Read here the latest UNSOM Quarterly Newsletter.
Read here the latest UNSOM Quarterly Newsletter.
Nataliia Vladimirova fled her home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on the first day of the Russian invasion, on 24 February, with her four-year-old daughter Oleksandra and mother-in-law. They are amongst the thousands of Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status in Portugal. She shares her heart-wrenching story of family separation and loss, with UN News.
UN humanitarian agencies and partners on the ground in Ukraine, were able to reach the town of Sumy, in the country’s northeast on Thursday, but access to the besieged and stricken city of Mariupol, where thousands of civilians are believed to have died amidst the brutal Russian bombardment, has yet to be given.
“Arboviruses” might not be something most of us are familiar with, but for almost four billion people, they’re a deadly threat – which is why the UN health agency on Thursday, launched a plan to prevent them from causing a new pandemic.
The peace process in Yemen has been “stalled for too long,” the top UN envoy for the country told a summit meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aiming to build on the Saudi-led coalition’s unilateral declaration of a ceasefire, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
A third of the world’s population has yet to receive a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including a shocking 83 per cent of all Africans, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.
New York, 31 March 2022
I send my warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin the holy month of Ramadan.
This is a period of compassion and empathy… a time for reflection and learning… an opportunity to come together and uplift each other.
As High Commissioner for Refugees, I began a practice that I proudly pursued as Secretary-General.
Every Ramadan, I had the honor of visiting Muslim countries, fasting in...
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 4 million people have fled the country - two million of them, are children. As the UN agency mandated to coordinate and lead on global education, UNESCO is carefully mapping exactly how host countries are supporting and providing education, to help keep young Ukrainian refugees on track - their lives totally upended in a matter of weeks.
The UN chief has called for $100 million each year in assessed contributions from Member States, to fund the world body’s peacebuilding activities, describing such an investment as “a bargain” compared with the punitive costs of war.
Credible reports indicate that Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in populated areas of Ukraine, at least two dozen times since they invaded on 24 February, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday night condemned recent terrorist attacks in Israel that have claimed the lives of at least 11 Israeli citizens.
At least 1,100 civilians have been killed in a month of fighting in Ukraine, a senior UN humanitarian official told the Security Council on Tuesday, stressing that the conflict “shows no signs of abating.”
Amid deteriorating security in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the top UN envoy in the country has called for a comprehensive political strategy that includes measures to address the structural causes of the conflicts.
Millions of Ukrainians may soon face serious food insecurity because of the ongoing conflict, the UN warned on Tuesday, amid reports that people are facing “life-and-death decisions” on whether to leave Mariupol and elsewhere, more than a month since the Russian invasion.
The United Nations envoy for Sudan told the Security Council today that consensus has emerged on many issues towards establishing a functional government, warning that Khartoum could lose out on billions of external aid without such an administration.
The UN Secretary-General appealed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine on Monday, so that “serious political negotiations” can advance towards a peace agreement, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter.
The Secretary-General on Monday welcomed consultations due to begin next week, on a political declaration to protect civilians living in cities and towns who come under fire from heavy bombing and shelling.
New analyses released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), show that only a tiny proportion of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in developing countries, leading to a widening gap between rich and poor.
Recent escalation of the conflict in Yemen drew strong condemnation from Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday.
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The top UN political affairs official urged the Security Council on Friday to be united in its response to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch – the country’s first long-range test since 2017 – as delegates met on Friday afternoon in emergency session, to discuss the matter.
Madam President, Members of the Security Council,
The state news agency of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported that the DPRK launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - at approximately 2:34 p.m. local time on 24 March.
The missile – so-called “Hwasong-17” - was reportedly launched from Sunan, an area north of Pyongyang. It covered a range of 1,090 km and reached an apogee of around 6,200 km. It made impact in the sea within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The last time the DPRK conducted an ICBM test was on 29 November 2017.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the DPRK’s latest ICBM launch. This is a flagrant breach of the DPRK’s own 2018 moratorium and a clear violation of relevant Security Council resolutions. This launch risks triggering a significant escalation of tensions in the region and beyond.
The DPRK has conducted twelve launches using ballistic missile technology this year alone. This is the fifth time the Secretariat has been asked to brief the Council in 2022 in this connection.
According to public statements by the DPRK, the launches involved, among other things, a test of so-called hypersonic weapons, railway-borne missiles, an intermediate range ballistic missile and tests of systems related to the development of so-called military reconnaissance satellites.
It should be recalled that the Council, in resolution 2397 (2017), reaffirmed its decisions that the DPRK shall not conduct any further launches using ballistic missile technology.
The DPRK did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications for any of these launches. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has repeatedly informed the DPRK that unannounced missile launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation.
ICAO has also called on the DPRK to act in accordance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Madam President,
The DPRK also appears to be actively pursuing its nuclear programme. On 7 March, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that there were quote “ongoing indications consistent with the operation of the 5 megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon site” end quote.
The IAEA added that they continued to observe construction activities at the Yongbyon site, including the construction of an annex to the reported Centrifuge Enrichment Facility.
The same day, satellite imagery analysis indicated that there was renewed activity at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site for the first time since Pyongyang announced its closure and dismantlement in 2018.
In pursuing its nuclear capability and ballistic missile programmes, the DPRK is defying the repeated demands of the Council to cease such activities. We have consistently conveyed these concerns to the DPRK.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General reiterates the importance of addressing humanitarian imperatives in the DPRK.
The United Nations remains engaged and stands ready, along with its humanitarian partners, to assist people in need in the DPRK, whose vulnerability has likely increased since the pandemic outbreak and border closures in 2020.
We reiterate our call for the entry of international staff, including the United Nations Resident Coordinator, and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies, to allow for a timely and effective response.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties for sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
He urges the DPRK to comply with the decisions of the Council, reset the course to dialogue and build on previous diplomatic efforts.
Further, the United Nations welcomes the regular contact and cooperation among the key parties on the Korean Peninsula. We commend the parties for their willingness to engage in dialogue with the DPRK without preconditions.
Madam President,
Let me close by reiterating that the unity of the Security Council in this matter is essential to ease tensions, overcome the diplomatic impasse and avoid a negative action-reaction cycle.
Thank you.
The UN chief on Friday welcomed the declaration of an indefinite humanitarian truce on the part of the Ethiopian Government, and the commitment by forces in the Tigray region to comply with the immediate ceasefire, amid deep concern for the five million people who need emergency aid there.
Ongoing violence in Ukraine has left millions of people “in constant fear” of indiscriminate shelling, the UN warned on Friday, as efforts continued to reach the country’s most vulnerable populations, one month on from the Russian invasion.
The UN chief on Thursday strongly condemned the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, its first such long-range test, since 2017.
Data analysis on unintended pregnancy and abortion from 150 countries has revealed major disparities in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare, the UN health agency, WHO, said on Thursday.
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly demanded civilian protection and humanitarian access in Ukraine on Thursday, while also criticizing Russia for creating a “dire” humanitarian situation resulting from its invasion exactly one month ago.
New York, 25 March 2022
There is much that we know about the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, and today is a day we remember: the crime against humanity; the unprecedented mass human trafficking; the degrading economic transactions and unspeakable human rights violations.
But there is also much that we do not know, and today is a day we learn. Behind the facts...
The committee tasked with drafting a new Syrian constitution - and thereby setting the country on a fresh trajectory to peace and stability - resumed its difficult and halting deliberations this week, against the backdrop of fresh urgency as the conflict marked its eleventh anniversary this month.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the “main contributing factor” to the potentially devastating one per cent drop in projected global economic growth this year, UN development economists UNCTAD said on Thursday, in the body’s latest global economic update.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the “main contributing factor” to the potentially devastating one per cent drop in projected global economic growth this year, UN development economists UNCTAD said on Thursday, in the body’s latest global economic update.
The war in Ukraine is not only a “horror unfolding before our eyes”, but also an “assault on some of the most vulnerable people and countries” across the world, said the UN chief on Wednesday, convening the first meeting of the steering committee which will guide the creation of a new UN crisis response group to help mitigate the worldwide impact of Russia’s invasion.
The UN General Assembly met on Wednesday for its second emergency session on the Ukraine crisis since Russia invaded the country on 24 February, with two similar but different resolutions placed before delegates, addressing the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
New York, 24 March 2022
The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and the Dignity of Victims reminds us that truth is a powerful light.
A light that shines on violations that perpetrators would prefer to remain hidden.
A light that reveals a path towards peace, justice and reparation for victims, and...
