Live Streaming
Program Highlight
Company Profile
International News (6893)
May
GP2022 Produces Seven Recommendations on Bali Agenda for Resilience
Written by nuke
The Head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lieut. Gen. Suharyanto, concluded the GP2022 -
The 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) outlined seven main recommendations as the outcome of its meetings at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC). These recommendations were named as the Bali Agenda for Resilience.
In her closing remarks, Megawati Soekarnoputri, the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia, urged the global community to strengthen solidarity in facing ecological disasters.
"Uncontrolled natural resource exploitation threatens human civilization. And we often overlook it,” said Megawati via zoom.
Megawati called for the world to strengthen the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partnerships between meteorological agencies. She highlighted the importance of this effort to prepare the world against any future disaster.
Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for DRR Mami Mizutori emphasized that her agency does not believe in “natural disaster”. UNDRR sees disasters strike because humans allow them to happen.
"The good news is that, because human decisions make disasters worse, human decisions can also reverse this trend, reduce the effect of harm and disasters when they strike," said Mizutori.
UNDRR appreciates Indonesia
Mizutori expressed her appreciation for diversity and inclusion at the GP2022 meetings in Bali. She was pleased to see the increasing number of participants with disabilities compared to the last meeting.
"I am very proud that this Global Platform truly reflects the people-centred approach of the Sendai Framework, and we have people from, of course, from all over the world," said Mizutori.
"Once again I have to thank Indonesia for this. And I believe that this will be one of the most beautiful legacies that we can leave here at the center of this conference," she concluded.
Elham Youssefian, the Inclusive Humanitarian Action and DRR Advisor, added that the whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach are instrumental in reducing disaster risk.
"However, by a whole-of-society approach, we mean all people, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, customary status, skin color, religion, poverty, economic status, or refugee status," Youssefian explained.
"And by a whole government approach, we mean that every sector of government should be involved and have a plan specifically for how they want to be involved and what they want to do," Youssefian said.
Bali Agenda for Resilience
Indonesia has encouraged the world to increase international disaster cooperation during and beyond GPDRR 2022. The future international collaboration must be based on culture of disaster prepreadness and disaster education.
The 7th GP2022 raised the theme of "From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World." As the host, Indonesia translated the theme into a greater agenda of “Strengthening Partnerships Towards Sustainable Resilience.”
According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (26/05/22), the Head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lieut. Gen. Suharyanto, concluded the GP2022 by emphasizing President Joko Widodo’s point during the opening ceremony.
"President Widodo encourages the international community to increase cooperation in disaster risk reduction through collaboration on culture of disaster preparedness and disaster education. Second, investing in science and technology," said Suharyanto during the closing ceremony of GP2022 at BNDCC, on May 27.
This Global Platform calls countries to expedite the implementation of the Sendai Framework in reducing disaster risk and impacts.
Suharyanto added that the main recommendation is mainstreaming the “Think Resilience” approach into all decision-making processes, investment, and regulations. Furthermore, he applauded “the Seven Bali Agenda for Resilience.”
The first recommendation is that disaster risk reduction needs to be integrated into primary development policies, financing strategy, legislation, and post-2030 sustainable development goals.
Second, a systemic reform is needed to compare the actual disaster-caused losses to investments in disaster risk reduction.
Third, the Platform, which took place between the COP 26 and the upcoming COP 27, indicates that the current greenhouse gas emissions have outpaced climate mitigation efforts.
The Platform calls on governments to honor commitments made during the Glasgow Agreement to increase climate financing and support climate adaptation. The world must double disaster risk reduction efforts to adress climate emergencies while meeting the climate targets.
Fourth, the world must advance a participatory and human rights-based approach to disaster risk reduction. We need to ensure the concept of "Nothing About Us Without Us" is in place.
"We need to reinforce our commitment to community-based approach and community-driven disaster risk reduction and support local wisdom in building resilience," said Suharyanto.
Fifth, the Platform demands everyone on earth to be covered by any early warning system within the next five years, as suggested by the United Nations’ Secretary General.
"Better coordination between stakeholders will strengthen the multi-hazard early warning system, especially in small island developing countries and African countries," said Suharyanto.
Sixth, the world must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic before the window of opportunity closes. We need to have an adaptive and responsive disaster risk management system with multi-stakeholder collaboration at its core. Emphaty, solidarity, and togetherness must also be put forward to overcome global injustice.
Seventh, the world must be committed to report the progress of the Sendai Framework targets in comprehensive and systematic manner. This is instrumental in understanding the existing challenges and obstacles.
"This is critical for the implementation and accelerating efforts to achieve the intended targets by 2030," concluded Suharyanto.
The 7th GPDRR was officially concluded on Friday (27/5). Switzerland will be the next GPDRR hosting country in 2025. Switzerland’s Head of Humanitarian Aid Department, Manuel Bessler, attended the closing ceremony and tated that his country will learn from Indonesia in organizing the conference.
"I am delighted to announce that the 8th GPDRR will take place again in Geneva in 2025," concluded Bessler//VOI
May
GP2022 Produces Seven Recommendations on Bali Agenda for Resilience
Written by nuke
The Head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lieut. Gen. Suharyanto, concluded the GP2022 -
The 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) outlined seven main recommendations as the outcome of its meetings at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC). These recommendations were named as the Bali Agenda for Resilience.
In her closing remarks, Megawati Soekarnoputri, the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia, urged the global community to strengthen solidarity in facing ecological disasters.
"Uncontrolled natural resource exploitation threatens human civilization. And we often overlook it,” said Megawati via zoom.
Megawati called for the world to strengthen the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partnerships between meteorological agencies. She highlighted the importance of this effort to prepare the world against any future disaster.
Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for DRR Mami Mizutori emphasized that her agency does not believe in “natural disaster”. UNDRR sees disasters strike because humans allow them to happen.
"The good news is that, because human decisions make disasters worse, human decisions can also reverse this trend, reduce the effect of harm and disasters when they strike," said Mizutori.
UNDRR appreciates Indonesia
Mizutori expressed her appreciation for diversity and inclusion at the GP2022 meetings in Bali. She was pleased to see the increasing number of participants with disabilities compared to the last meeting.
"I am very proud that this Global Platform truly reflects the people-centred approach of the Sendai Framework, and we have people from, of course, from all over the world," said Mizutori.
"Once again I have to thank Indonesia for this. And I believe that this will be one of the most beautiful legacies that we can leave here at the center of this conference," she concluded.
Elham Youssefian, the Inclusive Humanitarian Action and DRR Advisor, added that the whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach are instrumental in reducing disaster risk.
"However, by a whole-of-society approach, we mean all people, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, customary status, skin color, religion, poverty, economic status, or refugee status," Youssefian explained.
"And by a whole government approach, we mean that every sector of government should be involved and have a plan specifically for how they want to be involved and what they want to do," Youssefian said.
Bali Agenda for Resilience
Indonesia has encouraged the world to increase international disaster cooperation during and beyond GPDRR 2022. The future international collaboration must be based on culture of disaster prepreadness and disaster education.
The 7th GP2022 raised the theme of "From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World." As the host, Indonesia translated the theme into a greater agenda of “Strengthening Partnerships Towards Sustainable Resilience.”
According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (26/05/22), the Head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Lieut. Gen. Suharyanto, concluded the GP2022 by emphasizing President Joko Widodo’s point during the opening ceremony.
"President Widodo encourages the international community to increase cooperation in disaster risk reduction through collaboration on culture of disaster preparedness and disaster education. Second, investing in science and technology," said Suharyanto during the closing ceremony of GP2022 at BNDCC, on May 27.
This Global Platform calls countries to expedite the implementation of the Sendai Framework in reducing disaster risk and impacts.
Suharyanto added that the main recommendation is mainstreaming the “Think Resilience” approach into all decision-making processes, investment, and regulations. Furthermore, he applauded “the Seven Bali Agenda for Resilience.”
The first recommendation is that disaster risk reduction needs to be integrated into primary development policies, financing strategy, legislation, and post-2030 sustainable development goals.
Second, a systemic reform is needed to compare the actual disaster-caused losses to investments in disaster risk reduction.
Third, the Platform, which took place between the COP 26 and the upcoming COP 27, indicates that the current greenhouse gas emissions have outpaced climate mitigation efforts.
The Platform calls on governments to honor commitments made during the Glasgow Agreement to increase climate financing and support climate adaptation. The world must double disaster risk reduction efforts to adress climate emergencies while meeting the climate targets.
Fourth, the world must advance a participatory and human rights-based approach to disaster risk reduction. We need to ensure the concept of "Nothing About Us Without Us" is in place.
"We need to reinforce our commitment to community-based approach and community-driven disaster risk reduction and support local wisdom in building resilience," said Suharyanto.
Fifth, the Platform demands everyone on earth to be covered by any early warning system within the next five years, as suggested by the United Nations’ Secretary General.
"Better coordination between stakeholders will strengthen the multi-hazard early warning system, especially in small island developing countries and African countries," said Suharyanto.
Sixth, the world must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic before the window of opportunity closes. We need to have an adaptive and responsive disaster risk management system with multi-stakeholder collaboration at its core. Emphaty, solidarity, and togetherness must also be put forward to overcome global injustice.
Seventh, the world must be committed to report the progress of the Sendai Framework targets in comprehensive and systematic manner. This is instrumental in understanding the existing challenges and obstacles.
"This is critical for the implementation and accelerating efforts to achieve the intended targets by 2030," concluded Suharyanto.
The 7th GPDRR was officially concluded on Friday (27/5). Switzerland will be the next GPDRR hosting country in 2025. Switzerland’s Head of Humanitarian Aid Department, Manuel Bessler, attended the closing ceremony and tated that his country will learn from Indonesia in organizing the conference.
"I am delighted to announce that the 8th GPDRR will take place again in Geneva in 2025," concluded Bessler//VOI
May
Asia's synthetic drug trade booms, with record meth seizures
Written by Nur Yasmin
Trafficking of synthetic drugs in East and Southeast Asia continued to expand last year, with more than one billion methamphetamine tablets seized by authorities, the United Nations said on Monday.
Prices of methamphetamine or meth, by far the region's most popular drug, fell last year even as interceptions rose, indicating supply had surged, the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report.
"The region is literally swimming in methamphetamine and I think it's high time that the region start taking a hard look at policies in place to address the problem," said Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
While seizures of crystallized, liquid and powdered meth declined in 2021, tablet confiscation spiked, the report said.
Overall, authorities in Asia seized a record 171.5 tons of meth in 2021, up from 170 tonnes last year. More than 90% of the tablet seizures occurred in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, where it is used both recreationally and by workers.
"There are a lot of seizures being made but no impact being made on the business itself. Organised crime just keeps cranking up the volume," said Douglas.
The report also noted a major change in trafficking routes from the centre of meth production in Myanmar's Shan State.
Laos registered a more than a 660% jump in interceptions of meth tablets in 2021, as increased anti-narcotic operations in Thailand and Southern China drove crime syndicates to enlarge their operations in northern Laos.
Laos was "a soft target for traffickers", Douglas said.
The report noted a record 2.7 tonnes of ketamine seizures in Cambodia, nearly fifteen times the amount seized in the previous five years combined. (Reuters)
May
G7 foreign ministers decry latest North Korean ICBM test
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Group of Seven major economies jointly condemned on Monday North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile test and called on all U.N. member states to condemn the nuclear-armed state's actions.
"We are very concerned by the unprecedented series of ballistic missile tests with increasingly versatile systems across all ranges," the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States said in a statement together with the European Union's top foreign policy official.
North Korea fired three missiles last Wednesday, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile yet, following a trip to Asia by U.S. President Joe Biden. (Reuters)
May
N.Korea lifts COVID lockdown amid 'stable' virus situation -media
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea has lifted movement restrictions imposed in the capital Pyongyang after its first admission of COVID-19 outbreak weeks ago, media reported, as the isolated country says the virus situation is now under control.
The North has been in a heated battle against an unprecedented COVID wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown this month, fuelling concerns about a lack of vaccines, medical supplies and food shortages.
As of Sunday, the restrictions had been lifted, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, citing an unnamed source in Beijing.
A spokesman for South Korea's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said it could not confirm the report, as the North's state media had not announced the decision.
The Kyodo report came shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a politburo meeting to discuss revising anti-epidemic restrictions, assessing the situation over the country's first COVID outbreak was "improving."
"The Political Bureau examined the issue of effectively and quickly coordinating and enforcing the anti-epidemic regulations and guidelines given the current stable anti-epidemic situation," the North's state media KCNA said on Sunday.
North Korea reported 100,710 more people showing fever symptoms and one additional death as of Sunday evening, compared with some 390,000 two weeks ago, KCNA said. The death toll rose to 70.
North Korea has not confirmed the total number of people testing positive for the coronavirus, apparently lacking in testing supplies. Experts have said the announced figures could be underreported, and that it is hard to assess the actual scale of the situation. (Reuters)
May
China, Pacific islands unable to reach consensus on regional pact
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged the Pacific region not to be "too anxious" about his country's aims after a meeting with his counterparts from 10 island nations deferred consideration of a sweeping trade and security communique.
Wang hosted the video meeting with foreign ministers from Pacific island nations with diplomatic ties with China midway through a tour of the region where Beijing's ambitions for wider security ties has caused concern among U.S. allies.
A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by China to the invited nations ahead of the meeting showed China was seeking a sweeping regional trade and security agreement. read more
But the draft communique, first reported by Reuters, prompted opposition from at least one of the invited nations, Federated States of Micronesia, according to a letter leaked last week. Other nations wanted it amended or a decision delayed, an official from one Pacific country told Reuters before the meeting.
Niue said in a statement after the meeting it wanted time to consider China's proposal because it covered regional strategic interests.
After the meeting, which included Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Niue and Vanuatu, Wang said further discussions were needed to shape more consensus.
"China will release its own position paper on our own positions and propositions and cooperation proposals with Pacific island countries, and going forward we will continue to have ongoing and in-depth discussions and consultations to shape more consensus on cooperation," he told reporters in Fiji.
Wang said some had questioned China's motives in being so active in the Pacific islands, and his response was China supported developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean also.
"Don't be too anxious and don't be too nervous, because the common development and prosperity of China and all the other developing countries would only mean great harmony, greater justice and greater progress of the whole world," he said.
China's ambassador to Fiji, Qian Bo, said while answering questions after the briefing that participants had agreed to discuss the draft communique and the five-year plan "until we have reached an agreement."
"There has been general support from the 10 countries with which we have diplomatic relations, but of course there are some concerns on some specific issues."
He didn't identify the areas of concern.
"We would like time to consider how the arrangement with China will support existing regional plans to ensure that our priorities are aligned and will be beneficial for all of us for regional prosperity," Premier of Niue, Dalton Tagelagi, said in a statement released after the meeting.
CLIMATE CHANGE, COVID
The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna, urged China at the meeting to work with the region on its priorities, which were climate change and COVID-19 recovery, and through its agreed mechanisms, according to a statement from the forum.
It is the region's main grouping, with 18 members including nations that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not Beijing.
Two nations aligned to Taiwan, Palau and Tuvalu, have recently said they are concerned that Pacific islands would become pawns in superpower competition.
"We are all well aware of the increasing intensity of geopolitical manoeuvring in our region today. Indeed, the recent influx of high-level visits to our Blue Pacific demonstrates the increasing value that our partners, including China, must place on our collective ability to think, live, engage and deliver," Puna told the meeting, according to the statement.
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told reporters after the meeting the Pacific nations were prioritising consensus.
"Geopolitical point-scoring means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job is being lost to the pandemic, or whose family is impacted by the rapid rise in the price of commodities," Bainimarama said.
Bainimarama spoke with new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a call on Monday evening.
The United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand have expressed concerns about a security pact signed by the Solomon Islands with China last month, saying it had regional consequences and could lead to a Chinese military presence close to Australia and in a strategic position in the Pacific.
Wang will travel to the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga for a two-day visit on Tuesday. (Reuters)
May
India to provide scholarships, counselling to those orphaned by COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
India's federal government will provide educational scholarships, mental health counselling and health insurance to children who have been orphaned by the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.
"For those who have lost a loved one to coronavirus, the change it has brought to their lives is so difficult," Modi said during an online event as he announced government benefits for minor children who have lost both parents to COVID-19.
More than 524,000 people have died since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic in India, according to official estimates, most of them during its devastating second wave last year, when hospitals ran out of oxygen and beds and millions fell sick.
Under the federal government scheme, children who have lost both parents to the coronavirus from March 11, 2020 to February 2022 will be given, among other things, free admission to a nearby school, schoolbooks and a sum of 1 million Indian rupees ($12,899.60) once they turn 23 years of age, according to a government statement.
During the second wave in 2021, many children were left without a carer because both parents were ill and hospitalised with COVID-19, raising alarm bells among activists and government officials. (Reuters)
May
Some protesters freed in Sudan after emergency law lifted
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sudanese authorities freed several dozen political detainees on Monday though others remain jailed, a lawyers' group said, a day after Sudan's military ruler announced the lifting of the state of emergency imposed after an October coup.
The releases included 24 people connected to the anti-military protest movement in Port Sudan, and another 39 in or near the capital, Khartoum, said the emergency lawyers' committee, an activist group.
Regular mass street protests calling for the military to quit politics have continued for more than seven months since the coup, which ended a military-civilian power sharing arrangement struck after the 2019 overthrow of Omar al-Bashir.
There were further demonstrations on Monday in the city of Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, where a Reuters reporter saw protesters blocking a main street and a bridge and burning car tyres.
Military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced on Sunday the lifting of the state of emergency imposed after the coup, saying the step was meant to create an atmosphere for dialogue. Efforts involving the United Nations and the African Union to break the deadlock between the military and its opponents have so far brought little progress. read more
The prisoner releases come ahead of a visit starting June 1 by a United Nations human rights expert, Adama Dieng.
About 50 people remain detained at Khartoum's Soba prison, and 32 people arrested after protests on Saturday are being held by police, said Samir Sheikh Idris, a spokesman for the lawyer's group.
"We demand the immediate release of all those arrested because their arrests were under the emergency law and as soon as it was cancelled there was no legal basis for their detention," he said.
Doctors connected to the protest movement say 98 civilians have been killed by security forces in crackdowns on the demonstrations. Military rulers say they allow peaceful protests and that casualties will be investigated. (Reuters)
May
Unlikely monkeypox outbreak will lead to pandemic, WHO says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The World Health Organization does not believe the monkeypox outbreak outside Africa will lead to a pandemic, an official said on Monday, adding it remains unclear if infected people who are not displaying symptoms can transmit the disease.
More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox - a usually mild illness that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions - have been reported in May, mostly in Europe.
The WHO is considering whether the outbreak should be assessed as a "potential public health emergency of international concern" or PHEIC. Such a declaration, as was done for COVID-19 and Ebola, would help accelerate research and funding to contain the disease. read more
Asked whether this monkeypox outbreak has the potential to grow into a pandemic, Rosamund Lewis, technical lead for monkeypox from the WHO Health Emergencies Programme said: "We don't know but we don't think so."
"At the moment, we are not concerned of a global pandemic," she said.
Once monkeypox has been contracted, the duration of the rash emerging and scabs falling off is recognised as the infectious period, but there is limited information on whether there is any spread of the virus by people who are not symptomatic, she added.
"We really don't actually yet know whether there's asymptomatic transmission of monkeypox - the indications in the past have been that this is not a major feature - but this remains to be determined, she said.
The strain of virus implicated in the outbreak is understood to kill a small fraction of those infected, but no deaths have been reported so far.
Most cases have cropped up in Europe rather than in the Central and West African countries where the virus is endemic, and are predominantly not linked to travel.
Scientists are therefore looking into what might explain this unusual surge of cases, while public health authorities suspect there is some degree of community transmission.
Some countries have begun to offer vaccines to close contacts of confirmed cases. (Reuters)
May
Hurricane Agatha closes in on southern Mexico bringing torrential rains
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hurricane Agatha barreled toward southern Mexico's Pacific coast on Monday morning, threatening to dump torrential rains on beach resorts in the state of Oaxaca when it plows into the coast later in the day.
A Category 2 storm and the first hurricane to form in the eastern Pacific this year, Agatha was blowing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph) at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Authorities have set up 200 shelters along the coastal region of Oaxaca with capacity to shelter 26,000 people, according to local civil protection officials.
Agatha is expected to dump 10 to 16 inches (25-41 cm) of rain on Oaxaca, and up to 20 inches in some areas, which could spark lethal flash flooding and mudslides, the NHC said.
Heavy rains are also expected to douse the state of Chiapas, as well as Veracruz, Tabasco and eastern parts of Guerrero.
Agatha is unlikely to change in strength much before reaching land, and should then weaken rapidly as it dissipates over southeastern Mexico by late Tuesday, the NHC said. (Reuters)