UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Cyclone Amphan: UN lauds Bangladesh, India for keeping people safe
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appreciated Bangladesh and India for their efforts to keep people safe well ahead of cyclone Amphan that affected badly both the countries.
The Secretary-General commended the governments, first responders and communities for their pre-emptive work to make people safe ahead of the storm and meet their immediate needs afterwards.
"The United Nations stands ready to support these efforts," said Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric said the Secretary-General is saddened by the loss of lives and destruction as a result of Cyclone Amphan in India and Bangladesh.
He extended his deep condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and wished those injured and affected by the disaster a speedy recovery.
The UN Secretary-General expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and India as they face the impact of a devastating cyclone while also responding to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bangladesh government evacuated over two million people to more than 12,000 cyclone shelters that were supplied with, among other things, masks and sanitizers, to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh flagged that preliminary reports indicate that damage is minimal in Cox’s Bazar - home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar - with some 300 shelters damaged, approximately 60 of which were fully destroyed.
Flooding and small landsides have been reported in several refugee camps, as well as blocked drains and damaged stairs, latrines, and bridges – but no word of casualties or deaths.
Humanitarian partners are on standby to ensure access to information, temporary shelter, food, safe drinking water and other vital services for affected refugees according to need.
UN humanitarians and partners worked hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc, causing high tidal surges, flooding and embankments to collapse.
“It is believed that around 10 million people in Bangladesh are impacted by the cyclone, with half a million families potentially having lost their homes”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a regular virtual briefing from New York after the landfall.
The cyclone, which lashed coastal areas with brutal winds and rain, left at least 84 people across India and Bangladesh dead.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the storm has damaged houses and crops in Bangladesh”, he continued. “Power has been cut off to cities and towns, many of which are working to contain the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Work together to preserve biodiversity: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all to work together to preserve biodiversity and help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"As we seek to build back better from the current crisis, let us work together to preserve biodiversity so we can achieve our Sustainable Development Goals," he said in a message marking the International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday.
The UN chief said this year’s message for the International Day for Biological Diversity is clear. "Our solutions are in nature."
He said preserving and sustainably managing biodiversity is necessary for mitigating climate disruption, guaranteeing water and food security and even preventing pandemics.
The UN chief said COVID-19 –which emanated from the wild -- has shown how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world.
"As we encroach on nature and deplete vital habitats, increasing numbers of species are at risk," he said adding that it includes humanity and the future they want.
He said that is how they will protect health and well-being for generations to come.
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Keeping similar pace with the world, Bangladesh on Saturday celebrated the World Migratory Bird Day with slogan of “Birds Connect Our World.”
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Guterres encourages girls to master digital skills
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has encouraged girls and young women to master digital skills saying the world cannot afford to lose their talent.
"What career choice could be more rewarding than mastering the digital skills that will help you to save our planet and its people?" said the UN chief in a message marking the "Girls in ICT Day" being observed on Thursday.
He said girls in ICT Day is all about encouraging girls and young women to take up the exciting potential of a career in information and communications technology.
It is also about urging governments, industry and academia to develop strategies to equip and support girls who want to embark on such a career.
"The unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, much more effectively than any statement I could make, the vital importance of information and communications technology to society," he said.
With billions of people now confined to home, with businesses shuttered, with health services strained to breaking point, digital networks are playing a crucial role in keeping the world working, said the UN chief.
"They are keeping us connected, supporting health workers treating the sick, and enabling researchers who are collaborating to develop a vaccine," he said.
Guterres said digital technologies will be the key to their success and digital molecular analysis is helping teams understand the virus, so they can target its weak points.
"Digital epidemiological modelling is helping us understand the behaviour of the virus, to help us curb its spread. Yet, when women are excluded from such work, we replicate and deepen inequalities and gender stereotypes, we create products that don’t adequately address the needs of half the population, and we further the gender digital divide," he said.
Guterres said digital solutions are going to be central to every major challenge facing generation of girls and young women.
Biodiversity is in steep decline, says UN chief
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Scale up efforts to confront coronavirus pandemic: UN
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