UNITED NATIONS: The UN chief launched a new initiative Wednesday to reform the United Nations as it approaches its 80th anniversary, saying the 193-member global organization needs an urgent update to deal with major funding reductions and still tackle the world’s challenges.
Secretary-General António Guterres dismissed any relationship between his UN80 Initiative and cuts to foreign aid and other programs that US President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk say will make the US government more efficient.
“We are talking about completely different processes, methodologies and objectives,” Guterres told reporters. “This is a continuation and an intensification of work that we have always been doing.”
He said the UN initiative’s objective will be to present member states with proposals for improving the way the organization works, reviewing the increasing number of mandates from the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and making structural changes to streamline operations.
Guterres and his predecessors in past decades have struggled to reform the United Nations, which was established following World War II, and bring it into a modern era with different powers, new technology and greater global divisions.
One key problem is that while the secretary-general is the UN’s chief executive, power rests with the 193 member nations that have very different ideas about the UN and the world.
The United Nations also has faced sharp criticism for its failure to preserve international peace and security — its key mission — with critics pointing to the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Congo, to name a few. The UN has been key to providing humanitarian aid to millions of people and for its work helping refugees and children.
Trump signed an executive order saying some UN agencies and bodies have drifted from their mission to promote peace and prevent future global conflicts and ordered a review of their operations.
“I’ve always felt that the UN has tremendous potential,” Trump has said. “It’s not living up to that potential right now. ... They’ve got to get their act together.”
Stressing that the United Nations reflects the world, Guterres said these are times of intense uncertainty and unpredictability.
He said the UN’s work is affected by multiplying conflicts, inadequate progress in reducing poverty, widespread flouting of international law, violations of human rights and the lack of guardrails for new technologies, including artificial intelligence — to name a few.
“And all of them are aggravated by major reductions of funding for humanitarian aid and development cooperation,” the secretary-general said. “In many cases, these obstacles are fueling dangerous levels of geopolitical tensions and divisions.”
Guterres didn’t name any countries, but the Trump administration has dismantled the US Agency for International Development, which was in charge of humanitarian aid, and cut 83 percent of USAID’s programs. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, also are reducing humanitarian aid.
He said the UN’s resources have been shrinking, pointing to its liquidity crisis for at least the past seven years because not all member states pay their yearly dues, and many don’t pay on time.
Guterres said the UN80 Initiative is not only about reforming the UN but about “better serving people whose very lives depend on us” and “taxpayers around the world who underwrite everything we do.”
The initiative will cover not only the UN Secretariat but all its funds and agencies and offices in Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna. It will be led by UN Undersecretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, who will head a task force of top officials from the UN system, Guterres said.
The UN budget for 2025, which was adopted last December, is $3.72 billion. The US, with the world’s biggest economy, is expected to pay 22 percent. China, with the second-largest economy, just had its share raised to 20 percent.
Guterres said he hopes to move as soon as possible to take action in areas where he has authority and will urge member states “to consider the many decisions that rest with them.”
UN launches reform initiative as it nears its 80th anniversary and faces funding cuts
https://arab.news/5gwnm
UN launches reform initiative as it nears its 80th anniversary and faces funding cuts
- Initiative’s objective will be to present member states with proposals for improving the way the organization works, says secretary-general
- UN’s resources have been shrinking in the past seven years because not all member states pay their yearly dues, and many don’t pay on time
In Bangladesh’s mangrove forest, villagers brave tigers to collect rare honey
- Honey is gathered from wild bee colonies deep in the Sundarbans
- Producers made a debut at the biggest food fair in Jeddah this month
DHAKA: When the harvest begins, Mizanur Rahman gathers a few hundred men and sets out into the mangrove forest along the Bay of Bengal, where for months they climb trees to collect by hand a wild natural honey whose unique properties are only starting to attract global attention.
The honey is collected from wild bee colonies deep within the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove reserve spanning parts of India and southwestern Bangladesh.
“Honey collection from this forest is mostly done in the Bangladesh part,” Rahman said. “All plants, trees, and the overall environment of this forest are natural. There is no human touch.”
Sundarban honey comes from an ecosystem where trees grow and bloom naturally, without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Its collectors, known as mawalis, begin work in March for about three and a half months.
Rahman estimates there are about 4,000 mawalis in the local community. To enter the forest, they require special passes from the forest department.
“It’s a very risky job for the people who enter the forest,” he told Arab News. “It’s the only honey in the world where collectors risk their lives in the den of the mighty Bengal tiger to gather it. Sometimes, they also face the danger of poisonous snake bites.”
During the season, his team reaches up to 1,200 members who together manage to collect about 400 tons of honey.
“One hundred small boats start sailing together, each carrying eight to 10 people,” Rahman said. “Despite the dangers, it is a matter of pride to be part of these challenging tasks.”
Collected from a humid environment, Sundarban honey is thinner than other types. Its greenish-amber shade comes from the nectar of mangrove flowers, and the taste is less sweet than most commercial honeys, with a subtle citrus-like tanginess. The scent is mild.
Being raw and unprocessed, the honey retains more enzymes, antioxidants, and pollen.
“Some people can feel acidity similar to orange juice,” Rahman said. “It has a unique taste. If someone tastes this honey once, she or he will definitely love to taste it again and again.”
Well known locally in Bangladesh and parts of eastern India, where it has been harvested and consumed for generations, Sundarban honey is only starting to gain attention in organic and specialty food markets.
Earlier this month, it debuted at AgroFood Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s leading international exhibition for the agriculture, food, and agritech industries.
The organic honey from the Sundarbans received an encouraging reception, according to Mohammed Saleh Uddin Bhuyan, chief category officer at Ghorer Bazar, one of the companies participating in the expo.
“We have been receiving good responses from the local buyers,” he said. “Saudi Arabia is a very promising market for us.”
Bangladeshi authorities recognize the honey’s export potential but also the fact that production still needs to be standardized to enter global markets.
Mahmudul Hasan, director of Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau, told Arab News that there are plans to promote the organic practices behind the honey during future food fairs in the Gulf region.
“There is huge export potential for our mangrove honey in the Gulf countries, as Arab consumers are fond of honey. They just need to be assured of the quality in the production process,” he said.
“Our mangrove honey is undoubtedly an organic product. It has unique value, but the world is not very aware of it yet.”
