Simon Ateba is Chief White Home Correspondent for In the present day Information Africa overlaying President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. authorities, UN, IMF, World Financial institution and different monetary and worldwide establishments in Washington and New York.
Particular Consultant Dorothy McAuliffe traveled to Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal November 12-19, 2022, to go to well being services monitored by Parsyl, which offers danger administration and cargo insurance coverage for provide chains. In January 2021, the Workplace of International Partnerships awarded a 12-month cooperative settlement to Parsyl as a part of the Division’s COVID-19 Personal Sector Engagement and Partnership Fund to assist COVID-19 chilly chain information assortment and analytics to assist strengthen the vaccine chilly chain distribution community on the nationwide, district, and native stage to assist African international locations with their financial restoration. Particular Consultant McAuliffe participated in roundtable discussions and laboratory web site visits in city and rural areas of each international locations to higher perceive the essential makes use of of Parsyl expertise to mitigate dangers of vaccine spoilage, each for COVID-19 and different illnesses that require vaccination.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Particular Consultant McAuliffe held a number of high-level conferences with Ivorian public well being officers after which adopted the route of vaccines and Parsyl’s monitoring of their situation from the nationwide stage depot to a “final mile” well being facility. Particular Consultant McAuliffe began at Depot Central Expanded Program of Vaccination (DCPEV), the primary location for vaccine storage monitoring previous to distribution alongside the in-country provide chain, then to Depot District Sanitaire (DDS) Koumassi, a district well being facility the place vaccines are saved and administered to native services, and at last to Centre de Sante Rural de Moosou, a “final mile” well being facility the place vaccines are administered to neighborhood members. Whereas in Côte d’Ivoire, Particular Consultant McAuliffe met with 11 Ivorian alumnae of the Workplace of International Partnerships’ 2021 Ladies in Science (WiSci) STEAM Camp, which included Moroccan and Ivorian highschool ladies.
In Senegal, she first visited the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, which Secretary Blinken visited in November 2021. There, Particular Consultant McAuliffe mentioned U.S.-Senegal collaboration on the Institut for analysis, public well being, and coaching. The Particular Consultant then adopted vaccines and the efficacy of Parsyl’s expertise from the nationwide stage depot in Dakar to a “final mile” well being facility. Her first go to was to Hopital Fann, the Nationwide Medical Retailer in Dakar. She then traveled to the agricultural Theis Area, the place she visited Dépôt District Tivaouane, a District Medical Retailer that shops and distributes vaccines to rural well being services, and PS Pambal, a rural well being facility the place vaccines are administered to neighborhood members. Whereas at PS Pambal, Particular Consultant McAuliffe met with frontline well being staff and realized extra concerning the impression of vaccination in rural communities.
To study extra concerning the Workplace of International Partnerships and our present initiatives, please click on right here or go to https://www.state.gov/s/partnerships. You may additionally electronic mail [email protected] for extra info. For press inquiries, please contact Melanie Bonner at [email protected].
Samuel Vigersky
Senior Humanitarian Advisor
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
December 6, 2022
AS DELIVERED
Thanks, Mr. President. The US is happy to cosponsor and be part of consensus on these three resolutions and reaffirms the important perform of the UN in responding to international humanitarian wants.
Final week, the UN launched the International Humanitarian Overview for 2023. Practically 340 million individuals are anticipated to want humanitarian help, an all-time excessive. The enchantment requests a staggering $51.5 billion.
Like final 12 months, we’re breaking the world’s worst information.
The world is dealing with an unprecedented meals insecurity disaster. Nations reeling from elevated starvation and malnutrition brought on by COVID, conflicts, and local weather shocks, now face additional affected by Russia’s unlawful struggle towards Ukraine.
The world can also be affected by a catastrophic local weather disaster. From flooding in Pakistan to the unprecedented drought within the Horn of Africa. Households are dealing with unimaginable selections, selecting which baby to feed and questioning whether or not they’ll survive.
And throughout the globe, we face a collection of lethal and protracted conflicts.
On all fronts, the USA is stepping as much as do the best factor and meet these pressing, international challenges.
We stay the biggest single humanitarian donor, giving almost $17 billion in humanitarian help in fiscal 12 months 2022.
Since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked, and full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, the USA has offered greater than $1.5 billion in humanitarian help to assist these displaced, together with refugees, and different weak populations inside Ukraine and within the area.
In response to the worldwide meals insecurity disaster, we now have dedicated almost $11 billion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In Might, the USA launched a roadmap for international meals insecurity. Greater than 100 member states have already supported the Roadmap.
We proceed to scale help for drought response within the Horn of Africa. We’ve doubled funding our commitments there to greater than $2 billion this fiscal 12 months.
Extraordinarily excessive ranges of meals insecurity are driving humanitarian want in Afghanistan, the place the USA is proud to be the biggest bilateral donor of humanitarian help.
Conflicts account for over 80 p.c of humanitarian wants globally.
Along with Russia’s unlawful struggle in Ukraine, protracted violence in Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and South Sudan have pushed humanitarian wants via the roof.
The events to the violence are failing to assist their residents.
Warmongers are selecting violence over peace, corruption over prosperity, private acquire over safety of human rights.
The reply is just not extra violence. We want political options.
As President Biden has stated, we should have interaction in relentless diplomacy.
We have to have interaction extra successfully in diplomatic negotiations regionally and globally, bilaterally and multilaterally, in our capitols and on the UN, to deliver events collectively and finish these conflicts.
Within the meantime, we should defend these doing the tough, harmful, and vital humanitarian work.
The US is proud to co-sponsor the decision on the protection and safety of humanitarian personnel and the safety of UN personnel.
We’re deeply involved by the rise in security and safety incidents affecting all humanitarian personnel, particularly domestically recruited personnel.
For the primary time, the decision acknowledges the rising menace of disinformation campaigns that undermine in UN and humanitarian organizations and put assist staff in danger.
The US stays involved over the continued obstruction of humanitarian entry by events to battle and assaults on humanitarian staff.
In Ethiopia, we’re glad to see current enchancment in humanitarian entry. However the persistent presence of Eritrean forces and bureaucratic impediments are nonetheless impeding assist to weak populations in want, together with survivors of widespread gender-based violence.
In Yemen, the long-term answer to the meals insecurity disaster is lasting peace. We should do extra to press all events to the battle, particularly the Houthis, to adjust to worldwide humanitarian legislation.
In Syria, assaults by the Assad regime have killed humanitarian personnel and destroyed their services. The Assad regime continues to impede the move of humanitarian assist to folks in want across the nation.
Throughout all conflicts, we should promote accountability, in step with worldwide legislation.
This implies we should proceed our longstanding work to maintain the humanitarian penalties of the crises in Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan and elsewhere on the Safety Council agenda.
The US has additionally proudly enhanced the understanding of what’s permissible below UN sanctions, and minimized unintended destructive impacts, particularly on the move of humanitarian help.
For instance, Secretary Blinken introduced an initiative in September to carve-out humanitarian actions throughout each U.S. and UN sanctions regimes.
We’ve got additionally been centered on stopping and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse.
We should prioritize and strengthen our collective efforts to implement prevention and danger mitigation methods.
We should present assist to survivors. We should improve reporting mechanisms and maintain perpetrators to account. And we should maintain ourselves to the next customary.
We are able to and may do all the things we are able to to dwell as much as our highest aspirations.
Meaning advancing administration reforms, throughout UN businesses, to enhance humanitarian outcomes for affected populations.
Meaning offering extra monetary and diplomatic assist to these actors searching for to assist folks trapped in battle.
And it means doing all the things in our energy to forge political options, maintain unhealthy actors to account, and push for everlasting peace.
Earlier than I conclude, I need to take this chance to reaffirm that resolutions are non-binding paperwork. They don’t create or have an effect on rights or obligations below worldwide legislation. We refer you to our basic assertion delivered to the 77th Common Meeting Second Committee session.
Thanks.
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Readout
Workplace of the Spokesperson
December 5, 2022
The beneath is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Value:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke yesterday with Rwandan President Paul Kagame to debate the significance of peace and stability in jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Secretary Blinken expressed sturdy assist for regional mediation and dialogue led by Angola and the East African Neighborhood. He underscored the necessity for concrete progress on and implementation of commitments made throughout these discussions, together with the November 23 Luanda Mini-Summit on Peace and Safety communiqué. Secretary Blinken made clear that any exterior assist to non-state armed teams within the DRC should finish, together with Rwanda’s help to M23, an armed group that has been designated by the USA and the United Nations. Secretary Blinken additionally shared deep concern concerning the impression of the combating on Congolese civilians who’ve been killed, injured and displaced from their houses. Secretary Blinken condemned the resurgence of hate speech and public incitement towards Rwandaphone communities, recalling the true and horrible penalties of such rhetoric up to now.
Members of the Quad and Troika (Norway, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the USA) welcome the settlement of an preliminary political framework. That is an important first step towards establishing a civilian-led authorities and defining constitutional preparations to information Sudan via a transitional interval culminating in elections. We commend the events’ efforts to garner assist for this framework settlement from a broad vary of Sudanese actors and their name for continued, inclusive dialogue on all problems with concern and cooperation to construct the way forward for Sudan.
We urge all Sudanese actors to have interaction on this dialogue urgently and in good religion. We acknowledge the army has made clear it is able to step again from politics and have interaction constructively within the ongoing dialogue. We name on all events to place Sudan’s nationwide curiosity above slender political ends. We additionally absolutely assist the UNITAMS-AU-IGAD (the Tripartite Mechanism) function in facilitating these negotiations and name on all events to do the identical. Quad and Troika members assist this Sudanese-led course of and condemn spoilers making an attempt to limit political area and undermine Sudan’s stability and democratic transition.
A concerted effort to finalize negotiations and attain settlement rapidly to kind a brand new civilian-led authorities is important to deal with Sudan’s pressing political, financial, safety, and humanitarian challenges. That is the important thing to unlocking the resumption of worldwide improvement help and deeper cooperation between the federal government of Sudan and worldwide companions. We’re working with companions to coordinate important financial assist to a civilian-led transitional authorities to assist deal with the challenges dealing with the folks of Sudan.
Press Assertion
Ned Value, Division Spokesperson
December 6, 2022
The US in the present day launched Protected from the Begin ReVisioned, an initiative that focuses on enhancing and increasing safety providers for girls and ladies from the onset of each battle or catastrophe. As conflicts and disasters exacerbate circumstances of inequality, they uniquely impression girls and ladies. Assist programs which might be supposed to maintain them secure – similar to households, communities, and governments – can crumble in emergencies, drastically rising the dangers of gender-based violence and making it arduous to search out desperately wanted providers, similar to medical care, social staff, and counselors.
Protected from the Begin ReVisioned demonstrates the USA’ dedication to advance a gender-transformative strategy in humanitarian response. This initiative promotes girls’s management and prioritizes assist and advocacy for gender-based violence prevention and survivor-centered response programming. It additionally shifts funding, affect, and decision-making energy to girls and ladies inside humanitarian response programs.
The overarching purpose of this initiative is to higher forestall and reply to gender-based violence dangers which might be magnified in emergencies, similar to intimate companion violence, sexual violence, and baby, early, and compelled marriage. To take action, it calls on the worldwide neighborhood to enhance standard humanitarian responses by inserting girls and ladies on the middle of those efforts as leaders and key stakeholders.
The unique Protected from the Begin initiative, launched in 2013, helped draw international consideration to gender-based violence programming as an important, life-saving intervention from the onset of each humanitarian response. The US offered greater than $25 million in funding in direction of Protected from the Begin via the joint efforts of the USA Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID) and the Division of State in Fiscal 12 months 2022, constructing on high of greater than $167 million from 2013 to 2021 to strengthen assist for survivors in emergencies.
In early 2021, USAID and the Division of State mirrored on the numerous progress made by Protected from the Begin and developed a extra formidable framework. The outcome, Protected from the Begin ReVisioned, is a daring step ahead. Whereas Protected from the Begin contributed to important progress, the humanitarian system nonetheless doesn’t persistently prioritize or useful resource gender-based violence programming as an important quick response to all emergencies. Protected from the Begin ReVisioned builds on the success of the unique initiative and descriptions new, extra formidable objectives to understand a scientific shift in humanitarian response structure centered round girls and ladies.
By means of this up to date initiative, the USA recommits to main the worldwide neighborhood in responding to the wants of ladies and ladies, in all their range, from the very begin of each battle or catastrophe.
United States Company for Worldwide Improvement
Press Launch
December 6, 2022
In the present day, the U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID) in partnership with the U.S. Division of State launched Protected from the Begin ReVisioned, an initiative that focuses on enhancing and increasing safety providers for girls and ladies from the beginning of each battle or catastrophe. As a result of crises like pure disasters or conflicts exacerbate circumstances of inequality, they disproportionately impression girls and ladies. Assist programs which might be supposed to maintain them secure – like households, communities, and governments – can crumble in an emergency, drastically rising the dangers of gender-based violence (GBV) and making it arduous to search out desperately wanted medical care or the providers of social staff and counselors.
Protected from the Begin ReVisioned demonstrates the USA’ dedication to advance a gender-transformative strategy in humanitarian response that promotes girls’s management, prioritizes assist and advocacy for GBV prevention and survivor-centered response programming, and shifts funding, affect, and decision-making energy to girls and ladies inside humanitarian response programs.
The overarching purpose of this initiative is to higher forestall and reply to the numerous types of GBV that develop into magnified in emergencies, similar to intimate companion violence, baby marriage, and sexual violence. To take action, it calls on the worldwide neighborhood to not solely enhance, however change, standard humanitarian response by placing girls and ladies on the middle of those efforts, as leaders and key stakeholders.
The unique Protected from the Begin initiative, which was launched in 2013, helped draw international consideration to GBV programming as an important, life-saving intervention from the onset of each humanitarian response. In early 2021, USAID and the State Division mirrored on the numerous progress made by Protected from the Begin and developed a extra formidable framework. The outcome – Protected from the Begin ReVisioned – is a brand new, even bolder step ahead.
Protected from the Begin ReVisioned focuses on enhancing and increasing humanitarian safety providers for girls and ladies, similar to GBV case administration, psychosocial assist, secure areas, and peer assist networks. Since girls and ladies typically lead the restoration of their communities as front-line responders, consultants, and repair suppliers, it additionally emphasizes the necessity to shift energy to crisis-affected girls and acknowledge them as consultants in their very own security and as leaders of their communities. By means of this program, USAID and the State Division recommit to main the worldwide neighborhood in responding to the wants of ladies and ladies, in all their range, from the very begin of each battle or catastrophe.
For the newest updates please go to: Protected from the Begin ReVisioned
Ambassador Chris Lu
U.S. Consultant for UN Administration and Reform
New York, New York
December 5, 2022
AS DELIVERED
I’m right here in the present day as one of many Co-Chairs of the Accessibility Steering Committee, however I’m additionally right here as the previous Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Division of Labor, the place one in every of my priorities was rising employment alternatives for folks with disabilities.
First, let me thank all of the audio system for his or her insightful displays. As lots of in the present day’s audio system have highlighted, modern options are important to eradicating roadblocks to accessibility and inclusion. And expertise is a kind of options.
Within the office, assistive expertise could be transformative in creating actual financial alternatives for workers. Know-how may also be very reasonably priced. So, we have to do extra to encourage its implementation, and we have to do extra to undertake greatest practices already utilized by the personal sector. As a result of, as you’ve simply heard, the world’s most modern corporations know that accessibility isn’t simply the ethical factor to do. It’s additionally good for the underside line.
At the same time as we mark the progress we’ve made within the space of accessibility, we additionally have to take inventory of the obstacles that stay. And we have to acknowledge when we now have fallen brief.
Within the U.S., regardless of greater than 30 years of expertise with the Individuals with Disabilities Act, we nonetheless have far more work to do. On the subject of financial alternatives, Individuals with disabilities are unemployed at greater than twice the speed of individuals with out disabilities. And simply one-third of Individuals with a incapacity are both within the labor power or searching for employment. Within the richest nation on the planet, two-thirds of individuals with a incapacity are being left on the sidelines.
Within the U.S., we’ve made nice progress in enhancing bodily accessibility in our communities and our buildings. However simply attempt navigating New York Metropolis’s sidewalks or streets or taking the subway, and also you’ll get a way of the immense challenges that also face somebody with bodily impairments.
We additionally have to acknowledge the work that also must be finished on the United Nations.
Throughout my time as Co-Chair of the Accessibility Steering Committee, I’ve met with many delegates and UN employees, together with a number of who’ve spoken at this occasion, concerning the obstacles they face day-after-day in attempting to do their jobs. They’ve been frank in telling me that too typically, the phrases within the resolutions we move on the UN don’t match their experiences working on this establishment.
Bodily accessibly impediments nonetheless plague UN places of work, together with right here at headquarters. I applaud the Secretariat for lastly creating an accessible entrance to the UN constructing for folks in wheelchairs. I attempted it out final week to verify it really works. It does. However let’s keep in mind: simply getting into the UN constructing isn’t sufficient to realize full inclusion.
Wheelchair customers talking within the Common Meeting Corridor aren’t in a position to take action behind the podium. Delegates who attempt to navigate this constructing’s hallways and corridors face challenges if they’re visually impaired. And there proceed to stay too many paperwork, supplies and digital platforms that aren’t absolutely accessible to folks with visible and listening to impairments.
UN employees face an extra set of challenges. Once I just lately met with UN staff with disabilities, they advised me concerning the difficulties in getting their lodging requests accepted. In addition they advised me that extra must be finished to recruit, retain, and promote staff with disabilities, particularly at senior ranges.
As we’ve heard a number of instances in the present day, a central precept of the Conference on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities is “nothing about us with out us.” To actually deal with the accessibility problem, the UN must hear extra to the employees and delegates who work right here. I hope discussions like this occur day-after-day, not simply annually.
Accessibility and inclusion aren’t simply the best factor to do. They’re the sensible factor to do. As a result of we received’t have the ability to remedy the intense international challenges of the twenty first century, until the UN creates a supportive setting that leaves nobody on the sidelines. Thanks.
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United States Company for Worldwide Improvement
Readout
December 5, 2022
The beneath is attributable to Spokesperson Jessica Jennings:
In the present day, Administrator Samantha Energy met with Jay Koh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Lightsmith Group, LLC, a non-public fairness and enterprise capital agency that addresses important social wants, to debate assist for personal funding in local weather adaptation and resilience in growing international locations.
Administrator Energy emphasised the PREPARE Name to Motion(hyperlink is exterior), spearheaded by USAID and the Workplace of the Particular Presidential Envoy for Local weather, that’s attracting new, important commitments from personal corporations to spend money on local weather resilience in companion international locations.
Administrator Energy and Mr. Koh mentioned Lightsmith Group’s strategy to local weather financing, innovation, and entrepreneurship to construct local weather adaptation and resilience, together with Local weather Resilience and Adaptation Finance and Know-how-Switch (CRAFT) and the CRAFT Technical Help Facility, which was launched final 12 months with assist from the Division of State.
U.S. Division of Agriculture
Press Launch
December 5, 2022
The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) in the present day introduced its new Agricultural Science Heart of Excellence for Vitamin and Weight loss program for Higher Well being (ASCEND for Higher Well being) in assist of President Biden’s Most cancers Moonshot effort to finish most cancers as we all know it.
This new digital middle will speed up analysis on diet-related continual illnesses, together with most cancers. An extended-term purpose of the middle is to translate analysis into impactful options that enhance public well being and wellbeing, notably in underserved communities.
“ASCEND will deliver collectively scientists, companion organizations, and communities to develop and ship science-based options that enhance the well being and well-being of all Individuals, notably in underserved communities,” stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The digital middle will join present assets, together with folks and applications, to leverage experience and improve coordination and cooperation.”
USDA is enhancing its analysis concentrate on precision vitamin science to permit us to higher perceive the wants of underserved communities. This analysis enhances our programmatic efforts to advance meals and vitamin safety – which suggests constant and equitable entry to wholesome, secure and reasonably priced meals important to optimum well being and well-being.
As a part of in the present day’s announcement, USDA convened a panel of consultants that mentioned the function that vitamin performs in enhancing general well being and lowering dangers for diet-related continual illnesses.
In line with the World Most cancers Analysis Fund, 30-50% of all most cancers instances are preventable by following a nutritious diet and life-style. USDA is making use of an fairness lens to our ongoing and new analysis as we work to grasp the connections between food plan and illnesses like most cancers throughout totally different populations.
This effort delivers on a dedication made within the Biden-Harris Administration’s Nationwide Technique on Starvation, Vitamin, and Well being to finish starvation and cut back diet-related illnesses by 2030 – all whereas lowering disparities. The Nationwide Technique was launched along with the primary White Home Convention on Starvation, Vitamin and Well being in over 50 years, hosted by President Biden on September 28, 2022.
USDA touches the lives of all Individuals every day in so many constructive methods. Within the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is remodeling America’s meals system with a higher concentrate on extra resilient native and regional meals manufacturing, fairer markets for all producers, making certain entry to secure, wholesome and nutritious meals in all communities, constructing new markets and streams of revenue for farmers and producers utilizing climate-smart meals and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean-energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to fairness throughout the Division by eradicating systemic boundaries and constructing a workforce extra consultant of America. To study extra, go to www.usda.gov.
