World News in Brief: ‘Gender apartheid’ in Afghanistan, DR Congo rights abuses, reforestation crucial to climate fight

World News in Brief: ‘Gender apartheid’ in Afghanistan, DR Congo rights abuses, reforestation crucial to climate fight

Key international actors, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan, have used terms such as “gender apartheid” to describe the high levels of discrimination. “Gender apartheid is not merely a theoretical possibility or legal construct, but a real threat and lived reality for millions of women and girls around the…

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World News in Brief: UN staff detained in Yemen, cyclone threat for Haiti, rights chief Lao PDR, climate change

World News in Brief: UN staff detained in Yemen, cyclone threat for Haiti, rights chief Lao PDR, climate change

“We are very concerned about these developments, and we are actively seeking clarification from the Houthi de facto authorities regarding the circumstances of these detentions and most importantly to ensure the immediate access to those UN personnel,” Mr. Dujarric said.   Of the detainees, two are women and nine are men. Six work for the…

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World News in Brief: World News in Brief: Warmest January on record, Sudan diplomacy push, catching childhood cancer early

World heading towards new temperature records, UN weather watchdog warns

Latest forecasts from the World Meteorological Organization indicated that there was an 80 per cent likelihood that the world will see the annual average global temperature temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years, a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns.  “WMO is sounding the alarm that…

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Increasing disease and humanitarian strain in Gaza amid aid shortages

New UNICEF report reveals severe child food poverty amid world crises

The report warned that millions of children under five have difficulty accessing nutritious and diverse diets necessary for developmental growth and that food prices and living costs have hit record-high levels as countries continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Harriet Torlesse – who was also a lead writer…

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World News in Brief: Aid breakthrough for Haiti, police violence in Chicago, celebrating ‘pedal power’

World News in Brief: Aid breakthrough for Haiti, police violence in Chicago, celebrating ‘pedal power’

Jean-Martin Bauer, Country Director in Haiti for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), also said that the UN agency had managed to resume flights into Port-au-Prince international airport. ‘Exceptionally complex’ The security situation remains “exceptionally complex” but it has been possible to reach “the most difficult neighbourhoods” of the Haitian capital, Mr. Bauer said. According…

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Health chief hails ‘historic milestone’ in race to avert next pandemic

At World Health Assembly, countries agree on efforts to boost pandemic preparedness

Member countries of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), on the final day of the seventy-seventh World Health Assembly, adopted important amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), including defining a “pandemic emergency” as well as pledging improved access to medical products and financing. These steps will help ensure comprehensive, robust systems are in place…

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World News in Brief: Updates on worsening crises in Gaza, South Sudan, DR Congo

World News in Brief: Updates on worsening crises in Gaza, South Sudan, DR Congo

Only three field hospitals are operating in Rafah in southern Gaza, one of which is only functioning partially, and all of these facilities are overwhelmed and undersupplied, OCHA said, with the seven-month-long war severely impacting civilians and the infrastructure they depend on for healthcare. The UN humanitarian aid agency said the Malnutrition Stabilisation Centre in…

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