Humanitarians launch $877 million plan for Burkina Faso

Humanitarians launch $877 million plan for Burkina Faso

The funding will support some 3.1 million people, as the West African country continues to face the worst humanitarian crisis in its history.  Armed group activity, and military operations, have led to widespread displacement, with nearly two million citizens uprooted.  Human rights abuses and violations, and political instability – including two coup d’états last year…

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Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

“We extend our heartfelt support and solidarity to the hundreds of thousands affected by Freddy, the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” the UN-appointed human rights experts said in a statement. “The cyclone has had a devastating toll on people across 14 districts – nearly half the country – causing loss of lives,…

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Iraq: Rights experts call for new laws to end ‘waves of disappearance’

Iraq: Rights experts call for new laws to end ‘waves of disappearance’

The appeal comes in the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which visited the country in November.  The report examines five “waves of disappearance” in Iraq, including enforced disappearance. It covers the period starting with the Ba’ath era from 1968-2003 – characterized by the authoritarian rule of Saddam Hussein – through to…

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Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

An independent expert mandate on Haiti had been created by the Council in 1995 but then discontinued in 2017. The current resolution, calling for “coordinated and targeted international action”, was sponsored by Haiti itself. Country-specific abuses As a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, the Council examines human rights violations in specific countries as…

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Racist rhetoric in Tunisia must stop, independent UN experts warn

Racist rhetoric in Tunisia must stop, independent UN experts warn

“Tunisia must immediately stop hate speech and violence against migrants from south of the Sahara,” the independent UN-appointed experts said in a statement issued under the Committee’s early warning and urgent action procedure. The mechanism aims at considering situations that may escalate into conflicts with a view to taking preventive actions to avoid full-scale violations…

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Impunity driving violence in South Sudan, UN rights commission says

Impunity driving violence in South Sudan, UN rights commission says

The report by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan details how perpetrators of the most serious crimes – including widespread attacks against civilians and extrajudicial killings – go unpunished, with senior Government officials and military implicated in serious violations.  “Over several years, our findings have consistently shown that impunity for serious crimes…

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New mechanism must track and tackle ‘gross’ violations in Libya

New mechanism must track and tackle ‘gross’ violations in Libya

“Libyan authorities, armed groups, smugglers, and human traffickers should not assume that the eyes of the international community have now left Libya,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said. “It is crucial that we redouble efforts to secure accountability for past violations and continue to monitor the reality on the ground to prevent…

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WMO calls for more investment in integrated weather and climate services

WMO calls for more investment in integrated weather and climate services

This investment is critical, including to ensure that energy infrastructure is resilient to climate-related shocks, and to harness the power of energy generated from sources such as the sun and wind, the UN agency said.  In this regard, WMO is stepping up its activities to promote tailored weather and climate information, and forecasts, that support…

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