United Nations Convention

Draganfly to Address United Nations Expert Gathering on Emerging Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Los Angeles, CA., Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8A) (“Draganfly” or the “Company”), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions, and systems developer, is pleased to announce that its president and CEO, Cameron Chell, will be presenting at an upcoming Webinar on "Disaster Risk Reduction in the Digital Transformation Age: Leveraging emerging technologies" on October 13, 2023, coinciding with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Key Points: 
  • Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell will provide expertise and insights into how Draganfly’s drone technology has enhanced disaster management efforts.
  • This event is jointly organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as part of ITU’s webinar series on digital transformation .
  • Each speaker will address a range of topics related to the intersection of technology and disaster risk reduction.
  • "I'm thrilled to have been asked to share some of our experiences on emerging technologies for disaster risk reduction," stated Cameron Chell, President, and CEO of Draganfly.

RTOERO calls for action for the rights of older adults in ongoing effort

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 2, 2023

RTOERO, along with its partner the International Longevity Centre (Canada), support a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Person.

Key Points: 
  • RTOERO, along with its partner the International Longevity Centre (Canada), support a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Person.
  • “A convention will be legally binding and states will be more accountable for the actions they take towards older persons”.
  • RTOERO advocates year-round for critical policy improvements to address urgent needs now and create a more secure and compassionate future for everyone.
  • RTOERO is a bilingual trusted voice on healthy, active living in the retirement journey for the broader education community.

How women's environmental action across the Global South can create a better planet

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 2, 2023

Climate change has different impacts on men and women, especially in the Global South.

Key Points: 
  • Climate change has different impacts on men and women, especially in the Global South.
  • In reality, women in the Global South countries also possess the abilities and strength to protect the environment.
  • Read more:
    The Global South is on the rise – but what exactly is the Global South?

Women’s movements across the Global South

    • Historically, women have played a big part in protecting the environment in Asian and South American countries.
    • Testimonies from the Chipko movement and similar women’s movements in other countries were discussed at this conference.

Fighting for change in Mexico and Bolivia

    • Besides the Chipko movement, there is a recent example from women in Zapotalito, a village within the Chacahua-Pastoría lagoon national park area in southern Mexico.
    • The women of Zapotalito worked together to clean the natural canal in the Coaxaca mangrove area.
    • It’s gained the support of thousands of people in Bolivia.

Indonesian fisherwomen’s leadership

    • In Indonesia, fisherwomen in Central Java have been working to sustain their community amidst the climate change since 2020.
    • Rising sea levels have increased flood risks in their neighbourhoods, forcing them to take action by engaging with policymakers, raising awareness and fundraising to build bridges.

Growing global recognition

    • The global community increasingly recognises their efforts too.
    • Since the 1990s, more international policies have emphasised gender as a crucial element in nature conservation and sustainable development.
    • For example, the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development acknowledges the vital role of women in environmental management and development.

Better solutions through involving women

    • Despite being disproportionately affected by environmental damages, women continue to demonstrate their resilience and knowledge in tackling climate change.
    • These actions are fundamental in steering clear of oversimplifying the experiences of women across diverse countries.

Voices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Creating dialogue among educators and students, especially Black Canadian youth, regularly proves problematic because of the history of their negative schooling experiences.

Key Points: 
  • Creating dialogue among educators and students, especially Black Canadian youth, regularly proves problematic because of the history of their negative schooling experiences.
  • As an education researcher who examines schooling experiences of Black Canadian youth and their families, I have worked alongside Black high-school students in grades 10-12 to engage youth voices at the Black Student Summer Leadership Program.
  • It also necessarily implies action on the part of receptive and understanding adults, willing and poised to help bring about changes youth need to see.

Struggles in and for ‘voice’

    • One of the greatest struggles to allow for “voice” is the role of adults in these interactions and the hierarchical nature of schools.
    • Paying attention to student voice involves changing fundamental values, norms and institutional practices, which means teachers need to be open to this shift.
    • Scholars and education researchers challenged school staff to stop seeing youth as passive recipients of an education.

Black youth’s whole selves

    • If schools desire genuine opportunities for students to be heard, educators must see Black youth as their whole selves.
    • Teachers who view the validity in sharing power in classrooms will actively seek Black students’ input.

Youth Participatory Action Research

    • Black students involved in this program gain leadership opportunities and positive relationships with adults and their peers while participating in research.
    • Participatory action research has been associated with revolutionary educational projects.

Youth as co-researchers

    • The principle of Youth Participatory Action Research includes adults sharing the space with youth as co-researchers, sharing ownership in decision-making and supporting and empowering youth as agents of change.
    • Black students learn how to become submerged in their own research, rather than experiencing themselves as the object of others’ research.

What shapes education

    • Youth Participatory Action Research provides Black students with opportunities to discuss what shapes their education.
    • In the summer program, Black students present research projects to education stakeholders.
    • In order for change to be implemented, key decision makers need to be willing to engage youth and to act.

A promising approach

    • Youth Participatory Action Research is a promising approach for creating avenues to support Black students’ self-determination and agency.
    • Amplifying youth voice in alignment with the mission and values of school communities is significant for an empowered path forward.

Saskatchewan naming and pronoun policy: The best interests of children must guide provincial parental consent rules

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

Among the ministers changing portfolios is Dustin Duncan, who is being moved from education to overseeing the province’s Public Service Commission.

Key Points: 
  • Among the ministers changing portfolios is Dustin Duncan, who is being moved from education to overseeing the province’s Public Service Commission.
  • The changes came shortly after Duncan introduced new policies that require parental consent for students to participate in sexual health classes and to make name or pronoun changes if they are under the age of 16.
  • Duncan has not provided information regarding what research or legal precedent was used in formulating this policy.

Importance of inclusion in schools

    • Many schools across Canada have implemented policies to address gender identity issues among students, aiming for a more inclusive educational environment.
    • Parents and families are most often involved in the care of gender-variant youth in schools.

Parental rights

    • The parental rights movement is based on the concept that children are property of the parents with limited rights.
    • Historically, groups who oppose social progress have used parental rights as a guise, whether it was about segregated schools, sexual health education or gay rights.
    • Read more:
      'Parental rights' lobby puts trans and queer kids at risk

      Saskatchewan has a strong tradition of parent-school co-operation in education.

Rights of children

    • Recently, the rights of children have gained prominence, particularly in the context of disputes between parents and mandatory vaccinations in schools.
    • In Canada, children are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the country is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
    • Several key articles from the convention are relevant to this discussion, including rights for non-discrimination, rights for life, survival and development, rights to express their views, rights to identity, nationality and family relations and the best interests of the child principle.
    • Policies concerning legal names in schools must be scrutinized to avoid violating individuals’ rights to non-discrimination as outlined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and multiple articles in the UN’s convention on the Rights of the Child.

As Australia strengthens its ties with the Philippines, it's wading even further into the dangerous South China Sea

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 28, 2023

Their mission: simulating the retaking of an island by a hostile force, presumably in the South China Sea.

Key Points: 
  • Their mission: simulating the retaking of an island by a hostile force, presumably in the South China Sea.
  • Marles then announced Australia would begin joint maritime patrols with the Philippines in the contested South China Sea very soon.
  • So, with tensions running so high in the sea, why is Australia getting involved by deepening its military ties with the Philippines?
  • Read more:
    Explainer: why is the South China Sea such a hotly contested region?

Marcos solidifies defence commitments from the US

    • During a visit to the White House in May, Marcos and US President Joe Biden agreed to new guidelines on the countries’ 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty.
    • This year, the Philippines also agreed to add four more military bases the US can access under a separate defence agreement.
    • This lack of trust towards China is shared by many in the Philippine government, defence establishment and legislature.

Why deeper ties with Australia matter

    • At the same time it has re-pivoted towards the US, the Philippines government has also been busy enhancing its defence and diplomatic ties with Australia.
    • Marles pointed out last week that much of Australia’s trade goes through the South China Sea and Australia is committed to upholding the international rules-based order in the region.
    • These will cover defence and maritime security cooperation, as well as enhanced economic, trade and cultural ties.
    • Given Australia has recently sought to steady its rocky relationship with China, this cooperation with the Philippines could come at a cost.

Hausfeld Joins the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to Call on Member States to Take Action After the First Guidance on Children's Rights and the Environment, with a Focus on Climate Change, is Issued

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 28, 2023

26, an authoritative guidance to Member States on what they must do to uphold children’s rights to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Key Points: 
  • 26, an authoritative guidance to Member States on what they must do to uphold children’s rights to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
  • Climate change is a global threat to human rights, with children bearing the brunt of its consequences.
  • The General Comment addresses the rights that are already breached or under threat from environmental degradation and climate change.
  • It also clarifies the obligation of Member States, and the role of the business sector, in upholding and protecting these rights.

Canada to host an international Ministerial on Nature conference to keep driving forward global momentum on biodiversity protection following COP15 in Montréal

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Canada helped broker this international Framework last December in Montréal and is intent on following up with sustained action.

Key Points: 
  • Canada helped broker this international Framework last December in Montréal and is intent on following up with sustained action.
  • Earlier this year, Canada hosted a National Biodiversity Symposium to engage Canadians in the development of Canada's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.
  • This ministerial meeting is all about keeping up the momentum from COP15 in Montréal and ensuring the ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework goals are implemented across the world."
  • Canada is currently hosting the Global Environment Facility Assembly where Governments are expected to launch the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

Open Campus, TinyTap, Code Green join forces to fight climate change through innovative educational initiatives

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

The collaboration aims to help more children learn about climate change by leveraging the power of tokenized educational content, interactive gaming, and blockchain technology.

Key Points: 
  • The collaboration aims to help more children learn about climate change by leveraging the power of tokenized educational content, interactive gaming, and blockchain technology.
  • Open Campus, TinyTap, and Code Green are all dedicated to supporting the efforts of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification ( UNCCD ).
  • This new collaboration exemplifies their commitment to fighting climate change and their belief in the power of education to shape a more sustainable future.
  • The partnership follows the successful launch of the Open Campus " Climate Change for Kids " initiative, which aims to foster knowledge and awareness of climate change among the younger generation.

From outdoor classrooms to gardens, how Nova Scotia youth are creating healthier school communities

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Think about the advocacy of Greta Thunberg and Mikaela Loach around climate change and climate justice or Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy for all children’s rights to receive an education.

Key Points: 
  • Think about the advocacy of Greta Thunberg and Mikaela Loach around climate change and climate justice or Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy for all children’s rights to receive an education.
  • We also share it to support youth engagement in social change and healthier school communities year round.

Health Promoting Schools

    • The UpLift Partnership is rooted in a global movement and model of Health Promoting Schools, first championed by the World Health Organization and driven by the insight that “health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life.” Involving youth in promoting health in schools can catalyze students’ ability to initiate and bring about positive change in the world — what researchers call their “action competence.” This includes building knowledge, motivation and competencies that align with this year’s International Youth Day theme, Green Skills for Youth.

Building ‘green skills’

    • The partnership between these diverse parties is grounded in over a decade of research designed to enhance youth engagement within the Health Promoting Schools model.
    • Building green skills helps them to understand the strong connection between health, well-being and nature.

Tranquility Garden

    • Prior to this, the school did not have a physical outdoor seating area or place for the students and staff to connect with nature, despite its rural location.
    • The Tranquility Garden now provides students, staff and animals with a calming and enjoyable place to visit and play.
    • Students and staff planted fruit trees, flowers and shrubs, and built benches for seating to create the garden.

Outdoor shelter, cooking by fire

    • Prior to installing the hot tent shelter and stove, few students at the school had the desire to learn outside due to the exposed nature of the outdoor space.
    • The outdoor shelter now serves as a space for multiple learning opportunities that connect the students to their environment, like stargazing, cooking by fire and building outdoor education skills.

Farm-to-school movement

    • This Go Fresh Salad Bar station is the final piece of a growing farm-to-school movement in their school.
    • This funding provided the salad bar infrastructure necessary to support more diverse and nutritious food options at the school cafeteria.

Healthier futures

    • As researchers have documented, youth participation in school health promotion enhances youth knowledge, competence, motivation and commitments to health and well-being.
    • This, in turn, will help young people become active citizens for a healthier future.
    • It is time for youth to have a lead role on the world’s stage, and for more adults to uplift them.