International

Chinese vice premier calls for strengthening early warnings for all at COP29

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative Ding Xuexiang, also China’s vice premier, on Tuesday called for strengthening early warning systems for all and enhancing climate adaptation capacity when addressing a high-level meeting held by China on early warnings during the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Ding, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China attaches great importance to international cooperation on meteorological early warning and President Xi has made specific requirements on this issue.

In recent years, climate change has had an increasing impact globally, with frequent extreme weather events posing unprecedented challenges to the safety of people’s lives and property as well as to economic and social development, Ding said, adding that strengthening early warning systems for all and enhancing climate adaptation capacity have become increasingly important and urgent.

China is willing to work with all countries to advance the implementation of the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All initiative, make new and greater contributions to addressing climate change, Ding said. He further proposed three points.

First, jointly improving global risk assessment capabilities and promoting the standardization of climate risk assessments to provide scientific support for climate governance.

Second, jointly building a global early warning network, sharing technology, enhancing system interconnectivity, and working to improve global early warning systems.

Third, jointly establishing a climate adaptation partnership. Ding said that China will develop and implement a South-South cooperation flagship project for early warning in response to climate change, supporting other developing countries through the provision of meteorological observation equipment, early warning systems, and capacity-building training.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, the UN secretary-general’s Special Adviser on Climate Action and Just Transition Selwin Hart, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, and Kamal Kishore, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for disaster risk reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, also attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

During the meeting, China’s Action Plan on Early Warning for Climate Change Adaptation (2025-2027) was published. Article from CGTN

International

Chinese Government Offers Scholarships For 2025

The Government of China is providing full scholarships to Barbadian students to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in that country, for the academic year commencing September 2025.

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must be citizens of Barbados in good health; high school graduates under the age of 45 when applying for general programmes; be 25 years old if pursuing undergraduate studies, and under 35 years old if pursuing a master’s degree – applicants must already possess a bachelor’s degree and graduated with at least Lower Second Class Honours.

Applicants must also be under age 40 if pursuing a doctoral degree and must have a master’s degree, or hold a master’s degree or that of an Associate Professor (or above) and be under age 50 when applying for senior scholarship programmes. Applications, procedures, and the relevant rules are available from www.campuschina.org or www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina.

For more information on the scholarships for 2025, interested persons should contact the Tertiary Section of the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training at 535-0863, or visit www.mes.gov.bb. The deadline for the submission of applications is Friday, January 17, 2025. (PR/GIS)

International

People Of African Descent Take Centre Stage At UN

The start of the Second Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed as January 1, 2025, by the United Nations General Assembly, yesterday.

The theme of the Second Decade is “People of African descent: Recognition, Justice and Development”.

The decade will mobilise United Nations agencies and the international community more broadly to focus on the challenges faced by people of African descent around the world and to promote the respect, protection, and fulfilment of all of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

During the course of the first decade, which ran from 2015 to 2024, the UN and its member states took a number of steps to address the challenges faced and promote the contribution of people of African descent around the world.

At the national level, Barbados has been pursuing reparatory justice through the work of Special Envoy Trevor Prescod. The University of the West Indies has established a partnership with the University of Glasgow that has led to the creation of a joint master’s programme on reparatory justice.

At the regional level, CARICOM has been pursuing reparatory justice through its reparations commission, chaired by Sir Hilary Beckles and through the Prime Ministerial sub-committee on reparations chaired by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

Upon the adoption of the resolution by the UN General Assembly, Barbados’ Ambassador to the UN, François Jackman, noted: “The facts surrounding the challenges faced by people and societies of African descent are increasingly well-known and well-understood – in part due to the higher profile these issues have assumed as a result of the proclamation of the First Decade.

“This welcome proclamation of a second decade will, however, inevitably lead to disappointment if we do not provide it and its programme of activities with the support that is required. It will therefore be essential for the international community to mobilise the necessary human and financial resources to realise the promise of this second decade.” (PR/GIS)

International

PRESIDENT XI JINPING CALLS FOR AN OPEN WORLD ECONOMY

During meeting with the leaders of major international economic organizations, President Xi Jinping noted that as each economy faces its own set of challenges, it is imperative to build an open world economy through cooperation, drive development through innovation, seize the important opportunities of the digital economy, artificial intelligence and low-carbon technology, foster new sources of economic growth, and support the cross-border flow of knowledge, technology and talent. Building “small yard with high fences,” decoupling and disrupting supply chains bring harm to others without benefiting oneself. China always believes that the world does well when China does well; and when the world does well, China will do even better. For countries, economic interdependence should be seen as a good thing that enables all to draw on each other’s strengths for mutual benefit and win-win results. It should not be taken as a risk.