As the French and Malian forces continue to retake towns from rebels in northern Mali, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) is preparing for a possible return of displaced people to their homes.
Thousands of people have fled northern Mali where ethnic Tuaregs have been fighting with the Malian government forces for autonomy.
Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are a symbol of the lack of justice experienced by Palestinians, a human rights body contends.
The three lawyers who comprise the fact-finding mission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, say the settlements are maintained through a system of total segregation that infringes on the rights of Palestinians.
Their findings come in a report published on Thursday.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 2'16"
Andrea Landry, a proud representative of the Anishinaabe, one of the First Nations or indigenous people of North America, is at the UN for the first international expert group meeting for indigenous youth which wraps up on Thursday.
Although she’s pursuing a Masters in Communications and Social Justice at the University of Windsor in Canada, Andrea remains actively engaged in advocacy at home and abroad.
It’s almost two years that the crisis in Syria continues, in what started as protests and evolved into an armed confrontation between the government and opposition fighters.
The United Nations estimates that more than 60,000 people have been killed in the ongoing violence.
Veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Arab League, is trying to help resolve the conflict through negotiations.
More than $1.5 billion have been pledged to support the global humanitarian effort in Syria.
Countries, international organizations and UN agencies met in Kuwait on Wednesday to shore up assistance to the more than four million Syrians displaced within the country and in neighbouring states.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 2'31"
The indigenous people’s language and culture are being threatened, says Meenakshi Munda, an indigenous youth from the Munda community of Jharkhand, India.
As President of the Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN), Meenakshi is attending an expert group meeting on indigenous youth here in New York.
Beng Poblete-Enriquez caught up with her and discussed some issues of concern to the indigenous youth in Asia.
Duration: 4’53”
The first international expert group meeting on indigenous youth has brought young people from around the world to UN headquarters in New York.
During the three-day meeting, indigenous young people are analyzing how they can benefit from human rights standards and policies.
One of the participants is Niwamanya Rodgers Matuna from the Batwa hunters and gatherers people of western Uganda.
The Philippines ranks third among the top three major disaster-prone countries after the Pacific Island States of Vanuatu and Tonga says IOM, the International Office for Migration.
Typhoon Bopha, which ravaged the Philippines late last year, killed over a thousand people and displaced at least 800,000. IOM says it was the most deadly storm globally in 2012 and the most powerful to hit southern Mindanao in more than 100 years causing massive destruction to homes and basic infrastructure.
Indigenous young people from around the world are at the UN this week for the first international expert group meeting to analyze how human rights standards and policies can benefit them.
Among the participants is Tuomas Aslak Juuso, 27, who has been promoting the rights of the Sámi in Finland over the past decade.
Tuomas is president of the National Finnish Sámi Youths and a co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. He also happens to be the youngest person ever selected to the Sámi parliament.
With the situation in Mali evolving quickly, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says it’s preparing for the possible return of thousands of people to the north of the country.
It’s estimated that nearly 400,000 people have fled northern Mali since Islamist extremists took control a year ago.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed recent support to the government to counter these groups.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 2'44"
