Category: 2. World

PA Media

Getty Images

Progress

Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom.

The UN’s key Sustainable Development Goals Report released Monday by Secretary-General António Guterres, chronicles both progress and setbacks – showing that the world has made significant advances but is still drastically off-track to achieve its development goals by 2030.

Seize the day

“This report is more than a snapshot of today. It’s also a compass pointing the way to progress. This report shows that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are still within reach, but only if we act – with urgency, unity, and unwavering resolve,” Mr. Guterres said.

The release of the report coincides with the first day of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which will convene over the next ten days in New York in the hopes of answering the UN chief’s call to action.

‘A global development emergency’

In 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda, which outlined 17 Sustainable Development Goals – including ending poverty and ensuring that everyone had access to healthcare and quality education.

The ambitious SDGs were to be achieved by prioritising future generations through sustainable and climate-friendly initiatives.

“The 2030 Agenda represents our collective recognition that our destinies are intertwined and that sustainable development is not a zero-sum game but a shared endeavour that benefits us all,” said Li Junhua, UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Ten years after this commitment, the agenda is facing increasingly strong headwinds, including a $4 trillion funding shortfall for the developing world and increasing geopolitical tensions which are undermining multilateralism.

“The problem is that the Sustainable Development Goals do not include the instruments that would be necessary to make them happen,” Mr. Guterres said.

In light of these challenges, only 18 per cent of the SDGs are on track to be met by 2030. Around 17 per cent are experiencing moderate progress. But over half of the goals are moving too slowly – and 18 per cent of the goals have gone backwards.

“We are in a global development emergency, an emergency measured in the over 800 billion people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts and in the relentless debt service,” the Secretary-General said.

Real lives transformed – and left behind

Between 2015 and 2023, maternal death rates and death rates of children under the age of five dropped by approximately 15 per cent. During this same period of time, 54 countries eliminated at least one tropical disease, and 2.2 billion cases of malaria were averted as a result of prevention areas.

“These victories are not abstract statistics – they represent real lives transformed, families lifted from poverty and communities empowered to build better and more resilient futures,” Mr. Li said.

However, just as some have had their lives transformed, many people around the world have been left behind.

One in 10 people still live in abject poverty and one in 11 experience food insecurity. Over 1.1 billion people live in slums or informal settlements without basic services, including access to clean water and sanitation. And in 2024, one person lost their life to conflict every 12 minutes.

In short, while many lives were transformed in the past ten years, many lives were not – and some were actually worsened or lost.

“What we have learned since then is that sustainable development is not a destination but rather a journey of innovation, adaptation and commitment to human dignity,” Mr. Li said.

Data at the heart of development

Reliable data is what underpins sustainable development, according to the Secretary-General’s report. It is what enables the UN, State governments and civil society leaders to understand what progress has been made and how to target increased investments for areas which require more work.

When the 2030 Agenda was first adopted in 2015, only a third of the SDGs had sufficient data and over a third lacked internationally agreed upon methodologies. Today, 70 percent of the SDGs are well-monitored and all indicators have internationally established monitoring mechanisms.

However, the progress made in monitoring development progress is, like all parts of the development agenda, under increasing threat.

“This report tells the SDG story in numbers, but it is, above all, a call to action,” Mr. Guterres said.

Multilateralism is non-negotiable

The Secretary-General said that the SDGs cannot be achieved without significant reforms to the financial architecture, which must begin with an investment in multilateralism.

“This year’s HLPF is a crucial moment that gives us hope and encourages us to think collectively outside the box,” said Lok Bahadur Thapa, Vice President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the meeting which opened the HLPF.

This forum is an acknowledgement that the work is not yet done – the goals require more investment and more commitment in the next five years in order to ensure that the world does not leave more people behind.

“This is not a moment for despair, but for determined action. We have the knowledge, tools, and partnerships to drive transformation. What we need now is urgent multilateralism – a recommitment to shared responsibility and sustained investment,” Mr. Li said.

---

This story was first published in UN News.

Thousands of Afghans have moved to the UK under a secret scheme which was set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data, it can be revealed.

In February 2022, the personal details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan were leaked.

The previous government learned of the breach in August 2023 when some of the details appeared on Facebook.

A new resettlement scheme for those on the leaked list was set up nine months later, and has seen 4,500 Afghans arrive in the UK so far.

But the existence of the leak and relocations were kept secret after the government obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public.

Details of the major data breach, the response and the number of Afghans granted the right to live in the UK as a result only came to light on Tuesday after a High Court judge ruled the gagging order should be lifted.

The leak contained the names, contact details and some family information of people potentially at risk of harm from the Taliban.

The government also revealed on Tuesday:

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) believes 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, plus 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan
• The scheme is being closed down, but relocation offers already made to those who remain in Afghanistan will be honoured
• The secret scheme – officially called the Afghan Relocation Route – has cost £400m so far, and is expected to cost a further £400m to £450m
• The breach was committed mistakenly by an unnamed official at the MoD
• People whose details were leaked were only informed on Tuesday

Speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey offered a “sincere apology” to those whose details had been included in the leak, which came to light when some appeared on Facebook.

He said it was as a result of a spreadsheet being emailed “outside of authorised government systems”, which he described as a “serious departmental error” – though the Metropolitan Police decided a police investigation was not necessary.

Healey said the leak was “one of many data losses” related to the Afghanistan evacuation during that period, and contained the names of senior military officials, government officials and MPs.

The MoD has declined to say how many people may have been arrested or killed as a result of the data breach, but Healey told MPs an independent review had found it was “highly unlikely” an individual would have been targeted solely because of it.

He said that review had also judged the secret scheme to be an “extremely significant intervention” given the “potentially limited” risk posed by the leak.

In a High Court judgement issued on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said it was “quite possible” that some of those who saw the Facebook post containing the leaked personal data “were Taliban infiltrators or spoke about it to Taliban-aligned individuals”.

An email has been sent to those impacted by the breach, urging them to “exercise caution”, and take steps like protecting their online activities and not responding to messages from unknown contacts.

Healey said those who have been relocated to the UK have already been counted in immigration figures.

Tuesday’s disclosure dates back to the August 2021 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which saw the Taliban retake power and quickly surround the capital Kabul.

The leak involved the names of people who had applied for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, which the UK government set up to rapidly process applications by people who feared reprisals from the Taliban and move them to the UK.

The evacuation – which saw 36,000 Afghans moved to the UK – has already been heavily criticised in the years since it was launched, with a 2022 inquiry by the Foreign Affairs Committee finding it was a “disaster” and a “betrayal”.

When the government set up a new relocation scheme last year in response to the leak, members of the press quickly learned about the plans.

The government asked a judge to impose an injunction on the media. The court then imposed a type of order which prevented outlets from reporting any detail of the leak, or even that the injunction itself existed. Healey said he was not aware of any other similar injunctions being in place.

He told the House even he had been prevented from speaking about the breach because of the “unprecedented” injunction, after being informed while still shadow defence secretary.

Reading a summary of his judgment in court, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the gagging order had “given rise to serious free speech concerns”.

He continued: “The super-injunction had the effect of completely shutting down the ordinary mechanisms of accountability which operate in a democracy.

“This led to what I describe as a ‘scrutiny vacuum’.”

Court documents disclosed on Tuesday revealed then-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace “personally” applied for the stringent injunction in order to give the government time to do “everything it reasonably can to help those who might have been put at further risk by the data compromise”.

The injunction was extended in November 2023 on the basis the Taliban may not have been aware of the leaked data’s existence.

However, Mr Justice Chamberlain decided to lift it on the ground the MoD’s internal review found the Taliban “likely already possess the key information in the dataset” and confirmation of its existence is “unlikely” to “substantially” raise the risk” faced by those impacted.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, who was in government when the secret scheme was established, said “this data leak should never have happened and was an unacceptable breach of all relevant data protocols”.

Erin Alcock, a lawyer for the firm Leigh Day, which has assisted hundreds of Arap applicants and family members, called the breach a “catastrophic failure”.

Earlier this month, the government confirmed it had offered payouts to Afghans whose information had been compromised in a separate data breach.

The runner Fauja Singh, believed to be the oldest person to complete a marathon, has died in a road accident in India aged 114.

The athlete, who lived in Ilford in east London, was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, on Monday, according to reports in India.

His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs in the City, confirmed his death and said its upcoming events in Ilford would be a celebration of his life and achievements.

Singh’s coach, Harmander Singh, wrote on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old.

“He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home.”

Singh made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in different age brackets. The centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100.

A profile on the Olympics website said Singh was born in Punjab, then under British rule, on 1 April 1911 and was the youngest of four children in a farming family. He moved to England and settled in east London with his son after the death of his wife, Gian Kaur, in Jalandhar.

It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his maiden marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes. This time knocked 58 minutes off the previous world’s best in the 90-plus age bracket.

Singh ran numerous marathons, completing the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, his personal best. On 16 October 2011 in Toronto, he is thought to have become the first centenarian to run a marathon.

The MP Preet Kaur Gill said on X: “Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh. I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me.

“A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.”

Her fellow Labour MP Jas Athwal, who represents Ilford South, said on X: “Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji. He was legendary – a man who continued running until he was 101. He was a global Sikh icon, that inspired millions across the world.

“His spirit and legacy of resilience will run on forever. My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends. We will miss him.”

Israel says it has bombed Syrian government forces around Suweida, as they entered the predominantly Druze city following two days of deadly sectarian clashes.

About 100 people have reportedly been killed since the fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes erupted on Sunday.

Syria’s defence minister announced a ceasefire in Suweida on Tuesday morning, saying an agreement had been reached with local dignitaries for security forces to deploy there. However, one Druze spiritual leader urged local fighters to resist.

Later, Israel’s prime minister said he had ordered strikes on forces and weapons in the Suweida area because the government “intended to use [them] against the Druze”.

Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria because of their deep ties to those living in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

This is the first time that Syrian government forces have been deployed to Suweida since Islamist-led rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Minority communities are suspicious of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government despite his pledges to protect them, and until now the province of Suweida had remained largely under the control of Druze militias which resisted calls to join the security forces.

The fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze militias in Suweida was reportedly sparked by the robbery and abduction of a Druze merchant on the highway to Damascus last Friday.

On Sunday, armed Druze fighters reportedly encircled and later seized the city’s al-Maqwas neighbourhood, which is inhabited by Bedouin.

The clashes soon spread into other parts of Suweida province, with tribesmen reportedly launching attacks on Druze towns and villages on the city’s outskirts.

As the death toll reached 30, Syria’s interior ministry announced that its forces and those of the defence ministry would intervene and impose order, saying the “dangerous escalation comes in light of the absence of relevant official institutions”.

There was a brief period of calm on Sunday night, after mediation between Bedouin and Druze leaders resulted in the release of people kidnapped by both sides, according to activist-run news outlet Suwayda 24.

But on Monday, it said the fighting had resumed in the countryside west of the city after drones attacked villages at the same time as government forces deployed in nearby areas of eastern Deraa province.

Later, Suwayda 24 reported that villages in the area were also hit by mortar fire and that dozens of dead and wounded had been brought to local hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had struck several government tanks to prevent them advancing towards Suweida city. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes were a “clear warning to the Syrian regime”.

On Monday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that 99 people had been killed, including 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security forces personnel.

The defence ministry said 18 security personnel had been killed during attacks on military points by what it called “outlaw groups”.

On Tuesday morning, the Druze spiritual leadership said they had agreed to allow government forces to enter Suweida province in order to end the bloodshed. They also called on all armed groups there to co-operate and hand over their weapons.

But hours later, influential Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri posted a video called on Druze fighters to “resis[t] this brutal campaign by all available means”, accusing government forces of bombarding Suweida city in violation of a ceasefire agreement.

As security forces entered the city, Defence Minister Maj Gen Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a “complete ceasefire”, saying an agreement had been reached with “notables and dignitaries”.

“Suweida neighbourhoods will be under the control of Internal Security Forces as soon as combing operations are completed in order to control the chaos, secure return of residents to their houses,” he added.

Early on Tuesday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had directed the Israeli military to immediately attack Syrian forces and weaponry sent to the Suweida area “that the regime intended to use against the Druze”.

They accused the Syrian government of contravening “the demilitarisation policy they decided on” and of endangering Israel by deploying forces there.

“Israel is committed to preventing harm being inflicted on the Druze in Syria, owing to the deep covenant of blood with our Druze citizens in Israel and their historical and familial link to the Druze in Syria,” they added.

The Syrian Observatory shared a video that it said showed at least one member of the security forces who was killed in an Israeli strike on a convoy.

There was no immediate response from the Syrian government.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu warned that he would not “tolerate any threat” to Syria’s Druze and demanded the complete demilitarisation of Suweida and two other southern provinces,

He said Israel saw interim President Sharaa’s Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as a threat. HTS is a former al-Qaeda affiliate that is still designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN and UK, but no longer the US.

The Israeli military has already carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria to destroy the country’s military assets since the fall of the Assad regime.

And it has sent troops into the UN-monitored demilitarised buffer zone between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as well as several adjoining areas and the summit of Mount Hermon.

– Advertisement –

ISLAMABAD, Jul 15 (APP): The National Skills University (NSU) in Islamabad buzzed with excitement as it joined the global community in celebrating World Youth Skills Day 2025.

This year marked a decade of worldwide dedication to empowering young people with essential skills for a brighter future, with the theme “Youth Empowerment through AI and Digital Skills” resonating deeply with NSU’s mission to prepare students for the modern, tech-driven world, said a press release on Tuesday.

The highlight of the day was a powerful and inspiring keynote address by the Minister of State for Education, Ms. Wajiha Qamar, who also participated in a celebratory walk, urging young people to embrace new technologies and lead the way in shaping tomorrow.

Ms. Qamar began her address by acknowledging the profound shifts occurring in the global economy. “Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept. It is shaping the way we live, work, and imagine our futures. Our challenge and our responsibility is to ensure that Pakistan’s youth are not left watching from the sidelines,” she declared. Her words resonated strongly with the assembled students, faculty, and dignitaries, many of whom are actively involved in the university’s expanding digital skills and AI education initiatives.

Speaking with both urgency and optimism, Ms. Qamar envisioned a future where AI access is not a privilege for a select few, but a right for every learner, regardless of gender, location, or socioeconomic background. She lauded the National Skills University Islamabad’s efforts in making AI and digital tools accessible, especially to those often marginalized in the country’s educational reforms. A particularly poignant moment came with her recognition of a female civil engineering technology student from NSU, who received a cash prize for her innovative work in skills education – a powerful symbol of inclusive, future-focused education in action.

The Minister’s tribute to the university’s remarkable transformation was both personal and professional. She commended the visionary leadership of Founding Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, highlighting how a previously overlooked institutional site has been transformed into a model of excellence and ambition. “Dr. Mukhtar has not only built classrooms and laboratories, he has created a culture where practical knowledge is valued, and where skills education is treated not as second-tier, but as a national priority,” she stated. This served as a collective validation for an institution that has steadily expanded its reach through smart classrooms, hands-on training, and international partnerships.

The day’s spirit extended beyond mere ceremony, with several university staff members being recognized for their consistent contributions to advancing skills education in Pakistan. The atmosphere was one of celebration, yet also of thoughtful reflection – an understanding that preparing youth for a rapidly evolving world demands constant adaptation, sustained investment, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring no one is left behind.

As the event concluded, Ms. Qamar returned to the day’s central theme, reminding the audience that the rise of AI represents not just a technological revolution, but a human one. “What we need today is not just intelligent machines, but wise societies. We must ensure that our young people are equipped with not only the tools of innovation but the ethics of responsibility,” she affirmed.