Human rights through the eyes of Andy Vermaut

Aid corridors in southern Gaza must be fully opened to allow the entry of food, fuel and other desperately needed relief items, a senior official with the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150536?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Continued hostilities and evacuation orders in Gaza have led to the closure of key humanitarian facilities in Rafah, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150521?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN’s top human rights official on Friday voiced serious concern over the dramatic deterioration of the situation in Burkina Faso, where almost 1,800 people are reported to have been unlawfully killed between November last year and April. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150516?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Far too little aid is reaching people in Gaza to the extent that children are now starving, UN humanitarians said on Friday, in a renewed appeal to Israel to respect international law regarding the safe passage of lifesaving relief in the war-shattered enclave. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150486?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Famine in Sudan is “imminent” if aid agencies continue to be prevented from providing relief, UN humanitarians warned on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150476?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday called on the Security Council to prevent millions more people from being displaced by war, violence and persecution. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150471?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN independent human rights experts on Thursday condemned violence, threats and intimidation against Persian language journalists for their critical reporting on Iran. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150466?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Syria remains plagued by a severe and complex security and humanitarian situation, against a backdrop of broader political impasse, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Thursday, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach that involves all key stakeholders. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150446?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The small island developing State of Cabo Verde is fighting back against climate change with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150421?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With no let-up in reported street battles and Israeli bombardment across Gaza on Thursday, UN humanitarians warned that the flow of vital lifesaving aid into the enclave has fallen by more than two-thirds since the Israeli military stepped up its campaign in Rafah and seized the key aid conduit. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150411?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Violence against children in the central Sahel region of Africa surged dramatically in the last quarter of 2023, skyrocketing by 70 per cent over the previous three months, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150396?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Climate action taken so far to help fund efforts in cash-strapped small island developing States (SIDS) “does not measure up to what has been said” in the wake of COP28 in Dubai last year. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150386?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Vital medical supplies are fast running out in Gaza’s remaining hospitals, the UN health agency warned on Wednesday, amid reports of continuing Israeli bombing and hostilities in the enclave.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150346?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8GAzH3KRqE&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As fighting continues in Gaza, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that he was “heartbroken” by images of people killed and injured in airstrikes on Sunday that hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150316?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN agencies on Tuesday reiterated their call for an urgent ceasefire and humanitarian access in Gaza following Israeli air strikes on Sunday that hit a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, killing 45 people, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.   https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150301?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

International financing is the fuel for sustainable development, but small island States are “running on empty” - drowning in debt and rising sea levels due to climate change and through no fault of their own. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150296?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The United Nations continues to assist authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with search and rescue efforts four days after the massive landslide in Enga province, where some 2,000 people are feared dead and accessing survivors remains a challenge.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150291?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The communities of thousands of tiny Pacific islands are the frontline gamechangers tackling the climate crisis, and a hub based in Micronesia now hosts more than a dozen UN agencies that together are helping address some of their most pressing needs as they battle existential threats like rising sea levels. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150286?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Amid further reported bombardment of Gaza overnight into Tuesday, UN and partner organizations have expressed deep concern over the “inhuman” detention of suspected Palestinian fighters in the enclave by Israeli authorities, alleging treatment so poor that some had to have limbs amputated “due to prolonged shackling”. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150281?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Good morning from the blue waters and lush green hills of the Caribbean. We’re reporting live from the high level opening of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) on the beautiful twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150266?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Dozens of people are believed to have died in an Israeli overnight attack on a camp for displaced Gazans in Rafah in the south of the enclave, the latest gruesome development in more than seven months of war between the Israeli military and Palestinian fighters, UN humanitarians said on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150261?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

It may be built out of recyclable cardboard boxes, but when world leaders officially open the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) on Monday, one of the manifestations of young people’s hopes for a better future that will greet them is a solid “wall of commitment” imploring them to take more action against the ravages of climate change. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150251?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Friday’s landslide in the north of Papua New Guinea is likely to have been far more deadly than first thought, Serhan Aktoprak, the country head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150246?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

An attack by Russian armed forces on a busy shopping centre in Kharkiv on Saturday reportedly killed at least four people and injured around 40. Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, strongly condemned the strike and called for civilians to be protected. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150241?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Global uproar calling for an end to the Israeli incursion in Rafah “has grown too loud to ignore”, UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Martin Griffiths said on Friday, in a fresh appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150226?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The United Nations Security Council on Friday strongly condemned rising attacks on humanitarian workers and UN personnel, urging all conflict parties to ensure their safety and access. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150221?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called for an end to renewed violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where reports have emerged of attacks against the minority Muslim Rohingya community, including beheadings and the razing of homes.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150201?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a warning for an “above average” hurricane season in the North Atlantic in 2024. Based on data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this would mark the ninth consecutive year of anomalies. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150191?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Data crunched by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that the COVID-19 emergency reversed more than a decade of gains in life expectancy, reinforcing the need for countries to agree on a global pandemic treaty to protect future generations. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150186?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The international community cannot abandon Afghanistan, a senior UN aid official said on Thursday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150161?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A report published on Thursday from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European region has revealed alarming health disparities in young people, especially those from less affluent families, representing a “vicious cycle of disadvantage”. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150166?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Peace is the key to unlocking Africa’s future and for strengthening the continent’s voice and influence in building peace globally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150146?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Leaders from small island developing States worldwide will converge on the shores of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean this weekend to deliver a bold new plan of action to build resilience on the road to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150121?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Can a magic suitcase save lives? https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150136?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Droughts and floods in southern Africa stemming from El Niño have left millions of people food insecure, warns World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain during a recent visit to Zambia – the epicentre of the crisis. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150106?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A comprehensive review by the UN health agency has revealed critical gaps in understanding the full impact of climate change on malaria, dengue, trachoma and other tropical diseases. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150101?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Haiti’s health system is now “on the verge of collapse” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Haiti Bruno Maes warned on Wednesday, amidst an alarming decrease in the number of hospitals still functioning in the violence-wracked Caribbean nation. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150086?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Hostilities across Gaza reportedly continued on Wednesday, fuelling already alarming aid access problems and dire food insecurity as the main entrance routes for relief convoys remained closed or too dangerous to access, UN aid workers warned. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150076?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis are on the rise in most regions of the world, UN health agency WHO said in a new report on Tuesday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150061?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The plight of civilians affected by war in 2023 was “resoundingly dire”, as the world witnessed horrors not only in Gaza and southern Israel but also the intense suffering of populations in other crisis hotspots around the globe, senior UN officials said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150051?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Migration is on track to become one of the defining features of the 21stst century and more action is needed to ensure regular pathways for people to move safely, the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday in New York.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150041?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN expressed new concerns on Tuesday over a rise in displacement and humanitarian needs in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region amid “relentless” Russian air and ground attacks. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150021?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Inflation fears are subsiding, the “net-zero transition” to a clean economy could spell good news with the right policies in place, and we are still dealing with a “COVID hangover”, according to the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1150006?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN is continuing to closely follow the deteriorating situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state where intercommunal tensions are being stoked by the military. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149991?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trying the gravest crimes, ensuring victims have access to justice, conducting fair trials and complementing national tribunals are among the key tasks of the International Criminal Court (ICC). https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149981?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

At least 810,000 people have fled Rafah in just two weeks, UN humanitarians said on Monday, amid reports of ongoing Israeli military operations in the southern city and in the north of Gaza. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149971?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Arrest warrants have been issued against the leaders of Hamas and Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149966?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The establishment of a Multinational Security Support mission for Haiti is moving closer as the Caribbean nation continues to face a crisis of violence and insecurity caused by entrenched criminal gang activity. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149831?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Failure to invest in the health of the Syrian people will only deepen instability in the war-ravaged country and pose threats to regional and global security, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149961?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

While there has been some recent progress for India’s LGBTQIA+ community, there is still a long way to go to overcome social stigma and prejudice, and to ensure that all people in the country feel their rights are protected, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2024/05/1149956?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger