This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.
WHO and UNICEF call for humanitarian air bridge in Afghanistan
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have called for a “humanitarian airbridge” to be set up immediately to allow the unimpeded delivery of medicines and other aid supplies to Afghanistan.
The two U.N. agencies said in a statement on Sunday that they are “committed to stay and deliver for the people of Afghanistan”.
But they added that “with no commercial aircraft currently permitted to land in Kabul,” they have “no way to get supplies into the country and to those in need”. They noted that other humanitarian agencies face similar problems.
The agencies said that, even before the Taliban's recent takeover of Afghanistan, the country required the world’s “third-largest humanitarian operation, with more than 18 million people needing help”.
They said that while the main focus in recent days has been the evacuation of foreigners and vulnerable Afghans, 300 thousand people have been displaced in the country in the last two months alone. “The massive humanitarian needs facing the majority of the population should not – and cannot – be neglected” the agencies warned.
Brazil’s Supreme Court must uphold indigenous land rights – UN expert
Ahead of a landmark ruling in Brazil later this month – a leading UN-appointed human rights expert has called for the country’s Supreme Court to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands. The court must reject a legal argument being supported by some businesses that want to exploit natural resources on traditional indigenous lands, Francisco Cali Tzay said.
At issue is the so-called Marco Temporal or “time frame” argument -- which indigenous advocates fear could legalise theft of indigenous lands and, according to Mr Tzay could “inflame conflicts in the Amazon rainforest and other areas”.
Business interests that want to exploit indigenous lands for mining and industrial agriculture argue that indigenous peoples must prove they occupied the lands at the time Brazil’s constitution was adopted in 1988.
This arbitrary date “ignores the fact that indigenous peoples may have been forcibly removed from their lands before then” said Mr Tzay.
The Supreme Court’s expected ruling on 25 August will guide the federal government and future courts in settling indigenous land issues and addressing indigenous rights.
The rights expert emphasized that the court’s decision would “signal whether the country intends to live up to its international human rights obligations and whether it will respect indigenous communities who were not allowed to participate in legal proceedings that revoked their land rights”.
Refugee Para athletes prepare for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
The participation of the first official Refugee Team in the Paralympic Games is a message of hope to the estimated 12 million displaced people around the world living with a disability, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Monday.
The team, made up of six refugee athletes from four host countries, are helping to challenge stigma andnegative perceptions of displaced people, including those who live with disabilities, the agency said ahead of the opening ceremony in Tokyo.
The Refugee Paralympic Team will be the first to enter Japan’s Olympic Stadium for the Athlete’s Parade and will compete under the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) flag. Representing the team as flagbearers in the opening ceremony are club thrower Alia Issa and swimmer Abbas Karimi.
“Refugees living with disabilities are agents for positive change and leaders in their communities, including in the field of Para-sport,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi said. “They deserve equal access and opportunities to excel. I will be proudly cheering for the Refugee Paralympic Team as they inspire the world with their perseverance and talent”.
Katy Dartford, UN News.
