Human rights through the eyes of Andy Vermaut

Deadly torrential rains and floods have affected more than two million people in several areas of Somalia, with over 100 killed and 750,000 displaced from their homes, the authorities and humanitarian partners said on Thursday.   https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144202?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Civil society organizations are on the “frontlines” of peacebuilding, a senior UN official said on Thursday, as the Organization convened the inaugural dialogue with grassroots organizations aimed at building and nurturing peace initiatives on the ground. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144197?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The leadership of communities affected by HIV has been vital in driving progress to end the epidemic, UN health agency WHO said on the eve of World AIDS Day, observed annually on 1 December.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144177?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The latest round of UN-facilitated climate talks opened on Thursday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a warning that the world is taking “baby steps” in the face of a terrifying planetary crisis that requires bold action now. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144162?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Humanitarians have launched a $1.8 billion plan to support six million people in South Sudan next year, the United Nations has reported.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144132?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The impact of “failed promises” to address the rapid rise in global temperatures is strikingly evident in Antarctica in the South Pole according to the UN Resident Coordinator in Chile. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144127?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

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The UN Security Council is due to meet once again on Wednesday morning in New York on the Middle East crisis. This will be the first open meeting since the 15-member body passed a resolution in mid-November calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and extended humanitarian corridors to save and protect civilian lives. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144102?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Amid hopes of a deal to extend the pause in fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that humanitarian assistance had reached its shelters in northern Gaza for first time since war erupted last month. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144097?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The brutal attack by Hamas on 7 October followed by Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, has only highlighted the importance of a peaceful and just solution to the situation in the Middle East, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144062?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Global temperatures continue to reach record levels and, as the year draws to a close, the diplomatic heat is rising as all eyes turn to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where world leaders are meeting from 30 November to 12 December, to chart an ambitious way forward in the global fight against climate change. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144042?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said it was appalled by the recent killing of dozens of civilians in the Sahel region of northern Burkina Faso. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144047?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As the pause in fighting in Gaza appeared to enter a fifth day on Tuesday, UN humanitarians warned that aid deliveries needed to multiply immediately to save the lives of the injured and stem the risk of a deadly disease outbreak that has left doctors “terrified”. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144032?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The look on people’s faces in Gaza reveals “the trauma, the stress, as if sorrow and sadness have taken root here in Gaza”, according to James Elder, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson who has joined the aid effort in the besieged enclave. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144022?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The recent launch of a reconnaissance satellite by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), presents a ‘serious risk’ to international civil aviation and shipping, the Security Council heard on Monday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144012?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

World leaders at this week’s climate conference, COP28, must break the deadly cycle of global warming before a “deadly tipping point” is reached, said the UN chief on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1144007?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Climate action is health action and the legacy of the COP 28 climate conference opening later this week in Dubai should be a commitment to a healthier planet. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143997?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Desperate Gazans in the north of the enclave had their first sip of clean water in weeks on Monday as a continuing pause in fighting enabled broadening aid access to the Strip, UN humanitarians said. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143987?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A Ugandan man, who is employed as a village health worker, has told the UN how men and boys must play a critical role in eliminating gender-based violence to change their communities for the better. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143952?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

There is an urgent need for a transformative shift towards more sustainable transport the UN chief said on Sunday, emphasizing the importance of cleaner energy to combat climate change. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143982?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Sixty-one trucks hauled aid to northern Gaza on Saturday – the largest number since 7 October, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143977?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

On a sunny day, Ivan, a burly retired welder in his fifties, stood in front of his ruined house in Posad-Pokrovske, in the Kherson region of Ukraine. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1142977?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The United Nations was able to scale up delivery of humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza during the humanitarian pause that went into effect on Friday following an agreement reached this week between Israel and Hamas. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143957?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Antarctica has been called the sleeping giant, but it is now being awoken by climate chaos, the UN Secretary-General has warned. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143947?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Humanitarians are urgently scaling up aid in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where an escalating crisis is again unfolding, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143937?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trucks with relief supplies continued to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Friday after the entry into force of a four-day pause in fighting, UN humanitarians said. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143922?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Emergency support for thousands of Afghan families repatriated from Pakistan could dwindle due to a lack of funding as winter approaches, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143917?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A feminist activist and acclaimed writer from the United States, Gloria Steinem has been on the front lines of social activism for decades and received countless honors, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her service to humanity. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143887?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Humanitarian agencies preparing to go into Gaza continued to build up stocks of desperately needed aid for the war-torn enclave on Thursday, amid delays in the implementation of a temporary halt in fighting and the release of hostages held by Hamas militants.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143892?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed has called for greater investment in preventing violence against women and girls, an issue that transcends all borders and cultures. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143882?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The heads of three UN agencies on Wednesday highlighted the disproportionate suffering faced by women and girls amidst the ongoing crisis in Gaza, urging a collective response to protect the most vulnerable and a commitment to lasting peace for the women and girls caught in the crossfire. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143877?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

At a time when people are hurting and the planet is burning, the world’s advanced economies can take the lead in ensuring financial, structural and climate justice, the UN Secretary-General said in remarks to the virtual G20 Summit convened by India on Wednesday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143872?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

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At least 10,000 civilians, including over 560 children, have been killed and more than 18,500 injured since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission there said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143852?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris next year, the UN General Assembly has urged countries to maintain the ancient Greek tradition of observing peace worldwide before, during and after the Games. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143842?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Funding constraints and rising humanitarian needs could force the World Food Programme (WFP) to halt assistance to more than a million people in Chad, including newly arrived refugees from Sudan, the UN agency said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143837?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) and humanitarian partners are providing critical aid at border crossing points between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the face of a surge in forced returns of Afghan nationals. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143827?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

United Nations agencies on Tuesday issued an urgent call for action, emphasizing the severe health risks faced by pregnant women, babies and children due to worsening climate catastrophes. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143817?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The people of Gaza are experiencing “severe shock” as a result of the ongoing conflict with Israel, according to a UN staff member working in the enclave. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143797?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Worldwide, 45 million children under five are wasted, meaning they are dangerously thin for their height, and roughly one million die each year from the condition, the Director-General of the World Health Organization told the Global Food Security Summit held on Monday in London.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143787?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Stronger action is needed to uphold children’s rights in a world where they are increasingly under threat due to conflicts, rising poverty and climate impacts, the head of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Monday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143782?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With global temperatures soaring and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reaching unprecedented levels, dramatic climate action is needed to steer the world away from runaway climate change and align it to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, a major UN report has found. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143777?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In Gaza, where two UN-run schools received direct hits over the weekend amid intensified fighting, the plight of civilians continues to worsen as heavy rain falls across the enclave. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143772?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A rising number of migrants are attempting the dangerous journey across the Darién jungle spanning the Colombia-Panama border. For Etzaida Rios, 35, the impact of providing hope and help runs deep. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143752?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Spikes in casualties, attacks on schools and shelters, including the death of a UN worker, and crippling fuel shortages blocking aid deliveries rippled across Gaza over the weekend, as the World Health Organization (WHO) helped to evacuate 31 babies in critical condition at the besieged Al-Shifa Hospital and the UN chief called for a humanitarian ceasefire amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143762?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Innovation abounds in the race to broaden access to clean water and sanitation around the world on World Toilet Day, marked on 19 November. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143757?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN agencies called on Saturday for unconditional, regular fuel deliveries into Gaza, warning that without enough, the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people face grave health hazards, as the Israel-Palestine conflict that began on 7 October continues. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143747?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN health agency, WHO, on Friday issued a new warning about the desperate situation for people in Gaza, with the number of medical facilities operational “clearly not enough to support the endless needs” created by more than five weeks of hostilities.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143697?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The war between rival militaries in Sudan, which has been raging for over seven months has further intensified in recent weeks, particularly in the volatile Darfur region, a senior UN official said on Thursday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143687?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In drought and conflict-affected Ethiopia, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday it was restarting food assistance after a thorough review of its operations following reports of large-scale aid diversion earlier this year. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/11/1143667?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger