Ceasefire in Gaza, urges UN chief on first day of Ramadan
“Even though Ramadan has begun, the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza…My strongest appeal today is to honour the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns and removing all…
UN chief urges ‘genuine, credible’ political solution in Syria, as conflict approaches thirteenth anniversary
March marks the thirteenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, with systematic atrocities and untold suffering of civilians. According to UN estimates, 16.7 million people, equivalent to 70 per cent…
International Women’s Day: UN chief launches plan to tackle ‘baked-in bias’
“Equality is overdue; to achieve it, we must match rhetoric with resources,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress and build a better…
UN rights chief urges comprehensive action against religious hatred and discrimination
Speaking before a panel of experts at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, Volker Türk underscored the importance of strengthening social cohesion and increasing respect, with a particular…
UN chief appeals for Sudan ceasefire, now: ‘Values of Ramadan must prevail’
The war between rival militaries Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now in its eleventh month, has not only claimed thousands of lives but has created…
UN telecomms agency chief: One third of humanity still offline
Doreen Bogdan-Martin underscored ITU’s wide-ranging brief, emphasizing its pivotal role in fostering connectivity across the globe. Founded in 1865 as an international telegraph association, today ITU champions two paramount goals:…
Allow more aid into Gaza now, pleads UN health agency chief
These are “children who survived bombardment, but may not survive a famine”, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros said on X, formerly Twitter. Accompanying the WHO chief’s warning, video…
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…
Gaza war may fuel much wider Middle East crisis, warns UN rights chief
“I am deeply concerned that in this powder keg, any spark could lead to a much broader conflagration,” Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council, the UN’s top rights forum.…
‘Mega election’ 2024 could be a landmark for democracy: UN rights chief
In an update to the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Türk described 2024 as a “mega election year” with more than 60 countries slated to hold elections involving nearly half…