News in Brief 8 March 2021
Shift mindsets that deny equality for women in all walks of life, urges UN chief Blaze…
Category: UN
‘COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, but societies do’, say women frontliners
Women doctors and scientists on the frontlines of the global battle against COVID-19 have revealed…
Countries lack commitment to banning torture, rights expert charges
Governments have demonstrated a lack of credible commitment to banning torture and other cruel treatment, according to an independent expert mandated by…
First Person: ‘If I die fighting for justice, I will not have regrets’
In Nigeria, where nearly three out of 10 Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by…
In Iraq, Pope spreads message of peace, religious tolerance and humanity’s resilience
Pope Francis’ historic visit to northern Iraq to hold prayers at an ancient church destroyed by…
Woman army officer in forefront COVID-19 battle in Sierra Leone
A woman officer in Sierra Leone’s army has been put in the forefront of coordinating…
ISLAND VOICES: The changing face of Vanuatu’s Police Force
Today, women are still in the minority across Vanuatu’s Police Department, but times are changing….
‘They all died on the same day’: a Benin doctor on her fight against COVID-19
A doctor in Benin has been telling the UN about the challenging conversations she has…
Proportion of women parliamentarians worldwide reaches ‘all-time high’
The proportion of women parliamentarians worldwide reached more than 25 per cent last year– a…
Despite progress, gender parity in parliamentary representation still ‘far, far away’
Although women now account for more than a quarter of all parliamentarians worldwide, gender parity…
News in Brief 5 March 2021
1,600 vaccinated in Guinea Ebola virus outbreak but more jabs needed: WHO COVID-19 cases surge in West Bank in…
Podcast: Holocaust survivor’s lifetime of peace-seeking
Holocaust survivor Rabbi Arthur Schneier has spent decades leading efforts toward religious freedom, human rights…
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Pope’s visit to Iraq, ‘a symbol of hope’
The visit by Pope Francis to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul at the weekend…
WHO calls for urgent action to ramp up production of COVID-19 vaccines for all
Urgent action is needed to increase production of COVID-19 vaccines that will be distributed through…
Hopes for UN Security Council action against Myanmar military coup ‘waning’ fast, warns Special Envoy
Hopes placed in the UN and the Member States that serve on the Security Council…
1,600 vaccinated in Guinea Ebola virus outbreak but more jabs needed: WHO
More than 1,600 people have received Ebola virus vaccinations in Guinea where four have died…
Countries failing to properly prosecute killers of human rights defenders, UN expert says
Countries must find the political will to prevent the killings of human rights defenders, hundreds…
UN Development Programme urges temporary basic income for women hit hard by COVID-19 fallout
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for temporary basic income for millions of…
Podcast – UN Catch-Up Dateline Geneva – Myanmar crisis, 10 years of war in Syria
In this week’s show, we’re covering UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s appeal for an…
News in Brief 4 March 2021
Mental health alert for 330 million kids in COVID lockdown: UNICEF Suspicion of Muslims at…
Amidst ‘conflict, blanket denials and finger-pointing’, UN rights chief calls for probe in Ethiopia’s Tigray
Given the persistent reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in the Tigray region…
Anti-Muslim hatred has reached ‘epidemic proportions’ says UN rights expert, urging action by States
Institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to…
Mental health alert for 332 million children linked to COVID-19 lockdown policies: UNICEF
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says the mental health of millions of children worldwide has been put…
Traumatic waiting game for Syrians unsure of the fate of detained loved ones
After 10 years of war in Syria, there are likely tens of thousands of detainees across…
News in Brief 3 March 2021
COVID-19 crisis forced more than 168 million children to miss class in 2020 Condemnation over targeted killing of…
ISLAND VOICES: ‘men and women together make good leadership’
Vanuatu’s national parliament doesn’t have a single woman member, but two activists are committed to…
Equality in engineering crucial to achieving sustainable development: UN-backed report
Regional disparities in engineering, especially in Africa, must be addressed if the world is to…
Over 168 million children miss nearly a year of schooling, UNICEF says
More than 168 million schoolchildren globally missed out on learning in class, as schools in…
Saudi Arabia commutes three death sentences, UN experts urge charges be dropped
Independent UN human rights experts welcomed on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s decision to commute the death…
‘Historic moment’ as COVID-19 vaccines touchdown in Sudan and Rwanda
Through the UN-led vaccine initiative COVAX, Sudan and Rwanda have become the latest beneficiaries to…
Nigeria: Traumatized abducted schoolchildren need urgent rehabilitation, say independent rights experts
In Nigeria, too little is being done to help teenagers left traumatized by the recent spate of attacks on schools and mass abductions, UN-appointed independent rights experts said…
INTERVIEW: The women activists aiming to make history in Vanuatuan politics
The Republic of Vanuatu is one of the few countries in the world without a…
First Person: fighting for women’s financial freedom
Around the world, the opportunities for women to lead successful, financially secure lives are being…
News in Brief 2 March 2021
We must end ‘deadly addiction’ to coal for planet’s sake, urges Guterres Equitable vaccine delivery plan needs more support…
Rights experts condemn ongoing demolition of Palestinian Bedouin village
Two independent UN human rights experts are urging Israel to halt efforts to demolish the…
Untreated hearing loss threatens nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide – WHO
By 2050, around one-in-four people will be living with some degree of hearing loss, the…
Environmental racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’, must end, say UN human rights experts
The further industrialization of so-called “Cancer Alley” in the southern United States, known for its…
Equitable vaccine delivery plan needs more support to succeed: COVAX partners
The equitable coronavirus vaccine delivery initiative COVAX that has delivered its first doses to West Africa and…
News in Brief 1 March 2021
Time running out to help 16 million Yemenis avoid disaster: Guterres Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana begin COVID-19 vaccinations for key healthcare…
‘We sink or we swim together’: 5 things you need to know about COVAX
COVAX has been trending in stories about the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days, particularly in…
UN’s nuclear watchdog agency will not be ‘bargaining chip’ in Iran nuclear deal
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency told journalists on Monday that inspections in…
COVID-19 cases rise for first time in seven weeks: WHO
After six consecutive weeks of decline, COVID-19 cases worldwide increased last week for the first…
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire begin history-making COVAX vaccination drives
As the first recipients of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine doses through the UN-partnered COVAX initiative, Côte…
Russia responsible for Navalny poisoning, rights experts say
Russia is responsible for the poisoning and attempted killing of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny, two independent UN rights…
Fate still unclear of ‘tens of thousands’ of civilian detainees in Syria
The fate of tens of thousands of civilians being held in Syria’s “notorious” prisons or detention centres is still unclear,…
Bangladesh: UN rights chief urges transparent probe into writer’s death, review of law under which he was charged
The United Nations top human rights official on Monday called for transparent investigation into the…
Myanmar: UN rights office condemns escalating violence in deadliest day of protests so far
In response to the killing of at least 18 protesters demonstrating against Myanmar’s military coup,…
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ISLAND VOICES: Vanuatu’s new wave of female surfers
In the Vanuatu, young women are taking their long boards to the water, refusing to…
In Yemen’s man-made catastrophe, women and girls pay the price
Midwife Lena Al-Shurmani, remembers meeting Abia at Al Mawa Camp in Yemen’s Ibb Governorate. Abia…
News in Brief 26 February 2021
UN climate report a ‘red alert’ for the planet: Guterres People falling even further behind in COVID-19 crisis,…