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From The Field: Black Pigs, Green Tea, And Pink Orchids – Preserving China’s Natural Resources

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China has a dizzying range of rich natural resources. The country is home to 10 per cent of all known plant species, and 14 per cent of all known fauna. The UN, with the Chinese authorities, is working to ensure that the benefits from these resources are shared in a fair and equitable way.

Chinese black pigs
Chinese black pigs, by Bryson John Cheng/ Unsplash

The Access and Benefit-Sharing project (ABS), which is working in Yunnan, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces, is also designed to prevent biopiracy, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge.

Remote and less-developed regions, which are frequently endowed with rich natural resources and long traditions of agriculture, are expected to benefit from the project, with new opportunities for development.

You can find out more about the ABS project here.

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Nigeria: UN Expert Calls For More Advances In Protecting Older Persons

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Despite commendable progress on legal and policy safeguards for older persons, a UN-appointed independent human rights expert said on Friday that Nigeria must implement already adopted measures to protect them against ageism and age discrimination, both of which are still prevalent.

Ending a 12-day visit to the country, Claudia Mahler, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights for older persons, said that as well as ageism and age-discrimination, even among Government officials, violence against older persons is an unspoken reality.

Pressing laws

She welcomed the Government’s progressive efforts in combatting poverty, security concerns, economic crisis, and gender-based inequalities faced by many older people, which she upheld “translates into the adoption of the National Senior Citizens Centre Act and the establishment of a dedicated Centre at Federal Government level to ensure that the human rights of older persons are mainstreamed in all programmes and activities”.

Meanwhile, a pending bill called ‘Older Persons (Rights and Privileges)’ would offer the most comprehensive legal framework ever available for older persons in the country, addressing among others, the social and economic challenges triggered by ageing.

“I urge President [Muhammadu] Buhari to assent to the law, as part of his extended legacy to promote the rights of older persons,” she said.

Lacking protection

The absence of social protection floors, including a regular distribution of pensions, contribute to the difficulty that older persons face in accessing social services, including appropriate healthcare, various care options, and adequate housing.

Older people in vulnerable situations – especially those with disabilities, internally displaced, living below the poverty line and LGTB persons – should be prioritized by the Government when implementing legal and policy tools.

“Continued efforts, along with political will and appropriate budgeting, must be strengthened to ensure that legal and policy safeguards protect the rights of all older persons all over the Nigerian territory in practice, indistinctive of their sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, and their living and economic situations,” the expert underscored.

Upcoming report

During her visit, Ms. Mahler met with various government authorities at federal and state levels, civil society, stakeholders working on the rights of older persons and the elderly themselves.

She will present a comprehensive report of her findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2023.

“I hope my report and recommendations will assist the country to reduce inequalities and ensure a life in dignity for all older persons in the country,” concluded the independent expert.

Independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.

Claudia Mahler, UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, on her recent visit in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
OHCHR/Claudia Mahler
Claudia Mahler, UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, on her recent visit in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

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