Day: October 25, 2022

Officials at Aknet, a major telecommunications provider in Kyrgyzstan, yesterday reported technical issues that prompted internet access disruption in Bishkek. Unconfirmed reports suggested internet access disruptions might also be occurring in elsewhere in the country.

 

Kyrgyzstan’s mobile operator MegaCom noted yesterday that it resolved the technical problem.

 

As far as Internet in Tajikistan is concerned, the Internet access disruptions that reportedly occurred in Dushanbe and the northern part of the country continued until 6:00 pm. There was a problem with the Internet speed.

 

Some experts attribute this to the Internet disruption problems in Kyrgyzstan.

 

“Whenever there are some protests in Kyrgyzstan, they have problems with the Internet and communications. And then our Internet speed drops. If it’s not related, then why it does not occurred on other days? Most likely this is due to the political situation in this country,” a specialist of one of Tajikistan’s ISPs told Asia-Plus in an interview.

 

Recall, at least a dozen activists and politicians in Kyrgyzstan were detained on October 23 in what their supporters say is a reprisal for their opposition to a government plan to hand over the territory of Kempir-Abad water reservoir to Uzbekistan as part of a border demarcation agreement.

 

Demonstrators reportedly held a picket in the evening on October 23 to demand the release of the arrested people and an end to political persecution.

 

Besides, Internet was disrupted in Kyrgyzstan in October 2020 as protests break out over alleged vote rigging in parliamentary elections.

 

It is to be noted that the Tajik internet now has four fiber exit points to the rest of the world. Most in use are the ones linking the capital, Dushanbe, to the Eurasian internet backbones through Russia, transiting via Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan before crossing Kazakhstan.

 

About twelve Internet service providers (ISPs) now operate in Tajikistan. Today, they operate normally.

 

Source: Asia-Plus

 

Media reports say one of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Sunak, 42, becomes the country’s youngest leader in modern times.

 

Reuters notes that elected for the first time to parliament in 2015, Rishi Sunak became Britain’s youngest prime minister in more than 200 years on October 24, tasked with steering the country through an economic crisis and mounting anger among some voters.

 

It is a remarkable return for Sunak who lost a leadership bid to Liz Truss less than two months ago when he was accused by some in the Conservative Party of bringing down their hero, Boris Johnson.

 

One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, he enters Downing Street facing a need to make deep public spending cuts to stem a fiscal crisis, as well as tackling a cost-of-living crunch, a winter of strikes and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

According to Reuters, his backers say the former finance minister can restore Britain’s credibility with investors who sold the country’s bonds and sterling after Truss’s mini-budget offered tax cuts with little on how to fund them.

 

But the former Goldman Sachs analyst and hedge fund partner also faces challenges within the governing Conservative Party, where some lawmakers blame him for his role in ousting Johnson and are concerned he has not got what it takes to win elections.

 

The opposition Labour Party is likely to paint him as a member of the uber-rich elite, out of touch with the pressures faced by millions as Britain slides towards a recession, dragged down by the surging cost of food and energy.

 

Sunak’s marriage to the daughter of an Indian billionaire has also raised concerns in the Conservative Party that he is too far removed from the concerns of everyday voters, some of whom are being forced by spiraling inflation to decide whether to spend their money on food or heating.

 

Some fear he cannot reunite a party that is deeply divided and getting used to quickly dispensing with leaders they do not like.

 

Rishi Sunak is the first person of color to become Britain’s prime minister.

 

Born in Southampton in 1980 to Hindu parents of Punjabi Indian descent, Sunak repeatedly during the last leadership campaign spoke of helping his mum, who ran a pharmacy, with the books, doing payroll and accounts.

 

He had a privileged education – he went to an elite fee-paying school and is the latest prime minister to have studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University, following David Cameron and his predecessor, Truss.

 

Source: Asia-Plus

 

Some 1,200 scientists, representatives of the private sector and civil society met at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday to discuss potentially game-changing ideas related to water and sustainability.

The results emerging from roundtables on governance, capacity development, data and information, innovation and financing, will be shared with national representatives on Tuesday, at a preparatory meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference, taking place in March.

Noting that the world stands at a watershed moment, the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, whose Office organized the consultations, told participants that it is time to “transform from reactive water management to proactive, science-based solutions to the water crisis.”

Science-based solutions

Mr. Kőrösi urged participants discuss game changers from the perspective of “solidarity, sustainability and science”, the motto of the 77^th session of the General Assembly.

Former President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder also addressed the opening, in his capacity as Member of the Water and Climate Leaders. He called for a greater emphasis on collecting and sharing information: “We cannot stop this water crisis. We have to adapt. And to adapt, we need data and information.”

Shaken, not stirred

Reminding participants of the “James Bond ratio” whereby only 0.007 per cent of the planet’s water is potable. Mr. Áder listed categories missing data bases, such as on water quality, grid loss, humidity content and wastewater.

Without good date on these topics, it makes it difficult to see the potential social, political and economic impact of water issues, Mr. Áder noted.

The opening session also heard from UN Global Compact Chief of Staff, Melissa Powell. She discussed CEO Water Mandate, which is an initiative to align business principles with water, sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and called for greater engagement with the public sector.

Speaking also on behalf of the private sector in the opening, Matthias Berninger, who works in Public Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer, said more and more companies are engaging on water because it is important for their businesses.

Fluid new systems

He suggested that now is the time to start a more concerted effort to create a water and climate information system which would allow assistance for farmers, people living on shorelines, and decisionmakers.

Youth advocate, Keziah Theresee Gerosana, called for UN agencies to allocate at least half of their budgets to water and climate projects.

Referring to the importance of intergenerational discussions, in addition to inter-sectoral, she urged participants to see young people as allies: “Will you open your doors and accept us? Allow us to be your partners for change?”

Young business leader Lindsey Blodgett, called on participants to “work together outside of our spheres of influence” to harmonizing game changers across communities that normally would not be cooperating.

Short on climate action

Joining by video message, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas warned that climate action failure – which includes water inaction – is the biggest global risk.

He stressed the need to invest more in early warning systems, and to fill in the gaps in meteorological observing systems on the African continent, among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Monday’s discussions also included information from a series of online stakeholder discussions organized earlier this year by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).

That Department’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who is the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water conference, presented the findings. UN DESA helped to organize today’s discussions.

Governance overhaul

Revolutions hurt, said Hank Ovink, Special Envoy for Water from the Netherlands, addressing the roundtable on governance. Netherlands, along with Tajikistan, are the co-hosts of UN 2023 Water Conference.

Mr. Ovink said that to really have an impact, the international community will need to change “quite a log about what we’re used to, in combination with political will, societal will, a whole of society approach in a radically inclusive way.”

The Special Envoy told participants and moderator Danielle Gaillard-Picher, the Global Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership, that the contributions and societal will of everyone watching can make a difference.

Developing capacity

One of the issues discussed in the roundtable on capacity development is the establishment of a mechanism like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which could provide policy makers with science-based knowledge.

“That knowledge has to be translated to change water culture,” said Moderator Abou Amani, the Director of Water Sciences Division at UNESCO. “Because too many people are taking water for granted.”

Topics also discussed in the roundtable included not leaving anyone behind, as well as formal and informal water education and financing to help support the movement.

Need to know

Carolina Tornesi MacKinnon, of the World Youth Parliament for Water, moderated the panel on data and information.

One of the game changers discussed was the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, which is expected to be discussed at the COP27 in Egypt next month.

Participants also discussed the need for databases and better information on water use and water quality, that are open to all, without proprietary use or high subscription prices.

Some also mentioned the importance of gender, referring to the UNICEF statistic that women and girls spend 200 million hours a day gathering water, which allows them far less time than they need for studies and income generating activities.

Innovation

Among the game changers discussed in the innovation roundtable moderated by Marc Zeitoun, from the Geneva Water Hub, participants discussed topics such as appointing water champions within parliaments, to connect decision makers with the issue.

Some participants highlighted unconventional water resources, noting that in some countries, water reuse cannot be part of the solution because there is no water to reuse. Such technologies also include desalinating systems, and methods of extracting water from air.

Accessing finance

In the roundtable on financing, moderated by the economic development body OECD’s Anna Dupont, one of the topics discussed was the importance of linking water to the resilience and climate change agenda.

Close to 80 per cent of natural disasters so far this century are water-related.

Participants also discussed financial implications and how to drive investment, given rising interest across the private sector in water-related, sustainability issues. The interest is being driven in part by the need to access resources on the part of business.

 

Source: United Nations