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Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on the Day of the African Child NEW YORK, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As we speak, millions of crisis-affected girls and boys across the African continent are being denied their human right to a quality education. In the absence of financial means to provide a quality education, or still suffering the brunt of protracted conflicts, Africa's children do not enjoy the same rights as the rest of us. As an immediate consequence, girls are forced into child marriage, boys are recruited into armed groups, millions of children are hungry, and millions more are illiterate. Few of them have any means to move beyond such an existence without receiving an inclusive and continuous quality education. As we commemorate the Day of the African Child under this year’s theme of “Education for all children in Africa: The time is now”, we need to follow the lead of the African Union and the African people in receiving their long-awaited right to a quality education across the continent. Long delayed and overdue, the time to empower an Africa fit for the 21st century is now. As we commemorate the Day of the African Child under this year's theme of "Education for all children in Africa: The time is now", we need to follow the lead of the African Union and the African people in receiving their long-awaited right to a quality education across the continent. Long delayed and overdue, the time to empower an Africa fit for the 21st century is now. A panoply of interconnected challenges undermines local and national initiatives to deliver on the collective goal of 'education for all' in Africa. Extreme poverty and conflicts over resources expose children and adolescents to armed conflict and violence on a daily basis. There are 35 recognized armed conflicts across the continent that continue to rage in countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Forced displacement is on the rise as a result of conflict, climate change, extreme poverty and instability. In all, 44 million people are displaced in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNHCR statistics from 2023, up from 38.3 million in 2021. In Africa, the climate crisis is also an education crisis. Over the past 10 years, an estimated 42 million crisis-affected children in Sub-Saharan Africa have faced climate shocks amplified by climate change. In 2023, Cyclone Freddy left a path of chaos and destruction. Approximately 1,500 classrooms were destroyed, disrupting learning for half a million students and forcing 1.4 million people on the move across six countries. Extreme poverty and economic losses add to the collected risks that are pushing children and the young generation out of school and derailing efforts to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Four out of 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. With high class fees and limited resources in the household, children are forced to join the workforce, get married, gather water, or simply stay home from school because their families can't afford a school fee. These collective challenges have resulted in the single largest education crisis in the world today. According to UNESCO, 98 million children are out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even when they are in school, the quality of learning is often severely lacking, and Africa has the highest illiteracy rate in the world today. This education crisis is having vast impacts on Africa's social and economic development, and perpetuating further non-virtuous cycles of conflict, hunger and displacement. Sudan is on the brink of the worst education crisis in the world today. Since conflict began in April 2023, a staggering 18 million children have been pushed from their schools. Even before the conflict, there were 6.9 million out-of-school children. In Nigeria, 20 million girls and boys are out of school. In Ethiopia, conflict, drought, poverty and other factors have resulted in 13 million children out of the classroom. This adds up to 51 million children out-of-school in just these three countries alone. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a resource-rich country, among many in Africa, economic interests force African children into child labour rather than into attending school. We Live in the 21st Century What's wrong with the world? All of us need a new vision that is based on human rights for all, and education is at the core of such a vision. Not just education for the few or the privileged, but education for all of Africa's children. To deliver on this, we need to embrace human rights in action, based on the promises outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It starts with resources. In the face of such blatant inequity, we, as a global community, need to shoulder our responsibility by urgently and substantially increasing funding for education in Africa. Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is calling for US$600 million in additional resources to reach our US$1.5 billion resource mobilization target. This will allow us to reach 20 million crisis-impacted children worldwide, and to scale-up our investments in Africa. Addressing the injustice towards Africa, we also need to support African leadership. As outlined by the African Union, member states across Africa are expected to ensure free, inclusive primary education, reduced costs for secondary education, and substantial investment and support for early childhood education. Financial resources are key to providing action-oriented and results-driven support. Given its power to lift-up entire generations and transform minds, education is the single most powerful tool we have in delivering on each and every one of the SDGs in Africa. Some of our greatest role models for humanity were educated and thus able to help all of us to advance cooperation and human rights worldwide. National ownership and localization are imperative to our efforts. By connecting global donors, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector with national governments and local non-profits, we can scale-up the impact, for Africa and the world, of each and every dollar we invest in education in Africa. The Day of the African Child commemorates a student uprising in 1976 in Soweto, South Africa. At that time, students marched en-masse to protest the poor quality of education and apartheid. Hundreds of students and innocent bystanders were killed, many more were injured. While apartheid came to an end under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, nearly 50 years later, after the attacks on students in Soweto, children across Africa are still being denied their inherent right to a quality education and schools are being attacked. How many more children must die or must be pushed into the shadows, generation after generation? This is the 21st century and the long-awaited time for education for every child in Africa is NOW.
Providing ESG solutions that can help businesses build resilience HONG KONG, June 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), a global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, and HSBC today announce a collaboration aiming to help businesses in Hong Kong strengthen their resilience and build a competitive advantage through transparent and voluntary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. HSBC will introduce interested clients to D&B ESG Registered™ service that helps to showcase the commitment of a business to upholding global ESG standards. Eligible clients will also be able to enjoy a discounted service fee. Fostering ESG Competitiveness for Hong Kong businesses This initiative focuses on supporting smaller businesses by enabling them to identify the ESG issues that affect their business, understand the relevant frameworks and gather the data needed to report. Promoting the importance of ESG reporting among Hong Kong companies can help to build strong trust-based relationships within the business ecosystem – with customers, suppliers and investors too. On successful completion of an industry benchmarked ESG self-assessment, built around industry recognized sustainability standards such as SASB, GRI, the UN SDGs, and many others that are important for businesses when operating domestically or internationally, companies receive their own ESG rating, data performance and reference indicators, and the D&B ESG RegisteredTM badge helping them to share their ESG credentials. According to Dun & Bradstreet's Q1 2024 Global Business Optimism Insights, the importance of ESG factors in procurement is rapidly growing. This underscores the need for companies to deepen their knowledge, resources and understanding of ESG reporting and embed it into their businesses. Following an HSBC Sustainability Roundtable event on 18 April 2024, when D&B shared ESG insights with participants from the consumer goods manufacturing sector, various HSBC clients have enrolled for D&B ESG Registered™ programme. Mr. Andrew Wu, General Manager of Dun & Bradstreet China, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: "We are privileged to collaborate with a pre-eminent bank such as HSBC in Hong Kong to deliver ESG awareness and solutions for the local business community. This initiative will enable local businesses to understand and disclose their ESG performance in accordance with international standards, which is becoming increasingly critical for businesses to gain a competitive edge. This is particularly important when it comes to engaging with investors, financiers, clients and all stakeholders." Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud holds comprehensive information on more than 550 million total organizations, with ESG data on nearly 80 million global public and private businesses, including over 90,000 in Hong Kong. ESG Rankings are conveniently organized into 13 ESG themes and 31 topic-specific categories to help businesses understand risks and opportunities. These rankings are built around ESG data gathered from millions of globally trusted sources. This deep coverage and breakdown of ESG risks by category helps connect the dots between analytics and business performance. Leveraging Dun & Bradstreet's extensive Data Cloud, businesses will have their ESG data benchmarked against global peers, empowering them to make informed decisions and mitigate ESG risks effectively. Driving Sustainable Growth Through this collaboration, Dun & Bradstreet and HSBC hope to strengthen Hong Kong's businesses by ensuring they have access to solutions and support to navigate the evolving landscape of sustainable business practices and harness the power of data. Dun & Bradstreet was invited to participate in a HSBC event on 18 April 2024 to share valuable insights on how corporates can enhance their understanding and disclosure of ESG performance. About Dun & Bradstreet Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk, and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. We combine global data with local insights to help our clients to make smarter decisions. For more information on Dun & Bradstreet, please visit www.dnb.com.hk
BANGKOK, June 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chulalongkorn University has been ranked among the world's top 50 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024, which assesses universities based on their support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their societal impact. The THE Impact Rankings 2024 evaluate universities' contributions in research, management, academic services, and teaching that align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This year, Chulalongkorn University was ranked in the top 50 out of 2,152 higher education institutions from 125 countries worldwide. Additionally, Chula is ranked No. 1 in Thailand in SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. The achievement reflects that Chulalongkorn University prioritizes the SDGs Impact by consistently focusing on innovation for sustainable development and society. For more information about the THE Impact Rankings 2024, go to https://www.timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings For the full release and more images, please visit: https://www.chula.ac.th/en/news/167552/ About Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University has made the world's top 50 universities list for employment outcomes, which reflects both the high employment rate and workability of Chula graduates. The university is also listed as the best in Thailand for the 15th Consecutive Year (since 2009), according to the newly released QS World University Rankings 2024, putting Chula at 211th in the world, up from 244th last year. Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChulalongkornUniversityYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/chulauniversityLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/15101896/
BHUBANESWAR, India, June 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, has been placed among the top 6 most impactful universities globally and ranked 1st in India in terms of the Sustainable Development Goal of 'Reduced Inequalities' in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024. With an overall score of 79.3 - 83.9, KIIT is ranked in the 201-300 cohort globally in this prestigious ranking published on 12th June 2024. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings celebrate universities that excel across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This unique ranking exercise evaluates the performance of universities across all 17 SDGs. KIIT Arial photo KIIT University is ranked 6th in the world in terms of 'Reduced Inequalities' and 1st in India. Additionally, KIIT has secured the 71st position globally in the SDG of 'Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions' and is ranked 1st in India. In terms of the SDG of 'Quality Education', it is ranked 55th in the world and 5th in India. KIIT University is also ranked 5th in India in the SDG of 'Partnership for the Goals'. Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS lauded the historic achievement and said: "KIIT's position among the world's most impactful universities in the parameters of Quality Education, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, and Partnership for the Goals, reflects its enormous contribution in the field over the decades". He congratulated the faculty fraternity of KIIT-DU, staff members and the students for the unique achievement. KIIT University, established in Odisha, has spread its influence all over the world in the field of quality education, intellectuals said. It takes pride as a community-based university, contributing to pressing social issues such as reducing poverty through education, women empowerment, equal opportunity in the work place, rural development, tribal upliftment, art, culture and literature.
BEIJING, June 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (Guotai Junan International, 01788.HK) recently announced that it had submitted its third annual Communication on Progress (CoP) to the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), disclosing the practical actions it had taken and progress it had made in implementing the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in the four areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The UN Global Compact is an international organization committed to advancing corporate sustainability, with participants of more than 24,000 companies and other stakeholders in nearly 170 countries. It helps companies incorporate the Ten Principles into corporate strategies and operations so as to support broader UN goals such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participating companies of the UN Global Compact are required to implement the Ten Principles and report progress in the implementation on an annual basis. Guotai Junan International joined the UN Global Compact in 2021, becoming the first Chinese securities firm in China's Hong Kong to join the organization. The company has been actively integrating sustainable development concepts and international standards into its strategies and operations. It has made contributions to advancing economic and social prosperity as well as environmental protection by promoting sustainability practices in recent years. Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/340598.html
Arcadis' Sustainable Cities Index 2024 reveals major disparities in sustainability progress, as cities race to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Amsterdam takes top spot as most Sustainable City, thanks to strong economic performance, social equity, and renewable energy investment. Maintaining trajectory critical as SDG deadline approaches, with opportunities for even highest-ranking cities to accelerate sustainability goals AMSTERDAM, June 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadis has issued a rallying call to cities worldwide, as the publication of its Sustainable Cities Index 2024 reveals the need for accelerated action in tackling climate change and other sustainability challenges. Top 20 most sustainable cities in the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2024 The publication of the report comes with nearly 2,000 days until the 2030 deadline for achieving the UN SDGs. It reveals clear differences between leading cities such as Amsterdam (1st), Copenhagen (3rd) and Munich (5th), and those trailing behind - particularly US and Asian cities like New York (48th), Boston (56th), and Taipei (62nd). Arcadis' Sustainable Cities Index ranks 100 cities across three pillars of sustainability - Planet, People, and Profit. Marking the 6th edition of the report since its inception in 2015, it comprises 67 metrics that highlight our evolving understanding of sustainability, including air pollution, waste management, and investment in low carbon infrastructure (including renewable energy and sustainable transport), as well as economic performance, social equity, and natural disaster resilience. This year Arcadis has also added a fourth 'Progress' pillar to measure change over time. This demonstrates the impact of sustainability interventions over the last decade and, when considered alongside the other pillars, provides insights into a city's future trajectory. Overall, European cities dominate the top of the Index. All four German cities included in the report – Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin – claim spots in the top 10, buoyed by achievements in water sanitation and waste management, and low greenhouse gas emissions. High performance in the Planet pillar is associated with overall success, with eight of the top 10 cities for Planet also appearing in the overall top 10. The Planet pillar is comprised of metrics like sustainable energy systems and low-emission transport, suggesting these are powerful tools for urban sustainability. This year's index also highlights that high performance on the Profit metric does not necessarily come at the expense of environmental sustainability. The report emphasizes how a thriving economy should support investment in infrastructure, alternative energy sources, green initiatives, and social programs. Amsterdam, the most sustainable city of 2024, also ranks at the top of the Profit pillar, excelling in income and living standards, employment, and transport infrastructure. North American cities dominate the Profit pillar. San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Seattle all appear in the top 10 for Profit, thanks to ease of doing business, GDP per capita, and employment rates. However, while these cities demonstrate business success, wage levels and living standards are not keeping pace. To move higher up, socially inclusive development strategies are critical, and North American and European cities must draw inspiration from each other to continue making progress. When it comes to progress over the last decade, many European cities have made significant strides – despite their sustainable starting points – to cement their position at the top of the Index. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin all feature in the top third of the Progress pillar and the top third of the index overall. This is thanks to a commitment to renewable energy production, as well as socio-economic factors like female labor force participation, and healthcare. Although low in the overall rankings, the dominance of Asian cities such as Jakarta, Wuhan, and Shanghai at the top of the Progress pillar shows that, in cities with limited prior sustainable infrastructure or practices, early steps can have enormous impact in generating momentum. John Batten, Arcadis Global Cities Director, said: "Cities play a critical role in advancing the sustainable development agenda. However, our progress assessment shows that more needs to be done to meet the SDG deadline. With just 2,000 days to go, the challenge is to keep innovating. Whether by scaling up renewable energy initiatives, integrating climate considerations into infrastructure planning, improving mobility through intelligent traffic management, or supporting the retrofit of existing buildings, there are always areas to improve. As 2030 approaches, cities must build on successes, identify areas for progress, and foster collaboration to address challenges." Download the full report here. About Arcadis
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