News headlines in 2023, page 66

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct 11 (IPS) - Finance has increased, not reduced, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Meanwhile, funding for mitigation, and especially adaptation, is grossly inadequate, with little for climate losses and damages.

SANTA MARÍA OSTUMA, El Salvador, Oct 10 (IPS) - The effects of El Niño on agriculture in Central America are once again putting pressure on thousands of small farmer families who are feeling more vulnerable economically and in terms of food, as they lose their crops, due to climate change.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Oct 10 (IPS) - Mexico’s Supreme Court recently declared abortion bans unconstitutional, effectively decriminalising abortion throughout the vast federal country, so far characterised by a legislative patchwork.

TOKYO, Oct 10 (IPS) - Have you ever seen a dried frog? We have, and it’s making us rethink our impact on the environment. Frogs are incredibly sensitive to dry conditions, and they are facing the threat of extinction due to global warming. Amphibians, like frogs, make up a significant portion of endangered species, with 41 percent vulnerable compared to only 25 percent for mammals like polar bears.

SAINT LUCIA, Oct 10 (IPS) - David Obura always knew that his life’s work would involve the natural world. As a child with a love of nature, he always knew he would become an ecologist. Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, he recalls fondly that his mother would take the family camping at national parks. With these excursions came opportunities for hiking, mountain climbing, and exploration. The family events also took him to one of the earth’s greatest wonders - the sea.

GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct 10 (IPS) - Almost one third (32%) of women aged 20 to 24 in Eastern and Southern Africa - around 50 million – were married before 18 years old. To address this pervasive problem, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum has adopted the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage, a legal framework providing a comprehensive, integrated approach to ending child marriage and protecting children already married.

The Government of Iraq has made “several important steps and promising initiatives” one year since its formation, but more efforts are required to address the populations needs, the Head of the UN Mission in the country, UNAMI, told the Security Council on Tuesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for access to health and humanitarian assistance amid the conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

Despite closed borders and the escalating Israel-Palestine crisis, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was rapidly expanding its new emergency operation to provide critical aid to over 800,000 people facing dire circumstances and lacking access to essential supplies.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday introduced a $3.3 billion programme budget for the Organization in 2024, amidst an array of global challenges ranging from conflicts, human rights violations, inequalities, and climate disasters.