Christian Ritscher, head of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh – otherwise known as the Islamic State group or ISIL – outlined to ambassadors in the Security Council on Monday a comprehensive assessment detailing heinous crimes of sexual violence perpetrated by ISIL fighters during their reign. The report was…
As the fourth day of this year’s UN climate conference got under way, the UN chief stated: “The fossil fuel industry is finally starting to wake up, but the promises made clearly fall short of what is required.” Reacting to the pledge announced on Saturday by several major oil and gas companies to reduce methane…
“Silence the guns and return to dialogue – the suffering inflicted on civilians is too much to bear. More violence is not the answer. It will bring neither peace nor security,” Volker Türk said in a statement, voicing deep concern that negotiations towards a continuation of last week’s pause had reportedly stalled. Fighting resumed on…
Our planet has logged higher mean temperatures each year, with 2023 set to be the hottest on record. Ice sheets are melting and an unprecedented rate. Wildfires have made the air hazardous in some regions, while in other floods regularly threaten to contaminate drinking water. Against this backdrop, more and more people are being affected…
The UN chief made this announcement in an address to a summit of developing country leaders taking place at the latest UN climate conference, COP28, now under way in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mr. Guterres, who has been a strong proponent of moving away from fossil fuels, told leaders of the Group of 77 Developing…
On Friday, the Security Council adopted a resolution to close the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) following a request last month from the authorities. UNITAMS was established in June 2020 to provide support to Sudan for an initial 12-month period during its transition to democratic rule following the overthrow of President Omar…
Ahead of the first ever ‘Health Day’ at a UN climate conference, delegates signed onto a new declaration on climate and health and separately considered the role of digital technology can play in climate action. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the new declaration, which aims to help accelerate actions to protect people from…
The sound of shells exploding shortly after 7am Gaza time was clearly audible at Nasser hospital in the south, where terrified and traumatised youngsters immediately reacted by clinging to their mothers in fright, said James Elder from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “The bombs started just a few seconds after the ceasefire (ended),” Mr. Elder…
The current climate crisis is affecting the world’s capacity to produce sufficient food. Its multiple impacts on water, soil, biodiversity, as well as the frequency of extreme weather events are leading to increased food insecurity. These effects diminish crop yields, livestock productivity, and the potential of fisheries and aquaculture as food producers, according to the report….
The Global Drought Snapshot report, released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Friday, coinciding with COP 28, paint a grim picture of the scale of lives and livelihoods lost to droughts. Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “Unlike other disasters that attract media attention, droughts happen silently,…
