The Human Consciousness Now...Our World in the Midst of Becoming...to What? Observe, contemplate Now.
MADRID, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - Did you know that hundreds of millions of children around the world are currently suffering from physical, sexual, and psychological violence, including child labour, child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence, war, trafficking, bullying, and cyberbullying?
This is the grim reality of up to a billion children vulnerable to various forms of abuse, as depicted by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.
Commenting on a special report on this issue, the UN Special Representative, Najat Maalla M’Jid, revealed that violence against children has reached “unprecedented levels.”
Meanwhile, the UN specialised bodies, led by UN Children Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others, have revealed staggering findings on the occasion of the 2024 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
No safe place for children
These findings revealed by the United Nations highlight that “there is no safe place for children” anywhere in the world.
Indeed, climate carnage, wars, human trafficking, slavery, and cyberviolence, among many other forms of abuse against the innocent children, stand behind their grim life.
See some of the most relevant facts:
UNICEF and other UN bodies report that half of the world’s children are at “extremely high risk” due to climate impacts and related disasters, Over 1 billion children have had their lives disrupted by disasters since 2000, with over 80,000 schools damaged or destroyed, The number of children affected by destructive flooding worldwide has reached the highest levels in more than three decades, In the aftermath of a disaster, children face serious repercussions including disrupted education, nutrition and healthcare”Punished and Abused
Should all these facts be not frightening enough, please also know that 400 million children under five regularly endure psychological aggression and physical punishment at home;
And that 300 million children have been affected by online sexual exploitation and abuse over the past 12 months.
Young Girls: the Most Vulnerable
“Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty and pushback on hard won gains for human rights and gender equality,” reports the United Nations on the occasion of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child.
Did you know that:
Nearly 1 in 5 girls are still not completing lower-secondary and nearly 4 in 10 girls are not completing upper-secondary school today. Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work than boys of the same age. Adolescent girls continue to account for 3 in 4 new HIV infections among adolescents. Nearly 1 in 4 married/partnered adolescent girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 100 million girls were at risk of child marriage in the next decade.Rape: A Weapon of War
Add to all the above that more than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, warns UNICEF.
And that “children in fragile settings are especially vulnerable to sexual violence,” said Russell.
“We are witnessing horrific sexual violence in conflict zones, where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war.”
The Digital Threat
Among emerging challenges are the risks faced by children in the digital spaces, including the tactics used by armed groups to recruit and exploit children.
According to UN data, most childhood sexual violence occurs during adolescence, with a significant spike between ages 14 and 17.
“Studies show that children who experience sexual violence are more likely to suffer repeated abuse.”
Survivors often carry the trauma of sexual violence into adulthood, facing higher risks of sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, social isolation, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression, as well as challenges in forming healthy relationships.
Although more girls and women are affected, and their experiences are better documented, boys and men are also impacted, with an estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men.
Today’s children have been raised in a violent world, thus, they will most likely fall in the hellish trap of exercising violence in their adulthood.
These hundreds and hundreds of millions of children will be the backbone of the immediate future. Do you think that their tragic fate is on the agenda of political –and business- leaders?
SANTIAGO, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - Chile, a country rich in solar and wind energy and with huge photovoltaic power stations and wind turbines in its elongated territory, managed to change its grid by incorporating renewable energies, which account for an installed capacity equivalent to 43.8 % of its electricity production.
However, it is woefully lacking in distributed generation projects, also known as decentralised generation, which are small scale, mostly dedicated to self-consumption and involving organised communities. This is so even though these initiatives would introduce the population to the advantages of clean energy.
Distributed generation would allow such a shift, but is currently in its infancy in this South American country of 19.8 million people. It lacks adequate legal impetus, access to financing and suffers from a cultural deficit among a population that knows little about it.“We are used to a centralised system and although there has been fossil energy replacement by renewable energy, it is still a large-scale, centralised model with negative impacts": Cristian Mires.
Successful projects belong to mega-companies that have installed parks and wind turbines in the northern Atacama Desert and in southern Patagonia, between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, selling their generation to the National Electricity System (SEN).
This profitable business does not benefit Chilean consumers who are suffering a huge tariff increase that will reach up to 60% in 2025. It is a gradual increase that began to be charged in July and will culminate next January after five years of tariff freezes due to the covid pandemic.
Thus, the impact of distributed generation with its panels on the roofs of homes, schools and community or municipal buildings is small.
The leftist government of Gabriel Boric sought to promote this citizen energy and reach the goal of 500 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity by the end of his term, in March 2026.
However, 17 months away from reaching that goal, distributed generation is minimal and only 0.1% corresponds to joint generation, as distributed generation is also known, according to the state-run National Energy Commission.
The Ministry of Energy told IPS that as of November 2024, the total installed capacity of distributed generation projects for self-consumption reached only 290 MW.
“Statistics show an upward trend in this type of project. Several initiatives promoted by the Ministry of Energy seek to encourage the development of this segment, such as the Public Solar Roofs 2.0 programme, which is being implemented and aims to install photovoltaic projects in public institutions,” said the institution that directs the country’s energy policy.
In 2015-2019, this programme installed photovoltaic systems on 136 buildings in 13 regions of Chile for a total of 5.3 megawatt peak (MWp). A technical office was then created to support public institutions in their feasibility analyses of solar energy plans.
Chile has decided, as part of its international climate commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, that its non-conventional renewable energies will contribute 80% of electricity generation by 2030 and 100% by 2050, when it will reach net zero emissions.
Solar panels installed in the roof of the Industrial Secondary School of Valdivia, a city 850 kilometers south of Santiago. Credit: Courtesy of Sofía Alarcón
Barriers in Chile
Cristián Mires, lawyer and president of the NGO Energía Colectiva, says there are a number of barriers to developing jointly owned distributive energy.
“These projects are not cheap. Technical, legal and financial advice is required. A share is equivalent to at least US$530 per user. And if we want bigger savings, we are talking about up to US$2,100. And the majority of the population can’t afford that cost,” he told IPS.
There is no public or private funding for decentralised generation facilities, he claims.
This slows down the implementation of the 2014 Law on Distributed Generation for Self-consumption, which allows households, schools and businesses to self-supply their electricity use through their own generation and inject the surplus into the SEN. In practice, such generation has very restrictive rules for joint ownership.
“It needs to be modified, and as the Citizens‘ Energy Action Group we are participating in technical roundtables with the government and parliament to that end,” Mires said.
“We are used to a centralised system and although there has been fossil energy replacement by renewable energy, it is still a large-scale, centralised model with negative impacts,” he added.
In August, Energía Colectiva, based in Chile and present in other Latin American countries, launched the document Citizen energy in Chile, proposals for its promotion and implementation, where it claims there is potential to reach eight gigawatts (GW) of such citizen generation by 2040.
According to the document, Chile needs “a transition that conceives energy as a right, democratising its production and distribution. A transition focused on satisfying human needs, but which nevertheless understands the pressing need to reduce energy use. Such a transition can only be driven by citizens”.
Arrayán Wind Park, one of the 10 largest in Chile, located in the northern municipality of Ovalle. Credit: Ministry of Energy
Energy Communities, a key
So-called Energy Communities seek to encourage the participation of new groups in the production, management, use and marketing of energy.
They aim for a decentralised, local energy model with less environmental impact.
These communities seek to organise citizens to generate and manage their own energy, whether for social, economic and/or environmental purposes.
“These communities are considered a fundamental tool for carrying out just energy transitions, where people play a central role in the transformation towards more equitable systems of energy generation and use”, according to the specialised magazine Energía y Equidad.
Based on the use of renewable energy, the Communities offer access to affordable, clean and secure energy; enabling an active participation in response to the climate and ecological crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In short, these Communities aim to promote local energy autonomy, strengthen social cohesion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decontaminate the local environment.
The 2014 law and its regulation five years later set standards for joint generation and joint ownership.
The Nueva Zelanda school in the municipality of Independencia, in the northern part of the capital, and Coopeumo, a farmers’ cooperative in the O Higgins region, bordering the Santiago metropolitan region, are community projects developed by municipalities and with citizen participation.
Both are connected to a grid into which they inject the energy generated and then receive discounts on their electricity bills.
Jorge Nauto, principal of the Industrial Secondary School of Valdivia, a city 850 kilometres south of Santiago, praised the experience of installing photovoltaic panels on the roof of his school.
“It is a 70 kilowatt peak (kWp) system determined according to the available surface area and the building’s annual consumption. It allows generating power for the premises and the injection of surpluses into the conventional electricity grid through the use of the Distributed Generation Act,” he told IPS from his location.
“Thanks to this generation, we achieved a significant reduction in electricity bills,” Nauto said, before emphasising the value, also educational, of using clean, renewable energy.
New business model
Antu Energía is a company based in Coyhaique, in the southern region of Aysén, which implements a new business model with photovoltaic energy.
It allows remote discounts, which means that a person can own or participate in a photovoltaic plant that injects energy in one place and discount that value in another place from the same distribution company.
We are calling for small companies or individuals to participate in Virtual Solar Panels by acquiring a minimum unit equivalent to generating 500 watts,” Manuel Matta, founding partner of Antu Energía, told IPS from Coyhaique.
The model lowers the investment to US$737 per kilowatt (kW) installed and compares favourably with a similar individually driven project that costs US$2,632 per kW.
This electrical engineer has already sold 28 of 60 minimum units of participation in the 30 kW plant installed on the roofs of the San Felipe high school in Coyhaique’s Plaza de Armas.
Daniela Zamorano, project coordinator for Energía Colectiva, told IPS from Joao Pessoa, in the northern Brazilian state of Paraíba, where she lives, that Chile lacks the political will to promote jointly-owned distributed generation.
“We are seeing problems today with rising rates, and the solutions proposed by the government always come from the logic of subsidising consumption. This is a snowball that reaches gigantic public spending amounts. But they do not visualise options for a long-term solution such as distributed generation,” she said.
BAKU, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - Migration is growing as the planet gets even hotter. Climate change is fuelling a migration crisis and millions of people in vulnerable nations are continually being uprooted from their homes. The climate and migration nexus are undeniable and the global community has turned to the Baku climate talks for urgent and sustainable solutions.
Ugochi Daniels, the Deputy Director General for Operations at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) spoke to IPS about displacement of people due to the impact of climate change and its different dimensions, such as disaster displacement, labor mobility, as well as planned relocation. She also talked about the magnitude of this pressing problem, as nearly 26 million people were displaced due to the impact of climate change in the last year alone.
“This impact is destroying people’s livelihoods. The farms they used to farm are no longer viable and the land can no longer sustain their livestock. So, people then move, looking for job opportunities elsewhere. Then there is planned relocation, which IOM supports governments to do. When governments know certain communities can no longer adapt as the impact of climate is so great that they are going to have to move, rather than waiting for the climate impact to happen to move and probably not in as organized a way as possible, governments plan for it. That is what we refer to as planned relocation,” she explains.
Ugochi Daniels, the Deputy Director General for Operations at the International Organization for Migration at COP29. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS
Stressing that climate migration is on track to be an even bigger global crises, with World Bank estimates showing that “216 million people will be displaced due to the impact of climate by 2050 and that they will be displaced within their countries. Nearly a billion people are living in highly climate-vulnerable areas. Trends are showing that when people are displaced, it is often due to a mix of many factors. So, if a community is hit by an extreme weather event, and at the same time the necessary investments were not made, there is no way for the community to absorb the shock of the extreme weather event.”
Daniels notes that with progressive COPs, each year is also becoming the hottest in recorded history and there are more disasters such as heat waves, droughts, floods and hurricanes. Saying that these issues are increasingly becoming a lived reality for even more people. Further referencing the recent flooding in Spain, in addition to all the disasters unfolding in the developing countries. In turn, this is increasing awareness of the impact of climate change on people.
“Of the estimated 216 million people moving by 2050, nearly half of them are in Africa—86 million in sub-Saharan Africa and 19 million in North Africa. Africa is highly vulnerable amid all the other development issues that the continent is dealing with. And we know that, looking at Africa alone, water stress will affect 700 million people by 2030. The reality is that we are experiencing the impact of climate. We had unprecedented flooding in Nigeria this year and it is not just Nigeria—there is Chad and the Central African Republic and the Eastern Horn of Africa has faced similar events in recent times, and we have the El Niño and La Niña in Southern Africa,” she explains.
Daniels says they are encouraged and satisfied because human mobility is integrated into submissions for the Global Goal on Adaptation and that they are unified around this issue. There is also the Kampala Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, which has already been signed by over 40 countries in Africa and the regional groups in the Pacific Island States and the islands have all prioritized the issue as it is their lived reality.
“As IOM, our presence at COP is in supporting member states in raising visibility and awareness on the link between climate change and migration and displacement. Having said that, within the negotiations, and we are still waiting to see what comes out, we hope that this continues. We count on member states in making sure that the impact on vulnerable communities is recognized, that vulnerable communities are prioritized for climate financing, and that migration is factored in as a positive coping strategy for adaptation,” Daniels observes.
She emphasises that “when we talk about displacement, we also have to recognize that as things stand, migrants, through formal and informal means, remit a trillion dollars a year. And a lot of that is going to developing and middle-income countries. And when I met with the diaspora at COP last year, they said to me, ‘We are financing loss and damage now.’ We have seen that remittances have stayed resilient since COVID-19 and continue to go up. So here at COP, it is not just recognition of climate change and human mobility, which has been in the covered decision at least for the last three COPs. But it is also about integrating this into the different instruments and mechanisms, whether it is financing or in the indicators.”
Further speaking to the issue of the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund. Saying that whereas there are 64 funds globally specific on climate, the Loss and Damage Fund is the only one that has a window specific for vulnerable communities. As member states continue their negotiations, IOM is looking forward to solutions that, for instance, improve access to climate finance, ensuring that in the new financing path, the loss and damage fund supports vulnerable communities to adapt or migrate safely. Emphasising the need for regional cooperation to manage climate-related migration and how climate migration features in the national adaptation plans.
“Importantly, vulnerable communities. need to be part of the solutions. They need to be at the table where these decisions are being made. IOM is one of the—it is actually the only UN organization—that is one of the representative agencies supporting the Loss and Damage Fund and implementation of the fund. Our top priority is the engagement and participation of those most affected so that they have a voice at the table. Well-managed migration is a very effective adaptation strategy. Human civilization has been shaped by migration and this will continue. Climate and other factors will continue to trigger movement,” Daniels says.
“We have the tools. We know what the solutions are. There is the global compact on migration, which is how countries have agreed they will cooperate for better migration management and better migration governance. So, because we know migration has shaped our history and that it will shape our future, we have no excuse for not ensuring that it is safe, dignified, and regular. Whatever we do not do, the traffickers and smugglers will do.”
Stressing that in the process, there will be more people dying, “We will have increased vulnerabilities, and the business model and the industry of trafficking will just continue to grow. So, the urgency for climate action is here and now and there is really no excuse for why we are not collectively working on this. The evidence is there. The solutions are there. The agreements are there too. So, we are here at COP to do our best to ensure it happens.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
BAKU, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - At COP29, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, stands as a beacon of climate action and renewable energy ambition.
The Federation has set its sights on achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, leveraging its natural resources of trade winds, solar radiation, and geothermal potential. Despite a modest 40 MW power demand, it can generate over 1 GW, enabling it to support regional energy solutions.
Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy, and Utilities, outlined the nation’s strategy for transitioning to renewable energy.
“We have tremendous renewable energy capability,” he stated, emphasizing the need for partnerships given the country’s limited financial resources. For solar energy, Saint Kitts and Nevis have adopted power purchase agreements (PPAs) to attract private investment.
Geothermal energy, a riskier endeavor, is being supported by contingently recallable grants from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). “If the geothermal source is viable, the grant converts into a concessionary loan; if not, it remains a grant,” he explained.
However, the country’s climate challenges are stark. Rising sea levels, intensifying extreme weather, and a 20 percent reduction in rainfall over the last decade have taken a toll on its people and ecosystems. The government has invested in desalination plants to address water scarcity and maintained a low debt-to-GDP ratio for economic resilience.
Still, Maynard stressed the need for international support. “We need action now and easier access to assistance. Countries are disappearing while we continue to talk.”
Dr. Joyelle Trizia Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, echoed the urgency for action, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Saint Kitts and Nevis.
She emphasized the critical role of finance mechanisms such as the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and the loss and damage fund.
“We are hoping the NCQG establishes a minimum floor for financing, with a focus on concessionality and the inclusion of loss and damage mechanisms,” she said. Transparency, particularly in tracking and reporting carbon credits, is vital for ensuring the effectiveness of such frameworks.
Clarke also highlighted the challenges of balancing disaster recovery and economic development. “We can’t respond to the climate crisis through social protection strategies alone while also trying to develop our economies—it’s unsustainable.”
“Financing must be concessionary and grant-based. If it comes to debt, it should be sustainable, and debt servicing should be paused during climate crises, as outlined in the Bridgetown Agenda.”
The recurring devastation caused by hurricanes and other disasters has set back decades of development. In one example, Grenada accessed USD 44 million from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility after Hurricane Beryl.
However, Clarke called for more direct and accessible global financing. “We shouldn’t have to pay into these funds to access support. Global financing must directly reach local mechanisms, enabling us to extract funds quickly in times of need.”
Both ministers emphasized the importance of unity among SIDS to address shared vulnerabilities.
Clarke underscored the need for South-South cooperation. ‘We must explore technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and local solutions rather than solely relying on the elusive financing from developed countries.’
As COP29 progresses, Saint Kitts and Nevis continue to advocate for actionable outcomes.
“Declarations and alliances are just words. The real conversation is about the money—that’s what matters most,” Clarke stressed.
Maynard added a hopeful yet pragmatic perspective: “We’re not just waiting around. We’re doing everything we can to survive and thrive, but there has to be climate justice and collaboration.”
Saint Kitts and Nevis exemplifies how small nations can lead the charge in climate action. Through its renewable energy ambitions and calls for global partnerships, it demonstrates that size is no barrier to driving meaningful change in the fight against climate change.
IPS UN Bureau Report
NEW YORK, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - The future of childhood will be fundamentally shaped by the interventions taken in the present that can determine how children’s rights are protected amid compounding issues. As a new report from UNICEF shows, global trends that are already influencing children’s welfare and development will continue to shape them and be a further reflection of overall global development.
UNICEF’s flagship report provides projections on what childhood will look like in 2050 based on current trends in global issues. Released on World Children’s Day (November 20), The State of the World’s Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World details the possible opportunities and challenges children may face in the future through the influence of three global influences, or megatrends: demographic change, climate and environmental crises, and breakthrough technologies.
On May 2, 2024, pupils play outside the UNICEF-supported Zarin Abad CBE (‘Community-Based Education’ classes) in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan. Credit: UNICEF/Mark Naftalin
“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The projections in this report demonstrate that the decisions world leaders make today—or fail to make—define the world children will inherit. Creating a better future in 2050 requires more than just imagination; it requires action. Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat.”
In its foreword, Russell remarked that these issues are threats to the safety and wellbeing of children and that it goes against the commitments made in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was first adopted in 1990. She added that in many cases, governments have fallen short in honoring their commitments to protect children’s rights.
Children are having fun on a raft on a polluted river after winning their cricket match on the polluted Banani Lake in the Korail Slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 28 January 2024. Credit: UNICEF/Jannatul Mawa
When it comes to demographic changes, the report notes that the global child population will likely remain unchanged from the present day to 2050, sitting at approximately 2.3 billion. By 2050, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia may have the largest child populations globally. It is worth noting that these regions include some of the poorest countries in the world, along with countries that are more vulnerable to natural disasters and extreme weather events.
What this also means is that by the 2050s, the child population will drop across different regions when compared to the rates in the 2000s. In Africa, it will drop below 40 percent by the 2050s compared to below 50 percent in the 2000s; in East Asia and Western Europe, the child population will drop below 17 percent, where in the past they made up 29 percent and 20 percent, respectively. By the 2050s, ten countries will be home to half the global child population, which may include India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The projected plateau in the child population is an indication of an aging population, as the life expectancy has increased and child mortality rates continue to decrease. For some regions with an older population, such as developed countries, there will be a need to meet the demands of this population group. This should not come at the cost of prioritizing children’s needs and child-responsive spaces, the report notes. Children’s needs must remain a priority for decision-makers. Opportunities for intergenerational dialogue and cooperation should be encouraged.
Children learn using tablets during an e-learning session at the Alshargia safe learning space, Kassala, Sudan. Credit: UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih
The climate and environmental crises have a pervasive impact on children when it comes to their health, education, and safety. The report notes that in the 2050s, eight times as many children globally will be exposed to extreme heatwaves, three times as many will be exposed to extreme river floods, and nearly twice as many will be exposed to extreme wildfires, compared to the 2000s.
While this is tragically a universal experience for children, the impact of these hazards on individual children will differ based on certain factors, such as their age, their health, their socioeconomic setting and access to resources. As the report argues, a child with access to climate-resilient shelter, health care, and clean water will likely have a greater chance of surviving climate shocks compared to a child without access to the same resources. Therefore, targeted environmental action is needed to protect all children from climate shocks and to mitigate the risks they face, such as displacement, disrupted education and health issues.
The third megatrend identified in the report is what it calls frontier technologies. These include the digitalization of education and social life and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). It acknowledges that these technologies have advantages and disadvantages. As they are emerging technologies, governance over their use and application, especially as it applies to children, is paramount. The report notes that these technologies can be game-changers if the focus is on children that are hardest to reach.
Yet the digital divide still remains, as over 95 percent of people in high-income countries are connected to the internet, compared to nearly 26 percent in low-income countries in 2024. The report notes that a large percentage of youth in low- and middle-income countries have difficulty accessing digital skills. In Sub-Saharan Africa for example, 230 million jobs will require digital skills by 2030. The disparity in digital skills training will likely impact young people’s ability to effectively and responsibly use digital tools in education and future workplaces. Such barriers are linked to socio-economic settings, gender and accessibility across developing and developed countries.
Much of the projections discussed thus far are based on what the report describes as a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, in which global development trends remain in the current trajectory. The report also presents its projections through two other scenarios: one in which accelerated development globally may lead to greater economic growth in lower-income countries and fewer children living in poverty, predicting a more optimistic viewpoint of global development; and the other scenario, in which delayed development leads to fragmentary results and an increasing number of children living in risk of environmental threats or in poverty.
Within the context of the climate crisis, under the current trajectory of development, eight times as many children will be exposed to extreme heatwaves by 2050. However, in the scenario of accelerated development, that rate drops to four times as many children being at risk, and in the delayed development scenario, fourteen times more children may be at risk of extreme heatwaves.
Increased gains in access to education are likely to increase across every region, with up to 96 percent of children completing primary education by the 2050s, higher than the rate of 80 percent in the 2000s. If countries work towards accelerated development, the report suggests that all school-aged children could receive primary and secondary education in the 2050s. Closing the gender gap in primary and secondary education must remain a priority, particularly under present-day circumstances where 1 in 4 girls aged 15-19 are not in school, employment or training compared to 1 in 10 boys.
The report calls for adult decision-makers, namely parents and governments, to make decisions on children’s wellbeing and development that are rooted in the conditions outlined in the CRC. It concludes with the call for all stakeholders to take action in three key areas. First, to invest in education and other essential services for children that are inclusive of their needs and guarantee social protections for them and their caregivers. Second, to build and expand climate-resilient systems and infrastructures, with a focus on developing climate action plans that include child-responsive practices. And thirdly, the delivery of safe connectivity and use of frontier technologies for children, noting the importance of promoting digital literacy and skills and employing a rights-based approach to the regulation and use of new technologies.
Whatever steps are taken towards responding to the great existential issues of our time, UNICEF stresses that children’s inputs should be heeded. As the future generations that will live with the consequences of the decision-makers’ actions, their insight into their own needs should be consulted throughout the process. Russell states in the foreword of the report that the scenarios presented are not inevitabilities. Rather, they should encourage stakeholders to set a forward-thinking course towards a better life for children and adolescents. “With resolve and global cooperation, we can shape a future where every child is healthy, educated and protected. Our children deserve no less.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - Today, women in Africa generally have better access to education, healthcare, and opportunities than ever before. Yet, as they step into the world, a gap between them and their male counterparts persists, a reminder that gender equality remains out of reach.
The evidence is all around us. One in three women still experience physical or sexual violence. Nearly every woman spends twice as much time on unpaid household work as men. And not a single country offers women in Africa full legal protection.
For me, this reality stirs a mix of frustration and hope in recognizing how far we have come and how far we have still to go.
Nearly 30 years ago, 189 world leaders left the Fourth World Conference on Women with renewed hope, committing their countries to the Beijing Platform for Action, an ambitious roadmap for ending gender inequality. Yet today, as countries conduct their reviews, not a single country has achieved those commitments.
The 2023 Africa Gender Index report, produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, reveals that we are only halfway there on the road to gender equality. The journey remains long, and progress has been agonizingly slow.
The stakes could not be higher. Failing to end gender inequality incurs a heavy price: economic stagnation, weakened social systems, instability, and wasted human potential – all of which derail Africa’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Without urgent action now, we risk sleepwalking into a future marred by spiralling inequality, injustice and instability – an outcome none of us can afford.
As we reflect on the promises made in Beijing, all of us must hold ourselves accountable and take bold political and financial steps to change our current trajectories. To support this, our analysis points to five critical areas, where concentrated efforts over the next five years could pave the way to achieving gender equality by 2030.
First, despite more women working full-time, they still shoulder most caregiving responsibilities, suffer discrimination and deal with harmful stereotypes. Governments and businesses must dismantle barriers to women’s career progression. Experience teaches us that providing women with equal opportunities is not just the right thing to do but also the smart approach, with the potential to boost the GDP of emerging markets and developing economies by an average of 23 percent.
Second, as digitalization shapes the future of work, many women are being left behind. In 2023, only 32 percent of women in Africa had access to the internet. This divide translates into lost opportunities and costs African economies millions of dollars every year. We urgently need to make digital services affordable and promote digital literacy so that every woman has an equal opportunity to participate in the digital world.
Third, although maternal mortality rates have dropped, we cannot overlook the fact that healthcare is still out of reach for too many women. Governments must prioritize access to healthcare for every woman, regardless of where she lives or her income status. Focusing on women’s health not only saves lives but also makes economic sense. Every dollar invested in women’s health generates $3 in economic growth.
Fourth, while women in Africa now have near-equal access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education, this has yet to translate into leadership roles or economic power. Women’s parliamentary representation in Africa increased by only one percent from 25 percent in 2021 to 26 percent in 2024. Without their voices in leadership, we risk perpetuating the very inequalities we seek to eradicate.
Lastly, we must confront the harmful cultural norms, gender-based violence and legal barriers that restrict women’s access to resources and leadership positions. Tackling these deeply entrenched issues not just requires robust enforcement of laws and policies but also a societal shift, with responsibility shared by policymakers, board members, community elders, faith leaders and people like you and me.
None of these issues are new. And while some may seem intractable, they are not insurmountable. Africa has demonstrated incredible successes, from Tunisia’s increase in women science graduates to Rwanda’s significant reduction in cervical cancer cases and Namibia’s gender-equal parliament.
These instances remind us that change is possible when we invest in what we know works. In all of this, data plays an inextricable role in targeting and tracking interventions based on evidence rather than opinion. However, when it comes to women and girls, the data we need is too often missing, leaving too many of their challenges invisible and unaddressed. If we are serious about real progress, we must invest in gathering a fuller picture by bolstering our data capabilities.
In a world where pressing challenges dominate our attention, gender equality is often pushed to a backseat. We can no longer afford complacency or business as usual. If we stay on the current course, gender equality remains 300 years away. This is unacceptable.
We call on leaders across all sectors to recommit to the goals of Beijing and invest in real change to address the gender inequality that we know exists. Only then can we bring equality from a distant hope to a reality within our lifetimes. I am confident that this is possible, but only if we all act now.
Claver Gatete is Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
IPS UN Bureau
BAKU, Nov 20 2024 (IPS) - The cab driver, identified as Akad, growled, “Cash, cash,” as we boarded our booked app-based taxi. I show him my phone, where the app clearly points to the payment confirmation. “No, no! Cash, cash!”
I confirm the destination, ignore the slightly bullying tactics and we move forward. He is one of many taxi drivers we have encountered in Baku and our experiences have been many and varied.
Cat-loving taxi driver in Baku. Credit: Cecilia Russell/IPS
Fun, aggressive, cat-loving, noisy, chatty, fast, slow—despite the obvious communication issues—often resolved with a quick translation via Google Translate—most have given us great service.
Even Akad made us laugh. He got lost, and I thought he was about to take us on a roundabout. He soon corrected himself (well, with a bit of help as I redirected using my own maps app) and then, in a flurry of flirtatiousness, sprayed himself liberally with so much perfume that my colleague had to open the window for fresh air.
Akad kindly spoke to our hosts by phone for the absolutely correct information of where to leave us and waved us off.
Outside the Ganjlik Mall, drivers looking for fares open their car’s trunks to advertise their availability. My Kenyan colleague is a master of negotiation. “Fifteen manat,” the driver tells her.
“Ha, why will I pay you 15 when I paid 10 yesterday?” she replies.
His English isn’t great, but the message is clear. He agrees, and as we board, he has to encourage a kitten that made a home in his driver’s seat out of the car.
The driver confirms in broken English he feeds her, and she looks for him when he returns to find his next fare. A relationship made in heaven, methinks.
IPS team at COP29, from left: Umar Manzoor Shah, Cecilia Russell, Joyce Chimbi, Farhana Haque Rahman and Aishwarya Bajpai.
At times drivers seem to not be able to reach the “pin” set. When it happens, I scout around for an authority figure to assist. When a police officer advised we cancel and use his (overpriced) mate, I realized Baku is not far from home in South Africa after all.
If I could, I would tell them that while we may be COP29 delegates and foreigners, that doesn’t make us naïve.
Baku likes heat; it may be winter, but almost every venue, hotel room and taxi is uncomfortably hot—including the London-style cab that took us from Baku’s famous Nizami Street to Sea Breeze—our residence in the sticks, or as my colleague calls it, “the boondocks.”
We asked him to turn down the heat and he opened the windows. It may have been low-tech, but a workable solution for his overheated passengers.
Baksheesh (a tip) is a big thing here, and the same London-style cab driver asked for a little extra for his negotiated fare. My colleague handed him a few manats.
When a tenner is added, he kisses her firmly and joyfully on the cheek.
IPS UN Bureau Report