Read Kate’s latest column for the Shields Gazette:

Climate Change is without a doubt the greatest threat to humanity across the globe. The United Nations Chief has said that we are at a crucial point, and they have given a ‘code red for humanity’. With the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow less than three months away, this Government must act now. We all must act now.

There can be no delay if we are to prevent a climate catastrophe. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the targets made in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 will not be achieved this century unless huge cuts in carbon emissions take place.

Here in the North East, South Tyneside Council have already been taking proactive steps to reduce the impact our communities have on the environment.  Investment into green energy solutions like the multi-million-pound Hebburn Minewater Project are proving the Council’s commitment to combating climate change.

Further to the Hebburn Minewater Project, South Tyneside Council has also set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030. The Council are dedicated to meeting this target and last month ran a Week of Action to highlight the challenges around climate change. Throughout the week of action, young people were encouraged to discuss the positive and negative effects the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the environment. Schools were also encouraged to promote sustainability by hosting uniform swaps and organising zero-waste meals.

I feel it is important to work with the next generation to see how we can collectively work together towards a greener and more sustainable future across our local communities. Therefore I want to build upon South Tyneside Council’s Week of Action and encourage young people to speak out on what needs to be done to improve our environment.

I will be contacting all schools in the Jarrow Constituency to gather ideas from pupils and find out what changes they plan to make in their own lives to combat climate change. I also want to know what the school-age children from the Jarrow Constituency expect the Government to be doing to combat climate change.

It is my hope that this Crusade Against Climate Change will help drive forward our communities in a greener, more sustainable way. While big businesses are the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, we can all take steps as individuals to affect change. If we take these individual steps collectively, we can, as a community reduce our impact on the environment.

It is so important that the next generation feel their voices are being heard, especially with the big issues like climate change. I hope this campaign will encourage children to become more actively involved in tackling these issues.

I will take the key issues raised by the children of the Jarrow Constituency and collate them into a letter to the Prime Minister.

I will be releasing further information on how Under-18s can get involved with this campaign and do their part in my Crusade Against Climate Change. If you have any questions about how you can get involved, please do not hesitate to contact me via [email protected].

Read below about Kate Osborne MPs latest campaign:

The Jarrow MP has this week launched the ‘Crusade against Climate Change’ campaign which aims to ‘work towards a greener, more sustainable future’ by working with the ‘next generation’ across her South Tyneside and Gateshead constituency.

The launch of the campaign comes in the same week as the release of the UN IPCC report in which the authors say that a rise in sea levels approaching 2m by the end of this century “cannot be ruled out”.

Talking about the campaign, Kate Osborne MP said:

“I’m launching this campaign as Climate Change is without a doubt the greatest threat to humanity across the globe. The UN have said we are now at a crucial point and have given a ‘code red for humanity’. There is no time for delay and action is needed now to prevent a climate catastrophe”.

“This is the right time to work with the next generation to see how we can work towards a greener, more sustainable future across our local communities”.

“The campaign will involve local people and communities and encourage them to play their part in combatting climate change”.

“I will be contacting local schools to gather ideas from pupils and to see what changes they plan to make in order to improve the local environment”.

“I want to encourage young people to speak out and contact my office with their ideas on what needs to be done to improve our environment.”

“I will be taking some of these emails and letters down to Westminster with me and will be presenting them to the Prime Minister, so if you are a young person passionate about this extremely important issue, please get in touch with my office.”

You can contact Kate Osborne MP’s office by emailing [email protected] and you can keep up to date with this campaign on Kate’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by searching “Kate Osborne MP”.

Read Kate’s latest article for Labour Outlook:

The 2016 peace agreement in Colombia was a historic moment that brought genuine optimism to many, particularly in the most impoverished regions of the country.  It has mechanisms to address what is currently happening, but it has not been implemented anywhere close to the levels it should have. And now the human rights situation in Colombia is out of control. State violence in Colombia is out of control.

The Colombian government is refusing to recognise the scale of the problem, instead seeking to present a squeaky-clean image internationally while innocent civilians are being murdered.

Let’s be clear, recent events in Colombia have been condemned internationally by Governments, the UN, the OAS and Politicians from Parliaments across the World. That is why last month I led a debate in Parliament to call on the UK Government to do everything it can to hold the Colombian Government to account. We cannot support trade deals and training programmes for the Colombian police without also condemning the state violence, and we need to increase our practical support for the peace process.

I have visited Colombia on two occasions, in 2013 and more recently in 2018 on delegations to review the human rights situation and the implementation of the peace agreement. On those visits I met with a wide range of stakeholders. What I heard then, and what I see now is incredibly worrying.  The UK has a responsibility to improve the human rights situation in Colombia and to make sure the hope that was given to so many with the peace agreement is not destroyed.

Earlier this year, millions of Colombians took to the streets, but the response of the Colombian police was to treat the protesters, who were from all sectors of Colombian society, as if they were an enemy, to be defeated. The police responded to the protests as if they were at war. The images and videos have been horrifying.

Between 28 April and 26 June, Colombian human rights organisation documented between 26 and 44 protesters likely to have been killed by the police. There were 28 cases of sexual assault reported. 257 cases of violence against journalists covering the protests, including over 100 physical assaults. The UN documented 56 people killed during the protests, 54 civilians and 2 members of the police.

There were numerous incidents and videos which also showed the close collaboration of armed civilians – or para-state actors – and the Colombian police. Something that has been highlighted for decades but repeatedly denied by supporters and defenders of the Colombian political elite. Most notably in Cali on the 10th May and 28th May, where armed civilians came onto the streets to shoot at protesters while standing alongside members of the police. The response of the Colombian President to these incidents was to tell the protesters to go home, whilst at the same time remaining silent regarding the apparent paramilitaries and the police operating side by side.

The response of the Colombian government to the protests and the violence of the police, only highlighted further that this is a government more determined to stigmatise protesters than ensure their protection. As protesters were being killed, the Defence Minister and the Vice President made statements trying to link protesters to criminal organisations, whilst the Justice Minister unbelievably tried to claim the protests formed part of an international criminal conspiracy to tarnish the image of Colombia.

These slurs are unacceptable, and we must unreservedly condemn them. I give my full support to all those protesting peacefully in Colombia and their right to protest must be defended.

This is not a new problem, Colombia has long been one of the world’s most dangerous countries to be a human rights activist, according to the UN, 133 were killed in 2020. It is still the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists with 22 killed last year. It was also the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders in 2019 with 64 killed and a further 44 were killed between 20 July 2020 and 30 April 2021. The British Government has been signing environmental agreements with its Colombian counterparts, but we must ask what is being done to ensure there is protection for those on the front line.

I welcome the investigations that have been opened into the abuses committed by state agents over recent months, but this is not enough. The police are alleged to have killed 13 people during protests in 2020 and violently attacked protesters in 2019 but almost all these cases have still seen no justice for the victims and their families.

The UK government must offer full condemnation of the violence of the Colombian police and Colombian government comments undermining the right to protest; it must also do all it can to ensure that all chapters of the 2016 Peace Agreement are fully implemented. I welcome the repeated statements of support for the peace process from the UK Government over recent years, but this must be backed up with maximum presence, and pressure, wherever and whenever necessary.

The Government must agree to a fair and adequate compensation package for the Waspi women at the earliest opportunity and right this dreadful wrong.

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