Gaza: South Africa levels accusations of ‘genocidal conduct’ against Israel at world court

Gaza: South Africa levels accusations of ‘genocidal conduct’ against Israel at world court

The development came amid the ongoing and massive Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October that left some 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals dead in southern Israel and some 250 taken hostage. Laying out their case, the South African legal team told the International Court of Justice…

Read More
Looming hunger emergency for South Sudanese families fleeing war

South Sudan: No basis for free and fair 2024 elections, warns Haysom

Briefing ambassadors at the UN Security Council, Nicholas Haysom outlined key conditions required by April 2024 for moving ahead, according to the agreed timeline. All in the details These include a new permanent constitutional framework; voter registration details; an election security plan; well trained, equipped, and unified security forces; and a mechanism for resolving disputes…

Read More
Gaza: Aid access to north now entirely blocked amid escalating bombing raids in south

Gaza: Aid access to north now entirely blocked amid escalating bombing raids in south

The latest update from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, confirmed rising casualties and devastation amid “heavy Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea”. “From the afternoon of (Saturday) 2 December to the afternoon of (Sunday) 3 December, at least 316 people were killed and at least another 664 injured in Gaza,” OCHA’s situation update…

Read More
World News in Brief: South Sudan aid plan, rising cost of healthy eating, Europe’s diabetes burden

World News in Brief: South Sudan aid plan, rising cost of healthy eating, Europe’s diabetes burden

The conflict in neighbouring Sudan has had an impact on the country’s economy, increasing the prices of food and the number of vulnerable people who need assistance. It is estimated that 7.1 million people in South Sudan will continue to be food insecure during the lean season, which runs from April to July, while roughly…

Read More
World News in Brief: Ukraine aid convoy, attacks in South Sudan, radioactive discharge update

World News in Brief: Ukraine aid convoy, attacks in South Sudan, radioactive discharge update

A UN inter-agency convoy reached the front-line community of Huliaipole, located in the Zaporizhzhia region, bringing medicine, shelter kits, hygiene items and other assistance to support some 2,000 people. The town has suffered large-scale destruction and remains without power, water and gas, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking from New York. “Today’s humanitarian convoy was…

Read More
We have a duty to leave no one behind, South African President tells world leaders

We have a duty to leave no one behind, South African President tells world leaders

“Over millennia, the human race has demonstrated an enormous capacity for resilience, adaptation, innovation, compassion and solidarity … these qualities must be evident in how we work together as a global community and as nations of the world to end war and conflict,” he said. He urged the international community to invest in conflict prevention…

Read More
South Sudan: Key electoral questions ‘remain unanswered’

South Sudan: Key electoral questions ‘remain unanswered’

With 15 months to the end of the transition period, “time is of the essence” for getting the election process settled, UN Special Representative for South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom told the Security Council. “Critical questions remain unanswered. Resolving them does not require material resources, only the political will to reach compromise and consensus,” he said….

Read More
Cooperation across Global South, key to reaching SDGs

Cooperation across Global South, key to reaching SDGs

This year’s official theme is “Solidarity, Equity, and Partnership: Unlocking South-South Cooperation to Achieve the SDGs.” South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity contributing to national well-being, national and collective self-reliance, and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Coming just ahead of the two-day SDG Summit, the commemoration is an…

Read More