Shortly before world leaders convened in Glasgow for COP26, the United Nations’ Human Rights Council adopted a groundbreaking resolution to recognize “access to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a fundamental right”.
The just closed Climate Conference in Glasgow COP 26 coincided with an important milestone on Montenegro’s development path – its 30th anniversary of declaring itself as an ecologic state. Nothing speaks more about the strength of such commitment than Montenegro’s determination to embed it into the heart of its Constitution.
According to a recent UN report, climate change is happening at a faster pace than previously thought. That’s nothing new in the Western Balkans, which is considered one of the world’s hotspots of climate change.
In Southeast Asia, economic development over the past decade has lifted millions of people out of poverty, while dramatically increasing their demand for energy. Millions do not have adequate access to electricity. Today, we highlight three stories of women in the region who harness solar power to empower themselves, their families and their compatriots.
Leading up to COP 26, which kicked-off on 31 October 2021, a High-level Dialogue on Energy was convened by UN Secretary-General on 24 September under the Theme “Accelerating action to achieve SDG7 in support of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement”. As the first global gathering exclusively devoted to energy since the UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy in 1981, this Dialogue was a historic opportunity to promote the acceleration action on clean, affordable energy for all by 2030 (SDG7) and on net-zero carbon emissions (SDG 13) by 2050.
It’s time to say: enough. Enough of brutalizing biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves.
While multilateralism remains “committed to solving global challenges”, the deputy UN chief said on Sunday, United Nations Day, it is “struggling to find the path to effective implementation”.
24 October will be observed as the United Nations “Honour Day” at Expo 2020 in Dubai. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will join the ceremony in person and deliver opening remarks.
Rural women are not often in the spotlight. Yet they should be, because in countries like Haiti, for example, which is vulnerable to natural disasters and extreme climate change, these women demonstrate a remarkable level of courage and resilience.
The world faces layer upon layer of challenges: a global pandemic, a climate crisis, and increasingly complex humanitarian emergencies that transcend borders. Compounding the challenges are attacks against democracy and human rights — especially those of women and girls. The Government of Bangladesh and the UN are joining forces to confront these crises.
