This is the News in Brief from the United Nations. 

Guterres warning on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

The situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhizhia nuclear power plant could lead to disaster, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday, directly appealing for all military activities there to end immediately.

The past several days have seen reports of “further deeply worrying incidents, that could, if they continue, lead to disaster”, António Guterres said.

His comments came ahead of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the Zaporizhzhia crisis, which Ukraine and Russian deny targeting.

Mr. Guterres urged the withdrawal of all military personnel and equipment and any further deployment of forces there.

The UN chief also called for an “urgent agreement…at a technical level” to fix a safe perimeter around the plant.

Young workers have been hit hardest by COVID fallout, says UN labour agency

The number of young people globally who can’t find work this year is set to reach 73 million – that’s a full six million more than before COVID-19 – the UN labour agency said on Thursday.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the pandemic has caused much higher” unemployment losses for 15- to 24-year-olds in securing work, than older workers. Open quote?

Here’s Martha Newton, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy:

 “We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on youth labour markets around the world. It’s exposed a number of shortcomings in the way the needs of young people are addressed, especially the most vulnerable first-time job seekers, school dropouts, fresh graduates with little experience and those who remain inactive not by choice.”

The UN labour agency report found that young women have struggled more than their male counterparts to find work during the pandemic.

UN rights chief Bachelet alarmed at number of Palestinian children killed in new escalation

The UN’s top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, spoke out on Thursday at the “high number” of Palestinians – children included – who’ve been killed and injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers this year.

Her comments followed clashes involving Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza last weekend that left 17 children dead.

And on Tuesday, two more youngsters were killed during Israeli law enforcement operations in the West Bank, bringing the total Palestinian death toll this year to 37.

“Inflicting hurt on any child during the course of conflict is deeply disturbing, and the killing and maiming of so many children this year is unconscionable,” Ms. Bachelet said, adding that “an almost total lack of accountability persists in the occupied Palestinian territory”.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned Israeli strikes that had hit apparently civilian objects, issuing a reminder that they are prohibited under international law.

Ms. Bachelet also said that Palestinian armed groups had launched hundreds of rockets and mortars at Israeli targets that had injured 70 people, according to the authorities.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.