UNESCO will dedicate International Education Day to Afghan girls and women
The next International Day of Education 2023 will be dedicated to Afghan girls and women, reported Thursday the Unesco.
The commemoration will take place on January 24 at the United Nations headquarters in New York and will include the participation of General secretary of the UN, the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations and the Director General of UNESCO. The first round table will be dedicated to the education of girls and women in Afghanistan.
The head of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture stressed that “no country in the world should prevent women and girls from receiving an education” and recalled that “education is a universal human right that must be respected.”
Audrey Azoulay added that “the international community has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of Afghan girls and women are restored without delay” and called for an end to “the war on women”.
80% of Afghan girls and young women of school age do not go to school, due to the decision of the Afghan de facto authorities that deny them access to secondary and university education.
These measures pose a threat to the development gains achieved by the country in the last 20 years. The number of students enrolled at all levels of education between 2001 and 2021 rose from close to one million to around ten million, and was supported by the international community, including UNESCO.
Human Rights Experts Admitted in Mining Contamination Lawsuit
A South African court has inducted several UN human rights experts in a class action lawsuit brought by alleged victims of mining contamination in Zambia’s central Kabwe district.
Three UN special rapporteurs, those related to toxic substances, extreme poverty and the rights of persons with disabilities and the UN working groups on companies and discrimination against women and girls requested to intervene in the case where they will provide objective information.
The South Gauteng Province High Court will hear arguments this week on whether the victims’ claim for damages can be considered on the merits. The lawsuit was filed in South Africa against Anglo American, a South African-based mining company.
The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of children and women of childbearing age who suffered harm and injuries as a result of exposure to lead contamination.
The experts argued that Anglo American is acting contrary to its stated commitments to human rights in business when it opposes the Court even considering this class action.
Tourism on track to recover pre-coronavirus levels
International tourist arrivals this year could grow and be between 80% and 95%% compared to the levels reached before the pandemic.
According to World Tourism Organizationthe accuracy of this forecast will depend on a number of factors such as the magnitude of the economic slowdown, whether there is a recovery in travel in Asia and the Pacific and the evolution of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other variables.
Although international tourism registered notable increases in all regions of the world, Europe led the improvement with almost 80% in relation to pre-pandemic levels. Africa and the Americas recovered about 65% of visitors, while the Asia-Pacific region only recovered 23%.
Regarding this last market, the recent lifting of travel restrictions due to COVID-19 in China, represents “an important step for the recovery of the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific and around the world.”
They publish a new guide to fly safely in times of COVID-19
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) today published a series of recommendations designed to help countries maintain air connectivity while taking the necessary measures to mitigate the current risks of transmission of COVID-19.
The agency’s new bulletin clearly underlines that as more States lift their COVID-19-related cross-border restrictions on air travelers, it is important that “only measures based” solely on risk management in evidence, and following the recommendations and guidelines of the World Health Organization and the ICAO
The circular points out the need “to carry out periodic and exhaustive risk assessments, (…) in addition to determining the applicable public health resources both in the State of departure and in the destination, guarantee good communication between the various interested parties and balance the risk to public health with the need to maintain services.
The guide also examines the current variants of COVID-19, offers advice on how to keep borders open and ensure the well-being of aircrew and other key civil aviation professionals.
