Uncategorized Archives - Page 54 of 185

Pakistan urged to halt Afghan deportations to avoid ‘human rights catastrophe’

·October 28, 2023·1 min read

OHCHR is urging the authorities to halt deportations, which are set to begin on 1 November, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva. Currently, more than two million undocumented Afghans are living in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom arrived after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. ‘Grave...

Syrian war at ‘worst point’ in four years, says Commission of Inquiry head

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·October 28, 2023·1 min read

Paulo Pinheiro spoke to UN News this week after presenting his latest report to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which examines a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues. The Syrian war, which began in March 2011, is at its “worst point” in four years, he said,...

World News in Brief: Ukraine aid convoy, attacks in South Sudan, radioactive discharge update

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·October 27, 2023·2 min read

A UN inter-agency convoy reached the front-line community of Huliaipole, located in the Zaporizhzhia region, bringing medicine, shelter kits, hygiene items and other assistance to support some 2,000 people. The town has suffered large-scale destruction and remains without power, water and gas, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking from New...

Gaza: Testimonies highlight grim plight of civilians expecting to die

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·October 27, 2023·3 min read

Volker Türk’s appeal came as UN humanitarians continued to issue dire warnings about the full scale of the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. ‘Crumbs’ of aid The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), said that the “few (aid) trucks” which have come in from Egypt since 21...

International support critical to forge lasting peace in Central African Republic

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·October 27, 2023·3 min read

Ms. Rugwabiza, who also heads the UN Mission in the country, MINUSCA, presented its latest report covering developments in the wake of the 31 July constitutional referendum. She said MINUSCA continues to support Government efforts to “decentralize” the peace process with armed groups, including recent initiatives to extend state presence...

New UN Advisory Body aims to harness AI for the common good

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·October 27, 2023·2 min read

The members of the AI Advisory Body – launched on Thursday by Secretary-General António Guterres – will examine the risks, opportunities and international governance of these technologies. Mr. Guterres pointed to the extraordinary advance in the capabilities and use of AI over the past year, including through chatbots, voice cloning,...

Israel-Palestine: Gazans ‘left with nothing but impossible choices’

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·October 26, 2023·4 min read

UPDATED: Reports of an overnight Israeli military incursion using tanks in northern Gaza followed another series of calls by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for civilians in Gaza City to evacuate – warnings which “make no difference” because “people have nowhere to go or are unable to move”, according to...

UPDATING LIVE: UN General Assembly convenes emergency meeting on Gaza

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·October 26, 2023·11 min read

11:51 AM Iran slams ‘genocide’ Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said that it has been three weeks that the international community has been a witness to the “war crime and genocide of the occupying Israeli regime in Gaza and the West Bank of Palestine.” He said that...

UN chief hits back at ‘false’ claim he justified Hamas terror attacks

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·October 26, 2023·1 min read

Addressing Tuesday’s debate in the Council on the worsening crisis in Israel and Palestine, the UN chief said that although nothing could justify the “appalling” attacks by Hamas of 7 October which triggered the siege and bombardment of Gaza, it was important to recognize they “did not happen in a...

First Person: Farmers running out of water in Punjab, India

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·October 26, 2023·3 min read

Water is crucial to rice farmers and when it is lacking, they tend to rely on groundwater. Globally, water taken from underground reservoirs supports 40 per cent of agriculture, but if groundwater levels fall, it becomes harder to reach over time. In Punjab known by some as India’s breadbasket, groundwater...

More action needed to advance women’s role in global peace and security

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·October 25, 2023·6 min read

Addressing the Council’s annual debate on resolution 1325, he appealed for countries to “urgently bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality” through concrete action in the areas of participation, financing and leadership. “Of 18 peace agreements reached last year, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a...

First Person: Israel’s health system responds to October attacks

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·October 25, 2023·3 min read

Dr. Thieren spent almost two weeks travelling across the country to meet with survivors, authorities and families of more than 200 hostages held captive in Gaza. WHO offered humanitarian support to Israel’s health response immediately after the attacks. At the time, Israel’s Health Ministry replied that the system was coping,...