Weather-related disasters displace 43.1 million children in six years, UNICEF reports

Weather-related disasters displace 43.1 million children in six years, UNICEF reports

That figure translates to an alarming average of 20,000 children uprooted every day. The findings are contained in UNICEF’s latest report, Children Displaced in a Changing Climate, the first ever global analysis of child displacements caused by floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. It also projects future trends for the next three decades. Catherine Russell, UNICEF…

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Sudan conflict creates world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis: UN aid official

Sudan conflict creates world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis: UN aid official

“The past six months have caused untold suffering in Sudan” and forced more than 5.4 million people from their homes, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the UN official noted that approximately 30,000 a day have fled fighting, “some fleeing…

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Protect children at all times and at all places, UN envoys tell nations

Protect children at all times and at all places, UN envoys tell nations

In 2022, the UN verified 27,180 instances of grave violations targeting children – use in conflict, killing and maiming, rape and sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools, and denial of humanitarian assistance, said Virgina Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict. Among these violations, over 2,300 children suffered from multiple…

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World News in Brief: 'Horrifying' attack on Ukrainian village, autonomous weapons ban, Sudan crisis

World News in Brief: ‘Horrifying’ attack on Ukrainian village, autonomous weapons ban, Sudan crisis

“The images arriving from the locality, home to just above 300 people, are absolutely horrifying,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said in a statement issued shortly after the attack. Speaking on behalf of the UN and the humanitarian community, she expressed condolences to the bereaved families. “Our thoughts are also with the people of Ukraine,…

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UN and Red Cross call for restrictions on autonomous weapon systems to protect humanity

UN and Red Cross call for restrictions on autonomous weapon systems to protect humanity

“We call on world leaders to launch negotiations of a new legally binding instrument to set clear prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapon systems and to conclude such negotiations by 2026,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said on Thursday. “In the current security landscape, setting clear international red lines will benefit…

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World News in Brief: Water ‘being taken for granted’, global teacher crisis, Nipah in India update

World News in Brief: Water ‘being taken for granted’, global teacher crisis, Nipah in India update

“We must stop taking water for granted,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said at the opening of the Rome Water Dialogue, focused on its critical role relating to soils, land, climate change, biodiversity and agriculture. With agriculture accounting for more than 70 per cent of the planet’s freshwater withdrawals, “by increasing efficiency, reducing negative impacts and…

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UN chief reinforces call for multilateral reform, outlines next steps

UN chief reinforces call for multilateral reform, outlines next steps

Other key priorities to emerge were the state of the environment and ensuring responsible use of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Secretary-General António Guterres added. Against this backdrop, the UN’s visionary Our Common Agenda presents proposals and ideas that can bridge the gap, “between the world as it is and the world as…

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UN rights office concerned over pre-election violence in Liberia

UN rights office concerned over pre-election violence in Liberia

“We are concerned by reported instances of election-related violence, use of language that could amount to hate speech, and attacks on journalists in Liberia ahead of the general election on 10 October,” said UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson in the country, Seif Magango. Violent clashes Violent clashes between supporters of the opposition Unity Party and…

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