The GEF to expand ocean support under new high seas treaty

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

“The Global Environment Facility is honored to serve this important new convention. We are ready to continue and intensify support for biodiversity protection and ocean health on the high seas.” – GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodr?guez

The Global Environment Facility welcomes the draft agreement reached on Saturday [March 4, 2023] under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, known as BBNJ.

More than a decade in the making, the BBNJ agreement commits countries to safeguarding life on the high seas through a variety of means including the equitable use of marine genetic resources, area-based management tools such as marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.

The draft text, which will be adopted at a resumed intergovernmental conference at a future date, designates the GEF trust fund as part of the financial mechanism for the new convention, alongside a designated special fund and an additional voluntary fund.

GEF CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodr?guez welcomed the draft treaty and strong commitment by countries to the sustainable management of the high seas, which make up 40 percent of the surface of the planet, 64 percent of the surface of the ocean and nearly 95 percent of its volume.

“The ocean is a critical source of life, food, energy, and recreation, and we need to care for it. It is extremely heartening to see countries come together to prioritize the biodiversity and ecosystems of the high seas,” said Rodr?guez, a former Costa Rican environment minister and avid surfer.

“The Global Environment Facility is honored to serve this important new convention. We are ready to continue and intensify support for biodiversity protection and ocean health on the high seas,” Rodr?guez said. “We will support national ratification and implementation of the convention once negotiations have concluded, with the agreement of the GEF Council.”

Areas beyond national jurisdiction are facing multiple threats including overfishing, illegal fishing, mining, oil and gas activities, land-based pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. They also contain marine resources of significant ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural importance. “This agreement will enable these last frontiers of our planet to be conserved and sustainably managed,” Rodr?guez said.

The GEF is a family of funds that enables developing countries to meet their commitments under international conventions including those on biodiversity, climate change, desertification, and toxic pollutants. The new high seas treaty expands this role and deepens the GEF’s existing efforts to conserve and promote the sustainable use of ocean biodiversity.

To date, the GEF has invested more than $1.2 billion in the management of shared marine resources, including $80 million for areas beyond national jurisdiction, leveraging more than $500 million in co-financing from other sources. This has included support to regional fisheries management organizations focused on migratory fish and other ocean life, as well as regional ocean governance institutions, and direct support to developing countries.

In the current four-year funding period known as GEF-8, which runs until 2026, the trust fund has allocated $34 million for work in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The GEF has also provided support for capacity building around the sustainable use of marine genetic resources under the Nagoya Protocol and has supported the creation or improved management of 1.4 billion hectares of marine protected areas with $370 million of grants.

More than 100 countries have received support from GEF programs focused on areas beyond national jurisdiction to date.

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Rihanna Hilariously Trolls Her Son

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The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Rihanna shares some new content of hers and A$AP Rocky’s adorable baby boy with a little trolling. The pop artist and Fenty Beauty founder is giving fans

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Elephant Man Tackles Violence Against Women In New Song ‘Mi Vex’

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Elephant Man is adding his voice to the ongoing dialogue calling for the ceasing of violence against women in the country. There has been a recent spate

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Charlamagne Declines Commenting On Angela Yee Statement, DJ Envy Speaks Out

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy is doubling down on his rebuttal and calls former host Angela Yee’s recent statement about her experience as the only female face on the show “cap.”

There’s been much back and forth since Yee’s statement on the Tamron Hall Show, where she spoke about being lumped together for comments or remarks made by the other hosts and being happy about having her own show where she faces accountability only for her actions.

Since Angela Yee’s comments, rapper Lil Mama and Erica Mena both accused her of being a hypocrite and attempting to take herself away from damaging discussions on the morning radio show because she now needs female audience support for her own show. Lil Mama, who was moved to tears during an interview, equally blamed Yee for laughing and participating in the incident that took place.

DJ Envy on Monday officially spoke on the matter during the Breakfast Club show.

“What she said wasn’t true. I can’t tell her how she can feel about being on the show cause’ on the show yeah, she’s correct it was me, Charlamagne and herself. But when it came to producers, there were so many different women who continued to work… I didn’t like that they put that the Breakfast Club doesn’t have women here, and doesn’t respect women’s views because that’s not true,” he said.

Envy said he felt upset about the comment as Yee made it sound as if no women worked at the show.

“There’s other people that work here who do a lot for the show. There are women here who continue to push me and Charlamagne to the next level. Charlamagne and I talk spoke about how important it is to have women in our lives, especially black women,” he said.

He added, “I didn’t want to diminish or take away from what these strong black women do for our show.”

Many social media users appeared to agree with Yee that the two male hosts, especially Charlamagne, have been disrespectful toward women, and some even felt that Yee was afraid to speak up.

When asked his thoughts on the matter, Charlamagne said, “Nothing.”

In the initial interview, Yee told Hall, “Sometimes I would feel like I got it harder than [Charlamagne Tha God] did for some things that he said. And so I also want to make it clear that we’re all three individuals. You say what you say, feel how you feel, and I do too. But it’s hard because people affiliate you with the whole group.

She continued, “I was the only woman who worked there too. I mean when it came to producers, camera people, and it wasn’t an easy room for me to be in. I feel like I did need more backup because even things that I felt, as a woman – if somebody can’t understand your point of view because they’re not coming from where you come from. So that was hard for me too, to be the only woman there.”

Yee later addressed the comments in a series of tweets on Saturday.

“Usually, I don’t comment or go back and forth with people but there’s too much spinning. “In the room” referred to the people in the studio: the producer, board op, videographer, and hosts. Yes, they are men. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t amazing women who are execs, salespeople, interns, and in other departments. I’ve said this on many occasions: that it can be hard when your viewpoint is different based on your experience. I didn’t anticipate that this would cause such a firestorm. Everyone texting me “are you ok” (which I appreciate!) and I know I don’t normally take the time to overexplain because it drags things out even more but that’s all,” she posted.

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Shaggy’s Ex-Manager Exposes Financial & Legal Problems In Clearing His Name

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The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Shaggy’s former manager, Big Yard’s Robert Livingston, denies that he is the manager that Shaggy claims gave him an unfair deal while also improperly

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Employment-related gender gaps greater than previously thought, ILO report finds

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Gender imbalances in access to employment and working conditions are greater than previously thought and progress in reducing them has been disappointingly slow in the last two decades, according to a new ILO brief.

A new indicator developed by the ILO, the Jobs Gap, captures all persons without employment that are interested in finding a job. It paints a much bleaker picture of the situation of women in the world of work than the more commonly used unemployment rate. The new data shows that women still have a much harder time finding a job than men.

According to the brief, New data shine light on gender gaps in the labour market , 15 per cent of working-age women globally would like to work but do not have a job, compared with 10.5 per cent of men. This gender gap has remained almost unchanged for two decades (2005-2022). In contrast, the global unemployment rates for women and men are very similar, because the criteria used to define unemployment tends to disproportionately exclude women.

The jobs gap is particularly severe in developing countries where the proportion of women unable to find a job reaches 24.9 per cent in low-income countries. The corresponding rate for men in the same category is 16.6 per cent, a worryingly high level but significantly lower than that for women.

The brief points out that personal and family responsibilities, including unpaid care work, disproportionately affect women. These activities can prevent them not only from being employed but also from actively searching for employment or being available to work at short notice. It is necessary to meet these criteria to be considered unemployed, so many women in need of a job aren’t reflected in the unemployment figures.

Gender imbalances in decent work are not limited to access to employment. While vulnerable employment is widespread for both women and men, women tend to be overrepresented in certain types of vulnerable jobs. For instance, women are more likely to be helping out in their households or in their relatives’ businesses rather than being in own-account work.

This vulnerability, together with lower employment rates, takes a toll on women’s earnings. Globally, for each dollar of labour income men earn, women earned only 51 cents.

There are significant differences between regions, the brief finds. In low and lower-middle income countries, the gender disparity in labour income is much worse, with women earning 33 cents and 29 cents on the dollar respectively. In high-income and upper-middle income countries, women’s relative labour income reaches 58 and 56 cents respectively per dollar earned by men. This striking disparity in earnings is driven by both women’s lower employment level, as well as their lower average earnings when they are employed.

The new estimates shine light on the magnitude of gender disparities in labour markets, underscoring how important it is to improve women’s overall participation in employment, to expand their access to employment across occupations, and to address the glaring gaps in job quality that women face.

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GloRilla Reacts To Chaos and Possible Injuries At Rochester Concert

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The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

GloRilla reacts to reports fans trampled at Rochester, New York concert, and leaving several injuries. Several people were reportedly injured while

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Gucci Mane Beams With Pride After Keyshia Ka’oir Share Pics Of Baby Girl

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Keyshia Ka’oir shares first full pics of baby Iceland Davis, leaving Gucci Mane beaming with pride

Millionaire entrepreneur and wife of Gucci Mane, Keyshia Ka’oir, has shared the first look of her and the rapper’ second child, baby Iceland. Ka’oir gave birth three weeks ago but hasn’t shared many details about her daughter except her name. On Thursday, she shared that her little girl was celebrating her three weeks milestone, and she also shared cute newborn photos of baby Iceland.

“I C E L A N D #3weeksOld #IcelandKaoirDavis,” she captioned the series of photos. Gucci Mane had a much longer caption when he shared the photos of his baby girl. “I got the prettiest daughter in the world Dada love you so much the So Icy Princess Iceland Davis,” he wrote.

The photos showed baby Iceland wearing shades of white and pastel pink, lying asleep on a rocker with a sweet smile, and in another photo, she is seen propped up on her elbow while sleeping on the rim of a bucket.

The baby was also swaddled in a pink blanket with roses around her head while she slept peacefully.

Fans of K’aoir reacted to the baby’s beautiful features. “When you make pretty babies you can show them off at 20 minutes after birth!! But ALL babies are beautiful,” one follower wrote. Another said, “One thing you gonna do is have a pretty baby.”

“Glad you’re not funny acting when it comes to showing your babies,” another follower said.

Ka’oir and Gucci Mane share another child, a son, Ice Davis, who was born in 2020. The rapper and his wife got married in 2020, and each share children from previous unions.

In the meantime, Ka’oir also appears to be healing after childbirth, as she recently shared that she had to have a c-section and was finally recovering and getting her body back in shape with her famous Ka’oir teas. The businesswoman shared the details about her recovery in a post last week.

“I started my pills last night for the first time since being pregnant & LAWD OF MERCY! I cuss myself! I said ain’t Noway! NEVER AGAIN! THIS IS TEWWW much I was so HOT & was sweating,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.

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Three days of mourning in Haiti following death of former PM

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The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Three days of national mourning have been declared in Haiti following the recent death of former Prime Minister G?rard Latortue.

In a statement , the prime minister’s office said the days of national mourning will be from March 5 to March 7.

During these days the national flag will be lowered and radio and television stations will feature shows and music reflecting the mourning period.

Latortue, a former interim prime minister of Haiti who helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s died on February 27. He was 88.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry said Latortue’s death was a tremendous loss for the nation and described him as “a reformer, a convinced patriot, an eminent technocrat, a voice of change, of development (and) a supporter of democracy.”

Latortue was a former exile who was sworn in as interim prime minister in March 2004 following months of bloodshed and political strife that left more than 300 dead and culminated in the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The turmoil at the time prompted the US military to escalate its mission in Haiti.

In February 2006, Haiti held general elections to replace the interim government of Latortue, who was succeeded by former Prime Minister Jacques-?douard Alexis.

The provisional president, Boniface Alexandre, was succeeded by former President Ren? Pr?val.

Latortue had previously served as Haiti’s foreign minister, as a business consultant in Miami and as an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization in Africa.

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PAHO urges Caribbean countries to tackle main driver of NCDs

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The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service
Obesity greatly increases the risk for many chronic diseases, including heartdisease and diabetes.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urging countries to tackle the main driver of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Americas, including the Caribbean.

On World Obesity Day on Saturday, PAHO said front-of-package warning labels, restrictions on the marketing of processed and ultra-processed products high in fats, sugars and salt, and taxes on unhealthy food and beverages are among the measures being promoted to tackle the growing problem of obesity in the region of the Americas.

According to PAHO, obesity is one of the main risk factors for several noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, as well as several types of cancer.

In 2021, PAHO said obesity was responsible for 2.8 million deaths from NCDs in the Americas.

PAHO said rates of overweight and obesity have tripled in the region over the past 50 years, adding that these conditions now affect 62.5 percent of the population, the highest regional prevalence in the world.

Levels of overweight and obesity among children is also on the rise, affecting 33.6 percent of children and adolescents aged 5-19 years in the Americas, PAHO said.

It said this is primarily due to low levels of breastfeeding, and poor diets that are low in fruits and vegetables and high in ultra-processed food and drink products.

“Noncommunicable diseases are the biggest killer in the Americas, accounting for 80 percent of all deaths in the Americas, one-third of which are preventable,” said Fabio da Silva Gomes, PAHO’s regional advisor on Nutrition and Physical Activity. “Halting the rise in obesity is essential to combat the growing burden of NCDs and improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in the Americas, including the next generation.”

To tackle the growing trend of obesity in the Americas, PAHO said it works with countries on the implementation of proven strategies to prevent and reduce the problem.

These include – protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, which reduces the risk of overweight and obesity by 13 percent in children; improving nutrition and promoting physical activity in pre-schools and schools; taxes on sugary drinks and the regulation of food marketing; and intersectoral actions through health promotion, surveillance, research and evaluation.

PAHO said it is also working with countries of the Americas in the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Acceleration Plan to STOP obesity, discussed during the 75th World Health Assembly in 2022.

“The aim of the plan is to accelerate progress towards reducing obesity, with a focus on high-burden countries,” PAHO said.

In December 2022, PAHO experts met with representatives from Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago in Brasilia, to start the development of country roadmaps to implement the plan in the Americas.

PAHO said World Obesity Day is celebrated every year on March 4 “to raise awareness of the urgent need to address the global obesity epidemic.”

The theme of 2023 is “Changing Perspectives: Let’s talk about obesity.”

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