Gaza: 'History is watching' warns UN relief chief, saying aid access is key priority

Gaza: ‘History is watching’ warns UN relief chief, saying aid access is key priority

“History is watching,” Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told UN News in Geneva, highlighting the desperate situation facing around one million Gazans uprooted in the last week, after the Israeli military warned of an imminent offensive following the deadly 7 October attacks on Israel by militant group Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza strip since…

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Middle East on ‘verge of the abyss’ UN warns, as Israel-Hamas conflict deepens Gaza crisis

Middle East on ‘verge of the abyss’ UN warns, as Israel-Hamas conflict deepens Gaza crisis

The UN chief’s appeal comes as clean water and other vital supplies are dwindling inside Gaza in the wake of Israel’s blockade.  UN and other humanitarian agencies have worked round the clock to preposition aid since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out following the militant group’s 7 October attack on several locations…

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Arbitrary detention still widespread in Mexico, rights expert warns

Arbitrary detention still widespread in Mexico, rights expert warns

In a statement concluding a 12-day visit there, the UN expert group said that reforms including the transition to an accusatory criminal procedure, adherence to international human rights laws and introduction of a National Registry of Detentions, and an increasingly human-rights centred legal system are significant achievements. ‘Catalyst for ill-treatment’ However, they noted that “these…

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Myanmar: ‘Inhumanity in its vilest form’ continues, warns Türk

Myanmar: ‘Inhumanity in its vilest form’ continues, warns Türk

“Each day, the people of Myanmar are enduring horrifying attacks, flagrant human rights violations and the crumbling of their livelihoods and hopes,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He was briefing the Human Rights Council – the UN’s primary body for the protection and promotion of rights globally, including findings since his…

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Sudan’s brutal conflict could spill over into wider region, warns Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan

Sudan’s brutal conflict could spill over into wider region, warns Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan

In his speech to the annual general debate of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Al-Burhan, who is President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, said that the Sudanese people have been facing a devastating war since April 15 launched against them by the Rapid Support Forces.   Describing those paramilitary forces as rebels in alliance with…

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‘Humanity has opened the gates to hell’ warns Guterres as climate coalition demands action

‘Humanity has opened the gates to hell’ warns Guterres as climate coalition demands action

Front and centre was an urgent call to action, to prevent cascading climate disasters through a just and equitable energy transition – before it’s too late. In his impassioned address on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to politicians, business, activists and civil society leaders, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning about the…

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Debt crisis in developing countries weighing down SDG push, Rwanda’s Kagame warns

Debt crisis in developing countries weighing down SDG push, Rwanda’s Kagame warns

The SDG summit held in New York earlier this week highlighted the disappointing progress made toward achieving the UN’s 17 SDG goals by 2030, said Mr. Kagame.  He commended the Secretary-General’s focus on the issue and emphasized that slow progress toward achieving SDGs would exacerbate economic disparities between countries.  “This year’s SDG Summit has once again…

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