Uncategorized Archives - Page 14 of 214

UN human rights chief hails ‘signs of new beginnings’ in Lebanon and Syria

·January 17, 2025·2 min read

“I arrived, I have to say, with a heavy heart, given the compounded traumas over decades in both countries, but I see signs of new beginnings,” said Volker Türk – speaking in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. On Wednesday, he was in Damascus for his first ever visit to Syria where...

‘Enough death and destruction’: Gazans hope for ceasefire and a better future

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·January 17, 2025·4 min read

Around 90 per cent of the population across the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, forced to move to avoid Israeli military operations. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more. Much of Gaza is rubble, while Israeli airstrikes and military operations have damaged or destroyed around 60 per...

UN stands with Ukrainians for the long-term, insists UN aid chief

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·January 16, 2025·1 min read

In a joint appeal from Kyiv, the UN’s emergency relief chief Tom Fletcher and Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said that millions of civilians inside Ukraine and abroad depend on the international community’s support, amid ongoing Russian attacks. “The Ukrainian people have shown incredible courage over these years and we...

Economic recovery is losing steam, warns UN labour agency

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·January 16, 2025·2 min read

The newly released World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025, sheds light on the deceleration of the global economy. This is impacting labour markets and stalling progress on recovery from previous economic downturns. In 2024, global employment expanded in line with a growing labour force, keeping the unemployment rate steady,...

UN rights chief in historic meeting in Syria’s with caretaker authority in Damascus

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·January 16, 2025·2 min read

Speaking from Damascus after meeting the leader of the caretaker authorities, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Mr. Türk said that he had been “assured…of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society”. Syria’s de facto leader – who spearheaded the lightning overthrow of Bashar...

Guterres hails Gaza ceasefire deal as ‘critical first step’

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·January 16, 2025·5 min read

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters, António Guterres commended mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States for their dedicated efforts in brokering the agreement. “Their unwavering commitment to finding a diplomatic solution has been critical in achieving this breakthrough,” he said. He called on all relevant parties to uphold their...

Guterres highlights ‘hope through action’ for 2025, amid continuing turmoil

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·January 15, 2025·3 min read

In his traditional new year address to the General Assembly setting out his key priorities for the global organization, the UN chief acknowledged the “turmoil of our world” and conceded that “it is understandable to get overwhelmed”. Nonetheless, Mr. Guterres urged delegates to “never lose sight of progress and potential”,...

Iran: UN experts alarmed as Supreme Court upholds death sentence of Kurdish woman activist

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·January 15, 2025·1 min read

“The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’ required by international law for the death penalty,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts stated. “Her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.” Solitary confinement Ms. Azizi was arrested in Tehran on...

Syria emergency: Four children a day killed or injured by leftover explosives

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·January 15, 2025·1 min read

icardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance – or UXO – were reported in 14 governorates across Syria, “with half estimated to have ended in tragic child casualties”. “Girls and boys in the...

World News in Brief: North Gaza under siege, aid to millions in Syria, tensions in Mozambique

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·January 15, 2025·2 min read

In his daily briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists that there have been significant casualties reported in Jabalia al Balad and Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach people with vital assistance, he told correspondents. North Gaza The Israeli siege of...

Haiti: spiralling gang violence has left more than one million displaced

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·January 14, 2025·2 min read

Latest data from the International Organization for Migration indicates that more than one million people have been displaced across Haiti so far, up from the 315,000 recorded on 20 December 2023. “The most concrete data we have is that around 1,041,000 people are currently living in displacement in Haiti. Most...

Humanitarians continue to call for Israel to facilitate aid delivery in Gaza

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·January 14, 2025·1 min read

Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach Palestinians with vital aid, the agency said, noting that only seven out of 22 UN planned humanitarian movements on Sunday were facilitated. Of this number, six were denied outright, five were impeded, and four were cancelled due to security and logistical...