1 Current Affairs and Issues
Open Letter to UN Secretary-General 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
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. False
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.
= 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 said 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
said that he was sorry but he could not lend any money that day and apologized
for it.
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 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