Our world is facing challenges on every front. Since the United Nations reflects that world in all its aspects, we feel it in all our work. These are times of intense uncertainty and unpredictability.  And yet certain truths have [never] been more clear:  The United Nations has never been more needed.  Our values have never been more relevant.  And the needs have never been greater. At the same time, we know the more the UN does together to address big challenges around the world, the less the burden on individual countries to do it alone. The United Nations stands out as the essential one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights. But resources are shrinking across the board – and they have been for a long time.  For example, for at least the past seven years, the United Nations has faced a liquidity crisis because not all Member States pay in full, and many also do not pay on time. From day one of my mandate, we embarked on an ambitious reform agenda to strengthen how we work and deliver. To be more effective and cost-effective.  To simplify procedures and decentralize decisions.  To enhance transparency and accountability.  To shift capacities to areas such as data and digital. And, significantly, the Pact for the Future and UN 2.0 are exactly about updating the UN for the 21st century.  These efforts are not ends in themselves.  They are about better serving people whose very lives depend on us.    They are about hardworking taxpayers around the world who underwrite everything we do.  And they are about ensuring the right conditions for everyone serving under the UN flag as they undertake their critical work.  For all these reasons, it is essential that an organizational system as complex and crucial as the United Nations – subjects itself to rigorous and regular scrutiny to assess its fitness for purpose in carrying out its goals efficiently. And this 80th anniversary year of the United Nations is a prime moment to expand all our efforts, recognizing the need for even greater urgency and ambition.  That is why I have informed yesterday UN Member States that I am officially launching what we call the UN80 Initiative. I have appointed a dedicated internal Task Force led by Under-Secretary-General Guy Ryder – and composed of principals representing the entire UN system. The objective will be to present to Member States proposals in three areas:  First, rapidly identifying efficiencies and improvements in the way we work.   Second, thoroughly reviewing the implementation of all mandates given to us by Member States, which have significantly increased in recent years.    Third, a strategic review of deeper, more structural changes and programme realignment in the UN System. Under the leadership of the President of the General Assembly, I will consult closely and regularly with all Member States on the progress made, seeking guidance on the way forward and presenting concrete decisions for discussion and decision-making when appropriate. My objective is to move as soon as possible in areas where I have the authority – and to urge Member States to consider the many decisions that rest with them.  This goes far beyond the technical.  Budgets at the United Nations are not just numbers on a balance sheet – they are a matter of life and death for millions around the world.  We must ensure value for money while advancing shared values.  The need is great and the goal is clear:  an even stronger and more effective United Nations that delivers for people and is tuned to the 21st century. And I thank you.   *****Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-GeneralUnited Nations , filtered_html

   This transformed the rights of women – and reaffirmed those rights as human rights.  Since then, women and girls have shattered barriers, defied stereotypes, and demanded their rightful place.  But we must be clear-eyed about the challenge.  From pushback to rollback, women’s human rights are under attack. Age-old horrors – violence, discrimination and economic inequality – still plague societies.  And newer threats such as biased algorithms are programming inequalities into online spaces, opening-up new arenas of harassment and abuse.   Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we’re seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny.  We must fight these outrages.  And keep working to level the playing field for women and girls. We need action to unlock finance so countries can invest in equality – and to prioritize those investments.  Action to open-up equal opportunities for decent work, close the gender pay gap, and tackle challenges around care work. Action to strengthen and implement laws to end all forms of violence against women and girls. Action to secure women’s full participation in decision-making, including in peacebuilding.  And action to remove the obstacles to women and girls in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The United Nations Pact for the Future, and the Global Digital Compact offer blueprints to guide these actions.  When women and girls can rise, we all thrive.  Together, let’s stand firm in making rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere.  ***, filtered_html

VIENNA, 4 March (UN Information Service) - The rapid spread of illicit synthetic drugs is a deadly problem that presents a serious threat to public health says the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in its 2024 Annual Report.  INCB is calling for a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to counter illicit synthetic drug manufacture, trafficking and consumption including through better private-public partnerships.The INCB Report finds that the proliferation of synthetic drugs is fundamentally reshaping illicit drug markets and criminal actors are quick to exploit regulatory loopholes and generate new synthetic substances that are posing great harm to people.The President of INCB, Jallal Toufiq, said: “The rapid expansion of the illicit synthetic drug industry represents a major global public health threat with potentially disastrous consequences for humankind. We need to work together to take stronger action against this deadly problem which is causing hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold harm to communities.”In its analysis the INCB report looks at the evolution of synthetic drug manufacture, trafficking and use and identifies key trends and patterns. The report also shows how INCB’s initiatives and programmes are supporting Governments to address this challenge and makes recommendations to fill policy gaps in regulation that are being exploited by traffickers.With large numbers of fatal overdoses every year, synthetic substances are stronger in their potency and the duration of action than the plant-based drugs they mimic and demand for them is rising.Synthetic drugs are easily manufactured and trafficked with little technical or scientific knowledge needed and there is a reduced need for labour or land for cultivation unlike for plant-based drugs. The manufacture can be located anywhere and the same equipment can be used for different synthetic outputs. Traffickers can shift manufacture, movement and marketing tactics to keep operating costs down and profit margins up as well as to reduce risks of interdiction.“With rapidly emerging substances being used to illicitly manufacture synthetic drugs, it is a constantly moving target and criminal actors are staying ahead of regulatory mechanisms and often acting faster than enforcement agencies can keep up with,” said the President of INCB, Jallal Toufiq.As synthetic drugs are more potent, traffickers can send smaller consignments which are easier to conceal and sometimes use drones and other new trafficking techniques.Although global demand for plant-based drugs is still higher than the current supply of synthetic drugs seizures of synthetic substances have already begun to outpace seizures of some plant-based drugs.In addition to posing health risks to people who use them, highly toxic synthetic drugs can have increased safety risks because of dangerous manufacturing and trafficking processes and the dumping of chemical waste by illicit manufacturers can lead to environmental damage.Actions and initiatives being taken to address synthetic drugsA series of initiatives developed by INCB is helping Member States to respond to the expanding trafficking in synthetic drugs and increasing manufacture of and trafficking in the precursor and pre-precursor materials used in their illicit manufacture.Governments are using INCB’s various online platforms and tools to check the legitimacy or otherwise of suspicious consignments and to share actionable intelligence on the trafficking of non-medical synthetic opioids and chemical precursors.Persistent inequities in access to pain relief medicinesThere is a persistent problem with the global availability of affordable internationally controlled medicines.Unequal access to these medicines is particularly a problem for East and South-East Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and Africa where levels of consumption are insufficient to adequately meet the medical needs of the populations. South Asia continues to be the region with the lowest levels of licit consumption of opioid analgesics in the world.The problem is not because of a shortage of opiate raw materials with global supply exceeding the demand but rather the estimated requirements of several countries may not accurately reflect actual medical needs.The Board supports Governments to enhance their ability to estimate and assess their requirements for internationally controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes through INCB Learning which has been used by officials from 154 countries.To make pain management medicines more broadly available and more affordable, in particular in low- and middle-income countries, INCB is calling on opioid-manufacturing countries to increase manufacture.Ensuring access to internationally controlled substances for medical purposes during humanitarian emergencies caused by armed conflict remains a challenge that concerns the Board. In the report, INCB highlights special procedures that can be used to improve the situation.Emerging regional threats and trendsThe synthetic drugs market in Europe is likely to expand due to the looming deficit in heroin supply following the 2022 opium poppy cultivation ban in Afghanistan by the de facto authorities.The manufacture, trafficking and consumption of amphetamine-type stimulants is accelerating in the Middle East and Africa where there are limited drug treatment and rehabilitation programmes.Africa continues to be seriously affected by drug trafficking with evidence of an increase in cocaine use and associated harms in African countries, probably a spillover effect from transit of cocaine bound for Europe.Drug trafficking is hindering development in Central America and the Caribbean while the opioid crisis remains a serious challenge for countries in North America.While Peru recorded the first decrease in illicit coca bush cultivation in eight years, Colombia’s cultivation reached a new-all time high in 2023. In the European Union member States reported record amounts of cocaine seizures for the sixth year in a row.The illicit synthetic drug market in East and South-East Asia continues to grow.Large-scale shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine continue to be trafficked through the Pacific island States to Australia and New Zealand, and drug use in the Pacific island States is reported to be increasing.Precursors reportThe precursors report identifies major trends in licit trade and trafficking of precursors. INCB continues to stress the crucial role of cooperation with the private sector as an effective strategy to prevent the diversion of and trafficking in chemicals and equipment used for illicit drug manufacture.Based on recommendations from INCB, two fentanyl precursors and two series of closely related designer precursors of amphetamine-type stimulants (16 substances in total) were added to Table I of the 1988 Convention by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The scheduling decisions were the first-of-their-kind involving several closely related chemicals which could all be used in illicit manufacture in the same manner.***INCB is the independent, quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and monitoring Government compliance with the three international drug control conventions: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the thirteen members of the Board  are elected in a personal capacity by the Economic and Social Council for terms of five years.* *** *For further information, please contact:INCB Secretariat
Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163
Email: incb.secretariat[at]un.org
www.incb.org, filtered_html

 --  Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Excellencies, all protocols observed. President El-Sisi, thank you for convening leaders from across the Arab world to unite at this Extraordinary Arab Summit dedicated to Palestine. Since the horrific attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7, the ensuing Israeli military operations have unleashed an unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza, generating an immense trauma. Palestinians in Gaza have suffered beyond measure. And the risk of even greater devastation looms.   This Summit is an important signal that the world has a collective responsibility to support efforts to end this war, relieve profound human suffering and secure lasting peace. In the last few weeks, we have witnessed a meaningful improvement with the ceasefire and the hostage deal. Since the start of the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire, Palestinian civilians in Gaza have experienced reprieve. Hostages were released and humanitarian aid dramatically increased. I urge the parties to uphold their commitments and implement them in full, and Member States to use all the leverage they have to support this, especially as we start the Holy Month of Ramadan.  We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities that would plunge the millions back into an abyss of suffering and further destabilize the region. And simultaneously, the territorial integrity of Lebanon and Syria must be respected. Serious negotiations for the ceasefire in all its facets must be resumed without delay. All hostages must be released — immediately, unconditionally and in a dignified manner.  The release of Palestinian detainees must be carried out per the terms of the deal and also in a dignified way.  The parties must ensure humane treatment for all those held under their power.  And all obstacles to the effective delivery of lifesaving aid must be removed.  Humanitarian aid is not negotiable. It must flow without impediment. The response needs to be adequately funded, and civilians — including humanitarians — must be protected. The United Nations has proven, together with our partners, namely the Egyptian Red Crescent, with access, the UN-coordinated response can deliver aid that people need.  Your Majesties, Your Highnesses,Excellencies, Ending the immediate crisis is not enough.  We need a clear political framework that lays the foundation for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability.   That framework must be based on principles and respect for international law.  Israel’s legitimate security concerns must be addressed, but that should not be through long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza. And I want to once again salute the dedication of UN staff and all other humanitarian workers — particularly, Palestinian colleagues — who have suffered so much and are working under near-impossible conditions. I appeal for the urgent and full support of UNRWA’s work, including financial support. Excellencies, Finally, as we widen the lens beyond Gaza, we see an alarming situation unfolding in the West Bank.  Israeli security forces have launched large-scale operations, including airstrikes and also the deployment of tanks for the first time in over two decades.  Over 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the last month — the largest displacement in the West Bank in decades.  Meanwhile, demolitions, evictions and settlement expansions continue, with settler violence is on the rise.  All of this is further weakening the Palestinian Authority at a time when its role is more crucial than ever. I call for urgent de-escalation. Unilateral actions, including settlement expansion and threats of annexation, must stop. The attacks and mounting violence must end. Israel, as the occupying power, must comply with all its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.  And the Palestinian Authority must be supported to govern effectively, and to do so in compliance with its own obligations under international law.  Excellencies, The true foundation of recovery in Gaza will be more than concrete and steel.  It will be dignity, self-determination and security.   This means staying true to the bedrock of international law.  It means rejecting any form of ethnic cleansing.  And it means forging a political solution.  There is no sustainable future for Gaza that is not part of a viable Palestinian State. There can be no recovery without an end to the occupation.  No justice without accountability for violations of international law.  And no sustainable reconstruction without a clear and principled political horizon.  The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future, and to live on their land in freedom and security. There must be irreversible steps now toward the realization of the two-State solution — before it’s too late. The only path to lasting peace is one where two states — Israel and Palestine — live side-by-side in peace and security, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. The United Nations stands with you in this essential effort.   Thank you.*** , filtered_html