António Guterres was addressing a UN General Assembly meeting on the topic of “human security”, which he described as a useful framework that could promote “bold, decisive, collective action” amid growing turbulence worldwide. He said civilians in Gaza “have no security at all” in the face of relentless Israeli attacks, adding that Israelis themselves “feel…
This in effect abolishes the monitoring of UN sanctions against the country, more commonly known as North Korea, blocking the extension of the panel for another year. Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the sanctions regime adopted with the intention of preventing nuclear weapons proliferation, was losing its relevance and also “to a great extent, detached…
Drought is ravaging communities in Afar, Amhara, Tigray and Oromia, as well as the Southern and South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Region. Severe water shortages, dried pastures and reduced harvests are impacting millions of people and livestock, with reports of food insecurity and rising malnutrition. Among those who are particularly vulnerable are people affected by the…
The Global Drought Snapshot report, released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Friday, coinciding with COP 28, paint a grim picture of the scale of lives and livelihoods lost to droughts. Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “Unlike other disasters that attract media attention, droughts happen silently,…
A global approach to tackle the ongoing water crisis is needed as vulnerable communities in the United States face historic deluge and drought – issues very much in the spotlight at the forthcoming UN-supported World Water Week. Traditional totems tower over the coastal village of Taholah in Washington state, home to the Quinault Indian Nation, an…
The unpaved road to the village is bumpy and sandy. For people living here, however, the path and the intense heat are part of daily life. High temperatures have not stopped Foureyratou Saidou, a single mother of four and recent widow, from tending to the community garden next to the village. The payoffs are worth…
“Equal land rights both protect land and advance gender equality,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a video message, urging all governments to eliminate legal barriers to women owning land, and to involve them in policy making. “We depend on land for our survival, yet we treat it like dirt,” the UN chief added, emphasizing…
The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for urgent funding for its operations in the country, where families are battling crisis after crisis, including growing hunger, since the Taliban takeover of 2021. Catastrophic hunger could become widespread across Afghanistan, and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more people will need assistance to survive, the…
Somalia is in the midst of the longest and most severe drought in its history, following five consecutive poor rainy seasons, which has devastated the country. Roughly 8.25 million people, nearly half the population, require immediate lifesaving aid and protection. Lives on the line They warn that famine is a strong possibility from April to…
