‘The world needs your leadership’, Guterres tells Pacific Islands Forum
Secretary-General António Guterres was addressing the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, telling leaders that while much of the world is embroiled in conflict, injustice and socio-economic crisis, the Pacific “is a beacon of solidarity and strength, environmental…
Afghanistan: Meet the midwife who stayed
As foreign troops suddenly withdrew, life for millions of Afghans, especially women and girls descended into chaos. “If I had left, a mother or a baby could have died,” Ms. Ahmadi said. “I was worried, but I couldn’t leave because…
Tears and embraces as murderous 30-year family feud comes to an end in the Philippines
For many years, the western part of Mindanao has been the focus of an armed separatist struggle between the Philippines government and various Muslim insurgent groups. In 2019, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was established as part…
Guterres calls for end to Myanmar violence, persecution of Rohingya
Around one million Rohingya are sheltering in Bangladesh and over 130,000 more have sought safe haven across the region without immediate prospects for return, said António Guterres in a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Friday – just ahead of…
Nepal: New transitional justice law aids wider search for truth
“Eighteen years since the end of the decade-long conflict, and after several previous attempts to finalise such legislation, victims of human rights violations are now closer to knowing the truth, accessing justice, and obtaining reparations,” Mr. Türk said. The amendment…
UN chief urges climate justice for Pacific nations beset by rising oceans
Speaking in Samoa, where he met residents uprooted from their homes by sea level rise and coastal erosion, Mr. Guterres said that Pacific islanders had refused to be victims of climate change. But their ambitious plans to resist this “existential…
Widespread floods and uptick in fighting deepen humanitarian crisis in Myanmar
Overflowing rivers have submerged towns and villages, impacting nearly 400,000 people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. Critical infrastructure has been damaged – including roads and railways – along with wide swaths of cropland, threatening…
New political era in Bangladesh provides ‘historic opportunity’ for reform
Volker Türk also stressed the need for accountability for rights violations and violence connected to anti-government protests that rocked the country in recent weeks, prompting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India. An interim administration headed by…
Afghanistan: 20 years of steady education progress ‘almost wiped out’
Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly forbidden to women and girls over 12. The Taliban swept back into power on 15 August 2021 and swiftly began curtailing women’s rights. Three…
Afghanistan: Taliban rule has erased women from public life, sparked mental health crisis
Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Representative in Afghanistan, briefed journalists in New York on their latest report addressing the plight of women and girls since the de facto authorities returned to power in August 2021. She described this period as…