UN
UN Myanmar expert to visit the Republic of Korea
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, will carry out a mission to the Republic of Korea from November 16 to 21.
“The military junta’s attacks on civilians and suppression of the democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar demand a concerted and coordinated response from the international community. The Republic of Korea is well-placed to provide regional leadership on the crisis given its strong condemnation of the junta and outspoken support for democracy and human rights in Myanmar,” said Andrews.
Read more: Myanmar situation doesn't allow full-scale Rohingya repatriation now: Japan
“I hope to discuss the role that the Republic of Korea can play in resolving the crisis in Myanmar in light of its status as a leading democracy in the Asia-Pacific region and a member of ASEAN-Plus Three,” said Andrews.
The Special Rapporteur will visit Seoul where he will meet representatives of national and local Governments, UN officials, foreign policy experts, civil society organisations, members of the Myanmar diaspora and representatives of companies that have invested or have ongoing interest in Myanmar.
He will also visit Gwangju city, a city that has shown strong solidarity with Myanmar, according to a media release received here from Geneva.
UN climate talks near halftime with key issues unresolved
As the U.N. climate talks in Egypt near the half-way point, negotiators are working hard to draft deals on a wide range of issues they’ll put to ministers next week in the hope of getting a substantial result by the end.
The two-week meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh started with strong appeals from world leaders for greater efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help poor nations cope with global warming.
Scientists say the amount of greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere needs to be halved by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord. The 2015 pact set a target of ideally limiting temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, but left it up to countries to decide how they want to do so.
Read more: Climate Change: Int’l community must act with fund and solutions to help most vulnerable nations
With impacts from climate change already felt across the globe, particularly by the world’s poorest, there has also been a push by campaigners and developing nations for rich polluters to stump up more cash. This would be used to help developing countries shift to clean energy and adapt to global warming; increasingly there are also calls for compensation to pay for climate-related losses.
Here is a look at the main issues on the table at the COP27 talks and how they might be reflected in a final agreement.
KEEPING COOL
The hosts of last year’s talks in Glasgow said they managed to “keep 1.5 alive,” including by getting countries to endorse the target in the outcome document. But U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has warned that the temperature goal is on life support “and the machines are rattling.” And campaigners were disappointed that agenda this year doesn’t explicitly cite the threshold after pushback from some major oil and gas exporting nations. The talks’ chair, Egypt, can still convene discussions on putting it in the final agreement.
CUTTING EMISSIONS
Negotiators are trying to put together a mitigation work program that would capture the various measures countries have committed to reducing emissions, including for specific sectors such as energy and transport. Many of these pledges are not formally part of the U.N. process, meaning they cannot easily be scrutinized at the annual meeting. A proposed draft agreement circulated early Saturday had more than 200 square brackets, meaning large sections were still unresolved. Some countries want the plan to be valid only for one year, while others say a longer-term roadmap is needed. Expect fireworks in the days ahead.
SHUNNING FOSSIL FUELS
Last year’s meeting almost collapsed over a demand to explicitly state in the final agreement that coal should be phased out. In the end, countries agreed on several loopholes, and there are concerns among climate campaigners that negotiators from nations which are heavily dependent on fossil fuels for their energy needs or as revenue might try to roll back previous commitments.
MONEY MATTERS
Rich countries have fallen short on a pledge to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 in climate finance for poor nations. This has opened up a rift of distrust that negotiators are hoping to close with fresh pledges. But needs are growing and a new, higher target needs to be set from 2025 onward.
COMPENSATION
The subject of climate compensation was once considered taboo, due to concerns from rich countries that they might be on the hook for vast sums. But intense pressure from developing countries forced the issue of ‘loss and damage’ onto the formal agenda at the talks for the first time this year. Whether there will be a deal to promote further technical work or the creation of an actual fund remains to be seen. This could become a key flashpoint in the talks.
COP27: UN experts for complete integration of human rights standards, principles into negotiations
UN independent experts have said the outcomes of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt are of critical importance, and they called on states to make sure that all decisions made, and actions taken, consider their human rights implications.
"This, in turn, will lead to better policy-making in the area of climate change," they said in a statement from Geneva on Friday.
The experts called on states to fully integrate human rights standards and principles into negotiations during the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) starting in Egypt on Sunday.
"In 2015, states adopted the Paris Agreement, pledging to respect human rights in all climate actions. However, as the parties meet in Sharm el Sheikh for COP27, little progress has been made in the area of human rights, or climate actions," they said.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has stressed that human rights obligations, standards and principles have the potential to inform and strengthen international, regional and national policy making in the area of climate change, promoting policy coherence, legitimacy and sustainable outcomes.
However, human rights, and the financing required to realise these rights, have yet to be mainstreamed in climate change discussions, including the annual COPs.
Climate change is negatively impacting the full and effective enjoyment of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments.
Climate change is having a major impact on a wide range of human rights today, affecting mostly marginalised groups, and could have a cataclysmic impact in the future, unless ambitious actions are undertaken immediately.
Among the human rights being threatened and violated are the rights to life, adequate food, safe drinking water and sanitation, the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including sexual and reproductive health, adequate housing, self-determination, just and favourable conditions of work, development, the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and livelihoods, as well as the right to education and cultural rights.
Climate change is also contributing to human rights violations with specific adverse impacts on women and girls and against groups in marginalised situations, such as migrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, older persons and persons with disabilities including albinism.
Read more: Is it too late to prevent climate change?
Climate change is exacerbating the risk of other human rights violations, including violence against women and girls, trafficking in persons, especially women and children, excessive use of force in the context of policing climate rallies and protests, racism and discrimination.
Systemic racism and contemporary legacies of colonialism negatively impact the right to a healthy environment and continue to have an impact on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the right of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
Lawyers and others working to address climate change face abuse, threats to their lives, and other risks. Climate change is also a major driver of forced displacement and renders the search for durable solutions significantly more challenging.
States have taken important steps to recognise the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (which includes the right to a safe climate) as a human right, most recently in General Assembly resolution 76/300 of 29 July 2022.
"We are deeply concerned by the lack of commitment by states that have been the primary historical contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Current nationally determined contributions provided by parties to the Paris Agreement remain seriously inadequate to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement," the experts said.
The negative effects of failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions are disproportionately suffered by persons and communities who are already in a disadvantageous situation. And not enough financial resources are being allocated to these high-priority concerns.
The UN independent experts called on states to urgently step up their mitigation actions (emissions reductions), in line with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities, as inadequate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is creating a human rights catastrophe.
This would include ending fossil fuel expansion, and accelerating the phase-out of coal, oil and natural gas in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C as required under the Paris Agreement. It would also include regulating the emissions of businesses under their jurisdictions, and ensuring their courts are available to enforce these regulations.
Read more: "Bangladesh should not have to carry the burden of climate change alone"
The experts urged the states to include human rights considerations in their nationally determined contributions and other planning processes and ensure that market-based mechanisms have effective means for protecting human rights and effective compliance and redress mechanisms, including mandatory environmental and human rights due diligence laws and policies.
They called on states to establish a loss and damage finance facility, and significantly step up funding to help particularly vulnerable developing countries, especially small island developing states and least developed countries, to cover the costs of loss and damage.
The experts urged the states to call for climate finance to address mitigation and adaptation, fulfilling the $100 billion annual pledge and increasing it to meet the needs of climate-vulnerable states.
The full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and civil society, including human rights defenders, grassroots organisations and women-led organisations in decision-making processes at all levels of the COP process has to be ensured, they said. "Indigenous peoples and civil society play an essential role in the advancement of climate action, and their voices must be heard."
To ensure that climate policies, including those on adaptation, mitigation and financing, gender equality, the rights of the child, non-discrimination and racial justice, and ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls with diverse backgrounds in climate change mitigation actions at all levels have to be ensured, the experts added.
They called on states to stay attuned to the impacts of climate change, as well as the design and implementation of mitigation and adaption measures on all human beings, so that all peoples are treated humanely and with dignity, and if forced to relocate or migrate because of the effects of climate change, they are able to rebuild their lives and livelihoods with dignity.
The experts urged the states to expand opportunities for safe migration, including through a general right of admission and stay for people displaced by climate change, and pathways to citizenship.
They also suggested including children and youth representatives in their delegations to COP 27 and future COPs, to ensure that young people have a say in their future.
UN, ADB to support Bangladesh's fight against climate change
The United Nations and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide all necessary assistance to Bangladesh to combat climate change, including the implementation of Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Representative Edimon Ginting said this in two separate meetings with Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin at the secretariat on Tuesday.
The minister said, Bangladesh needs 230 billion US dollars until 2030 to implement the National Adaptation Plan.
Read more: Bangladesh a key player in fight against climate change, says British envoy
"We expect cooperation from international organizations like the United Nations and ADB," were his final words.
The minister said that a specific financing mechanism must be determined for the most vulnerable countries. In this regard, the 8.8 to 9.9 trillion US dollars required for developing countries by 2030 should be taken into consideration. He also said that the global community must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 to save the planet.
Gwyn Lewis expressed his special interest in helping climate refugees as a result of climate change.
Bangladesh is a role model in the world in dealing with climate change, said Edimon Ginting, country representative of ADB.
Read more: "Bangladesh should not have to carry the burden of climate change alone"
Various programs undertaken by Bangladesh are followed by other countries of the world. ADB is assisting Bangladesh in various projects and it will financially help the projects' proposal to address climate risk if the government sends, he added.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the meeting Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Administration) Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary (Development) Mizanul Hoque Chowdhury, Joint Secretary Zakia Afroz, ADB Country Specialist Soon Chang Hong, ADB External Affairs Team Leader Gobinda Bar and other senior officials of the Ministry were also present at the meeting.
Bangladesh elected UN Human Rights Council member with 160 votes
Bangladesh has bagged a “historic win” in the election for the membership of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2023-25, securing 160 votes out of 189 that were cast in Tuesday’s election.
Talking to UNB, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said it vindicated again that the global leaderships have confidence on Sheikh Hasina's government and the human rights track record of Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh government is always at the forefront of democracy, human rights and justice," he said.
This would be the fifth term for Bangladesh as a member of the 47-member UNHRC. It secured one of the four seats up for grabs for countries from the Asia Pacific Group, receiving the highest votes out of all the candidates in the region.
However it is quite a bit lower than the 178 votes it received when elected as a member of the council in 2018 (for the 2019-21 term).
The other three countries elected from the region were the Maldives (154 votes), Vietnam (145 votes) and Kyrgyzstan (126 votes). South Korea (123 votes) and Afghanistan (12 votes) missed out, while Bahrain withdrew their candidature late last month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the win is significant, as it was “the most competitive international election” Bangladesh participated in since 2018.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam led the Bangladesh delegation in the UN General Assembly during the election on Tuesday.
Ambassador Abdul Muhith, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, accompanied the State Minister.
Ambassador Muhith thanked the member States for electing Bangladesh to the Human Rights Council with overwhelming number of votes and expressed his commitment to continue working with all in strengthening the leadership of the UN in promoting and protecting human rights globally.
The result is a clear manifestation of the recognition by the international community of Bangladesh's continued endeavour and commitment for the promotion and protection of human rights in the national as well as international arena, Bangladesh says.
“It also nullifies the ongoing smear campaign with falsified and fabricated information, by some politically motivated vested corners at home and abroad, aimed at negatively portraying the human rights situation of Bangladesh,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Given that in electing the members of the UNHRC, the General Assembly is expected to take into account the candidate States' contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard, MoFA may well feel vindicated.
In the previous UNHRC elections, Bangladesh won in 2006, 2009, 2014 and 2018.
Bangladesh, as a responsible and responsive Member State of the United Nations and an elected UNHRC member for next three years, will remain committed to make all efforts to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights nationally and globally, MoFA said.
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States at any one time, which is responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
The Council starts its yearly membership cycle on January 1.
UNV Program: How to become a UN Volunteer from Bangladesh
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program supports peace and growth through global involvement. To intensify the importance and universal acceptance of volunteering, the UNV collaborates with partners to integrate qualified, extremely motivated UN Volunteers into development activities. At present around 130 nations welcome UN volunteers. As a Bangladeshi citizen, you can apply to work as a volunteer for the UN. Under the UNV program, the volunteers can work locally or in an overseas country, or online.
What is a UN Volunteer?
UN Volunteers are devoted individuals eager to provide their time and experience as international volunteers outside of their respective home countries or as national volunteers when UN programs are present in their own countries.
They have professional skills and academic credentials or training. Volunteers work in positions with several UN agencies to assist peace and development and have shown expertise in their professional sector.
Read Psychometric Tests in Recruitment: How to prepare for it
How to Become a Registered UN Volunteer?
The belief that volunteering is a potent tool for involving people in addressing global development concerns is the motivation behind UNV. Through volunteer work, interested individuals can give their time, talents, and expertise, and their joint efforts can be a powerful force for promoting peace and growth.
There are three specific ways to be a volunteer in the UNV program:
International Volunteers
UNV seeks to engage volunteers with a wide range of skills and interests and provides many different possibilities for service. Approximately 7,500 skilled and knowledgeable individuals from around 160 different nationalities serve as United Nations Volunteers in about 130 different countries each year.
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These volunteers come from all corners of the globe. They are trained individuals who contribute significantly to achieving peace and positively influence the outcomes of development efforts.
Before applying to the UNV program, it should be considered that United Nations Volunteers serve in distant duty sites where basic comforts are restricted. In the workplace, the volunteers may not find basic utilities. There might be no power or running water. There would be very few opportunities for relaxation, and that labor would be required seven days a week.
UNV assignments may be highly rewarding; nevertheless, candidates need to be prepared to be deployed to challenging regions and be able to adapt to rapidly changing living and working situations. This is because UNV assignments can be very rewarding. Volunteers for the United Nations must be at least 25 years old, and no cap is placed on the maximum age.
Read How to Be a Social Counsellor or Therapist
Go to the registration form if you are ready to sign up to become a volunteer overseas. The UNV is always seeking people to join its team! You will be asked that you refrain from registering more than once.
National Level Volunteer
National UN Volunteers are volunteers that UNV recruits at the request of a program nation in order to assist in development and peace programs in that country.
They have been granted citizenship in the nation. However, non-nationals also have the opportunity to serve as national UN Volunteers if certain conditions are met. These conditions include having legal residency in the host country, being officially recognized as stateless or being a refugee, and having their service follow the national law of the host country.
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Compared to other UN staff, national UN Volunteers contribute more value because of their familiarity with local languages, cultural practices, social economic realities, and ability to operate at the grassroots level. National-level United Nations Volunteers work to cultivate capabilities at the community level, and assist in accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The age requirement for a national UN Volunteer has been established at 22. However, an older applicant who is well-qualified and appropriate may still apply to serve as national-level UN Volunteers as long as s/he fulfills the age-requirement for life insurance policy.
If you want to join the UNV program from Bangladesh, then register in the Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP). After login and password verification, complete the application process at UNV program for Bangladeshi nationals.
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Online Volunteer
Under the UNV program, Online Volunteers are associated with an online forum connecting individuals interested in volunteering with organizations in various countries. It fosters efficient online cooperation among development agencies and volunteers by connecting them via the internet and facilitating communication between them.
The UNV’s Online Volunteer work service provides individuals worldwide with additional opportunities to volunteer for growth and participate in the achievement of the MDGs.
The UNV provides these opportunities by letting different development bodies access to the information and resources to enhance their capacities.
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If you want to join the volunteer work remotely, you have to go to UNV’s Online Volunteer service page.
How to Register in the Global Talent Pool?
The registration procedure consists of a few straightforward stages, each of which must be accomplished before you can apply for onsite or online volunteer work.
Provide Basic Information
To establish an account on the UN's Unified Volunteering Platform, you will need to provide some basic information. A computer-generated message, including a verification code in numerical form, will be sent to you. Just paste the code you copied into the appropriate section to complete establishing your account.
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Complete Your Profile
When you first-time log in to your account, a task will appear on the dashboard requesting that you complete your profile. Simply choose the job from the drop-down menu, then provide detailed information about your previous experience, educational background, and talents.
Submit
When you have finished filling out all the necessary fields, click the button to submit your information. You can now go through the available Descriptions of Assignment and apply for those that fit your credentials, abilities, and experience.
Conclusion
Volunteering can involve people in the process of addressing development difficulties, and it has the potential to change the pace and patterns of development. The UNV program aims to develop trust, cooperation, and reciprocity among people while creating chances for involvement. These advantages will benefit both the society and the UN volunteers.
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Youths and qualified individuals from different countries around the world including Bangladesh can apply under the UNV program. So far we have discussed how UNV works and how to apply as a local, international or online UN volunteer from Bangladesh or any other country. Pick the category that suits you most and apply to the UNV program for making positive contributions to global peace and development.
Momen optimistic about Bangladesh’s chances at UN Human Rights Council election
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has expressed optimism over Bangladesh’s chances of getting elected to the UN Human Rights Council, noting that Bangladesh remains very vocal on human rights issues.
“I believe we will win this year, too. We have a very good preparation,” he told reporters at his office on Tuesday, adding that Bangladesh has been a member of the Human Rights Council for many years.
Momen said Bangladesh remains a vocal country in upholding human rights and it always stood against injustice and struggled for people’s rights.
Bangladesh is one of the candidates (Asia Pacific States) to the election for the term 2023-2025. There are four vacant seats in this group after Bahrain withdrew its candidature on September 26.
Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Republic of Korea and Vietnam will compete in the election with Bangladesh under the Asia Pacific States category.
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States at any one time, which are responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
The Council starts its yearly membership cycle on January 1.
Read: UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution to end Rohingya crisis
Membership to the Council is open to all Member States of the United Nations. Members are elected by the General Assembly through individual and direct votes by absolute majority (97 votes).
Ballots are secret and elections are held every year. Members serve three-year terms and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms. Bangladesh last served on the council during the 2019-21 term.
Responding to a question, Momen said the UN report on enforced disappearances in Bangladesh contains errors and cited that there were names of individuals in the list of disappeared people who were in Indian jail or live in India.
“This is unfortunate. I hope in the future they will correct themselves,” he said.
Asked about U.S. sanctions on elite force RAB, Momen said Bangladesh had shared its position on every forum.
From the Editor-in-Chief: In the pantheon of leaders, Sheikh Hasina stands taller each year
There is something almost cosmic to the coincidence that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s birthday each year falls right towards the back end of the annual get together of world leaders under the banner of the United Nations, as the colours of fall (or autumn) set in and the trees shed their leaves in America. This annual shindig of the international family of nations, each represented by their leader, happens to be - first and foremost - a global talkathon. Here, no nation is denied the opportunity to have its say. Well, almost no nation.
At the just-concluded 77th session, for the second straight year, Afghanistan and Myanmar weren’t heard at UN General Assembly’s leaders’ meeting, with no representative of either government stepping forward to take the lectern as the UN tries to resolve who should represent them. Joining them this year was the small African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe - although their no-show happened to be more of a mystery, with no real explanations on offer or sought, it would seem. It goes without saying of course, that every year, a number of leaders’ participation just goes under the radar at the UNGA, that takes over the Turtle Bay area of New York City for almost a fortnight with all its side events, press conferences and external partnerships. Who flew in or who left when, is difficult to keep up with at the best of times.
Also read: From the Editor-in-Chief: UNGA – Dysfunctional, impotent, out-of-touch and yet essential
This year, with the in-person events resuming at full throttle for the first time in three years following the pandemic, there was an even greater rush and urgency to the proceedings. Time was when the Bangladeshi delegation would quietly register its presence on the designated date for its leader’s address, before withdrawing into some sideline events arranged by the expatriate community, somewhere far away in Brooklyn.
Over the course of the last ten years though, that has visibly changed. As Sheikh Hasina’s stature has grown among world leaders, with each passing year she seems to pack a busier and busier schedule during her stay in New York. The expatriate community, that includes a very energetic overseas wing of her own party, the U.S. Awami League, increasingly must satisfy itself with one or two sightings of the prime minister at best in their midst. Under Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh today is an acknowledged partner in a number of bilateral and multilateral partnerships with the nations of the world, in a variety of fields ranging from security to the economy to conservation efforts. Its voice is increasingly heard, even sought.
Earlier this year, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres invited our PM on board a very select group of just six leaders (the others being the highly respected heads of government of Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal) to form a Global Crisis Response Group, to steer any global response, should the need arise, to any energy or food crisis that may suddenly occur, given the present vulnerabilities in which the world economy finds itself.
Also read: Shaping a "Bangladesh model" for development.
At the same time, Sheikh Hasina acts as co-chair of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, with Mia Amor Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, who is also held in very high regard at the world leaders’ table. Their first event to raise awareness on this potentially vile problem was held on the sidelines of this year’s UNGA.
Meanwhile, a newly established Platform of Women Leaders, an initiative of UN Women, could hardly have been complete without the participation of one who is now the longest serving active head of state or government among women in the world. With the departure of Angela Merkel from Germany’s political arena, and the recent demise of Queen Elizabeth, perhaps no other woman commands the respect and admiration of her fellows at the world’s highest forum for deciding humanity’s course forward.
If birthdays are a time to reflect on life’s achievements, not just for oneself but for others, Sheikh Hasina’s is timed perfectly to demonstrate her worth to her people. Confidently strutting across the world stage, she is a beacon for her country’ aspirations. And we wish her many more still to come, as the very best ambassador for our nation.
Read Sheikh Hasina: A legend in her own lifetime
"We need to invest in transformation of food systems, adaptation to climate change"
Development finance expert Alvaro Lario takes the helm of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development on Saturday with an urgent mission to battle poverty and hunger among the world’s rural poor as they face existential threats of climate change and food insecurity.
Lario, a Spanish national who has served as IFAD’s chief financial officer since 2018, has led efforts to harness private sector investment to boost the resilience of millions of small-scale farmers and rural communities who are among those most affected by global shocks.
“Our mission has never been more urgent as food insecurity, climate change and conflict threaten the lives and livelihoods of the world’s rural poor,” he said.
“But our power to shape the future has never been greater, if we muster the commitment and resources to make lasting change.”
Lario remains committed to IFAD’s goal to double its impact on poor rural communities by 2030.
This will be done in part by driving forward climate change adaptation as a priority for the Fund, according to a message received here from Rome on Friday.
Poor small-scale farmers produce one-third of the world’s food, but receive less than two percent of climate finance and are the least able to adapt to changing circumstances like drought, extreme weather and crop failure.
“We keep moving from crisis to crisis, focusing on immediate relief. But if we want to avoid winding up in the same place again five years from now, we need to invest in the medium term -- and this means nothing less than the transformation of food systems, and adaptation to climate change,” he said.
Read: Bangladesh, Japan, IFAD partner to bring smallholder farmers closer to international markets
“This won’t be done by governments and the UN alone. This is a shared, global challenge for public and private sectors alike since we can all share the benefits of food security and global stability, just as we will all suffer together should we fail to act.”
IFAD, a UN specialized agency which is also an international finance institution, is the only global development agency exclusively dedicated to transforming agriculture, rural economies and food systems by making them more inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable.
Since 1978, the Fund has invested more than US$23 billion in low-interest loans and grants, reaching more than a half-billion people through projects that increase food security and food production, improve nutrition and build resilience in the world’s poorest and most marginalized rural communities.
In 2020, as both CFO and Associate Vice-President for financial operations, Lario set out to mobilize greater resources for the Fund by enlisting private sector investment.
Under his stewardship, IFAD became the first UN fund to receive a public credit rating.
That A++ rating, through Fitch agency, has enabled IFAD to secure private sector investment, with two initial private-placement bonds in 2022 totalling US$150 million, and more to come.
Lario will serve a four-year term from 1st October, taking over from Gilbert F. Houngbo, a former Togolese prime minister who has become the head of the UN’s International Labor Organization.
Lario has a PhD in financial economics from Complutense University in his native Spain, and a master’s degree in finance from Princeton University. Previous to the Fund, he worked for more than six years in the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank group, and also in various roles in the private sector asset management industry and academia.
e-Govt Dev Index: Bangladesh moves up 8 notches
Bangladesh ranked 111th among 193 countries in this year’s UN e-Government Development Index, according to UN e-Government Survey 2022 by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) that assessed the development over last two years.
Bangladesh has moved up eight notches in the ranking while it has climbed 20 steps on the e-Participation Index.
Despite the global crises over the past two years caused by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has made a significant improvement in e-participation globally.
The survey results of the 12th edition of EGDI, titled E-Government Survey 2022 (The Future of Digital Government), were announced on Wednesday at the United Nations HQ in New York.
Bangladesh secured 111th place among 193 countries, scoring 0.5630, and 75th place in E-Participation or EPI with a score of 0.5227.
The survey assesses online service delivery, legal and policy framework, status of e-participation as well as telecommunication infrastructure and human capital.
It is composed of analytical chapters and data on e-government development contained in the annexes of the publication, providing a snapshot of the relative measurement of e-government development of all Member States.
The UN report said that Bangladesh secured the highest EGDI value in the top Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Bangladesh remains in the high EGDI group in two consecutive surveys.
The report said, Bangladesh has shown tremendous growth in terms of digital financial account access through the proliferation of branchless banking, which has taken full-service retail banking to the doorsteps of rural citizens across the country, and soaring mobile financial services (MFS), which have reached a client base of over 100 million.
Combining these channels, and in collaboration with the Ministries of Social Welfare, Finance, and Bangladesh Bank, the a2i Programme of the Government of Bangladesh, with support from UNDP, the Gates Foundation and the Consultative Group to assist the poor, developed the ‘Citizen’s Choice Architecture’ for digital payments of social safety net programs-such as elderly allowance, allowance for widowed, deserted and destitute women, allowance for financially-insolvent disabled people.
The UN has been conducting the survey every two years since 2001 to expand digital governance throughout the world and to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.