Guterres deeply concerned over ‘forced landing’ and arrest of Belarus opposition journalist, as condemnation grows

Peace and Security
Unsplash/Fotis Christopoulos

The UN Secretary-General said on Monday he was “deeply concerned” over the apparent forced landing of a commercial passenger jet over Belarus, and the subsequent detention of a prominent dissident and journalist by authorities there.

UN chief appeals for dialogue in Samoa amid prime ministerial stand-off

One blue helmet lost is ‘one too many’: UN peacekeeping chief reports spike in 2021 fatalities

Crown copyright 2021

First Person: British UN peacekeeper stays on ‘A-game’ to keep Malians safe

A young soldier from the United Kingdom says he must stay on his “A-game” on patrol with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, to keep himself, colleagues and Malians safe in one of the most dangerous UN postings anywhere in the world. 

MONUSCO

DR Congo: More than 170 children feared missing following volcanic eruption in Goma

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Sunday that hundreds of children and families in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Goma district are at risk following the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.

© UNICEF/Sonam Pelden

Bhutan, the vaccination nation: a UN Resident Coordinator’s blog

The small mountain nation of Bhutan has so far managed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, despite sharing a border with China and India, two countries which have been badly affected by the pandemic. Bhutan is now on the way to vaccinating more than 90 per cent of the eligible adult population. Gerald Daly, the UN Resident Coordinator there, says that volunteers, and preventative government action, have been key to the country’s success.

© UNRWA/Mohamed Hinnawi

Security Council calls for ‘full adherence’ to Gaza ceasefire, focus on two-State solution

The UN Security Council on Saturday made it’s first statement on the conflict that erupted between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, calling for a “full adherence to the ceasefire” that brought 11 days of fighting to an end early on Friday morning.

© Egor Shabanov, 2020

First Person: Refugee ‘Russian Woman’ in bid for Eurovision glory

Manizha Sangin arrived in Russia as young refugee, when her family fled the violence of the civil war in Tajikistan. Today, she is a high-profile singer, representing Russia in the final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, with the song “Russian Woman”. Ms. Sangin is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), and a domestic abuse activist.

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