Welcome to this first ever guest-edited UN News live page. We’re reporting from the opening day of the 17th session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP17) to the game-changing Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Our blogger-in-chief this morning is Nick Herd, an activist, actor and talk show host with Down syndrome…
Welcome to our live coverage of one of the most important speeches on climate change that António Guterres has made since becoming Secretary-General. We’re reporting live from the event in Manhattan, providing all the background information you need on the speech itself – and reaction to it inside the hall and around the world.
09:45 AM Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Brown was the last speaker in the cultural segment, in a video clip from the UN General Assembly, appealing for more support for SIDS in the light of corrosive climate change. 09:35 AM Now it’s a performance of pure joy, showcasing some of the great attractions of…
09:55 AM Aid operations have come to a standstill since the start of the military’s ground operation in Rafah, with an estimated 100,000 Palestinians displaced once again, in a highly fluid situation, according to humanitarians. The Assembly is also expected to vote on a draft resolution, co-sponsored by a group of countries, concerning the status…
3:15 PM ‘Insidious campaign’ to end UNRWA aid operation in Gaza: Lazzarini UNRWA is the backbone of the aid effort to stop Gaza slipping into famine, Mr. Lazzarini told ambassadors, and beyond that it has championed Palestinian development for decades. “Today an insidious campaign to end UNRWA’s operations is underway, with serious implications for international…
09:26 AM Alternative resolution fails to support diplomatic talks: US Russia has put politics over progress in vetoing the resolution, throwing stones when it lives in a glass house, said the US Ambassador. She said Russia and China were doing nothing meaningful to advance peace. She said the new text fails to support sensitive diplomacy…
4:02 PM Mozambique: Intervention urgently needed Domingos Estêvão Fernandes, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the UN, said that the relentless violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, coupled with the bombardment in the Gaza Strip demanded the “immediate intervention” of the Security Council. “All parties must fully respect international humanitarian…
10:51 AM Israel: Ceasefire must have pre-conditions Gilad Menashe Erdan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN, said that it has been 150 days since Hamas committed “the most brutal and barbaric massacre since the Holocaust”. “Once again, this body [General Assembly] has convened not to condemn Hamas, no. Not to condemn their…
4:08 PM ‘Stop fighting immediately’: UK proposes 3-step plan United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward said to address the desperate situation in Gaza, three things need to happen, beginning with a call for all parties to the conflict to stop fighting immediately. “This is crucial to get aid in and hostages out,” she said, adding that…
10:15 AM This draft stands for truth, Mr. Benjama said. “A positive vote for the draft brings hope for hundreds of thousands of children to return to school and enjoy the right to education. Conversely, voting against the draft resolution is a vote in favour of annihilating their dream for a better life.” The international…
