Latest news with #SamRose
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
UNESCO Trail 'has raised Scotland's profile as a holiday destination'
It found that the trail not only raised Scotland's profile as a holiday destination but also as a 'global leader' in promoting UNESCO values and responsible, sustainable tourism practices – with other countries inspired to create their own version. The evaluation reports that around one in twelve (8%) domestic visitors typically visit a UNESCO site while taking a holiday or short break in Scotland. This increases to around one in six (16%) for short-haul visitors and one in four (28%) for long-haul. Visitor surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023 found that around a quarter of visitors from key European markets were aware of the trail, rising to a third from UK and North America. Between 31% and 46% of visitors stated the trail was an important factor in their decision to visit a UNESCO site. The trail was most important for visitors to the Antonine Wall and New Lanark, followed by Shetland, Orkney, the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere and Old and New Towns of Edinburgh. READ MORE: Scotland's UNESCO Trail was launched as a digital trail in October 2021 – the first of its kind in the world – and included all 13 of Scotland's UNESCO designated sites at the time. The Flow Country, Perth City of Craft and Folk Art, and the Isle of Arran, which have since received UNESCO designation, have been added to the trail as it has been reworked. Scotland was the first nation in the world to create the pioneering initiative, developed through a unique partnership between VisitScotland, the Scottish Government, the UK National Commission for UNESCO, Historic Environment Scotland, NatureScot, the National Trust for Scotland and Scotland's UNESCO designations. The trail was designed specifically to support the ambitions of the national strategy to make Scotland a world-leading responsible tourism destination, encouraging visitors to stay longer and visit all year round in line with the country's responsible tourism ambitions. All of Scotland's UNESCO designations stated that the trail encouraged collaborative working between them and the wider tourism sector. Scotland's UNESCO Trail has received numerous accolades including a prestigious international award for responsible tourism ('Tourmag - Césars du Voyage Responsible' Award', Marseille March 2023), the Santagata Foundation Award and Wanderlust Sustainability Award (both November 2022). In 2024, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the Flow Country as a World Heritage Site (Image: Sam Rose) Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: 'Each one of Scotland's UNESCO sites tells a story of Scotland's rich and varied culture, history and heritage. Together, they form a powerful showcase of Scotland's unique proposition as a year-round sustainable tourism destination. 'The UNESCO Trail has been a pioneering project led by VisitScotland in partnership with sites across the country and this analysis shows the clear value of the initiative as it helps build a compelling story that is attracting tourists and visitors from across the world to our incredible, unique UNESCO sites up and down the country.' Professor Anne Anderson OBE, Chair, UK National Commission for UNESCO, said: 'At the UK National Commission for UNESCO we are delighted with this final evaluation report of the award-winning Scotland UNESCO Trail. The Trail is an exemplar of how a national tourism board and a UNESCO National Commission can come together with a national network of UNESCO sites to create and deliver a product that has measurable positive visitor impact, and real-world social and economic benefits for local communities. 'The Scotland UNESCO Trail continues to resonate with UNESCO Member States around the world, who see this as a model to emulate. We would like to thank VisitScotland and the Scottish Government for their coordination and financial support of this truly valuable and ground-breaking initiative.' Vicki Miller, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: 'Scotland's UNESCO Trail was a major milestone in Scotland's responsible tourism ambitions. It helped support our work to encourage visitors to slow down and immerse themselves in our marvellous regions, ensuring the benefits of the visitor economy are felt right across our communities. 'Scotland's UNESCO designations encapsulate much of what makes Scotland a must-visit must-return destination. It is our unique landscape, history, heritage and culture that keep visitors coming back. 'Partnership working is at the heart of all that we do, and the Trail was a real collaboration between the industry, our national partners, UNESCO sites and the Scottish Government to raise our destination's profile on the global stage. These results show that it not only captured the imagination of our visitors but helped develop new relationships between UNESCO sites and the wider tourism sector.'
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Daily Death Toll of Gaza's Children Equals a School Class
DaysofPal – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued a stark and devastating assessment of the scale of Israel's ongoing war on Gaza: an average of one classroom full of children is killed every single day. 'Israel kills a classroom full of children every day in Gaza while they are sleeping, seeking shelter in schools, or waiting in line for water,' the agency said in a statement this week. According to UNRWA, that means between 35 and 45 children are being killed each day, based on the typical size of a class in Gaza's overcrowded schools before the war. Sam Rose, UNRWA's director in Gaza, described the situation as unprecedented in modern conflict. 'Every day since the start of the war in Gaza, an average of an entire classroom of children has been killed,' he stated, as schools once meant for learning have become shelters and now, frequent targets. Since October 7, 2023, thousands of children have been killed in Gaza amid a relentless Israeli aggression marked by airstrikes, artillery barrages, and sniper fire. Many were killed inside or near UNRWA schools, which have been repeatedly struck even as they served as shelters for displaced families. The numbers are not just statistics; they reflect a systematic destruction of Gaza's future. With every classroom of children lost, entire families and generations are shattered. The killing of children is only part of the larger picture of suffering. On Sunday, Israeli occupation forces carried out multiple attacks on Palestinians seeking aid, killing and wounding scores. In one of the deadliest incidents, medical sources confirmed that 12 people were killed and over 100 wounded when occupation forces opened fire and shelled crowds gathered near an aid distribution point in the Al-Tina area, southwest of Khan Yunis. Later the same day, Israeli forces reportedly fired a barrage of bullets at people assembled near another aid center operated by an American-Israeli company. north of Rafah. At least 25 people were killed, and more than 70 others were injured, according to the Palestinian News Agency. Elsewhere across the besieged enclave, the killing continues. In Jabalia, two civilians were killed and several others wounded after Israeli forces targeted a group inspecting what remained of their destroyed homes. In central Gaza, three people were injured when an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on a group of civilians in Al-Maghraqa, and several others were wounded in Khan Yunis after a tent sheltering displaced people was hit near the industrial area. Shortlink for this post:
Jordan News
02-06-2025
- General
- Jordan News
UNRWA: Gaza Aid Distribution Mechanism Fails to Meet Needs - Jordan News
UNRWA: Gaza Aid Distribution Mechanism Fails to Meet Needs The Director of UNRWA Operations, Sam Rose, stated on Monday that the current methods of distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip do not meet the urgent humanitarian needs in the area. اضافة اعلان According to the organization's official website, the UN spokesperson affirmed that during the ceasefire, the United Nations demonstrated its ability to deliver aid safely and on a large scale, reaching people wherever they were. Rose stressed that the current distribution methods fail to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, especially for the sick, the elderly, and the wounded. He noted that UNRWA is managing the largest UN-led food distribution operation in the world. He added that supplies are ready, and what is needed now is access to deliver the aid directly to those in need — there is no time to waste. UNRWA reiterated that the Gaza Strip is in dire need of urgent humanitarian assistance, emphasizing the necessity of allowing the uninterrupted and unhindered flow of aid supplies. — Petra
The National
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
UNRWA director accuses Israel of letting food rot at Gaza border
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza The expelled director of the UN's Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) in Gaza has accused Israel of allowing food to rot as it blockades the enclave. Sam Rose left Gaza in March after the ceasefire agreement broke down, and Israel re-imposed its siege of the strip. He has not been able to re-enter due to Israel's ban on UNRWA, which came into effect in January. The length of the blockade was 'unprecedented', he said. Aid that had been stalled at the Egyptian border crossing to Gaza was incurring storage fees and food was 'rotting'. "This blockade is coming into effect after 19 months of war ... and the most rapid descent of a population into severe food insecurity in recorded history," he said. The situation has been compounded by Israel's outlawing of UNRWA, which prevents Israeli officials from engaging with members of the agency, including its aid convoys that previously entered the strip through the Rafah Crossing. 'The ban on UNRWA activities on the sovereign territory of Israel … shouldn't impact our operations in Gaza, because Gaza is not the sovereign territory of Israel. But the reality is that these laws impact everything that we do,' Mr Rose said at the British Palestine Project annual conference in London. Mr Rose has been meeting ministers and diplomats in the UK to warn them of the ban's acute humanitarian implications which are already being felt on the ground. He was optimistic about the UK government's continued political and financial support for the agency, despite domestic pressures causing the UK to scale back on overseas aid. The UK 'are doing lots behind the scenes', he told The National. 'They're doing the right thing, but in an environment where aid budgets have been reduced.' Three UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem were closed down on Thursday by Israeli security forces as a result of the ban, prompting a joint statement from the UK, the EU and other European governments condemning the move. The UK's government restored funding to UNRWA after it came to power in July last year, and has been a vocal critic of a new Israeli law that prevents the agency from operating in Israel and, by extension, Gaza. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in April, and announced a £101 million support package for the Palestinian Authority. His government has committed £51 million in support for UNRWA since coming to power. But Mr Starmer has also come under increasing pressure from MPs within its Labour party to take more urgent action against Israel, in the form of sanctions or a more extensive arms embargo. The UK is being asked to 'convene a coalition of like-minded states' that would pressure Israel and demand an immediate unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, by the British Palestine Project, UK charity founded by former British diplomats, who issued a statement on Thursday. Mr Rose said UNRWA could not be replaced and its institutions, developed over decades and integrated in Palestinian lives, 'can only really be taken over by a functioning state'. The agency's presence in Gaza was essential for its healthcare and education systems, which had been built through 'billions' of international funding, including from the UK, he said. 'If you're a kid in an UNRWA shelter, if the teacher sees that you're not doing too well, they'll refer you to a medic and refer you to a social worker or someone who can get you cash assistance. Other organisations don't work in that integrated kind of way,' he told The National. Another key concern is the future of the agency's archive, compiled over decades, which is vital to chronicling the Palestinian refugee crisis. 'Refugees are registered with UNRWA for services, and that registration archive constitutes a key part of Palestinian culture and heritage that will inform any compensation or settlement process,' he said. A portion of its administrative records were held in Gaza when the war broke out and has since been moved to an undisclosed location. 'We have those records and we have the archive. They're all digital. We managed to get them out of Gaza during the war,' Mr Rose said. Israel has tried to end UNRWA's programme since it accused some agency members of participating in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. A UN inquiry last year said Israel had not submitted evidence to support its allegations, but made key recommendations aimed at reforming the agency in the long term. Then in January, the Israeli government approved a new law that would prevent Israeli officials from engaging with UNRWA and, by extension, aid agencies that work with it. 'The intent of the law is clear,' Mr Rose said. 'It's to dismantle UNRWA as an organisation and undermine the rights of return of the Palestinians and the international legal frameworks for the Palestinian issue.' Since it came into effect, UNRWA staff have been 'routinely harassed and abused' and were banned from leading missions into Gaza city. The ban was compounded by Israel's siege on Gaza since it resumed it military operations in March, after a six-week ceasefire broke down. The agency had managed to continue operating in a diminished capacity, with 25,000 children learning in UNRWA schools that were not under bombardment and 'hundreds of thousands' more shifting to online learning. But Mr Rose warned that the 'informal learning' was simply to give 'children a bit of structure' and a 'sense of normality in these awful conditions'. Families that went home during the ceasefire were now back in tents. Until a week ago, soup kitchens providing free meals could supply one million meals a day, but they are now down to 400,000 a day, he said. The average Gazan was surviving on six litres of water, 'not enough to flush a toilet', he added.
Al Jazeera
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Will the ICJ hold Israel to account?
The Hague is hearing another case against Israel in what could be a test of Israeli defiance of international law. The International Court of Justice is holding hearings this week to determine what responsibilities Israel has to ensure aid gets to Palestinians in territory it occupies. But Israel has shown in the past it has no issue with ignoring international law or court rulings. So will any of these decisions have an impact on the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza struggling to find food under an Israeli blockade that's now lasted nearly two months? Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault Guests: Sam Rose – senior acting director, UNRWA Affairs in Gaza Michael Lynk – human rights lawyer and professor emeritus, Faculty of Law, Western University in London, Ontario Gideon Levy – columnist, Haaretz newspaper
