Week Ahead at the UN
EU Has 350 Million Euros Fund for Cities, Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on Hate Speech Presents Report at the GA in New York, ITU and UNICEF Reach a Milestone: 1 M Schools Mapped-out
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$5 Billion bond proposal by UNICEF and ITU to finance connectivity and map out schools in the Global South
A $5 Billion Bond proposed by UNICEF and ITU will kick-start the mixed finance layers necessary for delivering connectivity to schools in the Global South. Giga has already reached a milestone mapping-out schools on Project Connect.
One million schools have been identified as potential partners of Giga in the last couple of weeks.
To find out more about financing these ambitious mega projects, that will require cooperation from the private sector, governments, UNESCO and other UN agencies, we spoke with Alex Wong, of the International Telecommunication Union, and Maikel Wilms, Partner and Director at the Boston Consulting Group. Listen here.
Watch below.
EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
Save the Date
25 November 2021: Horizon Europe Will Announce a Call for Expressions of Interest
EU to Launch 350 Million Euros Funding to Make 100 Cities Climate Neutral
The EU is ready to deploy financing and grants through its Horizon Europe funding framework programme for tech companies and other innovators that will help cities achieve the ambitious goal of 100 cities climate neutral by 2030.
A feasible goal if mayors and others are on board, particularly the private sector. Horizon Europe is the EU’s funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period from 2021-2027.
The UN Brief interviewed Matthew Baldwin, European Commission Deputy Director-General for the Mobility and Transport Directorate-General to speak about the cities that already signalled their interest during COP26 , including Marseille with a population of 861,000, and Mannheim a 309,307 inhabitants city in Germany.
Zaragoza in Spain too, with a population of 666,880 inhabitants in its metropolitan area, is working towards that goal. Cities from across the world were pushing and pulling levers to advance their ways of addressing climate change at COP26.
Mayors are the hope for many, as 56.2% of the global population now lives in cities.
The biggest change has been in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 81.2% of the population living in urban areas, up from 41.3% in 1950. Source: WEF
In Geneva: Building Bridges
From November 29 the flagship event by Sustainable Finance Geneva, Building Bridges, will make the city a hub for everyone who wants to understand and participate on discussions about how to finance climate change mitigation.
Four days of events, starting with a summit, then crowdsourced events throughout the city, will bring politicians, NGOs, banking, fintech, and the UN and its agencies together to speak impact financing. Sign-up here.
The UN Brief interviewed Sandrine Salerno, former Mayor of Geneva, and current Director of Geneva Sustainable Finance, to speak about the organisation and what is on the agenda for Building Bridges Week.
Follow us on Twitter @TheUNBrief and @MayaPlentz
In New York: UN Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on Hate Speech and Minorities presents its report to the General Assembly in New York. Watch our interview with Dr. Fernand de Varennes, a few months ago when he came to present its preliminary findings at the Human Rights Council.
Interview with the UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Hate Speech and Minorities, Dr. Fernand de Varennes.
Thursday, 25 November
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Source: WHO
Preventing and responding to violence against women is a human rights, gender equality and public health priority. In every country and culture, more action is needed to ensure women in all their diversity live a life free of violence and coercion.
This International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, followed by the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, WHO will join partners to raise awareness of the alarming prevalence of violence against women globally - affecting 1 in 3 women across their lifetime – and what needs to happen to prevent violence and support those affected.
Two years of pandemic measures such as lockdowns and disruptions to vital support services have further increased women’s exposure to violence.
At the Seventy-Fourth WHO World Health Assembly, WHO shared preliminary analysis from a forthcoming Violence Against Women Policy Database, the first comprehensive analysis of how countries’ policies are addressing violence against women as a public health problem. The detailed global status report will launch on 10th December, Human Rights Day, and the end of the 16 Days campaign.