The Security Council has passed a resolution calling for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and for urgent and extended humanitarian corridors throughout the enclave to save and protect civilian lives. The affirmative vote came following four unsuccessful efforts to take action last month.
The UN’s top emergency relief official unveiled a 10-point plan “to rein in the carnage” in Gaza on Wednesday which focuses on a major expansion of aid into into the wartorn enclave, along with a new call for humanitarian ceasefires and the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s 7 October terror attacks on Israel.
Children have been killed, maimed, abducted and denied assistance in Gaza, and the parties to the conflict must “stop this horror”, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chief Catherine Russell said during a visit to the enclave as humanitarian operations there ground to a halt on Wednesday for lack of fuel.
Police officers serving under the UN flag must be properly prepared, equipped and resourced in the face of the significant challenges to both multilateralism and peacekeeping, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
One hundred years after the discovery of insulin, millions of people with diabetes around the world still cannot access the care they need, risking severe complications, WHO warned on Tuesday’s World Diabetes Day.
Cholera vaccines are expected to arrive in Sudan this month as the country continues to face a deadly outbreak of the disease amidst the ongoing war, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.
UN health agency WHO hailed on Tuesday the “heroic efforts” of staff at Gaza City’s besieged Al-Shifa hospital and expressed concern for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the enclave where heavy rainfall has caused flooding and aggravated the already dire health crisis.
The top UN humanitarian official in Ukraine has condemned deadly Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson on Monday.
UN health agency WHO hailed on Tuesday the “heroic efforts” of staff at Gaza City’s besieged Al-Shifa hospital and expressed concern for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the enclave where heavy rainfall has caused flooding and aggravated the already dire health crisis. In a statement issued later in the day, the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) chief said that fuel stocks were now exhausted, bringing the aid operation to a halt on the Egyptian border.
From the hustle and bustle of New York City to the edge of the Karura Forest in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, offices across the global UN system paid tribute on Monday to the 101 staff killed so far during the war raging in Gaza – the largest loss during a conflict in the Organization’s 78-year history.
More patients, including premature babies, have reportedly died in Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital which has gone three days without electricity amid intensifying Israeli military operations, making a ceasefire more urgent than ever, UN humanitarians have said.
Trucks transporting desperately needed aid into Gaza could stop rolling on Tuesday due to a lack of fuel, a senior official with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has warned.
On November 13, 2023, the SRSG UNOAU welcomed and briefed members of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in Addis Ababa. View photos here.
UN agencies issued an urgent call for international action on Sunday to end the ongoing attacks on hospitals, as Israeli forces battle Palestinian militants in the heart of the Gaza Strip.
Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti of Indonesia, who serves with the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), has been named this year’s winner of the prestigious Woman Police Officer of the Year Award.
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Senior UN officials said on Saturday said there could be no justification for any “acts of war” in or around any healthcare facilities, amidst reports that Gaza’s largest hospital has come under attack by Israeli forces as they battle Palestinian militants.
A political solution to end the cycle of conflict in Israel and Palestine has become a stark “matter of life and death” for millions in Gaza and beyond, said the head of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) on Saturday.
Senior UN officials said on Saturday there could be no justification for any “acts of war” in or around any healthcare facilities, amidst reports that Gaza’s largest hospital has come under attack by Israeli forces as they battle Palestinian militants.
The international community must act now to end the bloodshed and suffering in Gaza, scores of UN Ambassadors in Geneva said in a joint call on Friday.
The UN Security Council met again on Friday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis as negotiations continue behind the scenes to reach some consensus position over the war raging in Gaza, within the 15 member body. Ambassadors heard searing testimony from the UN health agency chief who said the entire health system of the enclave was now "on its knees". Join us here for live updates, and you can follow the meeting LIVE on UN Web TV here.
Escalating violence across the Darfur region in Sudan has sparked fears that atrocities committed two decades ago could be repeated, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday, voicing grave concern over the development.
Nearly 20 years of development progress could be wiped out in the Occupied Palestine Territories if the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues for a second full month, according to a UN report published on Thursday.
The UN rights chief Volker Türk reiterated increasingly urgent calls on Friday for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow lifesaving relief to reach Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel and a “sustainable” end to the “nightmarish” situation for those trapped in the enclave.
The UN Security Council met again on Friday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis as negotiations continue behind the scenes within the 15 member body to reach some consensus position over the war raging in Gaza. Ambassadors heard searing testimony from the UN health agency chief who said the entire health system of the enclave was now "on its knees". Catch up with the full meeting via UN Web TV here.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is seeking $20 million to respond to the critical needs of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers and employers affected by the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The UN’s top relief official Martin Griffiths travelled to the Paris humanitarian conference on Gaza on Thursday to issue an appeal for a significant break in the fighting there, urging greater protection for displaced civilians.
Any plans for short-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza must be carried out in coordination with the UN and following agreement by all sides, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said on Thursday during his regular press briefing from New York.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL MIROSLAV JENČA'S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON UKRAINE
New York, 8 November 2023
Mr. President,
It has been over 20 months since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, violating the UN Charter and international law.
As a result, thousands of civilians have been killed or injured and millions have been displaced.
The massive destruction caused by the war has impacted essential services, including access to education, health services, shelter, food and water.
Nearly half of the population, an estimated 17.6 million people, are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
Mr. President,
As the war continues without an end in sight, we remain particularly concerned about the continued, near-daily attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 9933 have been killed and 18,302 injured since February last year. The actual figures are likely considerably higher, as many reports from areas with ongoing hostilities are still pending corroboration.
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo briefed the Council on 9 October following the horrific missile attack that killed 59 people in Hroza in eastern Ukraine.
Tragically, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have continued. Communities near the frontlines in the Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine remain under constant shelling.
The past few weeks have seen a pattern of escalation of attacks on critical infrastructure, including attacks on energy infrastructure, across the country. The impact of these attacks on the lives of civilians is of particular concern, especially at the onset of the winter period.
In the deadly wave of attacks on 18 October, 10 people were reportedly killed in strikes on Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
On 1 November, Ukraine reportedly experienced the most extensive shelling of the year, with 118 settlements across 10 Ukrainian regions targeted within 24 hours. The overnight strikes reportedly killed two people, one in the region of Kharkiv and another in the Kherson region.
On 3 November, nine people were reportedly killed in a missile strike in the Ukrainian town of Chaplynka currently under Russian control in the Kherson region of Ukraine. Nine others were reportedly injured.
The same day, a massive Russian drone attack against critical civilian infrastructure reportedly injured civilians, including children, and damaged civilian residential and commercial buildings in different regions of Ukraine, including Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Odesa.
On 5 November, one person was reportedly killed in an artillery strike in the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine.
On 6 November, Russian drone and missile attacks once again struck port and grain infrastructure in the historic city of Odesa, also reportedly causing widespread damage to the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum - one of city’s oldest, on the day it turned 124-years-old.
Yesterday, one person was reportedly killed in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region. Meanwhile, civilian infrastructure was also reportedly damaged in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
In a reminder that such attacks continue on both sides of the frontline, yesterday, in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, six people were reportedly killed due to shelling, and many injured.
This morning, we saw reports that at least five people were killed in shelling of residential areas in eastern and southeastern Ukraine over the past day – three people in the Donetsk region, one in Kherson region and one in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
We continue to condemn in the clearest terms all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, no matter where they take place and no matter who is responsible.
Such attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable and must cease immediately.
Mr. President,
As the war is approaching its two-year mark, we continue to be greatly concerned about the risk of further escalation and the impact this could have on the people of Ukraine, and for regional and international security.
We urge all Member States to do their part to uphold the UN Charter, to prevent further escalation and spillover of this devastating war, and to lay the foundations for sustainable peace, in line with the Charter, international law and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly. We remain ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza face unprecedented hardship after being isolated by Israeli military operations, while a medical convoy sent by the UN and partners was fired on in Gaza City, the Organization’s humanitarians said on Wednesday.
The war in Ukraine, which has raged on for over 20 months, shows no signs of ending soon, leaving a trail of devastation and immense suffering in its wake, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.
A convoy from the UN Mission in Mali arrived in the northeastern city of Gao on Tuesday night after a dangerous week-long journey, marking the departure of peacekeepers from the volatile Kidal region.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated the call for an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during a visit to the Rafah crossing and El Arish Hospital in Egypt on Wednesday.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza face unprecedented hardship after being isolated by Israeli military operations, while a medical convoy sent by the UN and partners was fired on in Gaza City, the Organization’s humanitarians said on Wednesday.
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo's Remarks
at the Launch Event of the joint DPPA-OHCHR practice note entitled
"Enhancing the Quality and Effectiveness of Mediation Efforts through Human Rights"
New York, 7 November 2023
Thank you, Ambassador Hwang, for your hospitality today. I would also like to thank our distinguished panellists, Leila Zerrougui and Diego García-Sayán, for being with us.
I am pleased to introduce the joint DPPA-OHCHR practice note entitled “Enhancing the Quality and Effectiveness of Mediation Efforts through Human Rights.”
This project was motivated by the conviction that integrating human rights considerations into preventive diplomacy and mediation increases the odds of reaching more inclusive and just agreements.
We have worked closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to capture specific ways that working closely with human rights practitioners and integrating human rights considerations have opened space for mediation and good offices or strengthened on-going peace and political processes.
Although advocating human rights concerns can be perceived as constraining to mediators, our finding is that they in fact offer additional avenues of action.
For example, if a mediator reframes charged political narratives in the more technical language of human rights, this can lower the temperature in the negotiating room.
Or, if a mediation process is responsive to human rights concerns, as happened in El Salvador, this can increase popular support for negotiations. There, an initial human rights agreement paved the way for a UN human rights monitoring mission.
This contributed to a reduction of human rights violations, which increased the legitimacy of the negotiations, and, in turn, opened space for the parties to sign political and security-related agreements.
This practice note also grapples with the challenges of peacemaking today. It is increasingly rare for a comprehensive peace agreement to emerge from negotiations. This is partly due to increased geopolitical competition and fragmentation, as the Secretary-General underscored in his policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace.
Our mediation efforts need to be more innovative in tackling this challenge. For example, initial agreements on human rights can help establish new channels of communication between conflict parties and build confidence.
Mediators could also consider leveraging economic social and cultural rights as entry points, as they may be less divisive than political and security issues, particularly in geopolitically sensitive contexts.
Collaboration with human rights practitioners can help mediators enhance the inclusivity of the process. Human rights practitioners often enjoy the confidence of key civilian actors. Such contacts can be an asset to help advocate for the participation of women, minorities, youth and other marginalized groups as well as the inclusion of relevant provisions in peace agreements.
Likewise, human rights networks are invaluable to promoting a victim and survivor-centered approach.
In Colombia, the United Nations – alongside national partners – convened forums of victims and survivors and facilitated the participation of these groups in the negotiations between the Government and FARC. This contributed to the parties’ adoption of the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition.
Factual, credible, and impartial monitoring and reporting by human rights actors can also enhance the positive reputation of good offices efforts.
Periodic public human rights reports by the United Nations in Afghanistan, tracking civilian casualties by all parties and the treatment of detainees bolstered the impartial reputation of the UN. This later helped the credibility of UNAMA officials engaging the Taliban in Doha.
In Guinea, a commission of inquiry was quickly set up to during a joint AU-ECOWAS-UN mediation effort to investigate a massacre of civilians that had taken place.
Had no action been taken, this atrocity could have paralyzed the mediation process. The establishment of a separate commission of inquiry with a human rights mandate signaled that the violence would be investigated, allowing facilitation efforts to continue.
This practice note is an invitation to conceptualize new ways to design and facilitate more effective peacemaking through leveraging the complementarities between the fields of mediation and human rights.
This is in line with the Secretary-General’s commitment to bring together capacities across the peace and security, development, and human rights pillars in support of peace.
Let us remember that there cannot be any lasting peace without justice and accountability.
I look forward to the discussion today and your comments. Thank you.
A month since Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people in Israel, taking over 240 hostage, and as the Israeli offensive into Gaza continues which has led to thousands of civilian deaths, UN humanitarians on Tuesday issued a heartfelt appeal for access to the enclave.
The war between rival militaries in Sudan is growing in scope and brutality, having driven almost six million people from their homes since it erupted in April and worsening an already complex humanitarian emergency, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
A month since Hamas militants killed 1,400 people in Israel, taking over 240 hostage, and as the Israeli offensive into Gaza continues which has led to thousands of civilian deaths, UN humanitarians on Tuesday issued a heartfelt appeal for access to the enclave.
