The talks at the UN Climate Conference in Baku ended early Sunday morning. The top stories of the day | Monday: gender violence, COP29, Alliance of Civilizations, plastic UN
The main news of the day in the UN and around the world: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, $300 billion a year to help developing countries fight the climate crisis, the UN Alliance of Civilizations forum in Portugal, the final round of negotiations on a global agreement on plastic pollution.
Fighting Gender-Based Violence
Every day, 140 women and girls around the world are killed by an intimate partner or close relative, or an average of one woman every 10 minutes as a result of domestic violence. These are the findings of a report released by UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November. As part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, which begins today, UN Women will call on the international community to implement its commitments to protect women.
COP 29 Outcomes
Talks at the UN climate conference in Baku ended early on Sunday with rich countries pledging to invest at least $300 billion a year to combat climate change. Some developing countries, which had been seeking more than $1 trillion in support, were unhappy with the deal, saying they needed far more resources to effectively combat the climate crisis. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked negotiators for finding common ground but said he had “hoped for a more ambitious outcome.”
Alliance of Civilizations
The 10th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations opened in Cascais, Portugal, on Monday and runs until Wednesday. The event will celebrate the achievements since the Alliance’s inception and outline a work plan for the coming years. The UN Secretary-General is in Portugal to attend the Forum, where he will address the official opening ceremony and the High-Level Meeting of the Ministerial Group of Friends of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. The Secretary-General will also hold a number of bilateral meetings, including with the President and Prime Minister of Portugal.
Agreement on Plastic Pollution
The fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Committee to Establish a Legally Binding Agreement to Combat Plastic Pollution kicked off in Busan, South Korea, on Monday, under the auspices of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Representatives from more than 170 countries and more than 600 observer organizations have registered to participate in the week-long talks. The UN chief said in his address that the agreement must provide for access by all countries to modern technologies, improved land and marine environments, and protection for vulnerable communities, including those who earn money by collecting waste.