Month: July 2022
Iran: Top rights expert welcomes Swedish verdict in mass executions case |
The development came after Hamid Nouri – a former Iranian prosecutor and prison officer – was arrested at a Stockholm airport in 2019. He was later charged with war crimes and the mass murder of detainees in Iran in 1988, in line with an order issued by the then Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. Iranian…
Read MoreGuterres hails healer and ‘mentor to generations’, Nelson Mandela |
Secretary-General António Guterres described the champion of a free and democratic South Africa who spent nearly three decades in prison resisting the racist Apartheid regime, as “a leader of unparalleled courage and towering achievement; and a man of quiet dignity and deep humanity.” Nelson Mandela – or Madiba, the clan name he’s affectionately known by at…
Read MoreCOVID-19 fuels slowest rate of childhood vaccination in three decades, leaving millions at risk |
The figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, show the percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a marker for immunization coverage within and across countries – fell five points between 2019 and 2021, to 81 per cent. 1⃣8⃣…
Read MoreKenya’s Kuruwitu corals are back, thanks to local conservation drive |
Kenya’s Kuruwitu Beach is tranquil. Sparkling sand beaches complement the clear blue water, and the familiar scent of sand and sea salt fill the air. A decade ago, villagers noticed the dwindling stocks of fish and took it upon themselves to set up a conservation area with the help of like-minded partners. Dickson Gereza is…
Read MoreChampion young people as ‘drivers of change’, UN chief urges |
From climate change to conflicts to persistent poverty, young people are “disproportionately impacted by interlinked global crises,” his Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake, told a commemorative event in New York, speaking on behalf of the UN chief. “Today, we highlight the importance of transforming youth skills for the future of work,” she said, delivering his message…
Read MoreHaiti: UN sounds alarm over worsening gang violence across Port-au-Prince |
The alert comes just hours after UN humanitarians said they were ready to provide all the assistance they could to communities caught in the crossfire of gang violence, once they can gain safe access to those impacted. A recent upsurge in fighting between rival gangs in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital, has led to the deaths…
Read MoreEnsure peaceful and constitutional transfer of power in Sri Lanka, urges UN Resident Coordinator |
In a statement issued on Friday on behalf of the UN in Sri Lanka, Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer, said that it was “imperative that the transition of power is accompanied by broad and inclusive consultation within and outside Parliament.” According to news reports, Mr. Rajapaksa offered his resignation after fleeing the country and arriving in Singapore, having first flown…
Read MoreA safe space for Venezuela’s indigenous women |
Venezuela has suffered a widespread decline in public services, such as electricity, domestic gas supplies, and public transportation in recent years. This crisis has driven some members of the indigenous communities on Venezuela’s western border with Colombia, including Río Negro, to make frequent border crossings to purchase basic goods, including food items. When their relative…
Read MoreKey UN forum closes with ‘enthusiasm, passion and high-energy’ to reach the SDGs |
“We have advanced the substantive programme of the [Economic and Social] Council (ECOSOC) and initiated concrete foundational action to implement the decisions of the General Assembly” in resolutions on strengthening the HLPF and ECOSOC, said the body’s president, Collen Kelapile. Urgency and ambition Although the COVID pandemic continues, “we are moving on in the road…
Read MoreSouth Africa ‘on the precipice of explosive xenophobic violence’, UN experts warn |
In a statement released on Friday, the rights experts cited “Operation Dudula” as an example of hate speech. Originally a social media campaign, Operation Dudula has become an umbrella for the mobilization of violent protests, vigilante violence, arson targeting migrant-owned homes and businesses, and even the murder of foreign nationals. The experts, known as Special…
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