# data[].attributes.body
With the current ongoing crisis between Canada and India, Canada's opinion and viewpoint might be valuable when addressing this issue in the Security Council. Working together with India on this issue, they might be able to come up with a resolution.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hours before Mr Trudeau spoke to the press on Thursday, Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, told reporters that India had made it clear that "we are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us. But so far we have not received any such specific information."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
India-Canada row: Justin Trudeau repeats allegation against India amid row

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that there were "credible reasons" for the allegation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
India: group discussion on increasing population in India is a problem?

# data[].attributes.body
India now has the world's largest population and I think it would be interesting to address these issues and find ways of addressing the overpopulation issues in India.

# data[].attributes.body
This graph shows problems in Mexico that are recent. These problems related to the Disarmament and International Security which can be adressed and is very important to the security of the citizens of Mexico.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A March 2023 survey revealed that the main problem Mexicans face are crime and insecurity. 42.1 percent of people surveyed in Mexico believed those were the main issue of the country. That does not come as a surprise when the victimization rate was over 24,000 victims per every 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Moreover, violence and crime have an estimated economic cost of almost five billion Mexican pesos per year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A March 2023 survey revealed that the main problem Mexicans face are crime and insecurity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [AP Photo]

For months, Saudi Arabia and Israel - with the United States - have been discussing an agreement to normalise relations.

The US has made it clear that official relations between its two allies in the Middle East is a top priority, with top diplomat Antony Blinken declaring it a " national security interest ".

Keep reading

This comes amid a regional realignment after Iran and Saudi Arabia re-established diplomatic ties after years of animosity.

On Wednesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told US channel Fox News: "Every day we get closer" to a normalisation deal with Israel.

So what are Saudi Arabia's conditions for normalisation?

Riyadh wants a US defence pact - including fewer restrictions on US arms sales to it - and assistance in developing its own civilian nuclear programme.

It also said any deal would require major progress towards the creation of a Palestinian state, which is a hard sell for the most religious and far-right nationalist government in Israel's history.

The Saudi crown prince, Bin Salman, says in an interview with the Fox News: If Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, we must obtain one as well. pic.twitter.com/yg9QIJHuGV

- Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 20, 2023

Saudi Arabia has been a big proponent of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions normalisation with Israel on its withdrawal from Palestinian territory and Syria's Golan Heights.

The initiative also includes the establishment of a Palestinian state as well as finding a "fair solution" to the plight of the millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, most of whom live in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.

What did Israel say?

On Thursday, Israel's foreign minister struck an optimistic tone, saying he expects a deal to be reached soon.

"The gaps can be bridged," Eli Cohen told Israel's Army Radio. "I think there is certainly a likelihood that, in the first quarter of 2024, four or five months hence, we will be able to be at a point where the details [of a deal] are finalised," he added.

Israeli PM Netanyahu and U.S. President Biden discussed Saudi-Israel normalization on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"Under your leadership Mr. President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia." Netanyahu said pic.twitter.com/vRA74sHJKk

- Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) September 20, 2023

Saudi Arabia's desire to build a nuclear programme does not seem to be an obstacle. Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's national security adviser, said in July: "Dozens of countries operate projects with civilian nuclear cores and with nuclear endeavours for energy. This is not something that endangers them nor their neighbours."

However, Netanyahu's government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has rejected "concessions" to the Palestinian Authority (PA) government as part of normalising relations, including a settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank.

How has the Palestinian Authority reacted?

In a bid to win over the PA, Saudi Arabia has offered to resume financial support to it after aid dropped to zero in 2021.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, a delegation of PA officials last month went to Riyadh to press for their own set of conditions in exchange for acquiescing to Saudi Arabia normalising ties with Israel.

The conditions include the reopening of the US consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, which former US President Donald Trump closed in 2019. The PA has also asked the US to back full Palestinian representation at the United Nations.

Other conditions include Israel giving the PA more control over some parts of the occupied West Bank and getting rid of illegal Israeli outposts.

This has been a far cry from how the PA reacted when Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced normalisation with Israel in 2020. At the time, the PA accused the Gulf states of stabbing it in the back.

What has Iran said?

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Saudi Arabia against making any deal with Israel.

At a news conference, also in New York on the fringes of the UN General Assembly, Raisi told Sky News such a deal would be a "stab in the back of the Palestinian people and their resistance".

"Under no circumstances are the regional countries willing for the Islamic countries to abandon the sacred principle of the plight of the Palestinian people because the liberation of the holy city of Jerusalem is at the core of the belief of all Muslims," he said.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What's happening with normalising ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Saudi Arabia ready to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for a US defence pact and civilian nuclear programme.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Afghanistan | Today’s latest from Al Jazeera

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stay on top of Afghanistan latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps.

# data[].attributes.body
As of July 2023, China produces roughly 6.51 million metric tons of plastic products every month. Since January 2020, the highest monthly output of plastic products was recorded in December 2021, at 7.95 million metric tons. The graph shows the plastic China produces monthly in 2023, a third of the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As of July 2023, China produces roughly 6.51 million metric tons of plastic products every month. Since January 2020, the highest monthly output of plastic products was recorded in December 2021, at 7.95 million metric tons.

Plastics production in China

China is the world's largest plastic producer by far, accounting for nearly one-third of global plastics production. China's share of plastic materials production has been steadily increasing in recent years, rising from 26 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2020.

Chinese plastics industry

With China's plastic export volume continuously growing over the past few decades, the industry has undergone a transition from quantity to quality; the future development of this industry is focusing more on technological innovation with eco-friendly concepts. This is partly due to consumers' health concerns as well as international environmental concerns.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China: plastic products production monthly 2023 | Statista

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As of July 2023, China produces roughly 6.51 million metric tons of plastic products every month.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
All news about Netherlands politics | Euronews

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Information about Netherlands politics. Select the subjects you want to know more about on euronews.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Afghanistan: An entire population pushed into poverty

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Five reasons why Afghanistan remains within the top 3 countries most at risk of worsening humanitarian crisis in the International Rescue Committee’s Emergency Watchlist.

# data[].attributes.body
I think israel would be a good country as there is a lot to discuss especially about foreign relations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has said "every day we get closer" to normalising ties with Israel.

A deal between the two powers would mark a huge regional shift.

As part of the negotiation process, the Wall Street Journal said Israeli and US officials were working on a plan that could see Riyadh openly enrich uranium.

Enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who has previously warned about the dangers of a Middle Eastern nuclear arms race - has not publicly responded to that article.

The Fox News interview aired shortly after Mr Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden met on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

They also spoke positively about the chances of a breakthrough that would see Israel and Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations for the first time. The US is a close ally of both countries.

An Israeli official statement said the meeting in New York "mostly dealt with ways to establish an historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could greatly advance an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict".

Israel's Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, later said that a framework deal could be in place by early next year. "The gaps can be bridged," Mr Cohen told Israel's Army Radio. "It will take time. But there is progress."

The Biden administration hopes such a timeframe would enable it to clinch ratification in the US Congress - where many, particularly in the president's own Democratic Party, are critical of Saudi Arabia's human rights record. It would then have a significant foreign policy achievement to show ahead of November's US presidential election.

Like most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has held off from recognising Israel out of solidarity with the Palestinians.

However, since late last year, the US has been trying to bring about a breakthrough that would build on the so-called Abraham Accords mediated by the Trump administration, which saw Israel sign bilateral agreements on normalisation with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020.

In exchange for normalising ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia - which positions itself as a leader in the Middle East and the Islamic world - is asking for major military support from the US, co-operation in establishing its own civilian nuclear programme, and significant Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.

The latter would be extremely difficult to achieve under the most religious and nationalist government in Israel's history.

"For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part," Crown Prince Mohammed, who is Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, told Fox News correspondent Bret Baier in English.

He commented: "We have a good negotiations strategy till now."

Earlier this month, leaders of the Palestinian Authority held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh to lay out their demands for a possible deal involving the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The BBC learned that these included a cash boost of hundreds of millions of dollars and more control of land in the occupied West Bank.

Questioned during his interview about working with Mr Netanyahu's hard-line government, Prince Mohammed said: "If we have a breakthrough, reaching a deal that gives the Palestinians their needs and [making] the region calm, we've got to work with whoever's there."

Many members of Israel's current governing coalition are firmly opposed to the internationally backed idea of the two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict. This would see an independent Palestinian state create alongside Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Ahead of the prime minister's talks in New York, 11 law-makers within his own right-wing Likud party said in a joint statement that they would block attempts to give land to the Palestinians in exchange for peace with Saudi Arabia.

The Wall Street Journal report has raised separate concerns for Israeli politicians.

"Normalisation that includes agreeing to turn Saudi Arabia into a nuclear power under the auspices of a ring-wing government is dangerous madness," Tali Gottlieb, a Likud member of parliament wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The US newspaper said that Mr Netanyahu told senior nuclear and security experts in Israel to co-operate with American negotiators on a proposal for a "US-run uranium enrichment operation" in Saudi Arabia, quoting unnamed officials. They said that safeguards would be included and that the plan had yet to be signed off by President Biden.

Saudi nuclear plans did come up in the Fox News interview with Prince Mohammed.

Asked about the possibility of his kingdom's regional rival, Iran, eventually building a nuclear weapon, the Saudi leader said: "We are concerned of any country getting a nuclear weapon".

He reiterated a point that he has previously made, that if Iran were to obtain a nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia would "have to get one, for security reasons, for balancing power."

The prince acknowledged that any country obtaining such a weapon was "a bad move", commenting: "Any country use a nuclear weapon that means they are having a war with the rest of the world."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Saudi Arabia getting closer to Israel normalisation deal, prince says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An agreement creating ties between the two historical foes would mark a huge regional shift.

# data[].attributes.body
There are lots of issues in Pakistan like women rights are a huge issue there and childrens rights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A gender-based violence crisis in Pakistan is depriving millions of women in Pakistan of legal protection and leaving them fearful for their rights and livelihood. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index, Pakistan is ranked 167th out of 170 countries in terms of women's health and wellbeing. In recent years, women in Pakistan have been engaging in protests to speak out against inequality and violence and demanding action from the government to improve women's rights in Pakistan.

Domestic and Economic Abuses

Women in Pakistan suffer an alarmingly high rate of domestic violence. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) estimates that 28% of women in Pakistan face some kind of physical violence in their lives before the age of 50. Because of the constant threat of violence against women, many women have to labor as domestic workers and often receive little to no wages as a result.

Women account for 49% of the Pakistani population but receive only 18% of its labor income, according to the USIP. The Pakistani government often denies legal protection and social security to women of low social classes, particularly home-based workers. The crisis of women's rights in Pakistan is especially evident in environments like education and health care, where women cannot access social protections and face threats of violence.

In 2018, the U.N. reported that only 48.6% of Pakistani women had their reproductive health care needs satisfied by the resources available to them.

Because of these inequalities and injustices against women, women in Pakistan are more likely to live in poverty than men, while also carrying the burden of domestic work. Gender-based discrimination in education forces women at a social disadvantage. In 2021, the USIP found that women had a 22% lower literacy rate than men.

The relationship between social disadvantages, threats of violence and poverty is a vicious cycle for the women living in Pakistan. Because they experience discrimination in education and face threats of violence from men in power, they have to labor domestically and receive low wages, which keeps them in poverty.

Government and International Initiatives

The good news is that global organizations like the United Nations are not ignoring the crisis of women's rights in Pakistan. In 2017, the U.N. initiated a three-year project called 'The Economic Empowerment of Women Home-Based Workers and Excluded Groups in Pakistan." The purpose of the initiative was to allow women, home-based workers, to effectively contribute to and benefit the economy of Pakistan.

This initiative benefited the private sector, the state, the women of Pakistan and the organization of the United Nations. Additionally, in 2020, the Pakistani Government passed an anti-rape ordinance that promised harsh punishments for those who commit sex crimes. This ordinance offers a higher degree of protection and security for women facing domestic violence.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pakistani government has made small but essential improvements for victims of domestic violence including shelters, psychological support and national helplines. In 2021, USAID assisted the Pakistani government in providing counseling services to about 61,000 female survivors of domestic violence, improving the system of maternal health care and training public defenders on how to protect women's rights in Pakistan under law.

Women Speaking Out

Women in Pakistan have not been silent in recent years about the injustices against them. In 2018, Pakistani women held the Aurat March on International Women's Day. Thousands of women rallied across Pakistan to demand an end to the gender-based violence that has been sweeping Pakistan for decades, USIP reported. The march became an annual tradition and women have gathered to collectively use their voices and fight against gender and class-based oppression for the most recent four International Women's Days.

These marches ensure that the public hears the voices and demands of the oppressed women in Pakistan. However, they also present an escalated threat of violence against women from the Taliban. Pakistan's Taliban criticized the march, accusing it of being a "western agenda."

The fight for women's rights in Pakistan is not over and is making significant improvements year by year despite worrying reactions from the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani women have organizations like the United Nations and the United States Institute of Peace fighting for social, political and economic justice. Equity and gender equality are necessary for Pakistan's long-term development as a democracy, as well as its fight against violent extremism.

A lot of progress has occurred to achieve women's rights in Pakistan. However, gender inequality still remains a prominent issue. According to the World Economic Forum, the Global Gender Index Report ranks Pakistan second to last in domestic violence.

Fortunately, the government has taken significant action. In December 2020, Pakistan instilled a new anti-rape law to speed up convictions and toughen sentences. According to White Ribbon Pakistan, an estimated 4,734 women faced sexual violence between 2004 and 2016. Furthermore, there were over 15,000 cases of registered honor crimes and more than 1,800 cases of domestic violence. However, conviction rates remain low. Only 2.5% of all cases result in convictions. The new law requires sex offenders to be nationally registered. Additionally, the courts will protect the identity of victims.

Domestic Abuse

Pakistan ranks as the sixth most dangerous country for women in regards to domestic violence. Patriarchal and cultural norms greatly impact women's rights in Pakistan.

Honor killings and violence within the home are prevalent. Recently, social media model and activist Qandeel Baloch's brother strangled her to death. According to her brother, she had ruined the family's image and honor. Fortunately, Pakistan has made progress to prevent violence within the household. For instance, the court denied Baloch's parents' wishes and convicted Baloch's brother of murder. Additionally, more than 1,000 domestic violence cases appeared in court in June 2019.

Furthermore, Ms. Quandeel wrote, "I wonder how long it will take us to recognize that we shouldn't let ourselves off the hook, that our social structure is rotten and works against people like #Qandeel who wish to make something of themselves on their own terms." The death of Qandeel Baloch generated a movement for gender equality in Pakistan.

The Good News

The good news is that Pakistani women are fighting back. Since 2018, women have demanded economic and environmental justice, reproductive rights and better access to public spaces. On International Women's Day, thousands took to the streets to demonstrate their commitment to bettering women's rights in Pakistan. However, conservative groups criticized the movement and labeled it as a "western campaign."

One of the main slogans of the march was "mera jism, meri marzi" (my body, my choice). Many said it was a promiscuous demand that did not empower women. Yet, women continue to defend their objectives, raise awareness against sexual harassment and gender-based violence and promote bodily autonomy.

Additionally, women began riding bikes in order to accentuate their presence in public spaces. Girls at Dhabas organized a bike ride to promote certification in all public events and fight against restrictions that prohibit women. One cyclist said, "We have an advantage with this lockdown and corona and all. The cycling has become really common among the girls in Islamabad."

Various organizations are spreading awareness of domestic violence. Additionally, the government continues to implement new laws to protect women. Although women's rights in Pakistan are lacking in many ways, the government and organizations continue to strive for gender equality.

Photo: - Marielle Marlys
Flickr

Pakistan, cushioned between India and Afghanistan, is home to more than 212 million people and is the sixth most populous country in the world. Each one of these people living in Pakistan should be given basic human rights no matter their ethnic origin, color, gender, religion or any other reason.

Even if human rights should be granted to everyone, not everyone is given the same rights as the other in some countries around the world. There is much to know how each human is treated or could be treated in the country of Pakistan. Here are 10 facts on human rights in Pakistan.

10 Facts On Human Rights in Pakistan

1. Attacks on civil society. A civil society is a community of citizens linked by common interests, and in Pakistan some aspects of civil society are under attack. For instance, an attack on a school killing 140 people, mostly children, made those among the positive civil society in Pakistan protest against the government for supporting the "good" Taliban. When these protests arose, so did the safety concerns of Pakistan's civil society. These people were attacked with laws and organizations put against them.

2. Freedom of religion. In 2017, there were at least 19 people on death row under blasphemy charges, many of whom were members of religious minorities in Pakistan. This situation, combined with many others, has put Pakistan at a severe level of 'violations of religious freedom' - religious minorities and atheists are at a higher risk than ever before.

3. Children's rights. Child marriage is a major concern in Pakistan, with 21 percent of girls under the age of 18 already married. Along with child marriages, lack of education also heavily impacts children in Pakistan. There have been many attacks on the school, and children are frequently used in suicide bombings. Unfortunately, roughly five million children are not able to attend school in Pakistan.

4. Women's rights. Many women in Pakistan face rape, acid attacks, domestic violence and "honor" killings. It is estimated that there are about 1,000 "honor" killings a year on Pakistani women. If a woman is accused of adultery, fornication or an immoral behavior that violates societal and religious norms, she is then subjected to an "honor" killing.

5. Refugees. Pakistan is host to the largest refugee population in the world. According to UNHCR, there are more than 1.45 million refugees in Pakistan, many of whom are from Afghanistan. In many areas, the Pakistani police have extorted money from registered and undocumented refugees from Afghanistan. Between January to August in 2017, up to 82,019 Afghan refugees returned or were deported back to Afghanistan.

6. Terrorism. Many security forces in Pakistan are linked to terrorist intentions. Many times when suspects were to be charged, there were serious violations regarding torture and secret detention centers. Many of those who are detained were activists and human rights defenders.

7. Forced Disappearances. Many minority groups are under attack in Pakistan, and forced disappearances can occur. In 2017, the government received 868 new cases of forced disappearances, a figure which is more than the previous two years. The government was able to locate 555 of those who had disappeared, but there are still 313 people missing.

8. Freedom of expression. Many journalists, bloggers and social media users have been attacked in relation with Pakistan. For instance, there were five bloggers whose comments online led to forced disappearances. Four of the five bloggers were later released, but two of them said that they were tortured while in custody. The fifth blogger has still not been unfound.

9. Human rights defenders. Whether lawyers, bloggers, journalists or activists, voices of truth are often subjected to harassment, threats and forms of violence. In 2016, the Pakistani government argued that human rights defenders did not warrant special legal status and the protection of human rights defenders was a conspiracy by western countries to interfere in domestic affairs in developing countries.

10. A glimpse at progress. It may seem that human rights in Pakistan is lacking, but there have been some instances of progress over the years. In Punjab, Pakistani authorities are now accepting marriage licenses in the Sikh community, giving union protections under the law. Another progression in human rights for Pakistan is restoring section 7 of the Christian Divorce Act. In this section, Christians who wish to divorce can do so civilly without the threat of false accusations of adultery. Despite the many downfalls on human rights for women, there was an increase of 3.8 million women able to vote in the most recent election compared to 2013.

Postive Push

While there may be progress budding in regard to human rights in Pakistan, the road to completely improved human rights will be long and difficult. If those pushing for their rights are heard and supported, the return of basic human rights and safety can return to Pakistan.

Photo: - Victoria Fowler
Flickr

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women's Rights in Pakistan - The Borgen Project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A gender-based violence crisis in Pakistan is depriving millions of women in Pakistan of legal protection and leaving them fearful for their rights and livelihood. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index, Pakistan is ranked 167th out of 170 countries in terms of women's health and wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.body
In the artical the UN (General Assembly) is adressing the issues of labour and climate crisis. Brazil is known for participatiing in peacekeeping goals and is a multi-cultural country.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NEW YORK (AP) - President and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, played up their mutual affection for workers' rights Wednesday as the leaders of the Western Hemisphere's two largest democracies met in New York, steering clear in public about their differences on Ukraine and other matters.

They announced a new partnership on supporting labor while avoiding openly discussing disagreements such as U.S. policy toward Cuba and Russia's war in Ukraine, mere hours before Lula's first-ever bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart. In remarks to reporters, Biden and Lula were eager to display their shared goals on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Biden sought to tie the meeting to domestic matters. Long a champion of labor unions, Biden is navigating strikes in the U.S. by autoworkers, screenwriters and actors who are seeking better pay and protections in a changing global economy. He has declined the request by the United Auto Workers leader to join the picket line.

"When the middle does well, everybody does well," Biden told Lula. "Working-class folks have a chance to move up. And the wealthy still do fine, as long as they pay their taxes."

Lula said he had never heard an American president speak so highly of workers and described their common cause as a chance to transform ties between the countries.

"This meeting here, for me, is more than a bilateral meeting; it is the rebirth of a new era in the relationship between the U.S. and Brazil. It is a relationship of equals," Lula said. He later described it as "a golden moment for us."

Initial hopes that Lula would prove a staunch ally for Biden have been tempered in recent months, with the Brazilian leader voicing opposition on some issues and at times even seeming to thumb his nose at Washington.

That has included dismissing allegations of Venezuela's authoritarianism, calling for decreased dependence on the dollar for global trade and accusing the U.S. of fueling bloodshed in Ukraine by providing military aid - and refusing to supply munitions himself. In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Lula criticized the U.S. embargo and sanctions targeting Cuba.

The White House issued a readout that showed Biden privately raised some of his policy disagreements with Lula.

The U.S. president tried to make the case that Russia's war in Ukraine has hurt poorer countries by pushing up food and energy prices, saying that Russia should return to its grain deal with Ukraine to help relieve those pressures. Biden also outlined the steps that he believes should be taken to aid democracy in Venezuela.

The U.S. president had frosty relations with Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, an open admirer of Donald Trump who waited weeks before recognizing Democrat Biden's 2020 election victory over Republican Trump.

After Bolsonaro's defeat, his supporters Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in Brasilia in an attempt to oust Lula from power. The circumstances bore a clear resemblance to Trump and the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Lula quickly traveled to Washington, where he and Biden reflected on the challenges to democracy they had both overcome.

The goal of their new partnership on labor is to stop the exploitation of workers and forced and child labor, as well as workplace discrimination, and create a possible template for others in the Group of 20 to join. The two leaders also want to guarantee that the move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy emphasizes the rights of workers.

Biden sees support from organized labor as an essential part of his 2024 reelection efforts, stressing that his policies will create factory and construction jobs that do not require a college degree.

"Whether it's the auto workers or any other union worker, record corporation profits should mean record contracts for union workers," said Biden as he tried to link the announcement to the ongoing U.S. strikes.

Lula got his start in politics as leader of a powerful metalworkers' union and, on Wednesday, highlighted that he spent more than two decades in factories and has no degree himself.

"This gesture we are doing here is an awakening of hope for millions and millions of Brazilians and Amdericans who need to have the opportunity to live life, to triumph, to work and build their family decently," Lula said.

Also high on their Wednesday agenda was environmental preservation.

Lula has presented himself as a leader on this front, and his administration has made significant progress in the Amazon.

Deforestation of the Amazon had soared to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro, who called for the development of the rainforest, emboldening loggers and miners to invade protected areas, while defanging environmental authorities. Lula began rebuilding those agencies, created eight protected areas for Indigenous people, and expelled thousands of miners from the massive Yanomami Indigenous territory. Deforestation dropped by nearly half in his first eight months.

He has sought international contributions for Brazil's Amazon Fund, but donations have been small and symbolic. In February, the U.S. committed to a $50 million donation to the initiative, though it has yet to be provided. Biden later announced he would ask Congress for an additional $500 million, which has yet to be committed.

"It is very important that the United States sees what is happening in Brazil at this historic moment of ecological transition, of changing the energy matrix, the potential our country has for investment," Lula said.

Later Wednesday, Lula and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held their bilateral meeting. It was "icebreaking," Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, told reporters afterward.

Lula has refused to join Washington and Western Europe in backing Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, and previously called for a club of nations to mediate peace talks. At one point this year, he said both nations had chosen to go to war, but he backtracked following backlash.

"The conversation was very warm and honest, and I think both presidents now understand their positions much better than before," Kuleba told reporters.

Brazil's foreign minister Mauro Vieira echoed those sentiments, and said Lula told Zelenskyy that Brazil is willing to join a group of nations chosen by Ukraine and Russia to promote the possibility of peace.

"There is in no way disagreement between the two heads of state," Vieira said.

___

Boak reported from Washington.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Biden and Brazil's Lula focus on workers' rights while publicly playing down differences

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
President Joe Biden and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, focused on workers' rights as the leaders of the Western Hemisphere's largest democracies met Wednesday in New York.

# data[].attributes.body
This would be addressed HRC.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The UK government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, but the policy has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.

The Court said there was a risk that asylum seekers sent there could be returned to their home country, which would break UK and international human rights laws.

But the prime minister insists the policy will go ahead.

What was the Rwanda asylum plan?

The five-year trial - announced in April 2022 - would have seen some asylum seekers sent to Rwanda to claim asylum there.

Under the plan, they could be granted refugee status to stay in Rwanda. If not, they could apply to settle there on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

The government said "anyone entering the UK illegally" after 1 January 2022 could be sent there, with no limit on numbers.

Rwanda could also have asked the UK to take in some of its most vulnerable refugees.

The UK has already paid the Rwandan government £140m, but no asylum seeker has actually been sent to the country. The first flight was scheduled to go in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

Why did the government want to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?

The government said the policy would deter people arriving in the UK through "illegal, dangerous or unnecessary methods", such as on small boats across the English Channel.

More than 45,700 people used this route to come to the UK in 2022, the highest figure since records began.

In January the PM said "stopping the boats" was one of his key priorities.

As of 13 November, the number of small boat crossings in 2023 was a third lower than at the same point the year before. But it is not clear which government policies have contributed to that fall.

What did the Supreme Court say about the Rwanda policy?

The UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful.

Five top justices said the Court of Appeal had been right to conclude in June that there had not been a proper assessment of whether Rwanda was a safe country for asylum seekers.

Lord Reed, the Court president, said there was strong evidence to believe that genuine refugees sent to the country could be at risk of being returned to their home countries where they could face persecution. In law, this is called "refoulement".

It breaches part of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment. The UK is a signatory to the ECHR.

The judges said the policy also breached safeguards in three British laws passed by Parliament over the last 30 years.

And they cited Rwanda's poor human rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.

The Rwandan government rejected the judges' conclusions, saying: "We take our humanitarian responsibilities seriously, and will continue to live up to them."

What has the government said?

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he remained "completely committed to stopping the boats", and was determined to "end the merry-go-round" of legal challenges.

He told MPs that the government was negotiating a new treaty with Rwanda that would protect against refoulement, and was prepared to change the law to ensure the policy went ahead.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick later said it was "absolutely critical that flights go off to Rwanda in the spring".

Emergency legislation could declare that Rwanda is a safe country, but legal experts have questioned how that might work.

Former Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption told the BBC the prime minister's plan was "profoundly discreditable", and would still be a breach of the government's international law obligations.

"It would be constitutionally a completely extraordinary thing to do, to effectively overrule a decision on the facts, on the evidence, by the highest court in the land," he said.

Where is Rwanda?

Rwanda is a small land-locked country in east-central Africa, 4,000 miles (6,500km) south-east of the UK.

It borders Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Uganda.

With a landmass about one-tenth of the size of the UK, it has a population of 13.8 million.

President Paul Kagame hopes to win a fourth term in 2024, which would extend his presidency to nearly three decades.

He won the last presidential election in 2017 with nearly 99% of the vote, but critics accuse him of supressing his political opponents.

According to Human Rights Watch, "Rwanda is a country where it's very dangerous to oppose the government".

Would the plan save the government money?

The government has not provided a total cost for the scheme.

An economic-impact assessment prepared for the government's Illegal Migration Bill estimated that removing each individual to a third country, such as Rwanda, would cost £63,000 more than keeping them in the UK.

That is the difference between the total cost of removing an individual - estimated to be £169,000 - and the £106,000 spent on housing support if they remain in the UK.

The latter figure includes a payment to the third country of around £105,000 per person, as well as £22,000 for flights.

Legal challenges meant the first Rwanda flight was cancelled shortly before take-off in June 2022

The Home Office said no cost would be incurred if the policy prevented an individual from entering the UK illegally.

But it acknowledged it could not say how many people would be deterred.

The UK's asylum system costs £3bn a year. About £8m a day is spent on hotel accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers.

Critics say the daily cost is so high because of the time taken to decide on applications, and a ban on asylum seekers working while waiting for confirmation of their status.

Copyright 2023 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Beta Terms By using the Beta Site, you agree that such use is at your own risk and you know that the Beta Site may include known or unknown bugs or errors, that we have no obligation to make this Beta Site available with or without charge for any period of time, nor to make it available at all, and that nothing in these Beta Terms or your use of the Beta Site creates any employment relationship between you and us. The Beta Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis and we make no warranty to you of any kind, express or implied.

In case of conflict between these Beta Terms and the BBC Terms of Use these Beta Terms shall prevail.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What was the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Despite a Supreme Court ruling that the Rwanda policy is unlawful, the PM insists it will go ahead.

# data[].attributes.body
In this article it shows how China's factory produces too much fossil fuels and the climate change is considered unrealistic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SINGAPORE, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The complete phasing-out of fossil fuels is not realistic, China's top climate official said, adding that these climate-warming fuels must continue to play a vital role in maintaining global energy security.

China is the world's biggest consumer of fossil fuels including coal and oil, and its special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua was responding to comments by ambassadors at a forum in Beijing on Thursday ahead of the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai in November. Reuters obtained a copy of text of Xie's speech, and a video recording of the meeting.

Countries are under pressure to make more ambitious pledges to tackle global warming after a U.N.-led global "stocktake" said 20 gigatons of additional carbon dioxide reductions would be needed this decade alone to keep temperatures from exceeding the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The stocktake will be at the centre of discussions at the COP28 climate meeting, with campaigners hoping it will create the political will to set clear targets to end coal and oil use.

Xie, however, said the intermittent nature of renewable energy and the immaturity of key technologies like energy storage means the world must continue to rely on fossil fuels to safeguard economic growth.

"It is unrealistic to completely phase out fossil fuel energy," said Xie, who will represent China at COP28 this year.

At climate talks in Glasgow in 2021, China led efforts to change the language of the final agreement from "phasing out" to "phasing down" fossil fuels. China also supports a bigger role for abatement technologies like carbon capture and storage.

While ending fossil fuel use would not be on the table at COP28, Xie said China was open to setting a global renewable energy target as long as it took the divergent economic conditions of different countries into account.

He also said he welcomed pledges made to him by his U.S. counterpart John Kerry that a $100 billion annual fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change would soon be made available, adding it was "only a drop in the bucket".

China and the United States, the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, resumed top-level climate talks in July after a hiatus brought about by U.S. politician Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims.

China has rejected U.S. attempts to treat climate change as a diplomatic "oasis" that can be separated from the broader geopolitical tensions between the two sides, with U.S. trade sanctions on Chinese solar panels still a sore point.

Xie said protectionism could drive up the price of solar panels by 20-25% and hold back the energy transition, and called on countries not to "politicise" cooperation in new energy.

He also reiterated China's opposition to the E.U. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will impose carbon tariffs on imports from China and elsewhere.

(This story has been corrected to read 'to keep temperatures from exceeding the critical threshold...' instead of 'rising below the critical threshold...' in paragraph 3)

Reporting by David Stanway; editing by Miral Fahmy

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China climate envoy says phasing out fossil fuels 'unrealistic'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The complete phasing-out of fossil fuels is not realistic, China's top climate official said, adding that these climate-warming fuels must continue to play a vital role in maintaining global energy security.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instability in Afghanistan | Global Conflict Tracker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the world's top hotspots with this interactive Global Conflict Tracker from the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev visited positions near the border with Belarus [Gleb Garanich/Reuters]

Here is the situation on Friday, September 22, 2023.

Fighting

Ukraine warned that winter could be hard after a barrage of Russian missiles targeted civilian infrastructure. "Difficult months are ahead: Russia will attack energy and critically important facilities," said Oleksiy Kuleba, the deputy head of Kyiv's presidential office. Ukraine's energy operator Ukrenergo said 398 settlements were without power after the attacks. Temperatures can fall as low as 20 degrees below zero Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in Ukraine during the winter months when it usually snows heavily.

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said air defences shot down 36 of 43 missiles launched by Russia. Zaluzhnyi said the missiles were launched in several waves from 10 Russian warplanes. At least two people were killed and 21 wounded. A number of fires were also reported.

Russia said it shot down all Ukrainian missiles fired in an attempted attack on the Saky airbase in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukraine's military said its forces had inflicted "serious damage" on equipment struck at the Russian base.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, said it appeared Ukrainian forces were operating armoured vehicles beyond Russian anti-tank defences in a key stretch of the front line near Verbove in Zaporizhia in an "important sign of progress in the Ukrainian counteroffensive".

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said Junior Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Cirillo had been suspended from her duties as the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces pending an investigation. The 45-year-old New Yorker appears to have been removed after saying in a video that "Russian devils [will] pay for their crimes".

Diplomacy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his second visit to Washington, DC, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of his country. Zelenksyy, who addressed the Senate and met key officials during his visit, struck a note of gratitude, saying talks in the United States capital had been "productive" and "strong" and thanking the US government and people for their support. He also welcomed a new package of military assistance. "It has exactly what our soldiers need now," he said, calling it a "very powerful package".

Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, DC, took place amid increasing scepticism on the right of the Republican party about the US providing continued aid to Ukraine. "Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources," Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO." He attached a letter, signed by 28 Republicans, protesting against increased aid.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Zelenskyy would visit Ottawa from September 21 - 22, and address the country's parliament.

US President Joe Biden condemned Russia's attempt to secure new weapons supplies from Iran and North Korea. "Russia alone stands in the way of peace. It could end this today. Instead, Russia is seeking more weapons from Iran and North Korea that would violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions that Moscow itself voted to put in place," he said.

Five Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia will appear in court on September 26. The three men and two women, aged between 29 and 45, are accused of "conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy", the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Weapons

Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, was quoted saying the country would stop supplying weapons to Ukraine amid a growing dispute over grain exports. Polish President Andrzej Duda said the prime minister's comments had been taken the wrong way. Morawiecki's "words were interpreted in the worst way possible", Duda told TVN24 television, saying the prime minister was speaking about the plan for equipment being bought to modernise Poland's military. Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters.

Zelenskyy met US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, General Mark Milley, the chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other officials at the Pentagon. "We discussed the deliveries of artillery systems and long-range capabilities, as well as strengthening air defence," he wrote on X, as he shared a video of the meeting.

Werner Hoyer, the head of the European Investment Bank (EIB), warned his soon-to-be-announced successor against bowing to pressure from some European Union capitals to fund weapons for Ukraine. "If we use their [our partners'] money to buy ammunition, we're on the wrong track," Hoyer told the Reuters news agency.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 576

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As the war enters its 576th day, these are the main developments.

# data[].attributes.body
Germany is the largest economy in Europe, and the 4th largest in the world. Being the largest industrial power on the continent, it fits in ECOSOC, its supports Ukraine in the struggle against Russia, being useful in the Security Council, and is a political superstate, giving it a spot in the general assembly.

# data[].attributes.body
Ukrainian children arriving in Belarus from Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine. And about 19,000 Ukrainian children had been transferred forbiddingly to Russia or is that the territories have occupied.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Belarus | Today’s latest from Al Jazeera

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stay on top of Belarus latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps.

# data[].attributes.body
America: America has a lot of problems one of them is climate change in Arizona the temperature has been at 110F for 1 month consecutively

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"You can't argue that we are definitely seeing that warming climate," Phoenix National Weather Service Meteorologist Issac Smith told the Arizona Mirror. "This is becoming more frequent."

In the early 1900s, the Greater Phoenix area only experienced approximately five days per year that reached 110 degrees on average, as compared to the 27 it has typically seen from 2011 onward, according to State Climatologist Erinanne Saffell.

"It is five times what it was in the early 1900s," Saffell said.

The existing all-time record for consecutive days with a high at or above 110 degrees was set in 1974 - at 18 days. Current predictions have this year surpassing that record. The previous three years - 2020, 2021 and 2022 - are all in the top 10 for the most consecutive days with temperatures at or above 110.

The current heat wave is caused by an area of high pressure that has stayed over the area for several weeks that will continue to build over the weekend, leading to even higher temperatures, according to Smith. That high pressure leads to less moisture in the atmosphere.

That is due to the urban heat island effect.

This effect can have a swirl of consequences, such as a city temperatures not cooling at night, leading to residents "cranking their air conditioners" after sundown, which then drains energy usage and strains systems, according to Saffell. Asphalt can heat up to 180 degrees , which is then retained in the air.

Arizona isn't the only place experiencing this type of heat. California and much of Europe are also experiencing record breaking heat, causing groups like 350 to take notice.

"Unfortunately, heat waves are only one type of extreme weather caused by climate change, and it is rendering whole regions of our planet increasingly less livable," Mel Smith said. "The good news is there's still time to prevent things from getting even worse: we can end the era of fossil fuels and invest more resources in a swift and just transition to renewable energy."

Meanwhile, the heat is already having deadly consequences for some of the most vulnerable.

There is some hope though, according to Smith and Saffell.

The extreme heat can hopefully spawn some moisture, eventually.

Arizona is currently in the middle of its monsoon, which runs from June 15 through Sept. 30, however, this season has been particularly dry. According to Issac Smith, next week Arizona may start to see some of that monsoonal moisture begin to rear its head. The extreme heat is sometimes necessary to spur the moisture into action, Saffell said.

This means that much of last year's snow melt didn't melt as quickly and this essentially slowed down our monsoon season, Saffell said.

"We are hoping that the heat will really be a benefit," Saffell said. "Here's hoping for a monsoon and at least a few thunderstorms."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate change, urbanization spur scorching Phoenix heat wave

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Phoenix is close to breaking a heat-related record, spurred by urbanization and the impacts of climate change.

# data[].attributes.body
Palestine - Something that could be presented is how the on-going conflicts between Israel-Palestine are interfering with the UN's goals, and how HR's such as social security aren't being met in conflicted regions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Israeli forces conduct regular raids in the occupied West Bank, leading to multiple Palestinian fatalities [File: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

Israeli forces have killed at least five Palestinians during two raids in the occupied West Bank, and another Palestinian in a separate incident in the blockaded Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours in the latest spike of violence on the occupied territories.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, and killed four Palestinians. Some 30 others were also wounded, according to Palestinian health officials.

Keep reading

The four killed were identified as Mahmoud Saadi, 23; Mahmoud Ararawi, 24; Raafat Khamayseh, 22; and Atta Mousa, 29.

Early Wednesday morning, Israeli forces raided the refugee camp of Aqabat Jabr in Jericho. A statement by the military said that troops opened fire toward a Palestinian who was throwing explosives at them.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the man as 19-year-old Dhargham al-Akhras.

In Gaza, the Palestinian man killed was identified as Yousef Salem Radwan, 25. He was shot by Israeli forces east of Khan Yunis in Gaza, reported Palestinian media.

The Israeli military did not confirm the Gaza killing, but said that "rioters" had gathered next to the fence that separates Gaza from Israel, and that "a number of explosive devices were activated by the rioters". The military also gave few details about the deaths in the Jenin, apart from saying that it had carried out a drone attack.

The violence came after Israel announced late on Sunday that it would keep the Beit Hanoun (called "Erez" by Israel) crossing closed following an eruption of border protests and a "security assessment" by defence officials.

"The reopening of the crossing will be subject to ongoing evaluation based on the evolving situation in the region," said COGAT, a unit of the Israeli defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.

The closure of Beit Hanoun, the sole pedestrian passageway out of the enclave into Israel, has left roughly 18,000 Palestinians from Gaza who have been issued Israeli work permits unable to access their jobs.

The string of protests came during a holiday season in Israel that began with the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year last week and continues through the Sukkot festival next week.

During the holidays, large numbers of Jews are expected to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City - in the past this has meant restrictions on Palestinian access to the holy site, which is also a Palestinian national symbol.

Gazan officials said medical cases were still allowed to use the crossing, which Israel had been due to reopen Monday following a shutdown due to Jewish holidays.

The extended closure follows repeated confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces along the border over the past few days.

The confrontations have seen multiple Palestinians wounded after Israeli forces fired guns and tear gas at the protesters. The Israeli military also launched an air attack late Friday on the Gaza Strip.

'Collective punishment'

The decision to block the entry to Israel was condemned as "illegal collective punishment" by the Israeli NGO Gisha, which advocates for Palestinians' freedom of movement.

The move is "harming Gaza workers and their families, as well as other permit holders who need to travel for humanitarian needs", Gisha said in a statement.

One of the Palestinians affected in Gaza, Kamal, said he and fellow workers "have nothing to do with the security situation in Gaza".

"Closing Erez costs my family and me our food and living expenses," said the 41-year-old construction worker, who gave only his first name for fear of reprisal from the Israeli authorities.

Palestinians have far higher earning power in Israel than Gaza, where salaries are low and unemployment is rife.

Ashraf, 36, expressed the same concerns as he described the closure as "collective punishment against workers".

"We only want to work and live," said the permit holder.

An employee at a restaurant in Jaffa called on the Israeli authorities to "compensate for the days of work lost" due to the border closure.

Israel has maintained a strict land, air and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas seized power of the coastal enclave.

There have been multiple wars fought between Gaza-based armed groups and Israel in recent years.

Violence against protesters

Hamas has said the protests in Gaza have been a response to Israeli provocations, citing an increase in the number of far-right nationalist Jewish activists entering the Al-Aqsa compound.

On Monday, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshippers at Bab as-Silsila, one of the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. They also denied access to any Palestinian below the age of 50 to clear the way for Israeli settlers on Rosh Hashanah.

"As long as these provocations continue, the protests will continue," said Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Israel kills six Palestinians in occupied West Bank, Gaza

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Raid on Jenin kills four Palestinians, with another Palestinian killed near the fence between Gaza and Israel.

# data[].attributes.body
As of October 2022, there were more than 2.2 million IDPs in South Sudan, and more than 2.3 million South Sudanese are refugees in neighboring countries as of July 2023. The South Sudanese refugee crisis remains the largest in Africa.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. envoy for South Sudan warned the Security Council Tuesday not to take its eyes off the world's newest nation, saying the conflict in neighboring Sudan shows "how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel."

Nicholas Haysom said the impact of the conflict is "unfurling along multiple fronts," with over 117,000 women, children and men fleeing into South Sudan, where violent clashes also persist, and the government is struggling to implement the most challenging provisions of a fragile 2018 power-sharing agreement and move toward the country's first elections as an independent nation.

He said the capacity of the government and humanitarian organizations to absorb the newcomers - 93% of them South Sudanese returning to the country - "is under strain," with limited local resources and bottlenecks in border towns, especially Renk.

The conflict, which broke out in mid-April capping months of increasing tensions between the leaders of Sudan's military and powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, has also had an economic impact in already fragile South Sudan, Haysom said.

The sudden interruption of imports from Sudan has put essential commodities "out of reach" for ordinary people in South Sudan, he said, and if oil exports from South Sudan through Sudan's main seaport, Port Sudan, are interrupted as recently threatened, the effect on the country's oil-dependent economy could be "devastating."

There were high hopes when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict. But the country slid into a civil war in December 2013 largely based on ethnic divisions when forces loyal to the current president, Salva Kiir, battled those loyal to the current vice president, Riek Machar.

The war, which left nearly 400,000 people dead and more than 4 million displaced, ended with the 2018 peace agreement, bringing Kiir and Machar together in a government of national unity. Under the agreement, elections were supposed to be held in February 2023, but last August they were postponed until December 2024.

While large-scale clashes have subsided, violence in parts of South Sudan persists, killing 2,240 people last year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Earlier this month at least 20 people were killed and more than 50 wounded during inter-communal clashes in a United Nations protection camp in the north of the country.

Implementation of the peace agreement has been sluggish. A permanent constitution still has not been drafted. A census has not been conducted. Security arrangements, considered the backbone of the agreement, are only partially complete. Some 83,000 soldiers from opposition and government forces are meant to unite in a national army, but so far 55,000 have graduated and are yet to be deployed. Others languish in training centers with poor conditions and little food.

Haysom said on the political front, the Sudan conflict "reduces the much-needed bandwidth (both domestic and international) to focus attention on South Sudan during this critical phase of its transition."

South Sudan's president Kiir has been leading efforts by the regional group IGAD to end the conflict between Sudan's rival generals, which Haysom called "commendable." But he stressed that the timeline for South Sudan's peace process and elections should not become "the opportunity cost of these efforts."

Haysom warned that the humanitarian, economic and political impacts of the Sudanese fighting are exacerbating "the existing triggers and drivers of conflict" in South Sudan, and are "complicating an already tenuous security situation across the country."

He pointed to northern migratory cattle herders refusing to return to Sudan raising the risk of clashes with South Sudanese agrarian communities, and increased competition over scarce resources including water as examples.

Haysom called for redoubled efforts in South Sudan to draft a constitution and hold elections.

"In our estimation, the constitution-making process is 10 months behind schedule, elections planning eight months behind, and several aspects of the transitional security arrangements are hanging," he said.

The U.N. envoy said South Sudan isn't ready today to roll out an electoral process, but it may be possible to make up the gap if there is a united effort by all parties.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sudan conflict shows how peace could unravel in South Sudan if world doesn't watch, UN envoy says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The U.N. envoy for South Sudan is warning the Security Council not to take its eyes off the world's newest nation, saying the conflict in neighboring Sudan shows "how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel."

# data[].attributes.body
China. China is by far the second largest economy in the world and in the Security Council it “defends” the eastern part of Asia. China is by far the largest industrial power in the world and produces around 30 percent of the world's plastic items

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Image from an article from the New York Times 

# data[].attributes.body
Turkiye has a massive population of refugees flooding the country from Syria. Turkiye is considered an upper-middle class country meaning they aren´t a very rich country however they are still providing refugees with financial support. On top of this, Turkiye is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of population and they also have a massive economy meaning they have a large impact on the rest of the world so I think that Turkiye should be represented in every conference.

# data[].attributes.body
I would like to represent Russia because it is one of the permanent members of the Security council. It has been having some political Issues recently with the war with Ukraine. Russia has a large population, and as most people know, are the largest country by landmass. Saying this, Russia is a very powerful country and the Nuclear and Political power could come in handy at the confrence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Ukrainian tank fires during a training exercise in the Chernihiv region on September 8, 2023 [File: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP]

Here is the situation on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

Fighting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed his troops have recaptured the village of Andriivka near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

An overnight Russian drone attack on a military airfield in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region - home to the Starokostiantyniv airbase - showed Moscow was searching for warplanes involved in the recent attack on Crimea, Ukraine's air force said. Russia sent 17 "kamikaze" drones to attack the airfield, which has been attacked continually during the war.

A Ukrainian intelligence source said a sea-borne drone damaged the small Russian Samum missile ship near Crimea's Sevastopol Bay entrance, contradicting a Russian account that the attack was repelled. The vessel had to be towed for repairs and was listing to one side after the attack, the source added.

Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, said that Russian forces had "neutralised" hundreds of foreign spies in recent years.

Regional security

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko discussed whether Minsk might join Moscow's efforts to revive an alliance with North Korea, following Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia this week.

Finland will prohibit the entry of vehicles with Russian licence plates as of midnight on Saturday, following Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which have also recently barred all Russian-registered cars from crossing their borders.

Romania has imposed additional flight restrictions in parts of its air space along the border with Ukraine amid a surge in Russian drone attacks on nearby Ukrainian Danube river ports.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected repairs and modernisation of the Russian Pacific fleet's nuclear submarines at a key military shipyard.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said a man was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for sending Russian missile components to the United States. The FSB said a court in the Tver region had convicted Sergey Kabanov for smuggling components used in Russian air defence missile systems and in radar-based weapons systems.

North Korean military support

The Kremlin denied that Russia and North Korea have signed any agreements on military matters or any other security areas during Kim's visit to Russia earlier this week. The US said it had information that talks on North Korea supplying Russia with arms for its war in Ukraine were advancing.

Kim visited a Russian military aviation factory which produces the country's most advanced warplanes.

Putin said Moscow would not breach any agreements concerning South Korea after meeting North Korea's Kim during the week. "[South] Korea is our neighbour, and we must, one way or another, build good neighbourly relations with our neighbours," Putin said.

South Korea and the US said that any military cooperation between North Korea and Russia would be a serious violation of UN sanctions, and there would be "a price to pay" should Moscow and Pyongyang do so.

Sanctions

The Group of Seven (G7) countries will likely announce a ban on Russian diamonds in the next two to three weeks, a Belgian government official said.

Diplomacy

Zelenskyy is expected to visit the White House in Washington, DC, next week during his anticipated visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. The visit will mark the third time that US President Joe Biden and the Ukrainian leader have met at the White House.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is expecting a visit from the Vatican's Ukraine envoy and is ready to meet him.

Black Sea and grain exports

Ukraine exported more grain through Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta to the end of August this year than in 2022, though volumes have fallen as Russia increased attacks on Ukraine's Danube river ports. Kyiv shipped 9.2 million tonnes of grain through Constanta in the first eight months. During the same period in 2022, Ukraine shipped 8.6 million tonnes through Constanta, according to the Reuters news organisation.

Romania plans to double the capacity of Ukrainian grain shipped through its Constanta port in the coming months, the country's Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said.

A cargo ship has departed Ukraine's southern city of Odesa amid a Russian naval blockade of the country's ports and threats issued by Moscow against all vessels traversing the Black Sea near Ukraine.

The European Union announced it was ending an import ban on Ukrainian grain in five member states after Kyiv promised to control exports.

Zelenskyy welcomed the EU's decision to end the ban on grain exports from Ukraine, calling it an example of true unity and trust.

Following the EU decision, Hungary imposed a unilateral import ban on 24 Ukrainian agricultural products, including grains, vegetables, several meat products and honey, according to a government decree. Poland said it too would extend an embargo on Ukrainian grain, shortly after the EU decision, as did Slovakia.

Economy and trade

Ukraine approved a draft 2024 budget putting the deficit at 1.548 trillion hryvnias ($41.92bn) and increasing defence spending to 1.7 trillion hryvnias ($46bn), a figure which is more than 21 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Despite the war, house prices in some areas of Ukraine have held their value - and even risen. Though in the east of the country, close to the front line, house prices have dropped.

Sport

The Russian Olympic Committee said Moscow will not boycott the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and athletes can choose to participate under a neutral banner.

Culture

The UN's World Heritage Committee has placed two major historical sites in Ukraine on its list of endangered sites. The iconic St Sophia Cathedral in the capital, Kyiv, and the medieval centre of the western city of Lviv are UNESCO World Heritage Sites central to Ukraine's culture and history.

Thousands of Jewish pilgrims gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman to mark the Rosh Hashanah religious festival, despite warnings not to travel due to Russia's invasion.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 570

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As the war enters its 570th day, these are the main developments.

# data[].attributes.body
Russia - Timely & Topical. It could be addressed in General Assembly and Security Council committees. Russia is also a country with a lot of power(Nuclear) and resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Refinery operations in Ukraine's Poltava region temporarily stopped after a barrage of Russian drone attacks overnight.

Russia has struck the Kremenchuk oil refinery in the central Poltava region of Ukraine in an overnight drone attack, causing a fire, according to Governor Dmytro Lunin.

Ukraine's military says 17 out of the 24 drones that Russia launched were shot down during a series of overnight attacks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Russia targets Kremenchuk oil refinery in overnight drone attack

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Refinery operations in Ukraine's Poltava region temporarily stopped after a barrage of Russian drone attacks overnight.

# data[].attributes.body
Factories, such as the Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, have contributed significantly to water pollution in Russia. Russia has a big problem with SDGs 13 and 15, environmental issues.

# data[].attributes.body
Turkey currently houses the most refugees in the world, so it would have a crucial viewpoint in the UNHCR committee. Turkey borders Syria, and with the ongoing Syrian Civil War, it is important that Turkey has a perspective when it comes to managing and finding permanent homes for these refugees.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Turkey's Syrian refugee population has emerged as a political flashpoint in the country's upcoming elections, with leading candidates competing to offer the most aggressive proposal to deport the refugees back to Syria. Although the plans vary in substance, they share a disregard for international law - and Turkey's existing refugee agreements with the European Union - that threatens to further strain Ankara's relationships with both Brussels and Washington. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration has forcibly deported hundreds of Syrian refugees since late 2022, while his primary challenger, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has vowed to send all Syrian refugees back to their country of origin in under two years, regardless of circumstances in Syria.

Forcible repatriation of refugees to countries where they have a credible fear of harm is a violation of Turkey's obligations as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and the move threatens to upend the basis of Turkey's 2015 deal with the EU to limit refugee flows into Europe. The United States and the EU cannot solve this problem on their own, but they do have an opportunity to prevent this situation from turning into a larger crisis, using their economic and diplomatic leverage to pressure Ankara against future deportations while working with the Turkish government to meet the financial challenge of supporting the largest registered refugee population in the world. As the United States turns its attention toward competition with Russia and China, it should remain aware that the long-term care of millions of Syrian refugees who do not want to return to their country will be a challenge for the region that could metastasize and jeopardize the stability of U.S. allies and partners neighboring Syria.

Dwindling Prospects for Voluntary Return

Just over 3.5 million UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees currently live in Turkey, comprising the largest registered refugee population in the world. Hundreds of thousands of unregistered Syrian refugees are also estimated to live in Turkey, although the exact number is highly uncertain due to their legal status and heightened risk of deportation. Refugees began fleeing to Turkey in small numbers at the outset of the civil war in 2011, but the largest waves arrived in 2015 and 2016, when a series of brutal offensives by the Syrian regime - backed by the Russian air force and Iranian-funded militias - retook the largest rebel-held cities in northern and central Syria.

Although the number of registered Syrian refugees in Turkey has remained relatively static since 2018, there has been significant change under the surface. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have continued to arrive since 2018, displaced by the regime's airstrikes in rebel-held Idlib and its offensives to retake the country's south. These arrivals have been offset by the roughly half a million refugees who have returned to Syria from Turkey since the war started.

As the Syrian civil war has settled into a stalemate, Turkey's hopes for a quick and easy repatriation process have begun to dwindle, even as Ankara has faced increasing economic and political pressure domestically to resolve the issue. Syrian refugees across the Middle East have become increasingly reluctant to voluntarily return to their home country. In 2022, 92% of Syrian refugees polled in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon said they did not plan to go home in the next 12 months, up from 78% in 2017. Recent polling data on Syrian refugees in Turkey also indicates that over 60% of the population does not want to return to Syria under any circumstances. Interviews with Syrian refugees, moreover, strongly suggest that even those "voluntarily" returning to Syria are being heavily coerced by the Turkish government.

Building Pressure for Forced Deportation

Even as Syrian refugees have become increasingly reluctant to return to their country of origin, Turkish public opinion has turned against allowing them to remain in Turkey. The Turkish government's decision to accept refugees was already unpopular in 2012, when a poll found that 66% of Turks believed incoming refugees should be turned away at the border. Since then, rapid inflation (58% annually as of January) and high unemployment (now above 10%) have squeezed pocketbooks in Turkey, and refugees have become a convenient scapegoat for the government, which claims it has spent over $40 billion meeting the needs of Syrians in the country since the war began. Polling in 2021 found that 82% of Turks want Syrians to be deported, up from 49% in 2017, and Syrian refugees in the country now report widespread and intensifying discrimination. Far-right politicians have turned refugees into a wedge issue in Turkey's upcoming elections, and Erdoğan has faced pressure to demonstrate that he has a plausible roadmap - however questionable from a human rights perspective - to repatriate Turkey's refugee population soon. The desire to repatriate refugees has led Erdoğan to pursue normalization with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime even as he seeks to expand Turkey's own occupation of much of northern Syria.

Meanwhile, conditions in Syria have become increasingly hostile to repatriation. As the Assad regime has retaken most of the country's territory, refugees have become increasingly fearful of forced conscription, targeted reprisals, and food insecurity as the economic situation in regime-held territory continues to deteriorate. Returning "home" is not a realistic option for refugees whose property has already been auctioned off , " sold" to Hezbollah fighters, or appropriated by the regime. These challenges to repatriation were dramatically exacerbated in 2021, when the Syrian government instituted a new law requiring Syrian men (displaced or otherwise) who had not completed their mandatory military service to pay an $8,000 fine or see their property confiscated without notice. Syrian refugees who could not pay the exorbitant fee lost the legal right to property they were forced to leave during the war.

The Turkish government, unable to solve the problems that make voluntary repatriation unrealistic for refugees, has begun to resort to coercion, both directly and indirectly, to get Syrians out of the country. Indirectly, Turkey has begun restricting how many Syrians can live in specific neighborhoods, forcing Syrians to leave provinces with better employment opportunities, and limiting Syrians from accessing the formal labor market. Taken together, these policies serve to degrade the quality of life for refugees in Turkey and make life in Syria - no matter how challenging and dangerous - more appealing by comparison.

Turkish coercion also has in many cases involved forced deportations, in violation of international law and Turkey's own obligations as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Syrian refugees report being arbitrarily arrested and detained, subjected to inhumane conditions, and pressured to return to Syria, and Human Rights Watch has documented hundreds of cases of Syrian refugees being forcibly returned to Syria regardless of their status as refugees. Refugees who fled Syria have been treated as enemies of the state and "disappeared" in the past, and Syrians in Turkey overwhelmingly express that they do not feel safe returning currently. Turkey is not obligated to take all claims of credible fear at face value, but it is obligated, under the 1951 Refugee Convention, to investigate those claims rather than forcibly deporting refugees on an arbitrary, extrajudicial basis.

These forced deportations also complicate Turkey's relationship with the EU. In March 2016, in the aftermath of the 2015 migration surge into Europe, the EU and Turkey struck a landmark agreement with the goal of reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving in the EU via the Eastern Mediterranean. The deal stipulated that if Greek authorities determined that migrants arriving in Greece irregularly did not have a right to asylum in the EU, they would be returned to Turkey. In return, the EU would accept the same number of Syrian asylum seekers waiting in Turkish refugee camps and resettle them. The European Union also agreed to reduce visa restrictions for Turkish citizens and pay 6 billion euros, or $6.6 billion US, to Turkey by the end of 2018 to support the country's refugees. The deal was explicitly a temporary measure, signed when most states still anticipated a near-term end to Syria's civil war. As a result, the financial incentives provided to Turkey have now dried up even as the war has stretched on into a second decade, leaving Turkey with an indefinite obligation and declining international support to meet it.

While EU leaders viewed the agreement as a success in stemming migration into Europe, the deal hinges on Turkey being a safe country for Syrian refugees. As Turkey ramps up its forced deportations, it is in danger of losing that status. The deportations are a straightforward violation of the principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits the return of refugees to a country of origin where their safety or freedom would be threatened. The EU is responsible for ensuring Turkey is upholding its human rights obligations, which are a prerequisite for the legal transportation of Syrian refugees from the EU to Turkey. Turkey violating the deal by sending refugees back into Syria demonstrates why migration management must be a joint effort, and not the burden of one country.

Reduced Funds and Accelerated Forced Repatriation

Forced repatriation has likely been accelerated by a combination of economic and social factors, including reduced humanitarian funds that have squeezed Turkey's capacity to host refugees as well as rising xenophobia in Turkey. Syrians and other refugees from countries to the south and east of Turkey's borders are granted "temporary protection" rather than full refugee status.

This status grants Syrian refugees access to basic services, including health care and education, but requires them to live in the province where they are registered. Refugees must be granted permission to travel between provinces. Since 2017, Turkish authorities have gradually limited freedom of movement for Syrian refugees in Turkey. In February 2022, Turkey's Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Çataklı said applications for temporary and international protection would no longer be accepted in 16 provinces. He also announced that in any neighborhood in which 25 percent or more of the population consisted of foreign residency permit applications by refugees would not be accepted.

While the European Union has continued to offer financial support to refugees in Turkey, greenlighting a plan last June that gave Turkey another 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) to be disbursed between 2022 and 2024, because the cost of living and lack of access to a regular income make it difficult for refugee families to make a livable wage. In recent years, Turkey has faced deepening debt and poverty due to the secondary impacts of COVID-19 and the depreciation of the Turkish lira.

Racist and xenophobic attacks against foreigners, and most notably Syrians, in Turkey have increased in the past two years. On Aug. 11, 2021, groups of Turkish residents attacked Syrian homes and workplaces in Ankara. Opposition politicians have made speeches in the lead-up to general elections in spring 2023 that fuel anti-refugee sentiment and suggest that Syrians should be returned to Syria. These incidents have deepened existing pressures between the host country and refugee communities, and Erdoğan's coalition government has responded with pledges to resettle Syrians in Turkish-occupied areas of northern Syria.

Beyond the benefits Syrian refugees receive from the Temporary Protection Regulation, Syrians also participate in the labor market, despite obstacles. Refugees must apply for a work permit, which requires six months of residency for approval and must be renewed annually. Because of this, many Syrians face added pressure to participate in the labor market informally, in sectors with lower wages and precarious conditions such as construction and agriculture. In an attempt to expand labor market access, the Turkish government exempted Syrians employed as seasonal workers in agriculture from needing work permits, but since the majority of employment in the agricultural sector in Turkey is informal so the effect of this move was muted.

Policy Recommendations

The recent deportations demonstrate that Syrians transported to Turkey face a small but growing risk of refoulment to Syria. If Turkey moves forward with plans for mass deportations, in line with Kılıçdaroğlu's campaign-trail proposal, the EU-Turkey deal will be upended. The EU has thus far been able to ignore the relatively modest number of forced deportations, but if Turkey scales the policy up to send millions of Syrians back to unsafe conditions, the EU will be unable to ignore the crisis and will be left with no credible partner to stem the flow of refugees into EU member states.

To avert this potential crisis, the European Commission should signal to Turkey that it is at risk of losing its status as a safe third country set out in Article 38 of the EU Asylum Procedures Directive, and that continued refoulment will jeopardize EU refugee aid money to Turkey, which is predicated on the latter country's commitment to hosting refugees in safe and humane conditions.

The European Union should use its bilateral relationship to reiterate the importance of upholding the human rights of refugees in Turkey. Beyond the European Commission publicly calling on the Turkish government to stop the deportations and human rights violations happening to Syrian refugees, the EC should work with UNHCR to implement a third-party monitoring system that can determine whether Syrians leaving Turkey are doing so voluntarily or if they are being forcibly deported.

In addition to renewed diplomatic pressure and monitoring mechanisms, the EU should offer Turkey a longer-term framework for hosting Syrian refugees as the prospects of safe near-term repatriation dwindle. Current EU payments to Turkey are made on an ad hoc basis and bear little relationship to the actual financial challenges of hosting the world's largest registered refugee population. A long-term, annual funding pledge agreed upon by both parties, in exchange for third-party monitoring and an end to forced repatriation, would disincentivize Turkish efforts to solve this challenge through unilateral deportations.

The United States, meanwhile, should seek opportunities publicly and privately to pressure Turkey against forced and coerced repatriation of Syrian refugees who do not feel safe returning to their country of origin. The State Department's 2022 edition of its annual Human Rights Report, expected to be published in the coming months, is a key way to communicate to Turkey that it is monitoring this issue closely. The 2021 report made limited mention of "some cases" of Turkish refoulement of refugees, and the 2022 report is an opportunity to highlight that this issue has grown more acute in the past year.

Washington should communicate that its funding for the Syrian refugee crisis comes with expectations for how refugees will be treated by the countries receiving funds. The U.S. is by far the largest single donor to the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey and the region as a whole, donating $239 million to Turkey in 2022, and it has considerable financial leverage to ensure host countries are meeting their human rights obligations in exchange for funding. Just 39% of the U.N.'s 2022 funding appeal for the regional crisis was met, and declining annual support leaves Turkey and neighboring countries increasingly willing to seek unilateral solutions to the crisis. The United States should reverse its years-long trend of reduced funding for the crisis, in exchange for a clear pledge from local governments to uphold basic human rights standards for refugees. The U.S. could also use its funding as a pressure point to dissuade Turkey from normalizing relations with Syria.

In addition to this pressure, however, the White House should look for opportunities to show Ankara that it can be a partner in meeting this challenge, provided Turkey adheres to human rights standards. The United States has already volunteered $185 million in relief funding following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and it should consider donating additional funds for reconstructing hard-hit cities in southern Turkey, where housing shortages are likely to form a new pretext for deporting Syrians.

Although neither the United States nor Turkey can solve the deeper problems that make returning to Syria so dangerous for refugees, Washington should look for opportunities to mitigate those problems, to show Ankara that it is serious about helping refugees to return to Syria safely in the long term. Humanitarian funding for the Syrian crisis has dwindled in recent years, exacerbating food insecurity in the country, and Washington should look for opportunities to increase its own donations and rally other donors to do the same.
Alice Hickson is the Digital Media Manager at the New Lines Institute. Prior to joining New Lines, Alice served as the Joseph S. Nye Jr. Intern for the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and the Council on Foreign Relations' editorial team. During her time studying in Jordan, she conducted independent research for her thesis on Palestinian refugees and the right of return. Alice holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies from Tufts University. She tweets at @_AliceHickson. Calvin Wilder is an Analyst for the Nonstate Actors program at the New Lines Institute. Prior to joining the institute, Calvin was a Research Assistant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Program on Arab Politics, a Research Assistant on the Chicago Project for Security and Threats' Arabic Propaganda Analysis Team, and a Boren Scholar in Amman, Jordan. Calvin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Chicago. He tweets at @CalvinWilder.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not an official policy or position of the New Lines Institute.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Protecting Syrian Refugees in Turkey from Forced Repatriation - New Lines Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Facing domestic economic and social pressures, Turkey is considering measures that defy numerous agreements and international law to return Syrian refugees to their home country, whether or not it is safe. The United States and the European Union can show Turkey how continuing to host the refugees would be in Ankara's interest.

# data[].attributes.body
America: America has a big problem with climate change and has a lot of things to fix that issue the heat in Arizona has been at 110F for 1-month consecutively

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"You can't argue that we are definitely seeing that warming climate," Phoenix National Weather Service Meteorologist Issac Smith told the Arizona Mirror. "This is becoming more frequent."

In the early 1900s, the Greater Phoenix area only experienced approximately five days per year that reached 110 degrees on average, as compared to the 27 it has typically seen from 2011 onward, according to State Climatologist Erinanne Saffell.

"It is five times what it was in the early 1900s," Saffell said.

The existing all-time record for consecutive days with a high at or above 110 degrees was set in 1974 - at 18 days. Current predictions have this year surpassing that record. The previous three years - 2020, 2021 and 2022 - are all in the top 10 for the most consecutive days with temperatures at or above 110.

The current heat wave is caused by an area of high pressure that has stayed over the area for several weeks that will continue to build over the weekend, leading to even higher temperatures, according to Smith. That high pressure leads to less moisture in the atmosphere.

That is due to the urban heat island effect.

This effect can have a swirl of consequences, such as a city temperatures not cooling at night, leading to residents "cranking their air conditioners" after sundown, which then drains energy usage and strains systems, according to Saffell. Asphalt can heat up to 180 degrees , which is then retained in the air.

Arizona isn't the only place experiencing this type of heat. California and much of Europe are also experiencing record breaking heat, causing groups like 350 to take notice.

"Unfortunately, heat waves are only one type of extreme weather caused by climate change, and it is rendering whole regions of our planet increasingly less livable," Mel Smith said. "The good news is there's still time to prevent things from getting even worse: we can end the era of fossil fuels and invest more resources in a swift and just transition to renewable energy."

Meanwhile, the heat is already having deadly consequences for some of the most vulnerable.

There is some hope though, according to Smith and Saffell.

The extreme heat can hopefully spawn some moisture, eventually.

Arizona is currently in the middle of its monsoon, which runs from June 15 through Sept. 30, however, this season has been particularly dry. According to Issac Smith, next week Arizona may start to see some of that monsoonal moisture begin to rear its head. The extreme heat is sometimes necessary to spur the moisture into action, Saffell said.

This means that much of last year's snow melt didn't melt as quickly and this essentially slowed down our monsoon season, Saffell said.

"We are hoping that the heat will really be a benefit," Saffell said. "Here's hoping for a monsoon and at least a few thunderstorms."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate change, urbanization spur scorching Phoenix heat wave

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Phoenix is close to breaking a heat-related record, spurred by urbanization and the impacts of climate change.

# data[].attributes.body
Sudan: Timely & Topical. Could be addressed in the security council.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sudan conflict: Landmark skyscraper in Khartoum engulfed in flames

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dark smoke rises from the cone-shaped tower as government offices come under attack.

# data[].attributes.body
Colombia could be adressed in the sense of what is happening with climate change problems. Colombia is very vulnerable to climate change which is a problem. For example, their transport and energy sectors can be made to be more resilient to future climate shocks like floods, landslides and droughts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Making the economy greener will bring long-term payoffs for all Colombians
BOGOTA, July 25, 2023 - Colombia can achieve its ambitious climate change goals and provide a better economic future for its people at the same time, a new World Bank Group report says. Through reforms to make its economy more resilient to climate change, the country can rapidly cut carbon emissions and protect its most vulnerable people.

The Colombia Country Climate and Development Report says inaction on adapting to climate change poses bigger risks for the country in comparison with regional and global peers. For example, by 2050 the number of people in Colombia affected by floods is forecast to triple, the number of days with temperatures exceeding 35°Cwill soar almost six-fold, and climate-caused infrastructure disruptions could affect 60 percent more Colombians.

"This report shows that it is not a matter of 'either or,' Colombia can grow economically and at the same achieve its target of becoming more climate resilient and carbon neutral by 2050 if it acts decisively now," said Mark Thomas, World Bank Country Director for Colombia. "Climate investments and policies are an enormous opportunity to modernize Colombia's economy, reduce climate risk, and bring greater prosperity to more Colombians."

The report says Colombia can both address climate change and grow economically if it pursues three priorities. The first is to invest in resiliency. Colombia's transport and energy sectors can be made more resilient to future shocks such as droughts, floods, or landslides. These measures should go hand in hand with conserving and restoring forests, making farming more climate-resilient, and building on Colombia's already strong disaster risk management systems.

A second priority is to generate a rapid reversal in Colombia's rising greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to more aggressively stopping deforestation, this will require quickly reducing emissions in the livestock sector and the amount of land required for production. To meet Colombia's growing energy needs sustainably, renewable energy (especially solar and wind) needs to be ramped up, together with electricity transmission and energy efficiency measures. The transport sector would require a shift to electric mobility and expanding public and non-motorized transport infrastructure.

A third priority is to protect the most vulnerable members of its society. Inevitably, some people will suffer income or job losses from the coming global shift away from fossil fuels. Measures are needed to help workers and regions in the coal and oil industries, whose jobs and local economies will be at risk, find new jobs and activities, in tandem with more adaptive social protection programs to protect the poorest.

As a fossil fuel producer, Colombia stands to lose up to 10 percent of its export revenues, 6 percent of government revenues, and 8 percent of its gross domestic product by 2050, as a result of global decarbonization. Wide-ranging reforms will be needed to make up for fiscal shortfalls and finance climate action.

While implementing this climate agenda could cost some $92 billion by 2050, these actions also have the potential to produce annual net gains of about $7 billion for the economy. Importantly, the report finds that climate action does not run counter to reforms to raise living standards, but that it adds to their urgency: with the right reforms, the private sector could provide up to $74 billion of the additional investment needed for climate action.

"Colombia only represents 0.6% of global CO2 emissions, but it's among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The only way Colombia can address climate change successfully is through close collaboration between the public and private sectors, focused on supporting renewable energy solutions, building sustainable urban infrastructure, and expanding green finance," says Elizabeth Martínez de Marcano, IFC´s regional director for Colombia, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

To foster access to credit in rural areas, the government could partner with financial institutions to expand the provision of guarantees and insurance. Encouraging longer grace periods adapted to crop cycles could promote technology adoption. A clearer regulation for public private partnerships should increase investment on more resilient infrastructure projects. The promotion of development finance and philanthropic funds to mobilize private capital flows might reduce risks for the private sector and leverage public funds. Finally, the development of carbon credit markets and a common system shared by financial institutions to determine whether an investment is sustainable or not, a classification known as "Green Taxonomy", could scale up green finance.
About Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs)
The World Bank Group's Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) are new core diagnostic reports that integrate climate change and development considerations. They will help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost adaptation while delivering on broader development goals. CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so. The reports suggest concrete, priority actions to support the low-carbon, resilient transition. As public documents, CCDRs aim to inform governments, citizens, the private sector, and development partners and enable engagements with the development and climate agenda. CCDRs will feed into other core Bank Group diagnostics, country engagements, and operations, and help attract funding and direct financing for high-impact climate action.
Contacts
In Washington

Yuri Szabo Yamashita
+1 202 948 5341
yszaboyamashita@worldbank.org

In Bogota (World Bank)

María Clara Ucrós
+57 1-3238259
mucros@worldbank.org

In Bogota (IFC)
Mauricio Alejandro González Lara
mgonzalezlara@ifc.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Colombia Country Climate and Development Report (July 2023) - Colombia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Analysis in English on Colombia about Climate Change and Environment and Disaster Management; published on 25 Jul 2023 by IFC and World Bank

# data[].attributes.body
The conflicts between the Western Sahara and Morocco. And how the Western Sahara thinks they are a country but Morocco thinks they are part of them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The long-dormant conflict over the disputed territory of Western Sahara has experienced a resurgence in recent years, posing new challenges to regional stability. The 2020 collapse of a 1991 cease-fire brokered by the United Nations (UN); US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory that same year; and a series of diplomatic tit for tats have freshly inflamed relations between the main sides. The appointment of a UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, in 2021 provided a glimmer of hope that cease-fire talks could resume. The UN and the United States are trying to revive UN-led negotiations to stabilize the conflict and contain regional tensions. This article focuses on the evolving dynamics of the conflict, the UN envoy's role, and the United States' renewed diplomatic push toward a return to the diplomatic process.

Back to war in Western Sahara

The conflict between Morocco and the Western Sahara's pro-independence Polisario Front goes back to the end of Spanish colonial rule. It was ignited in 1975 after Spain relinquished control of Spanish Sahara, later known as Western Sahara. Morocco and Mauritania divided the territory between themselves, while the pro-independence Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, proclaimed a Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and launched a military struggle against what it viewed as two occupying powers. Mauritania withdrew from its part of the territory in 1979 after a series of military defeats at the hands of the Polisario, leaving it to Morocco. Over the following years, Rabat consolidated control over most of Western Sahara, building a defensive wall along the entire territory known as the "sand berm," which de facto left 80 percent of the area in Moroccan hands and 20 percent under Polisario control.

The ensuing military stalemate laid the basis for a 1991 UN-mediated settlement plan, which established a cease-fire and a UN buffer zone along the sand berm; called for a self-determination referendum; and set up a mission, MINURSO, to monitor the cease-fire and organize the referendum. The vote never took place due to Moroccan objections. Subsequent negotiations failed to achieve a breakthrough, even though the two sides continued to abide by the cease-fire. In 2007, under pressure from France and the United States, Morocco proposed an autonomy plan that would provide for a degree of self-government for Western Sahara under its sovereignty. The Polisario rejected it out of hand for denying the Sahrawi population's right to self-determination.

The conflict remained frozen until a series of events in 2019-2021 reignited hostilities, spreading tensions through the wider region. Starting in 2019, Rabat convinced a number of Arab and African governments to open consulates in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara, signaling their recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over the territory. In November 2020, the 1991 cease-fire collapsed when Morocco seized a section of the UN buffer zone to clear a blockade of a key route by Polisario activists and in response the Front resumed its attacks against Morocco in Western Sahara. Tensions escalated further in December 2020 when the Donald Trump administration extended US recognition to Morocco's control of Western Sahara, and again in August 2021, when Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco, partly over the latter's unilateral moves in Western Sahara.

A low-intensity conflict

The intensity of the hostilities over Western Sahara during the conflict's latest round has remained fairly limited, mainly due to a military imbalance in favor of Rabat. Since the end of the cease-fire in 2020, the Polisario has been able to do little more than fire at the Moroccan sand berm in a series of hit-and-run attacks. Yet the vast majority of its attacks are confined to a northeastern section of the former UN buffer zone inside Western Sahara, suggesting that the group is unable to carry out attacks in the rest of the territory. The Front largely demobilized after the 1991 cease-fire, maintaining only minimal forces; it then lost one of its main arms suppliers, Libya's Muammar al-Qaddafi, in 2011, leaving it mostly dependent on outdated equipment. Morocco, from its side, can deploy technologically advanced weapons, including drones, which have granted it air superiority.

The most destabilizing incidents have come from alleged Moroccan attacks on Algerian and Mauritanian civilian convoys. These have threatened to widen the conflict to the rest of the region. In November 2021, an alleged Moroccan drone strike in Polisario-controlled Western Sahara resulted in the deaths of three Algerian truck drivers en route to Mauritania. The incident prompted the Algerian presidency to publicly pin the blame on Rabat and vow retaliation. A second such incident occurred in April 2022, when Algeria accused the Moroccan air force of killing another three people in an attack on a civilian truck convoy near the Mauritanian border.

More recently, an attack inside Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara has highlighted the potential for further military escalation. On May 20, an alleged bomb attack reportedly targeted a segment of a 100-kilometer conveyor belt used by Morocco to export phosphates from a mine located deep within Western Sahara to the coast. Moroccan and pro-Polisario media outlets refrained from reporting on this incident, but the pro-Polisario nongovernmental organization Western Sahara Resource Watch released a series of videos supporting the claim that the incident had happened. If the incident did in fact take place, it would mark the first such attack in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara since the cease-fire's collapse. While the fact that neither side publicized the alleged event suggests a shared interest in avoiding an escalation at this stage, this kind of attack hints at the possibility of a new, more dangerous phase in the conflict, should diplomacy fail to contain tensions.

The UN Security Council's hesitations and de Mistura's role

Divisions and inaction marked the UN Security Council's initial response to the restart of the conflict in 2020. The council remained inactive for weeks after the cease-fire collapsed due to deep divisions within its ranks between pro-Polisario (such as Russia among the permanent members, as well as several African and Latin American countries) and pro-Morocco member states (such as France and many Arab and West African governments). Pro-Polisario members wanted the council to publicly put more pressure on Rabat, while pro-Morocco states supported the kingdom's reluctance to allow any form of international scrutiny of the conflict.

All attempts to push the council to discuss and take a position failed. When Germany requested consultations on the matter in December 2020, Rabat suspended diplomatic ties in retaliation. In April 2021, the United States tried to push the council to take a stance on the need to avoid an escalation and appoint a new UN envoy, but this initiative crashed on a roadblock thrown up by India, which acted on Morocco's behalf. This move was enough to block the US initiative, as Washington realized that the costs of overcoming New Delhi's objection would far outweigh the initiative's benefits.

Faced with a paralyzed Security Council, the Joe Biden administration tried to ease hostilities in Western Sahara. It pushed for the appointment of Staffan de Mistura as the new UN envoy, overcoming Rabat's initial rejection. Yet, it refrained from clarifying its position on former President Trump's decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, in an apparent attempt to avoid antagonizing either side.

The Security Council's divisions and widening gap between Morocco and the Polisario meant that de Mistura had to operate within a very tight policy space. Following the collapse of the cease-fire, the two sides presented diverging views regarding the format and substance of future negotiations. For Rabat, the only way to return to talks was to resume the 2019 roundtable format, which included Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario, and to discuss acceptance of its 2007 autonomy plan. The roundtable format was a short-lived negotiating arrangement introduced in 2019 by former UN envoy Horst Kohler, who resigned after only two negotiating sessions for personal reasons, leaving the position vacant until de Mistura's appointment. The Moroccans view the Polisario as an Algerian proxy and contend that only a grand bargain with Algeria and Mauritania can end the conflict. From its side, the Polisario insists on direct bilateral talks with Morocco to set the terms for a self-determination referendum.

De Mistura embarked on rebuilding ties with regional actors through the use of constructive ambiguity. By prioritizing direct bilateral consultations and keeping a relatively low profile, he gradually expanded his scope of action. His use of the phrasing " all concerned" to avoid precisely describing who should be involved in future negotiations, and invitation to Morocco and the Polisario Front to move beyond their current positions, provided a basis for moving forward. In particular, the "all concerned" language allowed him to sidestep the issue of who should be involved in diplomatic efforts related to Western Sahara by addressing all the parties with a stake in this conflict, whether as direct parties or regional observers. Through such constructive ambiguity, he was able to avoid defining exactly which actors should be involved and which plan should be the basis for negotiations. In October 2022, the Security Council adopted amendments to its annual resolution on Western Sahara that echoed the envoy's wording, thus providing him with much-needed backing and placing pressure on the parties to engage with him.

Washington's role

The Biden administration has started playing a somewhat more assertive role in efforts to revive UN-brokered negotiations. Over the past months, US officials have engaged with all parties involved, aiming to contain regional tensions and rebuild the UN framework for Western Sahara. Washington's unique position as the only external actor capable of engaging with all stakeholders makes it a critical interlocutor.

Other external actors have struggled to have any impact. France has strengthened its relations with Algeria over the past months, to the detriment of its traditionally close ties with Morocco. Two events in particular contributed to the deterioration. In January 2023, President Emmanuel Macron met with Algerian Chief of Staff Said Chengriha in Paris; and Morocco accused French members of the European Parliament of backing, if not championing, a resolutioncondemning Moroccan violations of press freedom. For its part, in 2022 Spain publicly endorsed the 2007 Moroccan autonomy plan as " the most serious, realistic and credible basis " to solve the conflict, angering the Polisario and Algeria. Germany also expressed its support for the Moroccan plan, having mended its ties with Rabat. And Morocco sees Russia, which is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, as too close to Algeria's and the Polisario's stancesto be a credible mediator.

Despite its privileged position, Washington has been reluctant to invest significant political capital in ending the conflict, considering it a low-priority issue. Instead of applying pressure, the administration has tried to build confidence among all the main stakeholders by leveraging their desire for strong ties with the United States. To this end, the Biden administration has worked to establish closer economic and security ties with Algeria, maintained relations with Morocco, and offered the Polisario the prospect of an expanded diplomatic relationship. But its reluctance to make a bigger push for negotiations could hamper the UN envoy's efforts.

Indeed, Morocco has yet to modify its position. Moroccan diplomats continue to engage with the UN envoy, but refuse to abandon the 2019 roundtable format or negotiate beyond their autonomy plan. The Polisario remains open to discussing the envoy's proposals, but skeptical of the current circumstances for negotiations due to a lack of international attention toward the conflict and a weak negotiating position.

Israel's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara

Despite the temporary lull in tensions, Israel's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has further exacerbated regional tensions. The Moroccan media celebrated the July 17 announcement as another diplomatic victory for the kingdom. The move did not go unchallenged. Three days later, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned it as "a blatant violation of international law."

Israel's step may have bolstered Morocco's efforts to formalize its control over the territory but is unlikely to inject real momentum in its strategy to secure international support for its claim. International media highlighted how the move strengthens the dominant narrative that Rabat has the upper hand in this conflict, but Israel's controversial role in the region suggests that few other states will follow its example.

Supporting a fragile path back to negotiations

The Western Sahara conflict continues to present significant challenges to regional stability, but recent diplomatic efforts offer hope for progress. With some modest backing from the Security Council, de Mistura has managed to open some limited space to pursue a political solution. To ensure that the UN envoy's efforts to revive talks have any chance of success, Washington should engage more proactively as a relatively impartial broker by extracting concessions from both sides to create a climate more conducive to resuming negotiations. As a first confidence-building step, the United States could ask Rabat to release at least some of the Sahrawi activists who have been detained since protests in Gdeim Izik in 2010 and grant the UN envoy unrestricted access to Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. On the other side, it should encourage the Polisario to unilaterally suspend its military operations against Morocco. Such steps, if successful, could be enough to lay the basis for a resumption of negotiations.
Riccardo Fabiani is the project director of the North Africa program at the International Crisis Group
Related content

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Western Sahara conflict: A fragile path to negotiations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The long-dormant conflict over Western Sahara has resurged in recent years, challenging regional stability. Diplomatic tensions between the main sides, coupled with the collapse of the 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in 2020, have complicated the situation.

# data[].attributes.body
Morocco is a country that is known for its accomplishments but not a lot of people know about problems they have. One of the problems include poverty which is a world problem, but is under-represented about in Morocco.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Key messages:

From 2001 to 2014, poverty has substantially declined in Morocco. Consumption per capita increased at an annual rate of 3.3% (3.9% for the bottom 20%), monetary poverty and vulnerability fell to 4.8 and 12.5% respectively.

The improvement in living standards is also visible in changes of consumption patterns, with a reduction in the food share and diversification toward food of higher nutritional value.

Growth has been pro-poor but the urban-rural gap in poverty rates remains large. From 2007 to 2014, the growth of households' consumption in the bottom quintiles was positive and above the average. In addition, the growth of consumption in urban areas was higher than in rural areas. Thus, urban poverty rate decreased faster than the national rate: in 2001 urban poverty was half the national level, in 2014 is decreased to a third.

At a subnational level, the evolution of the standard of living between 2001 and 2014 indicate a convergence between Morocco's 12 administrative regions, although the rate of reduction in regional disparities was not the same. The convergence coefficient indicates that the standard of living of the less affluent regions grew faster than that of the richest regions. Convergence has been strong in Fes-Meknes and the Oriental region, while it has been slower in Draa-Tafilalt and Benimalal-Khenifra. The process of convergence is all but completed. With an annual convergence rate of 4%, it would take 24 years for the convergence process to reduce initial regional disparities by half.

Overall inequality has slightly decreased though not in all regions. The Gini coefficient fell slightly between 2001 and 2014, going from 40.6 to 39.5. The reduction in the overall Gini coefficient was the result of two counter-balancing trends: convergence of development across regions and increased within region inequality in some of the regions. Indeed, inequality increased in some regions (e.g. Rabat-Sale-Kenitra from 39.9 to 44.2 and the Southern regions from 35 to 40.2) while it decreased in others (Casablanca, Marakesh-Safi and Souss-Massa).

Growth contributed to poverty reduction in all regions while the effect of inequality differed across regions. Poverty reduction is mainly attributable to household consumption growth: simulations suggest that about 90% of poverty reduction is due to growth and only 10% to the slight decline in inequality.

Despite positive outcomes as far as poverty alleviation is concerned, Morocco is still faced with high subjective poverty, especially in rural areas. The marked divergence between subjective poverty and the monetary aspects of poverty is a common phenomenon in developing countries, which shows the complexity of the very concept of poverty. Nationally, the subjective poverty rate (the percentage of household considering themselves poor) increased from 41.8% in 2007 to 45.1% in 2014. The largest increase was in rural areas, where it increased by 15%, reaching 54.3%; meaning that more than half of the rural population consider themselves as poor. This was true also among women (55.3%) and youth below 25 years old (57.6%). Overall, 39.3% of households thought that poverty increased and 63.9% believed that inequality has grown. The high perception of poverty is in contrast with the actual reduction in monetary poverty, as well as the high rate of growth in agriculture GDP.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Poverty in Morocco: Challenges and Opportunities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Key messages: From 2001 to 2014, poverty has substantially declined in Morocco. Consumption per capita increased at an annual rate of 3.3% (3.9% for the bottom 20%), monetary poverty and vulnerability fell to 4.8 and 12.5% respectively.

# data[].attributes.body
I think Germany should be a represented country as it is a diplomatic country with many views and perspectives, including culture and morals. Germany has recently taken a hit in their economy and is an industrialized country with major influence globally, especially within Europe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ESSEN, Germany (AP) - For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports.

Jobs were plentiful, the government's financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany.

No longer. Now, Germany is the world's worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas - an unprecedented shock to Germany's energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe.

The sudden underperformance by Europe's largest economy has set off a wave of criticism, handwringing and debate about the way forward.

Germany risks "deindustrialization" as high energy costs and government inaction on other chronic problems threaten to send new factories and high-paying jobs elsewhere, said Christian Kullmann, CEO of major German chemical company Evonik Industries AG.

From his 21st-floor office in the west German town of Essen, Kullmann points out the symbols of earlier success across the historic Ruhr Valley industrial region: smokestacks from metal plants, giant heaps of waste from now-shuttered coal mines, a massive BP oil refinery and Evonik's sprawling chemical production facility.

These days, the former mining region, where coal dust once blackened hanging laundry, is a symbol of the energy transition, dotted with wind turbines and green space.

The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories "painfully damaged the business model of the German economy," Kullmann told The Associated Press. "We're in a situation where we're being strongly affected - damaged - by external factors."

After Russia cut off most of its gas to the European Union, spurring an energy crisis in the 27-nation bloc that had sourced 40% of the fuel from Moscow, the German government asked Evonik to keep its 1960s coal-fired power plant running a few months longer.

The company is shifting away from the plant - whose 40-story smokestack fuels production of plastics and other goods - to two gas-fired generators that can later run on hydrogen amid plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition.

The proposal from Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens Party has faced resistance from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, and pro-business coalition partner the Free Democrats. Environmentalists say it would only prolong reliance on fossil fuels.

Kullmann is for it: "It was mistaken political decisions that primarily developed and influenced these high energy costs. And it can't now be that German industry, German workers should be stuck with the bill."

The price of gas is roughly double what it was in 2021, hurting companies that need it to keep glass or metal red-hot and molten 24 hours a day to make glass, paper and metal coatings used in buildings and cars.

A second blow came as key trade partner China experiences a slowdown after several decades of strong economic growth.

These outside shocks have exposed cracks in Germany's foundation that were ignored during years of success, including lagging use of digital technology in government and business and a lengthy process to get badly needed renewable energy projects approved.

Other dawning realizations: The money that the government readily had on hand came in part because of delays in investing in roads, the rail network and high-speed internet in rural areas. A 2011 decision to shut down Germany's remaining nuclear power plants has been questioned amid worries about electricity prices and shortages. Companies face a severe shortage of skilled labor, with job openings hitting a record of just under 2 million.

And relying on Russia to reliably supply gas through the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea - built under former Chancellor Angela Merkel and since shut off and damaged amid the war - was belatedly conceded by the government to have been a mistake.

Now, clean energy projects are slowed by extensive bureaucracy and not-in-my-backyard resistance. Spacing limits from homes keep annual construction of wind turbines in single digits in the southern Bavarian region.

A 10 billion-euro ($10.68 billion) electrical line bringing wind power from the breezier north to industry in the south has faced costly delays from political resistance to unsightly above-ground towers. Burying the line means completion in 2028 instead of 2022.

Massive clean energy subsidies that the Biden administration is offering to companies investing in the U.S. have evoked envy and alarm that Germany is being left behind.

"We're seeing a worldwide competition by national governments for the most attractive future technologies - attractive meaning the most profitable, the ones that strengthen growth," Kullmann said.

He cited Evonik's decision to build a $220 million production facility for lipids - key ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines - in Lafayette, Indiana. Rapid approvals and up to $150 million in U.S. subsidies made a difference after German officials evinced little interest, he said.

"I'd like to see a little more of that pragmatism ... in Brussels and Berlin," Kullmann said.

In the meantime, energy-intensive companies are looking to cope with the price shock.

Drewsen Spezialpapiere, which makes passport and stamp paper as well as paper straws that don't de-fizz soft drinks, bought three wind turbines near its mill in northern Germany to cover about a quarter of its external electricity demand as it moves away from natural gas.

Specialty glass company Schott AG, which makes products ranging from stovetops to vaccine bottles to the 39-meter (128-foot) mirror for the Extremely Large Telescope astronomical observatory in Chile, has experimented with substituting emissions-free hydrogen for gas at the plant where it produces glass in tanks as hot as 1,700 degrees Celsius.

It worked - but only on a small scale, with hydrogen supplied by truck. Mass quantities of hydrogen produced with renewable electricity and delivered by pipeline would be needed and don't exist yet.

Scholz has called for the energy transition to take on the "Germany tempo," the same urgency used to set up four floating natural gas terminals in months to replace lost Russian gas. The liquefied natural gas that comes to the terminals by ship from the U.S., Qatar and elsewhere is much more expensive than Russian pipeline supplies, but the effort showed what Germany can do when it has to.

However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders.

Evonik's Kullmann dismissed a recent package of government proposals, including tax breaks for investment and a law aimed at reducing bureaucracy, as "a Band-Aid."

Germany grew complacent during a "golden decade" of economic growth in 2010-2020 based on reforms under Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in 2003-2005 that lowered labor costs and increased competitiveness, says Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank.

"The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia," he said. "Germany is paying the price for its energy policies."

Schmieding, who once dubbed Germany "the sick man of Europe" in an influential 1998 analysis, thinks that label would be overdone today, considering its low unemployment and strong government finances. That gives Germany room to act - but also lowers the pressure to make changes.

The most important immediate step, Schmieding said, would be to end uncertainty over energy prices, through a price cap to help not just large companies, but smaller ones as well.

Whatever policies are chosen, "it would already be a great help if the government could agree on them fast so that companies know what they are up to and can plan accordingly instead of delaying investment decisions," he said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy. What happened?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Germany racked up one economic success after another for most of this century. But the loss of Russian natural gas due to the war in Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to its industry through higher energy costs.

# data[].attributes.body
France: This has a big connection to Frances decision of banning students of wearing religious clothing and symbols which means no hijab for the Muslims, no veils or crosses for Christians, no star of David for Jews, no turbans for Sikhs and many more. This seems to come into connection with France trying to disconnect themselves from religion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
France’s education minister bans long robes in classrooms worn mainly by Muslims

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
France’s education minister has announced a ban on long robes in classrooms starting with the new school year, saying the garments worn mainly by Muslims are testing secularism in the nation’s schools

# data[].attributes.body
Nigeria is a country with an extremist Islamic insurgency happening right now and has arrested people staging a gay wedding.

# data[].attributes.body
The food crisis in somalia because its an issue that the eu and us have part in

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UNITED NATIONS/NAIROBI/GENEVA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The European Union executive has temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia, two senior EU officials told Reuters on Monday, after a U.N. investigation found widespread theft and misuse of aid meant to avert famine.

The European Commission gave more than $7 million in aid to the WFP's operations in Somalia last year, a fraction of the donations of more than $1 billion it received, U.N. data shows.

EU member states gave much more money on a bilateral basis. It was not immediately clear whether any would also suspend aid.

Balazs Ujvari, a spokesman for the European Commission, neither confirmed nor denied specifically a temporary suspension but said: "So far, the EU has not been informed by its U.N. partners of a financial impact on EU-funded projects.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor the situation and abide by our zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption or misconduct."

The WFP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

One senior EU official said the decision was taken after the U.N. investigation concluded that landowners, local authorities, members of the security forces and humanitarian workers were all involved in stealing aid intended for vulnerable people.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the aid would be restored after the WFP met additional conditions, such as vetting of partners on the ground in Somalia. The second senior EU official confirmed that.

A third source, also an EU official, said the Commission was "cooperating actively with WFP to resolve systemic defects" but said no aid was suspended at this stage.

The July 7 report, marked "strictly confidential," was commissioned by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a copy reviewed by Reuters.

Its contents were first published on Monday by Devex, a media outlet focused on international development.

It cited internally displaced persons (IDPs) as saying they were coerced into paying up to half of the cash assistance they received to people in positions of power in the face of threats of eviction, arrest or de-registration from beneficiary lists.

Three months ago the WFP and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) suspended food aid to neighboring Ethiopia in response to the widespread diversion of donations.

The European Commission contributes 10 million euros ($10.69 million) to Somalia and Ethiopia via the WFP, with the suspension covering part of that, according to one of the senior EU officials.

The United States is by far Somalia's biggest humanitarian donor. Last year, it contributed more than half of the $2.2 billion of funding that went to the humanitarian response there.

USAID spokesperson Jessica Jennings said in a statement the United States was working to understand the extent of the diversion and was "already taking steps to protect beneficiaries and ensure taxpayer money is used to benefit vulnerable persons in Somalia, as intended."

An official of the agency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the situations in Ethiopia and Somalia were different and USAID was not planning to pause food assistance in the latter.

A U.S. Congressional source said the decision to suspend aid in Ethiopia was, in part, related to the uniquely hands-on role of the federal government there in distributing food assistance, which has long made donors uneasy.

"The widespread theft of food assistance in Ethiopia was abhorrent, but was also an opportunity to change the way it is provided," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Somali Disaster Management Office, which coordinates the government's humanitarian response, said in a statement on Monday that Somali authorities were committed to investigating the U.N. report's findings, while adding that current aid delivery systems operate "outside of the government channels".

Guterres' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

'WIDESPREAD AND SYSTEMIC'

Donors boosted funding to Somalia last year as humanitarian officials warned of a looming famine due to the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades.

Famine was averted, official data shows, but as many as 43,000 people, half of them children younger than five, died last year as a result of the drought, researchers estimate.

The U.N. report did not attempt to quantify the amount of aid diverted but said its findings "suggest that post-delivery aid diversion in Somalia is widespread and systemic".

Investigators found aid diversion at all of the 55 IDP sites in Somalia from which they collected data, the report said. Some 3.8 million people are displaced in Somalia - one of the highest rates in the world.

Aid distribution has been a problem in Somalia for decades, complicated by weak government institutions, widespread insecurity stemming from an Islamist insurgency and marginalisation of minority clans.

Since revelations of aid theft during a 2011 famine, humanitarian agencies have converted most of their assistance to cash-based transfers that some officials have presented as less vulnerable to corruption.

The U.N. report was the latest evidence that cash-based systems can be exploited too. It identified a variety of perpetrators, led by so-called "gatekeepers," powerful individuals from dominant local clans.

These gatekeepers leverage their influence over access to camp sites and food beneficiary lists to coerce payments from IDPs, the report said.

Members of security forces also play a role by intimidating and sometimes arresting those who refuse to pay, while some humanitarian workers collude with gatekeepers to pocket stolen funds, the report said.

While famine has been averted for now, the report warned that inadequate humanitarian funding could imperil fragile progress.

Aid budgets are under strain globally, with just 36% funded to date of the $2.6 billion the U.N. says is needed this year for Somalia's humanitarian response.

($1=0.9355 euros)

Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Aaron Ross in Nairobi, Emma Farge in Geneva; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Joe Bavier; Editing by Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Exclusive: EU temporarily holds back food aid in Somalia after UN finds widespread theft

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The European Union executive has temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia, two senior EU officials told Reuters on Monday, after a U.N. investigation found widespread theft and misuse of aid meant to avert famine.

# data[].attributes.body
Niger is a could country because it could be a commentary on democracy and colonization. as it has had a coup and there is large anti french anti colonization sentiment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A few thousand people have demonstrated in front of a military base housing French soldiers in Niamey, Niger's capital to demand their departure from the country. "Enough is enough. All Macron has to do is take his 'macronis' and his clicks and clacs. All they have to do is go back to their so-called country, France," says Yahya Garba, a protester.

"People always say that we Africans are the last in the world. But we ask them to leave and they refuse. They are rotting over there, and we won't give them peace until the day they leave" Garba stressed.

Rallies to protest the 1,500-strong French military presence have attracted tens of thousands of people to the airbase which hosts part of the former colonial power's contingent near Niamey's airport over the past three weeks.

The Nigerien generals who seized power in a July 26 coup have denounced several cooperation accords with France and are demanding Paris withdraw its troops.

But Paris does not recognise the legitimacy of the military regime and day and night almost without interruption citizen "vigils" camp out at Escadrille roundabout, the centre of the protest movement.

There is a Saturday night atmosphere along the metal barriers guarded by an almost uninterrupted line of police and soldiers.

Old men, hand-holding couples, young people wearing the national colours, groups of women, and street vendors all crowd the area under street lamps.

An improvised market has taken root under a specially erected awning. Grilled corn, rice, couscous and tea are all on sale.
- 'Support my country' -
On one of those anti-French protests held September 10, Hafizou, who says he is 16, came along with a friend carrying a sleeping bag to stay late into the night.

"I am here to support my country," says Hafizou, caught up in a group of people blaring vuvuzela horns. "I swear, I walked ten kilometres to get here - we shall never tire," insists Souleymane Abdou, a trader.

Some drift into the protest camp like Mariama Oumarou, a private sector manager draped in a purple veil.

"My husband gives me permission to come to show that I am a true patriot," she says.

The vigil offers a space for rare social exchange in a conservative society.

"It makes us feel good to be here. We meet people, exchange ideas, we talk about the crises we've just experienced," explains Mariama.

But everyone is adamant they are primarily here to support the cause -- forcing out France.

The organisations behind the vigils are making sure they get participants onside, with one local association having promised to serve "1,000 meals a day." It has teams of people busy distributing meals in cardboard boxes.

"Small businesses are growing, charitable people are preparing food to distribute for free. There is unparalleled determination," says Issaka Oumarou, who heads one association backing the military regime.
- 'Don't need the French' -
The festive atmosphere contrasts with the angry slogan on everyone's lips.

"Down with France," down with its politics, its president and its soldiers.

The French soldiers inside cannot hear the cacophony from their enclave, protected by a substantial security system.

"We don't need the French. Our army can readily do the job without them," says one youth at the rally, Oumar.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Niger: Thousands again take part in anti-French protests, say 'enough is enough' | Africanews

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"People always say that we Africans are the last in the world. But we ask them to leave and they refuse. They are rotting over there, and we won't give them peace until the day they leave."

# data[].attributes.body
Sudan: This country has multiple aspects to it, which can all be associated with different committees. For example, in this article, they talk about environmental issues that impact the people, which fall under the third committee, which is social, humanitarian, and cultural issues.

# data[].attributes.body
The Netherlands: because the international court of justice is in the Netherlands so i think it would be wrong not to include them. they could also be addressed in multiple committees and SGDs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Robin Pascoe

The government's spending plans for 2024 include little in the way of new policy because the cabinet is acting in a caretaker capacity and there will be a general election in November.

The aim of the budget, said finance minister Sigrid Kaag as she presented the holding plans to parliament on Tuesday afternoon, is to alleviate poverty among the country's poorest families while paving the way for other reforms in the future.

The pending election "does not alter the fact that we have a responsibility to strive for a good life for all," she said. "We will take the necessary steps until a new cabinet takes office. That is why we have put together a balanced budget with an eye for the vulnerable in society."

Kaag pledged the government's continued support for Ukraine and emphasised that the "future of the Netherlands is European".

The Dutch economy, she said, remains one of the most competitive in the world. We are still a "high trust society", the minister said.

At the same time, she said politicians have a major joint responsibility in terms of climate change and the energy transition. But plans for phasing out subsidies on the use of fossil fuels, she said, will be up to the next government.

MPs will debate the budget during two days of debate on Wednesday and Thursday. It will be the last time prime minister Mark Rutte defends his government's budget in what will effectively be the start of the election campaign.

Most of the measures leaked out earlier.

The main points
Taxes

The higher tax band (€73,000) will rise by 3.55% rather than inflation

Untaxed travel expenses to rise from 21 to 23 cents per kilometre

The tax rate on increased assets will rise from 32% to 34% and the tax-free limit will remain €57,000

From April, a packet of 20 cigarettes will cost an average of €10.70, while 50 grammes of rolling tobacco will hit €24.14

Taxes on alcohol will rise in line with inflation

Economic developments

Economic growth to hit 1.5% (was 0.7% this year)

National debt to fall to 47.3% of GDP

Budget deficit to rise to 2.9%

Unemployment rate to rise from 3.6% to 4%

Read the full economic forecast (in English)

Other measures

€64 million extra for sheltered work schemes

€89 million to help new arrivals stream into Dutch higher education

€168 million to continue the free school meal scheme

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
€2 billion to fight poverty, paid for by higher taxes and duty - DutchNews.nl

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The government's spending plans for 2024 include little in the way of new policy because the cabinet is acting in a caretaker capacity and there will be a general election in November.

# data[].attributes.body
India - Timely & Topical. Could be addressed in Science,Technology and Development commitee.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
India's space agency launches rocket to study the sun a little over a week after historic landing on moon's south pole.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft lifting off on board a satellite launch vehicle from the space centre in Sriharikota, India [Indian Space Research Organisation via AP]

India has launched a rocket to study the sun, a little over a week after its successful unmanned landing on the moon.

The Aditya-L1 rocket, carrying scientific instruments to observe the sun's outermost layers, blasted off at 11:50am (06:20 GMT) on Saturday for its four-month journey.

Keep reading

The rocket left a trail of smoke and fire as scientists clapped, a live broadcast on the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) website showed.

#WATCH | Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launches India's first solar mission, #AdityaL1 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Aditya L1 is carrying seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the Sun. pic.twitter.com/Eo5bzQi5SO

- ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2023

The broadcast was watched by nearly 500,000 viewers, while thousands gathered at a viewing gallery near the launch site to see the lift-off of the probe, which will aim to study solar winds, which can cause disturbance on earth commonly seen as auroras.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft is carrying "seven scientific payloads for systematic study of the sun", all of which were indigenously developed in collaborations between India's space agency and scientific institutes.

The United States and the European Space Agency (ESA) have sent numerous probes to the centre of the solar system, beginning with NASA's Pioneer programme in the 1960s. But if the latest mission by the ISRO is successful, it will be the first probe by any Asian nation to be placed in solar orbit.

Named after the Hindi word for the sun, the Aditya-L1 launch follows India beating Russia late last month to become the first country to land on the south pole of the moon. While Russia had a more powerful rocket, India's Chandrayaan-3 out-endured the Luna-25 to execute a textbook landing.

The Aditya-L1 is travelling on the ISRO-designed, 320-tonne PSLV XL rocket that has been a mainstay of the Indian space programme, powering earlier launches to the moon and Mars.

The spacecraft is designed to travel about 1.5 million km (930,000 miles) over four months to a kind of parking lot in space where objects tend to stay put because of balancing gravitational forces, reducing fuel consumption for the spacecraft.

Those positions are called Lagrange Points, named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.

The mission has the capacity to make a "big bang in terms of science," said Somak Raychaudhury, who was involved in the development of some components of the observatory, adding that energy particles emitted by the sun can hit satellites that control communications on earth.

"There have been episodes when major communications have gone down because a satellite has been hit by a big corona emission. Satellites in low earth orbit are the main focus of global private players, which makes the Aditya L1 mission a very important project," he said.

After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey.

Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at @isro for the successful launch of India's first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1.

Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better...

- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2023

India has been steadily matching the achievements of established spacefaring powers at a fraction of their cost.

India's successful landing on the surface of the moon - a feat previously achieved only by Russia, the US and China - was achieved at a cost of less than $75m.

India became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars in 2014 and is slated to launch a three-day crewed mission into the Earth's orbit by next year.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
After the moon, India launches rocket to study the sun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
India's space agency launches rocket to study the sun a little over a week after historic landing on moon's south pole.

# data[].attributes.body
Topical and timely. Could be addressed in multiple committees

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Morocco’s earthquake crumbled much of this adobe village nestled in the mountain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Morocco’s earthquake last week hit thousands of people who live in traditional villages in the Atlas Mountains. NPR followed rescuers and saw just how hard it was getting to people in need.

# data[].attributes.body
A Latin American, such as Ecuador, Brazil, or Colombia. Specifically Colombia. Colombia plays a massive role in the world economy, exporting coffee, tea, and other products. Colombia also is a major military power in the Americas. Could be addressed in many commitees. Recently, crime has spiked, and greenhouse gas exports have increased.

# data[].attributes.body
Afghanistan: Timely & Topical. Could be addressed in multiple committees.  Such as the third and fourth committees.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
[ See a larger version of the image (757KB). ]

There are social movements that shake the world. The Afghan women's rights movement is one of them. Afghan women's fight for freedom and equality spans generations. Their most fierce battle has been for visibility and presence in public life-for their names to be known, their voices to be heard, and their presence to be acknowledged and valued.

A few statistics [1]:

In 1920, the first school for girls opened in Afghanistan [2]. In 1991, 7,000 women enrolled in higher education, 230,000 girls were in schools, 190 women were professors, and 22,000 women taught in schools across the country [3].

By the end of the Taliban's first rule in 2001, less than one million Afghan children were in school, and none of them were girls [4].

In 2004, a new constitution enshrined gender equality and reserved 27 per cent of seats in parliament for women. By 2021, Afghan women had secured 69 out of 249 seats in parliament, women were negotiating peace across the country, and laws were in place allowing women to include their names on their children's birth certificates and identification cards. There was a Ministry of Women's Affairs, an independent human rights commission, and a law-making violence against women a crime. But more than this, women were visible-from law, politics, and journalism, to sidewalks, parks, and schools.

Over the last two years, the Taliban have issued 80 edicts, 54 of these directly target women and girls [5]. The roll backs started as soon as they took power in August 2021, when they ordered women to stay at home because their foot soldiers were "not familiar with seeing women outside the house and were not trained to respect women" [6]. One year into their rule, and it was clear gender segregation and restricting women's movement remained the cornerstone of their vision for society. The so-called "Taliban 2.0" never eventuated. On women's rights, Afghanistan went back to the future.

We are now two years into their rule. Women have been banned from going to parks, gyms, and public bathing houses. They have been stopped from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade. Their ability to work outside of health and education is all but prohibited. The cumulative effect of the Taliban's edicts and behaviours has largely resulted in the imprisonment of women within the walls of their homes.

The question is, what more can be taken away? On 15 August 2024, on 15 August 2050, what spaces will be left for Afghan women to access? What will this visual look like?

For many women across the world, walking out your front door is an ordinary part of life. For many Afghan women, it is extraordinary. It is an act of defiance. Despite all these challenges, women have found ways to carve out pockets of hope. Afghan women are still forming new civil society groups to address community needs, running businesses, and providing health, education, and protection services. Afghan women will not give up their right to live full lives, equal in dignity. They will not accept living in a world where they are not worthy of living the same life as a man.

And neither should we.

Afghanistan is not the only country in the world where women's rights are being rolled back. But what is happening in Afghanistan is an alarm bell for all of us because it shows how decades of progress on gender equality and women's rights can be wiped out in months. It is a clarion call to everyone that the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan is a global fight, and a battle for women's rights everywhere.

What we all do-or fail to do-for women and girls in Afghanistan is the ultimate test of who we are as a global community, and what we stand for.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women in Afghanistan: From almost everywhere to almost nowhere | UN Women - Headquarters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UN Women partnered with Mona Chalabi to illustrate the scope and the severity of the restrictions on women and girls' access to public space and public life in Afghanistan. In international treaties this is referred to as "freedom of movement".

# data[].attributes.body
Libya: Timely & Topical. Could be addressed in many Committees.