As five million people have already fled Ukraine and another seven million are displaced internally, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements urged the Security Council on Tuesday to ‘put aside’ its divisions and find a way to end the “horrific and senseless war”, now in its eighth week.
This year, Orthodox Holy Week is being observed under a “cloud of a war” that totally negates the Easter message of unity, the UN chief said on Tuesday, calling for a four-day humanitarian pause in Ukraine.
Women’s rights are human rights, and universal in times of war and peace, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday, urging ambassadors to ensure accountability for conflict-related sexual violence.
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.
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.
The UN’s peacekeeping chief in Mali on Thursday, made an urgent call for adequate resources for the mission to carry out its mandate, and meet the growing demand to address a deteriorating security situation across the north and centre of the restive country.
The UN paid tribute on Thursday to the one million people who were murdered in 100 days during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which moderate Hutu, Twa and others who opposed the genocide, were also killed.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council.
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.
An urgent call to protect health and mitigate the climate crisis was issued by the UN health agency on Wednesday, to mark World Health Day on Thursday.
