Open Letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

 

1  Current Affairs and Issues

Open Letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres 

 His Excellency Antonio Guterres

United Nations Secretary General

United Nations Secretariat

42nd Street,

New York, NY 10017

7 August 2020

                         

      RE: Inclusion of children in the Youth Advisory Group on Climate                            Change

 Your Excellency,

          Congratulations on your recent announcement of seven young climate leaders- between the ages of 18 and 28 years old - to your Youth Advisory Group on climate change, who will advise you regularly on accelerating global action and the action to tackle the worsening climate crisis. We appreciate this important focus on bringing young leaders into decision-making and planning processes related to climate action. We also welcome the emphasis you place on receiving and giving frank and fearless advice, and the urgency of holding government and corporate leaders to account on climate action.

 


We are disappointed, however, that you have not expanded this list of young climate leaders to children in all their diversity. Millions of children took part in school strikes for climate action in 2019 and early 2020 and demonstrated their outrage and constructive solutions in equal measure. They have been agents of change in the climate debate using their channels of influence-schools, social media, and street protest- to catalyze global activism on the climate crisis. We have seen children from the global North to the global South engaging with political and corporate leaders- in their home countries and also within the international system-most recently at the UN Human Rights Council-claiming their right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as critical foundation to realizing their wellbeing and rights.

 

It was, after all, a child, Greta Thunberg, who sparked this global movement through an inspiriting solo protest in 2018. By 2019. she was able to rightly assert: "We proved that it does not matter what you do and that no one is too small to make a difference." In 2020, children are saying the same thing. Like Fabrizio, a 16 year old boy from Peru, who told us on a recent child-led online conversation, "The Future of Children is at stake now, tomorrow will be too late." Children like Fabrizio are vocal in their anxiety that our dash to economic recovery will scupper climate change at net- zero commitments. They continue to pressure on us all for urgency, and to fight for a green recovery.

Once again, Secretary-General, we congratulate you on the establishment of the Youth Advisory Group on climate change. We ask, however, that it be inclusive of children and adolescents younger than 18; respecting their right to be heard and to contribute their expertise directly. We also ask that as preparations for COP26 advance, you call for the UK and Italy to give children a safe space to influence these upcoming preparatory events. We would of course be happy to support a process that facilitates meaningful engagement with children across the globe on both your Group and COP26.

 

If the last two years have taught us anything it is that children, armed with information and a sense of purpose, have a unique role to play by participating in decision-making processes and in combating crises with constructive solutions. Let us make sure that we learn and apply this lesson to the planning process related to climate action.

Sincerely Yours,

Save the Children

Child Rights Connect

 

Vocabulary:

Secretary:        Administrator - सचिव

Inclusion:        Incorporation - समावेश

Announcement: Declaration - घोषणा

Tackle:             Address - सामना गर्नुहोस्

Worsening:      Deterioration - बिग्रिने

Crisis:              Emergency - संकट

Appreciate:      Acknowledge - महसुस गर्नुहोस्

Emphasis:        Focus - जोर

Frank:              Candid - स्पष्ट

Expanded:       Extended - विस्तारित

Diversity:        Variety - विविधता

Demonstrated:  Illustrated - प्रदर्शित

Debate:            Discussion - बहस

Influence:        Impact - प्रभाव

Protest:            Resistance - विरोध

Activism:         Advocacy - सक्रियता

Solo:                Alone - एक्लो

Assert:             Affirm - जोर दिनु

Conversation:  Dialogue - वार्तालाप

Stake:              Interest - ठेक्का

Anxiety:          Concern - चिन्ता

Economic:       Financial - आर्थिक

Recovery:        Revival - पुनर्स्थापना

Commitments: Obligations - प्रतिबद्धता

Urgency:         Importance - अत्यावश्यकता

Adolescents:   Teenagers - किशोरहरू

Preparatory:     Preliminary - पूर्वतैयारी

Engagement:   Involvement - संलग्नता

Combating:     Confronting - सामना गर्नु

 

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct words given below.

a. The corporate headquarters of the company is in Dubai.
b. According to Greta, the leaders are failing to tackle the key issues.
c. Some viruses catalyze the step in the production of other viruses.
d. His expertise in business helped him greatly to run the company.
e. Nepal government plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to net-zero.
f. He does not have good knowledge of business. So, he has put his investment at stake.
g. His controversial remarks caused public outrage.

 

B. Write whether the following sentences are 'True' or 'False'. Write 'Not Given' if the information is not found in the letter.

a. Save the Children congratulates Antonio Guterres on his recent appointment as the General Secretary of the UN. Not Given

 b. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change was announced on the request of the children between 18-21 years of age. False

 c. The dissatisfaction is that the representation of children is not inclusive. True

 d. Greta Thunberg protested for the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. True

 e. The children demand their physical safety in the UK and Italy.      Not given

 f. The children think that they can participate in decision making to fight against the climate crisis. True

 

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Where is the office of the UN Secretary General?

=  The office of the UN Secretary General is in New York, NY.

b. What is the purpose of writing this letter to Antonio Guterres?

= The purpose of writing this letter to Antonio Guterres is to express disappointment over the exclusion of children in the Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

c. Why was the Youth Advisory Group announced?

= The Youth Advisory Group was announced to advise the Secretary-General on accelerating global action and tackling the climate crisis.

d. What roles have children played in the time of climate crisis?

= Children have played a role in the climate crisis by participating in school strikes, protests, and advocating for climate action.

 e. Describe Greta Thuberg and Fabrizio's contributions.

= Greta Thunberg sparked the global movement, and Fabrizio, a 16-year-old boy from Peru, expressed the urgency of addressing climate change.

f. What is the final demand of the children?

= The final demand of the children is to be included and heard in decision-making processes and planning related to climate action.

Grammar II

A. Choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences:
a. Abhilasha said that she…...... the accident. (witnessed, has witnessed, was witnessed)

b. The teacher explained that…………..(the earth revolves round the sun, the earth revolved round the sun, revolve round the sun).

c. Smarika says that ………....(she could not stay there anymore, I can't stay here anymore, she can't stay here anymore).

d. Sachita says that ………...(she loves to listen to music, she loved to listen to music, I love to listen to music).

e. My brother reported that....... (he had completed his homework, I have completed my homework, he has done his homework).

f. My father said that the sun ……..very hot. ( is, are, was)

g. Jenifer said that she …….......(want, wants, wanted) to be a nurse.

 

B. Rewrite the following sentences in indirect speech.

a. Raima said, "We had to cross the river and go ahead."

= Raima said that they had had to cross the river and go ahead.

b. Smarika said, "I will meet you tomorrow, friends."

= Smarika told her friends that she would meet her friends the following day.

c. "I can't come to school tomorrow," Chandani said.

= Chandani said that she couldn't come to school the next day.

d. Dorje said, "Sorry, I cannot lend you any money today."

= Dorje apologized saying that he could not lend any money that day.

e. The teacher said. "Now, you can solve the remaining problems yourselves."

= The teacher said that we could solve the remaining problems ourselves then.

f. The police said. "The incident probably took place yesterday."

= The police said that the incident had probably taken place the day before.

g. I said to him, "I live in Changunarayan these days."

= I told him that I lived in Changunarayan those days.

h. They said to us, "We would like to join you too."

= They told us that they would like to join us too.

i. The Science teacher said, "The coal gives off thick smoke."

= The Science teacher said that the coal gives off thick smoke.

j. Resham said, "I have never seen such a strange animal anywhere else."

= Resham said that he had never seen such a strange animal anywhere else.

k. "I love my children more than wealth," the father said.

= The father said that he loved his children more than wealth

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