March 18, 2024 No comments
World News in Brief: Haiti aid delivery continues, South Sudan violence, pandemic treaty talks near end, Guterres on Myanmar crisis
INTERNATIONAL, 18 March 2024, Humanitarian Aid - Aid workers continue to deliver assistance to people in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, amid ongoing tension and volatility, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Monday. Rampant gang violence has created a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean country, whose Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, resigned last week. UN children’s agency UNICEF reported that on Saturday, one of its containers was looted at the main port in the capital city. The container held essential items for maternal, neonatal and child survival, including resuscitators, as well as water equipment and critical supplies for early childhood development and education. Condemning the looting, UNICEF emphasized that depriving children of vital health supplies amidst a collapsing healthcare system is a violation of their rights. Discussions continue with port...
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24 million Sudanese children facing ‘generational catastrophe’
INTERNATIONAL, 18 March 2024, Human Rights - As the war in Sudan enters its second year next month, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on Monday warned of a staggering toll of the crisis on children, with an estimated 24 million teetering on the brink of a “generational catastrophe”. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the CRC – an independent body ensuring children’s rights and protections worldwide – has documented a litany of atrocities. “There were worrying reports of rape of civilians, including children, denial of humanitarian access affecting children’s access to basic necessities and other violations of international law, including violations of children’s economic and social rights,” the Committee...
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Iran: Repression continues two years after nationwide protests
INTERNATIONAL, 18 March 2024, Human Rights - Iranian security forces shot hundreds of people who took part in widespread protests sparked by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of the country’s so-called morality police, top independent human rights investigators said on Monday. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran – a group of Council-appointed independent experts - said that Ms. Amini’s death in September 2022 was “unlawful and caused by physical violence” for which the State is responsible. Chairperson Sara Hossain told the forum’s 47 Member States that after Ms. Amini’s death, young women and schoolchildren “were at the forefront” of nationwide protests: “The entire State apparatus was mobilized with security forces using firearms including AK-47s and Uzis as...
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Explainer: What is famine and how is it declared?
INTERNATIONAL, 18 March 2024, Health - Amid growing global concerns over alarming hunger spikes in conflict-affected communities and talk of intensifying levels of food insecurity possibly leading to famine, we looked into how – and when – a famine is classified. With the release of the latest food security report from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) on war-ravaged Gaza since December, World Food Programme (WFP) chief economist Arif Husain walked UN News through the process. When is famine declared? Famine is essentially a technical term, referring to a population that faces widespread malnutrition and hunger-related deaths due to a lack of access to food. “We say there is a famine when three conditions come together in a specific geographic area, whether a town, village, city, even a country,” Mr. Husain explained. At least 20...
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Guterres urges disarmament now as nuclear risk reaches ‘highest point in decades’
INTERNATIONAL, 18 March 2024, Peace and Security - Almost 80 years after the incineration of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons still represent a clear and present danger to global peace and security, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Monday. Calling for disarmament now, he urged States with nuclear arsenals to lead the way across six areas for action that include dialogue and accountability. “Nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons ever invented, capable of eliminating all life on earth. Today, these weapons are growing in power, range and stealth. An accidental launch is one mistake, one miscalculation, one rash act away,” he warned. Doomsday Clock ticking loudly The meeting on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation was convened by Japan, Security Council president for March...
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