A seeming disturbing report says one billion people in the world who are estimated to be living with disabilities are facing serious challenges that hamper their participation in the world of work and place them at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion. According to the new report, five key objectives need to be met if people with disabilities are to benefit from the major trends shaping the new world of work. Across eight geographical regions, an average of 36 per cent of working age persons with disabilities are in employment compared to 60 per cent of the general population.As consumers,…
Author: Akanimo Sampson
Two years ago, 21-year-old Sithu from Myanmar contracted HIV despite being intimate only twice with his partner at the time. “If I had known about safe sex in my teens, my life would never have turned out this way”, he said Like millions of young people around the world, Sithu had never received any kind of comprehensive sexuality education, in school or elsewhere. When he received his diagnosis, his world came crashing down. He even considered taking his own life. But gradually, he found an inner strength and a new purpose. “What I have been through cannot be reversed, but I want to…
The image of a Yemeni woman who resisted bombs in her bleeding country is currently on display at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva Switzerland. Her resilience was captured by a documentary photographer, Thana Faroq. Bombs were dropping in Yemen, but that did not stop the dare-devil Yemeni woman from completing the task at hand: baking a massive cake. Being displaced by the ongoing conflict in Yemen, which began in 2015, did not mean a life of cowing in a corner for this woman entrepreneur. Life does not stop, neither does people’s craving for cake. “I never stop craving something sweet”,…
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) cannot escape from dependency if they continue to squander their foreign aid, a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said. The LDCs are the world’s most impoverished nations. They should proactively ensure external finance from all sources is directed to national development priorities. This approach is the best way to manage their aid dependency and eventually escape it, says UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2019. LDCs account for 15 of the 20 most aid-dependent countries in the world due to persistent shortfalls in their domestic savings, among other factors,…
The United Nations is currently supporting the government of Chad to improve its border management and resolve conflicts linked to transhumance since movements by herders have been a source of clashes between the agro-pastoral communities, particularly in Moyen Chari, a province in Southern Chad. Transhumance movements’ is a modern term for a very old tradition: the foraging of scarce pasturage by traditional herders. In the region between Southern Chad and the Central African Republic, such activities are considered in the modern age among the largest on the planet in the world, according to the International Crisis Group. Herders are moving cyclically along…
The number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela is expected to reach 6.5 million by the end of next year, according to the recently launched Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP). To be on top of this daunting challenge, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Citi Foundation have launched a project to enhance the livelihoods of Venezuelans and host communities in Colombia and Perú. The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. The exodus of Venezuelan nationals is one of the largest external displacement crises in the world today.…
In a seeming landmark ruling, its first on a domestic violence case in Russia, the European Court of Human Rights found that Russia lacks legislation to combat domestic violence, as well as the absence of protection orders. For Human Rights Watch, the ruling is an indication of a systemic failure to address this critical problem. The court’s July 9 ruling extensively cited the global rights group October 2018 report on domestic violence in Russia, exemplifying how the court considers the group’s work to be an authoritative source. But for Russian authorities, men in the country are more likely to suffer from discrimination in domestic violence…
In a span of 48 hours, no fewer than nine boats were discovered on the central Mediterranean route carrying more than 600 migrants. The tenth boat arrived in Lampedusa, Italy on Thursday. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an agency of the United Nations is alarmed by this seeming shocking development in Libya. This apparent spike in departures from Libya is coming at a time when Tripoli, the capital city, and surrounding areas are witnessing some of the heaviest shelling since the conflict erupted in April. IOM Libya Chief of Mission, Federico Soda, said “IOM is deeply concerned about the safety…
As countries celebrated the World Children’s Day on Thursday, a top functionary of a global rights group, Human Rights Watch, says there is still a lot to be done on the rights of children. The obviously worried rights activist said there are still 262 million children and youth who remain out of school, and 152 million who are exploited in child labor. ‘’Three of every four children experience physical punishment in the home. Every year, an estimated 12 million girls marry before age 18, and at least 1.5 million children are deprived of liberty in prisons, detention centers, and…
Ukraine has become the 100th country to back the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment to make schools safe even during times of war. It made its endorsement public during the World Children’s Day. Ukraine’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration means the country now supports all of the major international child rights instruments: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its three optional protocols, the Paris Principles combating the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, the Vancouver Principles on child protection in peacekeeping, and the two major treaties combating child labor. That is a pretty…
Fifteen-year-old Juliana (not real name) mother of a baby boy says if she had had the support of her family, ‘’I wouldn’t have ended up where I am now.” she said. She did not get much a childhood. Born into a poor family in a remote Moldovan village, she started working at an early age. “I worked at a poultry plant”, she recently recounted to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “I felt like I was 15 because of my responsibilities and hard work, although I was only 10.” She grew up without strong parental support. Her parents were…
As in many countries, in Bhutan, a landlocked country in South Asia located in the Eastern Himalayas, bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north, the Sikkim state of India and the Chumbi Valley of Tibet in the west, the Arunachal Pradesh state of India in the east, and the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal in the south, young people face a variety of barriers to information about their bodies and reproductive health. Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia and is the region’s second least populous nation after the Maldives. Thimphu is its capital and…
A new report, Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains , has provided the first ever estimates of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains. The report indicates that a significant share of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains occurs at their lower tiers, in activities such as raw material extraction and agriculture, making due diligence, visibility and traceability challenging. Amongst those in child labour, the percentage in global supply chains varies across regions: 26 per cent in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, 22 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean,…
As many as 100,000 children die every year in Nigeria, the largest oil and gas producer in Africa due to Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), or extremely low weight-for-height, which also affect one million other children under age five. Crude oil from the delta basin comes in two types: light, and comparatively heavy – the lighter around 36 gravity and the heavier, 20–25 gravity. Both types are paraffinic and low in sulfur Government revenues however, increased to N1.02 trillion in the third quarter of this 2019 from N944.58 billion in the second quarter. Government revenues averaged N843.92 billion from 2010 until 2019, reaching an all time high of…
Disaster management actors of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a remote region that experiences earthquakes, volcanic activity and tropical cyclones, have adopted the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) to better manage data when responding to natural disasters. A two-day DTM training, funded by USAID and held in Buka town, the interim provincial capital, attracted 26 participants from the AROB government, PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority, NGOs, the UN, churches and media. The workshop focused on field level data collection and how to generate information products that better inform planning and…
As part of an initiative that will end this November, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Ethiopia has distributed energy efficient cooking stoves for 5,447 households and 381 communal kitchens. The energy-efficient cooking-stove complements the United Nations agency’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Internally Displaces Persons and affected populations in the Gedeo-Guji crisis. Distribution took place in West Guji and East Wollega Zone in Oromia region, and Gadeo Zones in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region. Gedeo, West Guji and East Wollega Zones are among the most densely populated areas in Ethiopia, with the majority of IDPs and host communities in these rural locations heavily…
Since assisting migrants to return to their countries of origin sometimes requires creativity and the cooperation of member states of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Mali has stepped forward, offering its territory as a transit point for West and Central African migrants heading to eight countries of origin after being stranded in Algeria. Last week, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) assisted 108 stranded migrants to voluntary return from Algiers, Algeria’s capital, to their countries of origin. Thirty of those passengers had migrated from Mali, itself. The other 78—including 24 women—returned to eight different countries: Guinea, Nigeria Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Cameroon…
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is partnering with the government of Canada’s Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) to raise awareness amongst prospective migrants in Central America about the dangers of irregular migration, through the project Communicating Risks of Irregular Migration in Central America. As part of the project, IOM is engaging with communities with high emigration rates from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, to support the development of tailored mechanisms to better inform people of the risks of irregular migration and at the same time, build local capacities to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives. Regional Director for IOM North America, Central America and the Caribbean, Marcelo Pisani,…
Armenia can aim for billion-dollar export sales over the next 10 to 20 years in several activities that, if properly leveraged through effective investment promotion, could help concretise the economic revolution promised by the country’s authorities. This is among the key conclusions of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Investment Policy Review (IPR) of the country. The IPR of Armenia, launched November 12 at the eleventh session of UNCTAD’s Commission on Investment, Enterprise and Development, highlights the country’s potential across a range of industries, including the booming high-tech industry, tourism, textile and garments, wine, agri-business and pharmaceuticals. It…
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Working Time specialist, Jon Messenger, has said that working time is an issue that affects all. He was taking a look back at the history of the Convention and its impact 100 years ago. Friday, November 14 made it exactly 100 years the first International Labour Conference adopted the first International Labour Standard – on working time. As the ILO celebrated this landmark moment, Jon Messenger said, ‘’no matter where we work and what we do, working time is an issue that affects us all. Yet few people realise that the fact that we have limits on…
Along with the Haitian National Office of Migration (ONM in French), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Haiti, has monitored the repatriation of 340 Haitian migrants from The Bahamas. Of the repatriated migrants, 153 were interviewed by ONM upon their arrival at the Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitian airports. The persons repatriated indicated being mainly from the northern areas of Haiti (Nord-Ouest, Nord, and Nord-Est departments). These repatriations had been a common occurrence in the past but were temporarily halted at the beginning of 2019 because of the civil unrest and overall security situation in Haiti. After Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas on September 5, the…
The United Kingdom Acting Director and Deputy Director in-charge of Europe & Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, Benjamin Ward, says this coming December 12 general election in UK will determine the future of Brexit. The United Kingdom will be heading for its third general election since 2015 on December 12. It is coming at the end of years of political chaos in the country: Parliament suspended by the government only to be reopened after a ruling by the Supreme Court; a rebel alliance of parliamentarians from the ruling and opposition parties banding together to force the government to seek an…
As of November 9, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has carried out 1,095,072 health consultations for displaced and conflict affected Yemenis and migrants this year alone. With more than four years of conflict pushing the public sector to a breaking point, people in Yemen are struggling to access health care. As part of its emergency lifesaving services and support to the health sector, the United Nations agency is ensuring that the health sector continues to function. Only half of Yemen’s health facilities are currently operating, causing people to travel long distances in search of essential services and forcing many to go without. Prior…
Virtual Counselling, a project recently introduced in Germany is helping to address migrants’ concerns. This is because making the decision on whether to leave one’s country of origin is rarely one migrants take lightly. Deciding whether to go back home can be equally challenging. Migrants in Germany considering a return to their countries of origin can now contact the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) staff in several African and Asian countries to learn about return and reintegration options. Migrants can call and message IOM staff in nine countries of origin to speak in their native language about what reintegration is going to look…
Last October in Geneva, Switzerland, delegates during the 31st session of the Committee of Participants held that South-South trade offers promising opportunities for developing countries in the face of uncertainties arising from heightened trade tensions and the impasse in multilateral processes. Revitalising South-South trade cooperation under the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP) is therefore an urgent task, they insisted. The GSTP was established in 1989 as a framework for preferential tariff reductions. Within the framework of the GSTP, three “rounds” of negotiations for preferential tariff reductions have taken place to date, including the latest São Paulo Round which lasted from…
Human blood is still flowing in Nigeria as politically inspired and sectarian killing of citizens is yet to abate. While the death toll in the bloody Kogi State governorship election keeps rising, suspected herdsmen and bandits are busy leaving blood stain on their trail. In Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State, herdsmen allegedly aborted the lives of six hunters in a farming community. Local sources say the killer herdsmen arrived Aljannaru in a night, destroying farms, shooting at people, and getting the six hunters killed. The Adamawa State Command of the Nigeria Police which confirmed the killing of the…
The principal agencies of the United Nations on migration are gearing up for 2020 challenges. To this end, they are calling for the roll-out of the Network work plan, at regional and country levels, to ensure that 2020 sees the acceleration of collective efforts to demonstrate the benefits of international cooperation on migration. The Principals of the Executive Committee of the UN Network on Migration met at the weekend in New York to discuss United Nations system-wide assistance to member states in their implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). There was strong agreement on…
Despite doing everything possible to put on the appearance that nothing has changed, Menas Associates, a strategic and political risk consultancy, says the relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo appears to be continuing to deteriorate. Buhari however, said the sacking of Osinbajo’s aides was part of the ongoing reorganisation at the Presidency. He was speaking for the first time since they were sacked. ‘’It is aimed at enhancing service delivery to Nigerians’’, President Buhari said. Continuing, he said, ‘’it is unfortunate that the recent disengagement of some political appointees from the Presidency had been given ethnic…
The government of Chad is seeking to transform the country into an emerging economy by 2030 by increasing the role of the private sector in the economy. To this end, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Investment Policy Review (IPR) of the country says economic diversification holds the key to unlocking more investment and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Chad. “The recommendations of the IPR will be implemented at the highest level, especially through the recently established Presidential Council for the improvement of the investment climate and the Business Climate Observatory”, said the Minister…
A damning joint report by four international organisations has indicted a number of developing countries on the undignified working conditions of sanitation workers. The report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), World Bank, World Health Organisation and WaterAid, also highlights the unsafe working conditions of the workers. The report, issued to mark World Toilet Day on Tuesday, November 19, is the most extensive exploration to date of the plight of sanitation workers in the developing world. It is based on a study of sanitation workers in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Haiti, India, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Most sanitation…
