This is the News in Brief from The United Nations.
Time is running out for countries at the front line of the climate crisis
The UN Secretary General warned on Thursday that we are running out of time to limit global temperature rises, a matter of life or death for climate vulnerable countries on the front line of the crisis.
Speaking to the first Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit of 48 nations systemically exposed to climate related disasters, António Guterres said they needed reassurance that financial and technical support will be forthcoming.
“To rebuild trust, developed countries must clarify now, how they will effectively deliver $100 billion dollars in climate finance annually to the developing world, as was promised over a decade ago”.
The UN chief said that to get the “world back on its feet”, restore cooperation between governments and recover from the pandemic in a climate resilient way, the most vulnerable countries had to be properly supported.
UNICEF to deliver 220 million vaccines doses to African Union countries by 2022
UNICEF on Thursday signed its first ever COVID-19 vaccine agreement to supply the 55 members of the African Union with up to 220 million doses of the J&J single dose vaccine, by the end of 2022.
Deliveries are expected to begin in the next few months, with allocations to be determined by Africa’s centre for disease control and prevention. Some 35 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year, said UNICEF.
The agreement with the manufacturer of J&J comes as the continent faces its steepest surge in COVID-19 cases so far.
New UN report reveals impact of COVID on human trafficking
A new study released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows the devastating impact of COVID-19 on victims and survivors of human trafficking and highlights the increased targeting and exploitation of children during the pandemic.
Traffickers took advantage of the global crisis, capitalizing on peoples’ loss of income and the increased amount of time both adults and children were spending online.
Measures to curb the spread of the virus also increased the risk of trafficking for people in vulnerable situations, exposed victims to further exploitation and limited access to essential services for survivors.
The study further assesses how frontline organizations responded to the challenges posed, and continued to deliver essential services, despite national and international lockdowns.
Laura Quinones, UN News
