waste disposal and policies in place, enforcement remains a challenge.”

Edna Bilacog and Rose Ann Tungol have been supporting their families as waste segregators.

To address these issues, the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project which is financed by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by  the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with the Provincial Government of Pampanga and local groups to promote sustainable practices including not only on conserving waterways but also on uplifting vulnerable communities—especially women.

In Sasmuan, women like Edna Bilacog and Rose Ann Tungol find work at a Materials Recovery Facility, sorting household waste. Their pay, about 175 pesos a day (US$4), is well below the local minimum wage. “What we earn barely meets our needs,” they admit, but their work helps sustain their families.

Net gain

Others, like Maricar Guevarra, have relied on traditional crafts. A skilled weaver for over 20 years, she earns about $4 per repaired net and $13 for a large one known as a panti, which takes four days to complete. “This has been my main source of income, especially when my husband fell ill,” she said. To make ends meet, she also does laundry and sells home-cooked meals.

Women also lead the crab trade, detangling crustaceans from nets and preparing them for market, though unsustainable aquaculture from nearby fishponds threatens their livelihood. In response, many have diversified. During the off-season, they work as helpers, labourers, or store employees in nearby towns.

The blue swimming crab is abundant in the Sasmuan Pampanga coastal wetland.

In the village of Batang 2nd, a women’s group turns sea purslane, a wild riverbank weed, into atchara (pickled salad), while on the mainland, Patricia Culala has built a business around crab paste. “The fat from the crab is the tastiest part—that’s what I preserve and sell in bottles,” she explained. “Through this business, I was able to send my children to school.”

The women of Sasmuan are both resilient and innovative. But without sustainable solutions, their future remains uncertain. Fair wages, community-led conservation, and responsible river management are essential to preserving the wetlands, and the lives they nourish.

Millions remain invisible – but Asia-Pacific leaders pledge change by 2030

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Now, governments have committed to close that gap by 2030.

At the conclusion of the Third Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, leaders adopted a renewed declaration to strengthen national civil registration systems – the foundational mechanisms that register births, deaths and other vital events.

The move extends the regional “CRVS Decade” initiative, first launched in 2014, into a new phase aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially target 16.9 on ensuring legal identity for all.

“These numbers are more than statistics, they represent lives without legal recognition and families left without support,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which convened the forum.

“This week has been a powerful call to action. We have seen inspiring examples of countries reaching the most marginalized, embracing digital innovation and strengthening legal and institutional frameworks.”

More than statistics

Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are essential to establishing legal identity, accessing services, and ensuring inclusion in public policy.

A birth certificate can mean access to healthcare, education and social protection.

A death certificate enables families to claim inheritance, pensions and other rights.

Without these critical documents, individuals – especially women, children and rural populations – risk exclusion, vulnerability, and injustice.

Uneven progress

According to a recent ESCAP report, the region has made remarkable gains since 2012 – the number of unregistered children under five has fallen by over 60 per cent, from 135 million to 51 million.

As of 2024, 29 countries now register more than 90 per cent of births within a year, and 30 do the same for deaths. The number of countries publishing civil registration-based vital statistics nearly doubled in that period.

However, progress remains uneven – about 14 million children in the region reach their first birthday without having their birth registered. And 6.9 million deaths go unrecorded annually, particularly those that occur outside health facilities or in remote areas.

Many countries still face gaps in certifying and coding causes of death, hampering disease surveillance and public health responses, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESCAP Photo/Panumas Sanguanwong

A participant at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Bangkok takes part in a demonstration at the Thai digital ID and verification exhibition booth.

Get everyone in the picture

The new Ministerial Declaration calls for universal and responsive CRVS systems that are inclusive, digitally enabled and resilient.

It emphasizes gender equity in registration, legal protections for personal data, and continuity of services during emergencies.

Governments also pledged to increase training, expand community outreach and improve cause-of-death reporting – including through verbal autopsies and improving certification systems.

“Everyone counts. Data saves lives,” Ms. Alisjahbana said, “legal identity is a right, not a privilege. No one should be left behind – simply because they were never counted in the first place.”

“Let us finish what we started. Let us get everyone in the picture and ensure every life truly counts.”

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Climate change: World Likely to Breach 1.5°C limit in next five years

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According to the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, the planet is predicted to experience temperatures between 1.2°C and 1.9°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900) over the next five years.

Breaching critical thresholds

In 2024, the WMO estimated that the average global temperature was between 1.34°C and 1.41°C higher than pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). The WMO now projects the 20-year average warming for 2015–2034 to reach around 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels.

The report finds a staggering 86 per cent chance that global average temperatures will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years, and a one per cent chance of one of those years exceeding 2°C of warming.

There is a 70 per cent chance that the five-year average itself will exceed this 1.5 degree threshold.

The WMO stressed that the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target refers to long-term averages over 20 years, meaning its threshold has not been breached quite yet.

However, these near-term spikes are warning signs of an accelerating climate crisis.

The forecast also highlights regional precipitation impacts, including wetter-than-average conditions expected in the African Sahel, northern Europe, and South Asia. Conversely, the Amazon region could see continued drought.

Arctic Warming Accelerates

The situation is even more catastrophic in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. The average Arctic temperature over the next five winters (November to March) is expected to be 2.4°C warmer than the 1991–2020 average, more than three and a half times the increase in the global average temperature.

Sea ice is expected to keep shrinking, particularly in the Barents, Bering, and Okhotsk Seas, contributing to rising sea levels and disrupted weather patterns worldwide.

As the world enters this critical window, the UN agency urged climate action to prevent even more dangerous warming in the decades ahead and keep long-term warming below the 1.5°C limit.

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Champions for Change: World football teams up with UN development goals

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The Football for the Goals Forum brought UN leaders and some of the top voices in the world’s most popular sport to UN Headquarters in New York for the inaugural Champions for Change: Football and the UN Unite for the SDGs event.

The UN has long recognised the role of sport in advancing the SDGs – promoting peace, gender equality, health, and climate action – as affirmed in a General Assembly Resolution on Sport adopted in December 2022.

With unparalleled global reach, football holds a unique position to drive progress on these goals. Launched in July 2022, Football for the Goals is a UN initiative engaging the international football community to advocate for the SDGs.

Wednesday’s forum aimed to mobilise the football community for action across key SDG areas.

The kick off

After introductions from football executives, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, UN communications chief Melissa Fleming, and the Qatari Representative to the UN, the opening panel – Bolstering Community Engagement with the SDGs – outlined the origins of Football for the Goals and explored how the football community can deepen its contribution to the SDGs.

This was followed by a brief discussion on the football sector’s commitment to climate sustainability.

The programme then shifted to some of the Forum’s most substantive panels, exploring how football both reflects global inequalities – between the Global South and North, and between men and women – and has the potential to help address them.

North-South divide

Júlia Pimenta of Street Child United highlighted that football organisations in the Global South, which serve the children who need support most, often lack adequate funding and must compete with well-resourced programmes in the Global North.

Sarah Van Vooren of Atoot in Nepal similarly noted that grassroots organisations connecting football and sustainable development, frequently lack the resources needed to reach their full potential.

When these organisations are properly supported, they can provide safe, educational environments for children – often with life-changing results.

Panellists emphasised that funding such initiatives is key to advancing SDGs related to education and reducing inequality.

© UNICEF/Truong Viet Hung

Young girls play football at school in Soc Trang Province, Viet Nam.

Levelling the gender playing field

Jayathma Wickramanayake, a policy advisor on sports partnerships at UN Women, noted that the gender equality agency is responsible for most of the targets under SDG 5 related to closing the gender gap.

She emphasised that progress has been slow – and in some areas, it’s even regressing – largely due to the persistence of rigid social norms, attitudes, and behaviours.

These norms often manifest in the sports world through unequal pay and incidents of sexual harassment. However, Ms. Wickramanayake and other panellists highlighted how sport can be a powerful tool to challenge stereotypes and empower women and girls to succeed – both on and off the pitch.

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Climate change takes increasingly extreme toll on African countries

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“Extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement,” the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday.

WMO said that average surface temperature across Africa in 2024 was approximately 0.86°C above the 1991–2020 average.

North Africa recorded the highest temperature – 1.28°C above the 1991-2020 average; it is the fastest-warming sub-region of Africa.

Marine heat spike

Sea surface temperatures were also the highest on record. “Particularly large increases in sea surface temperatures have been observed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea,” WMO said.
Data shows that almost the entire ocean area around Africa was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, severe or extreme intensity last year and especially the tropical Atlantic.

Head of WMO, Celeste Saulo, warned that climate change is an urgent and escalating problem across the African continent “with some countries grappling with exceptional flooding caused by excessive rainfall and others enduring persistent droughts and water scarcity”.

El Niño influence

Highlighting Africa’s particular vulnerability to our warming planet – caused mainly by rich nations burning fossil fuels – the UN agency said that floods, heatwaves and droughts forced 700,000 people out of their homes across the continent last year.

WMO also noted that the El Niño phenomenon was active from 2023 into early 2024 and “played major roles in rainfall patterns” across Africa.

In northern Nigeria alone, 230 people died in floods last September that swept across the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri, displacing 600,000, severely damaging hospitals and contaminating water in displacement camps.

Regionally, rising waters caused by torrential rains ravaged West Africa and impacted a staggering four million people. 

Conversely, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe suffered the worst drought in at least two decades, with cereal harvests in Zambia and Zimbabwe 43 per cent and 50 per cent below the five-year average, respectively.

Heat shock

Heatwaves are also a growing threat to health and development and Africa, WMO said, noting that the past decade has also been the warmest on record. Depending on the dataset, 2024 was the warmest or second-warmest year.

Blistering temperatures already impact children’s education, with schools closing in March 2024 in South Sudan as temperatures reached 45°C. Worldwide, at least 242 million pupils missed school because of extreme weather in 2024, many of them in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

Beyond education, rising temperatures across the continent are making Africa more water-scarce and food-insecure, with North African countries the hardest-hit.

South Sudan focus

Erratic weather patterns across Africa are also hindering farming, driving food insecurity and displacing people who have already had to flee war already, WMO explained.

Last October, for example, flooding affected 300,000 people in South Sudan – a hefty figure for a nation of 13 million, scarred by years of civil strife and where infrastructure is poor.

The disaster wiped out cattle, adding up to between 30 and 34 million farm animals – roughly two per inhabitant – and stagnant water fuelled diseases. Families who had been self-sufficient had to seek help once again.

“When someone slides back into being fed, it affects their dignity,” said Meshack Malo, South Sudan Country Representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

At the forefront of climate change, the troubled East African country is already dealing with a crippling economic crisis, mass displacement made worse by the war in neighbouring Sudan, as well as escalating tensions at home and pervasive violence.

Fighting in Sudan has derailed the South Sudanese economy, which relies on oil exports for 90 per cent of its national revenue, reports indicate.

Destructive cycle

When South Sudan is not hit by floods, it is plagued by drought.

“This cyclic change between floods and drought, makes the country affected almost a good part of the year,” said Mr. Malo.  

Flooding has worsened and become more intense and frequent in recent years.

“That means that any short rain then can easily trigger the flooding, because water and the soil remain quite saturated,” Mr. Malo added. “So that intensity and frequency makes this situation worse.”

With road access disrupted for aid trucks, UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) must airlift food assistance – a costly, impractical solution, as humanitarian funding dwindles.

Pushing back  

In the South Sudanese town of Kapoeta, the FAO has helped to reduce the number of dry months from six to two, by harvesting and storing water to protect crops at risk from climate change.  

“The impact of drought is no longer felt as much,” FAO’s Mr. Malo said, speaking to UN News from the capital, Juba.

Worth its salt

In countries that lack water resources for crop irrigation, climate resilience and adaptation are critical, Dr. Ernest Afiesimama of the WMO Regional Office for Africa in Addis Ababa, told journalists.

And while desalination – the process of removing salt from seawater – may be a solution for some, for many African nations it is not viable.

Rather than turning to desalination as a panacea, investing in adaptation measures including early warning systems for action and preparedness is urgently needed, environmental scientists say.  “Considering the challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, [desalination] presents a complex economic, environmental and social challenge, and there is a question about its long-term sustainability and equity,” said Dr. Dawit Solomon, Contributor at Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA).  

“Africa is facing a high climate change bill. Imagine the continent which is struggling economically and then facing this additional risk multiplier,” Dr. Salomon added.

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Climate change: How mountain communities are scaling new heights

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Investment in organic farming, sustainable textiles and eco-tourism is helping mountain communities in Central Asia adapt to global warming, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday, urging greater support for regions often overlooked in climate discussions.

Mountain residents relying on family farming are among the world’s poorest people, said the agency’s Director-General Qu Dongyu.

Speaking at the International Conference of the Global Mountain Dialogue for Sustainable Development in Bishkek, the FAO chief explained that many alpine people struggle with food insecurity, as climate change, environmental degradation and unsustainable use of resources make it harder to access clean water, food and fertile soils.

Mountain communities, the stewards of mountain resources, have great potential for climate-resilient development.

Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian nation that is home to some of the world’s most diverse and significant mountain ecosystems, is gearing up to host a Global Mountain Summit in 2027.

More resilient systems

“Mountain communities, the stewards of mountain resources, have great potential for climate-resilient development by transforming to more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems,” Mr. Qu said, insisting that the protection of mountain ecosystems is a global responsibility.

More than two billion people globally rely on freshwater from glaciers – a fragile supply endangered by rising temperatures and melting snowcaps, he said.  

There has been some progress – but mountain regions remain strained and increasingly impacted by human-induced climate change, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and land degradation.  

Boosting impact

FAO has worked in Kyrgyzstan since 2009 to help the country withstand mounting pressure on its ecosystems. The aims include achieving sustainable food security and supporting sustainable land and forest management.

The UN General Assembly in late 2022 adopted the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions to “enhance the awareness of the international community of the problems of mountain countries” and strengthen global efforts to address the challenges these regions face. The plan will extend until 2027.  

U.S. Immigration Policy Shift: No Renewal for Humanitarian ‘Migrant Parole’ Program

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The Biden administration has announced a significant shift in its immigration policy as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it will not renew a temporary humanitarian entry program for hundreds of thousands of migrants who have U.S. sponsors and entered the country in recent years.

The program, known as the parole program, has allowed approximately 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the U.S. since October 2022. These migrants were granted two-year permits under the program, which will begin to expire in the coming weeks.

Despite the non-renewal of the program for current beneficiaries, it will continue to accept new applications from those abroad. This indicates that while the current beneficiaries will not be renewed, the program itself is not being entirely discontinued.

The parole program was launched by the Biden administration as a strategy to provide legal avenues for migrants to enter the U.S. and decrease illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The program allows migrants with existing U.S. sponsors to enter the country for humanitarian reasons or if their entry is deemed a significant public benefit.

Future of Migrants in US

The decision not to renew the parole program has raised concerns about the future of the migrants who have benefited from it. “Migrants without permission to remain in the U.S. will need to depart the United States prior to the expiration of their authorized parole period or may be placed in removal proceedings,” DHS spokesperson Naree Ketudat said.

However, other parole programs for Ukrainians and Afghans have been extended, indicating that the administration is not entirely moving away from such programs. Despite the end of the parole program, many of these migrants could remain in the country under other programs. For instance, many Cubans are eligible for permanent residence and eventual citizenship under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act.

Most Haitians and Venezuelans in the U.S. are eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which grants them deportation relief and work permits. All four nationalities could apply for asylum.

Not Unprecedented

The Biden administration’s decision to not renew the parole program is reminiscent of previous shifts in U.S. immigration policy. For instance, in the 1980s, the Reagan administration granted amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants, a move that was controversial but also recognized the reality of large-scale undocumented migration.

Similarly, the Obama administration implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided temporary relief from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. These historical precedents highlight the ongoing evolution of U.S. immigration policy in response to changing circumstances and policy priorities.

The decision comes at a time when immigration is a top voter issue in the upcoming Nov. 5 election that will pit Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris against Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized the parole program. The Biden administration’s immigration policies have been a point of contention, with record numbers of migrants caught crossing illegally during Biden’s presidency.

However, crossings have plummeted in recent months as Biden rolled out new border restrictions. As the country moves forward, the management of migration flows and the balance between humanitarian concerns and national security will continue to be key issues in immigration policy.

Move Home to Change Habits, to Keep up New Year Resolution: Study

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Though 41% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, only 9% said they were successful in keeping them.

According to research being presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention 20176, the time for successful habit change is not based on the calendar, but on big changes to our everyday lives like moving to a new home.

Since changing your habits is very difficult, you can change the factors around the habit such as location or context, creating a “discontinuity effect,” said Bas Verplanken, professor of social psychology at the University of Bath.

On Why New Year’s resolutions don’t work, they said, “Changing from December 31st to January 1st is not a dramatic discontinuity. Many resolutions are made on December 31st, and go down the drain on January 2nd.”

The New Year may be a nice moment to mark the start of a new phase, but the point of the discontinuity effect is that the change in behavior is embedded in other changes. “In the case of moving to a new home for instance, people may need to find new solutions for how to do things in the new house, where and how to shop, commute, and so on. All of these aspects are absent when talking about New Year resolutions,” said Verplanken.

Verplanken studied the behaviors of over 800 people, half of whom had recently moved and half of whom had been at the same home for several years. Participants responded to questions on 25 environment related behaviors including water and energy use, commuting choices, and waste.

According to his research, people who received an intervention and had recently relocated reported more change eight weeks later on these 25 questions’ score level compared to participants who had not recently relocated.

These results were consistent in spite of the strength of previous habits and views. Verplanken will present his talk on Friday, January 20, 2017 at the SPSP Annual Convention.