Haiti: UN envoy upholds critical role of elections amid rising gang violence

Haiti: UN envoy upholds critical role of elections amid rising gang violence

“Elections are the only path and the only imperative to restore democratic institutions in Haiti. Only democracy and the rule of law can form the basis from which Haiti can progress towards development and growth,” she said. The envoy, who also heads the UN Office in Haiti, BINUH, underlined the “enormous significance” of the Council’s…

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World News in Brief: Femicide ‘pandemic’, war crimes appeal to Israeli lawyers, Syria child detainees

World News in Brief: Femicide ‘pandemic’, war crimes appeal to Israeli lawyers, Syria child detainees

That’s the message from the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, who said on Monday that perpetrators are mostly, but not exclusively, partners or ex-partners, and often escape accountability “due to a lack of proper investigation”. A 2022 report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN…

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Human right to food needs ‘massive investment’: Guterres

Human right to food needs ‘massive investment’: Guterres

Addressing the UN-backed body meeting in Rome on Monday, António Guterres underscored that the session was taking place “at a moment of crisis for global food security” and provided some sobering statistics.  “Last year, 735 million people went hungry. More than 3 billion cannot afford a healthy diet,” said the Secretary-General in a video message, adding…

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Kosovo: Dialogue and building trust, key to defusing tensions

Kosovo: Dialogue and building trust, key to defusing tensions

Briefing ambassadors, Caroline Ziadeh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General cited a “serious” incident on 24 September, that saw five people – including a Kosovo police officer – killed and others injured. “[These events] exacerbated an already deteriorating security environment, characterized by an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and contradictory perceptions touching much of the population,” she…

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Gaza: UNRWA chief underscores duty to protect civilians at all times

Gaza: UNRWA chief underscores duty to protect civilians at all times

“Let me be clear: protecting civilians in times of conflict is not an aspiration or an ideal; it is an obligation and a commitment to our shared humanity,” UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. Relentless air strikes and bombardments, coupled with evacuation orders from Israel, have displaced nearly one million people in…

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