12 June 2017 – Children in areas affected by conflict and disasters are among the most vulnerable, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) in warning on the World Day Against Child Labour, making a strong call for an end to the scourge, especially as children trapped in crisis risk falling prey to trafficking or being forced into hazardous work.

&#8220All children have the right to be protected from child labour,&#8221 said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in a statement on the World Day.

&#8220Yet, around the world, there are still 168 million children in child labour. Eighty-five million of them are engaged in hazardous work.&#8221

A significant portion these children find themselves undertaking dangerous work, living in areas affected by conflict and disaster and they are the focus of the 2017 commemoration of the World Day, marked annually on 12 June.

As the world strives to achieve the elimination of child labour by 2025, the UN underlined that conflicts and disasters have a devastating impact on people’s lives. They kill, maim, injure and force people to flee their homes; destroy livelihoods, push people into poverty and starvation, and trap many in situations without basic safeguard for their rights.

The first to suffer from human rights violations and abuses are often boys and girls. Their schools are destroyed and basic services are disrupted. Many children are internally displaced or become refugees in other countries, and are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and child labour.

&#8220Today, we are facing the greatest refugee crisis for decades,&#8221 said Mr. Ryder, referring to one of the main drivers of child labour. Globally over 1.5 billion people live in countries that are affected by conflict, violence and fragility. At the same time, around 200 million people are affected by disasters every year.

While a huge part of the world’s responsibility to provide sanctuary and support to children and their families is shouldered by neighbouring host countries, ILO’s Director-General says much more needs to be done to share fairly the responsibility to protect refugees.

In his statement, he particularly urges support to those States on the front line in the affected regions, so that they can provide access to the labour market for adult refugees and access to education for their children.

Amid growing concern for the safety of migrants and children in particular the ILO also noted that the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Convention Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (No. 182) have now been ratified by 169 and 180 States respectively.

&#8220Tomorrow I will have the honour of receiving India’s ratification of both Conventions,&#8221 noted Mr Ryder, explaining that with this &#8220great step forward towards universal ratification,&#8221 almost all the world’s children will be covered by Convention 182; and that coverage of Convention 138 will leap from 60 per cent to 80 per cent.

&#8220Together with the near universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, that sends a resounding message about our common cause &#8211 and our common standards that protect children’s human rights,&#8221 he stated.

11 June 2017 – Underscoring the importance of accountable and inclusive governance and institutions for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today called for public services to be more responsive, efficient and collaborative.

&#8220Public service is a critical component for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) […] we need to pioneer new approaches, work differently, take risks and innovate,&#8221 Secretary-General Guterres said at the Taza Koom Conference on Public Service in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

&#8220We need governance that is capable of delivering results and earning public trust; governance that is coherent and accountable; governance that is inclusive and that listens to all the country’s citizens; governance that upholds human rights and leaves no one behind.&#8221

The Taza Koom is a project that seeks to transform digital technologies and e-governance to improve not only the way the State and the administration function, but also the way the people can benefit from new technologies and the impact on their lives.

Further in his remarks, the UN chief also spoke of the need to fight corruption to ensure effective and accountable public services, and highlighted the need for mechanisms that not only support people but also includes the poorest and the most vulnerable, so that they are able to not only define their needs but also to be a part of the efforts in ways to address those challenges.

&#8220As the President said, it [is] clear that ‘Taza Koom’ can be a way to empower the poorest and the most vulnerable,&#8221 said Mr. Guterres, noting that the UN would continue to assist the country in these efforts.

Secretary-General António Guterres shakes hands with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev during their meeting at the Ala-Archa state residence in Bishkek. UN Photo/Vyacheslav Oseledko

Earlier today, Secretary-General Guterres held a meeting with Almazbek Atambaev, the President of Kyrgyzstan.

Speaking to the media at a press conference, alongside the President, Mr. Guterres hailed the country’s efforts for democracy, rule of law and protection of human rights, as well as a vibrant and active civil society.

&#8220I am also sure that Kyrgyzstan will play a very important role in what I hope will be future developments in Central Asia for better cooperation, better integration among the different countries and peoples of [the region] to guarantee its prosperity and its development,&#8221 he said.

Also today, Mr. Guterres took part in the commemoration of the June 2010 events in Osh, where he laid a wreath at the Mother’s Tears monument and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims as well as solidarity with the people of Osh, of Jalal-abad and all other places where the violence broke out.

&#8220The Mother’s Tears [monument] should remind all of us that societies in the world are becoming multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural and that must be seen as a positive thing. It is a richness, not a threat,&#8221 he said, underscoring: &#8220Diversity needs to be cherished, not condemned.&#8221

10 June 2017 – Continuing his visit to Central Asia, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today visited the Aral Sea &#8211 once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, that has now shrunk to about a quarter of its original size due to human mismanagement &#8211 where he urged the world to take lesson from the catastrophe and to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.

&#8220The Aral Sea’s progressive disappearance was not because of climate change, it was mismanagement by humankind of water resources,&#8221 said Secretary-General Guterres after visiting Muynak, the ‘cemetery of ships’ &#8211 once a port city but now devoid of all water.

&#8220It also shows that if in relation to climate change, we are not able to act forcefully to tame this phenomenon, we might see this kind of tragedy multiply around the world,&#8221 he warned.

The environmental disaster was precipitated by diversion of the tributary river which drained into the Aral Sea for irrigation projects nearly half a century ago. Lack of fresh water feeding the sea slowly dried it up, increasing the salinity of the area, with serious impact on human health and agriculture.

Terming the catastrophe &#8220probably the biggest ecological catastrophe of our time,&#8221 one that demonstrated that &#8220men can destroy the planet,&#8221 the Secretary-General called on everyone to make the Aral Sea a lesson and to mobilize the whole international community to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and to make sure that such tragedies will not be repeated.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Guterres held a meeting with the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, where they discussed collaboration between the UN and the country in the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and regional matters.

The UN chief also met with representatives of the civil society and visited Samarkand, one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia.

10 June 2017 – Underlining the importance of energy, in particular for realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to ensure that everyone has access to clean, affordable and efficient energy so that they can rise to their full potential.

&#8220Energy is vital to our lives […] Access to energy helps children to study at night, farmers to grow more crops and hospitals to provide better care,&#8221 said the Secretary-General in his message to EXPO 2017, which opened today in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

In his remarks, the UN chief also noted that the theme of this year’s Astana EXPO, ‘Future Energy’, is all the more important given that energy in today’s world comes from many sources that contribute to climate change.

&#8220It reminds us that the world must take urgent action to ensure that everyone has access to clean, efficient and affordable sources of energy […] I hope this EXPO will help us resolve to contribute to more sustainable world,&#8221 added Mr. Guterres.

Being held from 10 June to 10 September, the World’s Fair EXPO 2017 explores the possibility of scaling up the world’s sustainable energy production, promoting energy security and efficiency, as well as encouraging the use of renewable energy around the globe.

The UN exhibit, a particular highlight at the EXPO, showcases technology and ideas that help the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through sustainable energy.

&#8220Given the urgency of the situation, the focus is going to be squarely on practical solutions,&#8221 said Cihan Sultanoðlu, the UN Commissioner-General for the Organization’s participation in EXPO 2017, reminding participants of the simultaneous need to make sure every woman, every man, every girl, and every boy has access to affordable and clean energy by 2030, while keeping temperatures within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Several UN entities, including the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will host events, release findings and showcase their work on how to mobilize investments to achieve breakthroughs on universal access to energy, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

9 June 2017 – The first-ever United Nations summit on oceans today wraps up with a global agreement to reserve the decline of the ocean’s health, and more than 1,300 pledged actions for protecting the blue.

&#8220The bar has been raised on global consciousness and awareness of the problem in the oceans,&#8221 the President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, told journalists in New York.

Mr. Thomson, whose native Fiji co-sponsored the event along with Sweden, said the organizers got what they wanted from the conference: &#8220I’m 100 per cent satisfied with the results of this conference. Our aim was high. Our aim was to start the reversal of the cycle.&#8221

The Ocean Conference ends today with the adoption by consensus of a 14-point Call for Action where the participating Heads of State and Government and senior representatives &#8220affirm our strong commitment to conserve and sustainably use our oceans, seas and marine resources tor sustainable development.&#8221

Speaking alongside Mr. Thomson, the Secretary-General of The Ocean Conference, Wu Hongbo, said the negotiated document lists specific measures &#8220to galvanize global commitment and partnerships&#8221 for the oceans.

The main points from the political document and this week’s discussions will be part of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN’s central body for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in September 2015. The HLPF is scheduled to meet next month in New York.

In addition to the political Call for Action, participants &#8211 who also included thousands of civil society representatives, academics, artists, financial institutions and other practitioners and activists &#8211 pledged actions to conserve and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources. This is the goal of SDG14.

By Friday afternoon, more than 1,300 voluntary commitments had already been registered.

Calling the figure &#8220truly impressive,&#8221 Mr. Wu, who is also UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, underscored that the commitments were just for this conference and now comprise &#8220an ocean solution registry.&#8221

‘It’s all of us or nothing’

The week-long conference, where some 6,000 people participated, was the first time that the UN brought everyone together to discuss the challenges facing the world’s oceans.

&#8220When it comes to the ocean, it’s the common heritage of humankind. There’s no North-South, East-West when it comes to the ocean,&#8221 Mr. Thomson said. &#8220If the ocean is dying, it’s dying on all of us.&#8221

The senior official underscored that by &#8220getting the wheels turning&#8221 on SDG 14, the conference helped push forward action on all 17 SDGs.

Topics that were discussed ranged from plastic pollution in the oceans and seas to ocean acidification and illegal fishing &#8211 which tie in with topics of alleviating poverty, ending hunger, promoting health, ensuring access to water and sanitation, and so on.

Mr. Thomson attributed the success of the conference to the &#8220wonderful way&#8221 in which all the different participants came together to discuss and work together.

He lauded the &#8220openness to civil society, to the science sector, to private society&#8221 in breaking down the typical divisions between governments and other sectors. &#8220There’s no them and us. It’s all of us or nothing.&#8221

In addition to eight plenary meetings and seven partnership dialogues, The Ocean Conference included 150 side events, 41exhibitions and interviews at the SDG Media Zone.

These included events with New Oceans Advocate and globally-acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Cody Simpson, as well as Marine biologist Douglas McCauley, Aboriginal artist Sid Bruce Short Joe and Spanish philanthropist Álvaro de Marichalar, for example.

The mix of personalities and strong support for action brought &#8220creativity and a sense of unity&#8221 to the action for oceans, said conference co-chairwoman, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Isabelle Lovin.