Professor Jean Pascal Van Ypersele, the candidate for the post of Chair of the inter governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), accompanied by the Ambassador of Belgium to Pakistan H.E. Charles Delogne called on Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman
Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman presenting a souvenir to Minister of State at the German Foreign Office, H.E. Dr. Tobias Lindner at the Ministry of Climate Change
UN chief slams suicide attack in Bolan
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 07 (APP): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned Monday’s suicide attack on a Balochistan Constabulary van in the Dhadar tehsil of the Kacchi district in Bolan, according to his spokesman.
“He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured,” Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Nine people, eight of them policemen, were martyred in the attack. Thirteen people were injured.
Guterres warns progress on women’s right ‘vanishing’ as UN’s commission on women opens
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 07 (APP):Closing the major gender gap in innovation and technology is the focus of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which opened in New York Monday, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying that progress on women’s rights is “vanishing,” citing Afghanistan among other countries.
Over the next two weeks, participants from across the world – including representatives from governments, the UN, civil society and youth groups, as well as activists – will examine how gender equality, empowerment and sustainable development can be achieved in the digital era.
The meeting, known as CSW67, will also highlight online violence and other dangers women and girls face, as well as the need for quality education in the information age.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is due to arrive in New York on Tuesday, will address the commission on March 9.
In her opening remarks, CSW67 Chairperson Mathu Joyini of South Africa, said although digital technologies were rapidly transforming societies, they were also giving rise to profound new challenges that might perpetuate and deepen existing gender inequalities.
“Gender-based discrimination is a systemic problem that has been interwoven into the fabric of our political, social and economic lives, and the technology sector is no different,” she said.
“However, this is compounded when you consider the multiple factors that impact and exacerbate this inherent discrimination.”
The UN chief noted that the CSW was meeting as progress on women’s rights was vanishing – including in countries such as Afghanistan, where women and girls had been, in effect, erased from public life – and as gender equality was growing ever more distant.
“Your focus this year on closing gender gaps in technology and innovation could not be more timely. Because as technology races ahead, women and girls are being left behind,” he said.
“The math is simple: without the insights and creativity of half the world, science and technology will fulfill just half their potential,” he added.
As gender inequality was ultimately a question of power, the Secretary-General called for urgent action in three areas, starting with increasing education, income and employment for women and girls, particularly in the Global South.
Furthermore, women’s and girls’ full participation and leadership in science and technology must also be promoted.
Guterres said the international community must also create a safe digital environment for women and girls, outlining his third point. In that regard, the UN was working to advance a code of conduct for information integrity on digital platforms, aimed at reducing harm and increasing accountability.
The Secretary-General stressed that promoting women’s full contributions to science, technology and innovation was not an act of charity or a favour to women, but a “must” that benefits everyone.
“The Commission on the Status of Women is a dynamo and catalyst for the transformation we need. Together, let’s push back against misogyny, and come forward for women, girls, and our world,” he said.
The world needed women’s expertise to address complex and interlocking crises, such as climate change, conflict, poverty, hunger and water scarcity, said the President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Korosi.
However, he noted that women were still a minority in digital information technology, computing, physics, mathematics and engineering, and accounted for less than 35 percent of the global information and communications technology workforce.
“They are 20 percent less likely than men to use the internet – but 27 times more likely to face online harassment or hate speech, when they do. New technologies, if used well, offer a strong and equalizing force to rapidly change this state of affairs,” he said in a video message.
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, was among other senior officials who addressed the CSW opening ceremony.
She said the digital revolution offered the potential for unprecedented improvement in the lives of women and girls, and at a time when progress towards sustainable development was at risk.
“Harnessed effectively, technology and innovation, can be game-changers to catalyse poverty reduction, decrease hunger, boost health, create new jobs, mitigate climate change, address humanitarian crises, improve energy access and make entire cities and communities safer and more sustainable – benefitting women and girls,” she said.
Given the pace of change, Bahous underlined the need for “a global normative framework” to mobilize technology towards achieving gender equality. She expressed confidence that the meeting would underscore that “digital rights are women’s rights”.
The CSW has met annually since 1946, but this is the first in-person gathering since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A special segment will be held where young people will discuss the priority themes, marking another first in the Commission’s history.
Joyini, the CSW Chairperson, also outlined some of the objectives of this latest session in her opening remarks.
“We will consider the responsibilities of governments and private sector in ensuring that adequate safeguards, norms and standards exist, and women and girls’ fundamental rights are not violated while using digital technologies,” she said.
There will be calls also to provide more opportunities for women in innovation, as well as funding and investment, and to eliminate algorithms that perpetuate and deepen existing discrimination and biases.
CSW67 will conclude on Friday, March 17, and dozens of side events are also scheduled in the interim.
They include the UN Secretary-General’s annual dialogue with women’s and feminist civil society groups, a youth forum where particular focus will be given to grassroots and community voices, and a discussion on promoting women’s and girls’ equal social, economic and political rights in Afghanistan.
Joint efforts needed to overcome country’s economic, social crisis: Governor
HYDERABAD, Mar 06 (APP):Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said that joint efforts were needed to overcome the economic crisis that was created by the previous regime.
He said this while talking to media persons at Hyderabad Press Club, and later addressed a program at Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries, on Monday evening.
“We are passing through an economic and social crisis which needs to be resolved on an immediate basis”, the governor stressed.
Referring to Imran Khan, the governor said a “political party” leader had plunged the country into an economic and social mess as a result of which the poor people suffered a lot.
The Governor said due to the flawed policies of the previous regime, the middle class had disappeared from the country, “now only two social classes remained.”
On the queries raised over the digital census, the governor said that he had conveyed the concerns to the Census Commissioner who had assured that after consulting with Minister Ahsan Iqbal, he (commissioner) would respond within a week.
Kamran Tessori said he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad and the PM assured to visit Hyderabad during the current month (before Ramzan) to lay the foundation stone of the Hyderabad university.
Replying to a question about a ban on a TV channel, the Governor said he was against such a ban as in democratic government media must be free to work as per rules and regulations.
He also invited journalists of Hyderabad to visit the Governor House and said he believed in resolving issues of the journalists community.
Replying to a question, Tessori said the provincial government was taking steps to maintain law and order, curb street crimes and resolve traffic issues of the city.
He said Hyderabad is the second largest city of Sindh and problems of this mega city must be resolved on an immediate basis.
HPC President Lala Rehman Samo presented a traditional gift of Ajrak and Sindhi Topi to Governor Sindh. HPC Secretary Hameed Rehman, other office bearers and members of the club were also present on the occasion.
Later, addressing a function organized by HCCI, the governor said economic policies must be formulated with consultation of the business community so that desired results could be achieved.
He also assured the city’s business community that their issues would be resolved on priority basis. HCCI President Adeel Siddiqui and other office bearers warmly welcomed the governor on arrival at chamber office.
Kamran Tessori also participated in the Holi program at Shiv temple located inside the circuit house and performed a cake cutting ceremony. He greeted the Hindu community on their religious event, and visited different parts of the temple.
Shab-e-Barat to be observed tonight
ISLAMABAD, Mar 6 (APP):The Shab-e-Barat, a night of forgiveness or day of atonement, would be observed with religious reverence across the country, including twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Tuesday night.
On this particular night, the majority of faithful would seek forgiveness from the Allah Almighty and the people whose rights were usurped consciously or unconsciously.
They prefer to keep fast on the very next day to express submissiveness in the court of Allah Almighty and beg His countless blessings for both the worlds.
A large number of people hailing from all schools of thought would offer the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him by paying homage at the graves of their loved ones on Shab-e-Barat.
Shedding light on the significance of this sacred night, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi urged the people not to block the roads adjacent to the graveyards due to wrong parking which causes nuisance to rest of the motorists.
Ashrafi who is also special representative to the prime minister on interfaith harmony and middle east urged the people to visit the graveyards to pay homage to the departed souls of their kith and kin from time to time.
Visiting graveyards time and again gave the sense of life hereafter where one had to stay till doomsday as per Islamic concept, he added.
He proposed the faithful to recite the Holy Quran and Darood Sharif besides offering Nawafil to seek maximum blessings of the Allah Almighty on Shab-e-Barat.
Guptill’s heroics power Quetta Gladiators to win against Karachi Kings
RAWALPINDI, Mar 06 (APP):An astonishing ambush from Martin Guptill left Karachi Kings stunned and delivered Quetta Gladiators’ second win of the HBL Pakistan Super League 8.
Quetta Gladiators struggled for the most part in their chase of 165, losing wickets regularly, but Guptill’s onslaught at death helped them to a four-wicket win. With 57 needed off 24, Guptill smoked James Fuller for 24 runs, smashing him for two towering sixes and three fours, in what turned out to be a match defining over.
The New Zealander and Sarfaraz Ahmed stole 14 and 11 runs from the 18th and 19th over delivered by Musa Khan and Mohammad Amir.
Aamer Yamin needed to defend eight off the last over and Sarfaraz’s run out on the second ball promised to spice up things, but Dwaine Pretorius, playing his first HBL PSL 8 match, smashed a boundary, took two, and again hit a four to take Quetta Gladiators over the line. Guptill returned unbeaten on 86 off 56 balls.
Quetta Gladiators’ previous win this season was also against Karachi Kings and was also delivered over a heroic innings by Guptill as he hit the first century of season in that match. Out of his 252 runs this season, 203 have come against Karachi Kings and his best score against any other opposition is 15.
Quetta Gladiators seemed on course to another defeat as they were five down for 63 inside 10 overs, but a brilliant
partnership between Guptill, who clubbed nine fours and four sixes, and Sarfaraz (29 off 25) rescued them. The two added 95 runs, doing the repair work for the most of the time and building up a platform to go berserk in the last five overs.
They required 68 off 30 and the pair dropped the first hint of their intentions when Guptill launched Amir for a six in the 16th to rack up 11 from that over after they could muster only 17 runs in the last three overs.
Tabraiz Shamsi’s wrist spin did most of the damage in the first half of the run chase as the South African dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed and Najibullah Zadran in consecutive overs. The start to the run chase was also underwhelming as Omair Bin Yousuf fell in the second over to Aamer and Mohammad Nawaz was caught and bowled by Muhammad Musa in the fifth.
After Naseem Shah removed Matthew Wade on the first ball of the match, Adam Rossington did most of the work for Karachi Kings, making 69 in 45 balls with 10 fours and a six. The only reasonable support he got was from in-form Imad
Wasim, who returned unbeaten on 30 off 20 balls, as the middle-order failed to fire, thanks to Aimal Khan (two for 26) who removed Tayyab Tahir and Qasim Akram.
Aamer played a handy cameo in the end, smashing 23 off 11 (two sixes and a four) that lifted Karachi Kings to 164 at the loss of six wickets.
Both Aimal and Naseem finished with two wickets each.
Scores in brief:
Karachi Kings 164-6, 20 overs (Adam Rossington 69, Imad Wasim 30 not out, Aamer Yamin 23 not out; Aimal Khan 2-26, Naseem Shah 2-31)
Quetta Gladiators 168-6, 19.5 overs (Martin Guptill 86 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 29; Tabraiz Shamsi 2-20).
Player of the match – Martin Guptill (Quetta Gladiators)
Tuesday ’s fixtures at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi:
1400 – Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars
1900 – Islamabad United v Multan Sultans.
UN conference calls for more inclusive, fair digital transformation in world’s least developed countries
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 06 (APP):A United Nations conference under way in Doha, Qatar, has turned its attention to one of the world’s most problematic global challenges: closing the staggeringly wide digital divide between rich and poor nations, with fresh attention coming from a new UN report saying that two-thirds of the population of the least developed countries (LDCs) is still offline.
On Monday at the Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), a series of roundtable discussions saw global leaders confront two of the most fundamental hurdles facing LDCs: how to make better use of science, technology and innovation (STI), and how to promote structural transformations that can help overcome the real impediments faced by those on the margins of society.
STI plays a critical role in LDCs’ efforts to drive poverty eradication, transition to sustainable development and become globally competitive. However, these vulnerable countries are often unable to reap the full economic and social benefits of technological development due to structural constraints, as there are significant disparities between LDCs and other countries.
The reality for millions of people living in LDCs – and the impact of built in inequalities – is stark: The internet is of no benefit if you can’t get online; and it doesn’t matter if you can get online if you don’t know how to use a browser.
The key, according to many speakers today, is finding ways to not just connect those left behind but to sustainably address the divide and foster conditions for more inclusive digital access.
While broadband prices were lower in 2022 in most low-income economies, the cost of fixed or mobile broadband services still remains too high.
A new special report from the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that indeed, the digital divide between LDCs and the rest of the world shows no signs of narrowing. While the proportion of the population in LDCs using the internet had increased from four percent to 36 per cent since 2011, two-thirds of the population was still offline.
According to the research set out in ITU’s Facts and Figures on the Least Developed Countries, an estimated 407 million people in LDCs were using the Internet in 2022. The 720 million people still offline in LDCs represent 27 percent of the global offline population, even though the LDC population accounts for only 14 percent of world population.
The ITU study also found that the challenge of bringing communities online has become more complex over the past decade than simply building physical connections. And even among those who could access the internet, many did not because of barriers ranging from awareness to skills to cost.
A point of light amid such challenges is the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) – the blueprint for renewed commitment and engagement between the LDCs and their development partners, including the private sector, civil society, and governments at all levels. It urges those partners to provide additional and substantial support to LDCs “to ensure affordable and reliable access to broadband and mobile networks and Wi-Fi, including in the last mile”.
“The digital development of LDCs through science, technology and innovation is not just an opportunity, it is an imperative. A moral imperative,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin at one of the key roundtable discussions at LDC5 today.
“I believe it’s our responsibility to make connectivity meaningful and to make digital transformation sustainable,” he added.
Through the remainder of the Conference, which runs through 9 March, ITU will highlight the importance of digital cooperation in accelerating the and achieving DPoA and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly through public-private partnerships such as the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, which has so far mobilized more than 600 pledges worth nearly $30 billion.
“There are so many young people … over 50 per cent of the LDCs are under the age of 19. That is the world’s future workforce,” Justin Spelhaug, Vice-President & Global Head/Tech for Social Impact of Microsoft Philanthropies said.
“And it’s important that companies like Microsoft and other private sector companies really lean into the development of these countries with the UN in partnership with governments to make a difference.”
He highlighted the World Bank’s Digital Development Partnership programme, which aims to increase access to technology, digital public goods, broadband and digital capacity building services in the world’s least developed countries.
“The programme brings a couple of key things together and affordable business model to create greater access to technology. It brings digital public goods together under GitHub to provide governments with the services that they need, open source or other solutions,” he said.
The partnership will also allow the UN to further its goals of creating a more prosperous world. Mr. Spelhaug believes that with the help of this programme, the next LDC conference will see a significant reduction in the number of countries in the category.
A dedicated three-day Private Sector Forum that kicked off on Sunday at LDC5 aims to help improve access to finance, create jobs, transfer technology and promote long-term sustainability in LDCs.
On Monday, the Forum also focused on improving digital connectivity as a driver of progress in the LDCs, as well as improving agricultural and rural development.
“In the spirit of leaving no one behind, the Private Sector Forum represents an important opportunity to mobilize private sector support for the least developed countries to achieve their fullest potential,” Rabab Fatima, Secretary-General of the LDC5, said.
“By fostering collaboration and partnerships, we can leverage the resources, expertise, and enterprising spirit of the private sector to help the least developed countries overcome the development challenges they face and build a more prosperous future for their citizens,” said Fatima, who is also the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).
During the Forum, panel discussions and interactive sessions have focused on private sector partnerships in sustainable energy, agriculture, digital connectivity, climate change and sustainable tourism. Networking opportunities will allow participants to share best practices, exchange ideas and identify solutions to promote private sector engagement in LDCs.
New partnerships for LDCs will also be announced at the Forum by the international business community, government officials and UN representatives.
LDC5, being held under the theme, ‘From Potential to Prosperity’, is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in the places where international assistance is needed the most – and to tap the full potential of the 46 least developed countries.
The action in Doha continues on Tuesday, 7 March when the Conference will turn its focus to LDC participation in global trade, as well as matters related to youth development and education.
More than 850,000 Syrian, Turkish children displaced by deadly quakes
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 06 (APP):A month after the two catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkiye and Syria, more than 850,000 children remain displaced after being forced from their damaged or destroyed homes amid millions in dire need of aid, UN agencies said.
Families forced from their homes by the earthquakes had spent the past four weeks focused on survival, their lives on hold while aftershocks continue to rumble, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, said in a statement.
She said it was now critical to do all we could to help families begin to rebuild their lives, providing children with psychosocial support, getting them back into learning as soon as possible, and providing some stability amid the chaos.
At the same time, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported on Monday that the situation for the 356,000 pregnant women in earthquake-affected areas remained critical, especially the estimated 38,800 who were expected to deliver in the coming weeks.
Hundreds of hospitals and clinics were either damaged or destroyed, and thousands of women and girls were living in over-crowded, makeshift camps exposed to freezing temperatures, UNFPA said, adding that urgent funding was key to keeping thousands healthy during their pregnancy.
UNICEF said the impact of the earthquakes on the region’s children and families had been catastrophic, leaving hundreds of thousands living in desperate conditions.
The combined death toll from the earthquakes and aftershocks has reached more than 50,000 people in both countries, with thousands of others injured and massive destruction to buildings and other essential infrastructure.
The number of children killed and injured during the quakes and their aftermath had not yet been confirmed, but was likely to be in the many thousands, UNICEF said. Across Syria, more than 3.7 million children have been affected by the quakes.
Even before these catastrophic earthquakes, humanitarian needs among children of Syria were higher than they had ever been, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, said.
“As we approach 12 long years of conflict, millions of families are living on the brink of disaster, feeling as if the world had forgotten them. We must support these families for the long term, helping them pick up the pieces of their lives”, Adele said.
In Syria, more than 500,000 people are believed to have been forced from their homes by the earthquakes. Many families’ homes have been destroyed and many children are afraid to return to damaged homes as aftershocks continue.
Even before the earthquakes, Syria had the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with 6.8 million people displaced, including nearly three million children.
In Turkiye, over 1.9 million people are staying in temporary accommodation shelters, and 2.5 million children in the country require urgent humanitarian assistance.
Children had seen their whole world crumble before their eyes, but “we know how to help them rebuild”, Khan said. Providing children with the tools – psychosocial support, play and learning, and the stability brought by knowing that their basic needs were met were immeasurably important in ensuring their long-term well-being.
UNICEF has reached almost 500,000 people with lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies across Syria. More than 130,000 affected children under five have been supported with nutrition services.
Threats come thick and fast for families left vulnerable by the earthquake, Khodr said. A comprehensive, integrated response to support children and families was critical in preventing those threats from overwhelming an already catastrophic situation. UNICEF teams were there with children and families affected, but the needs were huge and continued support was vital.
In Turkiye, UNICEF has distributed winter clothes, heaters, and blankets to nearly 277,000 people, including more than 163,000 children. Working closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF is procuring life-saving vaccines and cold chain storage equipment.
With UNICEF support, Turkiye Ministry of Education had set up 87 tents, which were being used as temporary learning centers. Catch-up classes were running in two shifts, benefiting nearly 3,600 children every day, UNICEF reported.
The UN Children’s Fund is requesting $196 million to reach 3 million people, including 1.5 million children, in Turkiye and $172.7 million to deliver immediate life-saving support for 5.4 million quake-affected people, including 2.6 million children, in Syria.
The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to reach those in need, facilitating life-saving aid deliveries and expanding efforts to reach more quake-affected communities.
Amid cities laying in rubble and buckled roads, WFP staff said colleagues in both countries often worked seven days a week.
“Most of us are on autopilot right now”, said Omer Celik, a WFP programme assistant working with two dozen other staff from a hotel in the relatively unscathed, southern Turkish port city of Mersin.
But, his team is turning the stress into something positive, he said. “We are helping over 1.5 million people in northwestern Syria, and it is motivating us a lot.”
UN provided relief aid to 7 mln flood-hit people in Pakistan in past 6 months: Spokesman
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 06 (APP):The United Nations humanitarian team had reached more than seven million flood-it people in Pakistan with food and other essential services in the past six months, as part of the Government-led response to the devastating floods, a UN spokesman said Monday.
“We are also supporting authorities’ efforts to help communities recover, restore their livelihoods, and prepare for the next monsoon season in a few months,” UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the regular noon briefing in New York.
However, he said, only 30 percent of this year’s Floods Response Plan had been funded, and rates of child malnutrition remained of particular concern.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners had reached more than one million children and close to 850,000 mothers with lifesaving nutrition interventions that helped avert a significant number of deaths, the spokesman said. However, only one-third of the child nutrition response had been funded, leaving 12 million children suffering from stunting at risk.
For their part, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reached more than three million people with health services. And the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided food security and agriculture assistance to seven million people, although four million people are still at risk.