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…

Read More
UN rights chief urges Belarus to promptly release political detainees

UN rights chief urges Belarus to promptly release political detainees

The report, covering the period between May 2020 and December 2022, draws on interviews with 207 victims and witnesses and an analysis of more than 2,500 items of evidence, including photographs, videos, medical, and court records. ‘Unacceptable picture of impunity’ “Our report paints an unacceptable picture of impunity and the near-total destruction of civic space…

Read More
Central Sahel: Lives of 10 million children on the line as conflict rages

Central Sahel: Lives of 10 million children on the line as conflict rages

“Brutal” armed conflict has left 10 million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in need of humanitarian assistance – more than double the number in 2020, UNICEF warned in a new report. And hostilities spilling over into neighbouring countries, are putting an extra four million children at risk. “The conflict may not have clear boundaries, there…

Read More
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…

Read More
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…

Read More
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…

Read More
UN Security Council reaffirms strong support for the Libyan people

UN Security Council reaffirms strong support for the Libyan people

As the oil-rich North African nation continues to be ravaged by instability and clashes between rival authorities and armed groups, the Council’s statement outlined some of its pressing concerns. Libyan-owned process Members reaffirmed their strong commitment to an inclusive, Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, facilitated by the UN and supported by the international community. It…

Read More
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…

Read More