International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2022; April 4th.

FORUM: "Safe Ground. Safe Steps. Safe Home." International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2022.

In 2022 the United Nations Mine Action Service marks the Day under the theme “Safe Ground, Safe Steps, Safe Home.” The focus of the observance is on the impressive achievements of the global mine action community and on highlighting the work that remains to be completed.

“Safe Ground” is the name of the global campaign “turning minefields into playing fields,” which was launched by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2019, and the concept of clearing the Earth of landmines and other explosive hazards to make it safe for development.

“Safe Steps” brings attention to the trepidation that too many people experience when they move about, not knowing if they will detonate an explosive that could maim or kill them at any moment. “Safe Steps” also describes the procedures that deminers use when approaching contaminated areas and includes application of new technology to safely removing explosive hazards.

“Safe Home” is about restoring the personal security of individuals and communities in post-conflict settings. There is no place like home, and it is difficult to feel at home without security and community.

Statement from the U.N. Secretary-General on the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2022; April 4th.


The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action reminds us how far we have come in clearing the world of explosive remnants of war – and how far we still have to go.

Exactly thirty years ago, civil society activists came together to launch the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Within five years, the Mine Ban Convention was opened for signature.

Today, more than 160 states have signed the Convention and landmines have become almost universally unacceptable.

Over 55 million mines have been destroyed, more than 30 countries across the world have been declared mine-free, and casualties have dramatically decreased.

But the world is still rife with millions of stockpiled landmines and over 50 countries remain contaminated with these abhorrent weapons.

Mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices continue to kill or injure thousands of people every year – many of whom are children.

We must do more to protect people living under the shadow of explosive ordnance, from Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan to Myanmar, Cambodia, and beyond.

In Ukraine, the legacy of a single month of war – in the form of unexploded ordnance, landmines, and cluster munitions – will take decades to tackle, threatening lives long after the guns fall silent. Already today, they restrict emergency humanitarian aid delivery and prevent people fleeing to safety.

I call on all states to accede to the Convention without delay. Permanent members of the Security Council in particular have a special responsibility.

Mine action is an investment in humanity. It is a prerequisite for humanitarian relief efforts and the foundation of lasting peace and sustainable development.

On this International Day, let us build on past progress and rid the world of the scourge of landmines once and for all.

António Guterres; UN Secretary-General.

A cluster munition is a conventional munition that is designed to release multiple explosive submunitions (in some cases called ‘bomblets’) over a large area. The general definition describes both the container (also in certain circumstances called a dispenser, ‘parent munition’ or carrier) and the submunitions it holds. The number of explosive submunitions varies from as few as ten to up to many hundreds. The size of the individual submunitions may vary considerably. They can be dispersed or released from aircraft, rockets, artillery projectiles, and mortar rounds.

EVENTS: The Mine Awareness Day 2022 Event is organized in collaboration with the United Nations Mine Action Service, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and UN Member States.

World Autism Awareness Day 2022; April 1st.

FORUM: “Inclusion in the Workplace” World Autism Awareness Day 2022.

The theme of inclusive education is intrinsically linked with the focus of last year’s WAAD observance, “Inclusion in the Workplace”. Panelists in last year’s event emphasized how crucial it is to foster inclusive quality education for people on the autism spectrum so that they can fulfill their potential and achieve sustainable success in the labour market. In this respect, inclusive education is the key to the transformative promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, to LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.

EVENTS: Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the support of civil society partners including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Global Autism Project and the Specialisterne Foundation.

Statement by the U.N. Secretary-General on World Autism Awareness Day 2022; April 1st.

The United Nations supports the rights of persons with autism to fully participate in society, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In its pledge to leave no one behind, the 2030 Agenda represents a commitment to reducing inequality through social, economic and political inclusion for all people, including persons with disabilities. Yet many persons with autism still live in isolation, discriminated against and disconnected from their communities, in institutions or even in their own homes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of these inequalities through the loss or reduction of services at school, in homes and in the community. We need to ensure that the rights, perspectives and well-being of persons with disabilities, including those with autism, are an integral part of building forward better from the pandemic.

The solution lies in more community-based support systems for persons with autism. We must also establish inclusive education systems and training programmes that enable students with autism to access the educational path of their choice. And we must make technology solutions available for persons with autism to live independently in their communities. Active consultation with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations should be at the centre of these efforts.

On this World Autism Awareness Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to an inclusive, equitable and sustainable world for persons with autism.

— António Guterres.

WEBINARS

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, March 25th.

 FORUM:  “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism.” Commemorating the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2022.

EVENTS: 

The United Nations General Assembly will hold an in-person meeting in the General Assembly Hall to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Expected speakers include the U.N. Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, U.N. Member States and keynote speaker Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The New York Times’ groundbreaking 1619 Project.

The event, "Rhythms of Resistance," will highlighting the history of the transatlantic slave trade, as well as its ongoing legacy of racism. Through showcasing rhythmic performances in multiple countries, the event will also demonstrate how African cultures have shaped societies throughout the Americas. It will be broadcast on Friday, 25 March, at 10:00 a.m. EDT on UN WebTV

CAMPAIGN: Mobilize educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations the "causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice."

OAS to Celebrate V Inter-American Week for People of African Descent in the Americas,

 EXHIBIT: An exhibit entitled "Us and Them: From Prejudice to Racism" is on display in the Visitors Lobby at United Nations Headquarters from 16 February until 5 April. 

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2022 ; March 25th.

FORUM: Paying tribute to fallen colleagues; International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2022.

The United Nations Staff Union is the is a Labor Union representing New York Secretariat Staff, Locally Recruited Staff in the field, and Staff Members of UN Information Centers around the globe.

Statement by the U.N. Secretary-General on International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2022; March 25th.

In every corner of the world, whether in their home countries or far away, United Nations personnel work tirelessly to serve the people of the world.

This International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members reminds us of the perils that these dedicated women and men often face while carrying out their vital mission and advancing the ideals enshrined in the UN Charter.

Since 2021, 142 UN personnel have been detained, including 15 in 2022 alone. In total, 22 United Nations personnel are still in detention. National staff are often at particular risk and face unacceptable threats to their safety and security.

We continue to monitor these cases and seek the immediate release of all our colleagues. I thank the Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service of the United Nations Staff Union for its steadfast advocacy and vigilance.

UN personnel should never be arrested or detained because of the work they do in carrying out our mandate. I call on all countries to ensure that the necessary privileges and immunities are fully respected, including the immunity from legal process to be accorded to UN personnel pursuant to the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

I also call on all countries, which have not yet done so, to accede to and fully implement the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel as well as the 2005 Optional Protocol to the Convention, which extends protection to personnel delivering humanitarian, political or development assistance.

The safety of everyone who works with the United Nations is our top priority. On this International Day, let us stand in solidarity with all detained colleagues and pledge to protect all United Nations personnel as they work to advance peace and human rights, protect the planet and build a better future for all.

U.N. Secretary-General.

International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2022; March 24th.

 

Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.


The purpose of the Day is to:
- Honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice;
- Pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all;
- Recognize, in particular, the important work and values of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, of El Salvador, who was assasinated on 24 March 1980, after denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable populations and defending the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposition to all forms of violence.

Statement by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2022; March 24th.

Join the forum: The right to the truth

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: March 24th.

FORUM ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives.’World TB Day 2022

The theme of World Tuberculosis Day 2022 - ‘Invest to End TB. Save Lives.’ –conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.

KEY MESSAGES

Urgent investment of resources, support, care and information are vital to win the fight against TB.

Essential TB services should be sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that gains made in the fight against TB are not reversed.

Tackling health inequities to ensure health for all.

Ending TB requires concerted action by all sectors

In 2020, approximately 1.1 million children and adolescents under 15 years fell ill with TB globally. 

• 226 000 children and adolescents lost their lives from this preventable and curable disease in 2020. 

• 21 000 (or 9%) of the children and young adolescents under 15 years who died of TB were living with HIV. 

• In 2020, an estimated 63 % of children and young adolescents below 15 years with TB were not reported or didn’t get access to lifesaving TB diagnosis and treatment services; the proportion was even higher - 72% - for children under 5.

 • Progress towards reaching the targets set at the UN High Level Meeting is lagging behind: 

-  Approximately 1.4 million children were diagnosed and notified between 2018 and 2020, which is only 41% of the 2022 target of 3.5 million. 

- Only 12 200 children started treatment for MDR/RR TB in that period, which translates to less than 11% of the 2022 target. 

- Only 29% of eligible children under 5 years accessed TB preventive treatment between 2018 and 2020. Almost two thirds of eligible children under 5 years therefore remain at risk of getting sick with TB.

IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING TB IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 

Diagnosing TB in children can be challenging due to many factors, including the nonspecific nature of TB symptoms that are similar to other childhood illnesses and difficulties in collecting specimens for diagnostic testing. Infants and young children (especially those under two years) are at higher risk of developing TB meningitis and disseminated disease, which are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Adolescents usually present with infectious TBdisease, as typically seen in adults. However, adolescents also form a particularly vulnerable group who face psycho-social challenges, requiring careful consideration of their growing autonomy, treatment support and assistance with transitioning from paediatric to adult health service provision. We need to manage TB in children and adolescents recognising the unique characteristics and needs of these groups, as well as those of their parents, caregivers and families. 

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 

• COVID-19 has had an additional negative and disproportionate impact on children and adolescents with TB and at risk of TB. 

• There has been a steady increase in notifications of children with TB from just over 340,000 in 2011/2012 to over 520,000 in 2019, with a substantial drop in 2020, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• A detailed analysis shows that TB notifications in children aged below 5 years dropped by 28% between 2019 and 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions, these figures for children aged 5-14 years and for those aged 15 years and above were 21% and 18%. 

• Overall deaths increased for the first time in a decade to 1.5 million up from 1.4 million in 2019, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 • The 2022 WHO Consolidated Guidelines and Operational Handbook on the management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents include recommendations that span the TB cascade of care, from screening, prevention and diagnostic approaches to treatment of both drug susceptible and drug resistant TB, to models of care to optimize TB prevention and case detection efforts. 

The new recommendations recognize the impact of COVID-19 on TB services and the need to find more children and adolescents with TB.

ROADMAP TOWARDS ENDING TBIN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS 

WHO, UNICEF, Stop TB Partnership and other partners released an action plan in 2018 outlining measures to prevent and treat TB in children and adolescents. The roadmap highlights key actions to end TB in children and adolescents, such as high level leadership & accountability, functional partnerships, increased funding, advocacy, integrated family- and community-centred strategies, improved monitoring, and more child and adolescent TB research.

EVENTS : 

The event will take place in a talk-show format with speakers connected by video on  WHO’s interactive web-platform- End TB Forum. The main speakers will include Ministers, leaders and other high-level government representatives, Heads of Agencies,  TB survivors, civil society and partners. The Show will be broadcast live, with interactive Q&A from the audience online.

World Meteorological Day 2022; March 23rd.

FORUM: Hydrometeorological and Climate Information for Disaster Risk Reduction. World Meteorological Day 2022.

On World Meteorological Day; this 23 March; we will highlight the critical role of early warning systems and early action as an adaptive measure for climate change. Greater coordination between national meteorological and hydrological services, disaster management authorities and development agencies is fundamental to better prevention, preparedness and response. Join the conversation with the hastags #WorldMetDay, #Earlywarningearlyaction.

Statement by Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General, on the occasion of the World Meteorological Day 2022; March 23rd.

Greetings from the World Meteorological Organization secretariat in Geneva. The top priority of WMO is to protect lives and livelihoods from weather, climate and water extremes. Every minute of every day of the year. I am therefore very happy that the theme of World Meteorological Day 2022 is “Early Warning and Early Action.” It celebrates the great achievements of national meteorological and hydrological services in improved early warning systems. It also highlights the vital work of the disaster risk reduction community in making sure that these early warnings lead to early action. But we cannot be complacent. We face many challenges, especially in making sure that early warnings reach the last mile to the most vulnerable who need them most. Climate change is already very visible through more extreme weather in all parts of the world. We are seeing more intense heatwaves and drought and forest fires. We have more water vapor in the atmosphere, which leads to extreme rainfall and deadly flooding. The warming of the ocean fuels more powerful tropical storms and rising sea levels increase the impacts. We expect this negative trend to continue. Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels, locking in climate change to continue for decades to come, melting of glaciers and sea level rise up to centuries. In addition to climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation is a top priority. Early warning systems are a powerful way to adapt. 2 Last year WMO published a report on disaster statistics for the past 50 years. It showed that there were more than 11 000 disasters linked to weather, climate and water-related hazards, almost equal to one disaster per day. There were 2 million deaths – or 115 per day. The number of disasters has increased five-fold in the past 50 years. And the economic cost has soared. But the good news is that the number of casualties has fallen dramatically. We are better than ever before at saving lives. Supercomputers, satellites and advances in science have greatly increased the accuracy of our forecasts. Mobile phone alerts and weather apps can reach even remote areas. WMO is promoting impact-based forecasting, of what the weather will be and what it will do. That is needed to enhance the preparedness and early action of various user and customer groups, who are dependent on weather. But much more remains to be done. Only half of the 193 Members of WMO have multi-hazard early warning systems in place. There is also a major need to enhance the impact based forecasting skills of a large fraction of Members. There are severe gaps in weather and hydrological observing networks in Africa, some parts of Latin America and in Pacific and Caribbean island. This undermines forecasts local and globally. WMO has therefore created a financing mechanism known as SOFF (The Systematic Observation Financing Facility) to drive investment in the basic observing system and fill data gaps. WMO is an implementing partner in the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems Initiative (CREWS), which builds resilience among vulnerable countries and communities. WMO is spearheading a new water and climate coalition to focus more attention on water-related hazards and shortages. We have highly successful programmes and projects on tropical cyclones, coastal inundation, floods and drought. In Geneva we have joined forces with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to form a centre of excellence on climate change and disasters. WMO has been developing a support mechanism to provide reliable and authoritative information to the UN humanitarian agencies to be able to optimize the humanitarian aid before and after a weather related disaster. We are working together with financing institutions like the World Bank, European Union, UNDP, Green Climate Fund, to allocate more funding to early warning services and to ensure sustainability of the investments. 3 And of course, WMO is committed to the 2030 international agenda on climate action, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction. WMO’s vision is that “by 2030, we see a world where all nations, especially the most vulnerable, are more resilient to the socioeconomic consequences of extreme weather, climate, water and other environmental events. Early warnings work. They must work for everyone. They must lead to early action. 

I wish you all a happy World Meteorological Day

WMO Secretary-General.

EVENT

Want to catch all the action from World Meteterology Day 2022 ceremony? Tune in to our live event from Geneva on 23 March 2022 from 14:00 to 15:30 (CET). To participate in the event, join us via Zoom where interpretation into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish will be available. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the WMO YouTube channel in English. 

CAMPAIGN MATERIAL: 2022 World Meteorological Day

About the WMO' World Weather Research Programme (WWRP).

Hot or cold, still or storm, drought, or downpour. Weather affects us all. The WWRP  is advancing and promoting research activities on weather, its prediction and its impact on society. The improvements in science and operational predictions are driven by international cooperation, and in turn, international cooperation in weather science is a unique opportunity to drive sustainable development. 

As the science is advancing, critical questions are arising such as the potential sources of predictability on weekly, monthly and longer time scales; seamless prediction from minutes to months; optimal use of local and global observing systems and the effective utilization of supercomputers.

In addition, communication of forecasts, warnings and their uncertainty, as well as some indication of the impacts of these warnings, raise new challenges for weather-related approaches for the full value chain. All of these challenges can only be met through strong interdisciplinary collaborations and thus the World Weather Research Programme relies on strong links with social scientists, Early Career Scientists and public-private partnerships.