Is vaping safe? Discover the answer as Jennifer Baptiste of the National Council on Substance Abuse provides us with the details.

BEHIND THE CLOUD - THE RISKS OF VAPING

• Investing in communities beats border spending, says IOM in Sevilla
• Gaza: People now fainting in the streets from hunger, warns UNRWA
• Syria: Aid teams provide vital assistance, but massive needs remain: OCHA

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News
Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved.



UN News Today 02 July 2025 - investing in communities, Gaza update, Syria aid

Education is not only a fundamental human right that must be protected and promoted, but also a cornerstone of sustainable development.

Every dollar invested in education yields up to $15 in return. Meanwhile, the cost of inaction is staggering. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that children being out of school and a lack of relevant skills among today’s generation could cost the global economy $10 trillion over the next decade.

Speaking at the Sustainable Development Conference in Sevilla, Spain, where global experts are discussing financing and reforming the international financial architecture, UNESCO emphasized that education must be recognized as a key driver of economic growth.

That’s according to Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, who spoke with UN News’ Matt Wells in Sevilla about the transformative power of education around the world.

Audio credit: Matt Wells, UN News


Education a ‘main driver of economic growth’, UNESCO reminds at Sevilla development conference

Catch up on information you might have missed during the week.
This week's programme features:

1.	Jus ‘Ah Conversation Podcast 

This week In Case You Missed It Opportunities – (July 2 - 8):

- Vacancies at the Challenor Creative Arts and Training Centre 
- Vacancies in the public school system 
- Teaching vacancies at Lester Vaughan School
- Tender for the National Housing Corporation – visit https://gov-bb.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities for the requirements. 
- A reminder to security guards, investigators, and agencies:  Make sure your licenses are up to date before accepting work! For more information on licensing information, email paul.morris@barbados.gov.bb or call 535-5467.
- Sign up with CooperaNet, the OAS' online platform for development support. Visit oas.org/cooperanet. Applications are open all year!

To download a copy of these opportunities, go to https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/download/in-case-you-missed-it-july-2-8-2025/



IN CASE YOU MISSED IT JULY 2 - 8 (2025)

The Sevilla Commitment, the outcome document of the Financing for Development Conference, is packed full of commitments to ramp up the funding of sustainable development, in order to bridge the divide between developed countries and the Global South.
With the Agreement adopted on the opening day of this flagship UN event, Matt Wells from UN News asked Li Junhua, the UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, what remains at stake.
Audio: Matthew Wells
Photo: UN DESA

Financing for Development: Will multilateralism deliver?

The president of the world’s second largest multilateral development bank has lauded progress made during the pivotal UN financing for sustainable development conference in Sevilla, saying the commitment by countries to work together is “positive, encouraging – and we need to do better.”
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) chief Jin Liqun told Matt Wells who’s in Sevilla for UN News that amid “formidable” global challenges, no one country or institution can stay on the path to sustainability on their own.
He said there was no reason to be intimidated by uncertainties roiling the global economy and partnering with institutions and the private sector is “crucially important”.

Audio and photo credit: Matt Wells, UN News in Sevilla

Bankrolling sustainable development: ‘Positive, encouraging – and we need to do better’

When young South Sudanese have guns, which they do, and are raiding other people’s cattle and produce for their livelihood, which they are, how do you get them to lay down their guns? The answer is an alternative form of income, another livelihood.  

And the path to income is cooperatives according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

Cooperatives, economic organizations in which work and risk are shared by members, are forming in more and more corners of South Sudan.  

They are an acknowledgement that it is easier to surmount livelihood challenges, specifically food insecurity and climate crises, together as a community as opposed to alone as individuals.  

But they may be more than just a path towards economic empowerment, they may also bring peace and security to the world’s youngest nation.  

Ahead of the International Day of Cooperatives, which is marked annually on 5 July, UN News’ Naima Sawaya sat down with FAO’s Louis Bagare, who’s based in South Sudan, and began by asking him to explain what role cooperatives play there.  

Cooperatives, not guns: How to bring peace to youth in South Sudan

’Somalia is on fire’ and development investment can put it out, Sevilla financing conference hears
Ukraine crisis: heavy weapons still causing death and destruction
Gaza: Fear of starvation still looms, warns UN emergency food relief agency
Audio Credit Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 03 July 2025 - Financing for Development, Somalia, Ukraine, Gaza

CWA 2025 - Deborah Daniel reflects on CWA 2024

The Barbados Government Information Service has been established since 1958 as the Barbados Government's public relations and information arm.   This dynamic channel profiles Barbadian people, places and programmes which make up this Caribbean island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.  We want to hear from you.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT JULY 2 - 8 (2025)

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