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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 12 July 2023

U.N. warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble

By EDITH M. LEDERER in reducing poverty, and
Associated Press produced the largest rise in
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — inequality between coun-
In a grim report, the U.N. tries in three decades, he
warned Monday that at said.
the current rate of global “By May 2023, the devastat-
progress 575 million people ing consequences of war,
will still be living in extreme conflict and human rights
poverty and 84 million chil- violations had displaced a
dren won’t be going to staggering 110 million peo-
school in 2030 and it will ple of which 35 million were
take 286 years to reach refugees the highest figure
equality between men and ever recorded,” the ECO-
women. SOC chief said.
The report on progress in Li told a news conference
achieving 17 wide-rang- launching the report that
ing U.N. goals adopted by at the September summit,
world leaders in 2015 to the U.N. would like political
improve life for the world’s leaders to come up with “a
more than 7 billion people new roadmap” to acceler-
said that only 15% of some ate action at the global, re-
140 specific targets that gional and national level to
experts evaluated are on achieve the goals by 2030.
track to be reached by the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the diplomatic With seven years left, the
end of the decade. lounge in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, July 1, 2023. report said achieving the
Close to half the targets Associated Press goals is “in deep trouble”
are moderately or severe- ing all people have clean two-speed world.” cially its devastating finan- and “it is time to sound the
ly off track, it said, and water, sanitation and ac- The report was released cial impact on developing alarm.”
of those 30% have either cess to affordable energy, ahead of a summit that countries, and geopolitical At current rates, it said not
seen no movement at all reducing inequalities, and Guterres has called during tensions are all “threaten- only will 575 million people
or regressed including key taking urgent action to the annual gathering of ing to derail hard-earned still be living in extreme pov-
targets on poverty, hunger combat climate change. world leaders at the U.N. progress” toward achiev- erty in 2030 but only about
and climate. “Unless we act now, the General Assembly in Sep- ing the goals. one-third of countries will
The ambitious goals for 2030 agenda could be- tember, which he said will He said in a foreword that meet the target to reduce
2030 include ensuring that come an epitaph for a be “a moment of truth and the pandemic saw the national poverty levels by
hunger is eradicated and world that might have reckoning.” largest decline in child- half.
nobody lives on less than been,” U.N. Secretary-Gen- Undersecretary-General hood vaccinations in three “Shockingly, the world is
$2.15 a day which is the ex- eral Antonio Guterres said for Economic and Social decades, an increase in back at hunger levels not
treme poverty line, provid- in a foreword to the report. Affairs Li Junhua said con- tuberculosis and malaria seen since 2005, and food
ing every child with a qual- “Failure to make progress flicts including the war in deaths, and learning losses prices remain higher in
ity primary and secondary means inequalities will con- Ukraine, climate change, in 80% of the 104 countries more countries than in the
school education, achiev- tinue to deepen, increasing the lingering effects of the studied. It also interrupted period 2015-2019,” the re-
ing gender equality, ensur- the risk of a fragmented, COVID-19 pandemic espe- three decades of progress port said.q

Amazon pushes back against Europe’s pioneering new digital rules

By KELVIN CHAN European General Court dard setter in global efforts systemic online risks but earns revenue primar-
AP Business Writer was made available Tues- to rein in the power of so- doesn’t agree that it fits ily through advertising and
LONDON (AP) — Amazon is day, is the second compa- cial media companies and the description of a “very distributes “speech and
disputing its status as a big ny to protest the classifica- other digital platforms. large online platform” that information.”q
online platform that needs tion. Seattle-based Amazon
to face stricter scrutiny un- German online retailer Za- is one of 19 companies
der European Union digi- lando filed a legal claim classed as the largest on-
tal rules taking effect next two weeks ago with a simi- line platforms and search
month, the first Silicon Val- lar argument. engines under the DSA,
ley tech giant to push back The Digital Services Act im- which means they will have
on the pioneering new poses new obligations on to better police their ser-
standards. the biggest tech compa- vices to protect European
The online retailer filed a nies to keep users safe from users from hate speech,
legal challenge with a top illegal content and dodgy disinformation and other
European Union court, ar- products, with violations harmful online content.
guing it’s being treated un- punishable by potentially The European Commission,
fairly by being designated billions in fines or even a the EU’s executive arm, de-
a “very large online plat- ban on operating in the EU. clined to comment directly
form” under the 27-nation The rules, which will take on the case, saying it would
bloc’s sweeping Digital Ser- effect on Aug. 25, are ex- defend its position in court. The Amazon logo is seen in Douai, northern France, April 16,
vices Act. pected to help Europe Amazon said it supports 2020.
Amazon, whose filing to the maintain its place as stan- the DSA’s aims of tackling Associated Press