The UN improves global growth forecasts for 2023
The world economy will grow 2.3% in 2023according to a report by the UN Economic Department that improves the forecast by almost half a point since January.
By 2024, growth will be 2.5%. Despite this rebound, the growth rate is still well below the average of the two decades prior to the pandemic, which was 3.1%.
In many developing countries, the outlook has deteriorated due to tightening credit conditions and rising costs of external financing.
in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, GDP per capita is projected to increase only marginally.
“The current global economic outlook poses an immediate challenge to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Li Junhua, General secretary UN Deputy for Economic and Social Affairs.
Inflation remains stubbornly high in many countries, despite the fact that international food and energy prices fell substantially last year.
It is anticipated that the world average inflation is 5.2% in 2023compared to the maximum of two decades of 7.5% registered in 2022.
A plan to reduce the use of plastics by 80% by 2040
Plastic pollution could be reduced by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies make profound changes to their policies and markets using existing technologies.
The Program of the United Nations for the Environment has published an analysis ahead of the second round of negotiations in Paris on a global agreement to end plastic pollution.
The report proposes three strategies:
- Re-use: refilling bottles, using bulk dispensers or returning containers can reduce plastic pollution by 30%
- Recycle: it would mean an additional 20% by 2040 if it becomes a more stable and profitable business
- Refocus and diversify: replacing containers, bags of food items with alternative materials such as paper can mean an additional decrease of 17%
The report acknowledges that, even if all the above measures were to be implemented, in 2040 there will still be a need to address 100 million metric tons of single-use plastics, in addition to what was previously accumulated.
WHO urges prudence in the use of artificial intelligence
The World Health Organization calls for prudence in the use of artificial intelligence. The agency warns of the many dangers and asks politicians to ensure the safety of its use before it becomes widespread in the medical field.
Rash adoption of unproven systems could lead to errors on the part of healthcare personnel or cause harm to patients, warns the WHO.
Therefore, it calls for “rigorous supervision” and explains some “reasons for concern.” For example, the data used to train artificial intelligence may be biased, generating misleading or inaccurate information; In addition, this data may be sensitive or confidential and may be used without consent.
The WHO also warns that artificial intelligence systems “generate responses that may appear authoritative and plausible,” but “may be completely incorrect or contain serious errors.”
In addition, “it can be misused to generate and spread very convincing misinformation in the form of text, audio or video content that the public can hardly differentiate from reliable health content”.
The Organization recommends that policy makers ensure the safety and protection of patients “before their widespread use in routine health care and medicine.”
Rapporteur on child exploitation visits Uruguay
The Special Rapporteur on the sale, exploitation and sexual abuse of children begins a ten-day visit to Uruguay today.
Mama Fatima Singhateh will review the measures taken by the country to protect minors against sexual exploitation, child marriage, trafficking, and sale through illegal adoption.
The rapporteur is visiting Uruguay at the invitation of the Government, and will hold talks with the authorities and civil society organizations, shelters for minors and local communities.
