Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, resistance to antimicrobials, employment and extremism… The news on Tuesday

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: it is critical that aid arrives within seven days

The UN humanitarian workers affirmed that the exact magnitude of the catastrophe caused by the two earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria on Monday has yet to be determined, and stressed the need to intensify the search tasks, the rescue of the victims and guarantee that Help reaches everyone who needs it.

The spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN (OCHA), Jens Laerke, explained that “there is a window of about seven days (…) in which we will find living survivors. It can happen later, but it is really critical that these teams get out as soon as possible.”

According to Turkish government sources cited by the spokesman, the death toll exceeds 3,000 people and the number of wounded rises to more than 20,000. Regarding the damage to the infrastructure, he indicated that the number of collapsed buildings would be around 6,000.

Laerke stressed that Syria’s needs are enormous and explained that, according to the country’s health authorities, the earthquakes caused 769 deaths and 1,448 injuries in various cities and refugee camps.

The spokesman for UNICEFJames Elder, explained that displaced families in northwest Syria and those of Syrian refugees living in Turkey in informal settlements are among the most vulnerable, as nighttime temperatures continue to drop below 0ºC.

Elder recalled that the situation in that area of ​​Syria was already an emergency before the earthquakes and that the communities are facing an outbreak of cholera and heavy rains and snowfalls.

UNESCO assesses the damage to the heritage of both nations

For her part, the Unesco began a first study of the damage that the earthquake caused to the patrimony of both nations. The agency is especially concerned about the situation in the ancient city of Aleppo, inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Among the defects found, significant damage was observed in the citadel, the collapse of the western tower of the old wall and that it was deteriorated. the structures of various buildings in the souks

In Turkey, UNESCO regretted the collapse of several World Heritage buildings, such as the Diyarbakır Fortress Cultural Landscape and Hevsel Gardens, and believes that other sites on the list of protected assets were also affected.

If we want to reduce superbugs, the world must cut pollution

To reduce the emergence, transmission and spread of superbugs – strains of bacteria that become resistant to all known antibiotics – and other cases of antimicrobial resistance, it is essential to reduce pollution from the pharmaceutical, agricultural and healthcare sectors.

A new report from the Program of United Nations for the Environment (UNEP) indicates that in 2050 there could be up to 10 million deaths per year due to this phenomenon, a figure comparable to the global rate of deaths from cancer in 2020.

The economic cost of resistance to microorganisms could cause a drop in GDP of at least 3.4 trillion dollars per year by 2030, a situation that would cause an increase in extreme poverty in 24 million people.

The report outlines a broad set of measures to address environmental degradation and rising antimicrobial resistance, in particular by tackling the main sources of pollution from poor sanitation, sewage, and community and municipal waste.

Lack of employment, main driver for joining extremist groups in Africa

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

The hope of finding work is the main factor driving people to join violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, concludes a new report released today by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The Program administrator stated that lack of income, job opportunities, livelihoods, or desperation pushes people in many countries in that area “to take advantage of the opportunities that anyone offers.”

Achim Steiner explained that around 25% of the people recruited cited a lack of job opportunities as the main reason for joining these groups, while around 40% stated that they were “urgently in need of livelihood at the time of recruitment”.

The second reason for joining violent groups is family and friends, for example when women join their spouses. Joining a violent group for religious reasons is the third reason, cited by only 17% of those interviewed.

The report is based on interviews with almost 2,200 people from eight countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan. More than 1,000 interviewees are former members of violent extremist groups, both voluntary and forced recruits.