UN chief bats for universal literacy
UNITED NATIONS (PNA/ Xinhua) — UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called on governments and their partners, including in the private sector, to join hands to promote universal literacy and build peaceful, just, inclusive and sustainable societies – a vision set out in the new global development agenda.
In his message to mark the International Literacy Day, the secretarygeneral said, "This year, the world has embarked on implementing the ambitious and transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
JAKARTA (PNA/ANTARA News) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo has underscored the importance of ASEAN-UN partnership to eradicate poverty and promote public health in Southeast Asia.
The president made the remarks at the 8th ASEAN-UN Summit which brought together ASEAN leaders and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday.
ASEAN, which is still home to 120 million poor people must ensure that the Agenda 2030 in the field of poverty eradication can be achieved by organizing vocational training, increasing production capacity, making innovations, promoting micro small and medium entrepreneurs, and expanding access to financial inclusion, among others, he said.
"It is important for ASEAN to ensure that poverty eradication program will be incorporated to the 2030 sustainable development agenda," he said.
In the health sector, the Indonesian leader has expressed the hope that the two organizations can cooperate in enhancing regional resilience to the outbreak of communicable diseases such as SARS, bird flu, AIDS and noncommunicable diseases such as heart
WASHINGTON (PNA/Xinhua) — After sinking in August from their convention highs, the favorable ratings for US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton show little to no positive momentum, found a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
Clinton's current 38 percent favorable rating essentially ties her personal low of 37 percent, first reached during the Republican national convention in July. Trump's latest rating, at 34 percent, is just a bit better than where he stood at the close of the Democratic convention, which was 33 percent, the Aug. 31-Sept. 6 poll found.
Wednesday's low favorable ratings for the candidates mean that their unfavorable ratings are correspondingly high: 58 percent for Clinton and 62 percent for Trump, Gallup found.
Both candidates' images changed slightly during the convention period in the second half of July, showing improvements during their own party's convention and declines during the other.
But those changes proved fleeting, and neither candidate is much better off today than before the party conventions, Gallup found.
Clinton's rating among blacks, at 63 percent, is seven points below where it stood in the first half of July. It is also her lowest weekly favorable rating among blacks this year, after occasionally dipping
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Protests against new Brazilian President Michel Temer are taking place in several dozen cities across the country.
The news portal G1 has reported demonstrations in 40 cities Wednesday, which is Brazil's Independence Day. It is also the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The biggest protest is in Sao Paulo, the country's financial capital. With its 17 universal, integrated and interdependent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 2030 Agenda is an action plan for people, planet, partnership and peace. "
"Literacy stands at heart of the 2030 Agenda," Ban said. "It is a foundation for human rights, gender equality, and sustainable societies. It is essential to all our efforts to end extreme poverty and promote well-being for all people."
The SDGs, approved by world leaders here last September, served as the blueprint for the global development efforts for the years up to 2030. attack, cancer and diabetes.
The cooperation can be pursued by conducting joint researches involving institutions or experts, organizing joint training and establishing collaboration in preventing and detecting pandemic diseases including developing an emergency response plan, he said.
At the meeting, President Widodo also spoke of ASEAN’s influence in the global map that ASEAN is the world’s seventh largest economy, with gross domestic product (GDP) reaching nearly $2.6 trillion.
ASEAN is also a stable and peaceful region, he said adding that with all its assets and potentials, the regional grouping can contribute to the implementation of several UN agenda to realize sustainable development and create global peace, among others.
"ASEAN has all assets to become the UN’s main partner," he said.
In 2007, the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on ASEAN-UN Cooperation which laid the basis for the establishment of partnership in the political, economic and social and cultural fields as well as in the settlement of global issues. to as low as 65 percent.
Trump's current 34 percent rating among adults is just slightly better than his average 32 percent rating in the first half of July – the same as his average since January, Gallup found.
At the same time, like Clinton's, most of Trump's subgroup ratings are remarkably similar to where they were before the start of the conventions – most within two points of his July 1-17 scores.
The one notable change for Trump is a five-point increase in his rating among Republicans, which helps account for his two-point overall increase in favorability between the two periods, Gallup found.
Clinton remains near her recordlow favorability, with the added concern that her favorability is slumping among blacks.
Trump's 34 percent favorable rating is better than his 2016 low of 27 percent, recorded in April, but remains near the 32 percent to 34 percent range seen throughout August and still lags Clinton's current rating, according to Gallup.
Rather than offering a sign that voters are finally warming up to one candidate or the other, the latest ratings underscore the historic nature of this year's election as one featuring the two most unpopular nominees since scientific polls were invented, Gallup said. Organizers claim tens of thousands are walking down Paulista Avenue in the heart of the city. Police haven't provided estimates.
Most of the other demonstrations have been much smaller.
Temer took power last week after President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office by the Senate for breaking fiscal responsibility laws in her management of the budget. Rousseff denied the accusations.
"That is why the Sustainable Development Goals aim for universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people's lives," he said.
While significant progress has been made over the past five decades, the secretary-general noted. "The world is still very far from universal literacy."
Ban said that with the world becoming increasingly digitized and information rich, new opportunities and challenges are emerging, with more than 750 million adults illiterate, two-thirds of whom are female and including 115 million young people.
Some 250 million children of primary school age lack basic literacy skills and 124 million children and adolescents receive no schooling at all, Ban said.
Such obstacles to sustainable development can and must be overcome by developing and implementing the right policies, backed up by commitment and resources, the UN chief said.
"We need to ensure that those out of school get access to quality learning opportunities, we need to improve the quality of schooling, and we need to promote adult education and learning," he said.