Month: June 2023
Top UN official urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to ‘put on the brakes’
“The choice is clear,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). “Either continue along the downward spiral of violence and provocations leading to a political vacuum or turn towards constructive dialogue linked to concrete actions that can create hope and a political horizon.” ‘Alarming spike’ Urging Israeli and Palestinian…
Read More‘Dire year’ for children caught in conflict, as hospital and school attacks double
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba unveiled the Secretary-General’s latest annual report, for 2022, which showed there were 27,180 grave violations overall, an increase from the previous year. The recorded violations only refer to verified information, with the likely toll much higher, and cover four categories: recruitment and use of children into…
Read MoreLegal protection essential for people displaced by climate change: UN expert
“The effects of climate change are becoming more severe, and the number of people displaced across international borders is rapidly increasing,” said Ian Fry, independent human rights expert on climate change, who took up the new post last year. “In 2020 alone, 30.7 million people were displaced from their homes due to weather-related events. Droughts…
Read MorePreventing ‘contagion of atrocities’ hinges on responsibility to protect
“The lives of millions depend on that responsibility being given meaning,” Special Adviser on responsibility to protect (R2P) issues George Okoth-Obbo said, introducing the Secretary-General’s latest report and speaking on his behalf. “This annual debate is a reminder to us not to drift from our commitment, our duty, our responsibility to protect.” Preventing ‘contagion of mass…
Read MoreHorn of Africa: Around 60 million in urgent humanitarian need
“About five million children under the age of five are estimated to be facing acute malnutrition in 2023 in the Horn region, in the Greater Horn. That is about 10.4 million, that is just a staggering figure,” said Liesbeth Aelbrecht, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) incident manager for the greater Horn of Africa emergency. Three…
Read MoreTorture as a weapon of war must cease, rights experts demand
Today, more than 100 armed conflicts are raging worldwide, devastating communities, winding back development, and leading to grave violations of human rights. Ranging from severe beatings to sexual humiliation and rape, torture is widely used as a means of war. And often, torture involves the use of tools or instruments, mock executions, and forcing victims…
Read MoreUN refugee agency predicts spike in resettlement needs next year
According to the Projected Global Resettlement Needs Assessment for 2024, over 2.4 million refugees will be in need of resettlement, marking a 20 per cent increase compared to 2023. A woman leaves a refugee camp in Rwanda on her way to resettlement in Norway. Escalating challenges With a deepening refugee crisis, security breakdowns and conflicts, urgent…
Read MoreRecord executions, large-scale arrests and detentions: New Iran human rights report
“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy human rights chief, presenting the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report focuses on developments…
Read MoreUN remains focused on ‘critical needs’ of Ukraine’s people
Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group told delegates he had just returned from the war-torn country, noting civilians’ “extraordinary determination to adapt, to recover and to rebuild.” “The UN had developed a clear picture to inform a targeted recovery through a Rapid Damage and…
Read MoreA knowledge-based approach to tackling Afghanistan’s drug abuse crisis
Afghanistan, one of the world’s largest producers of heroin and methamphetamine – most of it smuggled abroad – is home to nearly 4 million drugs users, according to the UN. The worsening crisis has left most of the country’s drug treatment and rehabilitation centers struggling to cope. A walk through what is considered in Kabul…
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