UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter: November 2024

New UN websites & publications

TOPIC OF THE MONTH: Women, Peace & Security

Common Pledge to Increase Women’s Full, Equal, and Meaningful Participation in Peace Processes
https://peacemaker.un.org/thematic-areas/gender-women-peace-security/common-pledge
During the annual Security Council Open Debate on women, peace and security held on 24 October 2024, the Secretary-General’s “Common Pledge for Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Engagement in Peace Processes” was officially launched. In line with the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, the United Nations in its mediation and peacemaking efforts, has sought to fast-track women’s direct participation in formal peace talks as part of promoting women’s participation at all levels.
see also: New UN push to ensure women’s equal participation peace (UN News, 24 October 2024): https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156101

Concept note for the annual Security Council open debate on women and peace and security, on the topic “Women building peace in a changing environment”
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2024/709
Under the presidency of Switzerland, the Security Council held the annual Security Council open debate on women and peace and security, with the topic “Women working for peace in a changing world” on 24 October. This concept note was prepared to guide the discussions.

Women and peace and security: Report of the Secretary-General (S/2024/671, 24 September 2024)
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2024/671
The effects of war and conflict on women and girls are worsening. In 2023, the proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled compared to 2022. Four out of every ten people who died as a result of conflict in 2023 were women. UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 per cent. These increases in deaths during war and in violence against women are taking place against a backdrop of increasing blatant disregard of international law designed to protect women and children during war. For example, women in war zones are also increasingly suffering from restricted access to healthcare. Every day, 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. By the end of 2023, 180 women were giving birth every day in war-torn Gaza—most without necessities or medical care. This is the dire picture painted by the latest annual report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Women, Peace, and Security, led by UN Women.
The report comes 24 years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325, which called for all parties to conflicts to ensure the safety of women and girls, and for women’s full involvement in peace processes.

see also:

High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): https://www.un.org/pga/79/antimicrobial/
World leaders commit to decisive action on antimicrobial resistance: FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH welcome agreement at UN General Assembly meeting, including target to reduce human deaths from AMR by 10% by 2030 (26 September 2024): https://www.who.int/news/item/26-09-2024-world-leaders-commit-to-decisive-action-on-antimicrobial-resistance

Economic Growth and Sustainable Development

AI for Good Impact Report (ITU)
https://aiforgood.itu.int/newsroom/publications-and-reports/
This AI for Good Impact Report examines the key role of AI in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Analysis of each SDG includes current progress towards the targets and practical examples of the real-world impact of AI solutions. It provides an overview of AI trends, governance, and opportunities to support informed decision-making across sectors. Additionally, the report offers recommendations for policymakers, government officials, policymakers, NGOs, international development organizations (IDOs), and industry leaders to guide the adoption and scaling of safe, responsible and ethical AI initiatives.

Bridging Generations: Pathways to a youth-inclusive climate, peace and security agenda (UNDP)
https://www.undp.org/publications/bridging-generations-pathways-youth-inclusive-climate-peace-and-security-agenda
Over 698 million young people, ages 15-35, live in fragile and conflict-affected settings. These settings are highly affected by climate change. Young people find themselves in unique positions – they are the most vulnerable to climate, conflict and insecurity, yet they also hold the key as critical actors who can drive change. This policy paper explores early findings from how UNDP’s Climate, Peace, and Security (CPS) policy and programming engages youth, fosters inclusion, and promotes youth empowerment. The paper examines potential gaps, challenges, and opportunities, offering early recommendations for improving the integration of youth-sensitive, responsive, and inclusive approaches to CPS.

G7 toolkit for artificial intelligence in the public sector; report prepared for the 2024 Italian G7 presidency and the G7 digital and tech working group (OECE / UNESCO)
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391566
This toolkit is a comprehensive guide designed to help policymakers and public sector leaders translate principles for safe, secure, and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) into actionable policies. AI can help improve the efficiency of internal operations, the effectiveness of policymaking, the responsiveness of public services, and overall transparency and accountability. Recognising both the opportunities and risks posed by AI, this toolkit provides practical insights, shares good practices for the use of AI in and by the public sector, integrates ethical considerations, and provides an overview of G7 trends. It further showcases public sector AI use cases, detailing their benefits, as well as the implementation challenges faced by G7 members, together with the emerging policy responses to guide and coordinate the development, deployment, and use of AI in the public sector. The toolkit finally highlights key stages and factors characterising the journey of public sector AI solutions.

Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024: Poverty and Conflict (UNDP / OPHI)
https://hdr.undp.org/content/2024-global-multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
A staggering 455 million of the world’s poor live in countries exposed to violent conflict, hindering and even reversing hard-won progress to reduce poverty, according to the latest update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released on 17 July 2024. Jointly published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) based at the University of Oxford, this year’s report features original statistical research on multidimensional poverty for 112 countries and 6.3 billion people, as well as fine-grained analysis of the relationship between conflict and poverty. It includes new survey data for 20 countries. The 2024 edition of the MPI report found that 1.1 billion people live in acute poverty worldwide, with 40 percent living in countries experiencing war, fragility and/or low peacefulness according to at least one of the three widely used datasets of conflict settings.

Global study on recruitment fees and related costs: Second edition (ILO)
https://www.ilo.org/publications/global-study-recruitment-fees-and-related-costs-second-edition
The second edition of the Global Study is a review of 110 countries across all five regions to document current regulatory approaches and experience on the recruitment fees and related costs. It assesses progress, challenges, and regulatory gaps and offers insights to better understand the global recruitment landscape, the realities that workers, recruiters, and employers face, and the impact of the ILO Definition of recruitment fees and related costs on recruitment practices.

Good Practices and Lessons Learned in Data-sharing in Transboundary Basins (UNECE)
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/395493
Most of the world’s freshwater sources are shared between two or more countries. These transboundary waters face significant pressures due to population growth, increasing water demand and the impacts of the triple-planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. The sharing of data and information across different levels as well as political, sectoral, environmental and institutional boundaries is essential to ensure the sustainable, integrated and peaceful management of transboundary waters. Data- and information-sharing forms a common basis for transboundary cooperation, enables informed decision-making and helps maximize the benefits of cooperation over shared waters, leading to increased water security and trust between riparian countries. The publication is intended for all actors working on monitoring programmes and data- and information-sharing in transboundary basins at both national and transboundary levels. It supports the implementation of the Water Convention and improved transboundary water cooperation worldwide.

Inequality in the eyes of Arab people (ESCWA)
https://www.unescwa.org/publications/inequality-eyes-arab-people
Inequality is multifaceted. The most well-known source of inequality is income inequality. But inequality can manifest itself in various other dimensions, many of which intersect and reinforce each other. Economic inequality, gender inequality, youth inequality, and inequalities in access to health, education, social protection, food, finance and technology all threaten to exclude vulnerable populations from wider socioeconomic development. People’s perceptions of their standard of living provide valuable insights into these inequalities, highlighting societal issues that income statistics alone cannot capture. This policy brief uses Gallup World Poll Survey data on people’s perceptions of their current and future quality of life to better understand inequality in the Arab region.

The Least Developed Countries Report 2024: Leveraging carbon markets for development (UNCTAD)
Report in English, Overview in English, French, Spanish:
https://unctad.org/publication/least-developed-countries-report-2024
The Least Developed Countries Report 2024, launched by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 4 November, highlights that least developed countries (LDCs) can use carbon market projects to support their development, if managed well. This would also enable these countries to contribute to global net-zero goals and climate action.

Lessons learned from city region food systems under multiple shocks and stresses: A synthesis report (FAO / CIRAD / RUAF)
https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1971en
Multiple shocks and stresses, such as climate change, pandemics and conflicts, have disrupted global agrifood systems, affecting food security, nutrition, and livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, emphasized the urgent need for local governments to strengthen food system resilience to withstand health, climate, and economic challenges. In this context, the FAO conducted a global study to assess how food system actors have perceived recent shocks and stresses on their food systems; to identify collective actions and public policies in response, including the role of local governments and food system actors; and to offer insights into enhancing food system resilience in city regions across the world. This synthesis report presents an overview of the key results, conclusions and the way forward. It explored eleven cities in detail: Tunis (Tunisia), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Tamale (Ghana), Kigali (Rwanda), Lusaka (Zambia), Medellin (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Chengdu (China), Melbourne (Australia), and Rome (Italy).

Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance early action towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (UNDP)
https://www.undp.org/publications/leveraging-artificial-intelligence-enhance-early-action-towards-kunming-montreal-global-biodiversity-framework
The urgency to mitigate humanity’s impact on global biodiversity necessitates innovative strategies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds transformative potential for navigating the complex policy landscapes of biodiversity conservation and accelerating action. When applied through a human-centered approach that minimizes risk, AI can democratize access to cutting-edge analytics, empowering a broader range of stakeholders. UNDP has now supported more than 50 countries to use AI to uncover patterns in the alignment of national policies with global biodiversity aims. This publication releases the methodology behind the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) Target Similarity Assessments and identifies key lessons learned and opportunities for future applications.

Mapping of Good Practice in the Implementation of Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus Approaches – Synthesis Report (September 2024) (IASC)
https://tinyurl.com/3bbw27sv
This synthesis report serves as an update to the 2021 Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) Mapping of Good Practice in the Implementation of the Humanitarian Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus approaches. It serves to assess progress on implementation of HDP nexus approaches, summarize any outcomes achieved, and identify the remaining barriers to implementation, useful enablers to accelerate progress, and examples of effective programming that could be brought to scale. Based on this assessment, it suggests recommendations for further collective action.

Nature for Development (UNDP)
https://www.undp.org/publications/nature-development
Nature underpins our lives, societies, and economies and is fundamental to achieving our 2030 Agenda. Addressing the nature crisis is essential to eradicating and preventing poverty, reducing inequalities, and protecting human rights. Moreover, nature is a positive source of solutions and hope: a nature-positive transition is central to tackling planetary crises such as climate change. This publication offers entry points to operationalize the opportunity to advance the SDGs through nature. It will help decision-makers and practitioners recognize programming options and make the case for investing in nature to achieve development outcomes. It comprises key facts, figures and talking points about nature through five different practice lenses: a. Nature for Food Security; b. Nature for Water Security; c. Nature for Climate Action; d. Nature for Gender Equality; e. Nature for Peace. This is a ‘living’ resource and call to action that will expand to cover more practices. You can download the entire publication or individual action kits.

Pathways out of the Polycrisis: Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024 (World Bank)
https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-prosperity-and-planet
At today’s feeble pace, it could take more than a century to eliminate poverty as it is defined for nearly half the world – people who live on less than $6.85 per day, according to this new World Bank Report. The report offers the first post-pandemic assessment of global progress toward eradicating poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet.

Protected Planet Report 2024
https://digitalreport.protectedplanet.net/
The international community has made some headway on pledges to protect 30% of the Earth by 2030 but progress must accelerate, the official progress report from the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has found. The Protected Planet Report 2024 reveals that 17.6% of land and inland waters and 8.4% of the ocean and coastal areas globally are within documented protected and conserved areas.

UN DESA Policy Brief No. 166: Global action is needed to advance social development amidst converging crises
https://desapublications.un.org/policy-briefs/un-desa-policy-brief-no-166-global-action-needed-advance-social-development-amidst
In an interconnected world, more frequent, severe and far-reaching shocks and crises are derailing key social development objectives such as poverty eradication, full employment and inequality reduction through a range of channels. Global action is needed to advance social development and build resilient and inclusive societies for all.

UN DESA Policy Brief No. 165: What assets and innovations can governments mobilize to transform the public sector and achieve the SDGs?
https://desapublications.un.org/policy-briefs/un-desa-policy-brief-no-165-what-assets-and-innovations-can-governments-mobilize
Through investment in transformative public-sector change programmes, government agencies and organizations and personnel can unlock their capabilities to go beyond merely responding to disruptions. Fostering transformation and adaptive mindsets will be key to enabling them to anticipate and effectively address the pressing challenges within their societies, even in complex and dynamic environments.

WHO Global standard for safe listening venues & events
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240043114
WHO estimates that over one billion young people globally are at risk of hearing loss due to avoidable recreational sound exposure. It’s also now known that 40 percent of people aged between 12 and 35 in high- and middle-income countries are exposed to damaging sound levels in entertainment venues, and so in response to this public health issue, WHO developed the Global standard to reduce the risk of hearing loss in people visiting entertainment venues and events. Designed as a set of evidence-based recommendations, the standard comprises six features an event or venue needs to implement to reach compliance. These features are designed to cover key areas of sound engineering, audio system design, venue design and training, and together aim to reduce the risk of hearing damage for audiences without compromising the entertainment experience.

Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience (FAO / UNCCD)
https://www.unccd.int/resources/publications/women-led-solutions-drought-resilience
Women and girls are not only experiencing greater hardships but are also demonstrating remarkable leadership in the face of drought, finds the new report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Launched on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, 15 October 2024, the report calls for better recognizing and supporting women-led efforts to protect vulnerable communities from the devastating effects of drought. It also underscores that women’s land rights are crucial for achieving food security.

World Social Report 2024: Social Development in Times of Converging Crises; A Call for Global Action
https://www.bit.ly/UNDESA_WSR2024
Multiple converging crises, including climate change, growing conflicts and rising health pandemics are undermining efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities around the world. They are hitting the most vulnerable people and societies the hardest. The already disappointing progress on social development is at risk of being held back further by the fiscal burden of responding to crises. Confluent crises – the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and escalating climate change impacts – serves as a critical wake-up call for global action. The World Social Report 2024 calls for global cooperation to promote a human rights-based approach to social protection, ensuring continuity during times of crisis and well-regulated insurance markets with expanded coverage tailored to meet the diverse needs of vulnerable populations. Placing people at the center of development, it underlines the importance of accelerating climate change mitigation, ensuring global financial stability, and preventing pandemics and spillovers of violent conflicts.

World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2024: Harnessing Social Protection for Gender Equality, Resilience and Transformation (UN Women)
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/world-survey-on-the-role-of-women-in-development
UN Women’s latest flagship report reveals a widening gender gap in social protection – the raft of policies including cash benefits, unemployment protection, pensions and healthcare – leaving women and girls more vulnerable to poverty. Published ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October, the report shows that a staggering two billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection. While levels of social protection have increased since 2015, gender gaps in such coverage have widened in most developing regions, suggesting that the recent gains have benefited men more than women.

A Year of War in Gaza: Impacts on Employment and Livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Bulletin No. 5
https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/year-war-unemployment-surges-nearly-80-cent-and-gdp-contracts-almost-85
A year of war in Gaza has caused unprecedented and wide-ranging devastation of the labour market and wider economy across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The unemployment rate in Gaza and the West Bank, the two areas comprising the OPT, surged to an average of 51.1 per cent over the past 12 months, according to “A Year of War in Gaza: Impacts on Employment and Livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza Strip”, the fifth and latest in a series of bulletins from the ILO and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

International Peace and Security

Beyond Vulnerability: A Guidance Note on Youth, Climate, Peace and Security (UNDP)
https://www.undp.org/publications/beyond-vulnerability-guidance-note-youth-climate-peace-and-security
This Guidance Note, developed by the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), with input from a Sounding Board of experts, is the first of its kind to bridge the Climate, Peace, and Security (CPS) and Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agendas. It highlights youth-led efforts to address climate-related security risks and provides practical guidance for advancing a unified agenda on youth, climate, peace, and security, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and supporting youth’s transformative role.

Concept Note for the High-level briefing on the maintenance of international peace and security, on the topic “Anticipating the impact of scientific developments on international peace and security”
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2024/708
During the presidency of Switzerland, the Security Council held a high-level briefing on the topic “Anticipating the impact of scientific developments on international peace and security” under the agenda item entitled “Maintenance of international peace and security” on 21 October. This concept note was prepared to guide the discussions on the topic of the briefing.

Enhancing Mine Action Finance in Ukraine
https://www.undp.org/ukraine/publications/enhancing-mine-action-finance-ukraine
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the nation has become one of the world’s most heavily mined places with an estimated 25 per cent of the country contaminated with mines – an area four times the size of Switzerland. The report explores novel financing solutions aimed at advancing Ukraine’s national mine action strategy to solve the massive demining challenge faced by the nation. Commissioned by UNDP at the request of Ukraine’s economic ministry, it scopes specific models that could reasonably be taken forward for potential application.

Geoguard: a new tool for climate, peace and security
https://app.geoguard.org/
This innovative platform by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) leverages open-source satellite data to help policymakers and researchers address climate, peace, and security challenges. Geoguard translates raw satellite data into user-friendly insights, enabling users to monitor critical environmental trends such as rainfall, temperature changes, and soil moisture levels. The platform covers several regions, including the Middle East, West Africa, and Central Africa, providing decades of climate data to support informed decision-making in these vulnerable areas.
While Geoguard is primarily designed for UN staff, it is also accessible to external partners and researchers working on climate and security issues.

The Handbook on Early Warning Systems and Early Action in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) Contexts (UNDRR)
https://www.undrr.org/publication/early-warning-systems-and-early-action-fragile-conflict-affected-and-violent-contexts
This handbook aims at bolstering climate action in the world’s most vulnerable regions. Addressing the alarming intersection of fragility, conflict and violence with growing disaster (including climate) risks, the Handbook is a product of the Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience (CoE) together with its partners. Scaling up Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) in FCV contexts is a critical matter for saving lives and livelihoods, as well as a vital component of climate adaptation and resilience-building strategies.

Development of Africa

Towards Africa’s prosperity (UNECA)
https://www.uneca.org/towards-africa%27s-prosperity
The report assessed four major themes: Africa’s economic and social conditions, a comprehensive definition of prosperity, scenario casting through a macroeconomic model on options for achieving prosperity in Africa by 2030, accelerators of Africa’s development, and the role of governance institutions in economic transformation. The report identifies the critical ‘game changers’ that could accelerate Africa’s development process in achieving the key goals of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030. Some of these include the urgent and imperative need for an agricultural revolution that would harness the continent’s green resources to feed itself and become a net exporter of agricultural products and processed agricultural goods.

Human Rights

Civic Space & Tech Brief – Hacking and Spyware (OHCHR)
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/civic-space-tech-brief-hacking-and-spyware

Detailed findings of the independent international fact-finding mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (A/HRC/57/CRP.5, 14 October 2024, Advance unedited version)
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session57/advance-versions/a-hrc-57-crp-5-en.pdf
The UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela released this new report on 15 October 2024 documenting in stark detail a deeply worrying rise in human rights violations and crimes against victims who have been targeted in the country’s unprecedented crackdown. The investigation, which expands on the Fact-Finding Mission’s 20 September report to the Human Rights Council, documents multiple and increasing violations and crimes committed by the Venezuelan government, security forces and pro-government armed civilian groups before, during and after the nation’s disputed July presidential vote.

Ending violence against women and girls: Knowledge products, guidance and tools, 2022–2024 (UN Women)
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/10/un-women-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-knowledge-products-guidance-and-tools-2022-2024
These selected resources on ending violence against women (EVAW), produced between 2022 and 2024 across various regions and offices, cover critical areas of UN Women’s EVAW work, such as research and data collection, prevention, response, crisis, and partnerships. Each publication addresses key gaps and provides actionable guidance, data, and tools to support stakeholders working towards the eradication of violence against women and girls.

Increased Protection of Human Rights in The Occupied Palestinian Territory
https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/appeals/increased-protection-human-rights-occupied-palestinian-territory
UN Human Rights Occupied Palestinian Territory 2025 Funding Appeal

Journalists at the frontlines of crises and emergencies: highlights of the UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity published on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists 2024
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391763
On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, UNESCO calls on all states to act on their commitments to end impunity for killing journalists. UNESCO’s new report notes the persistence of a very high rate of impunity for the killings of journalists: 85% of all killings recorded by the Organization since 2006 are considered unresolved. While UNESCO notes an improving trend – the rate was 89% six years ago and 95% twelve years ago – States must significantly increase their efforts to deter new crimes against journalists.

Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (A/79/232, 11 September 2024)
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/A/79/232
Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a broader assault on Gaza, committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report on 10 October 2024. The Commission also investigated the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israel and of Israeli and foreign hostages in Gaza since 7 October 2023, and concluded that Israel and Palestinian armed groups are responsible for torture and sexual and gender-based violence.

Reporting under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment: Training Guide; Part I – Manual (OHCHR)
https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/training-and-education-publications/reporting-under-convention-against-torture-and
This manual seeks to assist States parties in fulfilling their reporting obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It aims to facilitate an understanding of the rights enshrined in the Convention and the corresponding obligations of States parties in respecting, protecting and fulfilling those rights. The manual also provides guidance in implementing the recommendations and decisions of the Committee against Torture, and the provisions of the Convention against Torture at the national level.

Situation of Afghan women – Summary of Countrywide Consultations with Afghan Women (July 2024) (IOM / UN Women / UNAMA)
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/10/summary-of-countrywide-consultations-with-afghan-women
This report captures the voices and concerns of women across Afghanistan as they navigate an increasingly restrictive environment for women’s rights. Since its military takeover in August 2021, the Taliban (the de facto authorities (DFA)) has implemented a series of decrees, directives and practices aimed at systematically removing women from Afghan public life and decision-making positions – across almost all sectors. This stream of edicts has also included a ban on girls and young women pursuing secondary and university-level education in Afghanistan.

Situation of human rights in the Russian Federation (A/79/508, 10 October 2024)
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/A/79/508
In her first thematic report to the General Assembly, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, revealed the State’s complicity and encouragement of widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment. “Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, torture has become a State-sanctioned tool of systematic oppression, used to control and to stifle dissent, and attack the foundations of human rights and civic space in Russia,” the UN expert said. Key findings highlighted the lack of a distinct criminal offense of torture in Russian law, with acts of torture prosecuted as lesser offences, thus failing to provide adequate penalties commensurate with the crime of torture and redress for victims.

Toolkit: Ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW)
English, Spanish & Portuguese: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/toolkit-ratifying-international-convention-protection-rights-all
This toolkit presents the benefits of ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW), answers questions about its content and application, provides a simplified version of the Convention’s provisions, and practical information on ratification and accession of treaties.

Treatment of prisoners of war and update on the human rights situation in Ukraine, 1 June 2024 – 31 August 2024 (OHCHR)
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/40th-periodic-report-human-rights-situation-ukraine-treatment-prisoners
This fortieth periodic report by OHCHR describes key human rights developments in Ukraine from 1 June to 31 August 2024. In addition, this report presents OHCHR assessment of the overall scope and scale of torture and ill-treatment experienced by prisoners of war (POWs) since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces on 24 February 2022.

When Numbers Demand Action: Confronting the global scale of sexual violence against children (UNICEF)
https://data.unicef.org/resources/when-numbers-demand-action/
Sexual violence against children is pervasive, cutting across geographical, cultural and economic boundaries. But the scale of this has long been difficult to quantify. This publication presents the first-ever global and regional estimates of sexual violence against children, revealing the magnitude of this human rights violation worldwide.

Humanitarian Affairs

Economic and social consequences of the escalating hostilities in Lebanon | October 2024 – Rapid Appraisal (UNDP)
https://www.undp.org/lebanon/publications/economic-and-social-consequences-escalating-hostilities-lebanon-october-2024-rapid-appraisal
Escalating hostilities in Lebanon are exacting a profound toll on people’s lives and livelihoods. In addition, Lebanon’s economy could shrink by as much as 9.2 percent if these hostilities continue through the end of the year, according to this rapid appraisal released on 23 October 2024 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The risk of this precipitous decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes on top of a 28 percent contraction recorded between 2018 and 2022 and would erase gains in economic stability achieved in 2023.

Gaza War: Expected Socio-Economic Impacts on the State of Palestine October 2024 (UNDP / ESCWA)
https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/gaza-war-expected-socio-economic-impacts-state-palestine-october-2024
This new assessment that the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) launched on 16 October 2024 estimates that poverty in the State of Palestine will rise to 74.3 percent in 2024, affecting 4.1 million people, including 2.61 million people who are newly impoverished. The assessment also projects that the gross domestic product (GDP) will contract by 35.1 percent in 2024 compared with a no-war scenario, with unemployment potentially rising to 49.9 percent. The new assessment builds on and updates findings of two earlier assessments published in November 2023 and May 2024. The new assessment also examines the extent and depth of deprivation, employing Multidimensional Poverty indicators and includes recovery prospects in the State of Palestine after a ceasefire is reached.

Global Alliance to End Statelessness
https://statelessnessalliance.org/
This new Global Alliance to End Statelessness was launched in Geneva on 14 October 2024 with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urging States, UN agencies, civil society, stateless-led organizations, academia, the private sector and others to, “Join the alliance, join this historic effort.” It will build on the successes of the decade-long #IBelong campaign, which has made important progress towards ending statelessness since 2014, including more than a half a million people worldwide acquiring citizenship.

The #IBelong Campaign: A Decade of Action to End Statelessness, 2014-2024 (UNHCR)
https://www.refworld.org/reference/strategy/unhcr/2024/en/148777
More than half a million people around the world who were living in the shadows, deprived of their right to nationality, have now acquired citizenship since the inception a decade ago of the #IBelong campaign, according to this new report on statelessness released on 11 October 2024 by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. A major human rights violation, statelessness deprives individuals of basic legal rights, leaving them politically and economically marginalized, unable to access critical services like health and education, discriminated against and particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. UNHCR launched the campaign in October 2014 to mobilize international action to resolve the scourge of statelessness.

Hunger Hotspots: FAO–WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity: November 2024 to May 2025 outlook
https://doi.org/10.4060/cd2995en
Acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity across 22 countries and territories, according to this new United Nations report. The report warns that the spread of conflict, particularly in the Middle East – coupled with climate and economic stressors – is pushing millions of people to the brink. The report spotlights the regional fallout from the crisis in Gaza which has seen Lebanon engulfed in conflict and warns that the La Niña weather pattern could impact climates through March 2025, threatening fragile food systems in already vulnerable regions.

The Migrant Smuggling Market on the Central Mediterranean: UNODC Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants Update #2 – October 2024
https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glosom/Observatory/2024/CMRUpdate_Oct2024.pdf
Migrant smuggling increased significantly in 2023 compared to 2022 along the Central Mediterranean route, according to a new update from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The total financial value of migrant smuggling by sea on this route is estimated to be between US$290 and $370 million. In the update from its Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants, UNODC calculates that 254,000 people departed from the North African coast on this route in 2023, 79 per cent more than in 2022. A majority of the people using the Central Mediterranean route – between 175,000 and 228,000 people in 2023 – are smuggled, UNODC estimates.

Justice and International Law

The misuse of financial laws to pressure, silence and intimidate journalists and media outlets: issue brief (UNESCO)
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391483
This new UNESCO report highlights an alarming increase in instances of allegations of financial wrongdoing, designed to pressure, intimate and silence independent journalists and media outlets in the last three years. Of 120 cases reviewed by UNESCO dating from 2005-2024, 60% occurred between 2019-2023. The report builds on the analysis produced by UNESCO on the growing trend in the legal harassment of journalists in 2021, and in 2022. UNESCO’s data is based on the assessment and analysis of 120 public cases, there is likely to be significant underreporting.

Newsletter Archive: https://unric.org/en/unric-info-point-library-newsletter-archive

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter: November 2024

Latest newsletters

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter – ARCHIVE

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter: October 2024

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter – September 2024

Backgrounders

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

Sharpen your skills with UN e-learning courses

Ciné-ONU Brussels, Vienna and Geneva present: Wake Up On Mars

The UN and the war in Ukraine: key information

POPULAR CATEGORY

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter: November 2024

Latest newsletters

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter – ARCHIVE

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter: October 2024

UNRIC Info Point & Library Newsletter – September 2024

UNRIC Library Newsletter

Backgrounders

Follow us on Facebook

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

Sharpen your skills with UN e-learning courses

Ciné-ONU Brussels, Vienna and Geneva present: Wake Up On Mars

The UN and the war in Ukraine: key information

POPULAR CATEGORY