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Children forcibly separated from mothers at Syria’s Al Hol, warns top rights expert

·July 21, 2023·3 min read

Fionnuala Ni Aolain, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, is the first independent rights expert to gain access to the infamous facilities Al Hol and Al Raj, as well as other places of detention. After her six-day visit to...

Syrians facing ‘ever worsening’ conditions, top UN officials warn

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·June 29, 2023·3 min read

“The violence and suffering of the Syrian people remind us of what is at stake as diplomatic efforts continue on Syria,” said Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for the country. “Ultimately, we need a nationwide ceasefire in line with Security Council resolution 2254.” Worsening crisis Briefing on current conditions, she said...

Top UN official urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to ‘put on the brakes’

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·June 28, 2023·2 min read

“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...

Top UN official for Africa calls for added action to stop piracy’s spread

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·June 22, 2023·3 min read

Despite gains made in tackling sea-faring criminal groups, “piracy incidents continue to threaten the safety of maritime traffic in the region,” said Martha Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. Effective deterrents Since her last briefing on maritime security in November, she...

Dam disaster: UN ‘committed to reaching all Ukrainians in need’, says top aid official

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·June 8, 2023·3 min read

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....

Urgent support needed for Chad, as arrivals from Sudan top 100,000: UNHCR

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·June 1, 2023·2 min read

The number fleeing violence in Sudan since fighting between rival militaries began in mid-April in Khartoum, quickly destabilizing the entire country, has now topped 100,000. The majority of arrivals in eastern Chad – particularly Ouaddaï, Sila, and Wadi Fira provinces – are from the Darfur region, which has been deeply...

Arrest of top Rwandan genocide fugitive shows ‘justice will be done’

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·May 25, 2023·2 min read

Fulgence Kayishema is alleged to have orchestrated the killing of approximately 2,000 Tutsi refugees at Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) said in a statement. He was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday in a joint operation between the IRMCT Office...

Black Sea Initiative exports top 30 million tonnes from Ukraine, as talks continue over renewal

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·May 14, 2023·1 min read

That was the message conveyed by the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief, Martin Griffiths, to a meeting held on Thursday in Istanbul, to discuss the future of the Initiative, with senior official from the signatories to the deal, Russia, and Ukraine, together with the UN and Türkiye, which also mediated the...

‘The world cannot abandon the people’: Top humanitarian official in Afghanistan

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·April 7, 2023·3 min read

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said that amid severe underfunding, the move would “further undermine humanitarian partners’ ability to support the population, especially the most vulnerable such as women and girls”. “The world cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan at this precarious moment,” Dr. Alakbarov insisted, before...

Top officials strongly condemn Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN

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·April 5, 2023·2 min read

In statements on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres was joined by deputy chief Amina Mohammed, in describing the latest escalation of the de facto authorities’ suppression of women, as a violation of their inalienable fundamental human rights. “It also violates Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights law, and infringes on the principle of non-discrimination,...

Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

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·April 5, 2023·2 min read

An independent expert mandate on Haiti had been created by the Council in 1995 but then discontinued in 2017. The current resolution, calling for “coordinated and targeted international action”, was sponsored by Haiti itself. Country-specific abuses As a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, the Council examines human rights...

Top UN official urgently calls for de-escalating nuclear tensions over Belarus

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·April 2, 2023·4 min read

“The risk of a nuclear weapon being used is currently higher than at any time since the depths of the cold war,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. “The war in Ukraine represents the most acute example of that risk.” The Security Council met on the heels...