Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group told delegates he had just returned from the war-torn country, noting civilians’ “extraordinary determination to adapt, to recover and to rebuild.” “The UN had developed a clear picture to inform a targeted recovery through a Rapid Damage and…
“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy human rights chief, presenting the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report focuses on developments…
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland was reacting on Twitter to the news of a shooting attack reportedly by two Palestinian gunmen, who opened fire at a petrol station on a road outside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. News reports quoting the Israeli military said both of the…
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), since March 2022 alone, 5.7 million people have been displaced in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Record displacement Overall, 6.2 million people have fled their homes across the country – the highest number in Africa. “The country is continental in size with…
With forced displacement at a record high of 110 million people around the world, Mr. Guterres called for more solutions to resettle refugees and help them rebuild their lives. He also stressed the need for solidarity with host countries and communities. More than numbers “These are not numbers on a page”, said the UN chief. “These…
Valentine Rugwabiza head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MINUSCA) briefed ambassadors on important progress which has been made in the implementation of a key 2019 peace agreement between the Government and armed groups. She emphasized the significance of the dissolution following “active engagements” by the Government in April, of two armed groups…
Russia confirmed that for 60 days it would continue to be a part of the Initiative and the complementary Memorandum of Understanding on food and fertilizer exports from Moscow, in late May – but the deal in effect expires on 17 July. The UN brokered the deal guaranteeing safe passage for grain cargo ships, along…
“Now is not the time to take our eyes off the ball in South Sudan,” said Nicholas Haysom, who also heads the UN mission in the country (UNMISS). “What we can learn from Sudan is how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel.” On the political front, the Sudan crisis is reducing “much-needed bandwidth” to focus on…
“‘I kept running for days, holding my children tightly and fearing we could be caught at any time. I left my family, friends, and home to seek safety in another country. I am still running, but now from the memories that haunt me daily and the blurred future that awaits my children.’ These are the…
Oksana and 11-year-old Sasha are among more than 100,000 Ukrainians who have been welcomed into homes across the United Kingdom after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Jane Howard and Laurens Jolles, who met them upon their arrival in the UK, said it “seemed the natural thing to do”. A UN-run bus takes…
