Page 150 - Lobal Issues News Today

Conflicts, climate change and financial turmoil are increasing the need for humanitarian aid, but a lack of funding is resulting in painful rollbacks, the UN chief told a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday looking at how to respond to the crisis.

International cooperation is making waves in combatting piracy in West Africa, but addressing its root causes and ensuring sustainable funding must fully eliminate threat, which is spreading to other regions, a top UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

ENSENADA, Mexico, Jun 21 (IPS) - At the entrance to the coastal city of Ensenada in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California a sign reads: “Every drop matters to us. Take care of the water."

The cross-border impact of the crisis in Sudan is unfurling along multiple fronts, and action is urgently needed to ease rising tensions that has already resulted in deadly clashes, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan told the Security Council on Tuesday.

The Secretary-General on Tuesday said he was disappointed by the “slowing pace of inspections” under the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative – the grain and fertilizer deal which has allowed millions of tonnes of food exports to leave Ukraine.

The UN’s Middle East envoy said on Tuesday he was “deeply alarmed” at the continuing cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine, and “appalled by the continued loss of civilian lives.”

Despite deteriorating border security, humanitarian and human rights challenges, the Central African Republic (CAR) is committed to a constitutional referendum and local elections, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.

Refugees deserve support and solidarity, not closed borders and pushbacks. That’s a reminder from UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday’s World Refugee Day, regarding the international community’s duty to assist and protect refugees.

Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s it was revealed on Monday, with extreme weather causing excess deaths and economic disruption.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jun 16 (IPS) - If you’ve never heard of the Cybercrime Convention, you’re not alone. And if you’re wondering whether an international treaty to tackle cybercrime is a good idea, you’re in good company too.