September 2023 – Page 9 – Career Meaning

‘Climate breakdown’ alert as air quality dips during heatwaves: UN chief

The news came as the UN chief released a strongly worded statement on a record summer of global warming in the northern hemisphere, according to the European Union’s climate service Copernicus. Dog days bite back “Our planet has just endured a season of simmering – the hottest summer on record,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres,…

UN General Assembly leadership highlights benefit of cooperation

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (at podium) addresses the closing meeting of the 77th session of the General Assembly. ‘Proving ground for multilateralism’: Deputy UN chief Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, commended Assembly President Kőrösi for his skilful stewardship over the past year. She praised the General Assembly for sustaining diplomacy,…

People of African descent facing ‘immense challenges’ in public square

It details how systemic racism, marginalization and exclusion, rooted in the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, continue to have a negative effect on all aspects of life. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged States to “accelerate action towards meaningful, inclusive and safe participation for people of African descent in every aspect of…

Afghanistan: WFP forced to cut food aid for 2 million more

Forced to take the drastic measures citing a “massive funding shortfall”, WFP will only be able to provide emergency assistance to three million people per month across the country from October. “Amid already worrying levels of hunger and malnutrition, we are obliged to choose between the hungry and the starving, leaving millions of families scrambling for their…

How girls are moving the goalpost in Iraq

Rama, 13, Zubaida, 14, and Hadeel, 15, have a shared story of displacement and loss. The name of their city, Mosul, was synonymous with death, destruction, and despair less than a decade ago. Many families, including theirs, have returned to Mosul after years of living in limbo, and are building a brighter future for their…

UN expert urges immediate review of discredited UK sentencing scheme

As of the end of 2022, close to 2,900 people were still being held under the scheme. Unresolved legacy Between 2005 and 2012, English and Welsh courts used the IPP legislation to issue indeterminate sentences to those deemed likely to cause serious public harm, “until they no longer represented such a risk”, said a press…

‘Immense challenges’ block justice for Ukrainian war victims, rights experts warn

Speaking in Kyiv, Commission Chair Erik Møse pointed to continuing patterns of violations by Russian armed forces, including wilful killings, unlawful confinement, torture, rape, and illegal deportations, many of which qualify as war crimes. According to the Commission, the Ukrainian legal system faced “immense challenges” to provide accountability and justice to the victims and ensure…

Urgent call for $1 billion to support millions fleeing Sudan conflict

Since the crisis began when rival military groups clashed in mid-April, projections of growing numbers of people trying to escape fighting have sharply spiked upwards. “The crisis has triggered an urgent demand for humanitarian assistance, as those arriving in remote border areas find themselves in desperate circumstances due to inadequate services, poor infrastructure and limited…

Rights experts call for second UN Decade for People of African Descent

They stressed that more than ever, the world urgently needs humanity to unite and collaborate in a spirit of equality and non-discrimination. “This demands political will to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, inequality and stratification at both the domestic and international levels,” they said in a statement. Achieving this goal means that inequalities within and among countries…

UN chief ‘firmly condemns’ Gabon coup, notes reports of election abuses

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that UN chief António Guterres was following the evolving situation in the capital Libreville “very closely”. While condemning military action as “a means to resolve the post electoral crisis”, the Secretary-General said he had noted the announcement by the Central African nation’s electoral body of a win for incumbent president Ali…