Armenia-Azerbaijan: UN calls for ‘credible and durable’ end to fighting in flashpoint region

Armenia-Azerbaijan: UN calls for ‘credible and durable’ end to fighting in flashpoint region

Miroslav Jenča told ambassadors that Azerbaijan had announced, in their words, “local counter-terrorism activities in the Karabakh economic region” two days ago, in response to the tragic deaths of two civilians and four police officers in incidents that allegedly involved landmines placed by the Armenian military. He noted that Azerbaijan had notified the Russian peacekeeping…

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Strong multilateralism key to international cooperation, says China’s Vice-President

Strong multilateralism key to international cooperation, says China’s Vice-President

“China is firm in supporting the international system with the UN at its core,” and opposes hegemony, power politics, unilateralism, and a Cold War mentality, Han Zheng reiterated. He stressed that China “will never practise hegemony,” and that “a small number of countries have arbitrarily imposed illegal and unilateral sanctions,” severely undermining the harmony and…

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Funding woes continue to plague UN Palestine refugee agency

Funding woes continue to plague UN Palestine refugee agency

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini was speaking at UN Headquarters alongside the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, following a meeting to support its lifesaving work, which is almost entirely funded by donor contributions. “It has become absolutely unbearable to deal with a situation where the needs of the Palestine refugees…

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Republic of Korea: Russia providing weapons tech to DPRK ‘will be a direct provocation’

Republic of Korea: Russia providing weapons tech to DPRK ‘will be a direct provocation’

In his address to the UN General Assembly’s annual debate, President Yoon referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the DPRK and underscored that any deal struck between those two countries will “threaten the peace and security of not only Ukraine, but also the Republic of Korea.”  It is paradoxical, he said, that Russia,…

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‘Humanity has opened the gates to hell’ warns Guterres as climate coalition demands action

‘Humanity has opened the gates to hell’ warns Guterres as climate coalition demands action

Front and centre was an urgent call to action, to prevent cascading climate disasters through a just and equitable energy transition – before it’s too late. In his impassioned address on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to politicians, business, activists and civil society leaders, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning about the…

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Debt crisis in developing countries weighing down SDG push, Rwanda’s Kagame warns

Debt crisis in developing countries weighing down SDG push, Rwanda’s Kagame warns

The SDG summit held in New York earlier this week highlighted the disappointing progress made toward achieving the UN’s 17 SDG goals by 2030, said Mr. Kagame.  He commended the Secretary-General’s focus on the issue and emphasized that slow progress toward achieving SDGs would exacerbate economic disparities between countries.  “This year’s SDG Summit has once again…

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DR Congo President sets early withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, country will take reins of its destiny

DR Congo President sets early withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, country will take reins of its destiny

President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo thanked the international community and the UN for their support and partnership, adding that the gradual withdrawal of the mission, known as MONUSCO, is a necessary step to consolidate the progress made by DR Congo. He deplored peacekeeping missions deployed in one form another for almost 25 years in the DR…

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World News in Brief: Afghan rights, Armenia-Azerbaijan ceasefire, road safety campaign

World News in Brief: Afghan rights, Armenia-Azerbaijan ceasefire, road safety campaign

A new report by UNAMA’s Human Rights Service has documented over 1,600 cases of human rights violations including torture, committed by the de facto authorities across the country during the arrest and detention of individuals from 1 January 2022 to 31 July this year. Commenting on the findings, UN rights chief Volker Türk described as…

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