Four years after the coup, Myanmar remains on the brink
Myanmar’s Enduring Polycrisis: Four Years into a Tumultuous Journey, launched on Wednesday, points to the bleak picture of a nation in freefall, with nearly half the population living below the poverty line, essential services crumbling and the economy in disarray….
Afghanistan: ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution
On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials: Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. They are accused of crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender-based persecution…
Myanmar crisis: Civilians killed in airstrikes as Rohingya risk dangerous journeys
Between 15 and 17 January, airstrikes and clashes in the southeast reportedly resulted in nine deaths and left 31 others injured. In Rakhine state, three airstrikes in Mrauk-U Township on 18 January reportedly killed 28 people and injured a…
DPR Korea’s nuclear quest thwarts disarmament efforts, Security Council hears
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for peacebuilding and political affairs, briefed ambassadors two days after the DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, fired off what it described as a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM) loaded with a hypersonic…
‘Absolutely the wrong path,’ Türk warns against Afghanistan’s ban on women in NGOs
The measure, issued by the de facto Ministry of Economy on 26 December, enforces a two-year-old decree prohibiting women from working with both national and international NGOs. In his statement, Mr. Türk emphasised the devastating impact on the delivery of…
Indian Ocean tsunami anniversary: A call to safeguard future generations
On Boxing Day – 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, unleashing a massive tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. Waves as high as 51 meters (167 feet) inundated communities in Aceh, Indonesia, with…
Southeast Asia provides fertile ground for women to benefit from AI
With AI enabled technology becoming commonplace, the UN System is beginning to take advantage of the latest digital tools to bring gender equality closer to reality Southeast Asia, a middle-income region with widespread internet coverage and relatively high digital literacy…
UN surge teams mobilise as Vanuatu hit by second earthquake
A state of emergency remains in effect across the island nation, and a seven-day dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of Port Vila was scheduled to end on 24 December. Access road to the seaport is also reportedly blocked. The second earthquake…
Tensions escalating over DPR Korea, political affairs chief warns Security Council
Briefing ambassadors, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo highlighted the need for de-escalation and dialogue, while also noting “indications” that DPRK is continuing to actively pursue its nuclear weapons programme. “Diplomatic engagement remains the only pathway to sustainable peace and the complete and…
Taliban’s pursuit of ‘Islamic vision’ eroding freedoms in Afghanistan: Security Council
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, painted a grim picture of escalating human rights abuses, diminishing freedoms and growing humanitarian challenges. “It is now approaching nearly 1,200 days without girls…