News in Brief 16 March 2023
- Energy grid attacks, torture in Ukraine by Russian military could be crimes against humanity
- Cocaine trafficking surges following COVID-19-related slowdown
- UN human rights chief calls for further progress in Uzbekistan
The UN human rights chief called on Tuesday for a prompt, impartial and “transparent investigation” into the deaths of at least 18 people during clashes at protests in the Uzbek region of Karakalpakstan last Friday.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has congratulated Uzbekistan on the passage this week of legislation set to end statelessness for some 50,000 people in the Central Asian country.
Uzbekistan’s success in becoming recognized as a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization (WHO), is an “extraordinary outcome,” said the Executive Director of the Global Fund on Tuesday, a UN-backed partnership to end malaria epidemics.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to fund a new initiative designed to reduce vulnerability, advance sustainable development and create decent living conditions for millions of people living around the Aral Sea, whose basin encompasses Uzbekistan, and six other countries in Central Asia.
Rule of law and access to justice play an important role in development, a senior UN official has said.
Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme, made the remarks during her visit to Uzbekistan.
She also visited an earthquake simulation complex in the capital city of Tashkent, which raises awareness on the central Asian nation’s vulnerability to seismic events.
Two major World Heritage sites in the ancient cities of Khiva and Bukhara were also part of her visit.
Young people in Uzbekistan have been challenged by the United Nations to come up with ways of promoting volunteerism through social media.
Part of the challenge is to create a one minute long video clip which will attract young people to volunteer for their communities.
Nigina Mirbabaeva has been speaking to the UN Development Programme's Bokhodir Ayupov, who manages the Social Innovation and Volunteerism project.
She began by asking him to share some of the most exciting success stories.