LDC5: World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries

LDC5: World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries

The Doha Political Declaration was adopted to a round of applause in the plenary hall of the Qatar National Convention Centre, where LDC5 has been under way since 5 March.  Ushering in new era of solidarity, and enormous socio-economic benefits for world’s 46 least developed countries, today’s action comes nearly one year after the DPoA…

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USA: Sanctions against individuals abroad violates due process rights

USA: Sanctions against individuals abroad violates due process rights

UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan said the practice raises concerns about rights violations, including the right to due process, as enshrined under a decades-old international treaty.  Longstanding practice  “The United States has for years been imposing sanctions on individuals and entities without national criminal jurisdiction and in the absence of universal jurisdiction,” she said.  …

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Ukraine: IAEA chief slams ‘complacency’ over stricken Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant

Ukraine: IAEA chief slams ‘complacency’ over stricken Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant

This is the first time the site has lost all power since November 2022 – but the sixth time that all off-site power has been cut since the Russian invasion last February – IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said, in a statement to agency directors. The agency said late on Thursday that power had been restored after 11 tense…

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The LDC graduation pathway must not disrupt overall sustainable development, says UN deputy chief

The LDC graduation pathway must not disrupt overall sustainable development, says UN deputy chief

She was speaking during the Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), in Doha, Qatar, where other participants stressed that graduation from LDC category must be sustainable and irreversible.  Speakers argued that the appeal for continued and innovative financing and support measures “has fallen on deaf ears”, as the LDC5 held the last…

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Guterres bids to ‘breathe new life’ into our global future

Guterres bids to ‘breathe new life’ into our global future

These forward-looking policy briefs are designed to feed into UN Member States’ consultations analysing how the multilateral system can be strengthened for tomorrow’s world, said UN chief António Guterres, unveiling the latest strategy documents, at UN Headquarters in New York. “The goal is simple”, he said, “to breathe new life into the multilateral system so that it can deliver on…

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LDC5 spotlights contributions of women and girls in tech, despite tough odds and nagging barriers

LDC5 spotlights contributions of women and girls in tech, despite tough odds and nagging barriers

At noon on Wednesday, LDC5 held a moment of celebration near Maman, the iconic bronze and stainless-steel sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois that towers over the main atrium at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Qatar, where the Conference has been under way since last Sunday. A celebration of motherhood, the giant statue, Ms….

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Afghanistan now ‘most repressive country’ for women, Security Council hears

Afghanistan now ‘most repressive country’ for women, Security Council hears

Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva, UN Special Representative and head of the UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, strongly condemned recent Taliban decrees that have further eroded the rights of Afghan women. However, she also urged the international community to preserve “whatever political space exists” for frank discussions with Afghanistan’s leaders, warning of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and…

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