Tag Archives: UN

Children Worldwide Call For Promises Of Universal Education

February 1, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

New York – Through an innovative, children-led campaign delivered by the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), crisis-impacted girls and boys worldwide are sharing “Postcards from the Edge” to call on world leaders and public and private sector donors to make good on promises to ensure education for all by 2030 as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

These first-person accounts and drawings offer inspiring and thought-provoking portraits of the challenges facing girls and boys caught in conflict and protracted crises around the world.

“They are inspiring and compelling stories of hope and an incredible resilience in the face of adversity and testaments to the amazing power of education to transform lives. We must listen to the world’s children. They deserve their human right to an education. Their voice must speak to our decency, they deserve to be heard,” said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait.

To date, more than 50 letters, drawings and videos have been received from crisis-affected girls and boys supported through ECW-funded programmes across more than 20 of the world’s toughest country-contexts.

ECW’s strategic partners – including Educo, Plan International, Save the Children, Street Child, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Vision and many others – continue to collect these first-person accounts to highlight the singular power of education to end violence, hunger and poverty, and build a more peaceful world for generations to come.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lucas*, a 14-year-old refugee from the Central African Republic recounts the story of seeing his mother murdered and his village burnt to the ground.

Through a multi-year resilience programme delivered by UNHCR with funding from ECW, the boy is now back in school and dreams one day of becoming a doctor.

In his postcard, Lucas makes an impassioned plea for world leaders “to think of us refugee children and provide funding to let us finish our studies.”

Worldwide 222 million girls and boys like Lucas are having their futures ripped from them by the converging impacts of conflict, climate change, forced displacement and other protracted crises. Girls and children with disabilities are especially at risk.

Several letters were submitted from girls and boys in Afghanistan. With new rules banning girls from education and denying women their human rights, it is not clear if Zehab* from the Uruzgan Province will be able to continue her education. But for now, with the support of ECW and Street Child, she is still able to attend a non-formal community-based learning programme.

“I want to get education and become a well-known doctor. But I am wondering that I might not achieve my dreams, as girls are not allowed to attend schools in Afghanistan,” she says in her postcard. “I call on the world leaders to help us and give us the opportunity to learn and lead our future.”

Leaders across the globe will come together at the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference on February 16 and 17 in Geneva, Switzerland, to make good on commitments to ensure every child, everywhere, is offered a quality education.

Throughout the event, youth advocates and global champions will read the Postcards from the Edge to ensure the voice of the world’s most vulnerable children are heard.

Education Cannot Wait is calling on donors, foundations and high-net-worth individuals to mobilize US$1.5 billion over the next four years. With this funding, ECW and its strategic partners will reach 20 million children and adolescents with the safety, hope and opportunity that only quality education can provide.

*Names have been changed for privacy purposes.

#PostcardsFromTheEdge – Letters from Children

Earth

US Climate Scientist Pushes For Canadian Carbon Tax Serfdom?

February 1, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

(Calgary, Alberta) The Canadian Federation of Taxpayers (CTF) has issued a new report on global carbon taxes, showing most countries have frozen or rolled back carbon taxes, but US climate scientist James Hansen is pushing for a $210/t carbon tax in Canada by 2030. Hansen’s argument is that the tax has to be high enough that people will buy into the carbon dividend (rebate to lower income households) – effectively making Canadians into carbon serfs and a carbon welfare society. CTF reports: “About half of the emissions covered by carbon taxes are priced below US$10/tCO2e, according to the World Bank’s most recent State and Trends of Carbon Pricing (2019).” Canada has more than 600 greenhouse gas reduction/incentive measures on the books, which have never been audited for effectiveness.

This begs the question of “what is a climate scientist doing dabbling in Canada’s domestic affairs on carbon taxes, pushing a carbon tax that is 21 times that of the world,” says Friends of Science Society.

As revealed by Lawrence Solomon in the 2009 article “Enron’s Other Secret” “James Hansen, the scientist who more than any other is responsible for bringing the possibility of climate-change catastrophe to the public, was among the scientists Enron commissioned.”

Chart: How the World Puts a Price on Carbon | Statista

Enron had profited from cap and trade, but the company collapsed into a pile of ashes in 2001 due to off-book accounting and financial fraud.

None-the-less, a group of green billionaires took up the global cap-and-trade challenge, apparently working from the Enron carbon/cap-and-trade scheme model, as reported by Nisbet in 2018. Like Enron, they have funded local and global environmental groups to agitate for policies in countries around the world, favorable to their proposed global cap and trade plan. The plans require a price on carbon with the intention of funding their trillions in vested interests in renewables. Many of these groups are associated with the Tar Sands Campaign that has falsely created “Fear and Loathing” of the Alberta oil sands and driven a downturn in the economy.

Michael Moore’s recent movie “Planet of the Humans” revealed how this green crony capitalism is destroying the planet for no climate benefit.

Canadians now face an onslaught of Carbonbaggers – the number one being Mark Carney, now UN Climate Czar and former Bank of England and Bank of Canada governor. Carney threatens firms with bankruptcy if they do not comply with his demands to report on climate risk and abandon fossil fuel investments.

As Robert Lyman’s new report shows: “Broken Promises: Why Renewables Offer No Resilient Recovery”, Carney is misleading the public and investors on global oil consumption and demand.

Both oil production and consumption have risen by more than one million barrels per day per year since 2012.

• Oil demand is at its highest level in history.

• In absolute terms, oil demand is growing twice as fast as renewables.

• Global oil reserves have risen throughout the period, from 1141 billion barrels in 1998 to 1730 billion barrels in 2018; peak oil is nowhere in sight. That is a 10 million barrel per day increase over the nine years.

• In absolute terms, natural gas is experiencing the fastest rate of growth of all energy sources, almost three times as fast as renewables.

• Natural gas demand is at its highest level in history.

Friends of Science Society says carbon dioxide from human industry is a nominal influence on climate change, known since the 2013 IPCC AR5 report. The fact that financial ‘experts’ like Mark Carney are still pushing the climate-carbon dioxide catastrophe theme constitutes a violation of securities regulations related to ‘material change’. Furthermore, as Roger Pielke, Jr. reports, climate catastrophe scenarios are the product of green billionaires pushing the ‘climate porn’ scenario, which is far from reality or business-as-usual.

“Green” groups in Canada are demanding that the new Canadian Infrastructure Bank be used to finance their green crony capitalist schemes.

Friends of Science Society issued a request for ethics investigation into the development of the Canadian Infrastructure Bank in Nov. 2017. The Conflict of Interest concerns expressed there are still valid in their opinion.

Evidence from Norway to Zimbabwe shows that carbon taxes have no discernible impact on emissions reduction and are simply oppressive to taxpayers and industry. Friends of Science Society says Carbonbaggers should not be using carbon taxes as a means of creating a Canadian climate welfare state, especially not driven by foreign influences, street theatre, and deception.

See “The Roots of Global Warming”.

About

Friends of Science Society is an independent group of earth, atmospheric and solar scientists, engineers, and citizens who are celebrating its 17th year of offering climate science insights. After a thorough review of a broad spectrum of literature on climate change, Friends of Science Society has concluded that the sun is the main driver of climate change, not carbon dioxide (CO2).

Featured image by @HeatherLibby

Culture

UNESCO Puts Spotlight On Women’s Voices In Imagining World To Come

May 18, 2020 The Silo Leave a comment

Paris, May—UNESCO has invited leading women thinkers, artists and activists from fields ranging from climatology to international relations through physics and African studies, to voice their views on the challenges and opportunities the world will face in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first six short videos published today provide a female perspective on questions regarding the environment, education and international relations that are coming to the fore during the current global crisis. UNESCO chose to highlight female perspectives in its first videos as the thinking about these pressing issues remains dominated by male voices all too often and in all too many parts of the world.

The first six inspiring women featured in UNESCO’s Forum of Ideas are: Katharine Hayhoe (Canada), Climate Scientist, Director of the Texas Tech University Climate Science Center, Professor of Political Science and UN Champion of the Earth, Fadia Kiwan (Lebanon), Political Science Professor, General Director of the Arab Women Organization, Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the UNESCO-MOST Programme, Sara Purca (Peru), Researcher at the Peruvian Sea Institute, winner of Peru’s National L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science (2017) Prize, N’Dri Assie-Lumumba (Côte d’Ivoire), Professor at the Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the UNESCO-MOST Programme, Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (Japan),Professor of International Affairs, Director of the Oslo University Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health, and Márcia Barbosa (Brazil), Physicist, Director of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, laureate of L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science (2013).

New contributions from prominent women and men working in all parts of the world in a rich variety of disciplines will be added to the UNESCO Forum of Ideas platform over coming months.

In producing its Forum of Ideas series, UNESCO fulfills its mission as an open and inclusive laboratory of ideas, destined to contribute to strategic thinking about the Organization’s programmes. UNESCO also hopes that the series will inspire national policy-makers and provide a positive contribution to global governance. For the Silo, Clare O’Hagan.

UNESCO Forum website: en.unesco.org/forum

Earth

Gucci Joins The Lion’s Share Fund To Support Wildlife Conservation

February 12, 2020 The Silo 1 Comment

NEW YORK, February, 2020 – Gucci, one of the world’s leading luxury fashion brands, has joined The Lion’s Share Fund, a unique initiative raising much-needed funds to tackle the crisis in nature, biodiversity and climate across the globe.

Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a coalition of businesses and UN partners, the Fund aims to raise over $100 million per year within the next five years for animal conservation, biodiversity and climate by asking brands to contribute 0.5% of their media spend every time an animal is featured in their advertisements.

https://youtu.be/qnT8yDfrP5M

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said: “This partnership with Gucci marks the continuing evolution of this innovative fund, which provides a unique opportunity for brands across all industries to join forces and help preserve and protect biodiversity across the globe. Wildlife populations are half the size they were just 50 years ago, and their habitats and ecosystems are destroyed at an unprecedented rate due to human activity. Lion’s Share is an idea that is as innovative as it is simple – and it makes a real impact on wildlife conservation.”

Achim Steiner

Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, said: “The Lion’s Share Fund is an important addition to our conservation strategy. Nature and wildlife provide Gucci with inspired creation that is an integral part of our narrative through our collections and campaigns. With the increasing threats to the planet’s biodiversity, groundbreaking initiatives like The Lion’s Share Fund have the potential to be transformative by organically connecting the business community with direct action to protect our natural habitats and most threatened species.” Bizzarri continued “In a similar way, since 2018, Gucci has been totally carbon neutral across our supply chain and we offset our remaining emissions every year through REDD+, which protects critical forests and biodiversity around the world.”

Marco Bizzarri

Launched in September 2018, the Fund is already having an impact, providing a grant to improve critical radio systems for law enforcement officers protecting wildlife in Mozambique’s Niassa Nature Reserve and helping reduce the elephant poaching rate to zero, and providing a grant to help secure land for endangered orangutans, elephants and tigers in North Sumatra in Indonesia.

Animals appear in approximately 20 per cent of all advertisements in the world, yet despite this, animals do not always receive the support they deserve.

The Lion’s Share gives brands the opportunity to take urgent and significant action and play their part in protecting our planet.

For more information, visit TheLionsShareFund.com.

About GUCCI

Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury fashion brands, with a renowned reputation for creativity, innovation and Italian craftsmanship.

Gucci is part of Kering, a global Luxury group managing the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods, Jewelry and Watches.

For further information about Gucci, visit www.gucci.com

About The Lion’s Share Fund

The Lion’s Share was established in June 2018 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with FINCH, Mars, Incorporated, Nielsen and BBDO as founding members. The fund tackles the crisis in biodiversity and climate by asking advertisers worldwide to donate 0.5 percent of their media spend for each advertisement that features an animal. Those funds are pooled and distributed to projects globally that have a significant impact on animal conservation, habitat loss and the climate crisis. The Lion’s Share contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s universal call to action to end poverty and protect the planet.

About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP partners with people across societies to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. For more information on UNDP, visit undp.org.

Philanthropy

Mark Canada 150 By Raising 150K Meals For Haiti Children With This UN App

June 28, 2017 The Silo Leave a comment

CANADA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched the #ASK1TOASK1 campaign, asking all Canadians to join the challenge to raise 150,000 meals for children in Haiti through the ShareTheMeal app to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Every day, countless children in Haiti turn up for school on an empty stomach, which makes it hard to focus on lessons. A daily school meal can mean not only better nutrition and health, but help the next generation reach its full potential. The #ASK1TOASK1 ShareTheMeal campaign will allow WFP to scale up their Home Grown School Meals programme in Haiti.

It costs just $4.55cdn, less than a bottle of maple syrup, to provide one week of nutritious meals to children in school through the ShareTheMeal app! The app allows users to share nutritious food with hungry children around the world by simply tapping on their smartphone and donating $0.65 or more.

“WFP’s ShareTheMeal app and the #ASK1TOASK1 campaign provides Canadians with an easy way to share meals with hungry children in Haiti,” said Robert Opp, a Canadian who is Director of Innovation and Change Management at WFP.
“Daily school meals allow children to focus on their studies rather than their stomachs, feeding their dreams for the future.”

Haiti has been repeatedly affected by a series of devastating natural disasters over the last two decades. 2016 was the third consecutive year of El Nino-related drought, and the country was hit by the category 4 Hurricane Matthew, which left more than 800,000 people in need of urgent food assistance.

In Haiti, WFP is working together with the Government to produce a sustainable, nationally-owned, school feeding programme linked to local agricultural production. WFP procures local commodities such as rice, fresh fruit and vegetables from the local smallholder farmers, giving them a predictable market for their products and the children enjoy a healthy diversified school meal.

Join WFP Ambassador Against Hunger, George Stroumboulopoulos and other celebrities like World Champion Wrestler Andre Berto, Singer Dawn Richard and Canadian national Olympic Weightlifter Isabel Lahela who have all committed to help fundraise for the children in Haiti. To get involved, simply download the free app, join team #Canuck and once you have fed a child for a week share with your social media network, using the hashtag #ASK1TOASK1.

WFP’s award-winning app has engaged a new generation in supporting the fight against hunger. More than 850,000 people have downloaded the app and shared over 14 million meals with thousands of vulnerable children in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Malawi, Cameroon, South Sudan and Yemen.

The ShareTheMeal community recently contributed to WFP’s famine response in South Sudan, where users shared 1 million meals with those people in dire need of food.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

ShareTheMeal allows smartphone users to share their meals with hungry people via a free iOS and Android app. ShareTheMeal is an initiative of the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator.

Download the app here.
For more information, please visit: https://sharethemeal.org/canuck.html

For the Silo, Laura Mirarchi & Julie Marshall, WFP/Toronto.

Featured image- http://www.public-value.cbc.radio-canada.ca/story/1/

LE PAM ET SHARETHEMEAL LANCENT UNE CAMPAGNE POUR DISTRIBUER 150 000 REPAS À DES ENFANTS EN HAÏTI EN L’HONNEUR DU 150ÈME ANNIVERSAIRE DU CANADA

CANADA – Le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM) des Nations Unies démarre aujourd’hui la campagne #ASK1TOASK1, qui propose aux Canadiens de participer à un challenge visant à distribuer 150 000 repas à des enfants en Haïti via l’application ShareTheMeal en l’honneur du 150ème anniversaire du Canada.

Chaque jour, de très nombreux enfants haïtiens vont à l’école le ventre vide, ce qui les empêche de se concentrer. En plus d’améliorer leur nutrition et leur santé, un repas scolaire quotidien peut permettre à la prochaine génération d’atteindre pleinement son potentiel. La campagne #Ask1toAsk1 de ShareTheMeal permettra au PAM d’étendre la portée de son programme “Home Grown School Meals”, qui fournit des repas scolaires produits localement.

Avec l’application ShareTheMeal, fournir une semaine de repas scolaires nourrissants à des enfants ne coûte que $4,55, soit moins qu’une bouteille de sirop d’érable ! L’application permet aux utilisateurs de partager de la nourriture saine avec des enfants dans le besoin en quelques clics sur leur smartphone, en faisant des dons de $0,65 ou plus.

Robert Opp, directeur canadien de l’Innovation et du Changement au PAM, dit que “ l’application ShareTheMeal et la campagne #ASK1TOASK1 offrent aux Canadiens un moyen simple de partager des repas avec des enfants dans le besoin en Haïti.”
“Des repas scolaires quotidiens permettent aux enfants de se concentrer sur leurs études et non sur leur estomac, alimentant leurs projets futurs”

Haïti a été touché par une série de graves catastrophes naturelles lors des deux dernières décennies. En 2016, le pays a connu pour la troisième année consécutive des sécheresses causées par El Nino, et a été touché par l’ouragan Matthew de catégorie 4. En conséquence, plus de 800 000 personnes ont un besoin urgent d’assistance alimentaire.
En Haïti, le PAM collabore avec le gouvernement pour mettre en place un programme de repas scolaires durable et public, qui s’appuie sur l’agriculture locale. Le PAM se fournit en produits locaux auprès d’agriculteurs haïtiens de petite taille. Ces achats de riz, fruits et légumes frais donnent accès aux producteurs à un marché stable et offrent aux enfants des repas sains et variés.

Rejoignez l’ambassadeur du PAM George Stroumboulopoulos et d’autres célébrités comme le Champion du monde de lutte Andre Berto, la chanteuse Dawn Richard et l’haltérophile Isabel Lahela, qui se sont engagés à aider à collecter des fonds pour les enfants en Haïti. Pour participer, vous n’avez qu’à télécharger gratuitement l’application, rejoindre l’équipe #Canuck et, après avoir partagé une semaine de repas avec un enfant, partager cela sur les réseaux sociaux en utilisant le hashtag #ASK1TOASK1.

ShareTheMeal, l’application du PAM, a gagné de nombreuses récompenses pour avoir impliqué la nouvelle génération dans la lutte contre la faim. Plus de 850 000 personnes ont téléchargé l’application et ont partagé plus de 14 millions de repas avec des milliers d’enfants vulnérables en Jordanie, en Syrie, au Malawi, au Cameroun, au Soudan du Sud et au Yémen.

La communauté ShareTheMeal a récemment participé à l’intervention du PAM au Soudan du Sud, partageant 1 million de repas avec des personnes ayant un besoin urgent d’assistance alimentaire.

Le PAM est la plus grande agence humanitaire de lutte contre la faim dans le monde, apportant une assistance alimentaire pour résoudre des situations d’urgence et travaillant avec les populations locales pour améliorer la nutrition et mettre en place un système alimentaire stable. Chaque année le PAM vient en aide à 80 millions de personnes dans 80 pays.

Grâce à l’application Android et iOS ShareTheMeal, les utilisateurs de smartphones peuvent partager leurs repas avec des personnes dans le besoin. ShareTheMeal est une initiative de l’accélérateur du Programme Alimentaire Mondial.

Téléchargez gratuitement l’application : http://ow.ly/IucL30cAl5h
Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous ici : https://sharethemeal.org/canuck.html

Suivez-nous sur Twitter @wfp_Canada et @ShareTheMealorg

	POSTCARDS
“For me, #education is the only hope I have left to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor.”~Lucas, 14, 🇨🇫 refugee in #DRCongo. Read how @EduCannotWait+@UNHCR_DRC help children like Lucas achieve their dreams!👉bit.ly/3XTpzEf#PostcardsFromTheEdge
Darline, 14, from #Haiti🇭🇹 demands change & an #education! @EduCannotWait’s #PostcardsFromTheEdge Campaign amplifies the voices of girls & boys like Darline ahead of #HLFC2023.Read Darline’s powerful letter📨http://bit.ly/3ixhKoX @UNICEFHaiti#222MillionDreams✨📚
“I want to be an architect in the future to help build & reconstruct my country #Syria🇸🇾 & all the countries that are affected by war & destruction.” ~Kamil, 12, refugee in #Iraq. Read @EduCannotWait’s #PostcardsFromTheEdge delivered w/@SavetheChildren.📨 http://bit.ly/3kui6Nt
“I aspire to be a #teacher because I feel I have a heart to care, ears to listen, time to give & ideas to share” ~Huma, #Pakistan🇵🇰. Read her #PostcardsFromTheEdge to hear how @EduCannotWait+@UNICEF_Pakistan is making #222MillionDreams✨📚 come true.📨bit.ly/3R7l4UE
11-year-old Zawad, a refugee in #Bangladesh🇧🇩, wants his community and family to prioritize education. With support from @UNICEFBD+@EduCannotWait his dreams are coming true. Learn more in his inspiring #PostcardsFromTheEdge 👉bit.ly/3DcFl5s
“I call on the world leaders to help us and give us the opportunity to learn and lead our future.” ~Zehab, #Afghanistan🇦🇫. Read Zehab’s @EduCannotWait’s #PostcardsFromTheEdge 📨https://bit.ly/3CTEpmh Like & retweet if you agree #EducationCannotWait for #Afghan girls!