UN calls for restraint following Iran consulate attack in Syria

UN calls for restraint following Iran consulate attack in Syria

Briefing ambassadors a day after the attack, Assistant-Secretary-General Khaled Khiari stressed the need for restraint.   “We appeal to the Council today, as we do every month, to continue to actively engage all concerned parties to prevent further escalation and the worsening of tensions that undermine regional peace and security,” he said.  Respect diplomatic premises  UN…

Read More
Health system ‘barely surviving’, as OCHA calls for Gaza aid restrictions to end

Health system ‘barely surviving’, as OCHA calls for Gaza aid restrictions to end

In a social media post, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that only 10 out of 36 hospitals are now partially functioning in the enclave. Al-Amal hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis closed on Tuesday, Tedros noted, after media reports indicated that Israeli troops forced medical teams and patients to evacuate. The development came as…

Read More
UN calls for united action to combat rising Islamophobia

UN calls for united action to combat rising Islamophobia

The new resolution, tabled by Pakistan, calls for, among other things, concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims and requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia. The world body created the International Day through a resolution adopted following attacks on two mosques Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 51 people dead on…

Read More
UN chief calls for people-centered approach to combat drug stigma

UN chief calls for people-centered approach to combat drug stigma

In his message to the opening of the 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Secretary-General António Guterres said the proliferation of powerful street drugs and pharmaceutical misuse needs to be addressed through balanced responses and collective action. He called for countering drug trafficking, investing in drug use prevention, and ensuring equal access to…

Read More
5 ways to accelerate women’s economic empowerment

UN chief calls for global action to defend women’s rights amid disturbing trends

Addressing the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the pivotal forum dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the rights of women and girls worldwide, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the disproportionate impact of wars on women. “In conflict zones around the globe, women and girls are suffering most from wars waged by men,”…

Read More
UN envoy calls again for removal of restrictions on Afghan women

UN envoy calls again for removal of restrictions on Afghan women

Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), said that recent arbitrary arrest of Afghan women for alleged Islamic dress code violations was having a chilling effect among the wider female population, “many of whom are now afraid to move in public,” she said. “The denial of women and…

Read More
Haiti crisis: UN chief calls for ‘urgent action’ to end rampant insecurity

Haiti crisis: UN chief calls for ‘urgent action’ to end rampant insecurity

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York that António Guterres wanted to see “urgent action, particularly in providing financial support for the multinational security support mission”, which has been authorized by the Security Council in a bid to restore law and order to the crisis-wracked nation, the poorest in the western hemisphere. Kenya…

Read More