Features

Bucha. Once a quiet dormitory town near Kyiv, it is now synonymous with the mass killing of civilians in the increasingly brutal war in Ukraine. Although Yuliia Ivanenko* and her family escaped the bloodshed, and are receiving help form the UN migration agency (IOM), they are struggling to adapt to their new status as they join the ranks of the millions of people displaced from their homes.

A World Food Program-backed initiative to deliver millet seeds to vulnerable people is taking root in Odisha, India, where it is helping to ward off hunger and improve livelihoods.

The Darién Gap, a dangerous route that links South and North America, has long been used by migrants trekking north to the United States, in search of a better life, or simply fleeing violence at home.  As well as extreme physical challenges, they also risk attacks from smugglers, and other criminal groups.

On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the first detailed policy brief issued by the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG), which he set up to study the effects of the war in Ukraine on the world’s most vulnerable. Here is a summary of the findings, and some of your key questions answered, on what the Group aims to achieve.

Fabien Mwingwa once fought as a child soldier with an armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Today, he has turned his life around, and works for the UN peacekeeping mission in the country as a firefighter, helping to keep local people safe.

In Papua New Guinea, defending women accused of sorcery, has become a life-threatening occupation. The UN and European Union run Spotlight Initiative, is promoting legislation that will protect threatened human rights defenders in the country, who risk violence, torture, and death.

International Roma Day on 8 April is a key date to mark Romani culture, made more significant in Romania since the passing of last year’s landmark legislation there, to combat hate-speech against the Roma – the first law of its kind in Europe.

The current war in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion, has sparked all sorts of questions about the United Nations, particularly the role of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretary-General.

Ahead of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, we spoke with the best female wheelchair racer of all time. Raising her voice for climate action, she explained why global warming threatens everyone, but especially persons with disabilities, and how sport can contribute to protecting our planet.

Many of the millions of refugees forced to leave Ukraine because of the Russian invasion are traumatized and need mental health support. In one Polish transit site, volunteers like Aurang Zeb Khan, have been trained by the UN migration agency (IOM) to administer psychological first aid.