UN Mission backs constitutional referendum in Mali
“This is obviously an important time for the mission, coinciding with discussions on the renewal of its mandate, and also for Mali, which continues to face complex security and other forms of challenges,” Special Representative El-Ghassim Wane told ambassadors. The long-awaited vote on Sunday marks the first phase towards presidential elections next year following a…
Read MoreCombating drought, one garden at a time
The unpaved road to the village is bumpy and sandy. For people living here, however, the path and the intense heat are part of daily life. High temperatures have not stopped Foureyratou Saidou, a single mother of four and recent widow, from tending to the community garden next to the village. The payoffs are worth…
Read MoreWomen suffer disproportionately from ravages of drought, desertification
“Equal land rights both protect land and advance gender equality,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a video message, urging all governments to eliminate legal barriers to women owning land, and to involve them in policy making. “We depend on land for our survival, yet we treat it like dirt,” the UN chief added, emphasizing…
Read MoreSudan’s Darfur spiralling into ‘humanitarian calamity’: UN aid chief
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned in a statement issued late on Thursday night that conditions in the province were particularly dire: babies dying in hospitals, children and mothers suffering from severe malnutrition, camps for displaced persons burned down and sexual violence on the rise. He deplored spreading inter-communal violence in Darfur that threatens…
Read MoreUN in Sudan condemns killing of West Darfur governor, raises alarm over ‘vortex of hate speech’
In a statement, UNITAMS strongly condemned the killing of Khamis Abbaker who just hours earlier on Wednesday, according to news reports, had publicly blamed the deaths of civilians caught up in the violence stemming from the military power struggle across Sudan, on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “Compelling eyewitness accounts attribute this act to Arab militias and…
Read MoreAlmost 3 million children ‘desperately need protection and support’ in Haiti
“Being a child in Haiti today is harsher and more dangerous than it ever has been in living memory. The threats and hardships children face are simply unimaginable. They desperately need protection and support,” said UNICEF Haiti Representative Bruno Maes. Displacement and violence Children find themselves in the crossfire, or directly targeted, as armed groups…
Read MoreGuterres calls for phasing out fossil fuels to avoid climate ‘catastrophe’
“We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open”, he said. “It’s time to wake up and step up.” Mr. Guterres was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters following a meeting with civil society climate leaders from across the world. ‘Catastrophe’ looms He said limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible but will…
Read MoreDR Congo: Armed group attacks displace nearly 1 million since January
An estimated 6.1 million are internally displaced, a 17 per cent increase from October, according to its Displacement Tracking Matrix. IOM said civilians have been killed or forced to flee their homes due to a surge in violence and attacks by armed groups. Deadly attack, intolerable dangers At least 46 people were killed in the…
Read MoreFirst Person: ‘We want to be included’
Nicholas Herd is a campaigner for L’Arche Canada, part of international non-profit organization working towards the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. He is participating in the UN Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which is taking place at UN Headquarters in New York. “I have lived with discrimination…
Read MoreFaith leaders critical to combating ‘groundswell’ of hatred globally
The Council met specifically to discuss “the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace”, building on a 2019 declaration co-authored by Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al Sharif, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and also considered the highest authority in Sunni Islamic thought. The declaration urges religious…
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