UN, partners warn 108 million people face severe food insecurity worldwide

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 31: Despite international efforts to address food insecurity, around 108 million people worldwide were severely food insecure in 2016, a dramatic increase compared with 80 million in 2015, according to a United Nations-backed report on food crises that offers benchmark for action needed to avoid catastrophe.

“The cost in human and resource terms only increases if we let situations deteriorate,” said UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva, in a news release on the Global Report on Food Crises 2017.

“We can prevent people dying from famine but if we do not scale up our efforts to save, protect and invest in rural livelihoods, tens of millions will remain severely food insecure,” he added.

Civil conflict is the driving factor in nine of the 10 worst humanitarian crises, underscoring the strong linkage between peace and food security, says the report.

The report represents a new and politically innovative collaboration between the European Union and USAID/FEWSNET, regional food security institutions together with UN agencies including the FAO, the World Food Programme and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

“Hunger exacerbates crisis, creating ever greater instability and insecurity. What is a food security challenge today becomes tomorrow's security challenge,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “It is a race against time – the world must act now to save the lives and livelihoods of the millions at the brink of starvation.”

"This report highlights the critical need for prompt and targeted action to effectively respond to the food crises and to address their root causes,” said Neven Mimica, Commissioner for EU's International Cooperation and Development, noting that in 2016, the EU allocated €550 million already, followed by another €165 million that we have just mobilized to assist the people affected by famine and drought in the Horn of Africa.

This year, the demand for humanitarian and resilience building assistance will further escalate as four countries are at risk of famine: South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and north-east Nigeria.

Other countries that require massive levels of assistance because of widespread food insecurity are Iraq, Syria (including refugees in neighbouring countries) Malawi and Zimbabwe. In the absence of immediate and substantive action, the food security situation in these countries will continue to worsen in coming months, according to the new report.

Israel, US fight BDS together

NEW YORK, March 29: Over 2,000 representatives from organizations, pro-Israel activists, diplomats and students filled the United Nations General Assembly Hall to speak out against the boycott, divestment and sanction (BDS) movement.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who convened the summit, opened the event by declaring that, "The halls of the UN are now being infiltrated by the boycott movement. The UN’s Human Rights Council is creating a blacklist of companies and corporations operating in parts of Israel. This is pure antisemitism and together with the US, our greatest ally, we will keep fighting until BDS is eliminated."

The US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was the main speaker at the event.

"The effort to delegitimize the state of Israel being waged on college campuses and the anti-Israel obsession at the UN are one in the same. They both seek to deny Israel’s right to exist. They are both efforts to intimidate her friends and embolden her enemies. They are both extensions of an ancient hatred," Ambassador Haley said.

"And how tragic is it that, of all the countries in the world to condemn for human rights violations, these voices choose to single out Israel. Iran, Syria, North Korea and other barbaric regimes are excused by the BDS movement. It makes no sense. And it has no connection to any reasonable definition of justice,” the American ambassador continued.

The event is a partnership between Israel's Mission to the UN, the World Jewish Congress and pro-Israel organizations including ACLJ, ZOA Israel Bonds, StandwithUs, CAMERA, B'nai B'rith International, IAC, Maccabee Task Force, Hillel International, SSI, Hasbara Fellowships, the Jewish Agency for Israel, AEPI, Simon Wiesenthal Center, American Zionist Movement and others.

Summing up the event, Ambassador Danon stated that, "We are here today with a simple message for those who seek to harm the Jewish state and the Jewish people. We will keep fighting until we eliminate BDS completely, from the campuses to the UN, and we will keep fighting until antisemitism is finally defeated."

Possessing nuclear weapons ‘fundamentally incompatible’ with world's aspiration for peace: UN

UNITED NATIONS, March 27: At the start of a United Nations conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, a senior UN official highlighted that creating a world free of such weapons is a common obligation of all States – both nuclear and non-nuclear – and called for their inclusive engagement.

“Let us all work harder and more creatively, so that we can achieve our common goal of a world, safer and more secure, without nuclear weapons, and better for all,” said Kim Won-soo, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, he also expressed hope that the instrument will also strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and advance the world closer to the total elimination of nuclear weapons and that it would make important contribution to nuclear disarmament and to our ultimate objective of general and complete disarmament.

Yet he acknowledged that defeatism and dismissiveness now permeate international deliberations on disarmament, and cautioned that the public at large seems to be losing interest in the issue. Indeed, it is hard to imagine these days a gathering of one million people in the street in support of nuclear disarmament, as the world witnessed in the 1980s.

“We need to find a new way to inspire and motivate the public in support of disarmament, in the same way that they have been energized to respond to the challenge of climate change, an existential threat facing humanity,” he stated.

According to 2016 estimates, more than 15,000 nuclear warheads remain in global stockpiles.

While this is a considerable reduction from the inventories maintained during the Cold War, the pace of the reduction has declined in recent years and concerns are rising over continued reliance on nuclear weapons in security doctrines and continuing programmes to modernize and improve nuclear weapons.

In his remarks, Mr. Kim also stressed that purist of nuclear as well as non-nuclear strategic weapons would not create security but instead can provoke “new and destabilizing” arms races as well as exacerbate regional and global tension.

“The possession of nuclear weapons, which are linked with the threat of their use, is fundamentally incompatible with humanity’s common aspirations for peace and security,” he said.

Earth Hour 2017: UN joins iconic landmarks 'going dark' to support protecting the planet

UNITED NATIONS, March 25: The United Nations this evening dimmed the lights at its iconic Headquarters complex in New York and other facilities around the world in observance of the tenth annual 'Earth Hour,' global event to put the spotlight on the issues facing the planet and to inspire millions across the world to live more sustainably.

In a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said: “Climate change continues to imperil lives and livelihoods around the world. Last year was – again – the hottest on record. The landmark Paris Agreement gives us an unprecedented opportunity to limit global temperature rise, promote clean energy for all and create a sustainable future.”

Governments and businesses must step up. So must individuals. Building a sustainable tomorrow depends today on everyone, said the UN chief, asking the world to join him in turning off their lights on today at 8:30 p.m. local time.

“From the darkness, we can create a sustainable and inclusive world for all,” he said.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour encourages individuals, companies, organizations and Governments to switch off their lights for one hour at 8:30 p.m., local time worldwide, to focus attention on people-driven solutions to protecting the planet and building a bright, sustainable future.

First launched in 2007 in Australia, Earth Hour has become an annual event, mobilizing hundreds of millions of individuals to participate and growing to become the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment.
According to the WWF, the UN family will join the thousands of homes, offices, skylines and monuments that will go dark on Earth Hour's tenth anniversary to put the spotlight on the issues facing the planet, and to inspire millions across the world to live more sustainably.

Hundreds of landmarks – from New York to Uganda and Sweden to Malaysia – are confirmed and will be turning off on the night of Earth Hour, including iconic sites such as the Eiffel Tower, Taipei 101, the Empire State Building and the Acropolis.

To inspire more people to act, this year the Earth Hour movement is also inviting supporters to show their commitment to the cause on their Facebook timelines, in parallel to the lights out rolling across skylines.

People around the world can log onto earthhour.org/climateaction to donate five Facebook posts to Earth Hour and encourage their friends to be a part of local climate efforts. They can also use a new Facebook profile picture frame available on www.facebook.com/earthhour to celebrate Earth Hour on their own personal landmark – their Facebook page.

Record-breaking weather in 2016 pushes world into ‘truly uncharted territory’: UN agency

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 21: Global temperatures set yet another record last year and the world witnessed exceptionally low sea ice, and unabated sea level rise and ocean heat, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today, warning that the extreme weather and climate conditions have continued into 2017.

According to the agency’s Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2016, while global temperatures hit a remarkable 1.1 degree-Celsius above the pre-industrial period, global sea-level touch record highs and the planet’s sea-ice coverage dropped more than four million square kilometres below average in November – an unprecedented anomaly for that month.

“This increase in global temperature is consistent with other changes occurring in the climate system,” explained WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

“With levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere consistently breaking new records, the influence of human activities on the climate system has become more and more evident.”

Each of the year since 2001 has seen at least 0.4 degree-Celsius above the long-term average for the 1961-1990 base period, used by the UN agency as a reference for climate change monitoring.

The 2016 heating was further boosted by the powerful 2015/2016 El Niño weather system, during which global sea-level also rose very strongly.

Similarly, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere reached the symbolic benchmark of 400 parts per millions in 2015 – the latest year for which WMO global figures are available – and will not fall below that level for many generations to come because of the long-lasting nature of CO2.

The extreme climate conditions also added to human suffering: 2016 saw severe droughts, affecting millions in southern and eastern African and Central America. For example, in the Caribbean, Hurricane Matthew – the first category 4 (CAT4) storm to make landfall since 1963 – tore a path of destruction in Haiti and inflicted significant economic losses in the region.

In the midst of such challenges, Taalas, underlined the importance of implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which also entered into force last year.

“The entry into force of the Paris Agreement on 4 November 2016 represents a historic landmark,” he said, adding: “It is vital that its implementation becomes a reality and that the Agreement guides the global community in addressing climate change by curbing greenhouse gases, fostering climate resilience and mainstreaming climate adaptation into national development policies.”

He also called for continued investment in climate research and observations to allow scientific knowledge to keep pace with the rapid rate of climate change.

The extreme weather patterns are continuing in 2017, said WMO.

At least three times so far this winter, the Arctic saw what can be called the Polar equivalent of a heatwave, with powerful Atlantic storms driving an influx of warm, moist air, meaning that at the height of the Arctic winter and the sea ice refreezing period, there were days which were actually close to melting point.

Antarctic sea ice has also been at a record low, in contrast to the trend in recent years, and some areas, including Canada and much of the United States, were unusually balmy, whilst others, including parts of the Arabian peninsula and North Africa, were unusually cold in early 2017.

In United States alone, 11,743 warm temperature records were broken or tied in February, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the UN agency.

“Even without a strong El Niño in 2017, we are seeing other remarkable changes across the planet that are challenging the limits of our understanding of the climate system,” said World Climate Research Programme Director David Carlson.

“We are now in truly uncharted territory.”

Stand up against intolerance and eliminate discrimination: UN chief Guterres

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIIONS, March 21: Against the backdrop of rising discrimination and violence against those perceived as different, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today urged the world to stand up against intolerance and build communities that recognize diversity not as a source of weakness, but a source of strength and richness.

“In a time of upheaval and change, it is easy to paint vulnerable communities as the cause of problems […] people are being targeted because of their race, nationality, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,” warned Mr. Guterres at an event at the UN General Assembly commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Highlighting the particular plight of migrants as well as those, especially women and girls, from minority communities who are often targeted as “scapegoats” and experience racial profiling by authorities, the UN chief underscored the collective responsibility “to do better” and to protect human rights of all.

“We all have a role to play […] after all, racial discrimination destabilizes societies, undermines democracies and erodes the legitimacy of governments,” he said. “By acting together to end discrimination, we can lift humanity as a whole.”

In his remarks, the Secretary-General also reminded that international law requires States to take effective actions to prevent and eliminate discrimination on all grounds and in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

“They must be vigilant and respond immediately and appropriately, including by prohibiting incitement to racial, national and religious hatred and ending racial profiling,” he said, making a specific call on politicians and leaders to speak up and counter hateful speech.

“Let us stand up against intolerance and eliminate discrimination,” he noted, “Let us join forces in our global campaign – Together for Respect, Safety and Dignity for all.”

Marked on 21 March, the International Day commemorates the killing of 69 unarmed protestors in 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa, who were staging a peaceful protest against the discriminatory pass laws of the racist apartheid regime.

In his remarks Assembly President Peter Thomson said it is challenging to see how far the world is from winning the global fight against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. Even though global migration had long been a feature of human history and forcible displacement had driven large number of people from their homes, refugees and migrants too often are met with suspicion, fear and intolerance.

“The world must reaffirm its faith in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,” he said, adding that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights called on the world to stand up against racism, xenophobia and hate where and whenever it appeared.

Moreover, political leaders must be role models for tolerant and respectful attitudes towards migrants. Cross-cultural education in schools must foster respect for diversity and understanding of the positive contribution refugees and migrants made to societies and economies. Most critical, said Mr. Thomson, is the need to fully support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda to secure a safe, more sustainable and prosperous future for all.

“We must use this historic opportunity of the forthcoming negotiations on a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration to affirm universal respect for the rights of migrants,” he said.

Also addressing the Assembly, Louise Arbour, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, said the New York Declaration and forthcoming global compact negotiations would show societies how to embrace diversity at a time when more than 240 million people were displaced.

With pluralistic societies appearing to be the norm, she said her work involved supporting the ‘Together’ campaign, a new dialogue about refugees and migrants to foster social cohesion while countering negative stereotyping and falsehoods about them.

People with Downs Syndrome ‘speak up’ to influence government policy and action

UNITED NATIONS, March 21: Today, the call that people with Down Syndrome be included to fully and equally participate in all aspects of society echoed widely throughout United Nations Headquarters in New York.

With a full agenda, a special event to mark World Down Syndrome Day identified and turned key issues that affect individuals with Down syndrome into a call for inclusive policy making.

“What we need to see is a paradigm shift towards understanding that people with Down’s syndrome have valuable contributions to make to society and until that happens there are always going to be blockages to getting into school, to getting proper medical attention and living independently,” Andrew Boyd, Director Down’s Syndrome International, told UN News.

For many, prevailing negative attitudes result in low expectations, discrimination and exclusion – creating communities that prevent people with Down Syndrome from successfully integrating with others.

In contrast, the message reverberating from today’s event underscored that “when people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities are given opportunities to participate, all people benefit from this shared environment of friendship, acceptance and respect for everyone and high expectations are created.”

Those gathered for the event agreed that people with Down Syndrome and their advocates must be empowered to influence policy makers at all levels.

The speakers said that these individuals may need additional support in specific areas, such as health, education, work and living accommodations, which underscored the importance for them to directly influence policy formation and implementation covering those and other issues.

The resounding chorus of ‘My Voice, My Community’ encouraged people with Down syndrome and those who advocates for them to speak up, be heard and influence government policy and action.

The special event was organized by Down Syndrome International and sponsored by UN Permanent Missions, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international agencies and non-governmental organizations.

UN urges building more just, equal societies to increase people’s happiness and well-being

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 20: Speaking at an event today marking the International Day of Happiness, the deputy United Nations chief called for more inclusive, equitable and balanced approaches to development that promote sustainability, poverty eradication, happiness and well-being of all peoples.

“Many countries have undertaken efforts to develop broader measures of progress, often through public consultations, parliamentary commissions, and efforts to develop new indicators and understanding of well-being,” said Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General.

Cautioning that pursing only economic growth and disregarding social and environmental dimensions can have negative impact on human well-being and can result in growing inequalities and environmental degradation, she underlined that development should not take place “at all costs.”

“Not at the cost of environment or the marginalization of the poor and other vulnerable groups,” she added.

In her remarks, Ms. Mohammed noted that well-being did not depend solely on income but also included other factors such as personal and job security, fundamental freedoms, a clean environment, as well as having strong family and social relations.

“These human needs can be fulfilled in societies where people are empowered to pursue their own goals that ensure their personal well-being – in societies that are inclusive and egalitarian, and where human rights are cherished and respected,” she said.

The deputy UN chief recalled that the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have provided a blue print to collectively building such societies and their recognition that ending poverty needs to go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and addresses a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

Highlighting the organization's work to promote and secure the well-being and happiness of all peoples she urged everyone to renew the commitment to continue building more just and equal societies to increase people's happiness and well-being worldwide.

Bicycling for love

Also today, commemorating the International Day, the UN Bookshop in New York hosted the launch of The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love that recounted the story of artist Pradyumna Kumar, or PK.

Born in a poor family belonging to the so called “untouchable” caste in India, PK undertook a bicycle journey through Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, (former) Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria and Denmark to be reunited with the love of his life, Charlotte, in Sweden, whose portrait he had drawn a few months earlier, in India.

They have been happily married for more than 40 years now.

UN support for China BRI project passing through PoK puts India’s claim in jeopardy

UNITED NATIONS, March 18: A UN Security Council resolution has for the first time incorporated China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a multi-billion inter-continental connectivity mission that has a flagship project passing through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The resolution, which extends an ongoing UN assistance mission to Afghanistan, says international efforts should be strengthened to implement the BRI, President Xi Jinping’s legacy project about which he first spoke in 2013.

Beijing claims it has rounded up at least 100 countries in BRI’s support, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

India is yet to sign up for the initiative. Foreign secretary S Jaishankar spelt it out to the Chinese government in February that India has a “sovereignty” issue with the BRI because its flagship project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passes through PoK. According to diplomats, India endorsing the BRI would mean giving up its claims on PoK.

The UN endorsing the BRI could complicate the situation as far as India’s claims are concerned.

The resolution in question renewed the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan for one year. In it, the 15-nation UN body urged to promote security and stability in Afghanistan and the region “to create a community of shared future for mankind”.

“Also included in the newly adopted council resolution was China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes,” official news agency Xinhua reported.

The resolution “welcomes and urges further efforts to strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative”.

The council resolution urged “further international efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and implement the Belt and Road Initiative”.

Besides the BRI, the resolution also mentions other projects like “regional development projects, such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project, the Chabahar port project agreed between Afghanistan, India and the Islamic Republic of lran”.

China has taken the inclusion of BRI in a UN resolution as a diplomatic victory of sorts.

Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, told reporters here that the “Chinese concept was put into a Security Council resolution for the first time on Friday, thus showing the consensus of the international community on embracing the concept, and manifesting huge Chinese contributions to the global governance”.

“The Chinese envoy said that latest council move is conducive to creating a favourable atmosphere for China to host a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing this May in order to brainstorm on interconnected development,” Xinhua reported.

Liu also said he hoped that all “UN member states will take an active part in the joint efforts to carry out the Chinese initiative and the Chinese concept by implementing the new council resolution. Resolutions adopted by the Security Council are legally binding”.

UN Commission on Status of Women opens with calls for more men to stand up for equality

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 13: With men still dominating even in countries that consider themselves progressive, the world needs more women leaders and more men standing up for gender equality, said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Addressing the Commission on Status of Women (CSW), which began its annual session this morning here, Guterres said “It is true, I am a man, but we need all men to stand up for women's empowerment. Our world needs more women leaders. And our world needs more men standing up for gender equality.”

He was among the UN's several senior leaders addressing CSW, the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Guterres noted that empowerment of women is about breaking structural barriers. With the nearly one billion women entering the global economy in the next decade, empowerment will unleash the potential of all these women and girls – and they will lead the world to a new future.

He also cited one study showing that women's equality can add $12 trillion to global growth over the next decade.

Furthermore, he stressed, when women meaningfully participate in peace processes, the chance of sustainable peace goes up by 35 per cent over 15 years. He asked UN Member States to move beyond the current level, where women make up just 3 per cent of UN peacekeepers.

“We are all better off when we open doors of opportunity for women and girls: in classrooms and boardrooms, in military ranks and at peace talks, in all aspects of productive life,” he said.

Promising that the UN and he personally will support efforts for gender equality, Guterres said “Do not let us off the hook. Keep our feet to the fire.”

He announced that he is joining the International Gender Champions, a global network that brings women and men decision-makers together to break down gender barriers, encouraging other senior leaders to do the same.

With its priority theme 'Women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work,' CSW's sixty-first session will run through March 24.

In her address, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlighted a slow progress in gender equality.

“The much-needed positive developments are not happening fast enough, nor are they reaching tipping point in numbers of lives changed,” she said. “Let us agree to constructive impatience.”

She pointed out that more than half of all women workers around the world – and up to 90 per cent in some countries – are informally employed, including care givers whose other life opportunities can be limited while they perform the unappreciated and valuable unpaid work of care at home. There are 190 million women in the informal sector in India alone, she noted.

Women are also clearly earning consistently less than men – a gap that women regard as 'daylight robbery,' Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

There are numerous gaps exist, including in access to digital technologies. Investment in a pipeline of girls well educated in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics subjects could increase the proportion of women in the digital industry workforce from the current 25 per cent and build skills matches for the 'new collar' jobs, she said.

“What you agree to do during this CSW could be an accelerator for the implementation and achievement of the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development],” she said.

In his remarks, General Assembly President Peter Thomson said that all of his grandchildren are girls. “As they grow toward adulthood, I cannot abide the thought that they will not enjoy full and equal rights with their male peers,” he said.

Thomson said he will turn to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to find faith and be assured that his granddaughters will not live in a world still lacking the basic human right of equality between men and women.

“The preamble of the Agenda, its introduction, its transformational vision, and its shared principles and commitments are all suffused with the logic of gender equality,” he said, noting that paragraph 20 declares that achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible, if half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities.

Sustainable Development Goal 5 specifically commits all to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, he added.

Dalia Leinarte, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said that this year, the Committee has begun to make references to specific Sustainable Development Goals in its recommendations addressed to States parties.

The Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Most of the 27 concluding observations that CEDAW Committee adopted since July 2016, link specific SDGs and targets, to relevant articles of the Convention, she said.

“Linking the Convention to the 2030 Agenda has great potential in advancing women's economic empowerment and enables the Committee to support States in implementing the SDGs,” she said.

UN launches 'Platform of Champions' calling to end global gender pay gap

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 13: With women being paid an average of 23 per cent less than men, the United Nations has launched a high-profile network to call for equal pay for work of equal value.

“We want equal pay now,” yelled Academy Award-winning American actress Patricia Arquette and two-time Olympic gold medalist and soccer superstar Abby Wambach, leading a call in the UN General Assembly Hall Monday evening at the launch of the Equal Pay Platform of Champions.

The launch of the Platform – which is part of a broader UN International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women Global Equal Pay Coalition – coincided with the opening day of the 61st Commission on the Status of Women, known as the largest inter-governmental forum on women's rights and gender equality. The theme this year is on women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work.

“The gender pay gap reflects the unjustifiably diminished position of many women in society and helps to keep them there,” said UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

Pointing to the big names participating in the Platform – which in addition to Arquette and Wambach include leaders from the trade unions, civil society, government, private sector, film makers – Mlambo-Ngcuka said she hopes their advocacy will make women's “flagrant inequality a think of the past.”

The goal of the Platform is to call for increased support by proactively reaching out to decision and policy makers, according to a press release from the event.

Speaking at the launch, Arquette said that “women sometimes become invisible if they're not seen beyond the value of the men they are with.”

According to global figures, women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same position. Over time, the income inequality results in more women retiring into poverty.

“The quest for women's economic empowerment will be lost or won in the world of work,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. He noted the importance of whether and how women enter the work place and in what types of jobs.

One of the main reasons for the gender gap is that women tend to be concentrated in different jobs than men – for example in teaching or health care – which tend to be underpaid.

There are also differences for men and women who are in the same line of work.

Also speaking at the event, Wambach said that she was “angry because I have to worry about paying my bills, even though I won more World Cups than Cristiano,” referring to the Portuguese soccer player.

Ahead of the launch, UN Women kicked off its #StopTheRobbery campaign to mobilize ordinary people and raise awareness about the gender pay gap.

UN chief Guterres condemns terrorist attacks in Damascus

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 12: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the terrorist bombings in the Syrian capital of Damascus yesterday, his spokesman said today.

“The Secretary-General is appalled by the utter disregard for human life displayed by the perpetrators, and extends his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, many of whom were pilgrims,” said Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, in a statement issued today.

“Those responsible for the bombings, and anyone carrying out attacks against civilians, must be held accountable,” he added.

According to media reports, twin blasts killed at least 40 people Saturday near holy shrines frequented by Shiites.

UN aid chief urges global action as starvation, famine loom for 20 million across four countries

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, March 10: Just back from Kenya, Yemen, South Sudan and Somalia – countries that are facing or are at risk of famine – the top United Nations humanitarian official today urged the international community for comprehensive action to save people from simply “starving to death.”

“We stand at a critical point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the UN,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council today.

Without collective and coordinated global efforts, he warned, people risk starving to death and succumbing to disease, stunted children and lost futures, and mass displacements and reversed development gains.

“The appeal for action by the Secretary-General can thus not be understated. It was right to sound the alarm early, not wait for the pictures of emaciated dying children […] to mobilize a reaction and the funds,” O’Brien underscored, calling for accelerated global efforts to support UN humanitarian action on the ground.

Turning to the countries he visited, the senior UN official said that, about two-thirds of the population (more than 18 million people) in Yemen needed assistance, including more than seven million severely food insecure, and the fighting continued to worsen the crisis.

“I continue to reiterate the same message to all: only a political solution will ultimately end human suffering and bring stability to the region,” he said, noting that with access and funding, humanitarians will do more, but cautioned that relief-workers were “not the long-term solution to the growing crisis.”

In South Sudan, where a famine was recently declared, more than 7.5 million people are in need of assistance, including some 3.4 million displaced. The figure rose by 1.4 million since last year.

“The famine in the country is man-made. Parties to the conflict are parties to the famine – as are those not intervening to make the violence stop,” stressed Mr. O’Brien, calling on the South Sudanese authorities to translate their assurances of unconditional access into “action on the ground.”

Similarly, more than half the population of Somalia (6.2 million people) is need aid, 2.9 million of whom require immediate assistance. Extremely worrying is that more than one million children under the age of five are at the risk of acute malnourishment.

“The current indicators mirror the tragic picture of 2011, when Somalia last suffered a famine,” recalled the UN official, but expressed hope that a famine can be averted with strong national leadership and immediate and concerted support by the international community.

Concerning Kenya, he mentioned that more than 2.7 million people were food insecure, and that this number could reach four million by April.

“In collaboration with the Government [of Kenya], the UN will soon launch an appeal of $200 million to provide timely life-saving assistance and protection,” he informed.

Further in his briefing, O’Brien informed the Council of the outcomes of the Oslo Conference on the Lake Chad Basin where 14 donors pledged a total of $672 million, of which $458 million is for humanitarian action in 2017.

“This is very good news, and I commend those who made such generous pledges,” he said but noted that more was needed to fully fund the $1.5 billion required to provide the assistance needed across the region.

On the UN response in these locations, O’Brien highlighted that strategic, coordinated and prioritized plans are in place and dedicated teams on the ground are closely working with partners to ensure that immediate life-saving support reaches those in need.

“Now we need the international community and this Council to act,” he highlighted, urging prompt action to tackle the factors causing famine; committing sufficient and timely financial support; and ensuring that fighting stops.

In particular, he underscored the need to ensure that humanitarians have safe, full and unimpeded access and that parties to the conflict in the affected countries respect humanitarian law and called on those with influence over the parties to the conflict to “exert that influence now.”

“It is possible to avert this crisis, to avert these famines, to avert these looming human catastrophes,” he concluded. “It is all preventable.”

G4 nations urge UNSC to speed up reforms

WASHINGTON, March 7: The G4 countries — India, Japan, Germany and Brazil — on Tuesday asked the United Nations to speed up security council reforms, saying, with ill-concealed frustration, they were willing to discuss anything, even old and rejected ideas, to advance the process.

The G4 nations are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations security council.

Collate all options and place them on the table for all member states to “seriously begin negotiations”, said Indian permanent representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin in a statement on behalf of the group.

“It is time to get started,’ he added, reflecting the group’s combined frustration with a process that has moved with glacial pace. “For our credibility to be sustained, it is time for honest engagement and exchange on the basis of a text.”

The “text” is UN-speak for a formal proposal on paper that member countries can discuss, parse and reject in total or part, and will be a first major step in what has been a slow process and will likely to be one because of lack of unanimity.

India and the other three G4 countries are leading contenders for permanent membership of an expanded UNSC, the world body’s top decision making organ, that will be more representative of the world.

There are others who oppose expanding the permanent membership and have suggested other options, including membership with full veto power of the current permanent members.

G-4 will not insist on veto for new members, the Indian representative said reiterating -- according to official sources on background -- an old position.

“While the new permanent members would as of principle have the same responsibilities and obligations, as current permanent members they will not exercise the veto until a decision has been taken during a review,” Akbaruddin said.

Pakistan created terror outfits, now 'monster' devouring it: India

GENEVA, March 1: Pakistan created terror outfits against India and the "monster" is now devouring its own creator, according to Ambassador Ajit Kumar, India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

Addressing the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) here on Wednesday, Ambassador Ajit Kumar hit out at Pakistan for destabilising the situation in Jammu and Kashmir by promoting infiltration and cross-border terrorism, inciting, promoting and glorifying violence.

Asserting that terrorism is the "grossest violation of human rights", he said members will recognise the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being a "global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights".

"Pakistan has created terrorist outfits against India. This monster is now devouring its own creator," Kumar said, adding that in the last two decades, the most wanted terrorists of the world have found "succour and sustenance" in Pakistan.

The fundamental reason for disturbances in parts of Jammu and Kashmir is cross-border terrorism aided and abetted by Pakistan, he said, noting that for many years now, Islamabad has been carrying out an intense campaign to destabilise the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

He further emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the situation there is an internal matter of the country. The central government and democratically elected state government have led a system-wide effort last year to restore normalcy in the state in the wake of Pakistan-supported violent unrest, he said in the session's 'General Segment'.

India would also like to point out that Pakistan's unwarranted references to UNSC resolutions are "grossly misleading as Pakistan was required to vacate the parts of the State of J&K under its illegal and forced occupation," Kumar said.

Kumar said the robust and mature Indian democracy proved once again that it has sufficiently strong and adequate mechanisms to redress any internal difficulties even if they are incited from outside. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a USD 12 billion package which was being fast tracked.

Normalcy has returned as 99 per cent of the students of Jammu and Kashmir had taken their high school examinations and schools have reopened, he said. His remarks came on a day when schools reopened in the Kashmir Valley after about 8 months, which included the period of unrest last summer triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The Indian Ambassador also asserted that as the world's largest democracy with a high degree of diversity, India remains committed to the idea of a just and equitable society. "To conclude, we will continue to participate actively in the work of the Council with a view to enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency," he said.