Gaza: Nearly 800,000 now displaced from Rafah
“Once again, nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in post on the social media platform X. formerly Twitter. He said that following evacuation orders demanding people to flee…
Israel refutes South Africa’s accusations at UN world court
Linked to South Africa’s ongoing case accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention), the new request, filed on 10 May, asked the ICJ to order…
Gaza: Aid delivery via floating dock welcomed, but land routes ‘more important’
OCHA warned that the maritime corridor cannot replace critical land routes, which are the quickest and most effective way of delivering humanitarian aid in the besieged enclave, where more than two million Palestinians desperately need food, shelter and other assistance. …
UN’s rights chief says horrified by Sudan escalation as famine draws nearer
According to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, held separate phone calls on Tuesday with Lt-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads…
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…