School closures triple in Central and Western Africa as education comes under fire

23 August 2019
Culture and Education
©UNICEF

A surge in “deliberate” attacks against students, teachers and schools in West and Central Africa has led to a tripling in school closures in the last year and left almost two million youngsters “robbed of an education”, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. 

South Sudan: UN rights experts see little headway on peace deal amid spike in local-level violence

Friday’s Daily Brief: Education in Africa, Sudan flash-floods, WHO on Ebola, spike in South Sudan violence, Rwanda, Uganda move to normalize relations

With security improving in DR Congo’s Kasai, thousands of refugees head home from Angola

World must stamp out persecution of religious groups, Guterres declares on new UN Day

Myanmar military committed ‘routine, systematic’ sexual violence against ethnic minorities, UN experts find

UNICEF/Thomas Nybo

Relentless sequence of disasters in Asia-Pacific ‘sign of things to come’, cautions UN regional body

Economic Development

Changing patterns and worsening impacts of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific, coupled with environmental degradation and climate change, are not only making efforts to predict such catastrophes more difficult, but are also a “sign of things to come”, the United Nations development arm in the region has warned.

UN Sri Lanka

A recap of Thursday’s top stories: International Day honours victims of religious-based violence, UN experts on Kashmir, environmental disasters in Asia-Pacific, animal protections, and UN chief on Burkina Faso

Peace and Security

Thursday’s Daily Brief: New international day honouring victims of religious-based violence; Kashmir shutdown must be reversed; Relentless sequence of disasters in Asia-Pacific; Giraffes fare well for protection, elephants not so much; UN chief condemns Burkina Faso violence

© Fucundo Luque

FROM THE FIELD: Argentina Preserving Pristine Forests

Climate Change

Thousands of species of animals and plants which are indigenous to a vast forest in Argentina could be saved thanks to a partnership between the United Nations and the South American country.
 

File photo from IRIN/Sumaira Jajja (http://bit.ly/1E3CcSY)

Kashmir communications shutdown a ‘collective punishment’ that must be reversed, say UN experts

Peace and Security

End the crackdown on freedom of expression, was the strong call to the Government by India from five United Nations independent rights expert on Thursday.

UNDP Pakistan

Microplastic pollution is everywhere, but not necessarily a risk to human health

Health

Tiny plastic particles known as microplastics are “everywhere – including in our drinking-water”, but they are not necessarily a risk to human health, UN experts said on Thursday.

Headlines at a glance

Scars of terrorism ‘run deep’, UN chief says, paying tribute to victims 

Lack of funds forces UN to close down life-saving aid programmes in Yemen

Wednesday’s Daily Brief: Yemen aid programmes closing, Guterres Idlib concern, Somalia insecurity, honouring terror victims

Somalia security remains a concern, head of UN Mission warns Security Council

Urgent need for ‘restraint and genuine dialogue’ in Middle East to avoid major confrontation

‘Invisible’ crisis of water quality threatens human and environmental well-being: World Bank report

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