UN and African Union sign new human rights agreement

UN and African Union sign new human rights agreement

At the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat signed a framework agreement on human rights, which follows a previous accord on peace and security, and another on development.  Speaking afterwards to reporters, they underscored the need to reform the global financial architecture to reflect current realities. “What Africa needs…

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Gaza doctors ‘terrified’ of deadly disease outbreak as aid teams race to deliver

Gaza doctors ‘terrified’ of deadly disease outbreak as aid teams race to deliver

Priorities include transporting fuel to the north of the war-torn enclave, so that it can be used to power hospitals, provide clean water and maintain other vital civilian infrastructure. Such services have been massively impacted by weeks of Israeli bombardment in response to Hamas’s 7 October massacres in southern Israel that left some 1,200 dead…

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World News in Brief: Burkina Faso attack, ending AIDS, Syrian child casualties, new UN migration ambassador

World News in Brief: Burkina Faso attack, ending AIDS, Syrian child casualties, new UN migration ambassador

A large number of fighters from the militant Islamist group JNIM attacked a military base, homes, and a camp for displaced people in the city of Djibo, on Sunday. At least 40 people were killed and more than 42 injured. The attackers also set fire to 20 shops and three sites for displaced people. Stop attacking civilians “Attacks on…

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Haiti: Gangs move into rural areas as Türk says new force ‘must be deployed’

Haiti: Gangs move into rural areas as Türk says new force ‘must be deployed’

The report, published on Tuesday by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN political mission in Haiti (BINUH), calls for the urgent deployment of the multinational security support mission authorized by the UN Security Council in October. But alongside that, greater efforts will need to be made to strengthen the institutions of the…

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Somali-born champion of refugee education wins top UNHCR award

Somali-born champion of refugee education wins top UNHCR award

Abdullahi Mire grew up in the sprawling Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya with its population today of more than 240,000 registered refugees, mostly from Somalia. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) coordinates operations there together with partners, relying also on the support of the Kenyan Government and host communities. The majority of the population, around…

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As record warming puts climate targets at risk, young people’s ‘green skills’ may help save the planet

World News in Brief: Delivering on health at COP28, aid for north Darfur, food standards watchdog turns 60

That’s the message from UN health agency WHO, which said on Monday that negotiators at the upcoming meeting must recognize their responsibility “for the health of populations worldwide”. “Leaders must deliver in Dubai, providing the strong health outcomes their peoples expect and their economies urgently need,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  According to the…

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DPR Korea: Military satellites, ‘serious risk’ to civil aviation and shipping

DPR Korea: Military satellites, ‘serious risk’ to civil aviation and shipping

The UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Mohamed Khaled Khiari, told ambassadors the satellite had been loaded onto a rocket launched on 21 November. The National Aerospace Technology Administration of DPRK – more commonly known as North Korea – announced that day that it was the first of several intelligence-gathering satellites to…

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