people Archives - Page 2 of 4

Gaza: start of truce feeds hopes for respite, access to people in need: UN humanitarians

·November 24, 2023·3 min read

They reiterated calls for access to all parts of the war-shattered enclave where the death toll inched towards 15,000 and many displaced people were sleeping in the streets. UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva that the hope regarding the agreement between Israel and...

People of African descent facing ‘immense challenges’ in public square

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·September 6, 2023·2 min read

It details how systemic racism, marginalization and exclusion, rooted in the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, continue to have a negative effect on all aspects of life. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged States to “accelerate action towards meaningful, inclusive and safe participation for people of African...

Rights experts call for second UN Decade for People of African Descent

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·September 4, 2023·3 min read

They stressed that more than ever, the world urgently needs humanity to unite and collaborate in a spirit of equality and non-discrimination. “This demands political will to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, inequality and stratification at both the domestic and international levels,” they said in a statement. Achieving this goal means that...

UN ready to assist people affected by deadly blaze in South Africa

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·September 2, 2023·1 min read

The overnight blaze ripped through a five-storey rundown building in the city centre occupied by homeless people and squatters. Dozens were injured. The building was among many in the downtown area that have been abandoned and “hijacked” by criminal gangs who rent them out to families. Sadness and grief The...

Security Council hears of ‘unimaginable suffering’ of Ukrainian people, 18 months into war

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·August 25, 2023·2 min read

Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, was briefing a meeting of the Security Council, which also coincided with the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. “I would like to congratulate the Ukrainian people today and take this occasion to stress, once again, that the UN’s commitment to Ukraine’s...

Türk calls on Israeli Government to ‘heed the calls of the people’ over judicial reform

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·July 28, 2023·1 min read

Volker Türk said he had been “following developments closely” in Israel, where parliamentarians supporting the hard-line nationalist Government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu passed a bill on Monday which in effect strips the Supreme Court of its power to block Government decisions. Opposition parties boycotted the vote which came after...

HIV a ‘critical health concern’ amongst people who use drugs in Thailand

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·July 22, 2023·6 min read

The Thai authorities are working alongside UN agencies to not just improve the availability of services following the change in the way people are sentenced for drugs crimes, but also reduce the stigmatization of people who use drugs and ensure they have access to services where they feel comfortable. UN...

UN chief condemns air strike that killed at least 22 people in Sudan

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·July 10, 2023·1 min read

Mr. Guterres offered his condolences to the families of the victims and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery to the dozens who were injured, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement issued that day. The Sudanese army and rival military group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been...

‘The world is failing the Haitian people’ warns UNICEF chief

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·July 3, 2023·4 min read

Briefing correspondents at UN Headquarters in New York just a few days after visiting Haiti along with the head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Catherine Russell said “the current situation of insecurity is unacceptable. “Women and children are dying. Schools and public spaces should always be safe. Collectively the...

Legal protection essential for people displaced by climate change: UN expert

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·June 27, 2023·1 min read

“The effects of climate change are becoming more severe, and the number of people displaced across international borders is rapidly increasing,” said Ian Fry, independent human rights expert on climate change, who took up the new post last year. “In 2020 alone, 30.7 million people were displaced from their homes...

UN remains focused on ‘critical needs’ of Ukraine’s people

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·June 26, 2023·2 min read

Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group told delegates he had just returned from the war-torn country, noting civilians’ “extraordinary determination to adapt, to recover and to rebuild.” “The UN had developed a clear picture to inform a targeted recovery...

Thailand: Moving from punishment to treatment of people who use drugs

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·June 25, 2023·5 min read

“I first started taking drugs when I was 15,” says 49-year-old Prapat Sukkeaw. “I smoked marijuana, but it was laced with heroin. I felt like I was floating, and it meant that I could forget about all the problems that I faced as a teenager. It was a beautiful feeling.”...