Having previously endured conflict in Afghanistan, Ali comprehended the far-reaching implications of large-scale military actions on the lives of civilians. Immediately after the start of the Ukraine war, Ali and his wife, the owners of a small clothing store in Odessa, began to engage in relief work and donate clothes to people who had been … Read moreFirst Person: From Afghan refugee to Ukraine aid worker
Some 19,000 refugees have reportedly left the Karabakh Economic Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including many elderly people, women and children. UNHCR Spokesperson Shabia Mantoo called on all sides to protect civilians and to fully respect international humanitarian refugee law allowing them safe passage. All parties must “refrain from actions that would cause displacement … Read moreUNHCR increasingly concerned for refugees fleeing Karabakh region
More than 11,600 unaccompanied children have crossed the Central Mediterranean to Italy so far this year the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, an increase of 60 per cent compared with last year. The number of arrivals peaked this month on small island of Lampedusa off Italy’s southern coast, with 4,800 people arriving on … Read moreMediterranean ‘becoming a cemetery for children and their futures’
“Azerbaijan must also promptly and independently investigate alleged or suspected violations of the right to life reported in the context of its latest military offensive…during which dozens of people, including peacekeepers, were killed,” said, Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. Thousands have moved into Armenia from … Read moreKarabakh: Azerbaijan must ‘guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians’
Real reform of the UN is vital to ensure an effective multilateral system, said Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, as he argued for “a return to listening and dialogue” to solve conflicts and lessen the suffering of humanity. “Any reform of the United Nations must not be based in first instance on … Read moreA ‘club of elites’ will not realise the multilateral future we need, Holy See tells UN Assembly
Members of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that they have documented attacks with explosive weapons on residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and medical institutions, as well as torture and sexual and gender-based violence. Rape allegations Commission Chair Erik Møse provided harrowing details on the findings to the … Read moreUkraine: Rape and torture by Russian forces continuing, rights experts report
Robert Abela told leaders gathered for the UN General Assembly’s annual debate that the voices of all countries – large and small, rich and poor – and of all elements for civil society must be heard and play a role in building and sustaining a better world. “We must build a new age of security. … Read moreDon’t turn back the clock, work together and ‘get the future right’, urges Prime Minister of Malta
Sergey Lavrov said power was slipping through the hands of the old order, dominated by Washington, which has long rejected the principle of equality. Americans and Europeans “make all sorts of promises…and then just don’t fulfil them”, he told delegates. Quoting President Vladimir Putin, he said the West was “truly an empire of lies” which … Read moreRussian Foreign Minister hits out at West’s ‘empire of lies’
Mr. Dowden said the so-named AI Safety Summit, set for November, will aim to preempt the risks posed by frontier AI and explore how it can be used for the public good. “AI is the biggest transformation the world has known,” he emphasized, noting that it is going to change everything we do, the way … Read moreWorld must pass ‘AI stress test’, UK Deputy PM says, announcing summit
The Ukrainian capital has suffered multiple Russian missile strikes during the war, prompting the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to highlight the threat of destruction facing the iconic St. Sophia’s Cathedral and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves. The agency also added the medieval centre of the western city of Lviv to … Read moreUkraine: UN adds historic Kyiv cathedral and monastery to danger list