South Sudan: Violence against civilians ticks up despite fall in attacks overall

South Sudan: Violence against civilians ticks up despite fall in attacks overall

Overall levels of documented violent incidents rose by 27 per cent, from 714 recorded acts of violence in 2021, to 982 last year. 2022 was marked by three distinct surges of violence, the UNMISS report said: between April and May, in southern Unity State; between July and September, in Warrap State; and between August and December, in the…

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Russia: International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin

Russia: International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin

“The contents of the warrants are secret to protect the victims,” said ICC President Piotr Hofmański. “Nevertheless, the judges decided to make the existence of the warrants public, in the interest of justice and to prevent future crimes.” The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II also issued a warrant for the arrest of Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s…

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Funding drought forces UN food agency to cut rations in Afghanistan

Funding drought forces UN food agency to cut rations in Afghanistan

The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for urgent funding for its operations in the country, where families are battling crisis after crisis, including growing hunger, since the Taliban takeover of 2021. Catastrophic hunger could become widespread across Afghanistan, and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more people will need assistance to survive, the…

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DPR Korea: UN chief strongly condemns ballistic missile launch

DPR Korea: UN chief strongly condemns ballistic missile launch

Strongly condemning DPRK’s Thursday launch of an intercontinental-range missile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his calls on Pyongyang to immediately desist from taking any further destabilizing actions. News reports said the missile was fired just hours before the start of a Japan-Republic of Korean summit in Tokyo, on regional security – the first such meeting…

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Announcing new youth advisers, Guterres praises their ‘unrelenting’ drive for climate justice

Announcing new youth advisers, Guterres praises their ‘unrelenting’ drive for climate justice

Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent. The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the…

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Ukraine-Russia: Extension of grain export deals vital to global food security

Ukraine-Russia: Extension of grain export deals vital to global food security

Martin Griffths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed ambassadors on the eve of the expiration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed nearly 25 million metric tonnes of foodstuff from Ukraine to reach global markets.  The accord was signed in Türkiye in July 2022, in parallel with a Memorandum of…

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Russia’s energy grid attacks, torture in Ukraine, could be crimes against humanity: UN rights probe

Russia’s energy grid attacks, torture in Ukraine, could be crimes against humanity: UN rights probe

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, set up one year ago at the request of the Human Rights Council, Russian troops committed a “wide range” of violations across the country, many of which are war crimes. These included attacks with explosive weapons in populated areas, wilful killings of civilians, unlawful confinement, torture, rape…

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Embrace green tech revolution or risk falling behind, new UN report warns

Embrace green tech revolution or risk falling behind, new UN report warns

“We are at the beginning of a technological revolution based on green technologies,” UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan said. “This new wave of technological change will have a formidable impact on the global economy.” The 17 frontier technologies covered in UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2023 have the potential to create market revenues of more than…

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