UN chief calls for inclusive elections in Bangladesh
In a statement issued by his Deputy Spokesperson late on Monday (New York time), the UN chief also called for full respect of the human rights across the country. “The Secretary-General welcomes efforts to restore calm and organize parliamentary elections…
First Person: Stitching together a future following deadly siege
UN News/Daniel Dickinson Asnia Dalan holds a bag she sewed following the training she received. The Olango Sindaw Ko Kauyagan Producer cooperative in Piagapo, a village in the hills above Lake Lanao, was set up in the wake of what…
Testing swift responses to chemical terrorism threats
On a seemingly typical day in Semarang, Indonesia, a few train passengers have started to feel nauseous. Others nearby are saying they cannot breathe. Five have fainted. One is not responding. A few minutes in, a miniature car wheezes by…
UN rights chief ‘deeply troubled’ by dissolution of Thailand’s Move Forward Party
The court also banned the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) senior figures, including leader Pita Limjaroenrat, from politics for 10 years. MFP had won the most seats in the May 2023 general elections in Thailand, securing 151 seats in the 500-member…
Bangladesh at a crossroad, says senior UN official
“Young people and people from every range of life across Bangladesh, across the entire country, came out on the streets to celebrate,” UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis remarked. Some of the celebrations following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation took a…
Bangladesh: UN urges peaceful transition as PM resigns and flees the country
Secretary-General António Guterres “continues to closely follow developments in the country,” UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement. “He urges calm and restraint by all sides and emphasizes the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition,” he…
Shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop: UN rights chief
More than 80 people, including at least 13 police personnel, are said to have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to media reports. Authorities have imposed a curfew and restricted internet access. A police station in…
UNICEF reports 32 children killed, many injured and detained in Bangladesh protests
Last month, students in Bangladesh staged massive protests against the Government, demanding an end to a “quota system” for government jobs amid rising unemployment. More than 200 people were killed in clashes with security forces, including bystanders, according to media…
UN ramps up assistance to survivors of Papua New Guinea massacre
More than 50 people in three villages in East Sepik province – Tamara, Tambari and Agrumara – were reportedly killed following an alleged land dispute on 17 July. Nearly 200 people have found refuge in the town of Angoram and…
Kazakhstan tightens laws to combat trafficking of newborns
To fight against trafficking newborns, the new legislation facilitates the criminal prosecution for such crimes as kidnapping, illegal deprivation of liberty, human trafficking, involvement in prostitution and more. Approved ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, marked annually on…