He called for solidarity with the people of the two countries and spoke of the tragedy of people looking desperately for their loved ones for days on end. In Libya, “some have lost 50 or more family members”, he said. Immediate deployment Asked whether the UN was “ready” when disaster struck, Mr. Griffiths answered: “unequivocally,…
The UN chief affirmed that democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights underpin freedom, promote sustainable development and safeguard the dignity of every person. “On the International Day of Democracy, we celebrate its promise to societies – and recognize the many threats it faces at this time of tension and turmoil,” he said….
As governments increasingly use unilateral sanctions measures to pursue foreign policy objectives, it has become common for businesses, including banks and financial institutions to over-comply with them, said the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, Alena Douhan. Ms. Douhan said some individually imposed sanctions are having a widespread detrimental impact on…
With 15 months to the end of the transition period, “time is of the essence” for getting the election process settled, UN Special Representative for South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom told the Security Council. “Critical questions remain unanswered. Resolving them does not require material resources, only the political will to reach compromise and consensus,” he said….
UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed that message, warning that record temperatures and extreme weather were “causing havoc” around the world. The global response has fallen “far short”, Mr. Guterres insisted, just as latest UN data indicates that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are only 15 per cent on track at the midway point of the…
Achieving peace is neither automatic nor a vision, Mr. Guterres said in a video message to a special event on youth for peace. “Peace is the result of action. Let us commit to build, drive and sustain peace for all,” he emphasized. The event showcased the actions and commitments of young people – in their…
Twenty-two-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested and forced into a van by Iran’s so called “morality police” in the capital Tehran on 13 September last year. Authorities alleged she was not in conformity with the country’s strict laws on mandatory veiling. She died on 16 September reportedly after suffering a heart attack. Her family, however,…
“This is a moment of solidarity for our global village at our global Town Hall – the United Nations,” said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Halftime Talks During high-level week of the General Assembly, the SDG Pavilion will host a series of Halftime Talks. The UN Office for Partnerships is working with Project Everyone, a not-for-profit…
The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) official Patron of the Oceans, Mr. Pugh explained that he’d undertaken the marathon swim ending at the tip of Manhattan, to emphasise the urgent need to protect the world’s waterways ahead of the UN’s landmark High Seas Treaty and Climate Ambition Summit next week. Sporting his UNEP swim cap, Mr. Pugh…
Disaster struck on Sunday when torrential rains from Storm Daniel led two dams close to the now devastated port city of Derna to burst, pushing entire neighbourhoods into the sea. “The situation is quite terrible as you can imagine”, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF’s Libya Representative, Michele Servadei, told UN News. ‘Drop in the ocean’ “As…
