International Day of Persons with Disabilities Statement by Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Children with disabilities have an undisputed right to an inclusive quality education. We will never achieve true equality – nor the overarching goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – if they are left behind.

The theme of the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is: "United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with and by persons with disabilities".

While we are taking important strides in reaching these girls and boys with the opportunity and hope that a quality education provides, we must take action by providing more financial resources, more inclusive policies and more access to learning for children and adolescents living with disabilities – especially for those impacted by crises.

For far too long, these girls and boys have remained in the shadows, despite approximately one in six of us experiencing a significant disability. Children and adolescents with disabilities suffer extreme hardship in violent conflict and climate crises, in refugee camps and displacement centres. They are more vulnerable than the majority of the world’s children.

Compared to children without disabilities, children with disabilities are: 49% more likely to have never attended school; 47% more likely to be out of primary school; 42% less likely to have foundational reading and numeracy skills; and 33% more likely to be out of lower secondary school, according to UNICEF.

Children with disabilities are not just disproportionally excluded from school and denied their right to a quality education, but they are also often denied equitable opportunities to make economic and social contributions to their communities.

Building on commitments made at the ‘Transforming Education Summit Call to Action on Disability Inclusive Education’ and the ‘Global Disability Summit 2022’, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) takes concrete action to ensure inclusive, accessible education for all.

Guided by our Policy and Accountability Framework on Disability Inclusion, ECW ensures that at least 5% of our funding goes to support the equitable access, participation and achievement of persons with disabilities. We have high standards to systematically improve results for children with disabilities.

And we apply a twin-track approach to simultaneously mainstream disability inclusion and use targeted interventions across our funding windows to support their inclusion. ECW investments have already reached over 100,000 children and adolescents with disabilities.

In 2022 alone, our funding provided 65,000 children with disabilities access to essential learning and support materials, as well as devices such as hearing aids, glasses, Braille typewriters, sign language interpretation, long canes, wheelchairs and materials printed in large font. Because inclusion starts in the classroom, we have supported over 14,000 teachers with inclusive education training.

In Colombia, this means refugee girls with disabilities like Sammy are able to go to school, in South Sudan, this means a wheelchair for Achol Mary, and in Syria, this means a chance for girls like Kawthar, who has stunted growth, to go to school for the first time.  

The road of inclusion and equity is a process, not a destination. As we commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, join us in calling on public and private sector donors to make financial commitments to ensure no child is left behind.  

With an additional US$1.5 billion in funding, ECW will be able to significantly scale-up our life-saving and sustainable multi-year investments in education. With financial resources, we can and will deliver on our promise of reaching more children with disabilities like Sammy, Achol Mary and Kawthar. They deserve no less.

Source : Take Action for Children with Disabilities

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HAIKOU, China, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — From November 27 to December 1, a group made up of more than 60 reporters, overseas communication officers, and social media personalities got their chance to witness the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) up close, as they visited key industrial parks and marveled at the beautiful countryside in south China’s Hainan Province.

On Nov. 29, the group of reporters and social media personalities visited Sanya Yalong Bay International Rose Valley, an industrial base boosting the development of surrounding villages.

One of the FTP’s key industrial parks, the Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone in Lingshui is home to 10 domestic and 12 Sino-foreign collaborative universities. Li’an is built on the "large sharing + small colleges" model, where all students share public facilities while each university has exclusive teaching buildings tailored to its unique academic culture and disciplines.

"This is a very open model. Not only does it mean making the best use of space, but also breaking down the barriers between schools, allowing the best educational concepts from China and other countries to be integrated here," explained British social media personality Toby Symonds.

In the Medical Products Exhibition Hall at Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Pakistani Mujahid Muheet was blown away by each marvel he laid his eyes on.

Muheet currently co-manages a medical device company in Pakistan. He learned that the Lecheng Pilot Zone is China’s only "medical special zone" and enjoys preferential policies in pilot medical treatment and international medical exchanges. In the zone, he saw potential business opportunities for his firm, gladly exclaiming he "would be bringing his business here."

"Internet celebrity" Sajjad Alqazzaz, an international student from Iraq, showed a keen interest in Hainan’s rural revitalization work. In Bohou Village in Sanya, Sajjad was deeply moved by the village’s swift turnaround from poverty to prosperity. This once-destitute village began renting land to enterprises just over a decade ago. They improved the soil, planted roses, and developed the village into a rose-adorned scenic spot popular with tourists. The village has also taken abandoned homes and turned them into guesthouses, and now boasts a thriving B&B industry.

This year marks the fifth year since the Hainan FTP came into being. As a crucial gateway of China’s continued opening up in the new era, Hainan is a key locale for the practice of Chinese modernization.

Source : Media Tour Witnesses Chinese Modernization in Hainan FTP

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PARIS, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Traditional approaches to international cooperation are insufficient to reach Paris Agreement objectives and innovative solutions must start happening, according to a new report published by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways (DDP) Initiative.

Global South countries have ambitious given their capacities, but they need to accelerate their transitions to net-zero while achieving development objectives.

A critical innovation would be to put countries’ needs at the center of international cooperation processes. Country representation must be ensured from the start and at all stages of the design of cooperative solutions.

"We can only achieve the Paris Agreement goal if all countries can do more. For Global South countries, taking more ambitious climate actions while pursuing development depends whether innovations in international cooperation allow to prioritize countries’ needs," said Henri Waisman, director of the DDP Initiative.

The report proposes concrete innovations in international cooperation in three sectors.

The steel sector can transform in a way that contributes to global deep decarbonization, supports local employment and industrialization in developing countries, and maintains competitiveness for current producers. This can happen under a revised approach to current distribution of incentives, international value chains and trade in primary steel production.

Changes to national freight transport – producing goods more sustainably and closer to consumers, developing better railways and multi-modal infrastructures, and making rail services more competitive than road services – contribute to development and deep decarbonization. Directing international finance for industries and transport infrastructure, and changing commercial and trade agreements are needed to make these changes happen.

The agriculture and land use sector must take into account objectives around mitigation, adaptation and resilience, biodiversity, food security and rural livelihoods. This holistic approach requires improving the governance of the land use system, promoting lessons sharing on policies and implementation, and implementing new finance mechanisms and trade arrangements to encourage the restoration of degraded forests or pastures, the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, and more diversified land uses such as agroforestry.

"We need innovative international cooperation to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. COP28 must send a clear political signal and catalyze technical and organizational changes, in all sectors and all countries. It is a question of trust and confidence between North and South, and a matter of efficiency for the fight against climate disaster," said Sebastien Treyer, Executive Director of IDDRI.

Media contact:
Renee Karunungan
[email protected] 
https://ddpinitiative.org/ddp-annual-report-2023/

Source : New DDP report calls for 'innovative international cooperation' to reach Paris Agreement goals, as COP28 starts this week

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At COP28 held on the December 2nd, SK E&S signed a ‘Global MOU for the construction of the largest low-carbon hydrogen plant in Korea’ with its global partners and local government. The event, jointly hosted by the Korea’s Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, discussed successful strategies for the establishment of a low-carbon hydrogen project in Korea with GE Vernova, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, Chungcheongnam-do*, Korea Midland Power.
*Chungcheongnam-do: a local government located in the center of the Republic of Korea, with a population of approximately 2 million

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SK E&S has collaborated with global partners to establish foundation for the domestic low-carbon hydrogen* industry, with support from local government. They plan to mass-produce low-carbon hydrogen, leading the early establishment of the domestic hydrogen ecosystem and contributing to global carbon neutrality.

Participants of the ‘Global MOU for the construction of the largest low-carbon hydrogen plant in Korea’ are capturing a moment in a commemorative photo. From left to right: [Participant 1: Roger Martella, CSO of GE Vernova], [Participant 2: Dominique Rouge, Vice President of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction], [Participant 3: Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungcheongnam-do], [Participant 4: Kim Kwang-il, Vice President of Korea Midland Power], [Participant 5: Kwon Hyung-kyun, Vice President of SK E&S]

*Low-Carbon Hydrogen: Hydrogen produced by modifying natural gas with CCS (Carbon Capture & Storage) technology applied to capture and store carbon emissions during the hydrogen extraction process.

SK E&S announced the signing of a global MOU on December 2nd (local time) at COP28, the 28th UN Climate Change Conference held in Dubai, UAE. The agreement involves collaboration with GE Vernova(GE), Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, Chungcheongnam-do and Korea Midland Power(KOMIPO) to advance Korea’s largest-scale low-carbon hydrogen project in Boryeong City, Chungcheongnam-do.

Through this agreement, SK E&S will play a key role in stable production and supply of 250,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen annually and use it for mobility and power generation. SK E&S also announced the plan to use CCS(Carbon Capture & Storage) technology to capture carbon dioxide emitted during the hydrogen production process and store it in a depleted gas field.

Global hydrogen specialists Air Liquide Engineering & Construction and GE will supply main equipment for the hydrogen plant. Air Liquide Engineering & Construction will handle hydrogen production and liquefaction equipment, while GE will manufacture hydrogen/natural gas co-fired turbines. Chungcheongnam-do will provide administrative support and permits for the hydrogen project, and KOMIPO will support project management and maintenance for the entire plant construction.

SK E&S, participating in COP for the first time, also held a ‘Global Collaboration for the Low-Carbon Hydrogen Value Chain’ event at the COP Korea Pavilion with the Korea’s Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth. The event included presentations on the role of hydrogen in the era of energy transition, and the hydrogen-related technologies of MOU signatories GE and Air Liquide Engineering & Construction were also disclosed.

About SK E&S
SK E&S is a member of the SK Group, the second largest conglomerate in Korea, and has secured its position as the No.1 private LNG provider as the first and the largest non-state-owned company to complete the LNG Value Chain in Korea. Beyond the LNG value chain business, SK E&S is leading carbon reduction with renewable energy, hydrogen, energy solution. Based on these key businesses, SK E&S will make a transition to unique ‘Green Portfolio’ and become a global leader in the world’s green energy sector.

Participants of the ‘’Global Collaboration for the Low-Carbon Hydrogen Value Chain’ are capturing a moment in a commemorative photo. From left to right:, [Participant 1: David Livingston, Senior Advisor for Energy at the U.S. Climate Special Envoy], [Participant 2: Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA)], [Participant 3: Kim Kwang-il, Vice President of Korea Midland Power], [Participant 4: Kim Sang-hyup, Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth of the Republic of Korea], [Participant 5: Roger Martella, CSO of GE Vernova], [Participant 6: Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungcheongnam-do], [Participant 7: Kwon Hyung-kyun, Vice President of SK E&S], [Participant 8: Kang Kyung-sung, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea]

Source : SK E&S, strengthening 'Low-Carbon Hydrogen Partnership' at COP28… accelerating global carbon neutrality

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LONDON, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — 1 in 12 hospitals around the world could face partial or total shutdown from climate change extreme weather events if countries fail to curb fossil fuel emissions, according to a new report released today by XDI (Cross Dependency Analysis) – a global leader in physical climate risk analysis.

Hospital shutdown: The 2023 XDI Global Hospital Infrastructure Physical Climate Risk Report analyses the risk to over 200,000 hospitals around the world from climate change extreme weather

As a result, communities hit by hurricanes, severe storms, flooding, forest fires and other disasters could be cut off from emergency hospital care right when they need it most, they say.

"Climate change is increasingly impacting the health of people around the world.  Our analysis shows that without a rapid phase out of fossil fuels, the risks to global health will be exacerbated further, as thousands of hospitals become unable to deliver services during crises," said Dr Karl Mallon, Director of Science and Technology, XDI (Cross Dependency Initiative).

The 2023 XDI Global Hospital Infrastructure Physical Climate Risk Report analyses the physical risk to over 200,000 hospitals around the world to six climate change hazards: coastal inundation, riverine flooding, surface water flooding, forest fire, extreme wind and cyclone wind.  The analysis focuses on physical damage to building structures, and calculates how different emission scenarios can reduce risk.

As part of the report, XDI is releasing the names, location and level of risk (high, medium, low) for each individual hospital in the analysis (200,216 hospitals).  XDI is urging all governments to check for high risk hospitals in their region and conduct further analysis to understand and reduce this risk.

Key findings

Without a rapid phase out of fossil fuels, up to 1 in 12 hospitals worldwide will be at high risk of total or partial shutdown from extreme weather events by the end of the century – a total of 16,245 hospitals. A residential or commercial building with this level of risk would be considered uninsurable. 71% (11,512) of high risk hospitals by 2100 will be in low and middle income countries. Limiting global warming to 1.8 degrees celsius with a rapid phase out of fossil fuels would halve the damage risk to hospital infrastructure compared to a high emissions scenario. South East Asia has the highest percentage of hospitals at high risk of damage from extreme weather events in the world. With high emissions, almost 1 in 5 hospitals (18.4%) in South East Asia will be at high risk of total or partial shutdown by the end of the century. South Asia has the highest number of hospitals at risk. Hospitals located on coastlines and near rivers are most at risk. 

"Governments have a duty to populations to ensure the ongoing delivery of critical services. We urge all governments and health administrators to review this report and identify high risk hospitals in their jurisdiction so that they can take appropriate action," said Dr Mallon.

About XDI
The data behind XDI (Cross Dependency Initiative) has been helping global leaders price physical climate risk since 2007, making the group the world’s longest standing independent specialist in physical climate risk and adaptation analytics. XDI is part of The Climate Risk Group.

Source : Physical climate risk analysis of over 200 000 hospitals exposes risk of shutdowns from extreme weather

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The Largest-Ever Globally Coordinated Funding Investment in Livestock Methane Mitigation Research Announced at the COP28 Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum

The public, private and philanthropic partnership includes Bezos Earth Fund, Quadrature Climate Fund, Gerstner Philanthropies, High Tide Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Zegar Family Foundation, Danone and more

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, at COP28, the Global Methane Hub (GMH) announced a more than $200 million funding initiative between public, private and philanthropic partners including the Bezos Earth Fund, Quadrature Climate Fund, Gerstner Philanthropies, High Tide Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Zegar Family Foundation, Danone, the Governments of Ireland, New Zealand and the United States, for research and development (R&D) technologies to meaningfully address and reduce methane emissions from livestock. 

The Enteric Fermentation R&D Accelerator, or Accelerator, is the largest-ever, globally coordinated investment of breakthrough research tackling livestock methane emissions. The Global Methane Hub announced the intention to establish the Accelerator at COP27 as an AIM for Climate Innovation Sprint. The Accelerator will unite funders, guided by a science oversight committee, to invest in a globally coordinated research plan. This strategy aims to address gaps in current research and enhance existing efforts. The strategy includes work on exploring new and alternate livestock feed additives, tools to breed low-methane livestock, immunological studies for a methane vaccine, understanding the organisms in the rumen and their functions, and lowering the costs of measurement, essential to generate evidence for regulatory approval and validation of mitigation technologies.

About 40% of the world’s methane emissions come from agriculture, and 70% of that is due to enteric fermentation. This process happens in cows’ digestive systems when sugars are broken down into methane and released through belching. Unfortunately, current research on enteric fermentation is not extensive or coordinated enough to provide efficient and transformative solutions to significantly benefit farmers.

This is the latest milestone to mark the impact GMH is having on global methane reduction efforts since its founding in December 2021.

"The Accelerator is a prime example of the role philanthropy can play in driving substantive climate action and strategically aligning the key players working to solve the most pressing issue of our time," said Hayden Montgomery, Agriculture Program Director at the Global Methane Hub. "With this effort to synchronize and consolidate public-good research on enteric methane, we aim to make multiple solutions to reduce enteric methane available quickly and provide proof of the efficacy of livestock mitigation technologies."

"We know that cattle are responsible for most agricultural methane emissions. Promising technological and scientific solutions exist, but for too long, monetary and regulatory barriers have slowed progress and prevented critical research," said Andy Jarvis, Director of Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund. "The Global Methane Hub’s Enteric Methane R&D Accelerator stands to change all of this, unlocking the resources needed to discover and develop low-cost solutions that will dramatically reduce methane emissions from livestock by 2030."

"Through the Accelerator, we are poised to make a significant impact in driving innovation towards solutions to reduce enteric methane globally," said Richard Lawrence, director and co-founder of High Tide Foundation. "I would like to thank Danone for stepping up as the first corporation committed to the Accelerator and I encourage others to do the same."

"As a dairy company, curbing methane emissions is the fastest and most impactful way to slow down global warming," said Olivier Verdelet, Vice-President Agriculture Cycle at Danone. "To do so, collaboration will be instrumental as we seek for new solutions, speed and sizable impacts. We are eager to collaborate with the Global Methane Hub and other partners to accelerate and test scalable innovations in the field. We believe this will help us build a sustainable, future-fit dairy category that is at the core of our mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible."

Agricultural methane is projected to increase 40% by 2050. We would have to reduce emissions by 50% in order to meet the accords of the Paris Agreement to keep the global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Reducing methane emissions from all sectors, including agriculture, is the fastest way to mitigate climate change.

Logo – https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2291046/Global_Methane_Hub_Logo.jpg?p=medium600

Source : Global Methane Hub Announces the Enteric Fermentation Research & Development Accelerator, a $200M Agricultural Methane Mitigation Funding Initiative

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