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Ukraine: Humanitarian impact of intensified strikes and hostilities
by UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, agencies
 
24 Feb. 2024
 
UN human rights experts urge international community to step up efforts to forge peace between Russia and Ukraine. (OHCHR)
 
UN experts call for greater efforts by the international community to end Russia’s war against Ukraine in line with the UN Charter and find a path of peace without delay. They issued the following statement to mark two years since the Russian full-scale invasion:
 
“The lives of millions of civilians continue to be at stake. They are children, women and men who must always be treated with humanity and respect for their dignity. For them, peace is neither an empty word nor an abstract concept. It is the essential precondition for restoring normality to everyday life.
 
There is no normality when people are killed, tortured, forcibly disappeared, sexually assaulted, displaced, deported, arbitrarily detained, or exposed to toxic or radiological substances.
 
There is no normality when people are in fear of constant shelling and when air raid sirens sound every day, day and night, forcing people to escape to shelters.
 
Life is disrupted when people cannot live in their homes, use hospitals, schools and roads, because these places are under attack or destroyed. Survival is at stake when farmers are not able to work their lands because they are contaminated by landmines and explosives.
 
War is savagery and brutality, everywhere and in all circumstances. It affects everyone.
 
As time passes without any prospect of peace, the trauma of war entrenches and will lead to even more suffering and devastation.
 
We call for peace to be established without delay. War and aggression violate the basic principles of coexistence between peoples and nations, human rights and the UN Charter.
 
We support all efforts of the international community aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine consistent with the principles of the UN Charter and ensuring the protection of human rights for all. Rehabilitation, recovery and redress for victims and survivors must be provided, and the rights of minorities respected.
 
All perpetrators, including those exercising superior authority, must be held accountable for war crimes and other atrocities which are alleged to have been committed on a large-scale.
 
The missing and disappeared must be found, prisoners of war and others arbitrarily deprived of liberty released, and the forcibly deported, including Ukrainian children, returned home. These are necessary for peace, reconciliation and justice.
 
To date, Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine has caused over 10,000 civilian deaths, an estimated 20,000 civilian injuries and an undisclosed number of combatant casualties.
 
Some 18 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance – almost 40 percent of Ukraine’s population. This includes over three million people living in frontline communities who face severe shortages of resources and constant bombardment.
 
While millions of people remain internally displaced in Ukraine, some 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have sought refuge abroad, which was one of the fastest and largest refugee exoduses in history and they currently make up the third largest refugee population in the world.
 
The impact of this war continues to be felt beyond Ukraine’s borders, as businesses and supply chains have been disrupted and prices of food, energy, fertiliser and other essential commodities have soared around the world, fuelling a severe global cost of living crisis.”
 
42 civilian casualties every day in two years of war. (Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine)
 
Two years since the escalation of war in Ukraine, more than 10,500 civilians have been killed, including 587 children, as constant bombardments, mines, and drone attacks have left a generation traumatised, displaced and fearful for their lives, said 51 members of the Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine.
 
With an average of 42 civilians killed and wounded per day, and recent months being particularly deadly, the group, made up of local and international organisations working in the country, is calling for the immediate protection of civilians, and reminds member states of promises made to tackle dire humanitarian needs of people in Ukraine.
 
More than 87% of the people killed, or 9,241 people, are casualties of explosive weapons, with many of the injuries life-changing in nature, including the loss of limbs or eyesight. The number is understood to be a vast undercount, as the UN continues to corroborate the figures. At the same time, people across Ukraine far from the frontlines also need support to rebuild their lives and recover.
 
“My daughter is growing up in the basement now,” says Sviatlana. She and her 7-year-old daughter decided to stay in Kherson, an area that comes under heavy bombardment... “The longest time we had in the dark without electricity was 1.5 months, so now when there is a blackout I try to joke with my daughter, ‘what is one day, we already had way worse’. …Now there is only waiting and surviving. She is just a kid and wants to play outside on the playground, but she cannot leave the basement.”
 
Two years of renewed fighting has destroyed lives, homes and livelihoods, leaving 14.6 million people, including nearly 3 million children, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. Nearly 80% of those in need of aid also require mental health support. The poverty level in Ukraine increased five-fold – 24 percent up from 5 percent – in 2022 alone.
 
Because of ongoing violence, about 4 million people are still displaced within Ukraine and more than 5.9 million were forced to flee to neighboring countries. Even though 67% of those internally displaced say they want to return home someday, many are unable to return to their homes as the war has shattered their communities, and livelihoods.
 
Many displaced people struggle to integrate in their new communities, where it is difficult to find jobs and housing. Women make up 58% of the internally displaced, and are more likely than men to experience unemployment and dependency on humanitarian aid.
 
Vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected by the ongoing war - with children, older people and people with disabilities impacted by the long-term compounding effects of the crisis.
 
Joanna Garbalinska, Director of the Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine, said: “As the war continues, life is far from normal. Civilians are living day-to-day under the threat of missiles and shells, which continue to hit populated civilian areas, inflicting death and destruction to areas near and far from the frontlines.
 
“The Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine calls for all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure to cease immediately, particularly in dense urban areas, as they may amount to grave violations of international humanitarian law. Civilians must always be protected from violence.
 
Today marks a grim milestone of the war in Ukraine. As the fighting heads into its third year since the escalation, humanitarian agencies in Ukraine remind member states of promises made to tackle this crisis. Today, humanitarian support is more needed than ever. Long-term funding commitments for humanitarian and recovery efforts – with Ukrainian civil society in the lead – are critical for the safety of civilians and for Ukraine’s future.”
 
Feb. 2024 (UN News)
 
United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis urged countries to stand with the people of Ukraine “in their quest for justice and peace” marking two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
 
“As we reflect on the two years of anguish and hardship, let us emerge from this place with a resounding message of solidarity and unwavering support to the resilient people of Ukraine,” he said, as fresh strikes were reported on the cities of Odesa and Dnipro, just one day after deadly attacks in the Donetsk region, located in the east.
 
Addressing representatives of the UN’s 193 Member States gathered in the General Assembly, Mr. Francis stated that they “can neither be blind to the ongoing destruction and devastation, nor ignore the plight of the people of Ukraine.”
 
“This is especially so, because this year also coincides with the tenth anniversary of the 2014 attempted illegal annexation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories by the Russian Federation,” he added.
 
Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022. Since then, thousands of people have been killed and injured, millions more uprooted, and schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure damaged. Scores of Ukrainian children have also been forcibly deported to Russia.
 
Mr. Francis said the impact of this “needless war” extends far beyond the borders of Ukraine as the environment is also “the silent victim of the conflict”, while the real risk of a nuclear accident persists.
 
“And, ultimately, the war has affected every Member State – whether in the form of the soaring food prices or in the context of energy insecurity.”
 
The conflict has been a significant catalyst in undermining global geopolitics and geoeconomics, directly harming the countries involved while also impeding progress in many others, especially developing nations.
 
“It is actively undermining the very foundations of our UN Charter – threatening the principles of sovereignty, and territorial integrity we all committed to hold dear and to defend,” he said.
 
“It has disrupted international relations – at a time when unity, solidarity and cooperation are absolutely crucial to multilateral problem-solving.
 
Mr. Francis noted that while the 15-member UN Security Council has been paralyzed by division over the conflict, the General Assembly has condemned Russia’s aggression and demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of its forces from Ukrainian territory.
 
“Beyond condemnations, we, the United Nations, must actively work towards a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in line with the Charter of this organization,” he said.
 
The Assembly President called for redoubling efforts “to end wars and usher in a future of hope elsewhere, without exception.”
 
Russia’s full-scale invasion has taken a devastating toll on the mental health of Ukraine's youngest citizens, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
 
The agency said boys and girls in frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours – equivalent to between four to seven months – sheltering in basements, bunkers, or a hole in the ground.
 
Seeking safety from missiles and drones is coming at a great cost for these children, said UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder who was in the city of Kharkiv this week, where he spoke to families.
 
“Around three-quarters of young people have reported needing support; a fraction of those are getting it," he said. "So, the ongoing shelling, the increased use of drones - all this is building into an awareness that children continue to be killed, and it’s hindering families’ capacity to overcome the stress and trauma inflicted by this war."
 
Mr. Elder added that despite education being a fundamental source of hope and stability, it is chronically disrupted and beyond reach for a substantial segment of Ukraine's children.
 
"Children in frontline areas have been inside a school for a single week over the past four years - two years of COVID-19 and two years of full-scale war. In the Kharkiv region, two out of 700 schools are delivering in-person learning," he said.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-42-civilian-casualties-every-day-two-years-war-enuk http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/02/un-experts-urge-international-community-step-efforts-forge-peace-between-russia http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146887 http://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146752 http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/iicihr-ukraine/index http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/february/ukraine-two-years-on-destruction-and-displacement-the-devastating-impacts-of-the-escalation-of-war-revealed-in-new-nrc-report/ http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/full-scale-ukraine-war-enters-third-year-prolonging-uncertainty-and-exile http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/escalation-attacks-infrastructure-leaves-ukraines-children-without-sustained-access http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/ukraine-frontline-children-battling-mental-trauma-underground http://www.unocha.org/news/remember-ukraine-un-relief-chief-urges-attention-country-faces-3rd-year-war-and-occupation http://reliefweb.int/topics/ukraine-humanitarian-crisis
 
15 Jan. 2024
 
"Remember Ukraine" - UN relief chief Martin Griffiths urges attention as country faces 3rd year of war and occupation. Remarks to the press at the joint OCHA-UNHCR launch of the 2024 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine (Extract):
 
Next month, we will enter a third year and an unexpected, in my view, a third year of full-blown war and occupation. It started, of course, ten years ago in the east of the country. But the escalation in 2022 rushed in a whole new level of death, destruction and despair and, of course, of outflow of refugees.
 
Forty per cent of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year. That is 14.6 million people, 40 per cent of the population in Ukraine will need humanitarian aid. Four million people are internally displaced. That is in addition to those who are externally displaced; 3.3 million live in frontline communities in the east and south where the war goes on, under relentless bombardment – 3.3 million people living in the middle of war zones, of bombardment, of uncertainty about where the day will end. And that is really a shockingly high number, even these days.
 
No place in Ukraine is untouched by the war and the wave of attacks that began just before the new year, to the devastating civilian cost of the war. Add to that the harsh winter, which is sweeping across Ukraine and ratcheting up people's need for lifesaving support, heating, proper shelter, warm clothes and a sufficient calorie intake because of the winter.
 
In the small towns and villages on the front lines, people have exhausted their own meager resources and rely on aid coming in through the convoys of our partners to survive. In the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, families live in damaged houses with no piped water, gas or electricity in the freezing cold.
 
Constant bombardments force older people to spend their days in basements. Children – terrified, traumatized, still – have lived for the last [two] years under these circumstances, trapped indoors and many of them with no schooling.
 
Across Ukraine, homes, schools and hospitals are repeatedly hit. Basic services are not spared. Water, gas and power systems. Indeed, the very fabric of society, how we live – employment, schools, care centers, shopping, safety of access to those places daily – is under threat.
 
But it is worth taking a moment to remember that Ukrainians refuse to buckle under this extraordinary onslaught. And they refuse to resign. People step up for each other. Community spirit remains high. They volunteer to help deliver relief to those who cannot move, some warm shelter, care for children.
 
No less than 60 per cent of our 500 humanitarian partners are Ukrainian organizations. So, 500 humanitarian organizations operating inside Ukraine, delivering aid inside Ukraine, more than half of them are Ukrainian organizations. A testament really to the community spirit of so many people in that country.
 
We aim to reach more than 8.5 million people this year with water and hygiene services, materials to repair homes, winter clothes, supplies and things that I have already referred to. The plan for 8.5 million focuses, as you know from the math, on the most vulnerable. Those who are close to the frontline are the top priority. And every day, convoys are sent out to reach those in danger, as are the convoys in danger. Aid will be delivered across the country to areas we can reach by these comprehensive programmes on these convoys, in partnership with local NGOs, local partners I referred to and complementing the Ukrainian Government's own efforts.
 
And our relationship with the Ukrainian Government remains steady, strong, supportive, and we act under their guidance, under their leadership and often under their direction. We are asking donors for more funding for 2024.
 
No one wants to depend on assistance from outsiders to cover life's basic needs. This is true across the world, whether in Gaza, Sudan or Syria or elsewhere. No one wants to depend on such assistance. But there is no choice for those 14 .6 million who need assistance, 8.5 million of whom we are targeting. They need help. They need this funding because humanitarian aid remains the lifeline without which they will perish.
 
As the war continues unabated, without signs that I am aware of, of coming to some conclusion, and amid everything else happening across the globe, we must stay the course for the people of Ukraine.
 
http://www.unocha.org/news/remember-ukraine-un-relief-chief-urges-attention-country-faces-3rd-year-war-and-occupation
 
Jan. 2023
 
The people of Ukraine have suffered another vast wave of airstrikes today, continuing a pattern of Russian attacks against densely populated cities and towns across the country that intensified on 29 December. Today’s overnight strikes have shaken the capital Kyiv, with residents reporting heavy sounds of explosions for several hours, particularly early in the morning.
 
The aerial assault also seriously impacted civilians in Kyivska Oblast and Kharkiv City, leaving behind a path of death and injury as well as destruction of homes, energy and other civilian infrastructure.
 
According to preliminary data shared by the Ukrainian authorities, nearly 100 people have been injured and at least 4 killed today, adding to the death toll reported over the past few days. In total, nearly 70 civilians have reportedly been killed and at least 360 injured due to airstrikes across the country since 29 December. The numbers are pending verification and might increase further as rescue operations continue. Russian authorities also reported new attacks in Belgorod Region, on the border with Ukrainian’s Kharkivska Oblast.
 
The new attacks and relentless hostilities have left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and water supplies, at a time when forecasts indicate that temperatures might drop to -20 degrees Celsius in the coming days. In Kyiv and Kyivska Oblast alone, more than 250,000 people have been temporarily cut off from power supplies following today’s strikes, which also impacted the water supply in several districts of the capital, according to Ukrenergo, the state-owned energy operator and Government sources.
 
Damages to energy infrastructure due to hostilities have left over 440 towns and villages without power supplies, mainly In the east, according to the Ministry of Energy. In addition, since 29 December, the World Health Organization’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) has verified that at least 10 health-care facilities have been damaged across Ukraine.
 
The bombardments and destruction not only expose millions to the risk of death or injury, but also other serious protection risks.
 
In Kyiv, humanitarian workers in the city counted over 30 explosions, and damages have been reported in nine of the capital’s ten districts. Teams from the emergency services rescued some 20 people from under the debris, as search and rescue operations continue. The city authorities informed that nearly 50 residents have been injured and nearly 40 hospitalized.
 
Across Kyivska oblast, several areas have been impacted, reportedly leaving over 30 apartment buildings, at least two schools damaged, according to local authorities.
 
The city of Kharkiv, was badly impacted again, adding to the damage and loss caused by almost daily attacks over the past few days. Humanitarian workers in the city have witnessed significant damage in residential areas, and preliminary findings of assessments indicate over 70 buildings have been damaged in the city since 29 December. Gas and heating supply facilities were damaged today, leading to power cuts and heating disruptions in some parts of the city. At the time of the reporting nearly 50 civilians, including 5 children, had been injured, and most of them had to be rushed to hospitals.
 
Bombardments have also damaged homes and impacted civilians in other parts of Ukraine, including in Lvivska Oblast in the west, where education facilities and residential buildings have been hit.
 
Over the past few days, children have been killed or injured in Kherson and Odesa, as well as Donetska Oblast, the south and east of Ukraine.
 
Homes have also been hit Chernihivska and Sumska in the north, where cross-border shelling and has been relentless, while intense hostilities reportedly killed and injured several civilians and damaged homes and energy facilities in front-line communities of Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Khersonska, Odeska and Zaporizka oblasts, including in the Russian occupied areas.
 
Humanitarian partners continue to provide aid to people impacted by these waves of strikes, in close coordination with local authorities, and in support to teams from the State Emergency Service working to rescue people trapped from under the rubble.
 
22 Jan. 2024
 
Ukraine: UN rights office deplores attack in Russian-occupied Donetsk. (UN News)
 
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) strongly condemned a weekend attack on the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine which left scores dead and injured.
 
At least 27 civilians were reportedly killed and a further 25 injured in the Donetsk attacks that struck local markets and a nearby residential area in the city, according to media reports.
 
OHCHR is trying to obtain more information about the attack, despite its lack of access to the city and other occupied areas in Ukraine, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement.
 
“It is crucial that thorough, prompt and independent investigations be carried out to determine the facts and responsibility for this attack,” she said. “The investigation should establish whether this attack violated applicable law on the conduct of hostilities, with a view to ensuring accountability.”
 
Ms. Shamdasani also stressed the need to ensure strict respect for international humanitarian law and for the parties to the conflict to take all necessary precautions to protect civilians from harm.
 
Addressing the UN Security Council in New York, Adedeji Ebo, Deputy UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, reiterated the “duty” of warring sides to protect civilians.
 
“This is an unambiguous obligation,” he said. “Let me say it again: attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. All such attacks must stop immediately.”
 
OHCHR has verified 10,287 civilians killed and a further 19,444 injured sine Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began on 24 February 2022. The actual figures are likely far higher.
 
Mr. Ebo said continued attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure were seriously distressing, adding that the use of aerial drones and missiles had resulted in many deaths and injuries.
 
“Just like any other weapons or weapons systems, armed uncrewed aerial vehicles and missiles must not be used in a manner inconsistent with international humanitarian law,” he said.
 
“The only way to end the suffering and devastation is by ending this war,” Mr. Ebo said.
 
The war continues to inflict “immeasurable human suffering” and putting millions at risk of serious violations and generating grave humanitarian needs, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
 
Millions across Ukraine have been forced from their homes, including nearly six million living as refugees outside its borders. Prolonged displacement has pushed many to the brink. In 2024, 14.6 million people – about 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population – require humanitarian assistance.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-humanitarian-response-2023-winter-attacks-humanitarian-impact-intensified-strikes-and-hostilities-flash-update-4-2-jan-2024-enuk http://tinyurl.com/494npftk http://reliefweb.int/country/ukr http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-two-children-reportedly-killed-and-15-injured-latest-wave-deadly-attacks http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/secretary-general-condemns-strongest-terms-overnight-large-scale-attacks-russian-federation-ukrainian-cities-civilians-critical-infrastructure http://dppa.un.org/en/mtg-sc-9523-asg-khiari-ukraine-29-dec-2023 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/12/comment-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-attacks-ukraine http://news.un.org/en/tags/ukraine


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Grassroots Voices call for Climate Justice
by IPS, Forus International, agencies
Mid East
 
Kathmandu, Feb 16, 2024
 
Grassroots Voices call for Climate Justice. (IPS)
 
Kiprotich Peter from the East African country of Kenya is trying to convey his climate crisis message using the platform of the World Social Forum (WSF) taking place in the mountain nation of Nepal, which has also been battered by the impacts of climate change.
 
Youth activist Peter, who works for Green World in Kenya to promote environmental education and reforestation, is holding a placard that reads: “The World’s Poorest Countries are being forced to take out loans to respond to a climate crisis not of their making,” on day 1 of the WSF in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.
 
“I am here to raise my voice against loans to deal with the climate crisis. Small countries like Kenya and Nepal need grants to fight and mitigate the climate crisis, not loans,” he added. “The climate change is a real-time crisis in Africa, and I think in Nepal and other parts of the global South too.”
 
Low and mid-income countries like Nepal and Kenya have contributed just tiny amounts of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, but they are on the frontlines of its impacts, in the forms of droughts, flash floods and other extreme weather events.
 
According to the 2023 Kenya Country Climate and Development report, to maintain gains in poverty reduction, the country must act on climate change. “Inaction against climate change may result in up to 1.1 million additional poor in 2050, in a dry and hot climate future scenario.”
 
Far from Kenya but close to Nepal in South Asia, one third of Pakistan was submerged because of a massive flood in 2022, affecting 33 million people. Pakistani historian and youth leader Ammar Ali Jan described the aftermath of that flood and the international community’s treatment as an ugly image of humanity.
 
“Almost a province was wiped out; we haven’t seen a flood like that. The way desperate people rushed at food trucks, it was almost as if the humanity of people was taken away,” said the founder and president of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party addressing a session called, Towards a Global Movement for Climate Justice, on Friday.
 
“People were in hunger without having anything to eat; they were stuck. It’s as if these people are becoming disposable human beings, and their deaths will not be mourned because their lives are not valued enough,” added the leader of his country’s new ‘Green’-inspired party.
 
Ali blamed an International Monetary Fund loan for the economic deterioration that followed the disaster. “The IMF’s loan was given after six months, not by saying ‘we will give you this grant and forgive your debt because you are affected by a crisis not of your making.’ They said ‘you must pay every penny to the international creditor.’ We need support, not loans.”
 
The party leader argues that a large chunk of humanity is lacking empathy, while retaining resources and political power. “To achieve climate justice, we need to find ways to make our agenda, the people’s agenda, heard,” he added. “Progressives need to take power.”
 
Shanti Devi was listening to Ali and nodding her head. “It’s what’s happening in our village in Bihar, India. We don’t get rainfall when needed, and floods hit at the time of harvesting,” said Devi, adding that she was attending the WSF to make her voice heard.
 
Indian researcher and science activist Soumya Dutta called for continuous pressure to make the voices of the frontline communities that live with the consequences of climate-induced changes heard in every forum. “We have long crossed climate change; we are in a climate crisis,” he said during a discussion on climate justice. “We need to elevate the social movement to create a larger political discourse.”
 
Other speakers and participants called for collaboration and support to address the world’s crises, including climate change.
 
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutters also urged unity in his message to the WSF: “We need global solidarity to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals – and reform an outdated, dysfunctional and unfair global financial system. We must also rally together to address the climate crisis.”
 
While laying out the stark reality of climate change’s impacts on communities, water and climate change researcher Ajaya Dixit proposed a way forward. “We are still taking nature for granted, which needs to changed,” said the Nepal-based researcher, who collaborates with other researchers in South Asia. “To understand climate change, we have to understand the water and hydrological cycle, because the crisis we are facing is all connected with water one way or another.”
 
According to Dixit, to understand the ground reality of climate change, science and community must come together. “We still hesitate to recognize community knowledge, especially the historical knowledge of Indigenous people. Natural science, physical science and community knowledge need to be combined in our education systems; then we will be able to better understand climate change and act accordingly.”
 
http://www.ipsnews.net/2024/02/grassroots-voices-unite-call-climate-justice/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2024/02/local-knowledge-womens-leadership-key-food-justice-activists/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2024/02/world-social-forum-counterweight-world-economic-forum/ http://www.wsf2024nepal.org/news-declaration/civil-society-network-hails-guterres-visit-to-nepal http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2024/03/joint-statement-towards-universal-social-protection/
 
Feb. 2024
 
Over 350 Civil Society Organizations ask for real inclusion in UN Summit of the Future negotiations, by Bibbi Abruzzini and Clarisse Sih. (Forus International)
 
A coalition of over 350 civil society organisations part of the #UNmute initiative, shared concerns over the current engagement mechanisms for civil society at the UN – particularly in light of the upcoming Summit of the Future.
 
At the heart of global policy-making, civil society organisations have long been seen as those bearing the torch of grassroots advocacy and bringing forward the messages of communities worldwide. Civil society has changed the world we live in, fighting against discrimination, securing voting rights for women, raising awareness about environmental issues, being at the forefront of humanitarian aid, and advocating for equity and acceptance. Civil society’s impact is undeniable, yet increasingly questioned with negative narratives, risks to their safety, and limited access to decision- making spaces. To silence or exclude this voice is to silence the collective needs and aspirations of millions of people around the world.
 
At the national level, attacks on civic space and democratic freedoms have escalated. New legislation limits civil society’s ability to engage in online and offline advocacy. International collaboration between civil society networks, social movements and activists is increasingly criticized, penalized, and criminalized. This is unfortunately replicated at the global level.
 
As we approach the Summit of the Future – set to to redirect our course towards a more effective and equitable future, there is a worrying drift from collaboration to restriction in the relationship between the UN, Member States in their national and local contexts, and civil society. For several years, civil society voices have found themselves on the periphery, with challenges ranging from limited access at key UN sessions such as the General Assembly’s High Level Week, to restrictive participation in other key UN forums such as the High Level Political Forum, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Internet Governance Forum. In fact, the current system, contrasts with earlier UN processes and falls short of the UN’s stated commitment and previous good practices to inclusivity as written in the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Our Common Agenda.
 
“For civil society activists and human rights defenders facing repression at national level the space at the UN is very important. The UN opened up since the 1990s. For example, it was possible to contribute to the 2030 Agenda development in national consultations, regional meetings and as part of the Open Working Group in New York. We were never excluded a decade ago. Therefore, we are disappointed that this is happening now. It will weaken the Summit of the Future,” says Ingo Ritz, Director of the Global Call to Action against Poverty.
 
Despite efforts to promote inclusivity and engagement on paper, in practice civil society organizations frequently face a lack of access to information and resources, limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes, as well as exclusion from key meetings and events, increasing repraisals, discrimination, harassment, and insufficient avenues for input in policy discussions. The clock is ticking, and the integration of civil society into the heart of the UN is not only beneficial, it is essential.
 
Jyotsna Mohan Singh, representing the Asia Development Alliance, points out that “Over the years, we have seen the UN open its doors to civil society, but lately those doors seem to be closing slightly. Stronger collaboration is not only desirable, it is necessary. Engaging with the UN should not be a labyrinth where only a few know the way. We need transparent and inclusive processes that do not marginalise any civil society organisation on the basis of size or origin. Civil society sees the UN as a beacon of hope, a platform for global cooperation, where the voices of the marginalised and the aspirations of humanity are heard, leading to a world of equality, sustainability and true peace.”
 
Over 350 civil society organizations part of the #UNmute initiative have come together to issue a united call for inclusivity and participation in the preparatory process of the forthcoming Summit of the Future. The collective, which spans a broad spectrum of global civil society including Civicus, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Forus, the United Nations Foundation, the Coalition for the UN We Need, World Vision International, Greenpeace, Global Focus, among many others, has addressed a statement putting pressure on key figures at the United Nations.
 
“From the streets to the UN halls, we witness the alarming and continuous shrinking space for civil society and rights defenders. With the aim of restoring trust and preparing the UN for the future, the voice of civil society must be key for the Summit of the Future. This requires Member States to support and promote the unique role of civil society, especially the historically marginalized and underrepresented communities and informal activist and social movements, from New York to Nairobi. The UN is for the ‘we’, it is for the people, and it is based on their trust that the success of the Summit of the Future should be held against,” says Global Focus‘ Director, Mette Muller Kristensen.
 
What needs to change
 
The role of civil society cannot just be recognized, it needs to be actively strenghtened and placed at the core of global governance, where it belongs. We need to build, rather than erode, trust. The success of the Summit of the Future should be measured on how it delivers for people – inclusively and meaningfully. We call for immediate action, including the establishment of inclusive platforms for engagement, designated seats for Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS) and civil society representatives in all phases of the Summit of the Future, and a comprehensive review of civil society’s engagement in UN processes. These measures aim to democratize representation, ensuring that all voices and perspectives are equally represented in international dialogues, which unfortunately is not the case as of today.
 
As Mavalow Christelle Kalhoule, civil society leader and Chair of Forus and SPONG, the Burkina Faso NGO network, puts it, “In a world increasingly driven by technology, many of our colleagues from under-represented regions find themselves mute, not for lack of passion or knowledge, but because of the digital divide and lack of resources and access. To truly champion global voices, we need to bridge this gap and ensure that civil society has the tools and support it needs to engage meaningfully in political processes and amplify the voices of the myriad communities and NGOs it represents.
 
Civil society participation must be simplified and facilitated; it is also about real political will. Genuine progress within the framework of the United Nations depends on the real inclusion of civil society. Every decision taken without their engagement risks missing the heartbeat of the communities we serve. The purpose of the UNmute initiative is not to raise a few voices, but to ensure that the chorus of civil society is heard loud and clear at every meeting of the United Nations.”
 
http://www.forus-international.org/en/pdf-detail/110397-unmute-civil-society-statement-summit-of-the-future http://defenceforchildren.org/200-ngos-sent-a-joint-letter-to-un-representatives-regarding-online-participation/ http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/joint-civil-society-letter-calling-to-ensure-live-online-modalities-of-participation-for-un-human-rights-bodies-and-mechanisms http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/20/threats-intimidation-creating-climate-of-fear-un-cop-events http://www.iwgia.org/en/


 

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