“We must stop taking water for granted,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu mentioned on the opening of the Rome Water Dialogue, centered on its important function referring to soils, land, local weather change, biodiversity and agriculture.

With agriculture accounting for greater than 70 per cent of the planet’s freshwater withdrawals, “by increasing efficiency, reducing negative impacts and reusing wastewater, agriculture holds the solutions to the global water crisis”, he mentioned.

FAO helps international locations to develop technical options for rainwater harvesting and storage, map out irrigation wants, present knowledge on water shortage and assess the affect of floods on rural areas.

The UN company has indicated that this yr’s World Food Day on 16 October will concentrate on the direct hyperlink between water and meals safety, highlighting methods to “produce more food and other essential agricultural commodities with less water, while ensuring water is distributed equally, our aquatic food systems are preserved, and nobody is left behind”.  

World wants thousands and thousands extra lecturers however occupation deemed too ‘unattractive’

New knowledge from the UN academic, social and cultural organisation (UNESCO) has revealed a worldwide scarcity of lecturers because the occupation faces a “major vocations crisis”.

Ahead of Thursday’s World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO pointed to a spot of 44 million lecturers with out whom the world will be unable to offer main and secondary training for all by 2030. The company mentioned that the issue lies not solely in an absence of funding, but additionally within the “unattractiveness” of the occupation.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay underscored that that whereas some areas of the world lack candidates for the job, different areas face a really excessive dropout charge throughout the first few years of labor.

“In both cases, the answer is the same: we must better value, better train and better support teachers,” she mentioned.

Regional shortages

Southern Asia is experiencing the biggest lack of lecturers worldwide – 7.8 million – whereas sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for one in three of the present international shortfall.

In the 79 international locations studied by UNESCO to higher perceive the explanations for the scarcity, the attrition charge amongst main faculty lecturers virtually doubled from 4.6 per cent in 2015 to 9 per cent in 2022.

The UN company mentioned that three foremost components stand out: poor working situations, excessive ranges of stress and low pay.

UNESCO made a lot of suggestions to international locations to enhance the standing of lecturers, together with funding in aggressive salaries and advantages, improved trainer training and mentorship programmes and entry to psychological well being counselling.

India: Nipah virus outbreak replace

In India, six laboratory-confirmed instances of Nipah virus, together with two deaths, had been reported over the course of three days in September, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has mentioned.

Nipah virus an infection is unfold to people by means of contact with contaminated animals akin to bats and pigs, and fewer ceaselessly, by means of direct contact with an contaminated particular person.

WHO warned that signs are “severe” and should embody acute respiratory an infection and deadly encephalitis. Case fatality charges in previous outbreaks throughout southern Asia have ranged from 40 to 100 per cent and there are not any obtainable therapies or vaccines.

“The only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is by raising awareness about the risk factors and preventive measures,” WHO mentioned.

The instances, multi functional district of Kerala, had been reported between 12 and 15 September. Large-scale contact tracing was put in place by the well being authorities and since 15 September, no new instances have been detected.

According to WHO, that is the sixth outbreak of Nipah virus in India since 2001.