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UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Atrocities ‘dehumanize victims’ of rape in conflict

Mass rapes of women during wartime were described as “atrocities which dehumanize” by a minister in the United Kingdom Government on Tuesday, as representatives from around the world gathered at UN Headquarters to mark the annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Lord Ahmad is the UK’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and a Foreign Office Minister. Daniel Dickinson asked him why the issue was so important.

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8'5"
UN Photo/Isaac Billy

Humanitarians ‘committed’ to staying ‘where people need us’, as Yemeni port battle intensifies

UN staff and other humanitarians “know how important it is” to keep operations going in the crucial Yemeni port city of Hodeida, despite the intensifying battle to recapture it that’s now under way, headed by Saudi-led coalition forces.

That’s according to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, who told UN News that the worst-case scenario would be a prolonged siege, that could spark a fresh outbreak of deadly cholera.

She spoke from the capital Sana’a, to Reem Abaza.

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UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi

Spain’s decision to take in stranded boat welcomed by UN Refugee Agency

Spain’s reported announcement that it will allow a boat to dock carrying hundreds of migrants and refugees that was originally turned away from Italy is a “generous display of solidarity”, the UN Refugee Agency said on Monday.

So far this year, more than 600 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach mainland Europe, UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley told Daniel Johnson.

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UNICEF/Brian Sokol

UN agencies and Myanmar ink agreement to lay groundwork for Rohingya return

A landmark agreement was signed on Wednesday which it is hoped will provide hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees with a pathway to return home to their communities in Myanmar, from camps in Bangladesh.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Government of Myanmar officially put their signatures on the document that will give these two UN entities access to Rakhine State.

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