Sudan crisis still having devastating impact on civilians: UN rights office
“We are concerned by the continued devastating impact of the fighting in Sudan on civilians,” Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and military rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been locked in vicious clashes since mid-April. Hundreds have been killed and some 1.2 million have been displaced. UN…
Read MoreUkraine flood disaster: needs grow as long-term impacts loom
Speaking to journalists from Bilozerka, a town on the Dnipro River about 20 kilometres west of Kherson and five kilometres from the frontline, Ms. Brown, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said that on Friday, the UN brought in a five-truck convoy to the affected areas, with desperately needed drinking water, food and equipment to help…
Read More‘Robust’ cooperation with Arab League can quell conflict in the region
“Together we can achieve what neither organization can achieve on its own,” she said, presenting the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on the important collaboration. Recent strains on multilateralism have seen trust in institutions and processes sorely tested, most recently by the uneven response to the COVID-19 crisis, she said. “Defiance of international law and the…
Read MoreDraft NY state law a ‘golden opportunity’ to ensure fair debt relief
Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, and Attiya Waris, Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, have welcomed the proposed New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Prevention Act, which is currently under discussion. They urged lawmakers to adopt the draft bill, which compels private creditors to participate in…
Read MoreBangladesh must suspend plans to return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar: Rights expert
Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, insisted that current conditions there were “anything but conducive” for the return of Rohingya refugees. Death trap He stressed that the very generals who had launched “genocidal” attacks against the Rohingya, causing hundreds of thousands to flee the country, were now…
Read MoreDam disaster: UN ‘committed to reaching all Ukrainians in need’, says top aid official
Denise Brown, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, offered reassurance to Dmytro Kuleba that UN agencies and other humanitarian partners have been delivering water, food and cash to those displaced or suffering the impact of the dam breach, and collapse of the crucial hydroelectric plant in the southeast region near the city of Kherson. Expanding support “Plans are now…
Read MoreFrom the Field: Boosting ocean literacy
A man fishes with seine nets in Quang Ngai province, Viet Nam. The goal is to improve “ocean literacy”, according to the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs (DOALOS), who organized the event. Coupled with information on ocean health and the Sustainable Development Goals…
Read MoreWorld Oceans Day underscores need to protect ‘the foundation of life’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater action to protect oceans in his message to mark World Oceans Day on Thursday. “The ocean is the foundation of life. It supplies the air we breathe and food we eat. It regulates our climate and weather. The ocean is our planet’s greatest reservoir of biodiversity,” he…
Read MoreAdmissible evidence, competent courts, critical to ensuring justice for ISIL victims in Iraq
Ambassadors were briefed by Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and Head of the UN Investigative Team to promote accountability for these crimes, UNITAD, established five years ago. The Islamist group declared a self-styled caliphate across parts of Iraq and northern Syria in 2014, before being militarily defeated and driven from Iraq in December 2017. Commitment stronger…
Read MoreUkraine dam disaster: Lack of clean water, spread of disease, major risks
Homes have been flooded, forcing many to leave, and access to water, specifically clean water, is emerging as a major challenge. In an interview with UN News, International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesperson Olivia Headon, speaking from Kyiv, said the agency along with other humanitarian partners, had been rushing clean water supplies to areas that…
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