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UN chief seeking ‘renewed commitment’ to global rules and values, as world leaders head to New York
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Secretary-General António Guterres (right) briefs press on the occasion of the opening of the seventy-third session of the United Nations General Assembly on 20 September 2018. At left is his Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
UN chief António Guterres on Thursday called for a “renewed commitment to a rules-based global order” and to the organization he leads, highlighting his key themes for discussion during the High-Level week of the General Assembly, beginning on Monday.
The #TimeIsNow for Solidarity and Sisterhood
Danai Gurira and Reese Witherspoon in conversation with UN-Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (centre) at the 2018 International Women’s Day commemoration © UN-Women/Ryan Brown
By: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.
Since October 2017, more than 1 million women worldwide have shared experiences and solidarity with their sisters under the banner of #MeToo. They are saying that enough is enough. For too long, women have experienced violence in their homes, in public spaces and at work. For too long, this abuse has been normalized, women’s voices have been silenced and their stories disbelieved. For too long, perpetrators have not faced consequences.
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan laid to rest in Ghana; Guterres hails ‘exceptional global leader’
UN Photo/Ben Malor: Surrounded by family, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s widow Nane pays final respects to her late husband in Accra, Ghana on 13 September 2018.
Like few today, former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, could “bring people together, put them at ease, and unite them towards a common goal”, said the current UN chief, António Guterres on Thursday, speaking at his predecessor’s funeral in Ghana. “Since the shock of Kofi’s death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special,” Mr. Guterres told those assembled, saying he was “both one-of-a-kind and one of us.” Read More
Kofi Annan was the United Nations
Op-ed by the Secretary-General based on his remarks at funeral of Kofi Annan
Since the shock of former United Nations’ Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special.
To my mind, it is simply this: Kofi Annan was both one-of-a-kind and one of us.
He was an exceptional global leader — and he was also someone virtually anyone in the world could see themselves in: those on the far reaches of poverty, conflict and despair who found in him an ally; the junior UN staffer following in his footsteps; the young person to whom he said until his dying breath “always remember, you are never too young to lead — and we are never too old to learn.”
Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative, Head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia
Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative, Head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Nicholas Haysom of South Africa as his Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). He will succeed Michael Keating of the United Kingdom effective 1 October, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his exemplary service and leadership of UNSOM.
Good governance is the solution to Africa’s problems
Prof. Eddy Maloka, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
Under the auspices of the African Union, African leaders established the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in 2003 as an instrument for monitoring governance performance among member states. A self-monitoring instrument, APRM aims to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices leading to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and economic integration. Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau sat down with Prof. Eddy Maloka, the CEO of the South Africa–based APRM Secretariat, to understand how they conduct their business. Here are excerpts:
Experts define sustainable packaging priorities for Africa
Efficient packaging systems reduce food losses, scale up trade
10 September 2018, Lusaka – Food losses and waste are an enormous drain on natural resources. Roughly one-third of the annual food produced globally for human consumption — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — is lost or wasted. These losses are particularly unfortunate in Africa where approximately 20 percent of the population is undernourished.
Appropriate packaging has a significant impact in improving food quality and safety, Photo: ©FAO
Appropriate packaging has a significant impact in improving food quality and safety, thereby reducing food losses, whilst enhancing the competitiveness of Africa’s agro-enterprises and boosting trade. Furthermore, packaging plays a key role in improving the marketing of produce and is an important part of a strategy to enhance competitiveness of small and medium agro-enterprises (SMAEs). At a regional packaging meeting being held as a prelude to the World Export Development Forum, experts have defined packaging priorities for the continent
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: The Cornerstone of Sustainable Development
Natalia Kanem (left) at the ECOSOC Youth Forum with Nikki Fraser, National Youth Representative, Native Women’s Association of Canada and Young Leader for the SDGs. © PVBLIC Foundation/Elsa Barb
Shortly after the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015, we spoke to 10 ten-year-old girls from around the globe, asking them what their one wish was. Their answers affirmed what the American poet Maya Angelou once wrote: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Daline from Cameroon and Hiba from Jordan both wanted everyone in their family to be all together. Tuong Anh from Viet Nam and Ortilla from Guatemala both wanted a bicycle. Ingeborg from Norway and Temawelase from Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) both wanted a decent future for themselves.
Open Innovation Challenge & Call for youth-led social entrepreneurship solutions for addressing development challenges facing youth in Africa
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present a universal call to action by the United Nations (UN) for all stakeholders to join efforts to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs are the most ambitious development agenda to date. Attaining these Goals and meeting the development needs require substantial resource commitments. With the development funding landscape changing rapidly, charity models are no longer sufficient – there is a need to identify and tap into non-traditional and innovative sources of finance and implement new models that enable everyone to contribute to economic growth. For more information CLICK HERE.
UNHCR alarm at recent anti-foreigner violence in South Africa
04 September 2018: This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Refugees pick through discarded papers at a shelter in Johannesburg, South Africa. August 2008 © UNHCR/James Oatway
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is extremely concerned at recent xenophobic violence in South Africa. Those targeted have included refugees and asylum-seekers.
Reportedly four people were killed in the Soweto area of Johannesburg in attacks by angry protestors last week, while many others were affected by earlier rounds of violence. Mobs looted and destroyed property belonging to foreign nationals. Tensions have also been observed recently in KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape Provinces.