Tag Archives: International

Sudan: UN rights chief says worse is to come without international action

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“We can only expect worse to come” unless action is taken to halt the bloodshed, Mr. Türk told Member States at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, as he reiterated his call for the extension of an arms embargo from Darfur to include all of Sudan.

Rival militaries from the national army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have been battling for control of the country for nearly three years.

Something must be done to address the “continuous inflow of weapons”, the High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted, after recounting testimonies of survivors of atrocity crimes in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who overran the city last October.

Mass killings

“In one horrific example, people who fled to separate locations, thousands of kilometres apart, gave consistent accounts of the mass killing of hundreds of people sheltering at El Fasher University,” he said, describing convincing testimony that some victims were targeted based on their non-Arab ethnicity – in particular, members of the Zaghawa ethnic group. 

“Survivors also spoke of seeing piles of dead bodies along roads leading away from El Fasher, in an apocalyptic scene that one person likened to the Day of Judgment,” the High Commissioner continued, his comments echoing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) conclusion last month that war crimes and crimes against humanity had taken place in El-Fasher, linked to the RSF’s siege. 

“Our own findings are fully consistent” with that ICC assessment, Mr. Türk told the Human Rights Council, at a meeting held specifically on the Sudan emergency.

Dire warnings

Previously, the UN rights chief noted that his office has warned about previous atrocity crimes such as the RSF offensive to capture Zamzam camp for displaced people in April 2025. 

“Responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies squarely with the RSF and their allies and supporters,” he said.

The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, after a power-sharing agreement broke down in the resource-rich central African nation between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. 

The resulting humanitarian emergency has affected more than 30 million people in Sudan; many have faced repeated displacement and others have been impacted by famine and systematic sexual violence, including gang rape.

As the fighting continues away from the Darfurs in the west to the central Kordofans regions, observers fear that further grave abuses are bound to happen, including by “advanced drone weaponry systems used by both sides”, Mr. Türk warned.

Deadly drone war

“In the last two weeks, the SAF and allied Joint Forces broke the sieges on Kadugli and Dilling,” the High Commissioner said. “But drone strikes by both sides continue, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths and injuries. 

Civilians are at risk of summary executions, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and family separation.”

Mediation measures

In a bid to prevent further bloodshed, the High Commissioner announced a series of measures “to support mediation efforts” and de-escalate violence. 

These include commitments not to target civilians or residential areas with explosive weapons, to enable the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, to end arbitrary detention and cease attacks on civilian infrastructure.

“I witnessed the damage done by RSF attacks on Merowe dam and hydroelectric power station, which once supplied 70 per cent of Sudan’s electricity. Repeated drone strikes have disrupted power and water supplies to huge numbers of people, with a serious impact on healthcare,” he said.

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Game-changing international marine protection treaty comes into force

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Officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the legally binding UN treaty covers the ocean zones that lie beyond national waters (the “high seas”) and the international seabed area. 

These regions make up over two-thirds of the ocean’s surface, representing over 90 per cent of Earth’s habitat by volume. This is because the ocean is deep, and most living space on Earth is underwater.

Here are some of the key things to know: 

Why it matters

The BBNJ is designed to transform the “high seas” and international seabed into an environment to be managed sustainably for the benefit of all humanity. 

It is also the first legally binding ocean instrument to provide for inclusive ocean governance, with provisions on the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and on gender balance.

It is hoped that, once it is fully implemented, the Agreement will make a vital contribution to addressing the so-called “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Speaking to UN News, Tanzanian diplomat Mzee Ali Haji, who led his country’s negotiation team during BBNJ discussions, said that the agreement marks a major step in the protection of international waters. 

© The Ocean Story/Vincent Kneefel

“Everyone should bear in mind that there is now control of the activity in the high seas. For instance, when you pollute, you are responsible for your acts”.

The BBNJ strengthens the current international legal framework: it builds on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea – in effect the “constitution for the oceans” – which has set the rules for maritime and seabed exploitation and marine protection since it came into force in 1994.

The agreement addresses gaps in the Convention, includes more detail on how to manage biodiversity and aligns ocean governance with modern challenges like climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the UN-brokered blueprint for solving the world’s most intractable challenges).

What does ‘entry into force’ mean?

After the entry into force, it becomes legally binding for the 81 nations that have ratified it so far, meaning that they agree to incorporate it into their national legislation.

The treaty specifies that it enters into force this Saturday: 120 days after it was ratified – accepted as legally by binding – by at least 60 countries.

Who’s signed up, and who hasn’t?

Many major economies have ratified the BBNJ, notably China, Germany, Japan, France and Brazil. 

China has a particularly important impact on industries connected to the ocean (such as shipbuilding, aquaculture, fisheries and offshore oil and gas), exporting some $155 billion of ocean-related goods in 2023, according to UN trade agency figures.

The holdouts include the United States, India, the UK and Russia.

The US, the world’s biggest economy, is one of the top five ranked ocean-related goods exporters ($61 billion). Although the country adopted the treaty in 2023, it is not yet ratified, and the Senate has not acted on it.

India, one of the top developing-economy exporters ($19 billion), adopted the treaty in 2024 but domestic legislation on ratification is still pending. While the UK did introduce legislation on the matter in 2025, parliament is still to ratify it.

Russia remains one of the minority of nations that has neither adopted nor ratified the treaty, citing its wish to preserve existing governance frameworks, and ensure that freedom of navigation and shipping in international waters is guaranteed.

Is this a big setback for the treaty?

Despite the reluctance of some major economies to commit fully by ratifying, Mr. Haji is positive about the impact that the BBNJ, in its current state, will have.

 “Developing countries and small island countries need support,” he says. “We expect that, in the future, they will accept this agreement, because it will help them. The protection of the high seas is the responsibility of all of us.”

What happens next?

The door remains open for more countries to ratify, which will make it more effective. 

“When you negotiate something, you can’t get 100 percent people to ratify it or to accept it in one term,” says Mr. Haji. “Some just observe and then, when they see the advantages, they join. I believe that, in the future others will join”.

Apart from universal participation, the key to making the BBNJ work will be implementation – in other words, acting against those who break the rules. 

According to the text of the agreement, the first meeting to monitor progress on both these fronts will take place no later than one year after the Agreement’s entry into force.

US strikes in Caribbean and Pacific breach international law, says UN rights chief

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More than 60 people have reportedly been killed in the continuing series of attacks since early September “in circumstances that find no justification in international law,” Volker Türk said in a statement.

He urged the US to halt its “unacceptable” operations and take measures to prevent the “extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats, whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them.”

Beyond the law

The United States has defended the operations as part of its ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and terrorism, asserting that they fall within the framework of international humanitarian law.

Mr. Türk rejected that argument, stressing that countering illicit drug trafficking is a law-enforcement matter, governed by careful limits on lethal force set out in international human rights law.

He emphasised that the intentional use of lethal force is lawful only as a last resort when individuals pose an imminent threat to life.

Call for investigations

“Based on the very sparse information provided publicly by the US authorities, none of the individuals on the targeted boats appeared to pose an imminent threat to the lives of others or otherwise justified the use of lethal armed force against them under international law,” Mr. Türk said.

The High Commissioner called for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into the reported attacks.

While acknowledging the serious challenges posed by drug trafficking, Mr. Türk urged the US to ensure that all counter-narcotics operations respect international law, including the treaties to which it is party.

“The United States should investigate and, if necessary, prosecute and punish individuals accused of serious crimes in accordance with the fundamental rule-of-law principles of due process and fair trial, for which the US has long stood,” he concluded.

 

Jamaica: International support ‘crucial’ to hurricane recovery says Guterres

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António Guterres spoke by phone to Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier in the day emphasising afterwards in a statement that “international support is crucial” as the country deals with the effects of the category 5 storm which brought rain, storm surges and catastrophic flooding.

“He calls for the mobilisation of massive resources to deal with the loss and damage from the hurricane,” said the Deputy UN Spokesperson.

UN provides $4m aid injection

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) so agencies and their partners can rapidly scale up humanitarian operations in Jamaica.

Five days after the most powerful storm in the island’s history made landfall in the west, many residents are still waiting for aid to arrive, according to local news reports, with many roads still inaccessible and communities without power and running water.   

The Government reported on Saturday that the death toll has risen to at least 28. The top UN official on the island, Dennis Zulu, told UN News on Friday that around 13 UN agencies were working as quickly as possible alongside authorities to clear roads and make essential repairs.

“My team here remains committed…to ensure that Jamaica gets back on its feet,” he said.

Support for vulnerable children

UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Saturday more than 700,000 children across the Caribbean had been impacted by the hurricane, which also made landfall in Cuba and caused chaos across western Haiti.

UNICEF is supporting the Jamaican Government to reach more than 284,000 children to address urgent nutrition needs, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene including mental health support.

In Haiti, UNICEF is deploying hygiene and emergency health kits, cash to households at risk and engaging communities.

UN aid coordination office, OCHA, accompanied UNICEF at José Martí airport in Cuba on Saturday to unload supplies for over 90,000 people affected by Melissa – alongside national authorities – working as a single team, driving emergency response.

International solidarity ‘a lifeline’

UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, said on Friday: “In times like this, international solidarity isn’t just a principle – it’s a lifeline.”

An OCHA team has been deployed to Jamaica to strengthen coordination and information management.

UN agencies and NGOs are helping restore access, deliver emergency health and water services, and assist communities whose homes, schools and hospitals have been hit hard.

Well-prepared in Cuba

A $4 million allocation from the OCHA-managed CERF for Cuba, allowed UN agencies to position life-saving support before the storm hit.

  • The World Food Programme (WFP) provided food for 180,000 people;
  • UNICEF deployed mobile water-treatment units and hygiene kits for thousands;
  • the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) airlifted medical supplies and generators;
  • the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) moved seeds and tarpaulins to protect livelihoods and homes;
  • and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, distributed health and dignity kits.

The Cuban Red Cross assisted with preventive evacuations, early-warning messages and psychosocial support, in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC).

Early-warnings across Haiti

In Haiti, a country reeling from a massive humanitarian crisis and deadly armed violence, humanitarian teams are working alongside national authorities to respond to the urgent needs. Several days before the hurricane struck a $4 million CERF allocation allowed aid to be pre-positioned.

In addition, over 3.5 million alerts were sent out to vulnerable populations, saving lives. UN agencies and partners are now supporting temporary shelters and providing food, shelter, non-food items and cash assistance.

“Local leadership, global solidarity, and early action are saving lives across the region,” Mr. Fletcher said. “This is the humanitarian reset at work – acting together with greater impact.”

Indirect disaster effects cost the world nearly $2 trillion per year, Guterres says on International Day

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Most of the exorbitant costs of disaster are preventable with proper funding and planning —one of the main messages for this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, themed Fund Resilience, Not Disasters, observed on Monday.

“Every dollar invested in resilience saves many more in avoided losses and protects the dignity of those most at risk. The choice is ours. We can continue to fund disaster response or we can invest in resilience,” said Amy Pope, chief of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In 2024 alone, nearly 46 million people were displaced by disasters, the highest number ever recorded, but disaster risk reduction efforts remain severely underfunded, according to the IOM. 

Preventable disaster costs

“As the climate crisis accelerates, disasters are multiplying and amplifying – devastating lives and livelihoods, erasing decades of development gains in an instant,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message to mark the Day. 

“The cost to the global economy is staggering: an estimated $2 trillion every year, when indirect costs are taken into account.”

Indirect costs include the wider social and ecosystem losses that come as a result of natural catastrophes. Earthquakes, floods, storms, droughts and heatwaves made up 95 per cent of direct costs in the past two decades, according to the report. 

“Wildfires in Europe and the Americas, and devastating earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan prove that no country is immune, but the heaviest toll falls on communities already struggling with conflict, poverty, and hunger,” said Ms. Pope.

Different natural catastrophes affect different regions in the world. In South Sudan, annual floods can submerge houses, farmland and schools, forcing people to flee their homes and increasing food insecurity. 

As a disaster prevention measure, dykes have been constructed in South Sudan with the support of the IOM, protecting farmland and restoring livelihoods. 

Promoting disaster reduction 

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was established in 1989 to foster a global culture of risk-awareness and celebrate how communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters. 

“The impact of disasters depends in large part on the choices we make, how strong our infrastructure is, how much we invest in prevention, and how well we protect the most vulnerable,” said Ms. Pope.

With planning and funding, the negative impacts of disasters can be reduced. Accordingly, this year’s Day call is for an increase in disaster risk funding and for the development of risk-adapted and resilient private investment. 

Mr. Guterres stressed that for every decision they make, the public and private sectors must take risk into account to minimise exposure and vulnerability to hazards. 

“On this Day, let’s commit to meet surging risk with a surge in funds, and build a safer and more equitable future for all,” he said. 

Gaza: International community must ‘match words with action’ now

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Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson in Gaza for the UN aid coordination office OCHA, warned that history will not judge the international community “based on the speeches that we made” but rather on actions.

Speaking from Deir Al-Balah, she delivered a blunt message: “When Gaza burned, and children starved, and hospitals collapsed – did you act?”

Gaza City ‘death sentence’

She said this past Tuesday, Gaza City “was handed a death sentence”, with hundreds of thousands of battered civilians ordered to flee to an already overcrowded area where “even small animals have to search for spaces to squeeze between to move around.”

Across the Strip, the situation is dire.  A friend texted her on Thursday saying that they tried to find space in the south, but there was none.

“His 8-year-old cousin was killed instantly in an Israeli strike together with several other children last week while waiting for some bread to be baked,” she told journalists at UN Headquarters.

The friend’s daughter, who recently turned two, has known nothing but war, she added.

Death, despair and destruction 

“The unmistakable smell of death is everywhere – a grisly reminder that the ruins lining the streets hide the remains of mothers, fathers, children,” Ms. Cherevko continued.

“Humans who used to laugh, cry, dream. Their lives cut short by the war’s killing machines, many to never be found again.”

As humanitarians drove back into Gaza on Thursday, distraught people crowded around their convoy “pleading for this horror to stop,” she said. 

“Dignity and hope have been stripped away, with every killing of a loved one, with every strike on a civilian lifeline, with every denial of access.”

She said that “the race against time, against death, against the spread of famine, feels as if we as humanitarians are running through quicksand. Even more so as humanitarian convoys are too often denied, delayed or obstructed by the Israeli authorities.” 

Humanity shines through

She noted that even amid hardship “humanity shines”, pointing to “the Palestinian doctors, nurses and paramedics working around the clock, often without pay, medicine or electricity.” 

This also includes aid workers from UN agencies, the Red Crescent and other organizations “delivering food, medicine and clean water under fire”, as well as ordinary people who share the little they have with strangers. 

“In every act of care – a refusal to let cruelty define the future. Proof that even in the darkest times, the human spirit endures,” she said.

Hope and action

Ms. Cherevko shared that she is often asked if she has any hope left. 

“Hope may be all we have left, so we must nurture it,” she said.  “But hope alone won’t keep people alive. Urgent decisions are needed that must pave the way to a lasting peace before it’s too late.”

She stressed that “the people of Gaza are not asking for charity. They are asking for their right to live in safety, in dignity, in peace,” adding that “our humanity – yours, mine, all of ours – demands that we act now.”

She concluded her remarks by insisting that “today, and every day, is a new chance for the international community to match words with action. Don’t miss it as it might be the last.” 

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International Day for Remembrance of Slave Trade: ‘Time to abolish exploitation once and for all’

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“It is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all and to recognise the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual,” Ms. Azoulay said.

The Day is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.

Details from Ark of Return, the permanent memorial at UN Headquarters to acknowledge the tragedy and consider the legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

‘The fight is not over’

Echoing the goals of UNESCO’s intercultural project The Routes of Enslaved Peoples, it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, said the UN agency, which leads the annual commemoration.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that while the Day honours the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, “the fight is not over.”

“Modern slavery persists,” she stated. “Let’s confront injustice, past and present and uphold the dignity and rights of every person.”

For its part, the UN works towards these goals, including through its Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, established in 2007.

Uprising led to abolition

On the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in then Saint Domingue, now Haiti, saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Against this background, the International Day is commemorated around the world. It was first celebrated in a number of countries, including in 1998 in Haiti and in 1999 on Gorée Island in Senegal, where millions of enslaved people had been forced onto ships to cross the ocean.

“Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies,” UNESCO’s Ms. Azoulay said.

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UN rights chief decries ‘relentless intensification’ of US sanctions against International Criminal Court staff

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His call comes a day after four more Court personnel – two judges and two deputy prosecutors – were slapped with sanctions in connection with efforts to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the US and Israel.

This follows sanctions imposed earlier on four other judges and the ICC Prosecutor. Measures imposed could include blocking financial access to property or assets in the US, as well as travel bans.

‘Assault on the rule of law’

“The relentless intensification of US reprisals against international institutions and their personnel must stop,” said Mr. Türk. 

“Sanctioning judges and prosecutors at national, regional or international levels, for fulfilling their mandate in accordance with international law standards, is an assault on the rule of law and corrodes justice.”

The sanctions stem from an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump in February in response to the UN-backed Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC is also probing war crimes allegedly committed in Afghanistan by all sides during years of conflict, including the US, following the allied invasion of the country in October 2001.

Neither the US nor Israel are party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

It’s time countries step up

Mr. Türk called for the withdrawal of the sanctions against the ICC personnel and those targeting the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The independent expert, Francesca Albanese, receives her mandate from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. For more details, read our story here.

“In the meantime, I call on States to take immediate steps to protect all of them, including by taking measures to encourage corporations operating within their jurisdiction not to implement the sanctions against these individuals,” Mr. Türk said.

“States need to step up to defend the institutions they have created to uphold and defend human rights and the rule of law. Those working to document, investigate and prosecute serious violations of international law should not have to work in fear.”

About the International Criminal Court

The ICC investigates and tries individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read our explainer here.

Some of the cases include situations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Libya. 

In March 2023, the Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with alleged war crimes concerning the deportation and “illegal transfer” of children from occupied Ukraine.

The ICC was established in 2002 and is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands.  

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International Criminal Court: New US sanctions ‘a flagrant attack’ on judicial independence

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The sanctions target judges Kimberly Prost of Canada and Nicolas Guillou of France, as well as two deputy prosecutors: Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.

This follows earlier measures against four other judges and the ICC prosecutor.

Affront to victims

In a press statement announcing the new round of sanctions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ICC “is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel.”

The UN-backed court denounced the sanctions as “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution”.  

Furthermore, “they constitute also an affront against the Court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world.”

Investigating grave crimes

The ICC investigates the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read our explainer here.

It is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, and was established under a 1998 treaty known as the Rome Statute which came into force four years later.  The United States and Israel are not among the 125 States that are party to the treaty.

Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, together with a former Hamas commander, in connection with the conflict in Gaza, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

It is also probing war crimes allegedly committed in Afghanistan by all sides during years of conflict, including the US, following the allied invasion of the country in May 2003.

Strong and undeterred

The Court reiterated that it “stands firmly behind its personnel and victims of unimaginable atrocities” and “will continue fulfilling its mandates, undeterred, in strict accordance with its legal framework as adopted by the States Parties and without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.”

The ICC called upon “States Parties and all those who share the values of humanity and the rule of law to provide firm and consistent support to the Court and its work carried out in the sole interest of victims of international crimes.”

The UN underlined the key role that the ICC has in international criminal justice and expressed concern over the imposition of further sanctions.

“The decision imposes severe impediments on the functioning of the office of the prosecutor and respect for all the situations that are currently before the court,” UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York.

“Judicial independence is a basic principle that must be respected, and these types of measures undermine the foundation of international justice.” 

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Deep dive into the International Seabed Authority: Why it matters now

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At a time when the international community seeks to regulate the rich tapestry of the planet’s ocean floors while countries and corporations speed towards deep-sea mining opportunities, here’s what you need to know about ISA and why it matters now:

What does it do?

ISA manages the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, which covers 54 per cent of the world’s oceans, for “the shared benefit of all humankind”.

Created by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1994, ISA is aims to ensure that all economic activities in the deep seabed, including mining, are regulated and responsibly managed.

Mandated to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities, its work also contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Seabeds contain rich fauna and an array of rare earth minerals.

Why it matters now?

As the world’s only international body that focuses on the deep-sea area beyond national borders, ISA aims to address pressing concerns, from plastic waste littering oceans to the race to secure rare earth minerals to quench the world’s insatiable thirst for lithium batteries and a range of tech items.

What kind of rare earth minerals are on the ocean floor? Copper, cobalt, gold, lanthanum, neodymium, nickel, silver, yttrium and zinc to name a few.

Right now, countries can pursue deep-sea mining within their own territorial waters or “exclusive economic zones”. But, under international law, the deep seabed belongs to no single country or corporation, ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho wrote in a recent op-ed.

“It is our common heritage,” she said.

An active volcano on the ocean floor.

What’s the draft mining code?

Right now, nations are looking for ever more sources of rare earth minerals to meet demand for renewable energy technologies and such items as mobile phones and computers. The deep-sea contains a plethora of supplies. That’s where the draft mining code comes in.

During its 30th session, ISA members are working on a draft code that would protect the marine environment and build a foundation for ensuring that any activities in the deep-sea area are conducted responsibly and in line with environmental sustainability principles as well as benefitting all of humanity.

A food container seen resting at 4,947m on the slopes of an underwater canyon near the North Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Tackling the ‘missing plastics paradox’

Plastic pollution is another part of the problem. To address this and other pressing issues, ISA members adopted a global research agenda in July 2020, serving as an action plan for marine scientific research with six strategic priorities that include advancing knowledge of deep-sea ecosystems, promoting data sharing and providing insights into the scientific landscape of plastics in the deep-sea.

This latter growing global challenge has potential consequences for the sustainable use of oceans. In 2019, the plastics industry produced over 450 million tonnes of plastic, a figure expected to rise in the coming decades and is likely to increase pressure on marine environments and species. Yet, a portion of plastics entering the oceans remains unaccounted for, a phenomenon known as the “missing plastics paradox”.

Some researchers suggest that the deep sea may act as a sink for plastic debris, where their prolonged persistence could pose risks to these environments.

Acorn worms were one of the many types of fauna observed in the deep-sea around the North Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The world’s new deep-sea biobank

ISA has also just begun filling its new biobank, launched in June on the margins of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. The Deep-Sea Biobank Initiative (DBI) aims to enhance access to deep-sea biological samples and genetic data collected from the international seabed area.

Designed to promote deep-sea research and inclusive scientific collaboration, particularly for developing States, the initiative will establish a global repository of biological samples and develop standard operating procedures to enhance data quality, sharing and use by stakeholders.

“The DBI is ISA’s response to a growing need to advance research, share data, build capacity and facilitate access to deep-sea knowledge, particularly for developing States,” said the authority’s chief Carvalho. “We aim to create standardised and equitable pathways for scientific collaboration, empowering countries and institutions to explore, understand and protect the ocean’s most remote ecosystems.”

The International Seabed Authority has emerged as a central institution of global ocean architecture, charting a course towards responsible and sustainable use.

‘DeepData’ diving

The wealth of data and information ISA has collected has been critical to shaping environmental management plans. Every data byte collected through deep-sea exploration adds critical new information about life in the ocean and assists with decision making.

In launching the DeepData database in 2019, ISA made publicly available for the first time the biggest and most complete global repository of environmental data and information on the deep-sea area.

Exactly how much data has been collected? As of May 2023, DeepData contained over 10 terabytes, roughly equivalent to 6.9 million Instagram uploads. Widely used around the world, it had about 2.4 million hits from visitors in 2022 alone and more than 160 citations in scientific publications.

Learn more about ISA here.

  • The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has 170 members
  • ISA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established by the UN
  • Members meet annually to address pressing issues
  • The 30th session concludes with the ISA assembly meeting from 21 to 25 July in Kingston, Jamaica

Mandela’s legacy ‘is now our responsibility’, Guterres says on International Day

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In his remarks, the Secretary-General celebrated the extraordinary life of the South African civil rights icon, affectionately known by his Khosa clan name, Madiba.

“He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division – but of reconciliation, peace and unity,” Mr. Guterres said.

“Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity.”

To honour this legacy, the UN chief awarded the annual Nelson Mandela Prize to two individuals who reflect the late leader’s commitment to peace and collective action, and this year’s theme of combating poverty and inequity: Brenda Reynolds of Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya. 

Brenda Reynolds, Nelson Mandela Prize awardee, speaks in the UN General Assembly hall on the observance of the annual Nelson Mandela International Day.

Brenda Reynolds: turning pain into action

Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada, and as a social worker she has spent decades advancing Indigenous rights, mental health and trauma-informed care.

“There are many parallels to what we had experienced in both our countries, where the governments made impacted policies to change who we are, to face oppression, to face violations of human rights in our countries,” Ms. Reynolds said in her acceptance speech.

In 1988, she supported 17 teenage girls in the first residential school sexual abuse case in Saskatchewan. 

“These charges were the beginning of other disclosures that came from across Canada from survivors speaking about their sexual abuse experiences. Those charges and the disclosures became the largest class action lawsuit to date in Canada,” known as Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, she explained.

Afterwards, she became a special adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and developed the Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program – both created by the agreement – helping shape survivor support and trauma responses nationwide.

Secretary-General António Guterres (left) with Nelson Mandela Prize awardee Kennedy Odede of Kenya at the informal meeting on the observance of the annual Nelson Mandela International Day.

Kennedy Odede: from slums to CEO

After growing up in Kenya’s Kibera Slum, Kennedy Odede went from living on the street to global recognition when he was named one of TIME magazine’s 2024 100 Most Influential People and became a New York Times bestselling author.

“At ten years old, fleeing domestic violence, I joined the ranks of Nairobi’s street children. One day I stole a mango because I was starving. A mob gathered to beat me dead, until a stranger stepped forward, paid for that mango, and in that single act of grace, showed me that kindness could interrupt cycles of violence,” Mr. Odede recounted in his acceptance speech.

He began his journey as an activist by saving his meagre factory earnings to buy a soccer ball and bring his community together. 

“That ball was not just for play; it was a tool for organising. A centre around which a community could form,” he said. 

This soon grew into Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), the largest grassroots movement in Kenya he now leads as CEO. SHOFCO operates across the country, empowering local groups and delivering vital services to over 4 million people annually.

“Mandela showed all of us at SHOFCO, that leadership is not a privilege reserved for those born to power. It belongs to anyone willing to serve and look within.” 

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New judge elected to the International Court of Justice

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Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud was appointed following a parallel and independent voting process in the General Assembly and Security Council, conducted by secret ballot.

He will fill the vacancy left by former ICJ President Nawaf Salam of Lebanon, who resigned in January to become the country’s Prime Minister.

He will hold office for the remainder of Judge Salam’s term, which was set to end on 5 February 2027.

Absolute majority

Mr. Hmoud was the sole person vying for the slot and he was nominated by Egypt, Jordan, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.

Candidates must secure an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council, or 97 and eight votes respectively.

All 15 Council members voted in his favour while in the General Assembly, which comprises all 193 UN Member States, he received the support of 178 out of 181 countries who took part in the vote.  Three countries abstained.

Mr. Hmoud has been Jordan’s Ambassador to the UN in New York since September 2021 and his other postings include Legal Adviser and Director of the Legal Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He is also a former chairman and member of the International Law Commission, a UN expert body that promotes the development and codification of international law.

The towers and gables of the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The ‘world court’

The ICJ, informally known as the “world court”, settles legal disputes between UN Member States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by UN organs and agencies.

It has been in the spotlight following an advisory opinion, issued last July, which said that Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “is unlawful.”

Last month, hearings began into Israel’s continuing restriction on the work of UN and other international agencies operating in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT).

The Court is composed of 15 judges who serve nine-year terms. Five seats come up for election every three years and there is no bar on consecutive terms.

Judges are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not their nationality; however, no two judges can be from the same country.

The ICJ was established in June 1945 and is based at the Peace Palace in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands.

It is one of the six main organs of the UN – alongside the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat – and is the only one not based in New York.

Find out more about the ICJ and its role in global peace and security here. 

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International Criminal Court: Deputies take over amid Prosecutor misconduct probe

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In a statement on Monday, the prosecutors’ office confirmed that deputies Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang are taking the lead, ensuring continuity across all cases and operations.

The transition follows Prosecutor Khan’s announcement on 16 May that he would temporarily step aside while the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) conducts an external inquiry into the allegations.

The investigation into widely reported allegations of sexual misconduct is being conducted by the OIOS at the request of the ICC’s governing body. Mr. Khan has denied the allegations.

Although the ICC’s Independent Oversight Mechanism typically handles such matters, the OIOS was brought in given the circumstances of the allegations and perceptions of possible and future conflicts of interest.

Duty of care

The prosecutors’ office said it would fully cooperate with the investigation, while underscoring the need to protect the privacy and rights of everyone involved – emphasising the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the OIOS investigation.

“The Office is acutely aware of the duty of care it owes to all staff members and personnel, especially affected individuals,” the statement underscored.

Impartial and fair process

The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC – which elects the 18 judges – said on Sunday that the OIOS investigation was being carried out to ensure a full independent, impartial and fair process.

“The findings of the investigation will be handled in a transparent manner in accordance with the Rome Statute and the legal framework of the Court,” it noted.

Upholding ICC’s mandate

In assuming leadership, the Deputy Prosecutors underlined the importance of ensuring continuity of the office’s activities across all areas of work, and particularly in its mission to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes – genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression – with independence and impartiality.

Court in the spotlight

The Prosecutor’s leave of absence comes at a sensitive moment for the ICC, which is conducting investigations and prosecutions across multiple conflict zones, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Sudan (Darfur) and Ukraine.

Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, prompting the United States to announce punitive sanctions against the Court.

These include measures against senior personnel – including Prosecutor Khan – with threats of arrest should they travel to the US.

Relationship with the United Nations

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent judicial body established under the Rome Statute, adopted in 1998 and in force since 2002. Although not part of the United Nations, the ICC works closely with it under a cooperative framework.

The UN Security Council can refer situations to the ICC, enabling the Court to investigate and prosecute most serious crimes. Notable referrals include the situations in Darfur, Sudan (2005) and Libya (2011).

In return, the ICC reports to the Security Council when needed involving referrals.

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International aid: ‘The money isn’t coming back anytime soon’, Fletcher warns

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UN News: You have said that that policymakers who signed off on aid cuts should come to Afghanistan to see the effect they’re having on the population. You said the effect of aid cuts is that millions die. Do you use this kind of blunt language when you’re talking to these policymakers in private?

Tom Fletcher: Yes, I do. Of course, there is a bit of a time lag before you really see the impact of the cuts, but here, 400 clinics closed in the last few weeks. That has a real-world impact and it’s become much more real for me on this trip.

I’ve just come from a meeting with NGOs, and they’re laying off half their staff. The local NGO’s that we’re keen to protect in the midst of all this, have been the hardest hit.

We try and find different ways to communicate this in slightly gentler terms, but ultimately, of course, people will die as a result of these cuts.

That’s the great tragedy at the heart of it now.

UN News: How do the politicians respond?

I think there are broadly two camps here. You’ve got politicians who are doing this really reluctantly, forced to make really tough decisions because their economies are struggling and because of pressures from taxpayers to do things differently. They know the importance of humanitarian efforts and they’re very sad about the choices they’re having to make.

Then there is another group of politicians who, I fear, celebrate, certainly in their public messages. They seem to boast about – and take credit for – aid cuts. That’s the group that I would love to bring to sit with a mother who has lost her child because she was forced to cycle pregnant to a hospital three hours away.

You show leadership on the world stage by being out there helping countries to deal with these challenges at source. I don’t know which of those arguments work with which constituencies, so we have to adapt and be creative in how we make the case.

We also have to be firm in defending what we do and take pride in the fact that the humanitarian community has taken millions out of poverty and saved hundreds of millions of lives.

UN News: You’ve become the UN emergency relief chief at a particularly tough time, in terms of ensuring the UN’s ability to help the most vulnerable. In February you announced 20 per cent cuts to your department. How will you make those cuts in a way that doesn’t make the job even harder?

Tom Fletcher: It’s rough. Really brutal choices are being made and the sector will probably shrink by one third. The money that’s been cut isn’t going to come back anytime soon, and there may be more funding cuts ahead.

We will be looking for new partners, and trying to convince the sceptics to bring the private sector in and change the public conversation around solidarity. We have to work with the money that we have, not the money that we need or the money that we wish we had.

I’m really positive about the way that Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, has talked about the need to protect life-saving aid. 

Dialogue is going on, I’m not giving up and I’m really positive about the way that Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, has talked about the need to protect life-saving aid. I really want to get into that conversation with him and see what his vision is for America’s role in saving lives around the world.

UN News: Given the current situation, are we going to have to completely rethink what aid entails and how it’s funded?

Tom Fletcher: We’re going to have to change. We have to preserve the best of what we’ve learnt and have confidence in what we’ve delivered so far, but we’re going through a process now that we call the “humanitarian reset”.

First of all, we’re becoming smaller and we’re trying to do that in a way that does as little damage as possible and minimises the hit to the essential life-saving work we do.

Alongside that, we’re becoming more efficient and smarter. I launched on my first day in office, a big efficiency drive across the sector.

The IASC, the body that coordinates our sector, has backed that up and actually taken it to the next level in terms of taking the layers out of the system and making sure we end the turf wars and focus on what we each do well, the extra value we bring, and ensure that we do much more at a local level, close to the communities we serve.

The UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, visits a hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

UN News: Do many Member States still believe in the importance of international aid?

Tom Fletcher: Absolutely. A number of donors are staying solid despite the funding crises that they’re all facing. We’ve got new donors emerging and growing. I’ve been in The Gulf, and I was in China last week, and engagement there is deepening.

We’ve got new donors emerging, and engagement is deepening

We’ve got more innovative ideas about how to bring in the private sector and also I believe really strongly in the role of individuals in finding ways to ensure that we’re reaching wider movement beyond governments and Member States.

UN News: Returning to Afghanistan, the de facto authorities [The Taliban] have severely reduced access to education and employment prospects for women and girls. Are you able to have a constructive discussion about this with the regime?

Tom Fletcher: Yes, we are. There are two really core issues here for us. One is the role of women in humanitarian work: we simply cannot deliver without them. They are brilliant, brilliant colleagues, we rely on them completely and we couldn’t be here without them.

And the second is the wider issue around rights for women and girls, including education and the fact that millions of girls have had that right stolen from them over the last three years.

These are difficult conversations, but I come at this as a former diplomat, as someone who believes in dialogue, who believes in respect and trust and listening, and in recognizing that we have different cultures, different traditions, different heritages and different beliefs that I don’t hold.

Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian meets women at an economic development programme in Afghanistan.

UN News: Before you began this job, did you have a goal in mind, that you want to achieve before the end of your mandate as the head of humanitarian affairs?

Tom Fletcher: The average head of OCHA lasts about three years, they burn through us pretty quickly. The travel schedule is very hectic and you’re dealing with the world’s worst crises so there’s a bit of wear and tear along the way.

It’s our job to save hundreds of millions of lives and to define everything we do against that yardstick.

So, my number one objective was to survive as long as possible, because I think it’s traumatic for an organization to get new people in, train them and have them up and running. Being around for a period of time, learning from the organization and from those we serve, and then putting that into action is a serious objective in itself.

I did come into it with an objective around the reform of the humanitarian sector, well before Donald Trump, Elon Musk and others started talking about efficiency and prioritization and cuts. I do believe that we can do this much more effectively and much closer to those we serve and so I was already determined to deliver that.

And then thirdly, the big one is ultimately about saving lives. I believe it’s our job to save hundreds of millions of lives and to define everything we do against that yardstick. 

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