April 29, 2024 No comments
UN reviews progress and challenges 30 years after landmark population conference
INTERNATIONAL, 29 April 2024, SDGs - Global progress towards sustainable development will continue to stall unless countries do more to bridge the gender gap and reduce poverty and inequality, the President of the General Assembly said on Monday. Dennis Francis was speaking at an event to mark the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo. The landmark conference concluded with a Programme of Action, adopted by 179 governments, that put reproductive rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls and young people at the heart of development. Uneven progress Mr. Francis pointed to significant advances and progress made since then, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction, life expectancy and food security. Maternal deaths have declined, he said, while access to primary education...
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April 29, 2024 No comments
World News in Brief: Violence blocking Darfur aid, new Iraq law, Chad elections appeal
INTERNATIONAL, 29 April 2024, Humanitarian Aid - Rising violence is again restricting humanitarian aid delivery in the Darfur region of Sudan, the head of the World Food Programme said on Monday. In the past month, WFP supported more than 300,000 people there with food, including 40,000 in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. “We must be able to reach those who need us most in Sudan,” Executive Director Cindy McCain wrote in a post on social media. Separately, UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned that an escalation of hostilities there would be “catastrophic”. Civilians in El Fasher are already struggling to survive hunger and deprivation, and they must be spared from violence, he wrote on social media. El Fasher has more than 330,000 people facing acute food insecurity, and nearly half...
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April 29, 2024 No comments
Gaza at ‘most dangerous’ stage amid huge unexploded weapons risk, warns demining expert
INTERNATIONAL, 29 April 2024, Peace and Security - The head of UN peacekeeping and demining reiterated calls on Monday for a ceasefire in Gaza as a first step to returning the war-ravaged enclave to some normality, while mine clearance experts warned that the Strip is now at its “most dangerous period”. “This is the most dangerous period; once people start returning to the north, that's when most accidents will occur, because they won't be familiar with where your unexploded ordnance is located,” said Mungo Birch, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) in the State of Palestine. “It's important that once the returns start, we're poised and ready to be able to provide the risk education they need.” Speaking on the sidelines of the 27th...
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April 29, 2024 No comments
Children’s shoes left behind illustrate chaos of fleeing Khan Younis: UN humanitarians
INTERNATIONAL, 29 April 2024, Peace and Security - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reached one of its now-abandoned schools in Khan Younis at the weekend, where thousands of people appeared to have left at a moment’s notice, fearing further intense Israeli bombardment. “They used to shelter inside the school yard here, inside the classrooms, using all the external space. Now there’s nothing left. Everybody evacuated very quickly,” said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Communications Officer. Writing in a social media post on X that abandoned children’s shoes were “everywhere” at the school, the UNRWA officer also pointed to rubble and smashed concrete blocks that fell from the roof after a direct hit. Lives upended “There’s nobody here now but you can see how quickly people left. There’s shoes on...
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April 29, 2024 No comments
Ukraine: Civilians killed and injured as attacks on power and rail systems intensify
INTERNATIONAL, 29 April 2024, Human Rights - An increase in civilian casualties caused by intensifying attacks from the Russian armed forces against Ukraine’s electric power infrastructure and railway system calls for concern, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said on Monday. Since 22 March, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure sustained four waves of attacks that killed six people, injured at least 45 and struck at least 20 facilities. Just this past Saturday alone, missile attacks damaged four thermal power plants critical for electricity generation. Two of the plants are located in western Ukraine, far from the frontline. Previous reports from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also noted the attacks had damaged power and water supplies, which disrupted critical services necessary for children’s care. Danielle Bell, Head...
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