By UKFIET: The Education and Development Forum https://mailchi.mp/ukfiet/education-and-covid-19-roundup-of-recent-blogs-august?e=32f4554223 This is the ninth UKFIET newsletter which focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education across the world. This curated collection once again shows the broad range of issues education experts are grappling with to try and ensure that learning does not stop during the disruption. Innovative solutions are being developed and opportunities are being grasped to reimagine a different and more inclusive education as schools try to re-open. Additional efforts are being made to try and leave no learner behind. As a reminder, the UKFIET Forum featur

By Jessica Craig Taken from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/yemen-the-forgotten-war/ In July 2020, the UK government announced that it would resume granting export licenses for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns that these weapons might be used against civilians in Yemen. Yemen continues to suffer through an ongoing conflict, in which Saudi-led coalition forces are fighting the Houthi rebels, as well as food insecurity and disease outbreaks, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the UK government considers resuming arms sales to Saudi Arabia to be in line with British arms export policy, this decision clashes with a number of British commitments to protec

The Protests and Suffragettes project has launched a Crowdfunder to highlight and Celebrate Scotland's Suffragettes (info below). We want to create educational resources for 50 schools across Scotland -- to reach 1,500 young people with dynamic, hands-on educational resources – and inspire them with the words and actions of mighty women who campaigned for women's representation. We know that this will encourage all of us to think about being more active citizens – and how we can each make a difference. For those who pledge Monday 17th, any amount you donate stands to be doubled by Creative Scotland -- so we are really hoping many people will join us that day: We are one of only 20 projects n

By Thao Le In the midst of Covid-19, Vietnam was one of the few countries to impose lockdown measures and rapidly build healthcare facilities to prepare for the outbreak. With sincere care for people’s physical health and the government prioritising it over economic development, we were able to control the situation for more than 3 months before the second wave in the end of July 2020. Also, as a result of the pandemic, the country’s concerns for sustainable development, especially social and environmental sustainability, have regained their positions as the top priorities. This article will seek to discuss the various aspects of the Covid-19 situation in Vietnam under the lens of the UN Sus

Working at every level from grassroots to governmental, UN House Scotland is committed to the promotion of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 international goals designed to foster global sustainable peace and prosperity. It is in contributing to SDG4 – Quality Education – that UNHS is proud to be partnered with Voting Counts. Quality Education is not limited to the classroom, nor to ‘traditional’ academia, but rather describes lifelong learning, in “inclusive and equitable” settings. Informed engagement in local, national and international politics – based on a factual education in political issues – is absolutely crucial, and we commend Voting Counts’ commitment to providing s

Our in-depth research of homelessness in Scotland evaluates the country's action plan and compares it with other nations. For the full report, download below:

Our latest Parliamentary One Pager on Homelessness analyses the issue in Scotland to determine potential solutions.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom have produced another video commemorating the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvLgciMUABA&feature=youtu.be

By ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) https://www.icanw.org/saint_kitts_and_nevis_ratifies_un_nuclear_weapon_ban_treaty_on_nagasaki_anniversary Today, 9 August 2020, marks 75 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing more than 74,000 people and inflicting harm across generations. To honour the victims and survivors of that horrific attack, the Caribbean state of Saint Kitts and Nevis has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on this significant anniversary. A total of 44 countries are now parties to this landmark disarmament agreement, which was negotiated and adopted at the United Nations in 2017

Article from The New York Times By Motoko Rich https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/world/asia/hiroshima-japan-setsuko-thurlow.html

By Jurin Katayama Flores The Modern Minority Myth is a deceptive stereotype that leads us to believe that those from East Asian backgrounds are highly intelligent and financially successful. It perpetuates the narrative that since East Asians were able to be successful despite imposed racial barriers, it is the faults and own doing of other ethnic minorities that have led them to still experience poverty and discrimination. It negates the facts that ethnic groups have different histories and (lack of) privileges that were created by white-led, Western societies. The results of the Modern Minority Myth are dangerous. On one hand, the perspective that East Asians are academic, but quiet, leads

ICAN has created a video titled "What can we do with the billions spent on nuclear weapons?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0fg3W_Wb4&feature=youtu.be The video was created as a part of WILPF's Four Days of Action again Nuclear Weapon Spending: https://www.wilpf.org/hiroshima-nagasaki-2020/

By Mayor Kazumi Matsui On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb destroyed our city. Rumour at the time had it that "nothing will grow here for 75 years." And yet, Hiroshima recovered, becoming a symbol of peace visited by millions from around the world. Humanity struggles now against a new threat: the novel coronavirus. However, with what we have learned from the tragedies of the past, we should be able to overcome this threat. When the 1918 flu pandemic attacked a century ago, it took tens of millions of lives and terrorized the world because nations fighting World War I were unable to meet the threat together. A subsequent upsurge in nationalism led to World War II and the atomic bombings.

Update from ICAN Photo Taken from: https://teuri.planetyze-touch.com/tw/guidebook/16 As part of the world-wide commemorations of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, please check out our film series featuring the work of documentary filmmaker, legend and friend of mine, Robert Richter. Our next installment is tomorrow — Thursday, August 6th at 7 pm EST. First up is Bob's Oscar-nominated Gods of Metal. Released in 1982, this documentary short highlights the role of Catholics and Christians working to stop the nuclear arms race. The second film The Ultimate Wish: Ending the Nuclear Age I made with Bob in 2013 and it features my dear friend Sakue Shimohira, a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic b

Peace Art & Music Gather International Artists for a Live, 24-hour Global Broadcast on 6​ August to Mark the 75​ Anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This will likely prove the last remembrance festival where Hiroshima survivors known as the Hibakusha are present to provide first-hand accounts of what happened - given their average age of 82-years. You can watch the broadcast here: https://youtu.be/wbGA0F-wGSY Further information and the programme can be found below:

Please find below an article by Sandy Jones on how the U.S. has launched a missile test less than 48 hours before the 75th Anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing in 1945. https://www.wagingpeace.org/u-s-launches-minuteman-iii-missile-test-less-than-48-hours-before-75th-anniversary-of-hiroshima-atomic-bombing/#.XymI0CWfd3U.email Picture is not of the missile test.

By Rachael Osgood, Hannah Lawrence, Jurin Katayama and Hana Shono On the 30th of July, the United Nations marked the World Day Against Trafficking Persons. Each year, the marking of this day implores us all to learn more about human trafficking and what we can do in our personal and professional capacities to end this grave violation of human rights. This year’s focus is on human trafficking first responders - chosen with the COVID-19 crisis in mind. The global pandemic highlights their self-sacrifice in the battle to support trafficking survivors and seek justice for them against traffickers. You may find and download the POP below.

By Isabel Remers In my classes studying peace and conflict, it is a correct assumption to make that we all, young and optimistic, want and believe in rose-tinted possibility of future peace. When I was asked this question, it reminded me of our discussions on the thin binary between the need for peace and the creation of peace, and above all, a question of for what purpose an attempt at ‘peace’ has been made and for who is this ‘peace’ truly for. The idea that ‘peace’ can be applicable has inherent connotations of intervention, something that has been thought of outside of the current situation. A scientific quick fix. Rather than being self-led the word applicable suggests that ‘peace’ is s

By Abrahm Lustgarten of The New York Times You may find the link to this interactive magazine below. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

ICAN in Scotland The Scottish First Minister, in her reply to a letter from Setsuko Thurlow, who at the age of 13 survived the US nuclear attack on Hiroshima, has re-iterated her government's opposition to nuclear weapons and its support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Setsuko Thurlow, who received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), wrote to all the leaders of all the nuclear weapon states, pleading with them to reconsider their opposition to the Treaty2. Exceptionally, she also wrote to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to thank her for Scotland's opposition to nuclear weapons and in recognition