Gaza remains at ‘high risk’ of polio virus spread, warn UN aid teams
“At least two rounds of [orally delivered polio vaccine] will be necessary to shut down transmission,” the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) explained in an update. The development comes after vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was identified…
No date yet for long-awaited South Sudan elections
Nicholas Haysom, who also heads the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), briefed ambassadors on political, security and humanitarian developments in the world’s youngest nation, which was scheduled to hold its first post-independence elections in December. Election date proposal expected…
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…
Security Council: Political affairs chief underlines ‘desperate need’ for Gaza ceasefire
More than 100 people were reportedly killed in the attack on the al-Taba’een school in Gaza City, which took place during morning prayer hours. It was one of at least 21 strikes on school shelters recorded since 4 July. “It…
UN rights chief condemns storming of his office in Yemen’s capital
Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, sent a “delegation” to the UN human rights office in the Yemeni capital on 3 August, and national staff were forced to handover documents, furniture and vehicles, as well as the office’s keys….
Sexual violence and famine stalk Sudan’s displaced
Speaking from Sudan, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder described meeting a senior medical worker at a hospital outside Khartoum who had “direct contact with hundreds, hundreds of women and girls, some as young as eight years old, who…
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…
‘Incredible brutality’ prevalent in battle for Myanmar
In a call to regional bloc ASEAN to help end the violence and support efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, the head of the Human Rights Council-appointed probe into the Myanmar emergency Nicholas Koumjian described an increasingly “desperate” junta whose…
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…
Sudan: UNICEF condemns deadly strike as war grinds on
Condemning the incident at the weekend, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said that the youngsters had been playing football when a shell struck its “child-friendly space” in Al Hattana, in Khartoum state. UNICEF Representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, said that…