May 12, 2024 No comments
Gaza: We must prevent a large-scale offensive in Rafah, UN pleads
INTERNATIONAL, 12 May 2024, Peace and Security - The Secretary-General and the UN human rights chief said again on Sunday that a large-scale Israeli offensive in Rafah must be prevented at all costs, warning of catastrophic consequences in the densely populated southern area in Gaza. The warning comes as the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, reported that over the past week that nearly 300,000 people have now fled Rafah following the Israeli military’s orders for further evacuations from area. “There is nowhere safe to go,” the agency warned in a message on X. Catastrophic consequences In a telephone conversation on Saturday, UN chief António Guterres and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani agreed that “a full-scale military operation in Rafah would...
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May 12, 2024 No comments
UN teams dispatch aid as deadly flash floods hit northern Afghanistan
INTERNATIONAL, 12 May 2024, Humanitarian Aid - UN humanitarian teams scrambled to get lifesaving aid to communities devastated by deadly flash floods in northeastern Afghanistan over the weekend. Flash floods in the area have reportedly killed at least 300 people, including 51 children, with many more injured, with these figures expected to increase as additional reports come in, according to UN agencies. UN chief António Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. “The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,” said his spokesperson in a statement, extending wishes for a swift recovery to those injured and condolences to the families of the victims. Most of the casualties were reported...
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May 12, 2024 No comments
Japan: Safeguarding a mother tongue and mother nature
INTERNATIONAL, 12 May 2024, Culture and Education - When asked what might be the most beautiful word in Shimamuni, the Indigenous language variety spoken on Okinoerabu Island in Kagoshima prefecture of southwestern Japan, Nami Sao pondered for a moment before replying “mihedirodoo.” Her husband, Tomoyuki Sao, is quick to elaborate that its utterance is always enlivened with a smile and tends to make fellow Shimamuni speakers noticeably more pleased than arigatou, the standard Japanese equivalent for saying thank you. Even though both Nami and Tomoyuki were born on Okinoerabu Island (currently home to only 12,000 inhabitants), neither learned to speak Shimamuni – a local variety of the Kunigami language – fluently as children. Kunigami was added to UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger in 2009...
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May 11, 2024 No comments
Madagascar: Coordination, convergence and change from the grass roots up
INTERNATIONAL, 11 May 2024, SDGs - How can people be best supported during humanitarian crises with limited aid budgets and what can be done to help those same people break out of the cycle of dependency caused by multiple crises and move towards more sustainable development? Those are the questions that UN agencies on the ground in Madagascar are considering as the island nation struggles against climate change, huge humanitarian needs and persistent underdevelopment. UNICEF’s Deputy Representative, Head of Programmes Gilles Chevalier and Natasha van Rijn the Resident Representative for the UN Development Programme discuss how changes in the way they are working are helping to reinforce resilience and sustainable development. Gilles Chevalier: One of the major decisions we have made at UNICEF is to reinforce our staff footprint in the south of Madagascar...
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May 10, 2024 No comments
UN General Assembly presses Security Council to give ‘favourable consideration’ to full Palestinian membership
INTERNATIONAL, 10 May 2024, Peace and Security - The UN General Assembly convened again in New York on Friday for an emergency special session on the Gaza crisis and overwhelmingly passed a resolution which upgrades Palestine’s rights at the world body as an Observer State, without offering full membership. It urged the Security Council to give "favourable consideration" to Palestine’s request. What does the resolution mean? Here’s a quick recap of what this means: by adopting this resolution the General Assembly will upgrade the rights of the State of Palestine within the world body, but not the right to vote or put forward its candidature to such organs as the Security Council or the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Granting Palestinian membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council. At...
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