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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Monthly DNA

24 Oct, 2022

17 Min Read

UN’s 77th Anniversary

GS-II : International organisation United Nation

UN’s 77th Anniversary

The world recently celebrated the 77th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) on October 24, 2022.

About United Nations

  • The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation that was established in 1945. It currently has 193 member countries.
  • Its mission and work are guided by the goals and principles outlined in its founding Charter, which are carried out by its various organs and specialised agencies.
  • Maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law are among its activities.

History:

  • The International Peace Conference was held in The Hague in 1899 to develop instruments for peacefully resolving crises, preventing wars, and codifying rules of warfare.
  • It ratified the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes Convention and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began operations in 1902. This court served as the forerunner to the United Nations International Court of Justice.
  • The League of Nations was the forerunner of the United Nations, an organisation conceived in the aftermath of World War I and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
  • International Organization Conference of the United Nations (1945).
  • Representatives from 50 countries attended a conference in San Francisco (USA) and signed the United Nations Charter.
  • The United Nations Charter of 1945 is the organization's founding treaty as an intergovernmental organisation.

Components: All 6 were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.

Funds and Programmes:

  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  • United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
  • World Food Programme (WFP).

Specialized Agencies:

  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • International Labour Organization (ILO)
  • IMF
  • World Bank
  • International Maritime Organization (IMO).
  • International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
  • World Health Organization (WHO.
  • UNCTAD.
  • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
  • United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP

What have the UN's contributions been thus far?

Increase in UN membership:

  • Following decolonization in the 1960s, the UN membership more than doubled from about 50 to 100.

Decolonisation:

  • The United Nations took the lead in decolonization in 1960, assisting around 80 colonies in gaining their independence.

Participation in Civil Society:

  • The United Nations is no longer just an organisation of nations; with the passage of time, more and more UN bodies have begun to engage with people within nations, experts, intellectuals, and the media.

Better Nutrition:

  • In comparison to the League of Nations, the UN has been able to sustain itself until now, which is an accomplishment.

Peacekeeping:

  • The United Nations has successfully averted World War III.

What are the United Nations' major setbacks?

  • Arm Races and Cold War: Although World War III was successfully avoided, violence, arm races, nuclear races, and cold wars continue to occur among nations.
  • Power Suppressing Principles: The world body is still seeing a battle between 'principle' and 'power.'
  • While the UN represents the hopes of a peaceful and just world, the most powerful states are favoured by granting them commanding heights over international politics through the undemocratic instruments of veto power and permanent seats on the UN Security Council (UNSC).
  • The United Nations has been unable to present itself as a multipolar and multilateral organisation.
  • The UN had 5 permanent members with a total of 51 members when it was formed; it now has 193 members, but permanent members in the UN General Assembly are still 5.
  • Holistic Growth Laggard: The organisation had been unable to keep up with the increasing globalisation.
  • The United Nations has been a laggard in overall development; no institutional arrangement exists to deal specifically with pandemics or new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

What is India's Role in the United Nations?

  • India and the United Nations:
  • India is a founding member of the United Nations.
  • India has been an active participant in all UN initiatives, including the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, and various UN summits, including those on climate change, since its independence and even before that.
  • Maintaining peace: In terms of the UN's peacekeeping mandate, India has done quite well in maintaining peaceful and friendly relations with the majority of nations.

UN Security Council and India:

  • India was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning in January 2021.
  • India's non-permanent membership can be used to persuade other countries to join the fight against international terrorism.
  • Furthermore, India should strive to become a permanent member of the United Nations in the future.
  • Raising concerns about the need for reforms: India has recognised the urgent need for reforms in the UN, particularly at the UN Security Council, and has expressed concern about the issue.
  • Developing countries, including India, are now playing a larger role in both the global economy and politics.
  • However, these changes are not reflected in the UN Security Council, where all critical decisions are still made by the Security Council's veto-wielding permanent members.

The Way Forward

  • The United Nations has survived and thrived over the last 75 years, and there have certainly been incremental changes, but the time has come for the UN to change, and change for the better.
  • The UN Security Council urgently needs to undergo reforms; the sooner the better, the later the more obsolete.

Source: The Hindu

Climate Change and Health

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Climate change

Climate Change and Health

According to a recent Lancet report, over 3,30,000 persons died in India in 2020 as a result of exposure to particulate matter from fossil fuel combustion.

Important Findings

  • The report's title is Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels.
  • The seventh annual global report is now available.

Temperature Influence:

  • Heat-related mortality in India increased by 55% from 2000 to 2004 to 2017-2021.
  • Problematic government and corporate actions: They continue to pursue tactics that endanger the health and survival of all individuals alive today and future generations.

Subsidy:

  • India had a net negative carbon price in 2019, suggesting that the government effectively subsidised fossil fuels.
  • In 2019, India allocated a net 34 billion USD [around]2,80,000 crore to this, accounting for 37.5% of total national health spending.
  • In 2019, biomass accounted for 61% of household energy, while fossil fuels accounted for the remaining 20%.
  • Because of this heavy reliance on fossil fuels, average household particulate matter concentrations surpassed the World Health Organization (WHO) standard by 27-fold nationally and 35-fold in rural dwellings.
  • In India, 45% of metropolitan areas are classed as moderately green or higher.
  • Economic Loss: Due to heat exposure, Indians wasted 16,720 crore potential labour hours in 2021, resulting in income losses equal to nearly 5.4% of the national GDP.

Health Consequences:

  • Dengue: In India, from 1951-1960 to 2012-2021, the number of months appropriate for Aedes Aegypti transmission increased by 1.69%, reaching 5.6 months per year.
  • Heatwave: Infants under one year old suffered a higher number of heatwave days between 2012 and 2021.
  • Adults over the age of 65 had 301 million extra person-days throughout the same time period.
  • In comparison to 1986-2021, this means that each infant experienced an additional 0.9 heatwave days each year from 2012 to 2021, while people over 65 experienced an additional 3.7 per person.
  • Heat-related mortality in India increased by 55% from 2000 to 2004 to 2017-2021.
  • Agriculture: The length of the maize growing season has decreased by 2% from 1981 to 2010.
  • Rice and winter wheat prices have both dropped by 1%.
  • Households are subject to energy, poverty, and harmful levels of air pollution.

About Particulate Matter (PM)

  • Particulate matter (PM) is a type of particle that can be inhaled and respired that is made up of sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust, and water.

PM2.5:

  • PM2.5 is one of six frequently measured criterion air pollutants. It is made up of microscopic aerosol particles measuring 2.5 millimetres or less in diameter.
  • Because of its abundance in the environment and the wide variety of health impacts, it is widely regarded as the most hazardous to human health.
  • It comes from a variety of sources and varies in chemical composition and physical properties.
  • Sulphates, nitrates, black carbon, and ammonium are common chemical constituents of PM2.5.
  • Internal combustion engines, power generation, industrial processes, agricultural processes, construction, and residential wood and coal burning are the most common man-made sources.
  • Dust storms, sandstorms, and wildfires are the most common natural sources of PM2.5.

Way Forward

  • Increased green space, which reduces urban heat, improves air quality, and benefits physical and mental health, can result from urban redesign that prioritises health.
  • Improved air quality will aid in the prevention of deaths caused by exposure to particulate matter derived from fossil fuels.
  • States should begin adapting and implementing heat action plans in their respective cities.
  • The Ahmedabad heat action plan, for example, which has shown that mortality can be reduced, should be implemented everywhere.

Source: The Indian express

Sukapaika River & Mahanadi River System

GS-I : Indian Geography River system

Sukapaika River

The Sukapaika River, which stopped flowing 70 years ago, is set to be revived, as the Odisha government has begun working on a revival plan in response to a recent National Green Tribunal directive (NGT).

The main features of the Sukapaika River

  • Sukapaika is one of the many distributaries of Odisha's mighty Mahanadi river.
  • It splits from the Mahanadi at Ayatpur village in Cuttack district and flows for about 40 kilometres (km) before rejoining the Mahanadi at Tarapur in the same district.
  • Sukapaika river is an important Mahanadi system for flood control and maintaining river flow as well as the flow of the Bay of Bengal.

About the Mahanadi River System

  • The Mahanadi River system, after the Godavari and Krishna rivers, is the third largest in peninsular India and the largest in Odisha state.
  • The river's catchment area includes Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra.
  • Its basin is bounded on the north by the Central India hills, on the south and east by the Eastern Ghats, and on the west by the Maikala range.
  • It originates in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, near Sihawa.
  • Major Tributaries: The Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand, and Ib join Mahanadi from the left, while the Ong, Tel, and Jonk join from the right.

Major Mahanadi Dams/Projects:

  • Hirakud Dam: This is India's longest dam.
  • Industries:
  • The Mahanadi basin has a favourable industrial climate due to its abundant mineral resources and adequate power supply.
  • Bhilai Iron and Steel Plant, Hirakud Aluminium Factory, Korba Paper Mill near Cuttack, and Sundargarh Cement Factory
  • Sugar and textile mills are two other industries that rely heavily on agricultural products.
  • Other industrial activities include coal, iron, and manganese mining.

Source: The New Indian Express

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