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Firefighters in Queensland, Australia, tackle a blaze which is threatening local communities.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

Monday’s Daily Brief: Geopolitical strife, Australia bushfires, Burkina Faso, Cambodia updates

Monday’s top stories include: UN chief’s call for de-escalation in global tensions; UNICEF offers help as Australia bushfires continue to rage; condolences following Burkina Faso bus explosion; new shipping regulation to boost health of people and planet; and ILO responds to deadly Cambodia building collapse.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Sustainable fashion leader pins hope on humanitarian values

Changing the fashion industry and making it more aware of global humanitarian and environmental concerns, demands expertise, and above all, passion.

That’s the view of Patrick Duffy, the founder of Global Fashion Exchange - an international sustainable fashion platform - who led a UN conference panel this week, on the use of clothing as a vehicle for change.

Audio
5'32"
WFP/Alexandre Breche

Attack against aid workers in Mali a “concerning” development

An attack on a humanitarian convoy in north-east Mali which targeted aid workers has been described by the UN as a “concerning” development.

The theft of vehicles and supplies has happened before, but this is one of the first occasions where humanitarian staff members have been deliberately assaulted.

The incident last Friday left three people from the Danish Refugee Council NGO injured, one seriously.

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

“High correlation” between inequality and unrest

When people are less equal, there’s more likelihood of social and political unrest; that’s the view of Harvard University Professor and Nobel Laureate, Eric Maskin.

He says that while it was widely expected that globalization would reduce inequality, income disparities between skilled and unskilled workers has only increased in recent years.

The International Monetary Fund’s Bruce Edwards has been talking to Professor Maskin.

Audio
5'42"
ILO

Social dialogue key for improving workplaces

Effective social dialogue between governments, workers and employers can improve compliance and produce better workplaces.

That’s according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), which says social dialogue includes all types of negotiation, consultation and an open exchange of information between partners.

Audio
2'54"

UN convention to protect migrant workers holds first meeting

The States parties to an international treaty protecting the rights of 60 to 65 million workers and their families held their first meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York, pledging to protect migrants from physical and sexual abuse, working in inhumane conditions and being denied freedom of thought and expression.

UN treaty on the rights of migrant workers enters into force

The United Nations international treaty on the rights of migrant workers and their families came into force today, a landmark in global efforts to protect people who - separated from their countries of origin - have historically fallen through the cracks of the international legal system.