Tag Archives: sounds

Top UN advocate sounds alarm over sexual violence crisis in gang-ravaged Haiti

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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on 21 May that widespread armed violence continues to expose Haitian children to widespread sexual abuse, exploitation and recruitment by the gangs which now control whole swathes of the country.

Escalating sexual violence

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, raised the alarm on Wednesday over a surge in reports of sexual violence against women and girls since the beginning of the year – particularly rape, gang rape and sexual slavery.

“These heinous crimes are overwhelmingly concentrated in areas under gang control,” she said, warning that sexual violence is being used deliberately and systematically by gangs to assert power and punish certain communities.

Survivors have reported being assaulted in their own homes or public spaces.

As health centres shut down and insecurity pushes families into overcrowded shelters, access to essential services remains limited. Without accountability, perpetrators are further emboldened.

“Concrete and immediate measures are essential to enhance the protection of Haitians, prioritizing those most at risk,” said Ms. Patten.

UN response

The Special Representative stressed the need for full deployment of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which aims to reinforce Haitian national security forces but remains underfunded. She called on the international community to step up financial support.

She also underscored the importance of UN Security Council sanctions aimed at weakening gang operations, particularly by disrupting the illicit arms trade that fuels their power and attacks.

The recent reopening of the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince marks a significant step toward restoring the rule of law. It follows the establishment of two Specialized Judicial Units supported by the United Nations, one of which focuses specifically on mass crimes, including sexual violence.

“I urge the Government of Haiti to accelerate the operationalization of these Units,” said Ms. Patten. “Ending impunity is a fundamental step in breaking the cycle of violence and restoring dignity and safety to Haiti’s women and girls.”

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World Environment Day: UN sounds alarm on plastic pollution crisis

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Between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, and without urgent action, this figure is expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2040.

Plastic pollution is contaminating every corner of the planet, threatening ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Microplastics are found in food, water and air, with the average person estimated to ingest over 50,000 plastic particles each year, and far more when inhalation is included.

If the climate crisis goes unaddressed, with plastic pollution as a major driver, air pollution levels exceeding safe thresholds could rise by 50 per cent within a decade. Meanwhile, plastic pollution in marine and freshwater environments may triple by 2040.

Global action day

To rally momentum, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is leading the 52nd annual World Environment Day on 5 June, the world’s largest platform for environmental outreach.

This year’s commemoration is hosted by Jeju, Republic of Korea, under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution. Since launching in 2018, the UNEP-led campaign has advocated for a just and inclusive transition away from plastic dependency.

The day brings together governments, businesses, communities, and individuals in a shared mission to protect and restore the planet, while advancing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those linked to climate action and sustainable consumption.

Towards a treaty

A major focus of the day is the ongoing push for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Countries are currently negotiating an international, legally binding agreement, with the next round of talks scheduled for August.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an “ambitious, credible and just agreement” that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics, reflects community needs, aligns with the SDGs and is implemented quickly and fully.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen echoed the call, urging nations to unite around innovative solutions and alternatives to plastic use.

World Environment Day serves as a catalyst for action, driving attention toward the UN Environment Assembly later this year – where hopes are high that nations will finalise concrete steps to curb plastic pollution and address the broader climate emergency. 

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Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

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Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity.

“The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said.

“Those who will die as a result need us to act.”

Chilling numbers

According to UN figures, civilians accounted for most of the deaths in 14 armed conflicts last year, while displacement reached a record 122 million people globally.

Attacks on hospitals, schools, water systems and power grids also surged, leaving millions without essential services.

UN staff members and aid workers were caught in the crossfire, with over 360 aid workers killed – at least 200 in Gaza and at least 54 in Sudan – mostly national staff.

Warfare transforming

Mr. Fletcher warned that new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming warfare in ways that could further erode human oversight and legal accountability, while proliferation of misinformation is costing lives.

“False narratives and disinformation have undermined humanitarian operations and eroded trust in humanitarian actors…while those trying to report on the plight of civilians were also harmed,” he said.

According to UNESCO, the UN focal agency on protection of the press, at least 53 journalists were killed in armed conflict last year.

“We are witnessing, therefore, an unravelling of the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.”

Women’s bodies are battlegrounds

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous expanded on the gendered dimensions of civilian harm, saying over 612 million women and girls are living in conflict zones today.

They are not simply collateral damage but direct targets of bombs, missiles and policies.

“Conflict-related sexual violence is a protection crisis that warrants its own attention,” she said, describing a growing pattern of “reproductive violence” and pointing to blockades on medical supplies, bombed maternity wards and skyrocketing maternal death.

In Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023 – an average of one every hour, she said.

“Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, without postpartum care or clean water, and while being malnourished, displaced and traumatised.”

Destruction in northern Gaza.

Hold perpetrators accountable

Ms. Bahous urged the Security Council to recognise reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and bring those responsible to justice.

She also highlighted the mental health impacts of conflict on women and girls – from depression and trauma to domestic violence and suicidal thoughts.

The threats extend into the digital sphere, where women activists and journalists are being pushed out of public life by online abuse, deepfakes and disinformation campaigns.

Enforce compliance with law

Both Mr. Fletcher and Ms. Bahous called for urgent action.

UN Member States must enforce compliance with international humanitarian law, fight impunity, and empower civilians – especially women – as agents of their own protection and bringing change.

Mr. Fletcher emphasised that even lawful military actions can cause disproportionate civilian suffering.

“[We need a] more comprehensive and people-centred approach,” he said, urging strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians and a deeper understanding of patterns of life and harm.

A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.

Protection and peace inseparable

Recalling Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, Ms. Bahous called for sustained investment in women’s organizations, which are on the frontlines – protecting civilians – men, women, children and the elderly alike.

“Yet, they are under siege,” she said, noting that continued funding cuts will cost us the very women driving peace and recovery in the world’s most fragile contexts.

She concluded stressing that protection of women and their participation in peace “are inseparable”.

“The most effective shield we can offer women and girls is their own power, their own voices, and their own leadership…there is no pathway to peace that does not begin with the protection of women and girls.”

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‘On thin ice’: UN chief sounds alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt

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António Guterres issued the warning in a video message to the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad, or “Everest Dialogue,” convened by the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu.

“Record temperatures have meant record glacier melt,” he said.

“Nepal today is on thin ice – losing close to one-third of its ice in just over thirty years. And your glaciers have melted 65 per cent faster in the last decade than in the one before.”

Named after Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali), the international platform convened ministers, parliamentarians, climate experts, and civil society to focus on climate change, mountain ecosystems, and sustainability.

Secretary-General’s video message.

Two billion futures at stake

Glaciers in the region have served for centuries as vital freshwater reservoirs. Their accelerated melt now threatens not only local communities but vast populations downstream who rely on Himalayan-fed rivers.

Reduced water flow in river systems such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus threatens not only water but also food production for nearly two billion people across South Asia.

Combined with saltwater intrusion, this could trigger collapsing deltas and mass displacement, the UN chief warned.

“We would see low-lying countries and communities erased forever,” he said.

Children raise their voices

Ahead of the summit, Nepal’s children and youth stepped into the spotlight with their own call to action.

In a declaration submitted to the dialogue, over 100 children and young people demanded urgent and inclusive climate action that recognizes them as rights-holders and climate actors – not just passive victims.

Among their key demands: ensuring child participation in climate decisions, supporting youth-led programmes, and promoting their innovations and climate action.

“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis – disproportionately impacting their health, nutrition, education and well-being,” said Alice Akunga, head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nepal, which supported the deliberations.

“Listening to the voices of the ‘future of humanity’ is critical to designing and implementing meaningful and lasting solutions to address the adverse effects of climate change on children and youth.”

Glaciers in the high Himalayas, like those in Nepal’s Langtang region (pictured), feed major South Asian river systems sustaining tens of millions of lives and livelihoods downstream

Stop the madness

In his message, Mr. Guterres reiterated his call on the world to “stop the madness” of fossil fuel-driven global warming, a warning he made during his previous visit to the Everest region in 2023.

At the time, he stood amid glacial basins in the Himalayas, warning that the “rooftops of the world” were rapidly vanishing.

“And that is why you are gathered together focused on Sambaad – dialogue,” the UN chief said on Friday, applauding Nepal’s climate leadership, including reforestation programmes, early warning systems and its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.

Act now

The world must act without delay to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, he continued – the target set by the Paris Agreement on climate change – with the biggest emitters leading the way.

This includes investing in renewable energy, fulfilling the $1.3 trillion climate finance goal agreed at COP29, doubling adaptation finance to at least $40 billion this year as pledged by developed countries, and providing robust, sustained support to the Loss and Damage Fund.

“Achieving these goals demands bold collaboration,” Mr. Guterres concluded. “The United Nations is your ally in this essential task.”