Ripple effect of sexual violence in conflict threatens ‘collective security’, stains ‘our common humanity’, says UN chief 

19 June 2019
Human Rights
UNMISS/Isaac Billy

Sexual violence in conflict is a “threat to our collective security” and a “stain on our common humanity”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Wednesday. 

Saudi Arabia in spotlight as UN-appointed independent investigator publishes full Khashoggi findings

‘Now is the time to act’ for victims of violence in Sudan, ICC Prosecutor urges Security Council

Record displacement shows ‘we're almost unable to make peace’, warns UN refugee agency chief

Syria: Humanitarian disaster in Idlib ‘unfolding before our eyes’ says top UN relief official

Tuesday’s Daily Brief: Combating hate speech, DR Congo, antimicrobial resistance, peacekeeping, #ActNow for our planet

UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Hate speech ‘on notice’ as UN chief launches new plan to ‘identify, prevent and confront’ growing scourge

Human Rights

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has declared war on hate speech, telling Member States on Tuesday, that we all need to “do better at looking out for each other”.

PAHO/Joshua Cogan

UN health agency steps up fight against ‘invisible pandemic’ of antimicrobial resistance

Health

As resistance to antibiotics grows, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the latest stage of its campaign to fight this deadly health risk – likened by the agency to an “invisible pandemic”– with the launch of a new online tool for health professionals on Tuesday.

© UNHCR/Denis Oulai

300,000 flee flare-up of ethnic violence in north-eastern DR Congo

Peace and Security

More than 300,000 people have been forced to flee resurgent inter-ethnic violence in north-east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just this month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.

UNICEF/Sri Kolari

Billions globally lack ‘water, sanitation and hygiene’, new UN report spells out

Health

Some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely-managed drinking water, while 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and three billion lack basic handwashing facilities, according to a new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

© UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

UN chief accepts independent report on Myanmar, highlighting ‘systemic’ failure surrounding Rohingya crisis

UN Affairs

An independent review into how the UN System operated in Myanmar in the years leading up to the mass exodus of the Rohingya following serious human rights abuses, has concluded there were “systemic and structural failures” that prevented a unified strategy from being implemented.

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