This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.
IAEA and Japan agree on Fukushima nuclear plant timeline
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Japan have agreed on Thursday to a timeline on monitoring the treated water to be released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
An IAEA team met with senior officials in Japan to officially launch a review process of the water that became contaminated with radioactive elements, after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
The first in a series of visits to monitor the treated water that will be released in 2023 is part of IAEA’s commitment to keep the process under observation before, during and after the water discharge.
The IAEA’s special taskforce for the water disposal will meet in the coming weeks to prepare the reviews.
IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi welcomed Japan’s invitation to conduct the first technical review by the end of the year.
‘Attacks on schools must stop’, urges Guterres
Meanwhile, marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, Secretary-General António Guterres has underscored that schools must be places of “learning, safety and peace”.
He called on the global community to speak with one voice in saying that “attacks on schools must stop”.
The UN chief lauded education as providing knowledge, transforming lives and driving development.
And yet, year after year, “this fundamental right comes under attack”.
Mr. Guterres painted a picture of schools being targeted, destroyed or used for military purposes as children face violence, exploitation and even military recruitment “simply for going to school”.
“When we protect education, we protect the future”, said the UN chief.
Lawmakers have crucial role in counter-terror fight
Legislators from around the world met in Vienna, Austria, for the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism.
Co-organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), it was held within the scope of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the three organizations in May 2019.
The Summit comes at a critical time, particularly as the international community and global economy tries to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly, emphasized the links between terrorism, organized crime and corruption, and the need for integrated responses.
UN counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov stressed that parliamentarians play a crucial role in countering terrorism and need “to work hand-in-hand” with Governments to adopt “strong, robust and transparent laws, budgets and policies” to fund and implement international counter-terrorism laws.
Liz Scaffidi, UN News.
