UN’s Grandi welcomes EU deal overhauling regional migration system

UN’s Grandi welcomes EU deal overhauling regional migration system

Agreement in Brussels on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum reportedly followed three years of intense negotiations, and it should start taking effect in 2024. The deal will attempt to distribute migrants more evenly across the bloc, providing enhanced support and coordination for processing claims away from frontier states such as Italy and Greece,…

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Afghanistan: Taliban’s return to ‘international norms’ is non-negotiable says UN mission chief

Afghanistan: Taliban’s return to ‘international norms’ is non-negotiable says UN mission chief

Roza Otunbayeva, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), also underscored the need for greater engagement with the de facto Taliban authorities who seized power in August 2021. She told the Council that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is characterized by systemic discrimination against women and girls, repression of political dissent…

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INTERVIEW: Destruction, displacement, and grief. Senior UNRWA official reflects on ‘unprecedented’ conflict in Gaza

INTERVIEW: Destruction, displacement, and grief. Senior UNRWA official reflects on ‘unprecedented’ conflict in Gaza

135 UNRWA staff members are known to have been killed in Gaza since the escalation of fighting since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. That’s the most ever in one incident but, despite the danger and extremely difficult working conditions, UNRWA is continuing to assist those caught up in the fighting through no fault…

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Ukraine: Türk calls on Russia to silence the guns in appeal for ‘a just peace’

Ukraine: Türk calls on Russia to silence the guns in appeal for ‘a just peace’

Since the onset of the invasion the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has meticulously monitored the situation. As of December 4, there have been over 10,000 civilian deaths, including 560 children, with an additional 18,500 civilians confirmed injured, with actual figures believed to be much higher due to the difficulties of verifying figures. “I feel…

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World News in Brief: DR Congo mission extended, Sudan displacement deepens, warzone death toll for journalists spikes

World News in Brief: DR Congo mission extended, Sudan displacement deepens, warzone death toll for journalists spikes

The Mission, known as MONUSCO, has been in the country for two decades and is in the process of drawing down. MONUSCO will remain there until 20 December 2024 with a core mandate that includes protecting civilians, supporting security sector reform, and assisting in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) processes. Elections and insecurity  The Council…

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DPR Korea: Dialogue ‘only way forward’, UN official says in wake of latest launch

DPR Korea urged to ‘embrace diplomacy’ after latest ballistic missile launch

“At this particularly difficult moment in securing global peace and security, it is imperative to deescalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula so that it once again becomes an area for cooperation,” said Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. Mr. Khiari briefed the Council in the wake of…

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