UK’s newly passed ‘Safety in Rwanda’ bill is anything but safe: UN officials

UK’s newly passed ‘Safety in Rwanda’ bill is anything but safe: UN officials

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a joint statement calling on the UK Government to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda. This arrangement seeks to shift responsibility for refugee protection, undermining international cooperation, Mr. Grandi added. “The new legislation marks…

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Security Council reiterates call for immediate and safe aid delivery to Gaza

Security Council reiterates call for immediate and safe aid delivery to Gaza

Members issued a statement on Saturday expressing their deep concern over reports that “more than 100 individuals lost their lives, with several hundred others sustaining injuries, including gunshot wounds…in an incident involving Israeli forces at a large gathering surrounding a humanitarian assistance convoy southwest of Gaza City.” They noted that an Israeli investigation is underway….

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Faster and safe aid access critical to keep famine and disease at bay in Gaza

Faster and safe aid access critical to keep famine and disease at bay in Gaza

Getting enough supplies into and across Gaza now depends on the opening of new entry routes, more trucks being allowed through border checks each day, fewer restrictions on the movement of humanitarian workers, and safety guarantees for people accessing and distributing aid, they said. They warned that humanitarian action is seriously limited by the closure…

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Latest Mediterranean deaths highlight need for safe migration routes

Latest Mediterranean deaths highlight need for safe migration routes

IOM underscored the need for regular migration pathways at a one-day summit in Rome hosted by Italy to boost development in Africa and curb migration flows. The A Bridge for Common Life conference represented a critical opportunity to examine “unified and sustainable mechanisms to stop further needless loss of human life on treacherous routes,” said Amy Pope, the agency’s Director…

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Barely a drop of safe water to drink in Gaza, UN aid agency warns

Barely a drop of safe water to drink in Gaza, UN aid agency warns

“Access to sufficient amounts of clean water is a matter of life and death…children in Gaza have barely a drop to drink,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children and their families are having to use water from unsafe sources that are highly salinated or polluted. Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation…

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Desperation intensifies in Gaza amid uncertainty of ‘safe zones’

Desperation intensifies in Gaza amid uncertainty of ‘safe zones’

Speaking from the southern city of Rafah, Dr. Rick Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described further bloodshed after the resumption of Israeli bombing last Friday. “The situation is getting worse by the hour,” Dr. Peeperkorn told journalists in Geneva via video link. “I mean…there’s intensified bombing going on all…

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