Latest news with #UNDevelopmentProgramme
The National
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Several dead and dozens injured in 'arms depot' explosion in Syria
Several people have been killed and dozens injured in a huge explosion in Syria, where local TV reports said the blast occurred at an ammunition depot. Emergencies Minister Raed Al Saleh said there were 'recurring explosions' near the town of Maarat Misrin, in the north-western province of Idlib. He said the cause was unknown. Syria's Health Ministry gave a preliminary toll of four people killed and 116 injured, according to Syrian state news agency Sana. State-owned Ekhbariya TV gave a figure of six people killed. 'Syrian Civil Defence teams rushed to the site immediately after the incident and are performing their duty to evacuate victims and transport the injured," Sana quoted Mr Al Saleh as saying. Idlib explosion - in pictures Syria TV reported that 'war remnants and ammunition' had exploded at the site, leaving several people dead and injured. A correspondent said some people might have been trapped under the rubble. 'The area witnessed successive explosions as a result of the detonation of war remnants and munitions present at the site,' the broadcaster said, citing sources. Bassel Seteif, the director of a medical centre treating patients, said almost 100 people had arrived there after the blast, of whom three had died. "All the injuries are civilians, mostly women and children. The injuries varied from mild to severe," he said. "We redirected medium cases to different wards as we finish their treatment or sign them up for surgery if needed." There was no immediate indication of any link to deadly fighting in Sweida in southern Syria, where hundreds of people have been killed in clashes involving pro-government forces and local militias. Syria is struggling to recover from a nearly 14-year civil war that ended with the removal of former President Bashar Al Assad last year. The Syrian economy has been devastated by the civil war that began in 2011 after an uprising against the Bashar Al Assad regime. The UN Development Programme estimates cumulative losses, including physical damage and economic deprivation, at $923 billion as of the end of last year. The estimated cost of reconstruction has varied from $250 billion to $500 billion.
Times of Oman
24-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
UN calls for urgent, coordinated action to launch recovery efforts in Lebanon
New York: The United Nations on Thursday called for urgent and coordinated action to launch recovery efforts in Lebanon, warning that the country's protracted crisis is worsening under the combined impact of war and other compounding shocks. In a joint report released today titled "The Socio-Economic Impact of the 2024 War on Lebanon," the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in collaboration with UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and UN-Habitat, revealed that the conflict in Lebanon displaced more than 1.2 million people, damaged or destroyed nearly 64,000 buildings, and interrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students. The report highlighted that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises - which make up 90 percent of Lebanon's economy - were among the hardest hit. About 15 percent of these businesses permanently closed, 75 percent suspended operations during the conflict, and nearly 30 percent lost their entire workforce. In areas most heavily targeted by Israeli airstrikes, 70 percent of businesses were forced into full closure, the report said, noting that the economic toll has been severe, with Lebanon's economy contracting by 38 percent between 2019 and 2024. The report suggests that comprehensive recovery anchored in structural reforms could reverse the decline, projecting economic growth of 8.2 percent in 2026 and 7.1 percent in 2027. However, even with such reforms, the country's GDP would remain 8.4 percent below its 2017 peak of USD 51.2 billion.
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sevilla: Without Sustainable Development, There Is Neither Hope Nor Security
2 July 2025 Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability. That is the key message from the Director of the UN Development Programme's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (UNDP), Marcos Neto, to all other nations gathered in Sevilla who have signed up to the plan of action, which gets underway immediately. The Sevilla Agreement is the centrepiece of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and it has been adopted by 192 of the 193 UN members. The United States withdrew citing fundamental disagreements with many policy approaches and is absent from the summit taking place amid scorching temperatures in the southern city of Sevilla, Spain. No lack of money In his interview during the conference, we asked Mr. Neto to explain in plain language what the Seville Commitment is all about. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Marcos Neto: We are five years away from the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. One of the biggest obstacles to this shared agenda of global solidarity is financing. In other words: where is the money? Where will the money come from? The Sevilla Commitment is a document that makes it clear that this is not about a lack of money – it's about aligning public and private capital flows toward those Goals, toward the Paris Agreement, and toward all other international commitments. The commitment outlines what to do with every kind of money – national, international, public, and private. It is a roadmap that was agreed upon through consensus among UN Member States, involving the private sector, civil society, and philanthropy. UN News: One of the major absences at this Conference was the United States, which left the negotiations on the Undertaking. How did Washington's withdrawal influence the Conference? Marcos Neto: A consensus among 192 countries was reached and approved here. Now, clearly, the United States is one of the world's largest economies and holds significant weight. I believe it's crucial to keep the dialogue open and continue engaging all Member States, each according to their own needs. For example, development financing is directly linked to security. Without development, you cannot have a stable society – one without conflict. What's your level of poverty? What's your level of inequality? Development is a security strategy. Development is hope. A people without hope is a people in trouble. UN News: In conferences like this, documents are adopted, but often people feel they are just empty words that don't really affect their daily lives. What would you say to those citizens to convince them that these decisions actually make a difference? Marcos Neto: I'll give you a very clear example. At the last Conference on Financing for Development ten years ago in Addis Ababa, there was a phrase that envisioned the creation of what we now call Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). We at UNDP developed this concept in 86 countries. This is real: 47 billion dollars were aligned and mobilized through that mechanism. 50 billion dividend So, in practice, I can say we have helped put more than 50 billion dollars into the hands of countries. We've also helped them reform their national budget processes so that the money reaches where it's supposed to go. Our current commitment is to implement the Seville Commitment. We are committed to delivering on it. From Seville to Belém UN News: In addition, the Sevilla Platform for Action will also serve to implement various initiatives… Marcos Neto: Yes, we are leading 11 of the initiatives under the Seville Platform, and I think it was a great move by the Government of Spain to have created this action platform in Sevilla to turn this into implementation. It's very similar to what Brazil wants to do at the end of the year at COP30. There is a direct connection between Seville and Belém – the host city of the UN Climate Change Summit in Brazil later this year. These connections are important.
Mail & Guardian
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
The current trajectory of the just energy transition risks deepening inequalities
South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan Youth involvement; energy access; education and empowerment; beneficiation and ownership for marginalised people are the biggest concerns facing the just energy transition in South Africa. As things stand, people might not be adequately educated about the concept of the just transition to a low-carbon economy, let alone know how they could benefit from such an economy. A study by the UN Development Programme Accelerator Lab in a coal mining community close to Eskom's Lethabo Power Station and Seriti New Vaal coal mine in the Free State showed that only 36% had even heard of the transition. While 48% of the respondents expressed grave concern about climate change and how it affects their homes and livelihoods, the study showed that 70% of them have suffered from coal-related illnesses. Past coal extractive initiatives might have massively contributed to compromised health of the people living in those communities by exposing them to air pollution from carbon dioxide. It is the responsibility of the government to educate and capacitate people on how the just transition would help to reduce climate change and help them to participate economically in the transition. The government's promotion of gas as a transition fuel raises serious concerns because the increased use of gas, especially in electricity generation, would result in more emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. This could cause greater harm than the emission of carbon dioxide. Up to now, South Africa's energy transition appears to have been characterised by top-down decision-making, while grassroots communities are forced to deal with weak energy infrastructure and high energy tariffs. In a country with 17.8 million households, according to the 2023 State of the Nation address, 16 million (89.9%) of those are connected to the grid but 3.2 million (20%) of the connected households experience an unreliable service. The government-led just energy transition implementation strategy — up to now — has failed to adequately consult people to establish their needs. Instead, grassroots community concerns have been overlooked. Their voices are often excluded from decisions which directly affect them. The just energy transition requires good governance, beginning with proper consultation with mineral-rich communities to establish consent and inclusion and adopting non-harmful beneficiation strategies which can bring economic development to local communities. The strategy should include a retraining programme for extraction, energy generation, storage, transmission and distribution workers to mitigate against job losses. Renewable energy generation — which can be a safer and cheaper alternative to fossil fuel energy generation — could create jobs and include local entrepreneurs. But the Just Energy Transition Funding Platform, which was initiated by the International Partners Group in 2021, now led by the Presidential Climate Commission, is yet to address the funding needs of young entrepreneurs and their economic inclusion and participation in the transition. The International Renewable Energy Agency states that the success of climate-friendly technologies is reliant on a global transformation of the fossil fuel industry, meaning that South Africa, as the largest carbon-emitting country in Africa, has a part to play. The current trajectory of the energy transition risks replicating many of the injustices found in the fossil fuel industry if it is not done properly. The introduction of new energy technologies risks mineral-rich communities being displaced if the industry is not rooted in good governance. South Africa is rich in critical minerals, such as platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, nickel and rare earth elements, which are components for renewable energy production. Investing in infrastructure to process these raw materials would be beneficial for South Africa. It has the potential to create desperately needed jobs and propel technology transfer and skills development. This contrasts with the current practice of exporting materials at a low cost for processing and importing materials back at a much higher cost. The government must also prioritise youth involvement in the energy transition through skills transfer and financing for renewable energy projects. A bottom-up approach would ensure inclusive involvement. In May 2023, after legal action by NGO The Green Connection, President Cyril Ramaphosa gazetted bringing section 6 of the National Energy Act into operation, which calls for the preparation of the Integrated Energy Plan from April of 2024. A draft plan was expected in March 2025, but has been postponed to September 2026, which will be more than three years from the time of the initial announcement. If a draft energy plan is only due in September 2026, and it is to be followed by public consultation — which is not a once-off event — the country might not be operating from a well-thought out, financially strategic energy perspective for at least another two years. The Integrated Energy Plan remains a critical legal framework to guide energy investments for the country and it is imperative that the government treats its development as a matter of urgency. Lisa Makaula is the advocacy officer at the Green Connection.
Al Arabiya
30-06-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Invest in aid to build peace in troubled world: UN
Spending on aid is essential to promote peace in times of global turmoil and deep cuts to foreign assistance, the head of the UN Development Programme said Sunday. In an interview on the eve of a four-day UN conference in Spain that aims to rally fresh impetus for the embattled development sector, Haoliang Xu emphasized that investment in aid, trade and defense was 'not a zero-sum game.' 'International development cooperation is critical to build the foundations of peace,' said Xu, noting that a majority of the world's poor live in conflict-hit countries. Rich donors, notably the United States and European countries, have cut aid budgets and boosted defense spending as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East upend global security. Military expenditure hit a record high of $2.7 trillion in 2024, up 20-percent from the previous year, said Xu. But the Chinese diplomat insisted that it was in wealthy countries' interest to support developing nations despite competing priorities and crises. 'Creating foundations for peace, investing in stability in fragile countries help reduce the burden in countries where you have challenges of migration, for example,' he said. 'Crises in one part of the world will have an impact on other parts of the world that are currently prosperous and stable,' added Xu. Last year, the world was afflicted by the highest number of armed conflicts since 1946, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo. The World Bank says the number of extreme poor living on less than $3 a day in nations suffering conflict and instability is poised to hit 435 million by 2030. At least 50 world leaders are expected in Seville from Monday for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the biggest such talks in a decade.
