Human rights through the eyes of Andy Vermaut

Gaza has become a “graveyard” for children with thousands now killed under Israeli bombardment, while more than a million face dire shortages of essentials and a lifetime of trauma ahead, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1143017?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Next month’s UN climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must respond decisively to the gaps in the intranational community’s response climate crisis, Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohamed said on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1143012?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Monday warned that civilians there are facing the “terrifying” prospect of a potential wider escalation given the uptick in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1143007?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Following four failed efforts to reach consensus on a Gaza resolution, the UN Security Council is set to meet on Monday afternoon (New York time) to discuss the ongoing crisis, amid continuing Israeli bombardment and reported ground incursions. We will have the live coverage of the meeting here as soon as proceedings are underway. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1143002?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday hit back at Russia’s recent decision to issue arrest warrants against senior judges, describing the move as the most notable example of “unacceptable threats and attacks” on the international judicial body. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142997?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on the world to “stop the madness” of climate change as he visited the Everest region in Nepal where melting glaciers are putting entire communities at risk of extinction. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142987?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Climate impacts are accelerating with every fraction of a degree of global warming, yet denial, distortion and falsehoods about well-established scientific facts are flooding the internet and media landscape, according to the participants of a panel discussion at UN Headquarters on mis- and disinformation relating to climate change. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142972?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With the Israel-Palestine crisis in its fourth week, UN aid teams on Monday highlighted the mounting pressure on north Gaza hospitals where patients and health workers remain, amid reports of expanded Israeli ground operations. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142967?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The United Nations has welcomed the resumption of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to end the months-long conflict between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force which lefts scores dead and sent the northeast African country spiraling into humanitarian crisis. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142962?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The crisis sparked by the Hamas terrorist attack and ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip is a "political and humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions” said the UN’s independent human rights expert for the Occupied Palestinian Territory this week. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142952?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Relief agencies warned on Sunday that civil order is starting to break down in Gaza after thousands of desperate people stormed UN-operated warehouses and other aid distribution centres in the ravaged enclave, taking wheat flour, hygiene supplies and other basic survival goods.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142947?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN Secretary-General António Guterres began his official visit to Nepal by extending deep condolences to the families of the 10 Nepalese students killed in the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel, and once again called for the protection of all civilians in Gaza, where, he said, “the situation is growing more desperate by the hour.” https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142942?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The ancient city of Antakya, in Türkiye’s southeastern province of Hatay, was once a hub of history, culture and diversity. Today, it bears the scars of a series of catastrophic earthquakes that struck in February and an emergence of scattered signs of life. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142777?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

United Nations agencies and officials on Saturday reiterated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after another night of heavy bombing left hospitals and healthcare facilities without electricity and civilians across the enclave virtually “cut off from the outside world”.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142937?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As much needed aid starts to trickle into besieged Gaza, a war over facts is ratcheting up as conflicting narratives about the situation on the ground are being fuelled by social media. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142917?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With the humanitarian system in Gaza on the verge of "total collapse", UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday again appealed for greater aid access to the besieged enclave, where “misery is growing by the minute.”  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142912?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The world cannot forget about Syria, the Head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the country has said, while also highlighting how the war there is connected to the conflict raging in the Middle East.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142907?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Pakistan’s plan to deport “undocumented” foreign nationals will disproportionately affect more than 1.4 million Afghans in the country, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, expressing alarm.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142887?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN’s top human rights official issued a new appeal on Friday for an end to the Israel-Palestine crisis and the release of all hostages, amid rising civilian deaths and reports that children's names have been written on their arms so that they can be identified in case they die in the rubble. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142882?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Much of the damage caused by the destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam in June is “irreversible”, with likely changes to the environment that impact ecosystems and human health. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142872?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Experts with deep experience across government, the private sector, technology, civil society, and academia have been tasked with supporting the UN efforts to ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used for the greater good of humanity.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142867?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Progress has been made in advancing a 2019 peace agreement in the Central African Republic (CAR) but the support of the international community is still vital, the UN Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza told the Security Council on Thursday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142857?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday morning, in New York, is convening an emergency special session on the Israel-Gaza conflict, amid a continuing deadlock at the Security Council, and the situation in the enclave getting more dire by the hour. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142847?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Day 19 of the Gaza conflict comes on the heels of the deadliest 24 hours so far amid hospitals shutting down, while UN humanitarians reiterated urgent calls on Thursday for all civilians to be protected and hostages released. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142842?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday firmly rebuked what he described as the “false” claim by top Israeli diplomats that he had sought to justify the terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas in a speech he delivered to the Security Council.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142802?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Humanitarian operations in Gaza risked grinding to a halt on Wednesday due to the ongoing fuel blockade, while Israel continued to deal with a protracted hostage crisis amid the horrific aftermath of Hamas’ 7 October attacks. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142792?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

For farmers in the Punjab region of India, water shortages are a harsh reality, and ahead of the publication of a UN report Interconnected Disaster Risks, three rice cultivators have been talking about the challenges they face due to the scarcity of water and the solutions they are adopting. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142782?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Twenty-three years after a landmark UN Security Council agreement focusing on women, peace and security, women and girls continue to bear the brunt of conflicts and remain under-represented in decisions concerning their needs and rights.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142762?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Nigeria introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunisation system on Tuesday, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls in the largest single round of HPV vaccinations across Africa. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142787?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Afghanistan is facing a deteriorating human rights situation due to the Taliban's repressive policies, a culture of impunity and an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis, the UN’s independent expert on the country said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142767?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

0945: The UN Security Council meets again within the hour at UN Headquarters in New York for what was a scheduled quarterly meeting on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, now given greater urgency by the Hamas attacks of 7 October and the deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142742?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

On day 17 of the Gaza-Israel crisis, UN humanitarians on Tuesday pleaded for desperately needed fuel deliveries and other relief items to prevent the already dire situation in the enclave from worsening further. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142732?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Tuesday’s annual observance marking the official creation of the United Nations was overshadowed by the rising toll of suffering and sacrifice in Gaza, where 35 staff members with Palestine refugee agency UNRWA have now lost their lives. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142722?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Recent developments in Kosovo highlight ongoing security challenges and political tensions in the region, highlighting the need for effective dialogue and cooperation, the UN envoy for the country said on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142727?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With 735 million people going hungry last year and three billion unable to afford a healthy diet, the world is “going backwards on our goal of zero hunger by 2030”, the UN chief told the Committee on World Food Security on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142717?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Femicide, which is the killing of women because of their gender, has reached “pandemic proportions” worldwide as countries fail in their duty to protect women, including trans women.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142702?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The security situation continues to deteriorate in Haiti as gang violence grows, and elections are crucial for the sustainable rule of law, the UN Special Representative in the country, María Isabel Salvador, told the Security Council on Monday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142692?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The number of people killed in Gaza has reached 4,651 according to latest reports, amid intensifying Israeli airstrikes, while humanitarians repeated urgent calls for a ceasefire and more aid convoys. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142687?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Mali must ensure that the UN Mission in the country, MINUSMA, can safely complete its drawdown by the end of the year, amid insecurity in the north and other restrictions.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142682?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

More aid has arrived in Gaza, with 14 trucks passing through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator said on Sunday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142677?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The head of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned on Sunday that will run out of fuel in three days, putting humanitarian response in Gaza at risk. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142672?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The first humanitarian convoy into Gaza following two weeks of conflict crossed the border from Egypt on Saturday morning. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142667?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

When Russian invaders withdrew in early spring of 2022 from Borodianka, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a piece of street art by world renowned graffiti artist Banksy appeared on the wall of a war-damaged home. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142662?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The aid that entered Gaza on Saturday "is only a small beginning and far from enough", five UN agencies said in a joint statement calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and safe access to civilians in efforts to save lives and prevent more suffering. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142652?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for sustained humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza in remarks to the Cairo Summit for Peace on Saturday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142642?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Families in western Afghanistan, who have lost everything to a series of devastating earthquakes, need urgent assistance to withstand the harsh winter, the UN relief wing reported on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142632?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As the possible transition to a new global order heightens security risks, more effective multilateral diplomacy is a vital tool to maintain peace, the Security Council heard on Friday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142627?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Hundreds of trucks are waiting for a green light at the Rafah border in Egypt, poised to deliver lifesaving aid to 2.3 million besieged people in the Gaza Strip. What's inside the convoy? https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142622?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A new UN report has found continued evidence of war crimes and human rights violations committed by Russian authorities in Ukraine, including torture, rape and the deportation of children.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142617?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN humanitarians said on Friday that an agreement between the different sides to unlock lifesaving aid deliveries across the border to Gaza was near, as UN chief António Guterres arrived in Egypt’s northern Sinai where the Rafah border crossing is situated. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1142592?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger