“Being more connected and dependent on each other than ever, we simply cannot afford to be self-centered and ignorant. We all need to see the big picture,” Ms. Kaljulaid told leaders gathered for the second day of the Assembly’s annual general debate.

She said empathy can easily translate into effectiveness “if we really want to get things done. Words are important, but they are not enough if they are not followed by concrete actions”, and that all nations have the same responsibility to be more proactive in preventing and resolving global challenges.

For example, she said that the recent agreement on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migrationwhich is to be adopted at an international meeting in Marrakech in December, will be meaningless without implementation; “as hollow as the days to come for those who do not know where to lay their heads for the night. »

The same could be said for the Paris Agreement on climate change. “In order to address the global challenge of climate change that affects billions of people, we must implement the commitments we have collectively made,” she said, also calling for joint action to reap the benefits of the ICT revolution for all and for bolder free trade systems so that all countries and regions, particularly in Africa, can achieve long-term growth and development.

“We see a solution in liberal thinking that progress is possible without polarization, fragmentation or tribalism. Progress is the force born from debate and the search for a common solution,” she said.

“I want to demonstrate how many good ideas exist in the world,” Kalijulad continued, “already found, already tried, but only on a small scale. Ideas that help someone somewhere, that are waiting to be discovered and scaled to help as many people as possible in the world.”

Finally, emphasizing the need for multilateralism and international legal standards, President Kaljulaid said: “The role of the UN is to ensure this equality, as the guarantor of the global rules-based system. We depend on each other, whether we like it or not.”

Full statement available here.

“Democracy may have its flaws, but it is by far the best system for implementing the key values ​​of the United Nations necessary for sustainable inclusive development,” said Hage Geingob, the President of Namibia during the annual general debate of the General Assembly.

The Namibian leader highlighted emerging and existing challenges, which continue to hinder efforts at socio-economic progress and underlined his country’s full commitment to 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – ​​the global development framework, adopted by UN Member States in 2015.

“In fact, Namibia has joined the 17 [Sustainable Development] The goals and their targets in our national development plans,” he announced, also noting the parallels between Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 “The Africa We Want”.

The President also stressed the importance of United Nations Technology Bankestablished last June, for its support to countries like Namibia which are at the forefront of seasonal natural disasters such as droughts and floods.

President Geingob also highlighted the importance of empowering young people and using their potential for the good of the global community. In this context, he also said that technological advancements provide humanity with many opportunities and young people are best placed to realize them.

“It is our responsibility to understand how these technologies can create opportunities for our youth to become engines of economic growth and industrial development,” he said, also emphasizing the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan was right when he said: ‘Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a prerequisite for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance,’” the Namibian leader said.

“The world should do more to make gender equality a reality. »

Almost 90 percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but even in high-income countries, 23 percent live on incomes well below those of their peers.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” UNICEF said Executive Director Catherine Russell. “When governments commit to ending child poverty by implementing effective policies, they can open up a world of possibilities for children..”

The report draws on data from more than 130 low- and middle-income countries, assessing deprivation in six areas: education, health, nutrition, housing, sanitation and water.

Why it matters

Poverty undermines children’s health, development and learning, leading to poorer employment prospects, shorter lifespans and higher rates of depression and anxiety.

UNICEF notes that 118 million children are deprived in at least three of the areas studied. These results come as many governments are reducing their foreign aid. The agency warns that budget cuts could keep six million more children out of school by next year.

This year World Children’s Day theme My day, my rights highlights children’s voices and their lived experiences.

Results

• Child poverty is most concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• In low-income countries, 65 percent of children do not have access to toilets, increasing their exposure to disease.
• Deprivation in low- and middle-income countries has fallen from 51 percent in 2013 to 41 percent in 2023, but progress is stalling due to conflict, climate pressures, technology divides and funding cuts.
• National policies can change outcomes: Tanzania reduced so-called multidimensional child poverty by 46 percent between 2000 and 2023 and Bangladesh by 32 percent, thanks to government-led social protection programs.

How to reduce child poverty

• Make ending child poverty a national priority.
• Integrate the needs of children into economic policies and budgets.
• Provide social protection programs, including cash assistance to families.
• Expand access to essential services: education, healthcare, water, sanitation, nutrition and housing.
• Promote decent work for parents and guardians to strengthen household stability.

In the past year alone, more than 250,000 residents have left the Donetsk region, a hotbed of Russian attacks in southeastern Ukraine near their shared border.

Evacuations are also underway in the neighboring towns of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCRsupports both the evacuees and those who remain behind.

Federico Sersale, head of the UNHCR office in Dnipro, said UN News that the majority of people who wish to stay are elderly or disabled.

Some people do not want to leave their homes, fearing they will never return. Others are simply unable to evacuate on their own and need help.

A difficult decision

Those who remain in frontline areas live in difficult and extremely stressful conditions, facing constant attacks and disruption to basic services.

Their movements are also limited by the security situation. Yet despite these difficult circumstances, convincing them to leave is no easy task.

“I think the most important thing is that it’s their decision to leave or stay. What we try to do, as much as possible, is give them the information they need to make an informed decision,” Mr Sersale said.

Helping evacuees and frontline communities

In the meantime, UNHCR and its NGO partners are providing much-needed assistance.

“When we have access to these communities, we provide different types of services and assistance – from basic necessities like blankets to shelter materials and repair items in case their homes are hit by airstrikes, but also psychosocial support and legal aid. »

The most vulnerable evacuees pass through transit sites – government-run facilities, where they stay briefly, receive basic services and leave.

“Forty-six percent of the people who passed through the transit sites are either elderly people or people with reduced mobility. This is something new,” according to Mr. Sersale.

“We help set up these sites, provide basic equipment like beds, blankets, washing machines, everything needed to run them. We also provide services, including psychosocial and legal help, as well as financial assistance, that enable people to cover their most urgent needs. This varies depending on the gaps.”

Frontline resistance fighters

Svitlana, an elderly woman from a frontline community in Zaporozhye[DD1] region, crossed by one of these sites south of the city of Dnipro.

Although encouraged to leave early, she and her husband refused. They lived in very harsh conditions, without electricity and with drones constantly flying over their house.

When the front line started moving in Zaporizhzhia and the situation got worse a few weeks ago, she finally decided it was time to leave.

Svitlana spent a few days at the transit center, receiving cash and other assistance, then was transferred to “An Ocean of Kindness” in the city of Dnipro, a UNHCR-supported facility that provides temporary accommodation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) like Svitlana, who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility.

“That’s where I met her,” Mr. Sersale said. “It’s a temporary solution. She’s waiting to find longer-term accommodation.”

“When I met her, she had incredible energy. Despite everything she had been through, her eyes were still full of hope and energy.”

Long-term solutions and resilience

One of the biggest challenges for vulnerable displaced people like Svitlana is finding long-term solutions, including housing and more comprehensive support.

“That could mean assisted living. It could mean receiving home care, living in a house, but also receiving certain services,” Mr. Sersale said.

“Housing for internally displaced people is one of the key gaps. We are actively working in this area alongside our emergency response efforts.”

As Svitlana explores options for a more permanent arrangement, UNHCR continues to provide support to her and other displaced people.

“I think his story is a perfect example of what life is like on the front lines. You have to make a difficult decision whether to leave or not, and then find the resilience to start again.”

Simon Stiell, UN climate chief set the tone Monday:

“There is a deep awareness of the issues and the need to show that climate cooperation holds up in a fractured world. »

His warning was direct: “There is no time to waste on delays and obstructions. »

Over the next two days, ministers will outline their positions in what is often the busiest phase of the summit. Mr. Stiell urged delegations to tackle the toughest questions now – not in a last-minute rush.

“There is no time to waste on tactical delays or obstructions,” he said, before adding: “The time for performative diplomacy is now over. »

The President of the United Nations General Assembly echoes this urgencyreminding negotiators that despite the “headwinds” and many “ebbs and flows” of climate negotiations, they “do not have the luxury of complacency when people are counting on them.”

Annalena Baerbock sounded a note of optimism, highlighting the unstoppable dynamic of renewable energy and innovation: “The money exists but must be redirected. »

She pointed to a grim figure: Developing countries paid $1.4 trillion in external debt service last year – funds that could transform climate action if channeled into clean energy and resilience.

Speaking to reporters, Baerbock recalled that on Sunday she took a 30-minute boat ride from Belém to visit Combu Island.

There, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, she met local indigenous communities “who are showing how sustainable development, economic growth and forest protection can go hand in hand.”

This, she said, “underlines once again that climate action is not a “nice thing to have”‘. It is not a charity. Climate action is in the interest of all our economic and security interests.

THE 30th edition of the annual United Nations climate summit opened last Monday, November 10 and is expected to end next Friday.

From words to actions: Brazil calls for a new era

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said COP30 must mark a turning point. “The world needs to stop debating the goals and start achieving them,” he said, adding that this means moving from negotiation to implementation.

Mr. Alckmin highlighted the Belém Commitment, an initiative to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035, already supported by 25 countries. He called for creativity in areas such as the bioeconomy and decarbonization, reaffirming Brazil’s commitment to “clean energy, innovation and inclusion.”

Brazilian officials confirmed that two sets of major decisions are now on the table: one related to the frameworks and topics mandated by previous COPs, and the other covering additional issues under negotiation, such as a gender equality action plan.

A draft of the first package is expected midweek, but COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago warned the timetable would be tight, with night sessions likely.

Beyond the official rooms: the People’s Summit delivers its verdict

While the ministers debated inside, the streets of Belém vibrated with energy. The People’s Summit, held November 12-16, attracted more than 25,000 participants – the largest ever – and culminated with a march for climate justice bringing together 70,000 people, the largest protest of its kind.

On Sunday, civil society delivered a set of proposals to Mr. do Lago, as well as Ana Toni, CEO of COP30, and key ministers, including Marina Silva and Sônia Guajajara.

Maureen Santos of the Summit policy committee told us:

“I think this COP serves as an example of democracy not only for the United Nations, but also for the world. And that is what multilateralism is: when parties truly engage beyond states and we see greater visibility for those who suffer the impacts of the crisis, who also propose alternatives to deal with it.”

Social movements are pushing for climate finance, warning of possible “ecological debts” and demanding a broader vision of a just transition – one that includes employment, food sovereignty and territorial rights, not just renewable energy.

Solidarity in action: 300,000 meals served

The People’s Summit was not just about speeches. It was a question of solidarity. Groups like the Landless Workers Movement (MTST) organized a massive “solidarity kitchen,” drawing on the experience of responding to last year’s floods in Rio Grande do Sul.

More than 300,000 free meals were served, including Amazonian staples like jambu, açaí and pirarucu.

Rudi Rafael, who helped lead the operation, described the scale:

“We had 21 pots of 500 liters each, with a production line preparing meal boxes in just 26 seconds. »

For many, cooking symbolized hope, especially for those who defended indigenous lands, traditions and cultures. It’s a reminder that climate justice is as much about dignity and community as it is about politics.

UN NewsEastreport from Belémgiving you front row coverage of everything happening at COP30.