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One month after Hurricane Matthew, needs in Haiti remain ‘vast,’ UN reports

INTERNATIONAL, 4 November 2016 – As Haiti struggles to recover from the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Matthew, which pummelled the tiny island one month ago today, the United Nations warned that while its seems as if “the world has moved on,” Haiti’s needs are vast, exemplified by the nearly 600,000 children being stalked by disease, hunger and malnutrition and in need of assistance.

“One month after the hurricane, life for more than half a million children in Haiti is still far from back to normal,” said Marc Vincent, Haiti Representative for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in a news release. “Too many children are still homeless, hungry, out of school and in danger. We are scaling up our response and are determined to help as many of them as possible as fast as we can.”

Too many children are still homeless, hungry, out of school and in danger

UNICEF said there have been at least 1,000 suspected cholera cases among children in the past month. Out of 219 cholera treatment centres in the country, 18 have been damaged in the worst-hit departments of Grand’Anse and South, further complicating efforts to contain the disease.

The total destruction the Category 4 storm inflicted on crops, food stock and livestock in some of the worst affected areas have left over 800,000 people in need of immediate food assistance and more than 112,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition.

An estimated 50,000 children have been left homeless and are staying in temporary shelters. Another 3,500 children living in institutions need help accessing nutrition, water and sanitation services.

Up to 80 per cent of hospitals and health centres in Grand’Anse have lost their roofs. An additional seven health centres in Grand’Anse, four in South and three in Nippes are no longer operational.

More than 700 schools have been affected and about 86 schools have been used as temporary shelters, causing school disruption for at least 150,000 children.

UNICEF is working with national and other partners to provide basic assistance to the most vulnerable children. They are providing 100,000 people a day with safe water, organizing a cholera vaccination campaign that will be launched next week to immunize up to 900,000 people, and providing cholera prevention kits that contain water purification tablets, soap and oral rehydration salts. Between 100 and 200 kits are distributed every day.

In addition, they are delivering an integrated package of services to prevent and treat malnutrition among children under five as well as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living in the hurricane affected areas, replenishing vaccines and restoring the cold chain so that routine immunization can resume in the health centres that are still operational and in mobile clinics, and distributing emergency medical supplies to 18 health centres.

Joint actions also include setting up mobile child friendly spaces where vulnerable children and families can receive psychosocial support, and training 60 volunteers to staff them, and repairing 22 schools and distributing school-in-a-box and early childhood development kits so that children can resume their learning as soon as possible.

UNICEF requires over $23 million through the end of the year to meet children’s humanitarian needs following the hurricane, including for the cholera response. So far, it has received a mere $6 million.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva that, according to the latest figures from the authorities in Haiti, Matthew has so far caused 546 deaths and left 438 people injured.

He said that needs are vast, especially in the areas of quality water, education, shelter, child protection, health and nutrition. A total of 1.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and an estimated 40 per cent of them are children. The UN emergency humanitarian appeal for $120 million is far only 33 per cent funded.

Haiti needs support to restore, rebuild health services

Haiti needs support to restore and rebuild its health services at various levels, ranging from cholera treatment centers to community health centers to major hospitals, according to Dr. Jean-Luc Poncelet, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) representative in Haiti.

In the country’s South, “the government faces challenges in restoring health facilities in affected areas and urgent repairs to restore functionality have been identified,” he said.

In Sud Department, 28 per cent of health facilities sustained severe damage and eight per cent are closed, while in Grand’Anse, 43 per cent of health facilities were severely damaged and seven per cent are closed. Of the 74 cholera and acute diarrhea treatment facilities in Haiti, 34 are fully functional, while 40 sustained various levels of damage.

Restoring health services to a functional level requires not only fixing structures, but providing electricity and water and sanitation, as well as helping many health workers who themselves have been severely affected by the hurricane’s destruction, according to the Haiti Ministry of Public Health.

“The major needs are to renovate existing health structures with durable repairs, to increase humanitarian assistance to rural areas, and to improve water quality and sanitation,” Mr. Poncelet said.

The latest figures from the Haitian government show that 175,509 Haitians are still living in shelters, while more than 1.4 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

PAHO/WHO teams identified five priority areas of action for the health sector, estimating that $9 million in emergency funding is needed to carry out essential activities.

These priorities are: restoration of health care delivery capacity and access to health services in the most affected areas; increased epidemiological surveillance to support early detection and timely management of disease outbreaks; intensification of vector-control and protective environmental health measures in impacted areas; rapid and effective response to cholera outbreaks in affected communities; and support for efficient coordination of humanitarian assistance and management of information to effectively address the most urgent humanitarian needs.

A vaccination campaign is planned to start Nov. 8, targeting 820,000 people in 16 communes affected by Hurricane Matthew and that have reported cholera cases or deaths. To prevent additional cholera cases, which are likely to increase in the rainy season from now until December, it is also important to advance on water purification, health promotion, and sanitation at the same time.

Bettina Luescher, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that the agency has delivered food to 400,000 people, as part of its work to support the Government in its work. The situation is dire on the ground, with huge logistical challenges, but together with its partners WFP has reached people by truck, helicopter and boat.

Some 140,000 people are still displaced and living in temporary shelters. The food situation is worrisome: in areas hit by the hurricane crops have been destroyed, along with livestock and seeds, local markets are running out of food and the prices of imported goods are rising.

The planting season is supposed to happen this month and will be affected, which meant in turn that the next harvest, in the early months of 2017 will be affected. WFP aims to reach 800,000 people. In order to do that, it has appealed for $58 million overall and still needs $40 million urgently.

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UN agency working to address women’s health and protection needs in storm-hit Haiti

CARIBBEAN/HAITI, 3 November 2016 – With some 546,000 women of reproductive age in Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged greater attention to women’s vulnerability in the aftermath of the storm, which devastated not only people’s livelihoods but health facilities and other vital infrastructure.

“Our urgent task is to protect the health and rights of women and girls, and to ensure that their basic needs, which are often overlooked in humanitarian situations, are quickly met,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin said recently.

The storm, which hit the Caribbean country on 4 October, caused widespread damage, flooding and displacement. In the worst affected areas, mostly in the southern part of the country where the Category 4 storm made landfall, the devastation of health facilities and lack of adequate shelter have left women in urgent need of health and protection services.

Of the 2.1 million people affected, about 546,000 are women of reproductive age, with an estimated 13,650 women expected to give birth in the next three months. UNFPA also estimates that 10,920 women and adolescent girls are at risk of sexual violence.

A recent joint evaluation, with the Haitian ministries of public health and women’s affairs, of health infrastructure in the two worst affected departments of Grand’Anse and Nippes, found that 23 of 26 facilities were affected. Of 11 facilities in Grand’Anse alone, two were completely destroyed, two were closed, none have power or water, and all require health workers.

While the international community is responding to the crisis, women and girls face increased risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth and of gender-based violence.

Before the hurricane, Haiti had the highest maternal death rate in the Western Hemisphere. Now, with many women not going to hospitals, maternal and newborn mortality rates risk rising even higher.

UNFPA is responding to the crisis by working with the Government and partners to deploy two teams of midwives in mobile clinics to Grand’Anse and Nippes, where they will provide reproductive health services to women in need. Each mobile clinic is staffed by five national midwives who graduated from the UNFPA-supported midwifery school, an international midwife and a driver.

In addition, the agency will rehabilitate six maternity units that were damaged by the hurricane, and will provide ‘Relief Baby Boxes’ for 2,000 newborns. The boxes will be distributed to maternity units in affected areas, along with additional articles (mosquito repellent, bed nets, etc.) to prevent the spread of the Zika virus.

To stock facilities and mobile clinics, UNFPA is providing 261 emergency reproductive health kits with equipment, medicines and supplies for safe deliveries, voluntary family planning, rape treatment and other services. The kits will benefit 390,000 people for the next three months.

The services provided by UNFPA’s mobile clinics include screening for gender-based violence and referral to specialized medical services.

A gender-based violence assessment undertaken by UNFPA and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs found a lack of protection measures in affected areas and increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence. In the temporary shelters, which have no electricity, there is no space solely for women and girls, and little attention is paid to their privacy, dignity or security.

Haiti’s women and girls in the regions affected by Hurricane Matthew face huge challenges ahead. But they will only be able to surmount them if they receive the attention and support of the international community.

“We need to reinforce the infrastructure that the Government put in place after the earthquake”, UNFPA Representative Marielle Sander said. However, she added: “We also need to make sure that other issues are not forgotten and for that we require a longer process.”

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“To transform our world, we must transform its cities” says UN chief on World Cities Day

SINT MAARTEN/INTERNATIONAL, 31 October 2016 – With more than half of the global population now living in cities and human settlements, greater attention needs to be placed on the role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion, according to the United Nations on World Cities Day.

“To transform our world, we must transform its cities” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement commemorating the Day, which is observed on 31 October around the globe.

“They are central to climate action, global prosperity, peace and human rights,” he added. “Crime, pollution and poverty are taking their toll on hundreds of millions of city-dwellers. At the same time, urban areas are hubs of energy, innovation and economic dynamism. By investing in cities, we can advance progress across societies.”

In a resolution adopted in February 2014, the UN General Assembly designated the Day in recognition of the significance of urban basic services as a foundation for the overall social and economic development. The rationale underpinning the Day is that planned urbanization maximizes the capacity of cities to generate employment and wealth, and to foster diversity and social cohesion between different classes, cultures, ethnicities and religions. The theme of this year’s observance is ‘Inclusive Cities, Shared Development.’

The Day also ties into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 11 aiming to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. According to UN-Habitat, inequalities in cities have grown since 1980, with the world’s largest cities also often the most unequal.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General noted that momentum is building on this issue in the wake of the recently concluded UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, known as Habitat III, at which attendees adopted the New Urban Agenda, a vision for cities that are just, safe, accessible, affordable, resilient and sustainable.

“This marked a milestone in setting global standards for sustainable urban development, sparking new thinking on how we plan, manage and live in cities,” the UN chief said in his message.

He went on to flag that along with other new global framework agendas – such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Agenda for Humanity, the Sendai Framework and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – the New Urban Agenda will put sustainable urbanization at the centre of efforts to eliminate poverty and achieve development and prosperity for all, and it can also complement the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“Local action is essential to realizing the potential of these global agreements,” Mr. Ban said. “On World Cities Day, let us renew our resolve to confront urban problems and forge lasting solutions. Together, we can show how success in cities inspires change across the world.”

Shifting the urban paradigm

Mr. Ban was joined in marking the Day by Joan Clos, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the UN agency charged with promoting socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

In his message for the occasion, Mr. Clos pointed to the Day as “an essential celebration on the calendar to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization.”

He said this year’s Day was particularly signi¬ficant as it comes on the heels of Habitat III, which he referred to as, a “resounding success” in which 30,000 people participated in almost 1,000 events over the course of four days.

“Such high turnout is a testimony of the strong world interest in urban development, and in taking part in the global conversation about our cities,” Mr. Clos said, flagging that planning and managing cities are core sustainable global development challenges that hold the key to achieving equal and inclusive societies.

“This year the World Cities Day is happening within the framework of a New Urban Agenda, the first of this century to make possible the change of the current cities’ model for better urban life,” continued the Executive Director.

“The New Urban Agenda shares a vision of cities for all, ensuring that all citizens are able to inhabit and produce just, safe, healthy, accessible, affordable an sustainable cities for foster prosperity and quality of life,” he added.

Dr. Clos elaborated that in line with Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, the New Urban Agenda envisages cities and human settlements where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and have equal opportunities to participate in.

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Some people never miss an opportunity

SINT MAARTEN/COMMENTARY - "Some people never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity", a statement well said by George Bernard Shaw so long ago but still rings true.

Especially true concerning the event that took place in St. Maarten last Friday October 28, 2016, when the last KLM flight made its final landing our runways at Princess Juliana Airport.

The very runway in which it accredits its fame to this big blue bird. It undoubtedly a shame on our part for knowing of this potentially major event and taking no action to aid it into something greater than it was.

Dutch media was present and ABC news covered the event. Imagine if we had more foresight and took advantage of capitalizing on this event taking it to a worldwide scale, reaching millions at no cost.

It pains to see that we spend too many of our limited marketing dollars on activities that generate little to no marketing mileage but major events like this go by without any initiative or organized efforts to enhance and exploit them.

If anything positive may be derived from the US Presidential campaign is how Mr. Trump mastered to generate millions of dollars in free media exposure.

Now we can only hope this missed opportunity may serve as a lesson or reminder to remain vigilant for any more potential viral moments that are sure to come. Moments that can promote St. Maarten to the world.   

Ricardo Perez

COMMENTARY: The comments are the sole responsibility of the author.

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Destruction of cultural heritage is an attack on people and their fundamental rights – UN expert

INTERNATIONAL, 27 October 2016 – When cultural heritage is under attack, it is also the people and their fundamental human rights that are under attack, a United Nations expert warned the UN General Assembly, issuing an urgent call to step up international action against the destruction of heritage such as monuments, historic sites and sacred places.

“Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali and Syria are all in our minds today, but many more countries are to be added to this list, where acts of intentional destruction harm all, target free thinkers and disproportionately affect people belonging to minorities,” the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, stressed yesterday in her briefing to the Assembly’s main body dealing with social, humanitarian and cultural issues (Third Committee).

Highlighting challenges and solutions to the problem of deliberate destruction of cultural heritage, and stressing that it must be considered a human rights issue, Ms, Bennoune noted that such ongoing destruction in the war-plagued Yemen is a particular source of concern.

According to Special Rapporteur, in order to protect cultural heritage, including precious monuments, sites and sacred places, the first step that has to be taken is protecting human rights and people.

“Destruction is often accompanied by other grave assaults on human dignity and human rights. We must care not only about the destruction of heritage, but also about the destruction of the lives of human beings. They are interrelated,” Ms. Bennoune stated.

She also emphasized that armed conflict is among the root cause of heritage destruction, as well as indiscriminate attacks which failed to distinguish between military targets and civilian infrastructure, deliberate targeting, and acts based on an inappropriately broad definition of military necessity.

“[It] undermines the right to freedom from discrimination and numerous other human rights, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity; and the rights to take part in cultural life, and to access and enjoy cultural heritage”, she added.

The Special Rapporteur suggested that holistic strategies which promote human rights and peace-building are solutions to the problem, and they must be integrated into the human rights-based approach to the issue.

“It means consulting the people who have particular connections with heritage when seeking to determine whether they wish to rebuild or reconstruct such heritage and if so, how and when,” she said.

In Ms. Bennoune’s opinion, it is important for States to fight extremism and fundamentalist ideologies, sectarianism, and discriminatory attitudes, in accordance with international standards, while promoting respect for human rights, tolerance and pluralism.

In the end of her report, the Special Rapporteur paid tribute to all those who had sacrificed their lives to preserve world’s cultural heritage.

“In many cases we must consider cultural heritage professionals on the frontlines of the struggle against destruction as human rights defenders,” Ms. Bennoune stated, adding that it is vital that we ensure their safety and security, grant them asylum, and create necessary work conditions for them.

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‘It’s your story – don’t lose it,’ UNESCO says marking World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

INTERNATIONAL, 27 October 2016 – Archives are humanity’s collective memory bank, maintained in many public and private organizations, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said today, urging all public and private entities as well as relevant professionals to take urgent action to safeguard audiovisual works and records ‘as an integral part of our shared heritage.”

“Moving images, with sound recordings, are important records of our lives, holding much of our personal and social memory, essential to identity and belonging. This is why they must be preserved and shared as part of our common heritage,” Irina Bokova said in her message on the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, marked annually on 27 October.

The World Day marks the day in 1980 when the UNESCO General Conference adopted the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images – the first international instrument on the cultural and historical importance of film and television recordings, calling for decisive steps for their preservation. The theme his year is ‘It is your story – don’t lose it.’

The Director-General said: “The stories told by this heritage are powerful expressions of culture and place, weaving together personal and collective experience, reflecting the search for meaning shared by all. This heritage provides an anchor in a world of change, especially for local communities, providing records of cultural activities, reflecting the great diversity of expressions.”

Audiovisual heritage provides an anchor in a world of change, especially for local communities, providing records of cultural activities, reflecting the great diversity of expressions, continued Ms. Bokova, adding: “Promoting cohesion, archives are also integral to debates about future priorities, by preserving the diversity of stories and helping future generations understand what came before them.”

Noting that archives are humanities memory bank and that especially in remote areas, they are in desperate need of preservation, the UNESCO chief called upon the archival profession, public and private organizations, and all relevant actors, to take urgent action to safeguard audiovisual works and records as an integral part of our shared heritage.”

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‘We have to do the right thing,’ deputy UN chief says on intensified response to cholera outbreak in Haiti

CARIBBEAN/HAITI, 25 October 2016 – Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today urged the international community to show solidarity with the Haitian people as they struggle to cope with the impact Hurricane Matthew and an ongoing cholera epidemic, particularly through financial support for the new United Nations system-wide approach to tackle the spread of the disease.

In an interview today with the UN News Service, Mr. Eliasson shared the UN’s progress on the response to cholera in Haiti, noting improvements that he said reflected profound commitment and devotion from the response team, and which he hoped would create a sense of solidarity for the people of Haiti.

Recently at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Eliasson briefed Member States on the Organization’s intensified response, saying the first track of the new UN approach to tackling cholera involves stepping up efforts to treat and eliminate the disease; and the second track aims to develop a framework proposal to Member States for material assistance to those Haitians most affected by cholera after the 2010 outbreak.

Shortly after that briefing, the United Nations announced the launch of the UN Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) to generate and manage resources to support the coordinated system-wide response and support the establishment of strong water, sanitation and health systems in the country.

In his interview today, Mr. Eliasson explained that the first track will cost about $200 million. The second, a support package to reach those immediately affected, which involves looking back and reaching out to specific communities and individuals, would entail an additional $200 million. Together, the $400 million package would be implemented over the course of two years in consultation with the Government and people of Haiti as well as other stakeholders.

“I am of the view that you can combine a firm legal position with compassion and practical demonstration of solidarity with the Haitian people. The United Nations is, after all, about solidarity with those in need,” said the Deputy Secretary-General.

He spoke of an approach that would simultaneously “do the right thing” for the Haitian people and the reputation of the United Nations, which remains committed to eliminating cholera in the country. He also stressed that a “third track” of the overall package could be considered, as it contains “very important action right now to help the Haitian people with the horrific effects of the monster hurricane,” Matthew, which tore through the tiny island nation when it made landfall on 4 October, ultimately impacting some 2.1 million people.

Thus far only 27 per cent of the emergency appeal launched by the UN humanitarian wing has been secured thus far, a fact that Mr. Eliasson called “disappointing.”

Funding support from the international community is “absolutely crucial.” He explained that “for the credibility of the [wider] initiative, we are relying on a positive reaction from Member States [and that they will] also feel the need to show solidarity with the Haitians.”

In response to a question over whether UN staff have been ill-at-ease over the handling of the matter, Mr. Eliasson said that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep regret over the lack of success so far with regards to the cholera outbreak in Haiti. He acknowledged that many people at the UN shared similar concerns, but that they were “relieved that we are trying now very honestly and strongly to take this step.”

The Deputy Secretary-General promised accountability and efficiency of the programmes going forward and shared that though pledges were yet to be made by Member States [for the intensified cholera response], six or seven had put forth a positive reaction already. He also praised a committed team, including Dr. David Nabarro, Special Adviser and medical doctor whose contributions had been invaluable during the Ebola crisis, and legal expert Linda Taylor, who is the Executive Director of the United Nations Office of Administration of Justice (OAJ).

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson speaks about the UN's continued solidarity with Haitians on the cholera response. Credit: UN News Centre

“We have a great team working on [the response] right now, very committed and very devoted, and I have rarely felt higher morale among colleagues,” he said. “The people working on it are there day and night, and I get constant feedback. I hope we will be able to have a good message coming through to the General Assembly and that we will show the Haitians that we will be there at their side,” he added, regarding a proposed meeting of the 193-member body on Haiti.

The Deputy Secretary-General said that yesterday, 500,000 vaccines were expected to arrive in Haiti, and that another round would arrive soon, for a total of one million. Thanks to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the UN will be able to increase the number of response teams in addition to the 62 that are already in areas of urgent treatment need.

“Then, we need to start to work very energetically in the sanitation sector,” Mr. Eliasson urged. “Only half of Haitians have safe water and a quarter has [adequate] sanitation. So a quarter of the people have no fresh water to drink,” he added.

The Deputy Secretary-General expressed a hope that the efforts under way by the UN would carry the right message to the people of Haiti and to Member States, as well as to the public at-large. He cited a sense of urgency to do as much as possible before the end of his and Mr. Ban’s term, (31 December) and acknowledged that the work would certainly continue over the next few years under António Guterres’ direction, as the new Secretary-General.

“We simply have to do the right thing,” he said. “I feel in my bones that this is the right thing.”

Also at Headquarters today, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston,told the General Assembly that while the UN has for the past six years ignored claims by victims for a remedy, focusing exclusively on measures to contain the outbreak, “the good news” is that, under Mr. Eliasson’s “courageous leadership,” the UN recently set up the MPTF to greatly enhance its cholera eradication efforts and to assist victims of the disease.

“The bad news is that the UN has still not admitted factual or legal responsibility, and has not offered a legal settlement as required by international law,” said the independent human rights expert, briefing the Assembly’s main body dealing with human rights issues (Third Committee) on his latest report.

Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts and are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

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INTERVIEW: To be sustainable, cities should be more connected, inclusive and dynamic – ICAO chief

INTERNATIONAL, 24 October 2016 – A Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between urban development and aviation was signed in Quito, Ecuador, during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HABITAT III).

The agreement was signed by Dr. Fang Liu, the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Dr. Joan Clos, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

According to a statement from ICAO, the agreement is significant because “sustainable civil aviation is in a position to make critical contributions to States’ achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.”

It provides for UN-Habitat and ICAO to strengthen their cooperation with a view to advising States on technical and policy matters relating to aviation issues raised within the context of the sustainable integration of airports in urban areas and within national development programmes. The agreement also directly supports SDGs 911, and 13, which respectively pertain to economic development, urban well-being, and climate change.

The relationship is reciprocal, “as urban conditions impact on aviation safety, navigation, efficiency, and security, and consequently the economic development of air connectivity and its environmental consequences,” said the statement from ICAO.

During the Conference, which ended on 20 October 2016, ICAO’s Dr. Fang Liu spoke to the UN News Centre about the role the aviation sector can play in sustainable urban development.

Fang Liu: Indeed, aviation plays a very unique role. It connects the world with people; bringing families, friends and businesses together, as well as opportunities. Nowadays, aviation carries about 100 thousand daily flights. By these one hundred thousand daily flights, it transports 10 million passengers every day. In addition to that, you also probably know, tourism is a mainstay of finance and income for cities.  Half of one point four billion tourists are carried by air transport.  So you can see the role of aviation in that part. With these numbers, aviation actually contributed 2.7 trillion US dollar – roughly 3.5% of global GDP – and supported around 63.5 million jobs globally, as well as contributed 35% of trade volume globally. In addition to this number, I can also share with you the importance of aviation for urbanization. 

Our organization also took mass basket measures to mitigate the impact on the environment due to aviation - Liu Fang

As I have just mentioned, tourism is one of the mainstay for city development. With air transport – which is the road in the air – you can see that it connects cities with the rest of the world. So this provides great opportunity for global access, as the global market opens to local producers. In addition to this fundamental role, aviation also has an irreplaceable role in providing humanitarian aid; in particular, the post-disaster and emergency medical aid to the people in need. This explains the important role that aviation plays, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also explains five strategy objectives which contribute to 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

UN News Centre:  Talking about sustainable development, how relevant are the 3 pillars of sustainable development to ICAO’s programs and objectives, especially Sustainable Development Goal 6: “To secure the well-being of present and future generation by striving for a balance in social, economic and environmental objectives?

Fang Liu: I mentioned the important role aviation can play in terms of social and economic development. Now I am going to talk about the environment pillar. As you probably know, at our last assembly – the 39th assembly which was just held a couple of weeks ago at our headquarters in Montreal – our member states adopted the first ever global market-based measures aimed at mitigating the emission caused by international flights.  That is the first ever major industrial sector to take these measures to tackle environmental issues. In addition to that, our organization also took mass basket measures to mitigate the impact on the environment due to aviation. These measures include innovative measures – innovative technology – including new standards we’ve just adopted for measuring CO2 emission for our new aircraft.  As a matter of fact, our aircraft is 80% more efficient than the first commercial flight introduced in the early 19th century.

And other measures include efficient procedures and management of air navigation, which can greatly reduce the emission caused by our international flights. And of course another important measure is alternative fuels, which already has lots of experimental flights, and some airports already provide alternative fuels for commercial flights. We need to make more effort in commercial deployment of alternative fuels. Our airports also make great efforts to adopt new technology and new energy modes, in order to reduce energy consumption, and to have better services and efficient operation to reduce the impact due to our aviation activities. All these efforts aim to reduce our CO2 emission, which represents only 1.3% of the overall emissions around the world. But you can see that our sector truly makes firm determination to ensure our future, and that of our planet, is sustainable.

UN News Centre:  Again, with reference to Sustainable Development Goals, as you know, “leaving no one behind” is at the core. Right now we have more than 1 billion people in this world experiencing some form of disability, and many face difficulties and barriers when travelling. What would you recommend in order to make urban development inclusive, and accessible to persons with disabilities?

... Our CO2 emission represents only 1.3% of the overall emissions around the world - Fang Liu

Fang Liu: That is a very important question. Aviation, like all other transportation modes, should recognize and accommodate this passenger segment.  And as you know, aviation has its standards and recommended practices in the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which deals with facilitation for disabled travelers. And we also developed guidelines for the states to introduce in their policies, in order to ensure that all the stages and segments of air travel accommodate passengers with disabilities. This would eventually allow them to be fully integrated into our air transport system.

What we would like to see is for the inclusivity for disability to become institutionalized and regulatory. Like I have just mentioned, in order to meet the needs of disabled persons, ICAO standards and practices should be constantly updated and our guidelines should also follow those lines. And this is to also ensure that the provisions included in our standards will make it clear and encourage our member states to comply with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Today's aircraft have become 80% more energy-efficient than they were at the inception of air travel, UN civil aviation chief, Fang Liu told UN News Centre.

UN News Centre:  And from our social media fans: what three words come to mind when you think about sustainable cities?

Fang Liu: Connected, inclusive, dynamic. If cities are connected locally and globally, by all means of transportation, it will create a positive impression to the rest of the world. It also makes people feel connected, understand each other better, and increase and enhance friendships. Inclusive means providing facilities to accommodate all the needs and expectations of all the people in the cities. In order for cities to be more attractive, with much more potential to develop, they should be dynamic. It is important to welcome all the new ideas and innovations which will enhance a city’s competitiveness and further ensure the comfort of people living in that city.

UN News Centre:  Another question: “What is the most important thing we can do, to make cities more loveable and sustainable?”
Fang Liu: All the UN organizations are striving to work very closely to implement the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. What I would like to see is for all the states to work with all the UN organizations, with their own responsibilities in their respective areas. When the world works together, urban development and cities will have better planning and synergy, more coordination, and harmony, leading to better living standards and development for our world.

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After hurricane, UN assessment finds 800,000 Haitians in dire need of immediate food assistance

CARIBBEAN/HAITI, 24 October 2016 – An assessment conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), together with the Haitian Government and its National Coordination for Food Security (CNSA), has determined that in the wake of Hurricane Matthew some 1.4 million people are in need of food assistance, 800,000 of whom are in a dire situation.

The emergency survey was conducted one week after the Category 4 storm, which devastated supplies and crops across the island. Fifty per cent of livestock was lost and agriculture has been virtually wiped out in the Department of Grande-Anse, a department in the southwest. Along the southern coast, fishing has been rendered impossible, as flooding has washed away nets, traps, boats, and engines.

Without fishing income, families have no money to buy food. Moreover, in the Department of Sud, just south of Grande-Anse, subsistence crops are gone. Ninety per cent of the forest and fruit trees in the department were severely damaged, and the remaining ten percent are unlikely to be productive in the coming season.

“Local products on the markets will soon be depleted and we need more funding in order to continue food distributions to help 800,000 people in need of food aid which is more than urgent,” announced Miguel Barreto, the Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean for WFP, in a news release.

With the winter crop season approaching, the situation for agricultural producers who have lost everything is desperate. “If we don’t act now to provide them with seed, fertilizer, and other materials they need, they will not be able to plant and will be faced with persisting food insecurity,” urged FAO’s Representative in Haiti, Nathanaël Hishamunda.

FAO is committed to working with Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture in order to implement the emergency response plan, which will focus on helping people resume agricultural activities and improving food security in rural areas.

While the southern part of Haiti has seen some of the worst devastation, elsewhere between 60 and 90 per cent of crops have been destroyed. In the Department of Artibonite, 60 to 80 per cent of livestock were wiped out, and the assessment found a forty percent trade loss for fishing communities in the Department of Sud-Est.

In order to meet the food assistance needs in Haiti, the humanitarian community requires an additional $56 million over the next three months.

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UN expert panel warns of systemic anti-Black racism in Canada’s criminal justice system

SINT MAARTEN/CANADA, 21 October 2016 – A group of United Nations human rights experts today expressed serious concerns about systemic anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system in Canada.

“There is clear evidence that racial profiling is endemic in the strategies and practices used by law enforcement,” said Ricardo Sunga, who currently heads the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, in a news release issued following its official visit to the country. “Arbitrary use of ‘carding’ or street checks disproportionately affects people of African descent,” he added.

“We urge the Government to develop and implement an African Canadian justice strategy to address the anti-Black racism and discrimination within the criminal justice system,” Mr. Sunga stated.

From 17 to 21 October, a delegation of the Working Group visited Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal to gain first-hand knowledge on racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia, and related intolerance affecting African-Canadians.

“In our conversation with African Canadians, we found that Canada’s history of enslavement, racial segregation, and marginalization, has had a deleterious impact on people of African descent which must be addressed in partnership with African Canadian communities,” Mr. Sunga stressed.

The delegation, which also included human rights experts Michal Balcerzak and Ahmed Reid, welcomed ongoing efforts by the new administration to revitalize efforts to address racial discrimination faced by people of African descent and to promote human rights, diversity and inclusion in partnership with African Canadian communities and civil society organizations promoting the rights of people African descent.

“We welcome, among other measures, the recent establishment of the Anti-Racism Directorate to address systemic racism and promote fair practices and policies across Ontario province,” Mr. Sunga said.

The experts also promoted the International Decade for People of African Descent, which runs from 2015 to 2024, and aims both to highlight the contribution of people of African descent to societies and strengthen national, regional and international cooperation to ensure the human rights of people of African descent are respected, protected and fulfilled.

The Working Group will present a report containing its findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017.

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