From banana bread to pineapple pizzas: Women in the Philippines bake a better future
The Balaigay Women Producer Cooperative is made up of local women from the fishing village of Lumbayanague as well as women who were displaced from Marawi, a nearby city, following an attack by Islamist militants in 2017. Ahead of Micro,…
Rights expert urges banks to stop financing Myanmar junta weapons trade
Since the February 2021 coup, over 5,000 civilians have been killed, at least three million displaced. More than 20,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated. Military airstrikes against civilian targets have increased five-fold in the last six months, even as the junta…
Security Council: Regional crisis deepens as Gaza war grinds on
Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, was briefing ambassadors during one of his regular briefings in the Security Council. “I reiterate that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no…
New famine alert for Gaza where families go days without food
According to the latest UN-partnered IPC report on hunger levels, 96 per cent of the population – some 2.15 million people – face acute food insecurity at “crisis” level or higher. That’s level three of the Integrated Food Security Phase…
Feeling ‘90 per cent stronger’: Families in the Philippines help prevent drug abuse
Rowena Cruz participated in the Strong Families programme run by the local government through the Anti-drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP) and backed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Ahead of World Drug Day marked annually on…
Syria: Security Council highlights escalating crisis and civilian suffering
Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, told council members that Syria’s dire situation needs political solutions in order for its issues to be sustainably addressed. ‘Climate of fear’ Deputy Special Envoy Rochdi said the security situation in Syria…
Chief of key UN agency in Gaza warns ‘entire generation’ could be lost
In a plea for political and financial support from Member States, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini underscored that the agency was “staggering under the weight of relentless attacks in Gaza”, after nearly nine months of intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations….
Officials highlight ongoing terrorist threats and dire humanitarian needs in Somalia
James Swan, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) briefed ambassadors noting that the Somali government is prioritising security and combating Al-Shabaab fighters on many fronts. “For its part, Al-Shabaab remains determined to continue terrorist attacks with little…
Sudan: WHO appalled by horrific attack on El Fasher’s maternity hospital
The attack on the only maternity hospital in the town in Sudan’s western state of North Darfur is “shocking and appalling,” the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday, calling on warring parties to “protect mothers and…
Effort to restore Iran nuclear deal ‘remains elusive’, Security Council hears
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, was updating ambassadors in the Security Council. The United States has not returned to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is formally called. Washington has not lifted or…