SG Travels, Climate, Ethiopia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (3 Nov 2021)

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "SG Travels, Climate, Ethiopia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (3 Nov 2021)"
The topics: Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - SG Travels - Climate/Cities - Climate/Women - Ethiopia - Ethiopia/Human Rights - Security Council/Bosnia and Herzegovina - COVID-19/Indonesia - HIV/AIDS Summit - Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Yearbook - Noon Briefing Guest Tomorrow SG TRAVELS This morning, the Secretary-General left Glasgow for Cambridge where, just about now, he’s receiving an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge. In his formal remarks upon receiving the degree, he reminded the audience of the University’s enduring links with global governance and the United Nations, from the economist John Maynard Keynes to Margaret Anstee, the first woman to be appointed Assistant Secretary-General. The Secretary-General delivered an overview of the global challenges that the world faces, from climate change to the pandemic to the war on facts. In that context, the Secretary-General said that the world needs the values of truth and integrity that are at the heart of the liberal education that Cambridge has provided for eight centuries. Tomorrow, he will engage with students at Cambridge for a discussion on the ethics of climate change. That discussion will be webcast. CLIMATE/CITIES Today at COP26 in Glasgow, the UN Environment Programme and partners published detailed guidance to help the world’s cities address warming, which is occurring at twice the global average rate in urban areas. “Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities” describes how cities are warming quickly due to the “heat island effect”, caused by a combination of diminished green cover, the thermal properties of the materials commonly used in urban surfaces, and waste heat from human activities. UNEP warned that by the end of this century, many cities could warm as much as 4 °C if greenhouse gas emissions continue at high levels. The handbook provides a comprehensive overview of ways to cool cities sustainably and equitably. You can find it on UNEP’s website. CLIMATE/WOMEN Also, at COP26, UN Women and the Scottish Government released a joint statement calling for the role of women and girls to be advanced in addressing climate change. The statement commits to further strengthening efforts to support women and girls to lead on addressing climate change at community, national, and international levels. The statement will remain open for signatures from today until the 66th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, to be held in March 2022 with a focus on women’s empowerment in the context of climate change, the environment and disaster risk reduction. ETHIOPIA In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General voiced his concern at the escalation of violence in Ethiopia and the recent declaration of a state of emergency. The stability of Ethiopia and the wider region is at stake, he said. The Secretary-General reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, unrestricted humanitarian access to deliver urgent life-saving assistance, and an inclusive dialogue to resolve this crisis and create the foundation for peace and stability throughout the country. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight


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