ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

• The release of the October 2023 Hunger Hotspots report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows the complexity and interaction of conflict, climate impacts, economic shocks in key contexts by assessing the food security outlook for the next six months from November 2023 to April 2024.
• The report identifies 18 hunger “hotspots” in a total of 22 countries or territories where it is expected a significant deterioration of the already high levels of acute food insecurity, putting lives and livelihoods at stake.
• The report reveals that the countries with the highest level of concern are Burkina Faso, Mali, South Sudan, and Sudan, as well as newly assessed Palestine.

ABOUT WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

• It is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide.
• It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals.
• It was founded in 1961 by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
• WFP is headquartered in Rome and has offices in 80 countries.
• Vision – Eradicate food insecurity and malnutrition by 2030 (SDG 2 – Zero Hunger)
• The World Food Programme (WFP) has a presence in over 120 countries and territories to bring life-saving food to people displaced by conflict and made destitute by disasters.

ANSWER: B

• In a bid to address voter apathy among young Indians, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will both introduce and update textbooks to include content on electoral literacy and will advise State Education Boards and other Boards to follow suit.
• Beginning with classes 6 to 12 in all schools, this integration will also extend to the curricular framework for all colleges and universities.
• The measures are part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry.
• It is aimed at extending the ECI’s flagship Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) in schools and colleges.

ABOUT SVEEP

• Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program (SVEEP), is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
• It was launched in 2009.
• Its primary goal is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.
• SVEEP is designed according to the socio-economic, cultural, and demographic profile of the state as well as history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections.
• The Commission produces several voter awareness materials and disseminates the same through various mediums/platforms of communication e Print Media, Electronic Media, Social Media etc.
• The objectives envisaged for SVEEP as per the strategy document for 2022-25 are-
  • Increase voter turnout to 75% in Lok Sabha elections 2024
  • To enhance the quality of electoral participation in terms of informed and ethical voting through continuous electoral and democracy education.

ANSWER: D

• A Legal Identity and Rights-Based Return Management Conference was organised by IOM at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• The initiative was organised within the framework of IOM’s Global Programme Enhancing Readmission and Legal Identity Capacities (RELICA), launched in 2022.
• It aimed to promote dialogue between countries of origin and destination for such people without legal identities.
• About a billion people lack legal identities and are invisible to states, limiting their access to services and restricting their mobility, forcing them to travel longer, more dangerous and irregular routes.

ABOUT IOM

• IOM is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrant workers.
• It was established in 1951 as to help resettle people displaced by World War II.
• It was granted Permanent Observer status to UN General Assembly in 1992.
• HQ- Geneva, Switzerland
• It has 175 member states (including India) and presence in over 100 countries.
• IOM works in four broad areas of migration management:
  • Migration and development,
  • Facilitating migration,
  • Regulating migration and
  • Forced migration.

ANSWER: B

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) under UN has launched an emergency aid appeal seeking $1.2 billion to help some 2.7 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.

ABOUT OCHA

• The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991.
• It is the successor to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO).
• It has two headquarter locations, Geneva and New York.
• OCHA is led by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC), who serves a five-year term.
• OCHA core functions include- Advocacy, Coordination, Humanitarian Financing, Information Management and Policy.
• OCHA’s Strategic Plan 2023-2026 outlines six transformational priorities to address the challenges of this rapidly changing landscape-
  • A coherent humanitarian response that is people centred, context specific, contributes to community resilience and promotes concrete protection outcomes.
  • Systematic and predictable leadership on access.
  • Durable solutions to protracted internal displacement.
  • Humanitarian response that is inclusive and leaves no one behind.
  • Catalytic humanitarian financing that delivers impact in people’s lives.
  • Strategic analysis of risks and trends to adapt to an evolving landscape.

ANSWER: C

• World Biosphere Reserve Day is celebrated on November 3 each year to raise awareness of the importance of biosphere reserves and to promote their conservation and sustainable use.
• In the year 2022 at the 41st Session of UNESCO’s general Conference, it was decided that November 3 would be celebrated worldwide as the International Day for Biosphere Reserves.
• Biosphere Reserves are protected areas, meant for the conservation of plants and animals. Not just the flora and fauna, but human beings also depend on these protected areas for their livelihood activities.
• A BR tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
• BRs are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.
• These are designated under the intergovernmental Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme by the Director-General of UNESCO following the decisions of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB ICC).
• The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.

 STATS

• According to UNESCO, there are currently 748 biosphere reserves across 134 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, enhancing the friendly cooperation between neighbouring countries.
• They impact the lives of more than 250 million people in 134 countries; 12 sites can be found in India alone.