“Syria is now at a crossroads with great opportunities for us, but also with grave risks. And we need really to look at both,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. “We know that, of course, HTS is now the dominant group in control of Damascus, but it’s important...
Citizens went to the polls on Wednesday but voting had to be extended into Thursday in some areas, including the capital, Harare, due to a lack of ballot papers. President Emmerson Mnangagwa secured a second five-year term in results announced late on Saturday. His party, ZANU-PF, has been in power...
“The suffering across the country remains immense,” Commissioner Barney Afako said at a press conference in Juba, the capital. “South Sudanese women and girls continue to face unspeakable sexual violence.” On the penultimate day of a five-day visit, the Commission took stock of reports from civil society and stakeholders in...
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), was speaking ahead of the start of its 9th Global Forum, which opens in Fez, Morocco, on Tuesday. The theme this time around is Towards An Alliance of Peace: Living Together as One Humanity. The Global Forum is the...
In his message commemorating the Day, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that countries across Africa are facing “a perfect storm”. He cited armed conflicts; rising food and energy insecurity; “skyrocketing” inflation and debt; shrinking fiscal space; and mounting climate catastrophes. Yet despite these challenges, the top UN official reminded that Africa includes some...
“This insecurity is exacerbating an already disastrous humanitarian situation”, said Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, pointing out that women and children are the primary victims of violence and growing inequality. Regionally led force Meanwhile the Joint Force of the Group...
“We urge Iranian authorities to stop using the death penalty as a tool to squash protests and reiterate our call to immediately release all protesters who have been arbitrarily deprived of their liberty for the sole reason of exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association and peaceful assembly...
In a statement issued on Friday on behalf of the UN in Sri Lanka, Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer, said that it was “imperative that the transition of power is accompanied by broad and inclusive consultation within and outside Parliament.” According to news reports, Mr. Rajapaksa offered his resignation after fleeing the country and arriving...
The meeting is taking place at an extremely challenging moment for multilateralism and global governance, with the international order “at risk of coming apart at the seams”, he said, citing challenges that include the climate emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and new and evolving forms of conflict....