The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • UN urges Fed Govt to scale up education for children

    UN urges Fed Govt to scale up education for children

    United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed has urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to scale up it efforts on providing quality education for children across all ages in the country.

    She spoke at a briefing at the SDG pavilion ahead of the SDG Summit and High-Level Week of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78).

    World leaders are to meet in the new week at the annual high-level UN General Assembly.

    Leaders are also to attend a summit on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — a global “to-do” list created in 2015 that includes issues such as tackling the climate crisis, achieving gender equality and ending hunger and poverty.

    Quality education is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

    Amina lamented the alarming case of out-of-school children and those who do not have the right to quality education in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Six governors, seven ministers join Tinubu for 78th UNGA

    She harped on the importance of technology in education which has provided an opportunity to leapfrog many things that would have otherwise taken decades to do.

    Amina said: “For Nigeria, Education has some issues. We’re not only getting teachers that have not been invested in and also having poor levels of teaching, but just millions of children that either been left behind or even when they come out of school don’t have the right.

    “I think the new government has a huge challenge to try to put in policies that will strengthen from the local government and states, and that we need to make accountable.”

    Amina stated that the onus lies on the various levels of government to act swiftly in addressing challenges facing education sector.

    “The three tiers of government all got responsibilities for children; the local government and state have the responsibilities too. Now we can provide the enabling policies for that but in the end, the resources and and the implementation will have to come from that.

    “Now can Nigeria afford the very basic level education and health and nutrition for children? Yes, it can but at the current moment, the country will need to look at the way they handle their tax base, the way they handle the efficiencies and government between the three tiers.

    “To get that done, the international community has to respond because they will even with the best will in the world and Nigeria, there will still be a deficit.

    “And that deficit needs to come from means of implementation, whether we’re talking about trade and the barriers and therefore the disruption or some of the supply chains that have happened that we found difficult and expensive to recover.

    “They will come from financing, whether we will continue to be able to hold the line to the debts that we have to repay I think in the case of Nigeria’s domestic debt.

    “So a little easier, not not much more easier to deal with. Technology? how fast we can move with that many of the things that I can talk about. Technology has provided an opportunity to leapfrog many things that would have otherwise taken decades to access to education, e-commerce, and Nigeria as a huge population that can move in leaps and bounds.”

  • Hunter Biden indicted on federal firearms charges

    Hunter Biden indicted on federal firearms charges

    Hunter Biden has been accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction to crack cocaine.

    He was indicted yesterdayday on federal firearms charges, the latest and weightiest step yet in a long-running investigation into the president’s son.

    Read Also:Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes and admit gun offence

    Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction to crack cocaine, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Delaware.

  • Entertainer laments high rate of out-of-school children

    Entertainer laments high rate of out-of-school children

    International Disc Jockey (DJ) and philanthropist, Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, also known as DJ Cuppy, has advocated quality education for children across the world.

    Otedola spoke at the occasion of the International Day of Peace Youth Event at the United Nations, New York, yesterday.

    Speaking about how passionate she is committed to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is about quality education, Florence called for protection, support and empowerment of girls.

    Read Also: Why every child deserves quality education, by DJ Cuppy

    Otedola said: “Peace begins with us. You can make the world a better place. I would not be standing here if not because of my education.

    “I’ve a deep passion to make impact through education. My foundation founded six years ago has been focused on education. I’ve three university degrees. Education is everything, it has paved the way for me. It has allowed me to become a woman with an international vision.

    “Life can be tough and unpeaceful. I was in Borno State, Nigeria in 2019, and I was frightened. We need to protect, support and empower girls. We know empowerment can put food on the table, but education can build the table.

  • Why China poses longterm challenge for international order, by Blinken

    Why China poses longterm challenge for international order, by Blinken

    United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken has said China poses longterm challenge for international order.

    Blinken, who spoke at the Johns Hopkins University, linked this to the People’s Republic of China’s aspiration to reshape the international order.

    He added that China has the economic, the diplomatic, the military and the technological power to achieve this.

    The end of the Cold War, Blinken said, brought with it the promise of an inexorable march toward greater peace and stability, international cooperation, economic interdependence, political liberalisation, and human rights.

    He said: “Meanwhile, the People’s Republic of China poses the most significant long-term challenge because it not only aspires to reshape the international order, it increasingly has the economic, the diplomatic, the military, the technological power to do just that. And Beijing and Moscow are working together to make the world safe for autocracy.”

    He said as this competition ramps up, many countries are hedging their bets. 

    “The influence of non-state actors is growing – from corporations whose resources rival those of national governments; to NGOs providing services to hundreds of millions of people; to terrorists with the capacity to inflict catastrophic harm; to transnational criminal organizations trafficking illicit drugs, weapons, human beings.    

    Read Also: U.S., China owe half of world’s $235tr debts

    “Forging international cooperation has gotten more complex. Not only because of rising geopolitical tensions, but also because of the mammoth scale of global problems like the climate crisis, food insecurity, mass migration and displacement.

    “Countries and citizens are losing faith in the international economic order, their confidence rattled by systemic flaws,” he said.

    He accused some governments of using rule-shattering subsidies, stolen IP, and other market-distorting practices to gain an unfair advantage in key sectors.

    “Technology and globalisation that hollowed out and displaced entire industries, and policies that failed to do enough to help out the workers and communities that were left behind.

    “And inequality that has skyrocketed. Between 1980 and 2020, the richest .1 percent accumulated the same wealth as the poorest 50 percent.

    “The longer these disparities persist, the more distrust and disillusionment they fuel in people who feel the system is not giving them a fair shake. And the more they exacerbate other drivers of political polarization, amplified by algorithms that reinforce our biases rather than allowing the best ideas to rise to the top.

    “More democracies are under threat. Challenged from the inside by elected leaders who exploit resentments and stoke fears; erode independent judiciaries and the media; enrich cronies; crack down on civil society and political opposition. And challenged from the outside, by autocrats who spread disinformation, who weaponize corruption, who meddle in elections.

    “Any single one of these developments would have posed a serious challenge to the post-Cold War order. Together, they’ve upended it,” Blinken said.

    He explained that the need to maintain orderliness made President Joe Biden call for an “inflection point”. 

    The United States, he said, is leading in this pivotal period from a position of strength grounded in humility and confidence.

    “Humility because we face challenges that no one country can address alone. Because we know we will have to earn the trust of a number of countries and citizens for whom the old order failed to deliver on many of its promises. Because we recognize that leadership starts with listening, and understanding shared problems from the perspective of others, so that we can find common ground. And because we face profound challenges at home, which we must overcome if we are going to lead abroad.

    “But confidence – confidence – because we’ve proven time and again that when America comes together, we can do anything. Because no nation on Earth has a greater capacity to mobilize others in common cause. Because our ongoing endeavor to form a more perfect union allows us to fix our flaws and renew our democracy from within. And because our vision for the future – a world that is open, free, prosperous, and secure – that vision is not America’s alone, but the enduring aspiration of people in every nation on every continent.

    “A world where individuals are free in their daily lives, and can shape their own futures, their communities, their countries,” Blinken said.

  • Security strengthened ahead of UNGA

    Security strengthened ahead of UNGA

    Ahead of the high level  78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) beginning next week, security has been strengthened  at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York City (NYC) .

    At the UN headquarters  yesterday ,  only accredited delegates and visitors were  allowed access into the premises after screening.

    Also observed were simulations by the city’s fire and emergency services, just as aerial drills and helicopter patrols were also being conducted by security agencies   around the perimeter.

    The New York City authorities have started mapping out road traffic diversions around adjoining streets to the UN headquarters for the week-long global event.

    President Bola Tinubu and other world leaders  are expected to attend various events during the high-level week.

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints Delu Yakubu as NSIPA’s CEO, Ahmed for NCFRMI

    Also, the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu will speak and also ring the bell at the UN Day of Peace’s First Ladies High Level Forum slated for September 21.

    This initiative, adopted since 2015 by Africana Women Working Group at the UN, was created to bring First Ladies to a relationship with women at the grassroots by having leverage on issues affecting women and peace, said the UN Coordinator of the Forum, Prof. Adaeze Okika.

    She  said the forum would provide an opportunity for First Ladies to exchange ideas, network with grassroots women, lend their voices and showcase what they are doing in the areas of women, peace and security in their respective countries.

    Already, a lot of activities have  begun  at the UN headquarters for youths, education, women, policy, education and security to commemorate the World Day of Peace, she said.

  • UN Chief, others call for global peace, solidarity

    UN Chief, others call for global peace, solidarity

    The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, September 13, called for global peace and solidarity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace.

    Each year the International Day of Peace (IDP) is observed around the world in September.

    The UN General Assembly declared it as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

    It has become a tradition to ring the bell twice a year: on the first day of spring, at the Vernal Equinox, and on 21 September to celebrate the International Day for Peace.

    The Peace Bell was donated by the United Nations Association of Japan in 1954.

    As part of the ceremony, Guterres and President of the 78th session of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis rang the peace bell on the premises of UN Headquarters in New York.

    The event also had in attendance Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, and other dignitaries.

    The Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, who moderated the event explained that this year’s theme is titled: “Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals. It is a call to action that recognizes individual and collective responsibility to foster peace.”

    She said: “It is a symbolic day, it represents the core aspect of our aspiration. As we gather today, we have a terrible war in Ukraine and unresolved conflicts. Many people are suffering from hunger and poverty.”

    United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Peace is needed today more than ever. Peace is the most fundamental job we have. It is not solely the responsibility of the government or the president, society also plays a huge role. Drop by drop, the poison of war is infecting our world.

    Read Also: Gunmen kidnap clergyman, three others in Plateau

    “We need to rally together to tackle the common challenges we are facing. Challenges such as poverty, discrimination, inequality, etc.”

    In his separate remarks, Francis said: “I’ve chosen peace as one of my agenda. The bells are sounding that we are moving in reverse. The bell sound is a call to global action.

    “We need to confront our setbacks with strong ambitions. The wish of the Peace Bell founder was clear, no more war. Our generation has not obeyed. Let’s use this International Day as a clarion call to action. This day allows us to pause, and recommit to peace.”

  • U.S. anxious as North Korea’s Kim arrives in Russia to meet Putin

    U.S. anxious as North Korea’s Kim arrives in Russia to meet Putin

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, a situation that has the Biden administration and its ally in South Korea fuming but powerless to prevent.

    North Korean state media and South Korean defence officials both confirmed that Kim crossed into Russia by train yesterday.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Kim and Putin will meet in the Russian Far East, with both one-on-one and delegation-to-delegation talks slated, as well as a dinner. North Korean press photos of the reclusive North Korean leader’s delegation on the train show that it includes his foreign minister and senior military officials.

    Read Also: Prigozhin and Putin’s payback

    Putin is currently hosting a regular event in Vladivostok, the Eastern Economic Forum, designed to induce investment in the vast, underdeveloped spaces of the Russian Far East. In that endeavour, cheap and plentiful North Korean labour could feasibly play a role. But Kim has never attended an international forum, and there is speculation in Seoul that the bilateral meeting will take place not at the forum site but in the city of Ussuriysk, some 50 miles north of Vladivostok.

    Analysts said the two men will likely discuss an aid-for-arms swap: Pyongyang could supply artillery ammunition, tactical rockets and anti-tank munitions for Russia’s strapped forces fighting in Ukraine in return for food aid, energy aid, and/or assistance with such high-tech items as nuclear propulsion systems for submarines and satellites.

    South Korean and U.S figures are demanding — in vain, so far — that Russia and North Korea cease and desist: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre warned that any arms deal between North Korea and Russia “would directly violate a number of U.N. Security Council resolutions” and that the U.S. will expose and sanction individuals and entities working to facilitate deals.

  • UN hails G20 resolution admitting AU permanent member

    UN hails G20 resolution admitting AU permanent member

    The United Nations has lauded the adoption of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration to admit the Africa Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20.

    The African Union, a continental body of 55 member states, now has the same status as the European Union – the only regional bloc with a full membership. Its previous designation was “invited international organisation.”

    Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said the UN also welcomed the declaration’s language about accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    “This is a reflection of Africa’s growing influence and importance on the global stage.

    Read Also: Africa Union troops ‘raped’ girls in Somalia

    “When much of the existing international multilateral architecture was built, most of Africa was still colonised and did not have an opportunity to have their voices heard.

    “This is another step towards correcting that imbalance,” he said.

    He described the declaration as an example of effective leadership at a time of great divisions in the world.

    The G20 summit ended on Sunday with the adoption of declaration, which covers issues ranging from climate change and green growth to gender equality and countering terrorism.

    “We’re especially happy to read about the commitments there, and how we must all re-energise and re-invest in the goals if we are going to come even close to achieving them by their target date of 2030,” he said.

    Dujarric said the adoption of the declaration by consensus after lengthy negotiations – especially in an era of global polarisation – was a tribute to the efforts of India, which currently holds the G20 presidency.

    “It also reflects India’s role as a leader of the Global South and developing countries. This highlights India’s capabilities as a bridge-builder, politically and geographically,” he said.

    Guterres had arrived in New Delhi with what he described as a “simple but urgent appeal” to G20 leaders to come together to solve humanity’s biggest challenges.

    He stressed that global leadership was especially necessary on climate action and sustainable development.

    Guterres addressed the summit session dedicated to climate and environmental issues, urging leaders to demonstrate greater ambition on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting climate justice.

  • ‘U.S.-Mexican border deadliest overland migration route’

    ‘U.S.-Mexican border deadliest overland migration route’

    The Mexican-U.S. border was the world’s most dangerous overland migration route in 2022, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

    The Geneva-based agency reported yesterday that 686 migrants were registered dead or missing.

    The number was about 8 per cent lower than the previous year; however, the IOM noted there were probably many deaths that went unregistered.

    The agency has been keeping data on deaths and missing people since 2014.

    Read Also: Minister orders Immigration Service to clear passports backlog in two weeks

    In total, at least 1,457 migrants died in the Americas last year, the IOM said.

    Since 2014, IOM had registered 58,447 dead and missing persons in total, but the highest number by far concerns the Mediterranean Sea with 28,074 since the beginning of data collection.

    In 2022, 2,411 dead and missing persons were registered on the Mediterranean routes.

    In 2023, there were already 2,325 known deaths on the routes from North Africa and Turkey to Greece, Malta, Italy, Cyprus and Spain.

  • Outrage as Zimbabwe president names son to cabinet

    Outrage as Zimbabwe president names son to cabinet

    Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been accused of nepotism after naming his son to a new cabinet following his controversial re-election last month.

    Mnangagwa on Monday named his son, David Kudakwashe, as deputy finance minister as part of the parliament’s youth quota.

    He also appointed his nephew, Tongai Mnangagwa, the deputy tourism minister, local media reported.

    Read Also: Zimbabwe’s president names son, nephew as finance, tourism ministers

    Mthuli Ncube, an ex-banker, was retained as the finance minister while the ruling Zanu-PF party’s national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was re-appointed as the defence minister. Outspoken main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) lawmaker Fadzayi Mahere termed the new cabinet “indefensible”, and accused Mnangagwa of stoking nepotism.

    Some social media users have been expressing disappointment with the appointment.

    There has been no official reaction from the ruling party or the presidency over the accusation. However supporters of Mnangagwa say his son is qualified for the position.

    Mnangagwa’s re-election has been disputed by the opposition, citing claims of fraud, while a section of observers said the poll failed to meet regional and international standards.