STORYLINE
In her first public statement to journalists at the UN in Geneva, the new UN weather chief, Professor Celeste Saulo, emphasized today (16 January) that one of the priorities of her administration will be to strengthen early warning systems that can forecast when and where extreme weather events will be occurring. With natural disasters becoming more frequent due to human-caused climate change, the need for early warning systems has increased.
Adapting to the climate change is not a choice but an essential necessity, said the new Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in her introductory remarks at a press briefing. “It's about building resilient communities, especially in the most vulnerable regions, capable of resisting to, and recovering from, climate-related disasters.”
She added that “early warning systems will be the linchpin in disaster risk reduction, transforming threats into opportunities for sustainable development. Under my leadership, we will fortify early warning systems, enhance data accessibility, and make science and timely, life-saving information accessible to all.”
Making sure that “we are not mere observers, we are architects of a sustainable future,” Professor Saulo said that “over the next years, we have an opportunity, a duty, and a possibility, to shape the narrative on climate action. This is about empowering nations, fostering inclusivity, and creating sustainable pathways for a shared prosperity.”
At the end of her mandate, Professor Saulo would like to be measured on the execution of common tasks she has achieved for the WMO.
“We share a common understanding of what we need, the issues how we can implement, and the implementation is, for me, the crucial aspect of all what we do. If we fail at implementation, we will be failing I would say the world. And here is where my strength will be. It will be focused in implementing and implementing the decisions that our member countries decided.”
Replying to a journalist's question on her role being the first female Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Professor Saulo said that “it's not only about women, I would say it is about diversity and we have different ways of thinking, the problems, the issues and finding solutions. I don't say that it is necessarily better. But I think it's different and I, for example I highlighted for me, how important family is. For me, it's a building block, something that moves me forward because I'm thinking of the new generations all the time. I cannot do something without thinking of the impact for the future generations.”
Professor Saulo is from Argentina. She took office on 1 January 2024. She succeeds Professor Petteri Taalas of Finland who completed his two-term mandate.
-ends-
STORY: WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo
TRT: 2:50”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 16 January 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the United Nations bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following comments on the recent violence in Kenya.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
US tariffs uncertainty hurts world economy, with poorest countries hit hardest – top UN economist
A new US decision to further delay the end of a 90-day pause on tariffs is bad for business, a top UN economist said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza aid site horror continues as more starving people shot trying to get food
Amid intensifying hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, UN humanitarians confirmed disturbing details on Friday of continued killings and injuries of Palestinians desperately seeking food at aid sites.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
A clearer picture of needs across Iran is beginning to emerge after the conflict this month with Israel, which left hundreds dead, several hospitals hit and a spike in Afghan refugees returning home, the UN’s top official in Tehran said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
The blistering early-summer heatwave that’s brought life-threatening temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere is a worrying sign of things to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Human Rights Council annual panel on adverse impacts of climate change.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Palestinians killed seeking food in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Iran-Israel war: UN rights office concerned over strike on Tehran prison, reported espionage arrests
Tehran’s notorious Evin prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.