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SUMMARY:World Seagrass Day
DESCRIPTION:Healthy seagrass\, healthy planet\nIn May 2022\, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/76/265 proclaiming 1 March as World Seagrass Day. The resolution highlights the urgent need to raise awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions for the conservation of seagrasses in order to contribute to their health and development\, bearing in mind that enhancing ecosystem services and functions is important for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. \n\nWhy seagrass matters\nSeagrasses are marine flowering plants that are found in shallow waters in many parts of the world\, from the tropics to the Arctic circle. They form extensive underwater meadows\, creating complex\, highly productive and biologically rich habitats. \nCovering only 0.1% of the ocean floor\, these seagrass meadows provide food and shelter to thousands of species of fish\, seahorses\, turtles\, etc. and sustain some of the world’s largest fisheries. They improve water quality by filtering\, cycling and storing nutrients and pollutants\, reducing contamination in seafood. Highly efficient carbon sinks\, they can store up to 18% of the world’s oceanic carbon\, making them a powerful nature-based solutions to tackle climate change impacts. Because they buffer ocean acidification\, they contribute to the resilience of the most vulnerable ecosystems and species\, such as coral reefs. And to the coastal populations\, they act as the first line of defense along coasts by reducing wave energy\, protecting people from the increasing risk of floods and storms. \n\nA resource in danger\nDespite its important contribution to sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation\, this core component of marine biodiversity is in danger and only about a quarter of all meadows fall within marine protected areas. \nSeagrasses have been declining globally since the 1930s\, with the most recent census estimating that 7% of this key marine habitat is being lost worldwide per year. It was recently noted that 21% of seagrass species are categorized as Near Threatened\, Vulnerable and Endangered Species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. \nThe combined pressures of coastal development\, pollution\, including land-based run-off\, climate change\, dredging and unregulated fishing and boating activities are key drivers of the degradation of seagrasses and their associated ecosystems. \n\nProtection works\nDespite a general global trend of seagrass loss\, some areas have shown abating declines or substantial recovery of seagrasses. These recoveries can often be attributed to human interventions reducing the effect of human-caused stressors. \nSeagrasses are critical for life underwater\, but also provide wide-ranging benefits to people on land. Raising awareness about their importance for community well-being\, whether through food security from fish production\, improved quality of water filtered by seagrasses\, protection of coasts from erosion\, storms and floods\, or carbon sequestration and storage will drive efforts around the world to conserve\, better manage and restore these ecosystems. \nUltimately\, the protection and restoration of seagrass meadows will help countries achieve multiple economic\, societal and nutritional objectives\, aligning with and supported by policies implemented at the national\, regional or global levels. For example: \n\nThe benefits from conserving and restoring seagrass meadows can also help countries achieve 26 targets and indicators associated with ten Sustainable Development Goals.\nGiven the carbon storage and sequestration capacity of seagrass ecosystems\, including them in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) can help nations achieve their targets under the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).\nInclusion of seagrass ecosystems in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is also critical for protecting the integrity of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.\nRestoration of seagrasses also provides countries with opportunities to achieve commitments to be made to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.\n\nInclusion of seagrass management\, conservation and restoration should be a critical component of sustainable blue economy strategies in the future. Projects are already underway in various countries\, and a few have even been selected as World Restoration Flagships initiatives. Chosen as best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration\, these projects embody the 10 restoration principles of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. \n\n\nDid you know?\n\n\n\nSeagrass meadows exist in 159 countries on six continents\, covering over 300\,000 km2\, making them one of the most widespread coastal habitats on Earth.\nAlmost 30% of global seagrass area has been lost since the late nineteenth century and at least 22 of the world’s 72 seagrass species are in decline.\nSeagrasses\, as a part of the marine ecosystem\, store up to 18% of the world’s oceanic carbon.\nConserving and restoring seagrass meadows can also help countries achieve 26 targets and indicators associated with ten Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).\n\n\nESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time\, objective reporting on global ESG regulations\, climate finance\, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC\, IFRS\, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate\, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards\, ESG disclosures\, and climate policy. Access over 10\,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.
URL:https://esgnews.com/event/world-seagrass-day/
CATEGORIES:ESG Awareness,SDGs,United Nations
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240301T000000
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SUMMARY:Zero Discrimination Day
DESCRIPTION:ABOUT ZERO DISCRIMINATION DAY\nOn Zero Discrimination Day\, 1 March\, we celebrate the right of everyone to live a full and productive life—and live it with dignity. Zero Discrimination Day highlights how people can become informed about and promote inclusion\, compassion\, peace and\, above all\, a movement for change. Zero Discrimination Day is helping to create a global movement of solidarity to end all forms of discrimination. \nOn Zero Discrimination Day this year\, under the theme “Save lives: Decriminalise”\, UNAIDS is highlighting how the decriminalisation of key populations and people living with HIV saves lives and helps advance the end of the AIDS pandemic. \n\nCriminal laws targeting key populations and people living with HIV violate people’s human rights\, exacerbate the stigma people face and put people in danger by creating barriers to the support and services they need to protect their health. \nIn 2021\, the world set ambitious law reform targets to remove criminal laws that are undermining the HIV response and leaving key populations behind. Recognising decriminalization as a critical element in the response\, countries made a commitment that by 2025 less than 10% of countries would have punitive legal and policy environments that affect the HIV response. \nHowever\, despite some encouraging reforms\, the world is far from achieving the target. In fact\, today there are 134 countries explicitly criminalising or otherwise prosecuting HIV exposure\, non-disclosure or transmission; 20 countries criminalise and/or prosecute transgender persons; 153 countries criminalise at least one aspect of sex work; and 67 countries now criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity\, according to UNAIDS. In addition\, 48 countries still place restrictions on entry into their territory for people living with HIV\, while 53 countries report that they require mandatory HIV testing\, for example for marriage certificates or for performing certain professions. 106 countries report requiring parental consent for adolescents to access HIV testing. \nCriminalisation drives discrimination and structural inequalities. It robs people of the prospect of healthy and fulfilling lives. And it holds back the end of AIDS. \nWe must end criminalisation to save lives. \nESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time\, objective reporting on global ESG regulations\, climate finance\, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC\, IFRS\, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate\, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards\, ESG disclosures\, and climate policy. Access over 10\,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.
URL:https://esgnews.com/event/zero-discrimination-day/
CATEGORIES:ESG Awareness,SDGs,United Nations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/zero-discrimination-day.jpeg
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