UN News Today 20 November 2024 |

In the 2050s, eight times as many children globally will be exposed to heatwaves: UNICEF

By the 2050s, eight times as many young people all over the world will be exposed to extreme heatwaves, compared to the 2000s.

That’s just one of the worrying findings of new research by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which also indicates that three times as many youngsters will be exposed to extreme river floods – and nearly twice as many will be exposed to extreme wildfires – by mid-century, compared with the start of the millennium.

The UN agency’s State of the World’s Children report highlights how future generations are set to face more intense pressure from demographic change too, with Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia set to have the largest child populations in the 2050s.

By mid-century, more than a third of the world’s children are also expected to live in just four countries: China, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

India and China will continue to have the highest number of children in the 2050s, with approximately 350 million in India and 141 million in China.

Among the more positive findings in the UNICEF report, it indicates that life expectancy is projected to increase, while nearly 96 per cent of children are expected to have at least a primary education in the 2050s, up from 80 per cent in the 2000s.

War in Sudan is being fought over the bodies of women: Rights investigator

War in Sudan has been raging for 19 months now between rival militaries the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, causing death, massive displacement and starvation.

It’s also behind widespread sexual violence against women and girls including gang-rape, abduction and detention akin to sexual slavery.

The disturbing development has been under investigation by the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, which was set up by the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Here’s one of the panel’s members now, Mona Rishmawi, speaking to UN News:

“We have seen something that I never saw before…You know when the war is being fought on the bodies of women that’s really shameful for any fighter for any party to the conflict who actually commits this kind of violations is really – in addition to being a huge violation, a major violation of international human rights and humanitarian law -this is a big stain on the perpetrators dignity and humanity.”

Information gathered from health providers indicates that thousands of women and girls have been subjected to grave sexual violence.

The abuse is happening in “every area” where the paramilitary forces are present, Ms. Rishmawi insisted, adding that when they move into a new territory, “rape and looting and destruction of property follows”.

Gaza: At the Security Council, US vetoes a new ceasefire resolution

As war continues in the Middle East, the United States has vetoed the latest resolution on Gaza in the UN Security Council in New York.

The draft text had demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, as well as the release of all hostages and full humanitarian access for civilians.

Explaining the US veto, ambassador Robert Wood said that his country “could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the (Israeli) hostages” still held in Gaza by Hamas, following their terror attack last October on Israel.

Ambassador Wood maintained that the draft resolution had “abandoned” the call for the immediate release of the hostages, which “would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas, that there was no need to come back to the negotiating table.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

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