UN News

• Afghanistan: More action needed to stop killings of human rights defenders 
  The death of nine human rights defenders since the beginning of this year marks “the emergence of a truly alarming trend", an independent UN rights expert said on Friday, calling on Afghanistan to prevent any further killings.
• Millions ‘on the edge’ in DR Congo, now in even greater danger of tipping over: WFP
  Millions of lives could be lost to hunger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid escalating conflict and worsening COVID-19 transmission, the UN emergency food relief agency has warned, urging the international community to step up support for the African nation.
• Interception, no solution to address migrants crossing English Channel
  Intercepting boats full of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel, is not the solution to deter them from attempting to reach the United Kingdom, UN agencies have stressed, warning that deployment of large naval vessels to block small, flimsy dinghies could lead to fatal incidents.
• Real Life Heroes: ‘a simple word can mean a lot to a refugee’
  After leaving Gaza as a refugee, Shadi Mohammedali decided to dedicate himself to helping others in a similar situation. Today, he is working for an NGO in a Greek camp for asylum seekers, explaining how they can protect themselves from COVID-19.
• UN chief welcomes Israel-UAE agreement
  The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed a joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which suspends Israeli annexation plans over parts of the occupied West Bank, something the UN has consistently called for.
• UN rights experts express ‘outrage’ at Belarus police violence against peaceful protesters
  UN human rights experts on Thursday, strongly criticized the level of violence being used by security forces across Belarus against peaceful protesters and journalists, following five days of demonstrations over the disputed presidential election.
• WHO chief calls for solidarity in financing, ensuring equal access to future COVID-19 vaccine
  The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that six months after first sounding the international alarm over COVID-19, the UN agency is now intensely focused on shepherding global vaccine candidates through the necessary trials, and guaranteeing rapid, fair and equitable access to them for all countries.
• UN rights experts call for accountability following Beirut’s ‘unprecedented’ lethal explosion
  The catastrophic blast which led to the deaths of more than 200 in Beirut on 4 August, has prompted more than three dozen independent rights experts on Thursday, to issue a call for justice and accountability on behalf of the Lebanese people.
• ‘Urgent need’ to stop erosion of nuclear order, major UN disarmament forum hears 
  The lack of trust and cooperation among States, and the diminished faith in “the very multilateral institution that was designed to maintain global peace and security”, must be overcome, a high-level UN official told a prominent disarmament conference on Thursday. 
• Deaths of children in northeast Syria ‘could have been averted’: UNICEF
  The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed “deep alarm” over reports that eight children – all under the age of five – have died in Syria’s Al Hol camp, where several thousand children are languishing in dire conditions.
• Real Life Heroes: on a journey towards quality healthcare
  In the remote Lamu region, on the northeast coast of Kenya, quality healthcare is hard to come by. Every month, medical staff from Safari Doctors, an NGO founded by Umra Omar, set sail on a boat filled with medicines, to provide free basic medicines to hundreds of marginalized inhabitants in several coastal villages.
• Coronavirus and schools: Access to handwashing facilities key for safe reopening
  Nearly 820 million children worldwide do not have basic handwashing facilities at school, putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and other transmittable diseases, according to a report published on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
• Belarus: UN rights chief condemns violence against protesters, calls for grievances to be heard
  The flow of free information is “crucial” in a democratic society, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday, spotlighting the landlocked eastern European nation of Belarus, “especially in a context of crisis and social unrest”.
• Amid COVID-19, UN commitment to peace ‘more urgent than ever’
  COVID-19 threatens not only hard-won development and peacebuilding gains, but also “risks exacerbating conflicts or fomenting new ones”, the UN chief reminded the Security Council on Wednesday, during a briefing on the challenges to achieving sustainable peace, while pandemics ravage communities worldwide.  
• Lebanon: WFP racing to help vulnerable, prevent food shortages
  The World Food Programme (WFP) is racing to prevent food shortages in Lebanon as the country continues to reel from the triple shock of the devastating blast in Beirut, economic meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• UN praises resilience and vision of younger generation, marking International Youth Day  
  Commemorating International Youth Day, top UN officials have called on leaders around the world to “do everything possible” to enable young people to reach their fullest potential.
• Real Life Heroes: heading into disaster, in the service of others
  Growing up in Indonesia in the shadow of an active volcano, Agus Haryono has witnessed the deadly risks of living in a disaster-prone region. This prompted him to join the country’s Search and Rescue Agency, in the hope of saving lives, when disaster strikes.
• Pandemic ‘inflicting multiple shocks’ on the young, threatens entire generation
  Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 70 per cent of students have been shut out of schools, universities and training centres, according to a new report issued on Tuesday by the UN’s labour agency.
• Somalia: Draft law a ‘major setback’ for victims of sexual violence
  The UN official working to end rape during wartime is urging authorities in Somalia to scrap a proposed law that allows for child marriage, among other “very disturbing provisions”.
• Refugees also affected by Beirut blast as UN relief efforts continue
  Dozens of refugees were among the victims of the deadly explosions at Beirut’s port a week ago that destroyed large areas of the Lebanese capital, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Tuesday.
• Polio vaccination campaigns restart in Afghanistan and Pakistan after COVID-19 hiatus
  Polio vaccination campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, months after having been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. 
• Violence in Sudan’s Western Darfur forces 2,500 into Chad: UN refugee agency
  Recent clashes in Sudan’s Western Darfur region has driven more than 2,500 people across the border into neighbouring Chad, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has reported.
• Political crisis in Guinea-Bissau: UN Representative urges political leaders to enact reforms
  Entrenched political divisions in Guinea-Bissau pose a serious threat to stability in the West African country, the top UN official there told the Security Council on Monday, as she called for continued international engagement and for reforms outlined in a four-year old agreement, to be enacted.
• Belarus: UN chief following post-election developments ‘with great concern’
  The UN Secretary-General has appealed for restraint in Belarus, where ongoing clashes between police and demonstrators continue following disputed elections held on Sunday.
• ‘You are not alone, we are in this together’, declare UN staffers in Lebanon
  Last Saturday was another scorching August day in Lebanon’s shattered capital of Beirut, but UN staff members who had gathered outside UN House – itself damaged during the deadly port explosion - were determined to get straight to work, and stand in solidarity with the country they call home.