UN pushes for inclusive future in Afghanistan at Doha talks
Speaking in the Qatari capital, Doha, after the Third Meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan, UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo expressed deep concern over the situation of women and girls in the country. “Running through all the discussions was the…
Top UN official calls for strict compliance with sanctions on DPR Korea
Ms. Nakamitsu noted that in recent months there had been allegations of transfers of ballistic missiles and ammunition from the DPRK (more commonly known as North Korea) to Russia, in violation of Council resolutions, allegedly for use in Moscow’s continuing…
From banana bread to pineapple pizzas: Women in the Philippines bake a better future
The Balaigay Women Producer Cooperative is made up of local women from the fishing village of Lumbayanague as well as women who were displaced from Marawi, a nearby city, following an attack by Islamist militants in 2017. Ahead of Micro,…
Rights expert urges banks to stop financing Myanmar junta weapons trade
Since the February 2021 coup, over 5,000 civilians have been killed, at least three million displaced. More than 20,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated. Military airstrikes against civilian targets have increased five-fold in the last six months, even as the junta…
Feeling ‘90 per cent stronger’: Families in the Philippines help prevent drug abuse
Rowena Cruz participated in the Strong Families programme run by the local government through the Anti-drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP) and backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Ahead of World Drug Day marked annually on…
Effort to restore Iran nuclear deal ‘remains elusive’, Security Council hears
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, was updating ambassadors in the Security Council. The United States has not returned to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is formally called. Washington has not lifted or…
First Person: Moving from fear to hope after war on drugs in the Philippines
Thousands of people across the Southeast Asian country were reportedly killed during the so-called war on drugs which was promoted by the last Filipino administration. But now a more compassionate and less punitive approach is being taken from the local…
Officials highlight massive poverty, humanitarian despair in Afghanistan
Top officials from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) briefed ambassadors at the 15-member Council, describing the impact on civilians since the Taliban took over in August 2021….
First Person: Philippines ‘cyber cops’ tackle explosion of online child abuse
The Southeast Asian country has been identified as one of many trouble spots for online child abuse on the internet, a phenomenon which has grown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheng Veniles works with law enforcement, prosecution and court officers…
Systematic terror, brutal atrocities rife in Myanmar: UN human rights chief
Addressing the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized that the crisis there is “emblematic of a decades-long legacy of military domination, the stifling of dissent, and division.” He added that the same dynamics…