The office established through a resolution in September, will provide support to the new Gang Suppression Force and the UN political mission in the country (BINUH). The Spokesperson’s updates included that Stephen McOwan has been selected as interim director of the office and he joined some 37 staff members already up and running in Port-au-Prince over […]
Their appeals, sharpened by rising seas, failed harvests and disappearing ecosystems, echoed Secretary-General António Guterres’s warning at a climate summit that the world is already in the “dawn of a new energy era” – one where clean energy must replace fossil fuels, and where finance and justice remain at the heart of the global response. […]
More than 800 drones were launched in waves designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences, according to news reports, and a Government building was hit in the capital Kyiv for the first time. Ukrainian authorities reported that four had been killed, with 44 injured. Air-raid sirens continued for 11 hours straight across the capital and although […]
“When women are missing, democracy is incomplete,” said Kirsi Madi, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director with the UN gender equality agency, UN Women, responding to the latest analysis. Ms. Madi emphasised that the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women in the media needs to be recognised as a key issue, so that democratic standards are not eroded for future generations. […]
Speaking Monday morning at the high-level conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution, the UN chief painted a stark picture of a conflict that continues to “take lives, destroy futures, and destabilise the region and our world.” “We know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured […]
Recalling his own experience living under dictatorship in Portugal, Mr. Guterres told participants at the Global Assembly of the international rights charity Amnesty International on Friday that the fight for human rights is “more important than ever”. He called on States to uphold international law and defend human rights “consistently and universally, even or especially […]
In a joint call to de-escalate, UN agencies have warned that further conflict risks triggering new displacement in a region already strained by decades of war and instability. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) noted military strikes have led people in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes in search of safety from tit-for-tat missile […]
Israel began targeting nuclear and military sites across Iran last Friday, prompting a barrage of retaliatory strikes on Israeli cities. “The UN human rights office urges de-escalation and urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward,” said Ms. Al-Nashif. “We are following closely and are aware of reports that many thousands […]
But hunger has followed them. Over 57 per cent of the population in the world’s youngest country to the south is already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Sudan and South Sudan are among five global hunger hotspots of “highest concern”, trapped in a worsening cycle of conflict, climate shocks and economic decline. Continued […]
Only around 6,000 tonnes of wheat flour have entered the war-torn enclave since Israel began to allow limited supplies back in last month. However, 10,000 tonnes are urgently needed in the face of rising malnutrition, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA. “The only way to address the situation on the ground is by […]
In a message marking Thursday’s International Day for Biological Diversity, the UN chief raised alarm over the “lightning pace” of degradation of the natural world. “Biodiversity is the bedrock of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development,” Mr. Guterres said. “Yet humanity is destroying biodiversity at lightening pace, the result of pollution, climate crisis, ecosystem […]
Tom Fletcher said that with “time and treatment” Noor was able to recover fully. But what happens to a child such as Noor when treatments are limited and time runs out? A group of 116 aid organizations, including 10 UN agencies, called on Tuesday for “urgent, collective action” to prevent Yemen from descending into a […]