December 07, 2019 No comments
‘We all must step up’ collective action on disability inclusion – UN deputy chief
INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2019, SDGs - The international community has agreed truly ground-breaking frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the context of development, but there remains a significant gap between these ambitions and the reality experienced daily by millions of persons with disabilities, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference in Doha on Saturday. With 181 State Parties, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is among the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaties and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development makes a firm commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the international community's quest for peace and prosperity on a healthy planet. But wide gaps remain between these ambitious steps and the daily reality faced by...
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December 07, 2019 No comments
Denouncing attacks against Baghdad protesters, UN warns ‘violence risks placing Iraq on dangerous trajectory’
INTERNATIONAL, 7 December 2019, Peace and Security - The top UN official in Iraq has strongly condemned the shooting of unarmed protesters in Baghdad on Friday night, which left a high number of deaths and injuries among innocent citizens, calling for the perpetrators to be “identified and brought to justice without delay”. “The deliberate killing of unarmed protesters by armed elements is nothing less than an atrocity against the people of Iraq,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in the crisis-gripped country. She also urged Iraqi Armed Forces to spare no effort to protect the peaceful protesters from violence by armed elements operating outside State control, and at the same time called on peaceful protesters to cooperate constructively to ensure the peaceful protests can be duly...
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December 06, 2019 No comments
UN evaluates progress in improving peacekeeping performance
INTERNATIONAL, 6 December 2019, Peace and Security - The international community on Friday took stock of action to improve UN peacekeeping in line with a Security Council resolution aimed at enhancing performance at all levels, both at Headquarters in New York and in the field. The UN welcomes opportunities to review its effectiveness, Secretary-General António Guterres told the meeting on Resolution 2436, adopted in September 2018. div class="tcu-imageWrapper tcu-image-1202963259789365248 js-cspForcedStyle" data-style="background-image: url( Improving Peacekeeping Performance: A Year Since UN Security Council Resolution 2436 UN Web TV @UNWebTV To strengthen performance and effectiveness, we are increasing the number of women in peacekeeping at all levels. In @UN_CAR, women soldiers on patrol have helped reduce the number of cases of conflict-related sexual violence. #A4P #UNSCR2436 #PKPerformance “Across all missions, we have introduced new systems and tools to evaluate performance. These include regular military and police unit...
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December 06, 2019 No comments
UN agency hails Brazil ‘milestone’ decision over Venezuelan refugees
INTERNATIONAL, 6 December 2019, Migrants and Refugees - Brazil’s move to recognize thousands of refugees from crisis-wracked Venezuela through a new accelerated procedure, has been welcomed by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The decision by Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees (CONARE) on Thursday to accept asylum-seekers on a “prima facie basis”, gave immediate relief to around 21,000 Venezuelans, waiting for applications to be processed. From now on, they will no longer need to wait for an interview. Brazil recognizes thousands of Venezuelans as refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2019/12/5dea19f34/unhcr-welcomes-brazils-decision-recognize-thousands-venezuelans-refugees.html … div class="tcu-imageWrapper tcu-image-1202961258124861441 js-cspForcedStyle" data-style="background-image: url( UNHCR welcomes Brazil's decision to recognize thousands of Venezuelans as refugees UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Brazil’s move to recognize thousands of Venezuelan asylum-seekers as refugees on a prima facie basis. Some 21,000 unhcr.org “This move constitutes a milestone in refugee...
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December 06, 2019 No comments
UN rights chief ‘extremely concerned’ over deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran
INTERNATIONAL, 6 December 2019, Human Rights - In the wake of recent protests in Iran, the top United Nations human rights official expressed alarm on Friday over multiple human rights violations which have reportedly taken place across the country. She highlighted a continuing lack of transparency concerning casualties, the alleged mistreatment of thousands of detainees and continued arrests reported throughout Iran, after weeks of protests which began over major increases in petrol prices. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that at least 7,000 people have reportedly been arrested in 28 of Iran’s 31 provinces since mass protests broke out on 15 November, saying that she was “extremely concerned about their physical treatment, violations of their right to due process, and the possibility that...
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