The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/72/165, proclaimed 21 August as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. The theme of this year’s commemoration, "Healing Through Memory", was selected through consultations with the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN). It recognizes the important role that remembrance, memorialization, solidarity, and collective memory can play in healing, resilience, recovery, and social cohesion.
Source: Council of the European Union (video statements)
Travelling in Europe this summer? Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you access to state healthcare in all 27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, at the same price as locals pay. It’s free and takes minutes to apply for through your national health insurance provider.
Briefing from the capital of Colombia’s ChocĂł region, QuibdĂł, an International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) humanitarian response and recovery specialist told journalists in New York that ten days since a devastating earthquake hit large areas of the country “everything is still urgent,” and there are communities “that haven’t been accessed yet or have only been accessed to once.”
Providing an update on the humanitarian situation in the country following the earthquake, the IOM official, Jean Philippe, said, “the full picture of the impact is still emerging, but according to preliminary data by the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, 282,000 people have been affected. Amongst these, we have many who have lost their loved ones, their homes, children have lost their schools and communities no longer have access to something as simple as a park or as essential as a hospital.”
Antolin said, “nearly 163,000 homes are affected and undergoing structural evaluations.”
He said IOM has launched a flash appeal of USD 30 million, “to expand its earthquake response in the initial six months,” and it aims to cover “both urgent life-saving help now and a gradual shift toward longer term recovery, including shelter, managing accommodation sites, clean water and sanitation, health care, protection for vulnerable people and helping communities to rebuild.”
The response and recovery specialist noted that “recent heavy rains across Colombia’s Pacific region, including Pereira, Buenaventura and here in QuibdĂł, have further worsened living conditions for many earthquake-affected families.”
He said, “these conditions have increased shelter, water, sanitation and protection needs, particularly for people in open spaces, community centres, sports fields, schools, public buildings and churches,” and is also “making it easier for epidemic vector diseases to spread such as dengue, which is especially dangerous in shelters where many people live close together.”
Antolin said, “we must continue to provide blanket coverage of several items, from shelter to food, to health.”
Among the most pressing urgent needs, he said, is “the need for information,” as “people need to know whether their house is safe, structurally sound.”
The IOM official said, “people are sleeping outside for fear of the roof collapsing over the heads. They need the structural evaluations to carry on. Someone to tell them it’s safe or unsafe to be there.”
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at Summerplace in Johannesburg and is received by Founder and Group CEO of Discovery Limited and Chairperson of Business Leadership South Africa, Mr Adrian Gore, ahead of the Phase 3 launch of the Government-Business Partnership.
Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)
How can AI, satellite technology, and real-time data transform agriculture and supply chains?
Ahmad Hamwi, Founder and CEO of Rinato Space, explains how the company combines satellite imagery, weather intelligence, and information from the ground to monitor farms at scale. The Zambia-based company, one of the winners of this year’s Small Business Champions competition, helps farmers, buyers, insurers, regulators, and exporters make informed decisions.
In September, the WTO hosts its first ever World Trade and Tech Day to look at how AI is impacting international trade. The event will feature several use cases such as this one.
Download this video from the WTO website:
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm
Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)
How can artificial intelligence help close development gaps and unlock new opportunities for businesses across Latin America?
Germán LĂłpez, Vice President of the Colombian Chamber of Informatics and Telecommunications (CCIT), discusses a regional initiative developed with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to create an AI governance roadmap for the private sector in Latin America. The initiative was a runner up at this year’s Small Business Champions competition.
The project aims to help micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) identify their AI needs, overcome implementation challenges, and adopt common standards that enable greater regional collaboration and digital trade.
In September, the WTO hosts its first ever World Trade and Tech Day to look at how AI is impacting international trade. The event will feature several use cases. Learn more: www.wto.org/worldtradetechday
Download this video from the WTO website:
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm
