April 16, 2024 No comments
Gaza: No let up in deadly toll as rights chief demands end to suffering
INTERNATIONAL, 16 April 2024, Peace and Security - Nearly 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since war erupted six months ago and one child is injured or dies every 10 minutes, UN agencies warned on Tuesday, amid spiralling violence in the West Bank and concerns over a regional escalation of the conflict following Iran’s missile and drone strike on Israel. “Six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned,” said UN Women, in a new report. “More than one million women and girls in Gaza have almost no food, no access to safe water, latrines, washrooms, or sanitary pads, with disease growing amidst inhumane living conditions.” Echoing those concerns, the UN World Health Organization...
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April 15, 2024 No comments
‘Concerted global push’ for Sudan ceasefire is essential: Guterres
INTERNATIONAL, 15 April 2024, Peace and Security - “The world is forgetting about the people of Sudan” the UN chief warned on Monday, calling for a boost in humanitarian funding and a global push for peace to end a year of brutal fighting between rival militaries. With attention over the weekend focused on the Middle East he said the conflict between the national army and Rapid Support Forces militia had turned into “a war being waged on the Sudanese people.” “It is a war on the many thousands of civilians who have been killed, and tens of thousands more maimed for life, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “It is a war on the 18 million people facing acute hunger and the communities now staring down the terrifying threat...
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April 15, 2024 No comments
UN leaders urge ‘wholesale reform’ of global financial architecture
INTERNATIONAL, 15 April 2024, Economic Development - The Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly on Monday led the clarion call for urgent reform of the global financial system, notably how to approach debt relief on behalf of the billions of citizens living in the developing world. Addressing a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on debt sustainability, António Guterres outlined the crippling impact of debt on developing economies. “No example of the international financial architecture’s failure is more glaring than its handling of debt. The last four years have been nothing short of a debt disaster,” he said. He noted that the burden of servicing external debt leaves many countries with little to invest in their own people. Startling figures According to UN figures, in 2023, global public debt...
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April 15, 2024 No comments
Let youth lead, urges new advocacy campaign
INTERNATIONAL, 15 April 2024, Human Rights - With the ‘promise of a better world’ in mind the UN Youth Office has launched an new advocacy campaign – “World Leaders: It’s Time to Let #YouthLead” – calling for greater youth representation in decision-making roles in both the public and private sector, civil society, academia, and the UN. As crises continue to unfold, there has been a lack of unity among world leaders in solving challenges for the “collective good”, the Youth Office said in a letter kickstarting the campaign. The office says it deems it important to have leaders and institutions include young people in roles where their voices can be heard, or a common future might be at stake. “Putting more diverse perspectives around the decision-making table is...
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April 15, 2024 No comments
Yemen’s plight echoes broader Middle East crisis, says UN Envoy
INTERNATIONAL, 15 April 2024, Peace and Security - As tensions worsen across the Middle East region, Yemen’s plight has become increasingly intertwined with wider geopolitical dynamics, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Monday. Hans Grundberg underscored the urgent need for de-escalation, warning of the perilous consequences of overlooking Yemen’s fragile stability amidst the broader regional crisis. “We cannot risk Yemen’s chance for peace, becoming collateral damage,” he told ambassadors at the UN Security Council. “If we leave Yemen’s political process in the waiting room and continue down this path of escalation, the consequences could be catastrophic, not only for Yemen, but also for the wider region,” he warned. Worsening situation Mr. Grundberg warned of the threat of further escalation as fighting continues in Gaza. “The recent developments involving...
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