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UN Daily News Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Issue DH/7257

In the headlines: • UN emergency teams ‘on the ground’ in the

• UN-backed treaty concludes summit with ‘game

• ‘What once seemed unthinkable is now

• Top UN relief official meets with key Saudi officials

Caribbean to help respond to Hurricane Matthew unstoppable,’ says Ban, as Paris climate pact edges closer to entry into force

• UN food relief agency to scale up emergency

changing’ outcomes for wildlife protection to discuss situation in Yemen

• Nearly 69 million new teachers needed to achieve global education goals, UNESCO reports

operations in southern Madagascar

• ‘Keep Afghanistan on the path towards stability,’ Ban tells Brussels Conference

• Portugal's António Guterres emerges as favourite

•

‘Sad of state affairs’ in Iraq as last month’s surge in violence leaves more casualties – UN

• Yemen: Security Council strongly condemns attack on vessel by Houthi forces

for next UN Secretary-General

• Investing in early childhood development helps communities thrive – UN-backed report

UN emergency teams ‘on the ground’ in the Caribbean to help respond to Hurricane Matthew 5 October – In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean region, United Nations emergency response teams have been deployed to Haiti and Jamaica to coordinate rapid assessments and support disaster response. According to a statement issued by UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon’s spokesperson, though the full extent of the impact remains unclear, the Haitian Government has reported that a number of lives have been lost and at least 350,000 people need immediate assistance.

Brazilian Marines with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) clearing the road to les Cayes, Haiti, after the passage of Hurricane Matthew. Photo: UN MINUSTAH

The statement also noted that the UN is in contact with the authorities across the region and stands ready to assist with response and recovery if required.

Also today at a regular briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, a UN spokesperson told journalists that the entire southern part of including the country, including capital Port-au-Prince have been affected and the south-east tip of the island suffered the brunt of the hurricane. A main bridge connecting the capital to the south was also swept away this afternoon cutting off access. The teams have been deployed from the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), which is managed by the

For information media not an official record

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UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On the ground, they are logistically supported by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). UNDAC is part of the international emergency response system for acute emergencies. It was created in 1993 to help the UN and governments of disaster-affected countries during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency. Further, in the statement from his office, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his solidarity with the people and Governments of Haiti, Cuba and other countries in the hurricane affected region. It added said that the UN chief lauded the preparedness efforts of the Cuban authorities, media, and civil society to protect people's lives and economic assets. In Cuba, more than 377,000 people were evacuated, 1,640 metric tonnes of food was pre-positioned in safe areas, and measures were taken to protect communities and infrastructure threatened by strong winds, rains, storm surge and floods. In a separate statement today, President of the General Assembly Peter Thomson also expressed deep concern for the people of Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and other countries in the Caribbean as they struggle to cope with the effects of the hurricane and offered his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives as a result of the storm. “As a Fijian who has witnessed first hand the power and devastation of such destructive tropical cyclones, I fully empathise with those facing up to the damage,” he said, adding: “The world must stand with the victims at this time as people of goodwill everywhere recognise their suffering and stand ready to offer a helping hand.”

‘What once seemed unthinkable is now unstoppable,’ says Ban, as Paris climate pact edges closer to entry into force 5 October – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today that the Paris Agreement on climate change signed by world leaders this past April is set to enter into force on 4 November, as more and more countries sign onto the landmark accord bringing it ever closer to the emissions threshold that will trigger its implementation. “Global momentum for the Paris Agreement to enter into force in 2016 has been remarkable,” the UN chief said in a statement today. “What once seemed unthinkable is now unstoppable.” Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21 this past December, the Agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future, as well as to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change. Specifically, it seeks to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (second left), UNFCCC's Christiana Figueres (left), French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and President of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21), and President François Hollande of France (right), celebrate historic adoption of Paris Agreement. Photo: UNFCCC

The pact – which was signed in New York on 22 April by 175 countries at the largest, single-day signing ceremony in history – will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance or accession with the Secretary-General. This week, New Zealand and India signed onto the Agreement, following the 31 countries which joined at a special event at the UN on 21 September during the UN General Assembly’s general debate. Earlier that month, the world’s two largest emitters, China and the United States, joined the Agreement. The Agreement will now enter into force in time for the Marrakech Climate Conference (COP 22) in Morocco on 7 UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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November, where countries will convene the first Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement. Countries that have not yet joined may participate as observers. In his remarks today, the Secretary-General highlighted that strong international support for the Paris Agreement entering into force is “testament to the urgency for action, and reflects the consensus of governments that robust global cooperation is essential to meet the climate challenge.” He pointed out that over the past decade, he has worked ceaselessly to bring countries together to accelerate the global response to climate change. During that time, he said he has visited communities on the climate frontlines, from the Arctic to the Amazon, and has witnessed how climate impacts are already devastating lives, livelihoods and prospects for a better future. “I urge all governments and all sectors of society to implement the Paris Agreement in full and to take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and support the most vulnerable in adapting to inevitable climate impacts,” Mr. Ban said. Congratulating all of the signatories of the Agreement, the Secretary-General encouraged all countries to accelerate their domestic processes to ratify the Agreement as soon as possible. Specifically, the Agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future, and to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change. It also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. The Agreement calls for appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity-building framework to support action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries in line with their own national objectives. Enhanced transparency of action and support through a more robust transparency framework, are also among the key aims.

UN food relief agency to scale up emergency operations in southern Madagascar 5 October – Following a visit to Madagascar, the Executive Director of the United Nations’ food relief agency has announced plans to scale up humanitarian operations in response to rising levels of hunger and malnutrition as a third consecutive year of drought deepens the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the island nation. “The situation is extremely worrying,” said Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), at the conclusion of her visit.

Executive Director Ertharin Cousin with a young recipient of WFP assistance, southern Madagascar Photo: WFP/David Orr

“The hunger and malnutrition we’re seeing is the result of three years of ruined harvests. We must receive the necessary funding to respond before it’s too late. This funding will also allow us to invest in people’s livelihoods, so we don’t just save lives but change lives and

break the cycle of emergency response,” she added. The preliminary results of a multi-agency food security assessment, due to be released shortly, indicate that four out of nine southern districts are likely to fall into the “emergency” classification by year’s end. Unless swift action is taken, three more districts could follow, according to WFP. The south of Madagascar has been hard hit by this year’s El Niño weather phenomenon, which resulted in reduced rains for southern Africa. On the south of the island, one household in three has already been forced into desperate measures such as UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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begging, selling its land or house, or migrating. Four in 10 households have already eaten their vital seed stocks, leaving nothing for the November/December planting season, WFP said. “I met women who told me they had nothing to feed their babies except the fruit of the red cactus growing by the roadside,” said Ms. Cousin after her visit to Tsihombe district, where nearly all households are food insecure, 80 per cent of them severely so. “It’s vital in these situations that we and our partners ensure that no child goes hungry and that every child gets the nutrition he or she needs.” El Niño is the term used to describe the warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific that occurs, on average, every three to seven years. It raises sea surface temperatures and impacts weather systems around the globe so that some places receive more rain while others receive none at all, often in a reversal of their usual weather pattern. El Niño, and its counterpart La Niña, which is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, occur cyclically, in recent years, mainly due to the effects of global climate change. Extreme weather events associated with these phenomena – such as droughts and floods – have increased in frequency and severity. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), El Niño-related conditions have compounded existing vulnerabilities across southern Africa, resulting in severe food shortages. Agricultural production has been crippled, and almost half a million drought-related livestock deaths have been reported, while water sources and reservoirs are severely depleted. With adequate funding and in support of the Madagascar Government’s own humanitarian response, WFP said that it will scale up from November to reach as many as one million people with food and cash assistance. WFP is also expanding its programme to prevent and treat acute malnutrition in more than 200,000 pregnant and nursing women, and children under five. Starting this month, in support of the upcoming planting season, WFP said it will provide food to vulnerable communities, complementing the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which will supply tools and drought-resistant seeds. WFP currently provides a daily hot meal to some 230,000 primary school children – 42 per cent of primary school students in the south. For most of these children, the school meal is the only nutritious meal they receive in a day. In addition, starting in early 2017, WFP – alongside the Government of Madagascar, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and other partners – is planning to reach even more children with its school meals programme. WFP requires $92 million for its humanitarian response in the south of Madagascar from now until March of next year. The agency said it currently faces a shortfall of $78.5 million.

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‘Keep Afghanistan on the path towards stability,’ Ban tells Brussels Conference 5 October – Addressing a conference aimed at charting a way forward for conflict-ravaged Afghanistan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the international community to sustain its commitment to support the country and its people, while stressing the importance of holding both donors and the Afghan Government accountable for aid effectiveness.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (seated left), with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica (centre) and Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

“In their efforts to rebuild their country, the people of Afghanistan have been able to count on international development assistance,” Mr. Ban told the gathering of representatives from some 70 countries and 20 international organizations and agencies in the Belgian capital of Brussels, which was co-hosted by the European Union and the Afghan Government.

“To consolidate gains, international support will remain necessary for years to come,” the UN chief said, stressing the importance of ensuring that assistance is predictable, shaped by sustained commitment to mutual accountability and aid effectiveness, and aligned with the priorities of the Afghan Government as set out in its national peace and development framework. Afghanistan has been in protracted conflict for almost 35 years, which has seen an ever-growing number of civilians killed and poverty reduction and development efforts seriously hampered. The Brussels conference comes two years after the London conference, which provided a platform for then newly-elected president Ashraf Ghani to set out his Government’s vision for reform and for the international community to demonstrate enduring solidarity and support for Afghanistan. The Government outlined a clear path toward a better future, including measures to tackle corruption, advance governance reforms, and address the illicit economy. The Brussels conference is also a follow-up from the 2012 Tokyo conference where the international community agreed to provide four billion euros a year in funding until the end of 2016, based on a partnership of mutual accountability. “The commitments of this [Brussels] Conference provide a crucial window of opportunity for the next four years,” Mr. Ban said. He highlighted important headway the Government has made since the London conference towards promoting transparency, accountability, and improving public services, despite complex challenges. “Of course, the ultimate goal of the reform agenda is real change in people’s lives,” he said. “The substantial levels of assistance that this Conference is seeking can only be justified – to the people of Afghanistan and of donor countries – if the lives of Afghans are visibly and sustainably improved.” In this regard, he said Afghanistan’s women must be provided greater space to play their full role as political actors and peace-makers. He went on to welcome the Government’s commitment to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (SDGs) which is crucial to reduce poverty, address food insecurity and child malnutrition, improve literacy rates and empower women and girls. However, conflict remains the main obstacle to the prosperous future that the people of Afghanistan deserve, Mr. Ban warned.

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“I am deeply concerned by the record numbers of civilian casualties and growing numbers of people forced from their homes,” he said, citing that this year alone, more than one million Afghans will be on the move within Afghanistan and across borders. In an interview with the UN News Centre ahead of the Brussels conference, Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission there (UNAMA), said that the most fundamental challenge in the country is security, which affects all activities of life. After the drawdown of the international forces in 2014, the Taliban has tested the ability of Afghan national forces to defend the country, creating a rather difficult situation in 2015, when the Taliban insurgency was able to make headway in terms of expanding their areas of control, Mr. Yamamoto said. In today’s address, the Secretary-General stressed the need to support a peace process for Afghanistan and the region, calling on all of Afghanistan’s regional partners to seize opportunities for cooperation and do their part to help build a prosperous and peaceful future. “My message is clear: Keep Afghanistan on the path towards stability, accountability and greater self-reliance. Build bridges. Put the Afghan people first,” Mr. Ban said.

Portugal's António Guterres emerges as favourite for next UN Secretary-General 5 October – Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres has emerged as the clear favourite to become the next United Nations Secretary-General following the sixth secret ballot held today by the UN Security Council, which is expected to take a formal decision tomorrow and forward Mr. Guterres’ name to the 193-Member General Assembly for final confirmation. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which holds the Security Council presidency for the month, informed the President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson, that the sixth informal “straw poll” for the position of Secretary-General took place earlier today and António Guterres emerged as the clear favourite among the Council’s 15 members.

António Guterres, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, addresses Member States regarding his candidacy for SecretaryGeneral. UN Photo/Manuel Elias

Mr. Churkin said the Security Council will meet tomorrow (6 October) at 10 a.m. to take a formal vote, which is expected to pass by acclamation, the Assembly President said. That decision would then be formally submitted to the General Assembly for its consideration. In addition to Mr. Guterres, who served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015, 12 other candidates were in the running to succeed the current UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who leaves office at the end of the year. Today’s decision by the Security Council brings the UN closer towards the culmination of an historic process: the selection of a new United Nations Secretary-General, traditionally decided behind closed-doors by a few powerful countries, has for the first time in history, involved public discussions with each candidate campaigning for the world’s top diplomatic post. These so-called ‘informal briefings’ between the candidates, UN Member States and civil society representatives kicked off on 12 April, when the first three candidates presented their ‘vision statements’ and answered questions on how they would promote sustainable development, improve efforts to create peace, protect human rights, and deal with huge humanitarian catastrophes should they be selected to lead the Organization. In addition, this past July, the UN held its first-ever globally televised and webcast townhall-style debate in the General UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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Assembly Hall, where the confirmed candidates at the time took questions from diplomats and the public at large. Having referred to the process as “a game changer” for the Organization, the President of the 70th General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft said: “I am very proud that we broke new ground with unique transparency in the selection process. The two-hour presentation of each of the candidates in the General Assembly dialogues, and their collective Global Townhall debate, were important highlights and helped to include the global public in the debate about the future of the UN.”

Investing in early childhood development helps communities thrive – UN-backed report 5 October – An estimated 43 per cent – or 249 million – of children under five in low- and middle-income countries are at an elevated risk of poor development due to extreme poverty and stunting, according to a new United Nations-supported series from The Lancet.

Investing in early childhood development is essential to helping more children and communities thrive. Photo: WHO/D. Rodriguez

“Investing in young children is a moral, economic, and social imperative. The [Sustainable Development Goals] SDGs have provided a promising vision on children and adolescents’ health, but political will and increased investment in early childhood development are needed to ensure that the ambitious targets can be reached,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), which, along with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank, contributed and offered guidance to the series.

“Early childhood development will not only benefit the children of today, but will have a direct impact on the stability and prosperity of nations in the future,” she added. The three agencies highlighted that the series, “Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale,” reveals that early childhood development interventions that promote nurturing care – health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and early learning – may cost as little as 50 cents per child per year, when combined with existing services such as health. The findings underscore the importance of increased global commitment to early childhood development. Individuals are estimated to suffer a loss of about a quarter of average adult income per year, while countries may forfeit up to as much as two times their current gross domestic product expenditures on health or education. Consequences of inaction impact not only present but future generations, the agencies said. “We now know how high the cost of inaction is, and new evidence makes clear that the time to act is now. We hope the evidence in this series will help countries reach more pregnant women and young children with preventive and promotive services that have the potential to drastically improve developmental outcomes for children as well as their adult health, well-being and economic productivity,” said series co-author, Linda M. Richter, of the Centre of Excellence in Human Development at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Research shows that a child’s brain develops faster during the first two to three years of life than at any other time in life. These early years are also a critical period of adaptability and responsiveness to interventions. When young children are deprived of nutrition, stimulation and protection, the damaging effects can produce long-term detriments for families and communities, the agencies said. “The science and economics are clearly on the side of investing in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, starting with a woman’s pregnancy,” said Keith Hansen, Vice President of Human Development at the World Bank Group. “The Lancet research is further proof, if more is needed, of just how important this agenda is.” The authors stress the strong position of the health sector in providing an entry point for early childhood interventions – UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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especially in support of nurturing care. The sector’s ability to access women and children during the critical period from conception through early childhood presents an opportunity to integrate low-cost interventions, such as WHO/UNICEF’s Care for Child Development, into existing maternal and child health and nutrition services. These have shown to help improve the quality of nurturing care and the overall development of young children, while also giving attention to the wellbeing of the caregiver, the agencies said. “The science shows us that biology is not destiny – and that what children experience in the earliest days and years of life shapes and defines their futures,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “We need to turn that science into an alarm bell – because the development of millions of children is at urgent risk. Right now, 43 per cent of children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not achieving their cognitive potential. No country can risk losing nearly half of the brain potential of its youngest citizens – low- and middle-income countries least of all,” he added. The series’ authors propose several ways the global community can scale up support for early childhood development services. Among the recommendations include encouraging the adoption and implementation of policies to create supportive environments for families to provide nurturing care for young children; building capacity and strengthening coordination to promote early childhood development through existing health, nutrition, education, social and child protection services; strengthening measurement and ensuring accountability for early childhood development services; increasing research, and fostering global and regional leadership and action; and expanding political will and funding through advocacy for the SDGs.

UN-backed treaty concludes summit with ‘game changing’ outcomes for wildlife protection 5 October – The triennial conference of the parties to a United Nations-backed wildlife treaty concluded yesterday with actions that are expected to go a long way in ensuring protection for some of the most vulnerable plants and animals on the planet. “[The 17th conference of the parties (COP) is] a game changer that will be remembered as a point in history when the tide turned in favour of ensuring the survival of our most vulnerable wildlife,” said the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), John E. Scanlon said yesterday in a news release issued by its Secretariat. “It was not just the well-known species that were on the agenda, the pangolin and many lesser known species also came under the spotlight,” he added, noting in particular decisions to bring new marine and timber species under CITES trade controls. The African grey parrot, one of most trafficked birds in the world. Photo: CITES

According to the news release, the decisions adopted by the COP, shorthand for “Conference of Parties” to the Convention, the primary governing body of CITES, will firmly embed wildlife in the agendas of global enforcement, development and financing agencies that have the capacity and technical expertise to help ensure implementation of the Convention on the front lines. The news release further noted that the, conference, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was marked by agreement on measures to improve sustainable trade in a number of species, including the queen conch, humphead wrasse, sharks, snakes and African wild dog, as well as a large range of timber species, such as bubinga and rosewoods, and the African cherry and agarwood. Parties also recognized several conservation success stories, including that of the Cape mountain zebra, several species of crocodiles and the wood bison, which were all by consensus down-listed from Appendix I under CITES to Appendix II in UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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recognition of their improved conservation status. A number of new animals and plants were also added to the CITES Appendices for the first time, affecting a large number of mammals, marine and timber species, as well as many reptiles and amphibians. Similarly, there was a fresh push to further safeguard threatened species and added protection was accorded for the African grey parrot, Barbary Macaque, Blaine’s fishhook cactus, elephant, pangolin and saiga antelope. Also, measures were agreed to combat illegal trade for specific species, including included the African grey parrot, African lion, cheetah, helmeted hornbill, pangolin, rhino and totoaba, the largest member of the drum family of fishes. Earlier, in his remarks at the opening of the COP, Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) underscored the importance of protecting endangered species. “Illegal trade of everything from the helmeted hornbill to the hundreds of species of rosewood severely damages our planet, and it's only through the international cooperation we've seen under CITES that we can prevent it,” he said, according to the news release. Importance for Sustainable Development Goals In the press release, Mr. Scanlon also emphasized that CITES is now seen as an indispensable tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COP, held every three years, is the primary governing body of the Convention. This year’s conference was held in Johannesburg from 24 September to 4 October and was attended by more than 3,500 people, including 2,500 officials from the 152 national governments. The conference also decided that the 18th COP will be held in Sri Lanka in 2019. With 183 Parties, CITES is one of the world’s most powerful tools for biodiversity conservation. It regulates international trade in over 35,000 species of plants and animals, including their products and derivatives, ensuring their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment.

Top UN relief official meets with key Saudi officials to discuss situation in Yemen 5 October – Visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Nations humanitarian chief today met with key officials from defense and foreign ministries there to discuss the situation in the neighbouring war-torn country of Yemen. “We all agreed that the utmost must be done to save and protect lives in Yemen in accordance with international humanitarian law,” Stephen O’Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien (right), meets with Abdul Latif Al Zayani, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Photo: UN OCHA

According to a news release from his Office (OCHA), they also discussed ways to facilitate humanitarian access and the importance of relying on facts for impartial and neutral action.

Mr. O’Brien also met with Abdul Latif Al Zayani, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to discuss the situation in Yemen and how they can mutually support efforts to alleviate the human suffering of the people there.

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The UN humanitarian chief has also met with the President of Yemen, Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, in Riyadh to discuss the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in his country and the need to ensure the protection of civilians as hostilities sadly continues and even intensify there. Mr. O’Brien, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, noted that the establishment of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in 2015 has been a continuation of Saudi Arabia’s philanthropy to support people in need. “Its generosity has made a real impact in Yemen and elsewhere,” he said. He and Abdullah Al Rabeeah, the Center’s Supervisor General, discussed how their two entities can better work together in a more complementary and efficient way. “As in all humanitarian crises around the world, there is absolutely no time to waste. While the humanitarians will continue to provide aid to all those in need, there is an urgent need for a political, durable solution to the crisis beginning with a resumption of the cessation of hostilities,” Mr. O’Brien said. Yemen has been engulfed in violence for several years now. A confrontation between the country’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the Government of Yemen in early 2014 led to a Houthi advance on the capital, and an ensuing conflict which has involved support from outside parties. The UN has been heavily involved in efforts to resolve the crisis. While peace talks between a Yemeni Government delegation and a delegation of the General People’s Congress and Ansar Allah continued, serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. Those UN-facilitated talks ended on 6 August.

Nearly 69 million new teachers needed to achieve global education goals, UNESCO reports 5 October – On World Teacher's Day, the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued statistics revealing that close to 69 million new teachers are needed to provide quality universal primary and secondary education by 2030, the deadline of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Entire education systems are gearing up for the big push to achieve [SDG 4] by 2030,” said Silvia Montoya, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the primary global source for statistics on education, in a news release today.

Winston Mills-Compton teaches a class in mathematics at the Mfantsipim Boys School in Cape Coast, Ghana. Photo: World Bank/Jonathan Ernst (file photo)

“But education systems are only as good as their teachers. Global progress will depend on whether there even is a teacher, or a classroom in which to teach with a manageable number of children instead of 60, 70 or even more pupils,” she added, noting the need to provide training, resources and support for teachers to do their job.

Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education also includes a specific call for more qualified teachers, and more support from the international community for teacher training in developing countries. According to the UIS data, sub-Saharan Africa has the largest teacher gap and the region will need about 17 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030. As the region with the fastest growing school-age population in the world, it is already struggling to keep up with demand: more than 70 per cent of its countries face acute shortages of primary school teachers, 90 per cent of them face serious shortages in secondary education, UNESCO added.

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Similarly, southern Asia has the second-largest teacher gap, especially at the secondary level. Only 65 per cent of youth across the region are enrolled in secondary education and the pupil-teacher ratio is estimated at 29:1 (based on 2014 estimates) – far higher than the global average of 18:1. The region needs another 15 million teachers by 2030, the vast majority (11 million) at secondary level. Furthermore, other parts of the world face grave challenges too. For instance, conflicts in Syria and Iraq has destroyed large parts of their education systems and has had a severe knock-on effect on neighbouring countries that are trying to cope with an influx of refugee children and youth in need of learning opportunities and teachers, the news release noted. The message from UNESCO coincides with this year's celebrations of the 2016 edition of World Teacher's Day – held under the theme Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status – highlighting the importance of the teaching profession for global development as well as the need for urgent action to address the shortage of teachers. “Teachers not only help shape the individual futures of millions of children; they also help shape a better world for all,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, and Education International General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen, in their joint message on the occasion. “How can we recruit new teachers and attract them to the vital profession of teaching when around the world, so many are undertrained, underpaid and undervalued?” they added. The 2016 World Day commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing in 1966 of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers, and celebrates the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers has, essentially, served as a charter of rights for teachers worldwide. The Day has been celebrated annually since 1994.

‘Sad of state affairs’ in Iraq as last month’s surge in violence leaves more casualties – UN 5 October – The United Nations in Iraq has reported that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in the country, with a more than 28 per cent spike in fatalities and a 17 per cent increase in injuries from August to September this year. “It is a very sad state of affairs that the numbers of Iraqis killed and injured remains very high and unacceptable. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence,” said Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq said in a news release issued by the UN Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMI), which he heads.

A displaced family from Mosul living at Baharka Camp on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq. Photo: UNHCR/Cengiz Yar

Of the 1,003 people killed in September, 609 were civilians. Of the 951 injured, 922 were non-military persons. Both categories were comprised of members of the federal police, Sahwa civil defence, personal security details, facilities protection police and fire

department constituted the balance of casualties. The 394 Iraqi Security Force members killed included Peshmerga, SWAT and militias fighting alongside the Iraqi Army, excluding Anbar Operations. An additional 208 were injured (excluding Anbar casualties). With 1,127 civilian casualties, Baghdad, the worst affected governorate, suffered 289 deaths and 838 injured. Elsewhere, Ninewa tallied 42 fatalities and 55 injured; Salahadin had 23 killed and 10 injured; Kirkuk endured 23 killed and nine injured; and two people in Babil were killed and four injured. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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5 October 2016

According to information obtained by UNAMI from the Health Directorate in Anbar, the governorate suffered 254 civilian casualties – including 219 killed and 35 injured – according to figures updated to include 28 September. “The Holy month of Muharram has started and I sincerely hope that the killings will stop during this month,” Mr. Kubiš concluded.

Yemen: Security Council strongly condemns attack on vessel by Houthi forces 5 October – The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned an attack by Houthi forces on a United Arab Emirates vessel operating near Bab al-Mandeb Strait on 1 October. “The members of the Security Council take threats to shipping around Bab al-Mandeb, a strategically important shipping passage, extremely seriously,” a statement issued by the 15-member body said. The Council also stressed that the continued exercise of freedom of navigation in and around Bab al-Mandeb Strait in accordance with relevant international law must be upheld.

A wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file)

The members of the Security Council called for such attacks to cease immediately and urged necessary steps to be taken to de-escalate the situation.

They also reiterated their support to the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to pursue his efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. To support the consultations of the Special Envoy, and avoid further loss of life, the members of the Security Council urged all parties to recommit to and fully respect the terms and conditions of the cessation of hostilities entered into on April 10, which will include a complete halt to ground and air military activities. Further, the Council called on all sides to resume working through the De-Escalation and Coordination Committee to facilitate the strengthening of the cessation of hostilities. Yemen has been engulfed in violence for several years now – a confrontation between the country's Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the Government of Yemen in early 2014 led to a Houthi advance on the capital, and an ensuing conflict which has involved support from outside parties. The UN has been heavily involved in efforts to resolve the crisis. While peace talks between a Yemeni Government delegation and a delegation of the General People's Congress and Ansar Allah continued, serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. Those UN-facilitated talks ended on 6 August.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)