Global Scans · Humans · Weekly Summary

• UN humanitarians continued to highlight that the risk of famine in Gaza is increasing by the day, particularly in northern Gaza. The United Nations Office at Geneva
• £2 million of Arts and Humanities Research Council funding is being announced today, which will support new research projects that will help to define what responsible AI AI looks like across sectors such as education, policing and the creative industries. TechFinancials
• Aid contributes to global security by tackling threats to human security, such as human rights violations, disease, population growth, environmental degradation, peacemaking, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
• Western engagement in Central Asia presents an opportunity to encourage positive developments in human rights and governance. Emerging Europe
• Ministers expressed their deep concern at the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ongoing risk to all Palestinian civilians. The Beehive
• The restructuring of food systems is indisputably one of the greatest opportunities we have to reverse decades of damage to both the planet and to human health. Green Queen
• Kenya's vulnerability to climate change shocks has allowed it access to climate financing billions as intermittent drought and flooding continue to pose a threat resulting in human, social, and economic costs. Business Daily
• Social media will continue to shape the future of globalization: Social media platforms have connected people worldwide, enabling individuals and businesses to exchange ideas and collaborate on a scale never before seen in human history. Prequel
• As the humanitarian situation in Gaza spirals, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warns it will likely have to halt its work across the Middle East by the end of February. CNN
• The Chinese government's continued use of forced labour in Xinjiang, and the failure of car companies to adequately address forced labour risks, underscore the need for governments to require companies to map their supply chains and eliminate links to forced labour and other human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch
• For indirect suppliers like Henan Shenhuo, Germany's supply chain law requires companies to respond to human rights risks where they have substantiated knowledge that a supplier may have violated human rights. Human Rights Watch
• Even without operational control of joint ventures, carmakers still have a responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles to use the leverage they do have to ensure joint ventures address the risk of forced labour and other human rights abuses in their supply chains. Human Rights Watch
• Car companies have a responsibility under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to prevent or mitigate the risk of forced labour and other human rights abuses directly linked to their operations by their business relationships, including through their supply chains. Human Rights Watch
• In assessing the risk of aluminum companies' participation in labour transfers, aluminum industry experts told Human Rights Watch that aluminum smelting is a highly technical process, relying largely on specialized workers, which could make it harder for companies to absorb labour transfer workers. Human Rights Watch
• Volkswagen said that it assumes responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles to use its leverage over its Chinese joint ventures to address the risk of human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch
• Despite the risk of exposure to forced labour through Xinjiang's aluminum, some car manufacturers in China have succumbed to government pressure to apply weaker human rights and responsible sourcing standards at their Chinese joint ventures than in their global operations. Human Rights Watch
• While HRW's report acknowledges the Chinese government uses the claim of political sensitivity regarding Xinjiang as a carte blanche to quash discussion on human rights abuses, it argues car companies could still do more to minimise the risks of relying on aluminium produced by forced labour. The Guardian
• 90% of the human population, aged 6 years and older, or roughly 7.5 billion people, will be online and generating data by the end of this decade. Cybercrime Magazine
• En 2024, nearly 300 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection, i.e. 4% of the world's population, compared with 363.2 million in 2023. ReliefWeb
• A shift towards a more sustainable global food system could create up to $10 tn of benefits a year, improve human health and ease the climate crisis. Clever
• To feed the 9.7 billion human population by 2050, the world needs diversified stocks of ingredients to reduce the protein gap as land becomes increasingly scarce. The Fish Site
• The power of human interaction will continue to play a critical role in business over the coming decade, even as technology such as AI, robotics and quantum computing dramatically reshapes entire sectors and business models. FinExtra

Last updated: 11 February 2024