Small-scale natural disasters such as flash floods and landslides have the potential to cumulatively impact communities harder over the course of years – yet they receive far less attention as compared to major disasters. To improve the situation, there is a need to put in place a good information system for disasters, says a United Nations (UN) Disaster Information expert. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Interview with Jane Holl Lute, Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
Visualizing Education Statistics
Familiarizing with a tool to communicate educational data was the focus of a one-day workshop jointly organized by the UNESCO Apia Office and UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS). The workshop held at the UNESCO compound on the 26th of July focused on Data Visualization and Analysis. The goal of the workshop was to build up the capacity of individuals working in the field of education statistics and also to foster collaboration between various sectors and stakeholders. Continue reading
Promoting Sustainable Living through photography
UNIC Canberra joined the Canberra Institute of Technology to launch the 2016 Photography Competition. Now in its seventh year with the theme of “Living Sustainably”, the competition aims to challenge photography students to picture one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in a way that would encourage each and every one of us to take action Continue reading
Looking Back, Moving Forward – UNICEF Pacific Report
First UN report on Sustainable Development Goals sets benchmark for education
International tribunal upholds states’ rights to protect health through tobacco control
An international tribunal has upheld the sovereign authority of states to protect health through tobacco control. The World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has confirmed that tobacco control measures applied by the Government of Uruguay did not violate the terms of an investment agreement between Uruguay and Switzerland, under which the dispute was initiated. Continue reading
Global Climate Breaks New Records January to June 2016
Geneva, 21 July 2016 (WMO) _ Global temperatures for the first six months of this year shattered yet more records, and mean that 2016 is on track to be the world’s hottest year on record.
Arctic sea ice melted early and fast, another indicator of climate change. Carbon dioxide levels, which are driving global warming, have reached new highs.
Two separate reports from the U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS) both highlighted the dramatic and sweeping changes in the state of the climate.
June 2016 marked the 14th consecutive month of record heat for land and oceans. It marked the 378th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average. The last month with temperatures below the 20th century average was December 1984.
Press Release: UN Secretary-General Invites All Member States To Event on 21 September Aimed At Accelerating Paris Agreement Entry Into Force
Early entry into force seen as critical for boosting climate action
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited leaders from all countries to attend a special event on 21 September to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement on climate change. The event will also provide an opportunity to other countries to publicly commit to joining or ratifying the agreement before the end of 2016.
The agreement will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification or acceptance with the Secretary-General.
It is expected that the September event will help efforts to secure early entry into force of the agreement.
In an extraordinary show of support for the Paris climate agreement, 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement at a ceremony in New York on 22 April, far exceeding the historical record for first-day signatures to an international agreement. Signing is the first step toward joining the Agreement, and must be followed by the deposit of the instrument of ratification or acceptance. So far, 19 countries have ratified the Agreement. Many others, including the United States and China, have publicly committed to joining the Paris Agreement this year.