This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

UN launches $1.7 billion humanitarian appeals for Ukraine

Well over 670,000 people have fled Ukraine in under a week, since Russia’s military offensive began, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued a $1.7 billion appeal to protect civilians from further bloodshed.

In support of the flash appeal, UN chief António Guterres told journalists that rockets were “raining down on cities including Kyiv and that “roads have been damaged or destroyed by bombs”.

Tuesday’s call for humanitarian funding, aims to help people inside Ukraine – including those internally displaced – as well as those seeking shelter in neighbouring countries.

UN humanitarians appeal to military actors to spare people in Ukraine

At the Ukrainian border with Poland, an exodus of families, students and migrants continues, as UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson, James Elder, explained:

“We know that children have been killed, we know that thousands and thousands are at risk and we know that more children, gut-wrenchingly, are going to die or be injured in this unless fighting ends.”

Needs remain high within Ukraine, in areas most affected by the violence, Mr. Elder said, as widely relayed images showed what appeared to be a Russian military convoy approaching Kyiv, stretching back some 60 kilometres.

Staying in Geneva on Tuesday, diplomats expressed their displeasure at Russia’s self-described “special military action” in Ukraine, staging walk-outs at top UN forums.

The first room to see delegates stand up and leave, was the Conference on Disarmament, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prepared to address them.

Ukraine had earlier called for a Special Session to be held in response to what it called “Russia’s armed aggression” – a move that was opposed by the Russian delegation.

Delegates repeated the move at the Human Rights Council a few hours later, with around 100 country representatives leaving when Mr. Lavrov started to speak, while 50 remained in the room.

Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans – rights experts

Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans have been taking place, UN-appointed rights experts said on Tuesday, citing child killings, disappearances, torture and enforced mass displacement.

In a call for urgent humanitarian access to the region, Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples, Francisco Cali Tzay, led calls for the Indonesian Government to conduct full and independent investigations into the alleged abuses.

Mr. Tzay said that between April and November last year, he had received allegations indicating several extrajudicial killings - including of young children.

There had been further allegations of enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment, the rights expert said, along with the forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by security forces.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.