HAVANA, Sep 23 (IPS) - After making a model for a solar heater, installing solar panels and creating a device to dehydrate food with the help of the sun, Félix Morffi is turning his home into a space for the production and promotion of renewable energies in Cuba.
Iraq represents a living example of how hope prevails over seemingly impossible odds, especially conflict and political crises, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi told the UN General Assembly on Friday, and while the nascent democracy still needed international support, it is looking to its younger generations to keep the spirit of hope and courage alive.
“Every war is a denial of humanity,” European Council President Charles Michel told the UN General Assembly on Friday, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he said has threatened hundreds of millions of people with starvation, heat deprivation or energy constraints.
The bodies of 71 migrants have reportedly been recovered following another shipwreck in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Syria, which heads of UN agencies described as a “simply tragic” development that demanded an international response to improve conditions for those forced to flee their homes.
Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres, took part in a High-Level event at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, noting the encouraging progress that has been made towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic, while acknowledging that work still needs to be done to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.
With huge swathes of his country still under water following recent devastating floods, Pakistan’s Prime Minister appealed on Friday for global support to help his country face the consequences of a climate catastrophe the likes of which it has never seen before.
Addressing the General Assembly for the final time before leaving office, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday relayed some hard truths about what he saw as shortcomings leading to the “gradual loss of credibility of the United Nations” and called for Member States to generate the political will to reform and modernize the Organization.
President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his appeal for the State of Palestine to become a full-fledged member of the UN, and warned of waning peace prospects with Israel, in his speech to the General Assembly on Friday.
The UN Human Rights Committee found on Friday that Australia’s failure to adequately protect indigenous Torres Islanders against climate change impacts, has violated their rights to enjoy their culture, free from “arbitrary interference” with their private life, family and home.