Speaking before a panel of experts at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, Volker Türk underscored the importance of strengthening social cohesion and increasing respect, with a particular focus on the role of social media. “Social media platforms have a clear responsibility to combat online hate speech that may lead to real-world discrimination…
“We condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. “They are prohibited under international law; they are unacceptable and must stop now.” “Regrettably, our repeated calls for protection of civilians appear to fall on deaf ears,” he said,…
Spokesperson for Volker Türk in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence, told journalists that an already catastrophic situation could “slide deeper into the abyss” in the coming days if Israeli forces make their move on the southern border city, carrying through with their threat to invade, unless Hamas militants hand over remaining hostages by the start of Ramadan….
Released on Friday, coinciding with International Women’s Day, the data compiled by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that the pace of progress against FGM remains slow and woefully off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending the practice by 2030 (SDG 5, target 5.3). The global pace of decline worldwide would need to…
“Equality is overdue; to achieve it, we must match rhetoric with resources,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress and build a better world for us all.” His new UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan “commits to placing women and girls at the centre of our work across…
In a joint statement released on Friday, the Commission, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom announced their intent to open a new corridor in coordination with the UN’s Sigrid Kaag. The UN coordinator has a mandate from the Security Council to facilitate, boost and monitor the arrival of aid…
Here is a brief five-point guide to this high-profile UN event. 1. Pushing for action for eight decades The work of the Commission began in 1946, days after the UN General Assembly’s inaugural meetings heard former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and part of the country’s delegation, read an open letter addressed to “the women…
“The situation is appalling. Every minute, every hour, it is getting worse,” the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, said in a tweet on X, formerly Twitter. A maximum of 150 lorries have been reaching Gaza every day. In the north, one in six children under the age of two is acutely malnourished and media reports…
In a statement, Tor Wennesland reminded that all Israeli settlements the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal under international law. Permits for the new dwellings were approved by Israeli authorities on Wednesday, the first since the war in Gaza erupted on 7 October. According to news reports, the permits mean that more than 20,000 housing units…
The war between rival militaries Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now in its eleventh month, has not only claimed thousands of lives but has created a massive internal displacement crisis. More than six million are seeking refuge within Sudan and 1.7 million have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries….
