UNCTAD Trade, Gender and Development Programme will organize a new edition of its online course from 31 May to 18 July 2021. This course will be offered in English and French. Course participants will have the possibility to take an optional module focused on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The course with the optional module will run from 31 May to 25 July 2021. The course targets policymakers, academics from universities and research centres, and representatives of civil society in developing and least developed countries involved in policy formulation and implementation, research, teaching, advocacy or field work in the area of trade and gender. For more information about the online course, click here. If you wish to apply to the course in French, please scroll down. Please note that the recommended browsers to fill out the application form are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari. The deadline for submitting applications is 16 May 2021.

“Transitioning to a green, net-zero emission economy is an inevitable trend and imperative to limiting global warming to 1.5C. This process will not be without challenge, but will certainly bring huge opportunities and benefits in creating jobs, ensuring energy security, and enhancing economic competitiveness and sustainability. Vietnam is determined to follow this path. But we need a suitable roadmap for developing countries where much hardship remains.” – Vietnam President of Nguyen Xuan Phuc. click here to see full article.

President of Indonesia Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the Leaders Summit on Climate which was held virtually. On the occasion, the President addressed three issues related to the climate change. First, he emphasized that Indonesia is very serious in controlling climate change and inviting the world to take concrete actions. Second, the President invited world leaders to promote green development for a better world. According to him, Indonesia has updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to increase adaptation capacity and climate resilience. Third, to achieve the target of the Paris Agreement and the next shared agenda, President Jokowi expressed views that the global partnership must be strengthened. World countries need to build an understanding and strategies to achieve net-zero emissions and towards the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC COP 26) in Glasgow, he added. click here to see the full article.

The UN’s efforts to save the world’s biodiversity, through its Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), have failed repeatedly. Our progress in respect of the “2010 Biodiversity Targets” (2002−2010), “Decade on Biodiversity” (2011−2020), and the “2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets” is not something to be proud of. Over the last 50 years, for example, the world has lost 35 percent of its wetlands and about 70 percent of mammals, birds and fish populations. Now, one in every eight plant and animal species are counting days to become extinct over the next few decades. Read rest of the op-ed in the link below: click here

“From Afghanistan to Central America, droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather events are hitting those least equipped to recover and adapt”, said the UN agency, which is calling for countries to work together to combat climate change and mitigate its impact on hundreds of millions of people.Since 2010, weather emergencies have forced around 21.5 million people a year to move, on average. Read rest of the news of UNHCR in the link below: click here

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Even though the food market is appeared to be fairly stable in recent times, the uncertainty alarmed the countries as they expect an increased food insecurity due to unprecedented threats causing by Covid-19. As per the findings of UNCTAD, the low-income economies bestow around 37% share of their export revenue to food import, more than 5 times higher than a share of developed country, using the most recent data on food import dependence. Governments all over the world, have been working to secure themselves against all sorts of instability in the food market. Any uncertainty in the food market may lead to panic attack causing to impose export bans or tariff hike making the food market unstable which will have deadly impact on the food importing countries. Meanwhile, the locust infestation in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa fanning flames of the tension further causing the panic attack more severe. Therefore, the food security situation in CMCs critically depends both on how Covid-19 is handled in these countries as well as the spread of locust attack in the region. Click here to read the whole article

Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) celebrated the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021. This year’s theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” and the campaign theme is #ChooseToChallenge. This day celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain. A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. A very short ceremony was organized in the CIRDAP auditorium with a handful of employees. Office-in-charge of CIRDAP Prof. Dr. Mohammad Helal Uddin, Director of Research, gave a wonderful heartwarming speech on this day. Prof. Helal uddin said, “Women still have to go a long way to achieve equality because our society still is narrow-minded and backward”. He emphasized changing the attitude of society towards women and girls for achieving SDG. Apart from this, other CIRDAP staff shared their own experiences and feelings towards women’s hardships and battles in the society. At the end of the occasion, all CIRDAP staff promised the campaign #ChooseToChallenge to bring equality and equity to thousands of women in Asia and the Pacific countries.