Pope’s visit to Iraq, ‘a symbol of hope’: UN agencies

5 March 2021
Culture and Education
UNESCO

The visit by Pope Francis to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul at the weekend will be a symbol of hope and an opportunity to join forces for peace and unity, the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Thursday, ahead of his touchdown in the capital, Baghdad. 

1,600 vaccinated in Guinea Ebola virus outbreak but more jabs needed: WHO

Countries failing to properly prosecute killers of human rights defenders, UN expert says

UN rights expert calls for ‘urgent and decisive’ action to support people of Myanmar

Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns 

Amidst ‘conflict, blanket denials and finger-pointing’, UN rights chief calls for probe in Ethiopia’s Tigray 

© UNICEF/Berulava

Mental health alert for 332 million children linked to COVID-19 lockdown policies: UNICEF

Health

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says the mental health of millions of children worldwide has been put at risk, with at least one in seven forced to remain at home under nationwide public health orders – or recommendations – during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UN Photo/Mahmoud Abd ELLatiff

Anti-Muslim hatred has reached 'epidemic proportions' says UN rights expert, urging action by States

Human Rights

Institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions, the Human Rights Council heard on Thursday. Addressing the Council in Geneva, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, independent rights expert Ahmed Shaheed, said that “numerous” States, regional and international bodies were to blame.

UN Women/Ploy Phutpheng

UN Development Programme urges temporary basic income for women hit hard by COVID-19 fallout

Economic Development

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for temporary basic income for millions of the world’s poorest women, to help them cope with effects of coronavirus pandemic and alleviate the economic pressures they face every day. 

IOM/Alexander Bee

20 die after human traffickers force migrants into sea en route to Yemen

Migrants and Refugees

At least 20 people have drowned after smugglers threw dozens of migrants overboard as they sailed from Djibouti to Yemen, UN migration agency IOM said on Thursday.

UN News/Nyi Teza

Stop murdering and jailing protestors, UN human rights chief tells Myanmar military

Peace and Security

The United Nations top human rights official, on Thursday, said that the military in Myanmar must halt their “vicious crackdown” on peaceful protestors, amid reports that at least 54 people have been killed since the 1 February coup, 38 of them on Wednesday alone. 

Headlines at a glance

‘Limited’ progress in closing Syria chemical weapons file, UN Disarmament Chief tells Security Council

ICC Prosecutor opens probe into alleged crimes in occupied Palestine

‘Stability of the region’ hangs on Myanmar, declares UN Special Envoy

UN report calls for scaling-up carbon capture, use and storage

Saudi Arabia commutes three death sentences, UN experts call for charges to be dropped 

COVID-19 vaccines touchdown in Sudan and Rwanda

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