COVID-19 to push 150-175 million more people into extreme poverty: UN expert
United Nations: Between 150 million and 175 million more people will fall into extreme poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an expert said at the UN.
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Olivier De Schutter said that between 150 million and 175 million more people will fall into extreme poverty, due to the epic fallout from COVID-19.
Schutter told the UN General Assembly Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Wednesday as delegates raised concerns about the plight of the world's most vulnerable in a series of interactive dialogues.
"We must rethink our development model," De Schutter said, adding that most of those who will fall into extreme poverty will be workers in the informal sector or in precarious employment conditions most of them women.
In order to emerge from the worst crisis since the 1929 Great Depression, "we cannot count, as we did in the 20th century, on economic growth as usual," he said.
Environmental sustainability and social justice must be considered prerequisites for shaping the economic recovery that countries envision, he said.
De Schutter was one of five independent experts participating in virtual dialogues with delegates, which covered topics ranging from extreme poverty and internal displacement, to the human rights to education, safe drinking water and adequate housing.
Experts described the interplay between conflict and climate change, and recommended ways to ensure that students can access water and sanitation in school during the pandemic.
Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, said the intersecting risks of climate change and armed conflict can push people into displacement. She focused on the slow-onset effects of climate change sea-level rise, desertification, glacial retreat and flood which can have disastrous consequences.
Most affected will be people whose livelihoods depend heavily on ecosystems: indigenous peoples, farmers, herders, pastoralists and fisherfolk.
Displaced persons also risk being exposed to COVID-19, due to their limited access to health care, water, sanitation and adequate housing, Jimenez-Damary said, according to information on the UN website.
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Iran crisis: 225 flights cancelled at Mumbai, Delhi airports
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 225 international flights were cancelled at Mumbai and Delhi airports on Sunday due to operational disruptions in the wake of the US and Israel attacks on Iran and the subsequent closure of airspaces in the Gulf region.
Of the 225 flights, 125 flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport and at least 100 flights at Delhi Airport, sources say.
A source said 60 international departures and 40 arrivals have been cancelled at Delhi Airport.
"Due to the evolving political situation in the Middle East, west-bound international flights may experience disruptions or schedule changes," DIAL said in a post on X.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
"A total of 125 flights have been cancelled at Mumbai Airport up till 2.30 pm on Sunday. These include 67 departures and 58 arrivals," said another source.
It may be mentioned here that due to the paucity of parking space, authorities at Mumbai Airport had taken NOTAM for not accepting any flight on account of diversion at 9 pm on Saturday until 8 am on March 1 amid the developments in West Asia.
The decision was taken due to the paucity of parking space at the airport with a number of flights returning to their origin or diverting to nearby airports, a source had said.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd, the private airport operator, issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) "for not accepting any more diversions" at 9 pm, the source added.
Earlier, the Civil Aviation Ministry said 444 international flights are expected to be cancelled by domestic carriers on Sunday.
