World News Brief: Bangladesh Student Protests, South Sudan Attacks Continue, Opportunity for Climate Action in Africa Nears
Protests erupted two weeks ago and students clashed with government supporters and police in the capital Dhaka and other cities.
The Bangladesh government has closed all public and private universities after protests turned bloody on Tuesday, leaving six people dead and dozens injured, media reports said.
Writing on social media, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said all acts of violence and use of force, especially those resulting in death, must be investigated and perpetrators held accountable.
“Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights,” he added.
The students are protesting against a quota that reserves a third of government jobs for the children of veterans of the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
The quota system was abolished in 2018 but was reintroduced earlier this month.
South Sudan: Community militias continue to attack civilians
Widespread attacks on civilians – largely by sub-national armed violence involving community militias and civil defence groups – continue in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in the country, SKIP, speak on Wednesday in its latest quarterly report.
From January to March, UNMISS recorded 240 incidents of violence affecting 913 civilians nationwide.
Of these, 468 people were killed, 328 injured and 70 abducted, with 47 experiencing conflict-related sexual violence. This is a 24 percent increase from the 194 reported incidents of violence in the same period in 2023.
The mission said inter-community and intra-community violence perpetrated by community militias and/or civil defense groups remained the main source of sub-national violence, accounting for 87 percent of the victims, or 796 people.
On the positive side, the report also found that the number of recorded kidnappings fell by 30 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 (from 100 to 70). Similarly, cases of conflict-related sexual violence fell by 25 percent, from 63 to 47.
UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom called on authorities and communities to act collectively to resolve long-standing grievances peacefully, especially as South Sudan moves towards its first elections, scheduled for December.
“Building a culture of human rights is the foundation for achieving sustainable security, peace and democracy,” he said.
Solar panels help power a rural hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
New UNDP report highlights climate action opportunities in Africa
Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the third edition of the Africa Investment Report on Climate Opportunities at the Africa Impact Summit 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The report outlines private sector opportunities with economic, social and environmental potential for sustainable development in Africa and presents data and trends on Sustainable development goals (SDGs) investment across the continent.
“Through UNDP Africa Investment Insights ReportWe turn Africa’s climate challenges into private sector investment opportunities, in line with the continent’s own ambitions outlined in its national NDCs,” speak Maxwell Gomera, Director of UNDP’s Africa Centre for Sustainable Finance.
Opportunities for the private sector
The third edition of this report highlights climate-related investment opportunities using insights from 16 African SDG Investor Maps. In partnership with UNDP’s Climate Promise, the report shows how the private sector can support African countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
The report highlights that climate action presents significant opportunities for the private sector, with more than half of the identified Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) investment opportunities in Africa contributing to climate action and NDCs.
UNDP is calling on investors to “realize the opportunities for positive climate action,” Mr Romera said.
