August 13, 2020 No comments
UN rights experts express ‘outrage’ at Belarus police violence against peaceful protesters
INTERNATIONAL, 13 August 2020, Human Rights - UN human rights experts on Thursday, strongly criticized the level of violence being used by security forces across Belarus against peaceful protesters and journalists, following five days of demonstrations over the disputed presidential election. Large numbers of protesters have been detained, and the experts have called on the international community to put pressure on the eastern European nation, where longtime authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has ruled since 1994, to stop attacking its own citizens. No attempt at dialogue “We are outraged by the police violence towards peaceful protesters and journalists”, the UN experts said. “The security forces do not seem to seek dialogue with the protesters or allow them to exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly.” Video footage from news organizations...
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August 13, 2020 No comments
WHO chief calls for solidarity in financing, ensuring equal access to future COVID-19 vaccine
INTERNATIONAL, 13 August 2020, Health - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that six months after first sounding the international alarm over COVID-19, the UN agency is now intensely focused on shepherding global vaccine candidates through the necessary trials, and guaranteeing rapid, fair and equitable access to them for all countries. With the ripple effects of the pandemic upending people’s lives, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that to move forward, “the best bet is to do it together”, as he briefed reporters from Geneva on the latest developments. Phases two and three Among them, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, launched in April, has shown results, Tedros said, with nine vaccine candidates in the COVAX portfolio now advancing through Phase 2 or 3 trials. The portfolio, already the...
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August 13, 2020 No comments
UN rights experts call for accountability following Beirut’s ‘unprecedented’ lethal explosion
INTERNATIONAL, 13 August 2020, Human Rights - The catastrophic blast which led to the deaths of more than 200 in Beirut on 4 August, has prompted more than three dozen independent rights experts on Thursday, to issue a call for justice and accountability on behalf of the Lebanese people. “The scale and impact of the lethal explosion are unprecedented”, the UN human rights experts said in a joint statement. “We are deeply concerned about the level of irresponsibility and impunity surrounding human and environmental devastation on this scale”. Overlapping calamities Against the backdrop of COVID-19 combined with a devastating political, economic and financial crisis, there has been a sharp deterioration of human rights protection and much suffering across the city, according to the UN experts. Moreover, at least 200...
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August 13, 2020 No comments
‘Urgent need’ to stop erosion of nuclear order, major UN disarmament forum hears
INTERNATIONAL, 13 August 2020, Peace and Security - The lack of trust and cooperation among States, and the diminished faith in “the very multilateral institution that was designed to maintain global peace and security”, must be overcome, a high-level UN official told a prominent disarmament conference on Thursday. “There is an urgent need to stop the erosion of the nuclear order. All countries possessing nuclear weapons have an obligation to lead”, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) Tatiana Valovaya, told the Conference on Disarmament, which she also heads. The multilateral disarmament forum was established in 1984 to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements, and meets three times a year in Geneva. The session began with all participants standing to observe one minute of silence in...
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August 13, 2020 No comments
Coronavirus and schools: Access to handwashing facilities key for safe reopening
INTERNATIONAL, 13 August 2020, Health - Nearly 820 million children worldwide do not have basic handwashing facilities at school, putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and other transmittable diseases, according to a report published on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. “Access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is essential for effective infection prevention and control in all settings, including schools", said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General. “It must be a major focus of government strategies for the safe reopening and operation of schools during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.” Historic disruption to education COVID-19 has created the largest disruption to education ever recorded, affecting nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries, according to UN data. The study found that last...
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