Coral Reef Image Bank/Yen-Yi Lee In Malaysia, tourism is a major economic sector and generated over $18 billion in revenue in 2019. After revenues plummeted by 72 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian authorities, with the help of UNDP’s sustainable tourism recovery project, looked to reinvigorate the industry by putting out a greener welcome…
According to the UN health agency, the tobacco industry’s approach has resulted in increased use of e-cigarettes, with nine out of 10 smokers starting before the age of 18 – and some as early as 11. “Considering that children spend nearly one-third of their waking hours in school, and much of the peer pressure they…
UNICEF Representative in Mali, Pierre Ngom, told reporters in Geneva that dozens of children have been killed this month alone by non-State armed groups in the north and centre of the country. An attack on a boat on the Gao-Timbuktu axis on 7 September claimed the lives of at least 24 youngsters. Mr. Ngom called…
Some 19,000 refugees have reportedly left the Karabakh Economic Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including many elderly people, women and children. UNHCR Spokesperson Shabia Mantoo called on all sides to protect civilians and to fully respect international humanitarian refugee law allowing them safe passage. All parties must “refrain from actions that would cause displacement…
“The Government must loosen tight restrictions on assemblies and associations to bring laws and practice into conformity with the national Constitution and international human rights law”, said Clément Voule, Special Rapporteur on the right to assembly, in a statement at the end of a 10-day official visit to Algeria. He was there as the country…
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, said “we often advocate the promotion of a rules-based order. From time to time, respect for the UN Charter is also invoked.” “But for all the talk, there are still a few nations who shape the agenda and seek to define the norms. This cannot go on indefinitely. Nor…
Addressing the opening of the IAEA’s General Conference in Vienna on Monday, Mr. Grossi said that 53 missions mobilizing more than 100 agency staff have been deployed as part of a continued presence inside Ukraine’s five nuclear power plants. These include the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, or ZNPP, on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine,…
Members of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that they have documented attacks with explosive weapons on residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and medical institutions, as well as torture and sexual and gender-based violence. Rape allegations Commission Chair Erik Møse provided harrowing details on the findings to the…
The members of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) issued the appeal after concluding their first visit to the State of Palestine, conducted from 10 to 21 September. Daniel Fink, who headed the delegation, said they received full cooperation from the Palestinian Authority to visit locations in the West Bank, “but we regret that, despite all…
Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, presented its latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which covers the period from January 2020 to August this year. The report, which was published last week, focused on two areas: the various “repression mechanisms” used by the State, and the…
