News headlines in 2023, page 202

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 27 (IPS) - Smallholder farmers are critical to the success of Indonesia’s efforts to address deforestation and climate change. Creating an understanding and supporting this group, internally and abroad, is a crucial objective for those working towards reducing deforestation and promoting good farming practices, especially as smallholders often work hand-to-mouth and are vulnerable to perpetuating unsustainable farming practices.

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 27 (IPS) - Indonesia finds itself in a delicate balancing act of uplifting people from poverty, managing climate change and biodiversity, and satisfying an increasingly demanding international market for sustainable farming practices—and at the pivot of this complexity is the management of its palm oil sector.

PARIS, Apr 27 (IPS) - Over the last decades, the global share of women among teaching staff in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has increased from nearly 35% in 1990 to close to 45% in 2020.

BRUSSELS, Apr 27 (IPS) - In today's world, human rights defenders face immense challenges, with threats, attacks, and repression being rampant in many countries. According to the latest report by Front Line Defenders, killings of rights defenders increased in 2022, with a total of 401 deaths across 26 different countries. Despite the adoption of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders 25 years ago, the threats faced by defenders persist globally.

In a landmark resolution, the UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the de facto rulers of Afghanistan’s decision to ban women nationals from working for the United Nations, calling for Taliban leaders to “swiftly reverse” their decision.

Renewed diplomatic attention on Syria in the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquakes that hit the country and neighbouring Türkiye could help to unlock stalled peace efforts, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Thursday.

The UN has been forced to essentially halt all aid operations across Sudan due to the continuing fighting between rival militaries, but humanitarians who have re-located to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast are determined to return to Khartoum “as quickly as possible”, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said on Thursday.

In a visit to Chile, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed met with Chilean Government officials and other key actors and stressed in her other activities that we need transformative change – now, and from all countries – to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda.

Leaders in Albanian-majority Kosovo and the Serb minority there backed by Belgrade, need to take “courageous” action towards normalizing relations, or risk growing regional instability, the head of the UN mission there (UNMIK) told the Security Council on Thursday.

Activists striving to achieve a more just and equitable future for all people and the planet, are being encouraged to apply for a UN award that celebrates initiatives and individuals working to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality.