Tag Archives: survivors

A fourth generation nuclear survivor’s push for justice

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“We are not prepared to inherit a legacy of complacency, nor can we continue to live in the shadow of these weapons,” she told the commemoration inside the gilded UN General Assembly Hall.

As the Youth Representative of the Republic of Kiribati, Ms. Johnson is one of the many young people around the world whose ancestors have been affected by the toxic aftermath of nuclear tests.

After her speech to the General Assembly where she urged Member States to take action, Ms. Johnson spoke to UN News about the effects that the past has had on her family and community.

Devastating Consequences

Between 1957 and 1962, the United States and United Kingdom conducted nuclear weapon tests on Kiritimati Island, now part of Kirbati, resulting in devastating consequences for the local population. Ms. Johnson’s late grandfather, who lived on the island, was 14 years old when the testing began.

“They were all gathered in a small tennis court, and they were only given a thin blanket without real protection,” she said, describing the scene just ahead of the detonation.

“They used that to cover their eyes from the flashes of the bombing,” she added.

The radiation Johnson’s grandfather was exposed to led to serious health implications including hearing loss and cognitive decline. These impairments followed him for the remainder of his life and affect his descendants till this day.

“My dad’s two older sisters were born prematurely and died shortly after that,” she said. “And similar cases were also found in other families in the community.”

Beyond the devastating impact on the people of Kiritimati, the tests also caused lasting environmental damage. According to Ms. Johnson, specific type of fish on the island are believed to be radioactive and when eaten, can make people “sick and nauseous.”

Push for disarmament

To address the irreversible harm on behalf of the younger generation of Kiribati – and the world – she called on Member States to support an international trust fund meant to offer needed assistance for the victims of nuclear testing. The trust fund was first jointly proposed by Kiribati and Kazakhstan in 2022.

Kiribati is a member of the Coordination Committee of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a landmark agreement aimed at eliminating the nuclear threat.

Articles 6 and 7 of the legally binding Treaty stipulate that signatory parties must provide assistance to those affected by nuclear weapons under their jurisdiction, or as a result of their actions.

‘The lives of many depend on this’

A fourth-generation nuclear testing survivor, Ms. Johnson’s deeply personal experience with the human, environmental and social impact of nuclear weapons has only made her more determined to pressure the international community to build on the treaty entering into force in 2021.

“For the sake of all the mothers, children and future generations, I urge everyone to join in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons because the lives of many are dependent on this.”

Learn more about the UN’s actions against nuclear testing and proliferation here. 

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Afghanistan quake: Rescuers arrive on foot, survivors need everything

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Latest updates from UN assessment teams who reached affected communities in mountainous Ghazi Abad district on foot on Tuesday underscored the urgent need to press on with the humanitarian response.

“The issue of getting people out from under the rubble is urgent,” said Salam Al-Jabani from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in Kabul. “People are saying what is urgently needed is people to help us bury the dead and get them out.”

Preliminary reports from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities now indicate that at least 1,400 people were killed and more than 3,100 injured when a magnitude six earthquake struck northeastern regions late on Sunday.

Casualty figures are expected to rise further as search and rescue teams reach affected areas, but some remote communities have yet to be reached. Access problems are the result of rockfalls and landslides triggered by the earthquake and heavy rains in the days before the disaster.

“Our teams had to leave their cars and walk two hours to get to Ghazi Abad,” explained Mr. Al-Jabani. “Other villages are six to seven hours’ walk away and still not reached…not even by the local authorities’ helicopters. 

Communications are also patchy or non-existent: “There is one cell tower near a health centre, otherwise it is dark,” Mr. Al-Jabani continued.

International response

As part of the international response, the UN has dispatched at least 25 assessment teams to the affected region and boosted humanitarian air service flights from Kabul.

For its part, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is deploying prepositioned essential relief items from stockpiles in Kabul, including tents, blankets and solar lamps.

Immediate priority needs include emergency shelter, medical supplies, drinking water and emergency food assistance.

But “getting medicines in is very hard…They are bringing essentials only on foot” from the nearest UNICEF-supported hospital, Mr. Al-Jabani noted.

Health care provision remains fragile, with medical staff at one damaged centre in Ghazi Abad with clearly visible cracks in the walls now treating people “outside, under trees”, as they are too afraid to stay inside, he added.

It is understood that thousands of local community members are now surging into the area to help the search and rescue effort, bringing with them water and food. “People in their thousands are moving in and out of the area,” the UNICEF official noted.

 

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Afghanistan quake: Aid teams still scrambling to reach survivors

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The magnitude six quake has already left more than 800 dead and at least 2,000 injured, but the total impact could be in the “hundreds of thousands”, according to the UN’s top aid official in the country, Indrika Ratwatte.

Speaking from Kabul, Mr. Ratwatte said that mud and wooden roof structures were predominant in the affected mountainous provinces.

“When the walls collapse, the roof is what basically falls on individuals, kills them or suffocates them,” he said. “Since this happened in the night, everybody was sleeping,” the senior UN aid official explained, indicating that many more people may be trapped under the debris.

Massive loss of homes, livestock

Hundreds of thousands could be impacted, “as in houses destroyed, injured, casualties, livestock lost and any livelihood systems that they had”, Mr. Ratwatte explained.

In the first critical 24 hours after the earthquake hit, access was “very limited”, owing to landslides and rockfalls triggered by the tremors.

“This has posed a huge challenge to us as we deploy right now,” Mr. Ratwatte said, stressing that 20 emergency assessment teams have been mobilized alongside 15 mobile teams “which will enhance the humanitarian flights from Kabul to Jalalabad”, capital of the affected Nangarhar province.

The UN Humanitarian Air Service has scheduled additional flights connecting Kabul and Jalalabad for personnel and cargo to scale up the response.

The aid official also said that the UN and others are trying to set up or repair damaged mobile networks as there is “zero connectivity” with some affected communities, “and even to bring in helicopters and land,” another challenge for the de facto authorities.

“It’s not easy to get to these areas and keep shuttling injured individuals,” he said.

Disease danger

Mr. Ratwatte underscored the importance of protection work, “including psychosocial support for individuals who lost family and loved ones”. He also stressed that it was urgent to dispose of bodies and dead livestock to prevent waterborne diseases, “which can happen very, very fast”.

One of the first responders in the affected areas was the Afghan Red Crescent. Joy Singhal, Acting Head of Delegation for Afghanistan of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that more people could have been saved if road access were easier.

“Our staff and volunteers sometimes have to [walk] for about four to five hours to reach some of those remote villages,” he said. Once they reach their destination “they have to walk back and bring those affected and wounded people into the city centre…the two hospitals there are overwhelmed.”

Disaster, time after time

Afghanistan has long faced what the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Ratwatte called “systemic humanitarian challenges”. Half of its population – or some 22.5 million people – need assistance, while food insecurity has been aggravated by recent drought. Sweeping funding cuts to humanitarian programmes since the beginning of the year have meant that “hundreds” of aid facilities have had to close.

“The earthquake comes at a time where vulnerable communities are going to be super-exposed to additional stresses,” Mr. Ratwatte said.

Another major challenge is the return in 2025 of 2.4 million Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, whom communities in the country have been “struggling to integrate”, said UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Babar Baloch.

“More than half of these are deportations, people who have been put on buses and other forms of transport and left at the borders to go home, and it has already put a further restraint on our ability to support,” Mr. Baloch said.

Deported regardless 

He also stressed that the majority of returnees are heading precisely to the earthquake-affected areas. In another “worrying” development, Sunday marked “the end of grace period for registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan” and UNHCR is preparing for “significantly more returns” in the coming days.

“These people already with very little resources are now returned to a disaster zone,” Mr. Baloch said.

“We are at breaking point in terms of response to the multiple humanitarian shocks in the country,” the UN’s Mr. Ratwatte insisted.

The $2.4 billion humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan for 2025 is only 28 per cent funded, “and here we have an emergency on top of the crisis situation”, he concluded.

Survivors’ voices ‘integral’ to preventing terrorism

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This year marks the eighth commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. It serves to honour victims and survivors, elevate their voices, raise awareness, and highlight global solidarity.

“This International Day is not only one of remembrance; it’s a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to uphold the rights, dignity and voices of victims everywhere,” said Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) during remarks to the high level commemoration.

Remember and pay tribute

“We pay tribute to those whose lives were stolen by terrorism, and we stand in solidarity with those who continue to live with the pain, loss, and trauma,” he added.

The event featured testimonies from survivors and relatives of those killed: “Support should not be a privilege; it’s a right. And international solidarity must be matched by action,” he said.

United by hope

“I could no longer keep hiding my pain, I chose to transform it into purpose,” said Khalifah Mwarangi, whose father was killed in a terrorist attack in Kenya in November 2014.

This past April, UNOCT launched the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN), a global initiative that reflects a powerful truth: victims of terrorism should not be seen as passive subjects of compassion and support.

Survivors’ voices “are integral to shaping policy and driving change to prevent similar attacks,” said Mr. Voronkov.

“While terror tries to break us apart, coming together as victims build strength”, said Nanda Daniel, a survivor of the 2004 attack on Australia’s embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

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Srebrenica, 30 years on: UN officials and survivors call for truth, justice and vigilance

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“I have survived a genocide,” said Munira Subašić, whose youngest son – her favourite – and 21 other family members were murdered in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

“And the world and Europe was just watching in silence.”

Now president of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa, Ms. Subašić spoke at a special commemoration, urging global leaders not to forget the past and to deliver justice for the victims and survivors.

“When you kill a mother’s child, you have killed a part of her,” Ms. Subašic said.

Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II

The 1995 genocide, perpetrated by the Bosnian Serb army, led to the killing of at least 8,372 men and boys, the displacement of thousands and destruction of entire communities in Srebrenica – which had been designed a “safe area” by the UN Security Council.

A small and lightly armed unit of Dutch peacekeepers under the UN flag were unable to resist the large Bosnian Serb force, which overran the town of Srebrenica.

The massacre has been formally recognized as genocide by both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Last year, the General Assembly designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration for the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.  

An exhibition marking the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica is held at UN headquarters in New York.

Remember and honour the victims 

Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to the courage of their families. 

“Today we remember and honour the victims. We pay tribute to the strength, dignity and resilience of the survivors,” he said.      

Mr. Guterres, in his message, said the international community must continue to stand against hatred, division, and denial.

“Only by recognizing the suffering of all victims can we build mutual understanding, trust, and lasting peace,” he said. “We must ensure the voices of Srebrenica survivors continue to be heard – countering denial, distortion and revisionism.”  

The dangers of forgetting  

UN officials expressed concern over ongoing efforts to deny the genocide and glorify those convicted of war crimes. They warned that such narratives can fuel division and hinder reconciliation.

“Education remains our strongest defence against the erosion of memory,” said Philémon Yang, President of the General Assembly. “We must not only remember history, but learn from it so that tragedies like Srebrenica are never repeated.”

Learning from the past is especially important today – the Secretary-General noted that the same “dangerous currents” which led to the genocide in Srebrenica are present again in the world today.  

“After Srebrenica, the world said – once again – ‘Never Again.’ Yet, hate speech is on the rise again, fuelling discrimination, extremism and violence,” Mr. Guterres said.

A family scattered

Mirela Osmanović, a young professional at the Srebrenica Memorial Center, was born after the genocide but lives with its impact. Two of her brothers were killed. Some of their remains were found, but parts of their bodies are still missing. Their absence, she said, weighs on her family daily.

“My parents forbade themselves any joy while their sons, my brothers, lay somewhere in the ground, incomplete, scattered across mass graves – as if every smile would be betrayal, as if happiness might mean forgetting.”

The pain of this loss is always with her family even as the world promised that Srebrenica would never happen again.  

“We were given words, resolutions, statements, solemn promises of ‘never again,’” she said. “And yet, 30 years later, we are still asking what does ‘never again’ mean?”

A new generation, still asking questions

Ms. Osmanović speaks frequently with young people around the world who ask what happens when violence ends.

“What happens when the headlines fade, when the graves are found and facts are clear? Does justice follow?”

Her answer is that justice does not follow often enough.  

“Justice if it comes too late or only on paper cannot restore trust. And peace without dignity is not peace at all.”

Years of commemoration

In 2015, UN News spoke to Adama Dieng, the Secretary-General’s special advisor on the prevention of genocide, who underlined the importance of remembering the Srebrenica genocide. 

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DR Congo: Conflict survivors ‘have been through hell,’ says UN aid chief

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Speaking from the Goma region, whose main city was overrun by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in January, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher explained that people had suffered “decades of trauma”.

The last few months have been “particularly horrific for so many”, he added, referring to the lawless fall-out from heavy fighting this year between the rebel fighters and the regular DRC army that has been linked to serious human rights abuses, including potential war crimes.

“Most striking today and yesterday has been the stories of sexual violence, and sitting with women who tell horrific stories which are too horrific for me to tell here and who are trying to find the courage to rebuild their lives,” the UN relief chief said.

“We’re there providing that support to them, trying to help them rebuild, but they have been through hell.”

Peace call

All those newly displaced by the M23 rebel advance are in addition to the five million people already living in displacement camps in eastern DRC. Today, more than 20 million people need relief assistance. “They are desperate for this conflict to end,” Mr. Fletcher continued.

A day after NATO Member States agreed to a five per cent increase in funding for their collective defence, investment in the humanitarian work of the UN and its partners is at rock bottom.  

In DRC, a full 70 per cent of UN aid programmes was historically funded by the United States – “amazing generosity over decades” – Mr. Fletcher noted. But today “we’re seeing most of that disappearing”, he insisted, forcing the humanitarian community to make “brutal choices, life-and-death choices” about who receives help.

“For these women – the survivors of sexual violence, for the kids who told me they needed water, for the communities that told me they needed shelter, medicine, these cuts are real right now and people are dying because of the cuts,” the top UN official explained.

Aid teams haven’t stopped

Despite the difficulties linked to the protracted nature of the conflict in DRC and the massive needs, UN aid teams and their partners are “working hard to get access to those communities,” Mr. Fletcher insisted – “trying to get the airport back open, trying to get roads open, trying to unblock checkpoints that are impeding our aid from getting through”.

In an attempt to square the circle of the steadily diminishing amount of aid funding provided globally, Mr. Fletcher recently announced a “hyper-prioritized” plan to save 114 million lives this year. But that is dependent on receiving the necessary funding. “All we’re asking for to do that is one per cent of what the world spent on defence last year,” he continued.

After visiting and connecting with communities impacted time and again by the fighting, the top UN official insisted that they should not be forgotten. “They are the frontlines of the humanitarian effort,” he said.

Communities on front line

“I suppose the glimmer of hope in all of this is, yes, we can work in that more efficient and prioritized way and will do that; but also, the communities here who are – basically – they’ve come through so much and they are determined to support each other.”  

And despite rising antipathy in some countries towards international cooperation including the work and peace-promoting efforts of the United Nations, Mr. Fletcher insisted that reasons for optimism remain.

“I really strongly believe there is a movement out there that will back this work, that will support this work,” he told UN News. “We’ve got to find them. We’ve got to enlist them, and we’ve got to show them that we can deliver for them.

“And, you know, I have not given up on human kindness and human solidarity. I have not given up on the UN Charter for a second. And this work is at the heart of it.” 

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UN launches network to support victims and survivors of terrorism

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The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) launched the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) on Monday.

The network is a key outcome from the first UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, held in September 2022. It brings together victims and survivors of terrorism, victims’ associations and civil society organizations from across the globe.

The goal is to provide a safe space for victims and survivors to support each other, build resilience and engage as advocates, educators, and peacebuilders.

Solidarity, advocacy and assistance

Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, expressed solidarity with all victims regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion, and paid tribute to their courage and resilience.

“In the face of unimaginable personal tragedy, many have chosen to raise their voices, becoming powerful advocates for solidarity and tolerance,” he said, while also calling for greater support.

“In many cases, the needs of victims and survivors are urgent and underfunded. International and national assistance remains critical,” he stressed.

Understanding victims’ needs

The development of VoTAN received financial support from Spain and its launch marks an important step which will allow victims to connect and support each other, said the country’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno.

“Synergies between civil society and governments are essential to understanding the needs of victims, so we trust that other Member States, especially those belonging to the Group of Friends, will also support the Global Network,” he added. 

The Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, chaired by Spain and Iraq, was established nearly six years ago to uphold the need to protect victims’ rights. 

Co-chair Abbas Kadhom Obaid Al-Fatlawi, Chargé d’Affaires at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Iraq, reaffirmed the Group’s solidarity with all those affected. 

“They all have our utmost respect and commitment to continue doing everything necessary to make them feel recognised, cared for and protected,” he said.

Transforming pain into purpose

The event concluded with statements from five victims of terrorism and victims’ associations. 

Grace Acan from Uganda highlighted “the critical importance of collaboration, resilience and partnership” in her remarks. 

“Through partnerships, we can amplify our voices, advocate for justice and ensure that the needs of victims are met with compassion and urgency,” she said.

“Together, we can transform our pain into purpose, creating a safer, more inclusive world for all.” 

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Destitution and disease stalk Myanmar’s quake survivors

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The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is just one of the UN agencies working to help the most vulnerable in worst-hit central areas, but much more help is needed.

“When it rains, they can’t sleep, and when the rain stops, they still can’t sleep because they feared the wind might have their only shelter away,” said Dr Thushara Fernando, WHO representative in Myanmar.

In an update from Yangon, the WHO medic warned that the risk of waterborne disease “is becoming a reality” for all those still living under plastic sheeting with stagnant water all around.

A cholera outbreak was already reported in Mandalay just a few months ago.

Survivors “feed their babies, they eat, they drink in their tents; they don’t have even a simple mosquito net to sleep under in the night,” Dr Fernando continued.

“Water sources are contaminated, temporary toilet facilities are overwhelmed, and acute watery diarrhoea has been reported in two areas,” he continued.

Two major earthquakes hit central Myanmar on 28 March killing at least 3,700 people. About 5,100 more were injured and 114 are still missing, according to WHO. The true toll is likely much higher because of underreporting.

Aftershocks continue

Survivors and aid teams have experienced more than 140 aftershocks – some as high as magnitude 5.9 – which have added to widespread trauma and impeded humanitarian assistance.

To help, the UN health agency has delivered around 170 tonnes of emergency medical supplies to help 450,000 people for three months.

WHO is also coordinating more than 220 emergency medical teams in earthquake affected areas and it has launched a targeted dengue prevention initiative in coordination with national and local partners.

This includes the distribution of about 4,500 rapid diagnostic test kits for frontline responders and hundreds of insecticide-treated nets to protect people in the hardest-hit areas, such as Mandalay.

The March 2025 earthquake caused widespread destruction Mandalay.

Critical moment

The WHO medic said that the agency continues to help deliver a range of services, albeit at a “very limited” scale. This includes trauma care, mental health and psychosocial support, along with maternal and child health services and non-communicable disease prevention.

“Without urgent, sustained funding, the risks of secondary health crises will erupt,” said Dr Fernando.

Echoing those concerns, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted that early signs of acute watery diarrhoea “are already emerging” in worst-hit areas.

Access to food and essential services have been disrupted, causing worsening nutrition conditions, “especially for young children”, the UN agency’s Eliana Drakopoulos told UN News.

“With low immunization coverage and the monsoon approaching, the risk of preventable disease outbreaks is rising fast,” Ms. Drakopoulos added. “Urgent action is needed.”

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