April 2023 - Page 2 of 12 - Career Meaning

Regional stability still at risk without ‘increased commitment’ to negotiations: UN Kosovo mission chief

UN Special Representative and head of the UN Interim Administration Mission, Caroline Ziadeh, told ambassadors that the most recent Secretary-General’s report on developments in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 but is not recognized by Serbia, “included serious challenges as well as an important collective effort to bring Belgrade-Pristina relations nearer to stability and normalisation.”…

Syria: UN envoy points to ‘important juncture’ in efforts towards peace

“We are at a potentially important juncture, with renewed attention on Syria – particularly from the region – that could assist our efforts in advancing a political solution to this conflict”, he said. “But for this renewed attention to help unlock progress, many actors will need to take concrete steps – not just one set…

China: ‘Vocational training’ programmes for Tibetans carry risk of forced labour

“Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been ‘transferred’ from their traditional rural lives to low-skilled and low-paid employment since 2015, through a programme described as voluntary, but in practice their participation has reportedly been coerced,” they said in a statement. ‘Cultural and political indoctrination’ They noted that the labour transfer programme is facilitated by…

Sudan envoy calls for ceasefire compliance, as concern mounts over West Darfur

Volker Perthes, who is also head of UN Transition Assistance Mission UNITAMS, welcomed the lull in fighting in some parts of the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), noting that “it is not being fully respected”. He called on both sides to stick to the final…

‘Unprecedented insecurity’ in Haiti requires urgent action: new UN envoy

Gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and outside the city, with a shocking increase in criminality and abuses, and a police force that is unable to handle the situation. At the same time, almost half the population, 5.2 million people, needs humanitarian aid,…

Security Council veto should be ‘very last resort’: General Assembly President

The landmark resolution, adopted by consensus, calls for the General Assembly to automatically meet within 10 days if any of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – uses their right of veto. The aim is to hold these countries accountable for exercising…

WHO launches new pandemic prevention plan, as COVID deaths fall 95 per cent

The guidance provides a joined-up approach for responding to the threat or arrival of any respiratory pathogen such as flu or the range of coronaviruses, that have the ability to rapidly mutate into different variants. The new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative, or PRET, incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established…

Sudan: UN aid operation continues amid dire humanitarian conditions

Ten days of fighting between rival military forces have had a devastating impact on the country’s population. The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warned that people are lacking food, water, medicines and fuel, power is limited, and the prices of essential items as well as transport have skyrocketed. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in…

Burkina Faso: UN rights office calls for probe into latest deadly attack on civilians

The incident occurred on Thursday when armed men in uniform encircled Karma village, located in northern Yatenga province, and randomly shot at people. At least 150 civilians were killed, and many more wounded, according to reports. The attackers – allegedly members of the defence and security forces, accompanied by paramilitary auxiliaries known as the Volunteers…

Use new tools to save lives, WHO says on World Malaria Day

“We have the tools to drive down malaria, a package of interventions that includes vector control, preventive medicines, testing, and treatment,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Adopting as its theme for the day – “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement” – WHO’s call to action encompasses preventing,…