Urban Resilience for a Changing Climate
This article from UNAI Member School New York University?is the second?in the UNAI START series that looks at Sustainable Development Goal #11:Sustainable Cities and Communities. Schools and departments of urbanization at UNAI member institutions were asked to submit articles highlighting research and work?relating to the design and construction of more resilient and sustainable cities for the 21st century, and?to showcase the importance of addressing urbanization?in achieving?the 2030 Development Agenda. Please note that the articles are for discussion, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.
Translating Goals into Action: Academia Towards an Inclusive Society
This article from UNAI member university Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture (BNCA) for Women?is the fourth?in the UNAI START series that looks at Sustainable Development Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Schools and departments of urbanization at UNAI member institutions were asked to submit articles highlighting research and work?relating to the design and construction of more resilient and sustainable cities for the 21st century, and?to showcase the importance of addressing urbanization?in achieving?the 2030 Development Agenda. Please note that the articles are for discussion, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.
Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda: Growing Cities and Opportunities
Today,?54 per cent of the world's?population lives in urban areas,?accounting?for more than 70?per cent?of global greenhouse gas emissions and consuming close to two thirds?of the world's?energy. ?Projections show that the number of city dwellers will only increase, reaching?6 billion inhabitants by 2050. ?The data suggests that urbanization poses?many challenges, including meeting the?demand for affordable housing, well-connected transport systems, and other infrastructure, basic services and educational and?employment options, particularly for the nearly 1 billion urban poor who live in informal settlements to be near job opportunities. ?The upward trend in urbanization also presents?opportunities, as well-designed and managed?cities?can contribute to sustainable growth by increasing productivity, reducing consumption and allowing innovation and new ideas to emerge.?
Building Cities of the Future Must Start Today
This article from the Asian Development Bank?is the first in the UNAI START series that looks at Sustainable Development Goal #11:Sustainable Cities and Communities. Schools and departments of urbanization at UNAI member institutions were asked to submit articles highlighting research and work?relating to the design and construction of more resilient and sustainable cities for the 21st century, and?to showcase the importance of addressing urbanization?in achieving?the 2030 Development Agenda. Please note that the articles are for discussion, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.
Imagine for a second that you have the ability to look into the future and see the city you live in. What would it look like? Would it be green, peaceful and safe or would it be full of crime, darkness and pollution? Maybe it is a city with skyscrapers and flying cars, where technology and the environment live in harmony?
'All girls count,' says UN, calling for reliable data to uncover and tackle inequalities holding them back
11 October 2016 ??Girls are the sometimes-hidden change-makers of the present and future, and to make sure their voices are heard, the United Nations is marking the International Day of the Girl Child by calling on governments, civil society groups, and communities to provide more and better gender data to so that in the sustainable development era, no girls are left behind.
'The wellbeing, human rights and empowerment of the world's 1.1 billion girls are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda?for Sustainable Development. When we agreed on that agenda, we promised girls quality education and health services,'?said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his message?on the Day, which this year tackle the theme Girls' Progress = Goals' Progress: A Global Data Movement
Security Council recommends former Prime Minister of Portugal Guterres as next UN Secretary-General
6 October 2016
The Security Council today formally chose the former Prime Minister of Portugal, António Guterres, as its nominee to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations for a five-year term when incumbent Ban Ki-moon steps down on 31 December.
The recommendation, made in a resolution adopted in a private meeting by acclamation, now goes to the 193-member General Assembly for formal approval.?
On an official visit to Italy, Mr. Ban said?in Rome this morning that Mr. Guterres is an excellent choice?noting that the two had worked closely during Mr. Guterres long and outstanding tenure?as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.?
'He showed deep compassion for the millions of people who were forced to leave their homes'?Mr. Ban said, adding: 'His past experience as Prime Minister of Portugal, his extensive knowledge of world affairs and his keen intelligence will serve him to lead the United Nations at a crucial period'
Call for Participants for COP22 Side Event in Marrakech 10-11 November
The 22nd?session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) ?and the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in?Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016.
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According to Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, The UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech is the crucial next step for governments looking to operationalize the Paris Climate Change Agreement adopted last year. COP 22 is therefore incredibly important.
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UN Secretary-General?s message on World Habitat Day
3 October 2016
Later this month, Governments and their partners will meet in Quito, Ecuador, for the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III).Held every 20 years, the Habitat conference is designed to reflect on the state of human settlements and on what we want the towns and cities of the future to look like.
With the world embarking this year on implementing the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Habitat III has particular resonance.The 2030 Agenda is a comprehensive, integrated and inclusive blueprint for peace, prosperity, dignity and opportunity for all people on a healthy planet.Achieving its 17 Sustainable Development Goals will depend, in large part, on whether we can make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
UN unveils data partnership with Twitter in support of Global Goals
The United Nations Global Pulse initiative today announced a partnership with Twitter that will provide the UN with access to the platform's data tools to support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals () adopted by world leaders last year.
Opening Assembly debate, Ban calls on world leaders to 'act now,' work together for a better future
20 September 2016 – Highlighting the challenges confronting the global community, United Nations Ban Ki-moon today opened the 71st annual debate of the UN General Assembly with a call on world leaders to recognize that the important positions they hold are a reflection of the trust the people have in them and not personal property.
My message to all is clear: serve your people. Do not subvert democracy; do not pilfer your country's resources; do not imprison and torture your critics, Mr. Ban said in his to leaders from the UN's member countries of the UN.
He added, however, that after 10 years as the top UN official, he is more convinced than ever that we have the power to end war, poverty and persecution.
Migration Dynamics, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa
On 19 September the United Nations General Assembly hosted its first ever High-Level Summit to Address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach to addressing the worst refugee crisis since the end of WWII.? The summit provided an historic opportunity to develop a blueprint for a better international response. On the occasion of this meeting, UNAI asked researches at UNAI member institutions to submit articles highlighting their research and its implications in helping to solve this issue. Through this series, UNAI hopes to provide an understanding of refugee/migrant flows to its readers, highlight the importance of addressing refugee and migration flows in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and showcase the work of professors and researchers at UNAI institutions.
Europe and the Refugee Crisis: A Challenge to Our Civilization
On 19 September the United Nations General Assembly will host its first ever High-Level Summit to Address Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach to addressing the worst refugee crisis since the end of WWII. The summit provides an historic opportunity to develop a blueprint for a better international response. On the occasion of this meeting, UNAI has asked researches at UNAI member institutions to submit articles highlighting their research and its implications in helping to solve the issue. Through this series, UNAI hopes to provide an understanding of refugee/migrant flows to its readers, highlight the importance of addressing refugee and migration flows in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and showcase the work of professors and researchers at UNAI institutions.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Video Message for International Day of Peace observances
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on?21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.?
This year the day will be marked on?Friday, 16 September at 9:00am EST?when the Secretary-General rings the Peace Bell in the Peace Garden at United Nations Headquarters which will be followed by a minute of silence. ?Women Nobel Peace Prize laureates and the United Nations Messengers of Peace will be invited to participate in the ceremony. The United Nations Education Outreach Section will hold a global student videoconference on the same day, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., also at United Nations Headquarters. ??
The Secretary-General recorded to commemorate the day.
Global Citizenship Education & the Path to Peace: Preventing Violent Extremism and Promoting Peace, Sustainable Development and Human Dignity
Can teaching students to view themselves as citizens of the world be the key to building peace and advancing equality and justice?? This was the question raised on 9 September at the United Nations Headquarters at an panel discussion organized by UNESCO, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea, Croatia, and Andorra, Jordan to the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding? (APCEIU), UN? Academic? Impact? (UNAI),? UN? Women, and InterPress Service entitled Global Citizenship Education: An Emerging Agenda for Peace and Preventing Violent Extremism and Promoting? Sustainable Development and Human Dignity.
The voice of an empowered girl: WiSci STEAM Camp 2016
By Inés Rénique, WiSci Camp Counselor?and Girl Up?Teen Advisor alumnae.
WiSci STEAM Camp 2016 brought together girls from Peru, Chile, Mexico and the United States. These girls were between the ages of 14-18, and had one major thing in common: a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts, and/or mathematics. Each girl had a different story as to why she was at this summer camp in Peru. But they had all come together to learn from the experts, about the subjects they love. The young women that participated were empowered, motivated, and ready to take on the challenges ahead of them.?