Biden: Russia has “blatantly violated” the UN Charter
US President Joe Biden said Russia has "blatantly violated basic principles" of the UN with its war on Ukraine and called on nations around the world to stand firm in their support of the Ukrainian people.
Biden said that "no one threatened Russia and no one but Russia sought conflict" and assured that the purpose of the war is to extinguish Ukraine's right to exist as a state, something that "should make our blood run cold." Furthermore, he added that the nuclear threats of President Vladimir Putin against Europe show a "reckless disregard" for Russia's responsibilities as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The US president criticized Russia for calling "fake referendums" on territory it has seized by force in Ukraine.
"A permanent member of the Security Council of the UN invaded its neighbor, tried to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has blatantly violated the basic principles of UN Charter", Held.
Biden was in favor of expand the number of permanent and rotating members of the Security Council.
In addition, he highlighted the consequences of the invasion in the food markets and announced that his country will allocate an additional 2900 billion to alleviate the food shortage caused by the war and the effects of climate change.
Alert for the risk of polio outbreaks in Latin America
Vaccination against polio. File photo: UNICEF/ Wathiq Khuzaie
La Pan American Health Organization has put the countries of the region on alert due to the risk of polio outbreaks and urges them to reinforce vaccination campaigns.
After cases appeared in the state of New York, in the United States, the UN agency recalls that the poliovirus "can spread quickly and silently" in communities with low immunization rates
Polio is not a treatable disease. Vaccine prevention is the only option.
According to PAHO, vaccination coverage is below 80% in almost all of South America, something they consider "a serious problem." Twelve countries in the region are at high or very high risk of an outbreak.
The Organization is in close contact with the United States, and has issued several alerts to Member States to remain vigilant.
“I cannot say it enough: we urge all countries in the region to strengthen surveillance and proactively reach the unvaccinated with polio vaccine. PAHO has alerted all Heads of State in the Region regarding the risk and threat and the need to catch up on polio immunization urgently”, pointed out Carisse Etienne.
On the other hand, cases of monkeypox increased by more than 23% in the region in the last two weeks. Although transmission has slowly declined in the United States, Canada, and Brazil, other countries with large metropolitan populations are seeing an increase in cases.
PAHO says that while vaccines remain very limited, countries must strengthen testing and contact tracing to reduce transmission.
Hunger will continue to rise in 19 countries; Guatemala and Honduras join the list
UNICEF/UN0590878/Willocq
A mother breastfeeds her daughter in Guatemala City while her husband attends to their son.
The number of people facing acute food insecurity around the world will continue to rise, as the food crisis deepens in 19 "hunger hot spots", according to a joint UN multi-agency report released today.
Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen remain on "high alert" as hotspots, alone accounting for nearly a million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger (stage 5 on a scale of 5) that can lead to "extreme levels of mortality and malnutrition if not immediate action is taken."
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the Sahel, Sudan and Syria remain "highly concerning" with deteriorating conditions, but the alert is extended to the Central African Republic and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Guatemala, Honduras, and Malawi have been added to the list, joining Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, which remain hotspots of hunger.
Three young Latin Americans, chosen to promote the SDGs
Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy for Youth.
Collage of the 2022 cohort of the 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Three young Latin Americans are among the 17 chosen by the UN to help promote the Sustainable Development Goals.
After receiving more than 5400 requests from more than 190 countries, the chosen ones, who are between 17 and 29 years old, include an aspiring astronaut, a doctor, a fashion designer, a Paralympic medalist, a poet, artists, entrepreneurs...
The selected Latin Americans are Leonador Parraga, 29-year-old Colombian, artist and founder of the BogotArt Foundation; Isidora Guzman Silva, 17-year-old Chilean, activist for the rights of the disabled and founder of “Encuentra tu Lugar” and eddy frank vasquez, a 26-year-old climate activist from the Dominican Republic, who has created the Sustainable Youth association.