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UN Says Ethiopia Has No Legal Right to Expel its Officials

General Antonio Guterres told Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that Ethiopia has no legal right to expel seven U.N. humanitarian officials.

Guterres told the Ethiopian leader in a phone conversation Friday that the world body does not accept Ethiopia's decision to expel the senior U.N. officials, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

Haq said the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs sent a note to Ethiopia's U.N. mission in New York on Friday stating the U.N.'s "longstanding legal position" that the action of declaring someone "persona non grata" does not apply to U.N. personnel.

Ethiopia announced the expulsion on Thursday, giving the U.N. officials 72 hours to leave.

In a tweet, Ethiopia's ministry of foreign affairs said the seven were "meddling in the internal affairs of the country."

The tweet came amid growing pressure on the government over its deadly blockade of the Tigray region where children are reportedly starving to death. Ethiopia's government has accused humanitarian workers of supporting the Tigray forces who have been fighting its soldiers and allied forces since November, a charge that aid workers deny.

Spokesperson Haq said the U.N. officials remained in the country. When asked by a reporter if the U.N. officials would leave Ethiopia by the end of 72 hours, Haq did not directly answer.

The U.N. officials include the deputy chief of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs and a representative of the U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF.

UNICEF said Friday the Ethiopian government's decision to expel the U.N. officials from the country is "regrettable and alarming."

Declaring its work "is more urgent than ever," UNICEF said in a statement that children are bearing the brunt of the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.

"We have full confidence in the teams working on the ground to save children's lives, guided — as always — by the principles of impartiality, humanity, neutrality and independence. Our programs will continue," UNICEF added, noting it has been present in the African nation for more than 60 years.

Conflict-induced hunger

The Ethiopian federal government has been engaged in an armed conflict with forces in the northern Tigray region for nearly one year. The government declared a unilateral cease-fire and withdrew its forces in June, but the conflict has continued to spill into the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar.

Of the 6 million people who live in Tigray, the U.N. says 5.2 million need some level of food assistance. More than 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine.

"It is critically important that the humanitarian operation continues, and it does," OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said Friday at a Geneva briefing, according to Reuters. "Until now there is no indication that [Ethiopia's decision] stops the operation."

U.N. human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said at the briefing that the expulsion of the head of its reporting team was a "really grave step."

On Wednesday, U.N. Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths said that after 11 months of conflict and three months of a de-facto government blockade, the humanitarian crisis in Tigray is spiraling out of control.

One hundred aid trucks are needed daily in the region, but in the past week, only 79 in total were allowed in, a U.N. spokesman said.

"Trucks carrying fuel and medical supplies still cannot enter into Tigray," U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday. "Trucks are waiting in Semera, in Afar, to travel to Mekelle."

The federal government headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, blames the rebels for blocking aid deliveries.

U.S. condemnation

"The U.S. government condemns in the strongest possible terms the government of Ethiopia's unprecedented action to expel the leadership of all of the United Nations organizations involved in ongoing humanitarian operations," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the government to impose financial sanctions on those who prolong the Tigray conflict.

"We will not hesitate to use this or any other tool at our disposal to respond quickly and decisively to those who obstruct humanitarian assistance to people of Ethiopia," Psaki said.

The U.N. Security Council held private talks Friday about Ethiopia's decision as well as North Korea's recent missile launches.

Kenya's Ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, who took over as the Security Council president for October, told reporters Friday, "A number of members expressed very strong concerns" about both situations during Friday's talks, but said no resolutions were passed on either matter.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters news agency that any aggressive action by the council on Ethiopia's actions was unlikely because China and Russia long have maintained the Tigrayan conflict is an internal matter.

VOA's Patsy Widakuswara contributed to thsi report. Some information in this report came from Reuters and the Associated Press.

Source: Voice of America

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Guinea Coup Leader Sworn in as Transitional President

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who led last month's coup in Guinea, promised to respect the country's international commitments while transitioning to civilian rule as he was sworn in as interim president on Friday.

Doumbouya, who led the overthrow of President Alpha Conde on September 5, was sworn in by Supreme Court head Mamadou Sylla for a transition period of unspecified length.

The new interim president spoke of his commitment that neither he nor any member of the junta would stand in any future elections that the military has promised to organize after the transition period.

His administration's mission, he said, is to "re-found the state" by drafting a new constitution, fighting corruption, reforming the electoral system and then organizing "free, credible and transparent" elections.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Supreme Court with local personalities and foreign envoys in attendance, including the Chinese and Russian ambassadors, as well as Doumbouya's wife and mother.

Later Friday, in a message to the nation read on television, Doumbouya said that "in the coming days a prime minister will be appointed and then a government as well as various organs of the transition."

He also announced the creation of a body to fight corruption.

Many Western nations limited their presence at the swearing-in to lower-rank diplomats.

Doumbouya again said nothing about how long he will remain the interim leader of the impoverished West African nation. But he promised to "respect all the national and international commitments to which the country has subscribed."

Before the swearing-in, Supreme Court president Sylla compared Doumbouya's task to piloting a ship "loaded with many painful events, numerous demands and immense and urgent expectations".

He urged the new leader not to let himself be diverted "by the force of the waves of demagogy and the storm of the personality cult."

The ceremony was held on the eve of a public holiday celebrating the 1958 declaration of independence from France.

Doumbouya, 41, will serve as transitional president until the country returns to civilian rule, according to a blueprint unveiled by the junta on Monday that does not mention a timeline.

Until then he retains the right to hire, and fire, an interim prime minister.

The September 5 coup, the latest bout of turbulence in one of Africa's most volatile countries, saw the overthrow of 83-year-old president Conde.

The deposed leader is being held at an undisclosed location.

Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

But last year he pushed through a controversial new constitution that allowed him to run for a third term in October 2020.

The move sparked mass demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed. Conde won re-election but the political opposition maintained the poll was a sham.

The turbulence has sparked deep concern among Guinea's neighbors.

The coup is the second to take place in the region, after Mali, in less than 13 months.

The region's bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is demanding that elections be held within six months and that Conde be released.

Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite abundant reserves of minerals including iron ore, gold and diamonds.

Source: Voice of America

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Global Partners to Join Huawei’s TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Initiative

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — At the Huawei TECH4ALL Summit, Huawei called for global partners to join the TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative, which aims to build a more inclusive and intelligent world that leaves no one behind.

Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative focuses on four areas: driving equity and quality in education, conserving nature with technology, driving inclusion and accessibility in health, and using ICT to boost rural development. It focuses on digital technologies, application enablement, and digital skills, and works with global partners to promote and expand digital inclusion to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At present, more than 60,000 teachers and students benefit from TECH4ALL projects in over 200 schools worldwide. Digital technologies have been deployed to improve resource management and biodiversity conservation efficiency in 22 natural reserves around the world. Huawei smartphones provide 15 accessibility features and are used by about 10 million users each month. Huawei’s RuralStar solution provides mobile Internet services for more than 60 countries and regions, covering more than 50 million people in remote areas.

Inclusion and equity were major talking points in the education track of the summit. In her opening remarks, Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, discussed technology-enabled Open Schools, a three-year partnership program with Huawei that is rolling out in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana.

“UNESCO and Huawei jointly launched this project in July 2020,” said Stefania Giannini. “The project explores future schooling models, thereby contributing to UNESCO’s global initiative on the future of education.”

To build a more crisis-resilient Open School system, all countries have to consider the three pillars of new infrastructure for a learning system: technology, digital content, and the digital competencies of teachers and human facilitators. UNESCO’s Dr. Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Education, looked at how to leverage the power of technology in the education field.

Vodafone Foundation discussed its Instant Network Schools program, which aims to bring high-quality education to refugees and host communities, with plans to connect 500,000 refugee students and their communities by 2025. Huawei is one of the partners for expanding connectivity to more schools in Africa.

Vodafone Instant Network Schools Program Manager Oisín Walton said, “We believe that every boy and girl should have access to quality education, no matter where they are and whatever their nationality.”

Close the Gap’s DigiTruck Program Lead Bram Over gave an update on the DigiTruck program. DigiTrucks are green, solar-powered mobile classrooms converted from shipping containers. They are equipped with recycled ICT devices and provide training for young people in digital skills. Huawei has supported this program in Kenya and France. Later this year, Huawei and Close the Gap will implement the project in Ethiopia.

Ling Hui from the YouChange China Social Entrepreneur Foundation introduced the Green Pepper program for young teachers in rural villages in China. The program delivers a year of online training to teachers and has reached nearly 80,000 young rural teachers and 17,000 schools so far.

In her opening remarks introducing the environment track, IUCN Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar addressed a range of environmental issues, pointing out that technology can be used to mitigate humanity’s growing impact on the planet.

Dr. Aguilar said, “Digital technology can be an important part of the solution and help us solve global challenges if used correctly and smartly.”

As facilitator of the panel discussion, Associate Director of the IUCN Protected Areas Programme James Hardcastle, pointed out that we must empower more people to use technologies for nature conservation and referenced the Tech4Nature initiative – an IUCN-Huawei partnership that aims to develop scenario-specific technologies to safeguard natural ecosystems in 300 protected sites by 2023.

Currently, the project is running in Thailand, Spain, Mauritius, Switzerland, and China. Ecomode President Nadeem Nazurally elaborated on the Mauritius project, which aims to protect and restore the African island nation’s rapidly vanishing coral reef using AI-powered real-time video monitoring, which can be transmitted to experts, both local and worldwide.

Continuing the environmental track, Rainforest Connection Director of International Expansion Chrissy Durkin introduced the Nature Guardian system, which uses acoustics technologies to monitor endangered species and alert rangers to threats like illegal logging and gunshots. Bernardo Reyes Ortíz, President of Forest Ethics in Chile, explained how the Guardian platform supported by Huawei cloud is providing a lifeline for the nation’s endangered Darwin’s fox, fewer than 1,000 of which are thought to remain in existence.

Smart and networked monitoring technologies are a crucial tool for nature conservation. Dr. Steph Wray, Chair of The Mammal Society in the UK, how acoustics solutions have been deployed in England to protect the increasingly rare red squirrel, which is threatened by the invasive and vastly more populous grey squirrel.

Tang Yanfei, Executive Director at Hainan National Park Research Institute, explained how acoustics monitoring is key to improving conservation of China’s critically endangered Hainan gibbon, with a view to doubling its population in 15 years.

Partnerships are the fuel that powers progress in TECH4ALL’s environment and education domains, as well as in the initiative’s other two domains – health and development.

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together,” said Tao Jingwen in his opening remarks. “We believe that more partners will work with us to advance the TECH4ALL action plan in the future. Join us for a more inclusive, intelligent world where no one is left behind.”

Watch the full recording of the summit at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all/news-and-events/events/hc2021-t4a-summit

Read more about TECH4ALL projects and stories at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all

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SAIC Motor Expo Dubai concept car “Kun” unveiled

DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, SAIC Motor autonomous new energy concept car “Kun” – Star Exhibits of China Pavilion at 2020 Expo Dubai, was virtually unveiled at the Shanghai World Expo Museum.

Dubai Expo will officially open on October 1st; SAIC Motor latest concept car “Kun” will form the most dazzling exhibition items together with China Beidou Satellite and China High-speed Railway, demonstrating the powerful innovative strength and unique technological charm of China’s high-end manufacturing to the world. At the same time, SAIC Motor’s self-owned brands MG and MAXUS will provide latest models as the official designated vehicles for the China Pavilion during the Expo.

A vision of “Smart Mobility” for a better life

The World Expo, with a long history of more than 160 years, is known as the “Olympic event in the economic, technological and cultural circles” and has become a global stage for displaying new concepts, new ideas and new technologies. “Everything starts with the World Expo.” The trains, lights, telephones, airplanes, highways and other technologies and concepts that were first launched at the World Expo have gradually entered people’s daily lives and have strongly promoted the continuous progress of human society.

At the 2010 Expo Shanghai, SAIC Motor built an automobile enterprise pavilion, depicting a desirable picture of “Direct to 2030” with zero emissions, zero traffic accidents, stay away from dependence on oil and away from traffic jams.

At 2020 Expo Dubai, SAIC Motor will bring the “Kun” concept jointly created by the forward-looking design teams of Shanghai and London. Citing the legend of “leviathan” in Zhuangzi’s Carefree Soaring, inspired by “the world and China, the mountain and the sea”, the concept “Kun” integrates bio-intelligence interaction, photosynthetic energy, zero-gravity seat, holographic image interaction and advanced autonomous driving technologies, presents a beautiful picture of smart mobility that is not limited by space in the future and the fusion of human and vehicle environments. It will bring a unique experience of “a glance at technology, a glance at the future, and a glance at China” to the Expo’s global audience.

A “green and smart” Chinese brand image

SAIC Motor is representing China’s automobile industry and actively establishes a “green and intelligent” innovative image at the Expo Dubai. SAIC Motor has established a global automotive industry chain including R&D, marketing, logistics, parts, manufacturing, finance, second-hand cars and etc. Its products and services are welcomed by more than 70 countries and regions around the world.

Relying on the advantages of innovative technologies such as new energy vehicles and intelligent networking, SAIC Motor is actively creating differentiated international competitiveness. From January to August this year, sales in overseas markets exceeded 370,000 units, with a year-on-year increase of 106.4%, ranking No. 1 in overseas sales of Chinese auto companies. Among them, MG brand reached 182,000 units with an increase of 83.9% year-on-year. MG Sales in developed countries accounted for nearly 40% and winning the “China Single Brand Overseas Sales Champion”. The NEV sales of self-owned brands in developed European countries was nearly 19,000, a year-on-year increase of 133%, ranking in the forefront of vehicle segments in countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. At the same time, the “i-Smart” intelligent networking system has been popular among consumers in Thailand, India, Indonesia and other countries. It has been used on more than 30 overseas models and has activated more than 130,000 users.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1639710/image_836135_27483761.jpg

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Despite Heightening Investor Pressure, Few Companies Publicly Report on Sustainability, Sphera’s New Survey Finds

New data from Sphera reveals that, despite promises to the contrary, companies struggle with implementing and disclosing progress on their sustainability efforts

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Though pressure is growing from all corners—from investors, to governments, to boards of directors—companies worldwide struggle to report progress on their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. Indeed, just 38% of businesses publicly communicate their sustainability performance, according to a new survey from Sphera®, a leading global provider of ESG performance and risk management software, data and consulting services.

It’s not just a matter of disclosing progress on their objectives, however; companies are also behind the curve when it comes to clearly setting their ESG goals in the first place. Less than one-third (29%) of the respondents said they have set and communicated their sustainability targets, and even fewer—16%—have set emissions targets in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework.

This marked lack of ESG transparency highlights the persistently wide chasm between ESG promises and action in the private sector. In the absence of significant, enforceable regulations worldwide, companies have largely been left to voluntarily make commitments, but with no meaningful mechanisms to either measure their progress or hold themselves accountable to them. About half (51%) of companies surveyed affirm that their senior management has made sustainability commitments, but only 21% say they have a clear roadmap to implementation, and just 26% say they have fully integrated sustainability into their business strategy.

“It’s easy to ‘talk the talk’ when it comes to corporate ESG initiatives, but much harder to ‘walk the walk’,” says Paul Marushka, Sphera’s CEO. “Businesses have largely been left to their own devices to establish and measure their sustainability performance, leading to a constellation of voluntary frameworks that ultimately disincentivize meaningful action. But with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report providing its strongest warning yet – indicating that half-measures will no longer cut it – and the upcoming COP26 conference promising to hold the business community to account, organizations need to start making good on their promises and show tangible progress.”

These findings are from Sphera’s Sustainability Survey 2021, a survey of 218 global business leaders evaluating their sustainability metrics, measurement and progress.

Additional findings from the survey include:

Scope 3 is missing from the menu. Though reducing emissions across the value chain is essential to meeting decarbonization targets and—for those businesses who have committed to them—achieving net zero emissions, very few companies have accounted for Scope 3 emissions in their sustainability plans. Only 13% of businesses surveyed said they have identified all relevant Scope 3 categories and completed a corresponding hotspot analysis; 29% say they consider the entire value chain when calculating their corporate emissions baseline or carbon footprint.

“Scope 3 emissions can make up the vast majority of a company’s overall carbon footprint,” Marushka added, “which means any sound sustainability strategy must involve an assessment of the supply chain and a commitment to working with suppliers who are also taking measurable steps to reduce their emissions. The end result ultimately creates a multiplier effect for both companies’ sustainability efforts.”

Poor data quality can stymie even the best efforts. Only a minority of respondents (16%) use data from established commercial databases to quantify their corporate carbon footprint; another 14% say they use high-quality, industry-based data for baseline assessment at the product level. In practice, this means many more organizations are using suboptimal datasets, such as spend-based, input-output databases, to measure their emissions. These types of top-down, nonspecific data sources can lead to inaccurate assessments, further exacerbating the gap between sustainability promises and outcomes.

The middle market struggles the most. Perhaps unsurprisingly, large organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue are more likely to be rated as optimized (34%) in terms of sustainability maturity.1 At the same time, 39% of small businesses with less than $100 million in revenue are considered optimized. Midsize businesses trail both, with an optimization rate of just 30%. In fact, midsize businesses are more likely than their larger or smaller counterparts to not exceed basic compliance requirements (25% vs.13% for smaller organizations and 6% for larger organizations).

About the Sustainability Maturity Survey 2021
Sphera partnered with the University of Esslingen in Germany to design and field a survey of companies throughout Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. Respondents represented businesses in a wide range of industries, including automotive, construction, education, health care, oil and gas, manufacturing and technology. The survey was conducted between April 7 and May 3.

About Sphera
Sphera creates a safer, more sustainable and productive world. We are a leading global provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and risk management software, data and consulting services with a focus on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management and Product Stewardship.

Press Contact
Kylie Souder
kylie.souder@aspectusgroup.com
+1 513-304-5776

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1 According to Sphera’s Sustainability Maturity rubric, an “optimized” business leverages ESG software and data resources to go above and beyond meeting compliance requirements to help find efficiencies, increase productivity and innovation, reduce costs and mitigate risks. A “leader” is at the head of the competitive pack and is shaping the future of its sector through its sustainability initiatives.