UN rights office urges Sri Lanka to reveal fate of the disappeared
The call accompanies the launch of a key report by OHCHR, highlighting also the need for the Government to acknowledge the involvement of State security forces and to issue a public apology. From the 1970s to 2009, Sri Lanka witnessed…
India’s LGBTQIA+ community notches legal wins but still faces societal hurdles to acceptance, equal rights
UNAIDS, the main advocate for coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the UN Development Progarmme (UNDP) offices in India have been important partners in this effort. On this International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), celebrated annually…
UN forum in Bahrain closes with calls to support women entrepreneurs in conflict areas
Hailing from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan and Gaza, women entrepreneurs were in the spotlight at the closing of the 2024 World Entrepreneurship Investment Forum (WEIF), which has been running since Tuesday in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. During a panel discussion on…
Rights expert condemns death of Palestinian doctor in Israeli custody, urges independent inquiry
Dr. Adnan Al Bursh, 50, the head of the orthopaedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, died on April 19, 2024, in Ofer prison, a detention facility in the West Bank. His body has not yet been released by…
Gaza: World court opens hearings on request to halt Israel’s Rafah incursion
Linked to South Africa’s ongoing case charging Israel with violating the Genocide Convention, the new request, filed on 10 May, asked the ICJ’s 15 judges to order Israel to “immediately withdraw and cease its military operations in the Rafah governate” and…
UN envoy outlines Iraq’s growth and ongoing struggles
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert, also the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), cited notable advancements in infrastructure, economic reforms, and regional influence, signalling an Iraq on the rise. “[Today] Iraq looks different to the country to which UNAMI…
At Arab League Summit, Guterres appeals for Gaza ceasefire and regional unity
“The war in Gaza is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region,” he said. “In its speed and scale, it is the deadliest conflict in my time as Secretary-General – for civilians, aid workers, journalists, and our…
Stories from the UN Archive: UN’s first peacekeeping force
The crisis began when Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal Company in July 1956, and France and the United Kingdom protested. By October of that year, Israeli forces launched an attack on Egypt and occupied Sinai, with British and French troops…
Guterres repeats call to Israel to halt Rafah assault as aid stocks dwindle
In a related development, the UN’s top court prepared to hear a new request from South Africa to issue more constraints on Israeli military action in the enclave. In a call for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” still…
Gaza: Underweight babies, heavy fighting and a hospital reopening
More than seven months into the war, babies are still being born too small, warned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. “Habiba was born in a small tent. She’s two weeks old and weighs less than two kilogrammes,” the…