August 2023 – Page 2 – Career Meaning

Yemen oil tanker: ‘Pivotal chapter’ concludes but important work remains

The meticulous effort onboard the rusting FSO Safer spanned months of preparation and nearly 13 weeks of execution by the SMIT salvage team, which was contracted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). “The UN and the broad group of partners that support the Safer project have so far succeeded in preventing the worst-case scenario of…

Russia hits ‘new low’ with ban against discrediting army: Rights experts

The law was adopted shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Special Rapporteurs said they had already raised serious concerns over the law with the Russian Government and through public statements. “The decision to deny constitutional protection of the right to freedom of expression constitutes a new low in Russia’s clampdown on the freedom of expression…

Mali: ‘MINUSMA is leaving, but the UN is staying’, Mission chief says

Briefing the Security Council, El-Ghassim Wane, who is also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali, updated ambassadors on the Mission’s withdrawal process. Vital work “MINUSMA may be leaving Mali, but the United Nations, through its agencies, funds, and programs, remains. Their work has never been as vital as it is today,” he said,…

New UN guidance affirms children’s right to a clean, healthy environment

General Comment No. 26 marks the first time the Committee has affirmed children’s right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It provides a comprehensive interpretation of State obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been ratified by 196 countries. The 1989 treaty outlines children’s rights, including…

Malawi: Truck drivers learn about risks of human trafficking

“I used to transport sugar from Malawi,” said an anonymous driver, who was arrested for migrant trafficking. “In 2016, I had to wait for several days at a border crossing in Tanzania for customs checks. I was approached by a man who offered me a lot of money to transport goats.” His story is not…

Guterres calls for peaceful resolution of election disputes in Zimbabwe

Citizens went to the polls on Wednesday but voting had to be extended into Thursday in some areas, including the capital, Harare, due to a lack of ballot papers. President Emmerson Mnangagwa secured a second five-year term in results announced late on Saturday. His party, ZANU-PF, has been in power since 1980, following the end…

Six years on, still no justice for Myanmar’s Rohingya

Friday, 25 August, marks the sixth anniversary of the start of a massive offensive by Myanmar’s military against the mainly Muslim minority in Rakhine state. Some 10,000 Rohingya men, women, children and newborns were killed, more than 300 villages burnt to the ground, and over 700,000 forced to flee to Bangladesh in search of safety,…

Da’esh and affiliates still a threat in conflict zones, UN counter-terrorism officials report

Ambassadors were briefed by two senior UN counter-terrorism officials who presented the Secretary-General’s latest report on the group, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which showed that the threat in non-conflict areas remains low. “This analytical distinction can obscure what is the complex, context- specific and dynamic nature of how these groups operate and evolve and their impact on international…

Malawi: Truck drivers learn about risks of human trafficking

109-year-old Tulsa Massacre survivor reflects on legacy of slavery in UN visit

Together with her grandson, Ike Howard, the 109-year-old Ms. Fletcher came to UN Headquarters this week to commemorate the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Standing in front of the Ark of Return monument, Ms. Fletcher and Mr. Howard spoke with UN News to discuss…