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Scoop
12 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Home Is Where The Heart Is – And Where Development Begins
23 July 2025 Mathare, one of the country's largest slums, houses upwards of 500,000 people in five square kilometres, cramming them together and storing the human waste they produce in uncovered rivulets. But, when he recounted the visit later to UN News, this was not the image that stuck with him the most. What he remembered most clearly was a group of boys and girls, dressed in navy blue school uniforms – the girls in skirts and the boys in pants, both with miniature ties underneath their vests – surrounded by squawking chickens and human waste. There was no formal or UNICEF-funded school nearby. But, the Mathare community had come together to create a school where their children might just have the chance to break an intergenerational cycle of poverty and invisibility. 'That was a message for me that development should be localised. There is something happening at the community [level],' said Mr. Jobin. Globally, over one billion people live in overcrowded slums or informal settlements with inadequate housing, making this one of the largest development issues worldwide, but also one of the most underrecognised. 'The first place where opportunity begins or is denied is not an office building or a school. It is in our homes,' UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a high-level meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Tuesday. A litmus test Mr. Jobin was one of the experts taking part in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at UN Headquarters in New York this month to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the goals aspires to create sustainable cities and communities. However, with close to three billion people facing an affordable housing crisis, this goal remains unrealised. 'Housing has become a litmus test of our social contract and a powerful measure of whether development is genuinely reaching people or quietly bypassing them,' said Rola Dashti, Under-Secretary-General for the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Housing as a mirror for inequalities With over 300 million unhoused people worldwide, sometimes it is easy to forget about the one billion people who are housed inadequately. These people, who populate informal settlements and slums, live in unstable dwellings and in communities where few services are provided. 'Housing reflects the inequalities shaping people's daily lives. It signals who has access to stability, security and opportunity and who does not,' said Ms. Dashti. Children living in slums or informal settlements are up to three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday. They are also 45 per cent more stunted than their peers as a result of poor nutrition. Women and girls are more likely to experience gender-based violence. And human trafficking and child exploitation are also more prevalent. An intergenerational invisibility People in informal settlements are often not a part of the national census, according to Mr. Jobin, meaning that they are not taken into consideration in policies, social programmes or budgets. Even if they were given social protections, these settlements rarely have addresses at which families could receive cash transfers. This is why experts often say that the people living in informal settlements and slums are invisible in official data and programmes. 'You're born from an invisible family, so you become invisible,' Mr. Jobin said. 'You don't exist. You're not reflected in policies or budgeting.' This invisibility makes it almost impossible to escape poverty. 'You become a prisoner of a vicious circle that entertains itself and then you reproduce yourself to your kid,' he said, referring to an inescapable cycle of deprivation. The urban paradox More and more people are migrating into urban centres, leading to the growth of these informal settlements. With their growth comes more urgency to address the issues. The World Bank estimates that 1.2 million people each week move to cities, often seeking the opportunities and resources that they offer. But, millions of people are never able to benefit, instead becoming forgotten endnotes in an urban paradox that portrays urban wealth as a protection against poverty. By 2050, the number of people living in informal settlements is expected to triple to three billion, one third of whom will be children. Over 90 per cent of this growth will occur in Asia and Africa. 'These statistics are not just numbers; they represent families, they represent workers and entire communities being left behind,' said Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General of UN Habitat, which is working to make cities more sustainable. Housing as a human right It is not just national and local governments which struggle to contend with informal settlements. Organizations like UNICEF are also 'blind', Mr. Jobin said, regarding the scope of problems in informal settlements. Development partners face twin issues in designing interventions. There is not enough national data and informal governance, or slum lords, can be more critical for coordinating programs than traditional governmental partners. 'We know the issue, but somehow we have not really been able to intervene,' he said. Ms. Mohammed emphasised that 'we need to begin to see adequate and affordable housing as more than just a result of development; it is the foundation upon which all other development must rest." 'Housing is not simply about a roof over one's head. It's a fundamental human right and the foundation upon which peace and stability itself rests.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Death toll rises to 216 as monsoon wreaks havoc in Pakistan
Pakistan is facing severe consequences from heavy monsoon rains. Many people have died and several are injured due to floods and collapsed buildings. Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the most affected areas. Children are among the deceased. Homes have been destroyed and livestock lost. There are fears of glacier lake outburst floods. Many families living in vulnerable structures had little chance once the rains hit. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads At least 13 more people were killed due to rain and flood-related incidents in the last 24 hours in Pakistan as heavy monsoon continues to lash parts of the country, Geo TV reported on Monday, citing Pakistan's disaster management authority. The downpours have thus pushed the death toll to 216 people since June 26, and have left 580 injured so to Geo TV, the rainfall have caused flooding and resulted in the collapse of buildings, with the most number of deaths caused by the roofs of weaker homes failing. The NDMA said most of the deaths were caused by collapsed homes, sudden floods, lightning strikes, drowning, and disaster management watchdog reported that 12 were reported in Punjab and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Among the victims were four children and three the start of this deadly spell, 101 children have families living in vulnerable structures had little chance once the rains statement issued by the NDMA also further added that nearly 800 homes have been destroyed since the rains began, while livestock losses are also piling up, with nearly 200 animals reportedly killed or swept away by floods, Geo TV to a recent report by UN News, there are also fears of glacier lake outburst floods in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan News highlighted how these floods show Pakistan's vulnerability to climate shocks. In the past in 2022, the monsoon floods had killed more than 1,700 people, displaced millions and devastated water systems. It had also resulted in economic damage estimated at nearly USD 40 faces regular monsoon flooding from June to September, often resulting in deadly landslides, infrastructure damage and large-scale displacement, particularly in densely populated or poorly drained regions.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
‘You Have To Be Able To Rule Your Life': The Care Revolution In Latin America
The workers we don't pay or see are grandmothers, mothers, daughters — the women who take care of children, look after ill family members and give dignity to the elderly. To do this vital care work, they give up formal employment with pay cheques. 'Our system is designed as if women didn't do care work, and that forces us to choose between raising children or working,' said Meredith Cortés Bravo, a founder of a grassroots organization in Chile that supports these women. But, in Latin America, this is slowly changing – a care revolution is underway that is asking governments and employers to consider what it would mean to recognise, protect and fund care work. 'Care is essential for every family and for every community. The revolution is to make it visible, to make it valuable and to invest,' María Noel Vaeza, UN Women's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told UN News. The most off-track goal The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is convening at UN Headquarters in New York in order to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While 18 per cent of the Goals are on track for 2030, achieving gender equality remains the most off-track. Discriminatory laws and gender-based norms persist worldwide, with women dedicating approximately twice as many hours to unpaid care work as men. 'Gender equality is not a side issue. It is central to peace, it is central to justice and it is central to sustainable development and the credibility of the multilateral system itself,' Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, said at a forum session this week. The revolution is underway Before the revolution began, Latin America faced a care crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ms. Vaeza. There was not enough care available outside of the home for sick people, forcing society to recognise that taking care of others is work. 'Unpaid care work is what keeps the economy running, but it's unfair because it's invisible, undervalued and underfunded. We must recognise it,' Ms. Vaeza said. In Latin America, a number of countries are actively working to redesign their care economies, ensuring more protections and income for the women and men who provide this work. 'The biggest shift has been putting care at the centre of public policy, not just academic debates,' said Virginia Gontijo, UN Women's programme lead in Brazil. This work is already bearing fruit. In Chile, one of the region's most ambitious care systems is already delivering in 151 municipalities, with the ultimate goal of reaching 75,000 people in the next few years. UN Women is working with governments and civil society groups to ensure that these new systems, policies and laws are shaped by and for caregivers. A care system in Brazil worked closely with an activist network to train caregivers in labour rights and promote long-term professional development. 'I never felt my work was valued, but after this project, I feel better prepared to take part in political discussions and make our voices heard,' said Lucileide Mafra Reis, a domestic worker activist in Brazil. Care is a human right Mexico and Peru have taken a more rights-based approach to care, codifying it as a basic human right. While the international community has yet to make a similar guarantee, Ms. Vaeza said that the human rights framework is an exceptionally effective one – it restores dignity and recognises that care is a fundamental part of human life trajectories, from birth to death. 'If you say that care is a human right, it means that the government and the state have to provide support,' said Ms. Vaeza. It is equally as important that employers protect women's right to do care work, said Aideé Zamorano González, a mother who founded Mama Godin, an organization in Mexico which evaluates the impact of care policies on women. This means ensuring that workplaces have policies that are supportive of mothers as workers, such as schedules that allow them to drop their children off at school. For her, these sorts of policies are crucial for women's rights and particularly for their freedom and autonomy. 'You have to be able to rule your life,' Ms. Zamorano González told UN News. Beyond just autonomy, however, it is also about safety. If a woman can make her own money – and therefore, her own decisions – she can leave abusive relationships and avoid economic exploitation. 'Every other type of violence depends on the economic power that you have. If you have the ability to make your own decisions and own money, you are safer,' said Ms. Zamorano González. An economic investment Changes to legal classifications and governmental support for care work not only benefit the caregivers, but also promote economic growth across societies. '[Care] is an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,' Ms. Vaeza said. She noted that dedicating government funds to paying caregivers will return the investment three-fold, both by increasing their purchasing power and by generating tax revenue. In Chile and Colombia, new care systems are estimated to contribute 25.6 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively to their national GDPs, according to UN Women. 'When you invest in a women's organization, you strengthen a living network, a tree with many branches that reaches places no office or institutional programme ever could,' Ms. Bravo said. Export the revolution Latin America's progress on care is a model for other regions around the world and demonstrates the importance of changing legal frameworks for women and girls, according to Ms. Vaeza. 'It's extremely important that this revolution be exported. It's an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,' she said. While the revolution is ongoing, Ms. Zamorano González underlined the importance of economic empowerment for women as a means to protect their own rights even when laws and policies fall short. 'We are under capitalism, so while we change the system, let's play the game. Let's get our own means to have freedom,' she said.
Scoop
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
World Horse Day: Honoring Humanity's Oldest And Most Loyal Companion
11 July 2025 UN News visited the farm to mark the first-ever World Horse Day, established this year by the UN General Assembly. By creating the Day, Member States sent a clear message: animals deserve to be treated with care and respect. A faithful companion From ancient battlefields to modern therapeutic programs, horses have been by humanity's side for millennia—but in today's high-tech world, few remember that legacy. 'Horses didn't just help us survive,' says Marisa Striano. 'They built America with us. They plowed the land, they carried people.' Many cultures revere horses not only for their strength, but for their spiritual presence. In Mongolia—the country that introduced the resolution for World Horse Day—horses are sacred, central to national identity. Children there often learn to ride before they can walk, and folk songs celebrate the animals' loyalty and nobility. Fading from view Once humanity's primary mode of transportation, horses have largely been replaced by machines. Today, they are mostly found in sport, tourism, therapy, and entertainment. But this shift doesn't mean they've lost their place in human life. 'Horses haven't lost their value – we've just stopped seeing it,' Striano says. A second chance Sick, aging, or retired racing horses are often shipped to slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico. 'Imagine working 15 years, giving your all, and then being thrown away just because you got old,' Striano says. 'Those are the horses we take in. We give them more time. A second chance.' The farm is home to 19 rescued horses, including retired police horses, former breeding stallions, and even old Amish workhorses – each with their own story. 'One of them is Gus – he's 107 in human years,' Striano says. 'He used to be a therapy horse, but near the end he started throwing kids off. Now he's retired and in love with his blind companion, Ramona. They're inseparable. That's the horse's soul.' Emotional congruency Horses aren't just helpers – they're deeply emotional, intuitive, and highly social beings. With near-360-degree vision and a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings, horses are naturally attuned to emotional states, Striano explains. This makes them ideal partners in therapeutic settings. At Spirit's Promise, horses work with children with disabilities, survivors of abuse, and older adults with dementia. A horse can calm an anxious teenager or bring joy to someone who thought they had forgotten how to feel it. They're often called 'mirrors of emotion': horses instantly pick up on a person's true inner state—even if the person isn't aware of it themselves. 'Horses are 100 percent emotion. They don't lie, and they can't stand lies in others,' says Ms. Striano. 'If you say you're fine but inside you're falling apart, they'll sense it—and walk away. But if you're honest—even if you're sad or angry – they'll stay with you.' This sensitivity makes them remarkable companions for those experiencing grief, addiction, or trauma. One moment stands out vividly for her. A young man came to the farm early in his recovery from drug addiction. Dressed in a hoodie with sleeves pulled low, he seemed constantly on guard. At the time, the farm had a horse named Heartbreaker. Though she has since passed, Striano recalls what happened next with awe. 'She walked right up to him and just… accepted him,' Ms. Striano says. 'She looked at him like, 'I see you're broken. I am too. But that's not the end. You can still love.'' The two entered the paddock together. Heartbreaker lay down on the ground, and the man sat beside her, resting his face on her body. For half an hour, they just sat there in silence. 'It was complete peace,' Ms. Striano remembers. 'Trust without words. Presence without conditions.' Then the young man's mother approached. Heartbreaker, who had been calm and gentle, suddenly grew agitated — snorting, tossing her head, trying to break free. 'She acted like she wanted to protect him from his mother,' she says. 'I rushed to lead Heartbreaker away. And the young man turned to me and whispered, 'She hides behind her religion, but she hasn't forgiven me. She'll never say it – but the horse saw it.'' For Ms. Striano, this confirmed something she's seen again and again: horses don't respond to appearances, only truth. 'They don't see the mask. They see the soul. And that's their power. They see us for who we really are – and still choose to be with us.' Between Care and Exploitation Debates around horse exploitation are ongoing: from carriage horses to racing and show industries, where is the line between tradition and cruelty? 'I hate racing,' Ms. Striano says. 'Maybe it had purpose once. Now it's just about money. Horses get pumped with drugs, locked up, used up. Then slaughtered.' At the same time, she acknowledges that ethical questions aren't always clear-cut. 'I don't believe in sacrificing one soul for another,' she says when asked about the horses pulling carriages for tourists in New York's Central Park. 'Those horses feed entire families. We have to find a balance. But we must never forget: horses are not tools. They are living beings.' To Forgive and Love Again For Ms. Striano and the horses she cares for, the farm is a place where trust between species is rebuilt. She sees her work as a privilege—a daily chance to be with creatures that know how to forgive and love again, no matter what they've been through. 'When I walk into the paddock and they come up to me—I thank them. Every time,' she says. 'Because a horse is pure. They're not with you because you broke them—they're with you because they chose to be. And that means everything.' A Day to Say 'Thank You' According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are around 60.8 million horses in the world. The United States has 2.41 million horses and ponies across 63,000 farms, while the European Union is home to about 7 million horses and 800,000 jobs in equestrian breeding, sport, and tourism. In Mongolia there are 3.4 million horses – nearly one for every person. Beyond sport and industry, horses, donkeys, and mules are vital to rural life. According to research by the World Organisation for Animal Health and FAO, 112 million working equids support the livelihoods of some 600 million people in low- and middle-income countries, helping transport water, food, and much more. On July 11, the first World Horse Day, the UN invites the world to say 'thank you' to humanity's loyal companion – for their labor, trust, and patience. For staying by our side – and helping us heal. 'A horse is a gift,' Ms. Striano says. 'And we have no right to lose it.'
Scoop
03-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Interview: Sevilla ‘A Critical Test' Of Multilateralism
The promises were made at the opening of the Financing for Development Conference (FFD4), currently underway in the Spanish city of Sevilla, when delegates agreed on the Sevilla Commitment. During the conference UN News spoke to Li Junhua, the UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the international summit. Li Junhua: The adoption of the Sevilla Agreement was an exceptional moment at an event which has brough together some 60 Heads of State and Government and seen 130 major initiatives announced as part of the Sevilla Platform for Action, which is aiming to implement the outcome document and turbocharge financing for sustainable development. A record number of business leaders from various sectors actively participated in and positively contributed to the entire process and to the outcome of Conference. They all committed to supporting the implementation of the new roadmap. UN News: What benefits do you think vulnerable communities in developing countries can look forward to, as a direct result of the decisions made here in Sevilla? Li Junhua: The Sevilla Commitment firmly recognizes that poverty eradication is indispensable to achieving sustainable development. This is the most essential point for all the developing countries. It proposes a package of actions for a large-scale investment push for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the long run. This includes boosting investment in vital areas such as social protection systems, agrifood systems and inclusive, affordable and quality health systems. Furthermore, it aims to strengthen the global response to crises which affect vulnerable communities the most. For instance, it calls for the implementation of the decision concerning climate finance agreed at the UN Climate Conference in Baku, and also the fund for responding to Loss and Damage. To me, significant steps and commitments have been made to support countries in special situations to close the significant infrastructure gap in critical sectors. The most vulnerable populations can benefit significantly by gaining essential services and employment opportunities generated by, for instance, energy, transport, ICT [information and communication technology], water and sanitation infrastructure development. Last but not least, there is a strong resolve to expand access to financial products and services across society, particularly for women, youth, persons with disabilities, displaced people, migrants and other persons in vulnerable situations. These are very tangible outcomes for vulnerable communities. UN News: In what ways is this conference a real test of multilateralism, at a time when it's under more strain than ever, and with a deeply uncertain global economic outlook? Li Junhua: This conference is a critical test of our ability to solve problems together. We know that, at its core, the sustainable development crisis is a crisis of funding and financing. We need to tackle these challenges to bring the SDGs back on track, but it is far from easy. Commitments on development finance directly impact national budgets, and reforming the international financial architecture will inevitably shift the power dynamics between States. The fact that Member States adopted the Sevilla Agreement by consensus sends a powerful signal that multilateralism can still deliver. Of course, the real challenge now lies in translating these commitments into actions. So I would say that, ultimately, success depends on the collective efforts of all Member States and all stakeholders.
