Ambassadors held an open meeting on the human rights situation in the country, commonly known as North Korea, convened by Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. China and Russia opposed the meeting and called for a procedural vote by the 15 members, which was defeated. Alone and claustrophobic Briefing…
“War is pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation. Only technicalities prevent famines from being declared, as people are already dying of hunger,” said Mr. Griffiths. “Waiting for an official declaration of famine before acting would be a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people and a moral outrage,” he added. As…
Four additional UN staff members have been detained and held incommunicado by the de facto authorities since 2021 and 2023, without access to their families or their respective organizations and agencies. “This is an alarming development that raises serious concerns about the Houthis’ commitment to a negotiated solution to the conflict. The United Nations condemns…
“We are very concerned about these developments, and we are actively seeking clarification from the Houthi de facto authorities regarding the circumstances of these detentions and most importantly to ensure the immediate access to those UN personnel,” Mr. Dujarric said. Of the detainees, two are women and nine are men. Six work for the…
At an event commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed noted progress made, alongside immediate challenges. “Over the last decade, the region has seen an exponential rise in terrorism that has reversed its development gains. This has been further exacerbated by the resurgence…
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General “strongly condemns” recent attacks by the Myanmar military in Rakhine State and Sagaing Region that have reportedly claimed the lives of many civilians. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the widening regional ramifications of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar and reiterates his appeal for a unified approach,” Mr….
Two of the latest fatalities were 16-year-old Ahmed Ashraf Hamidat and 17-year-old Mohammed Musa Al Bitar, both shot “at a distance of about 70 metres while running away after throwing stones and/or Molotov cocktails towards a[n Israeli] military post outside a settlement near Aqabat Jaber, CCTV footage shows”, said the High Commissioner’s Office, OHCHR. The…
In a message marking Wednesday’s World Environment Day, António Guterres emphasized that countries “must deliver” on all their commitments to restore degraded ecosystems and land, and on Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, the global agreement to protect biodiversity. “They must use their new national climate action plans to set out how they will halt and reverse deforestation…
Allegations of responsibility point to both armed groups and State actors. “While armed groups are presumed responsible for the vast majority of incidents and victims and should be held accountable, I am also deeply disturbed that security and defence forces and their auxiliaries, the Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, allegedly carried out wanton…
Filippo Grandi said the number currently stands at 114 million. “Next month we will update this figure. It will be higher,” he added. Mr. Grandi recalled his last briefing to ambassadors seven months ago, when he shared his views on several crises around the globe. Non-compliance with international law He said the situation has not…
