sea

Following his first visit to the Central African Republic, the newly-appointed Special Coordinator on Improving UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, or SEA, `underscored the need to “turn words into deeds” when it comes to zero tolerance of the scourge.

During his first field visit since taking office this month, Christian Saunders reiterated the UN’s firm stance against any and all such acts.

The ocean is the “main player” in Caribbean tourism and this “fragile resource” must be protected.

That’s the opinion of the Director of Sustainable Tourism for the 33-member Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Julio Orozco.

Mr Orozco is based in Trinidad and Tobago which is among the world’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which depend on the sea for economic survival.

Civil society groups, government agencies and local people in Trinidad and Tobago are coming together to improve management of forests and other protected areas, including those linked to the sea.

They are doing so through a US$30 million project focusing on six pilot sites across the island nation that include a marine protected area in Tobago, home to several significant coral reef formations.

The death toll among refugees and migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea has reached an all-time high, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has reported.

At least 3,740 lives have been lost so far this year compared to 3,771 for the whole of 2015, the highest number on record.

Many of those making the journey have been boarding from Libya in North Africa to get to Italy, a route that UNHCR considers extremely dangerous due to the open sea, strong currents and grim weather.

Denouncing sexual abuse by international peacekeeping forces is not enough, the UN must respond quickly to help the victims and help render justice.

That’s according to a senior UN official in charge of improving the United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA).

The Central African Republic has a history of military coups and rebellion has been plagued by sectarian violence between two opposing groups for the past three years.

Jocelyne Sambira has the story.

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Stricter rules and guidelines against the dumping of radioactive material at sea will protect humans and marine life.

That’s according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN agency responsible for the methodology recently adopted by nearly 90 countries party to a 1972 Convention on preventing marine pollution.

Guidance on protecting  people who have been rescued at sea has been jointly issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Chamber of Shipping.