Category:

International News

Water-related disasters throw up complex challenges, threaten lives and jobs

“For decades, natural disasters, [which] have been one of the major causes of worsening poverty, forcing some 26 million people into poverty each year and reversing developmental gains…are almost always connected to water, whether through floods, storms, droughts, tsunamis or landslides”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Fifth UN Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters.

read more

Agreement in principle reached over Suez Canal ship dispute

The SCA had demanded $916 million in compensation to cover salvage efforts, reputational damage and lost revenue before publicly lowering the request to $550 million.

“We agreed to settle this issue in a peaceful way without going through the courts and agreed on a final settlement. The deal is being drafted and will be reviewed,” Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie told a local Egyptian television programme late on Wednesday.

read more

G20 nations recommit to shaping human-centred recovery

“The crisis has impacted some sectors and groups much harder. In particular, it has hit women and youth, along with those in the informal economy.Those are also the groups facing the most difficult situations today and the biggest risk of being left behind in the months and years ahead,”ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said. 

Ryder outlined the cataclysmic impact of COVID-19, which has led to the loss of the equivalent of 161 million full-time jobs in the G20 nations. This, he said, represents a world of work crisis four times as severe as the one triggered by the financial crisis of 2008/09.

read more

EU watchdog tells banks to have a 10-year climate plan

Climate risks can include “physical” or weather-related events like floods, and “transition” risks from sudden changes in asset values.

A report from the European Banking Authority (EBA) on Wednesday set out recommendations for banks and their supervisors for approaching ESG risks and help the EU meet its goals of cutting carbon emissions by 2050.

read more