Features

Critics have said justice takes too long, and perpetrators are not always held accountable in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by UN personnel. Appointed by the Secretary-General in 2017, Jane Connors, the UN’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate, is tasked with getting a victim-centred approach installed across the system’s more than 35 entities.

In April 1994, a sinister call was broadcast over radio stations across Rwanda, triggering the start of 100 days of genocide that left more than one million people dead. Henriette Mutegwaraba heard that call.

The majority of food consumed in The Gambia is imported, but a growing number of young entrepreneurs are starting food production companies, encouraged by the availability of UN-supported training.

Measures adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and supported by the UN have been described as a “game changer” for future Olympic events in terms of driving sustainability in sport and fighting climate change.

The UN 2023 Water Conference, which takes place at UN Headquarters from 22-24 March, is being hailed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate progress towards universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.

Amadou Jobe, like many other Gambians before him, embarked on a perilous journey through northern Africa, in a failed bid to reach Europe. Now, with the support of the UN, he is making a life for himself and his family back home.

Women in The Gambia face high levels of female genital mutilation (FGM), period poverty (an inability to afford menstrual hygiene products), and domestic violence. In an interview with UN News, Ndeye Rose Sarr, the head of the UN reproductive and sexual health agency (UNFPA) in the country, underlines the challenges they face, and the efforts the UN is making to address the issues.

The annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meets in March each year to address the widespread inequalities, violence and discrimination women continue to face, all around the world. Here is a brief five-point guide to this high-profile UN event.

There are “no words” to explain the level of suffering of people in Türkiye following the hugely destructive earthquake which hit the country - as well as Syria - in early February, says Alvaro Rodriguez, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Türkiye.

The people of Ukraine remain resilient a year since Russia’s 24 February 2022 invasion but “humanitarian aid is as necessary as ever,” according to the UN’s most senior official in the country.