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  • MIL-OSI: Prairie Provident Announces up to $9.1 Million Brokered Equity Financing with $7.35 Million in Lead Orders and Basal Quartz Horizontal Drilling Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prairie Provident Resources Inc. (TSX:PPR) (“Prairie Provident” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Research Capital Corporation, as lead agent and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of agents including Haywood Securities Inc. (collectively, the “Agents”), for a brokered “best efforts” equity financing for aggregate gross proceeds of up to approximately $9,100,000, comprised of:

    (a) an offering up to 96,470,589 units of the Company (“Units”) at a price of $0.0425 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $4,100,000, on a prospectus-exempt basis pursuant to the ‘listed issuer financing exemption’ (LIFE) under applicable Canadian securities laws (the “LIFE Offering”), with (i) each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company (“Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (“Warrant”), and (ii) each Warrant to entitle the holder to subscribe for and purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.05 for a period of 36 months following closing; and

    (b) a private placement of up to 117,647,059 Common Shares at a price of $0.0425 per Common Share for gross proceeds of up to $5,000,000, pursuant to available exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws (the “Private Placement” and, together with the LIFE Offering, the “Offerings”). Warrants will not be issued to purchasers under the Private Placement.

    The Company’s principal and largest shareholder, PCEP Canadian Holdco LLC (“PCEP”), along with certain directors and officers of the Company, have indicated an intention to participate in the Offerings in an aggregate amount of approximately $7,350,000 (collectively, the “Lead Orders”). It is expected that the Private Placement will be fully subscribed through the Lead Orders, and that the balance of the Lead Orders not fulfilled under the Private Placement will be fulfilled under the LIFE Offering. All subscriptions on account of Lead Orders will be subject to insider participation limits under applicable Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) rules.

    Prairie Provident intends to use the net proceeds from the Offerings to drill two additional Basal Quartz horizontal wells in the first quarter of 2025 and for working capital and general corporate purposes, including expenses related to the Offerings. Including the above two Basal Quartz horizontal wells, the Company anticipates drilling a total of three Basal Quartz horizontal wells in the first quarter of 2025.

    Prairie Provident’s Basal Quartz Play in Michichi: A Unique Publicly Traded BQ Junior

    Prairie Provident has established its Basal Quartz (“BQ”) play in the Michichi core area as a significant growth driver, supported by robust well economics, an extensive drilling inventory, and strategic infrastructure. In December 2024, Prairie Provident reported strong initial results from its first two BQ wells, effectively proving the play concept. The first horizontal well achieved an IP30 (initial 30-day average production) rate of approximately 415 boe/d (66% liquids)1 and the second delivered an IP21 (initial 21-day average production) rate of approximately 375 boe/d (64% liquids).2 Continued production in the weeks following has yielded IP60 (initial 60-day average production) rates of approximately 333 boe/d (66% liquids)3 and approximately 305 boe/d (62% liquids)4, respectively. A focus on operational efficiency brought both wells on-stream within 25 days of their respective spud dates.

    Prairie Provident has a Michichi-area land position of approximately 153,000 net acres (239 net sections) on which it has identified over 40 horizontal BQ drilling opportunities, providing ample room for growth. None of the Company’s BQ drilling opportunities are booked locations to which any reserves were attributed in the most recent independent evaluation of Prairie Provident’s reserves data, effective December 31, 2023, by Sproule Associates Limited.

    Activity in the BQ play is primarily led by private operators. Prairie Provident has a unique position as the only publicly-traded company actively drilling in this play.

    Basal Quartz: A Top-Tier Play in the WCSB

    The BQ fairway, extending from Brooks to Drumheller (Michichi) in central Alberta, has rapidly become, in the Company’s view, one of the premier oil-producing plays in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). The availability of extensive 2D and 3D seismic data, along with legacy vertical wells penetrating the Mannville group, has significantly de-risked this play. Modern horizontal drilling techniques combined with enhanced frac completion designs have unlocked substantial economic potential, making the BQ competitive with other leading plays in the WCSB, including the Montney and Clearwater. Publicly-available industry data indicates that production along the BQ trend has surpassed 40,000 boe/d (77% liquids), with operators having drilled over 100 horizontal wells in 2024 alone, further de-risking the play. Offset competitor wells in analogous zones have demonstrated peak production rates exceeding 1,200 bbl/d, further validating the play’s potential.

    Basal Quartz Well Economics: High Returns, Quick Payouts

    The Company estimates that the average drill, complete, equip, and tie-in cost for a single BQ horizontal well in Michichi is approximately $3.5 million. The BQ play offers attractive returns and payouts, making it, in the Company’s view, one of the most competitive plays in the WCSB. Based on internal estimates, the Company’s BQ wells have the potential to deliver impressive internal rates of return (“IRRs”) greater than 300% (based on WTI US$70/bbl and AECO C$3.00/mcf) with payout periods of approximately eight months or less.

    Strategic Land Base with Multi-Year Inventory

    Prairie Provident holds a strategic and concentrated approximately 153,000 net acre (239 net sections) land base in Michichi and with multi-zone potential. In addition to the BQ, the acreage offers development opportunities in the Banff and other formations. With over 40 identified BQ drilling opportunities, Prairie Provident has the scalability to support long-term growth, benefiting from the de-risked nature of its lands due to offsetting competitor activity.

    Company-Owned Infrastructure and Significant Tax Pool Coverage

    Prairie Provident benefits from a combination of legacy and third-party infrastructure in the Michichi area, providing advantageous egress solutions. The Company owns two oil batteries (one LACT-connected) and two gas plants with a combined inlet capacity of 10 MMscf/d. Year-round access, existing surface leases and on-site facilities combine to facilitate cost-efficient operations with reduced downtime, supporting Prairie Provident’s development strategy.

    Prairie Provident has significant tax pool coverage with approximately $590 million in tax pools, including approximately $330 million of non-capital losses.

    Additional Financing Details

    The Agents will be granted an option to increase the size of the LIFE Offering by up to an additional 14,470,589 Units (up to $615,000), exercisable in whole or in part up to two business days before closing.

    Closing of the Offerings is expected to occur on or about February 24, 2025, or such other date or dates as Prairie Provident and the Agents may agree, and is subject to certain conditions including receipt by Prairie Provident of all necessary approvals from the TSX.

    The LIFE Offering will be made in accordance with the ‘listed issuer financing exemption’ in Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45-106”), to purchasers in any province of Canada, except Québec. The Units issued and sold under the LIFE Offering will not be subject to a ‘hold period’ pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

    There is an offering document related to the LIFE Offering that can be accessed under the Company’s issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company’s website at www.ppr.ca. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

    The Private Placement will be made in reliance on available exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws, and the Common Shares issued and sold thereunder will subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

    In consideration for their services, the Agents will receive a cash commission of 8.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offerings (reduced for Lead Orders) and non-transferable broker warrants equal to 8.0% of the total number of Units sold under the LIFE Offering (except for Lead Orders). Each broker warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Unit at an exercise price of $0.0425 per Unit for a period of 36 months following closing.

    This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, any securities in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons or persons in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which, or to or for the account or benefit of any other person to whom, any such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. These securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“), or the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons or persons in the United States except in compliance with, or pursuant to an available exemption from, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. “United States” and “U.S. person” have the meanings ascribed to them in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act.

    ABOUT PRAIRIE PROVIDENT

    Prairie Provident is a Calgary-based company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties in Alberta, including a position in the emerging Basal Quartz trend in the Michichi area of Central Alberta.

    For further information, please contact:

    Prairie Provident Resources Inc.
    Dale Miller, Executive Chairman
    Phone: (403) 292-8150
    Email: info@ppr.ca

    Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains certain statements (“forward-looking statements”) that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future performance, events or circumstances, are based upon internal assumptions, plans, intentions, expectations and beliefs, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or suggested therein. All statements other than statements of current or historical fact constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically, but not always, identified by words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “budget”, “forecast”, “target”, “estimate”, “propose”, “potential”, “project”, “seek”, “continue”, “may”, “will”, “should” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or events or statements regarding an outlook.

    Without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to: Basal Quartz drilling opportunities, including estimated payout periods on potential Basal Quartz wells; completion of the Offerings; the expected closing date of the Offerings; the successful completion of the Lead Orders; the intended use of proceeds from the Offerings; and the intended number of Basal Quartz wells that are anticipated to be drilled by the Company in the first quarter of 2025.

    Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors, expectations or assumptions of Prairie Provident which have been used to develop such statements, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain and depend upon the accuracy of such expectations and assumptions. Prairie Provident can give no assurance that the forward-looking statements contained herein will prove to be correct or that the expectations and assumptions upon which they are based will occur or be realized. Actual results or events will differ, and the differences may be material and adverse to the Company. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified herein, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: results from drilling and development activities; consistency with past operations; the quality of the reservoirs in which Prairie Provident operates and continued performance from existing wells (including with respect to production profile, decline rate and product type mix); the continued and timely development of infrastructure in areas of new production; the accuracy of the estimates of Prairie Provident’s reserves volumes; future commodity prices; future operating and other costs; future USD/CAD exchange rates; future interest rates; continued availability of external financing and internally generated cash flow to fund Prairie Provident’s current and future plans and expenditures, with external financing on acceptable terms; the impact of competition; the general stability of the economic and political environment in which Prairie Provident operates; the general continuance of current industry conditions; the timely receipt of any required regulatory approvals; the ability of Prairie Provident to obtain qualified staff, equipment and services in a timely and cost efficient manner; drilling results; the ability of the operator of the projects in which Prairie Provident has an interest in to operate the field in a safe, efficient and effective manner; field production rates and decline rates; the ability to replace and expand oil and natural gas reserves through acquisition, development and exploration; the timing and cost of pipeline, storage and facility construction and expansion and the ability of Prairie Provident to secure adequate product transportation; the regulatory framework regarding royalties, taxes and environmental matters in the jurisdictions in which Prairie Provident operates; and the ability of Prairie Provident to successfully market its oil and natural gas production.

    The forward-looking statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance or promises of future outcomes and should not be relied upon. Such statements, including the assumptions made in respect thereof, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward- looking statements including, without limitation: reduced access to external debt financing; higher interest costs or other restrictive terms of debt financing; changes in realized commodity prices; changes in the demand for or supply of Prairie Provident’s products; the early stage of development of some of the evaluated areas and zones; the potential for variation in the quality of the geologic formations targeted by Prairie Provident’s operations; unanticipated operating results or production declines; changes in tax or environmental laws, royalty rates or other regulatory matters; the imposition of any tariffs or other restrictive trade measures or countermeasures affecting trade between Canada and the United States; changes in development plans of Prairie Provident or by third party operators; increased debt levels or debt service requirements; inaccurate estimation of Prairie Provident’s oil and reserves volumes; limited, unfavourable or a lack of access to capital markets; increased costs; a lack of adequate insurance coverage; the impact of competitors; and such other risks as may be detailed from time-to-time in Prairie Provident’s public disclosure documents (including, without limitation, those risks identified in this news release and Prairie Provident’s current Annual Information Form dated April 1, 2024 as filed with Canadian securities regulators and available from the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca) under Prairie Provident’s issuer profile).

    The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release, and Prairie Provident assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, or otherwise, except as may be required pursuant to applicable laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

    Oil and Gas Reader Advisories

    Barrels of Oil Equivalent

    The oil and natural gas industry commonly expresses production volumes and reserves on a “barrel of oil equivalent” basis (“boe”) whereby natural gas volumes are converted at the ratio of six thousand cubic feet to one barrel of oil. The intention is to sum oil and natural gas measurement units into one basis for improved analysis of results and comparisons with other industry participants. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet to one barrel of oil is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip. It does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead nor at the plant gate, which is where Prairie Provident sells its production volumes. Boe’s may therefore be a misleading measure, particularly if used in isolation. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency ratio of 6:1, utilizing a 6:1 conversion ratio may be misleading as an indication of value.

    Analogous Information

    Information in this news release regarding initial production rates from offset wells drilled by other industry participants located in geographical proximity to the Company’s lands may constitute “analogous information” within the meaning of National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (NI 51-101). This information is derived from publicly available information sources (as at the date of this news release) that Prairie Provident believes (but cannot confirm) to be independent in nature. The Company is unable to confirm that the information was prepared by a qualified reserves evaluator or auditor within the meaning of NI 51-101, or in accordance with the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation (COGE) Handbook. Although the Company believes that this information regarding geographically proximate wells helps management understand and define reservoir characteristics of lands in which Prairie Provident has an interest, the data relied upon by the Company may be inaccurate or erroneous, may not in fact be indicative or otherwise analogous to the Company’s land holdings, and may not be representative of actual results from wells that may be drilled or completed by the Company in the future.

    Potential Drilling Opportunities vs Booked Locations

    This news release refers to potential drilling opportunities and booked locations. Unless otherwise indicated, references to booked locations in this news release are references to proved drilling locations or probable drilling locations, being locations to which Sproule Associated Limited (Sproule) attributed proved or probable reserves in its most recent year-end evaluation of Prairie Provident’s reserves data, effective December 31, 2023. Sproule’s year‑end evaluation was in accordance with NI 51-101 and, pursuant thereto, the COGE Handbook. References in this news release to potential drilling opportunities are references to locations for which there are no attributed reserves or resources, but which the Company internally estimates can be drilled based on current land holdings, industry practice regarding well density, and internal review of geologic, geophysical, seismic, engineering, production and resource information. There is no certainty that the Company will drill any particular locations, or that drilling activity on any locations will result in additional reserves, resources or production. Locations on which Prairie Provident in fact drills wells will ultimately depend upon the availability of capital, regulatory approvals, seasonal restrictions, commodity prices, costs, actual drilling results, additional reservoir information and other factors. There is a higher level of risk associated with locations that are potential drilling opportunities and not booked locations. Prairie Provident generally has less information about reservoir characteristics associated with locations that are potential drilling opportunities and, accordingly, there is greater uncertainty whether wells will ultimately be drilled in such locations and, if drilled, whether they will result in additional reserves, resources or production.

    Type Well Information

    Information contained in this news release regarding estimated payout periods and internal rate of return (IRR) on potential Basal Quartz wells is based on the Company’s internally-defined type wells. Type well information reflects Prairie Provident’s expectations and experience in relation to wells of the indicated types, including with respect to costs, production and decline rates. There is no assurance that actual well-related results (including payout periods and IRR) will be in accordance with those suggested by the type well information. Actual results will differ, and the difference may be material.

    Payout

    Prairie Provident considers payout on a well to be achieved when future net revenue from the well is equal to the capital costs to drill, complete, equip and tie-in the well based on project economics. Forecasted payout periods disclosed in this news release are based on the following commodity price and CAD/USD exchange rate assumptions: USD $70.00/bbl WTI, CAD $3.00/Mcf AECO, CAD $1.35-to-USD $1.00.

    Initial Production Rates

    This news release discloses initial production rates for certain wells as indicated. Initial production rates are not necessarily indicative of long-term well or reservoir performance or of ultimate recovery. Actual results will differ from those realized during an initial short-term production period, and the difference may be material.

    Non-GAAP Measures

    This news release uses the financial measure internal rate of return (IRR). IRR is a non-GAAP financial measure within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws , which does not have a standardized or prescribed meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Investors are cautioned that non-GAAP measures should not be construed as a substitute or an alternative to net income or cash flows from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS. IRR is a measure used in financial analysis to estimate the profitability of potential investments and/or projects, and means the discount rate that makes the net present value equal to zero in a discounted cash flow analysis.

    1 Comprised of approximately 275 bbl/d of medium crude oil and 850 Mcf/d of conventional natural gas.

    2 Comprised of approximately 240 bbl/d of medium crude oil and 800 Mcf/d of conventional natural gas.

    3 Comprised of approximately 221 bbl/d of medium crude oil and 674 Mcf/d of conventional natural gas.

    4 Comprised of approximately 189 bbl/d of medium crude oil and 697 Mcf/d of conventional natural gas.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Presses Postmaster General to Withdraw Detrimental Rural Delivery Proposal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Tuesday, February 11, 2025

    Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding a recent advisory opinion issued by the Postal Regulatory Commission that the Postal Service’s proposed Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) would further delay mail delivery for Americans in rural areas. 
    “I urge you to halt implementation of this plan for the sake of rural Americans who depend on the mail and in accordance with the Post Office’s mission to serve all Americans,” wrote Senator Hawley. “. . . [T]hese proposed changes will leave America’s rural communities—including many in my home state of Missouri—with further degraded mail service at a time when rural families already face significant challenges with their mail.” 
    Senator Hawley has fought for rural Americans’ mail delivery as the challenges have continued without relief. In a recent Senate hearing, Senator Hawley pressed the Postmaster General on this proposal before its release to urge his reconsideration. Senator Hawley also introduced the Rural Post Office Reconstruction Act to establish a clear timeframe for reopening rural post offices that experience closure due to natural disaster damage or other unforeseen circumstances. 
    Read the full letter here or below. 
    February 11, 2025
    Mr. Louis DeJoy 
    Postmaster General United States Postal Service 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW Washington, DC 20260 
    Dear Postmaster General DeJoy,
    On January 31, 2025, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued an advisory opinion concluding that the Postal Service’s proposed Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan will degrade mail service in rural communities. To quote the report, the RTO plan will have “significant negative impacts on rural communities throughout the United States.” I urge you to halt implementation of this plan for the sake of rural Americans who depend on the mail and in accordance with the Post Office’s mission to serve all Americans.
    In its nearly 300-page opinion, the Regulatory Commission makes abundantly clear that the RTO’s proposed changes are built on forecasts of cost savings and efficiency gains that simply cannot be credited. Worse, these proposed changes will leave America’s rural communities—including many in my home state of Missouri—with further degraded mail service at a time when rural families already face significant challenges with their mail. Accordingly, the Regulatory Commission urged you to “reconsider whether the speculative, meager gains from this proposal outweigh the certain downgrade in service for a significant portion of the nation.”
    When you testified before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in December, I asked you directly whether you would stop implementation of the RTO plan if the Regulatory Commission advised against the plan. You suggested that you would move forward regardless. Now that the facts are in, I am counting on you to reconsider. To be clear: Rural Missourians and every other American from a rural area deserve a postal system that delivers dependable, high-quality service.
    Please answer the following questions:
    Will you adopt any of the recommendations in the Regulatory Commission’s opinion? If so, which ones?
    How specifically will you fix the Postal Service’s RTO plan to ensure that it does not have “significant negative impacts on rural communities throughout the United States?”
    How do you plan to reassure Americans living in rural communities that the Postal Service will not proceed with ill-conceived changes that would harm rural mail delivery?
    Sincerely, 
    Josh HawleyUnited States Senator

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Lummis, Barrasso, Hageman Hold Tele-Townhall

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    February 11, 2025

    Washington, D.C. —  Last night, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), and Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) held a joint tele-townhall to speak directly with the people of Wyoming.
    The Wyoming delegation answered questions about how they are working with President Trump and his team to cut wasteful government spending, unleash Wyoming energy, lower costs for families, confirm an America First cabinet, and deliver real results for the American people. 
    “It’s always incredibly valuable to spend time with Senator Barrasso and Representative Hageman answering questions and talking with folks from across our state,” Lummis said. “Alongside President Trump, we will continue working to unlock Wyoming and America’s full and unlimited potential.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Graham, Blumenthal, Cotton, Rosen, Britt Introduce Resolution to Affirm Hamas Cannot Retain Control of Gaza

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Jackie Rosen (D-Nevada), and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) today introduced a bipartisan resolution to affirm that Hamas cannot retain any political or military control of the Gaza Strip.
    “One of the defining moments for the future of the Middle East and the world at large is to state directly and with moral clarity that Hamas – a terrorist organization – will no longer have political or military control of Gaza at the end of this conflict,” said Senator Graham.
    Senator Graham continued, “Hamas is responsible for the brutal and horrific October 7 attack against Israel and ruthlessly detaining hundreds of hostages, including many Americans. They have oppressed the Palestinian people under their control. They are corrupt and would push the world into further darkness if they could. Hamas exists to destroy Israel, not to bring a better life for the Palestinian people. I appreciate the bipartisan support for this resolution and believe it will receive overwhelming support in the U.S. Senate.”
    “Hamas is an anathema—to Palestinians and Israelis alike, indeed to all who live in the region,” said Senator Blumenthal. “Their barbarity and inhumanity is a terrorist scourge—demonstrated most tragically in the October 7 massacre—and a major barrier to peace and stability. Eliminating Hamas ought to be common ground as a paramount goal.”
    “Hamas is a group of murderous terrorists with American and Israeli blood on their hands,” said Senator Cotton. “The United States must back Israel to the hilt and help ensure Hamas isn’t allowed to retain any political or military control in Gaza.”
    “Hamas is a terrorist organization backed by Iran, and it is responsible for committing the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. In order to best ensure the safety and security of Israel, as well as the Palestinian people, Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in power in Gaza in any capacity,” said Senator Rosen. “It is imperative we continue to push for diplomatic solutions to the current conflict, which must make abundantly clear that there is no future for Hamas in the Middle East.”
    “It has been almost 500 days since Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel,” said Senator Britt. “I will continue to stand with my colleagues and call for our nation to use every tool in our toolbox to halt all sources of funding for Iranian-backed terrorists. Our support for Israel’s right to defend herself is unwavering as they work to bring every single hostage home. The threat of Hamas must be ended permanently. Only through strength can we achieve lasting, sustainable peace.”
    This resolution:
    Affirms that Hamas cannot be allowed to retain any political or military control in the Gaza Strip;
    Calls upon the President to use all economic and diplomatic tools possible to halt all sources of funding for Hamas from the Islamic Republic of Iran and all other sources of revenue; and
    Supports the State of Israel as it continues to defend its sovereignty against attacks from Hamas, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all other Iranian proxies.
    To read the full resolution text, click HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Encouraged by National Park Service Exemptions to Hiring Freeze

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    Published: February 11 2025
    This follows push from senators and other Democrats in Congress

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) reacted to reports that the National Park Service plans to exempt certain law enforcement positions, including law enforcement rangers and public safety dispatchers, from President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze. This follows a push from the senators and other Democrats in Congress.
    “President Trump’s hiring freeze on the law enforcement officers needed to keep Virginia’s National Parks safe jeopardized our parks’ ability to host visitors—and in turn posed a serious threat to the local economies that rely on them. That’s why we quickly wrote to the Administration urging them to exempt these positions and other seasonal staff from the freeze. We’re relieved that the Administration is heeding our call, and will continue to push for additional exemptions for National Park Service employees ahead of the summer peak season,” said Warner and Kaine.
    In 2023, Virginia attracted over 23 million park visitors, which supported 21,000 jobs and generated over $2 billion in economic output in the Commonwealth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Demands VA Secretary Defend Veterans’ Private Information from Elon Musk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and a group of her colleagues called on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies from Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
    “Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to VA Secretary Collins. “Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.”
    There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.
    A full version of this letter is available here and below.
    Dear Secretary Collins,
    Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans. Today, we call on you to immediately secure any personal and related information regarding veterans provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and associates under the auspices of the “Department of Government Efficiency” established under Executive Order 14158. Further, we call on you to deny and sever their access to any VA or other government system that includes information about veterans, and to require them to immediately and permanently delete any information in their possession. Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.
    Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information. Veterans and VA employees entrusted the Department with this information with the understanding that it would be kept private and only used to help deliver the highest quality of services to veterans, their families, and survivors.
    Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.
    These actions are in direct violation of federal laws meant to protect our national security and the privacy of our citizens’ personal information. This includes information on Social Security payments, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, veterans’ disability compensation payments, GI Bill payments, federal civil servants’ personnel records, and much more. With every hour, we see DOGE further expand its efforts to create a massive private database of previously guarded data outside the federal government’s cyber and legal protections. It is an abhorrent and illegal overreach of executive powers, which conflicts with various federal statutes, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, the Privacy Act, the E-Government Act of 2002, and likely several other cyber and national security laws.
    During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Statement on Right to Repair Victory in Massachusetts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    February 11, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, a federal judge in Massachusetts delivered a win for consumers by dismissing the automobile industry’s challenge of Massachusetts’s right-to-repair law. Massachusetts has been a leader in automobile right-to-repair for more than a decade. In 2020, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure by a three-to-one vote to prevent automakers from using new technologies to monopolize repairs.
    In response, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:
    “This big court win will save working people time and money by delivering on their right to get their cars fixed wherever they want — without being beholden to their auto dealership. The people of Massachusetts overwhelmingly voted for this years ago, and thanks to state leaders like Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell tirelessly fighting to get this done, it’s finally a reality. Massachusetts is leading the way in showing that when government is on the side of working people, we get important things done.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Urges Opposition to Tulsi Gabbard; Cites Lack of Experience, Questionable Judgement, Capacity to Do the Job 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight took to the Senate floor to speak on his opposition to Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Senator Welch expressed concerns about Gabbard’s judgment, integrity, and character, and how her lack of independent thought and devotion to President Trump could endanger national security. 
    “On the basis of lack of experience, of questionable judgment, and lack of confidence that I think many of us have in the capacity of this person to be the Director of National Intelligence, I urge that we vote no on her nomination,” said Senator Welch. 
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 
    Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:  
    Senate Committee on Finance  
    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry 
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit  
    Senate Committee on the Judiciary 
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution  
    Senate Committee on Rules & Administration 
    Senator Peter Welch has spent the bulk of his life working to improve the lives of folks who too often get left behind. After fighting housing discrimination in Chicago, he enrolled in law school at the UC-Berkeley, and later settled in White River Junction, Vermont, where he worked as a public defender before founding a small law practice. He was first elected to represent Windsor County in the Vermont Senate in 1980. Peter was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for 16 years before being elected to the Senate in 2022. In the Senate, he’s focused on lowering costs for Vermonters, making Washington work better for Vermont, and protecting civil rights and democracy in America and abroad. 
    Learn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock Introduces Legislation to Cap the Cost of Prescription Medication

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock Introduces Legislation to Cap the Cost of Prescription Medication

    The Capping Prescription Costs Act would cap annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs per year at $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families
    The legislation builds on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act and extends out-of-pocket caps to the commercial health care market
    Senator Reverend Warnock successfully capped the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “When you are sick, nothing else matters, this is a moral issue that transcends partisan politics, and I will keep fighting until we get it done”
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), introduced the Capping Prescription Costs Act. The legislation would lower prescription drug costs for millions of Americans by placing annual caps on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families with private insurance. 
    The Senator’s bill builds on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes the Senator’s provision capping prescription drug cost-sharing for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, extending the savings to the commercial health care market.
    “In my decades-long fight to lower medication costs and make health care more accessible, I’ve heard stories of people having to skip refills, ration prescriptions, and make financial decisions that risk their health just to afford the medications they need to survive,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “In a nation as rich and powerful as the United States, that should never be the case, which is why the Capping Prescription Costs Act is so important. When you are sick, nothing else matters, this is a moral issue that transcends partisan politics, and I will keep fighting until we get it done.”
    “No Nevadan – and no American – should have to negotiate against themselves when choosing between the medications they need to be healthy and food they need to survive,” Rep. Horsford said. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Warnock on the Capping Prescription Costs Act, and look forward to introducing the House companion bill. Our legislation would help Americans with private insurance save on needed prescriptions each year. The choice between health and survival is impossible – it’s beyond time we stop forcing Americans to make it.”
    Over 60 percent of American adults take at least one prescription drug, with 25 percent of adults taking four or more. Yet Americans often pay more for the same prescription drugs than people in other countries, and due to the cost burden, American patients often cannot afford their medications as prescribed. This results in patients skipping doses, cutting doses in half, or taking over-the-counter medications instead of their prescriptions. One study found that 31 percent of patients did not take their medications as prescribed due to cost. The new $2,000 cap on cost-sharing for individuals and $4,000 for families will apply to all of the 173 million Americans who have private health insurance.
    “This bill would provide desperately needed relief for patients with chronic conditions and many others that face prescription drug bills that total thousands of dollars in a given year. Capping out-of-pocket costs for medications in Medicare is popular and provides practical help for many, but millions more who rely on private insurance should have the same benefit. Congress should continue to address the underlying price of prescription drugs, while also capping out-of-pocket costs to provide practical relief to patients and families. We appreciate leadership from Senator Warnock to continue to lower daily and monthly costs for families that desperately need help accessing and affording care,” said Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Families USA.
    “By introducing the Capping Prescription Costs Act, Senator Warnock is fighting to help level the playing field for working families. As Republicans push to raise health care costs for Americans struggling to pay their bills, Democrats are fighting to lower prescription drug costs for millions of families nationwide. The contrast couldn’t be more clear: Republicans want to put profits over people and raise costs to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, and Democrats want to lower costs, improve care, and ensure that every American can afford the health care they need,”said Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care Chair.
    Senator Reverend Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. In the Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Warnock got two proposals included in the final version of the bill —provisions from his bill to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for Medicare patients, and his plan to cap the cost of prescription drugs for seniors at $2,000 a year. The Senator has been a years-long advocate for expanding Medicaid. In Washington he’s pushed for solutions to close the coverage gap. Senator Warnock is committed to preserving and protecting access to health care for the most vulnerable. Last year, Senator Warnock also introduced the Bridge to Medicaid Act, legislation to provide health care coverage to the hundreds of thousands of Georgians in the health care coverage gap. The bill would provide a temporary health care option for people in the Medicaid coverage gap to get subsidized private health care until non-expansion states like Georgia finally expand Medicaid.
    In addition to Senator Warnock, the Capping Prescription Costs Act was cosponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maritn Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).
    Full bill text of the Capping Prescription Costs Act is available HERE.
    A one-pager on the Capping Prescription Costs Act is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Rebuts Elizabeth Warren’s False Claim That CFPB is Only Cop on the Beat: “We Ought Not to Try and Scare Consumers Right Now”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    February 11, 2025
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, rebutted a false claim by Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is the only entity responsible for protecting consumers in the banking industry.
    “I want to address something that the Ranking Member started talking about, which was characterizing the CFPB as being the cop on the beat here,” Ricketts said. “But I can tell you, having been a Governor and having a Department of Banking that reported to me, that if any consumer would contact us and make a complaint about a bank, even a big bank like JP Morgan, we would investigate. As could the OCC, the FDIC, FTC. So to characterize it ‘no one is out there working for consumers’ is inaccurate. And we ought not to try and scare consumers right now that somehow this is the case.”
    During questioning of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Ricketts also highlighted his concerns about the expansion of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet.
    [embedded content]
    “The Fed’s balance sheet at the end of 2019, so before the pandemic, was about $4.1 trillion,” Ricketts said. “By May of 2020, the Fed expanded that to $7 trillion, and by 2022, the Fed’s balance sheet hit an all-time record of $8.9 trillion. Inflation peaked at 9.1% that year, a high we had not seen since 1981. Now, I’m encouraged by the actions the Fed has taken with quantitative tightening, to shrink the balance sheet down to $6.85 trillion, but $6.85 trillion is still too high.”
    Ricketts’ comments came in a hearing of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs entitled: “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress.”
    TRANSCRIPT:
    Senator Ricketts: “Well thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member for holding this important hearing and thank you Chairman Powell for being here today to talk about our economy and all of the things that are going on.
    “I want to address something that the Ranking Member started talking off about, which was characterizing the CFPB as being the cop on the beat here. But I can tell you, having been a governor and having a Department of Banking that reported to me, that if any consumer would contact us and make a complaint about a bank, even a big bank like JP Morgan, we would investigate, as could the OCC, FDIC, FTC.
    “So to characterize it ‘nobody’s out there looking for consumers,’ I think is inaccurate.
    “And we ought not to try and scare consumers right now that somehow, this is the case, because if you do have an issue, if you’re a consumer, please reach out to your state Department of Banking because those folks are going to look out for you.
    “I can tell you that because I used to have one of those Department of Banking, so they did a fantastic job of looking out for the consumers.
    “One of the things that has also impacted consumers is inflation. Prices under the Biden Administration were up 20%. An average household is paying $13,000 more today than they were for the same standard of living they had before Joe Biden got elected. We see that, grocery prices, for example, are up 22%, rents up 23%. Simply put, Nebraskans are economically worse off today than they were four years ago, and I expect that that’s part of the reason why we saw this change in the administration. They thought that that was not something that they wanted to continue to pursue. They didn’t want the same policies being followed. We have to end the reckless federal spending, rein in inflation and, you know, be responsible about how we make decisions to be able to grow the economy.
    “One of those areas that I’m concerned about is the expansion of the Fed balance sheet. The Fed’s balance sheet before, at the end of 2019, so before the pandemic was about $4.1 trillion. By May of 2020, the Fed expanded that to $7 trillion, and by 2022, the Fed’s balance sheet hit an all-time record of $8.9 trillion. Inflation peaked at 9.1% that year, a high we had not seen since 1981. Now, I’m encouraged by the actions the Fed has taken with quantitative tightening, to shrink the balance sheet down to $6.85 trillion, but $6.85 trillion is still too high. And one of my concerns with this, Chairman, is that, that’s kind of what are your tools, to be able to guard against a downturn in the economy or some sort of shock? Obviously used it during the pandemic. Looking ahead long term, will the Fed Reserve continue to this course of unwinding the balance sheet?”
    Chairman Jerome Powell: “Yeah. So, what we said is that we intend to slow and then stop the decline when reserve balances are somewhat above the level that we judge, consistent with so-called ample reserves. The most recent data and the feel of the markets is definitely the reserves are still abundant. They’re about the level that they were at when run off started because the, the run off is really happened out of the overnight repo facility, reverse repo. So yes, it’s, it’s an ongoing thing and we’re not, we’re not yet we’re where we’re headed.”
    Senator Ricketts: “So what kind of pace can we expect, and I know that obviously there’s going be a lot of factors like what happens to the economy over the course of next year, but if you were, if things were going to go along the way you are today, you’ve already said the economy’s doing well, inflation’s a little higher than we want it to be at 2.6%, but unemployment’s at 4%. If these conditions, and I think you use the word stable quite a bit, if these conditions were to remain stable throughout the course of the year, would you have a range to give us a where the balance you might be, if we were talking again here in January 2026?”
    Chairman Jerome Powell: “We basically we’re going to be, looking at reserve conditions, conditions in reserve markets, and trying to stop a little bit above what we consider ample. And we think we’re, you know, meaningfully above that now. We, we can’t put a number on it because you can’t directly know the demand for reserves other than by observing behavior in the market and then putting a little bit of a of a buffer on it. So I can’t give you an exact number. But for now, it’s ongoing and we have a ways to go.”
    Senator Ricketts: “What kind of conditions would happen, have to happen for you to start going back to quantitative easing?”
    Chairman Jerome Powell: “You know, so quantitative easing, so, you know, that’s a tool we, we tend to use when we’re at the effect of lower bound and we can’t cut interest rates anymore, so nothing like what you’re seeing in the current day. It’s a different test for stopping quantitative tightening, but we would use QE going forward only, only in a situation where when we’re rates are at zero and, you know, we’re a long way from zero now.”
    Senator Ricketts: “So that, you think that, again, just generally speaking, then if things remain stable, you’ll continue to unwind the balance sheet, you’ll continue to the quantitative tightening? Can’t give me a range on that, is that what I hear you saying?”
    Chairman Jerome Powell: “That’s right, that’s right.”
    Senator Ricketts: “Okay. Great. Well, I encourage you to keep doing that because, again, I think that’s important, to be able to make sure that you’ve got powder, for the next, issue that we may face. So, thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you being here.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Nobody wants to talk about AI safety. Instead they cling to 5 comforting myths

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Salmon, Professor of Human Factors, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Google Deepmind / Unsplash

    This week, France hosted an AI Action Summit in Paris to discuss burning questions around artificial intelligence (AI), such as how people can trust AI technologies and how the world can govern them.

    Sixty countries, including France, China, India, Japan, Australia and Canada, signed a declaration for “inclusive and sustainable” AI. The United Kingdom and United States notably refused to sign, with the UK saying the statement failed to address global governance and national security adequately, and US Vice President JD Vance criticising Europe’s “excessive regulation” of AI.

    Critics say the summit sidelined safety concerns in favour of discussing commercial opportunities.

    Last week, I attended the inaugural AI safety conference held by the International Association for Safe & Ethical AI, also in Paris, where I heard talks by AI luminaries Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, Anca Dragan, Margaret Mitchell, Max Tegmark, Kate Crawford, Joseph Stiglitz and Stuart Russell.

    As I listened, I realised the disregard for AI safety concerns among governments and the public rests on a handful of comforting myths about AI that are no longer true – if they ever were.

    1: Artificial general intelligence isn’t just science fiction

    The most severe concerns about AI – that it could pose a threat to human existence – typically involve so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI). In theory, AGI will be far more advanced than current systems.

    AGI systems will be able to learn, evolve and modify their own capabilities. They will be able to undertake tasks beyond those for which they were originally designed, and eventually surpass human intelligence.

    AGI does not exist yet, and it is not certain it will ever be developed. Critics often dismiss AGI as something that belongs only in science fiction movies. As a result, the most critical risks are not taken seriously by some and are seen as fanciful by others.

    However, many experts believe we are close to achieving AGI. Developers have suggested that, for the first time, they know what technical tasks are required to achieve the goal.

    AGI will not stay solely in sci-fi forever. It will eventually be with us, and likely sooner than we think.

    2: We already need to worry about current AI technologies

    Given the most severe risks are often discussed in relation to AGI, there is often a misplaced belief we do not need to worry too much about the risks associated with contemporary “narrow” AI.

    However, current AI technologies are already causing significant harm to humans and society. This includes through obvious mechanisms such as fatal road and aviation crashes, warfare, cyber incidents, and even encouraging suicide.

    AI systems have also caused harm in more oblique ways, such as election interference, the replacement of human work, biased decision-making, deepfakes, and disinformation and misinformation.

    According to MIT’s AI Incident Tracker, the harms caused by current AI technologies are on the rise. There is a critical need to manage current AI technologies as well as those that might appear in future.

    3: Contemporary AI technologies are ‘smarter’ than we think

    A third myth is that current AI technologies are not actually that clever and hence are easy to control. This myth is most often seen when discussing the large language models (LLMs) behind chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

    There is plenty of debate about exactly how to define intelligence and whether AI technologies truly are intelligent, but for practical purposes these are distracting side issues.
    It is enough that AI systems behave in unexpected ways and create unforeseen risks.

    Several AI chatbots appear to display surprising behaviours, such as attempts at ‘scheming’ to ensure their own preservation.
    Apollo Research

    For example, existing AI technologies have been found to engage in behaviours that most people would not expect from non-intelligent entities. These include deceit, collusion, hacking, and even acting to ensure their own preservation.

    Whether these behaviours are evidence of intelligence is a moot point. The behaviours may cause harm to humans either way.

    What matters is that we have the controls in place to prevent harmful behaviour. The idea that “AI is dumb” isn’t helping anyone.

    4: Regulation alone is not enough

    Many people concerned about AI safety have advocated for AI safety regulations.

    Last year the European Union’s AI Act, representing the world’s first AI law, was widely praised. It built on already established AI safety principles to provide guidance around AI safety and risk.

    While regulation is crucial, it is not all that’s required to ensure AI is safe and beneficial. Regulation is only part of a complex network of controls required to keep AI safe.

    These controls will also include codes of practice, standards, research, education and training, performance measurement and evaluation, procedures, security and privacy controls, incident reporting and learning systems, and more. The EU AI act is a step in the right direction, but a huge amount of work is still required to develop the appropriate mechanisms required to ensure it works.

    5: It’s not just about the AI

    The fifth and perhaps most entrenched myth centres around the idea that AI technologies themselves create risk.

    AI technologies form one component of a broader “sociotechnical” system. There are many other essential components: humans, other technologies, data, artefacts, organisations, procedures and so on.

    Safety depends on the behaviour of all these components and their interactions. This “systems thinking” philosophy demands a different approach to AI safety.

    Instead of controlling the behaviour of individual components of the system, we need to manage interactions and emergent properties.

    With AI agents on the rise – AI systems with more autonomy and the ability to carry out more tasks – the interactions between different AI technologies will become increasingly important.

    At present, there has been little work examining these interactions and the risks that could arise in the broader sociotechnical system in which AI technologies are deployed. AI safety controls are required for all interactions within the system, not just the AI technologies themselves.

    AI safety is arguably one of the most important challenges our societies face. To get anywhere in addressing it, we will need a shared understanding of what the risks really are.

    Paul Salmon receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Nobody wants to talk about AI safety. Instead they cling to 5 comforting myths – https://theconversation.com/nobody-wants-to-talk-about-ai-safety-instead-they-cling-to-5-comforting-myths-249489

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Human rights expert welcomes clemency for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The UN independent expert on the rights of Indigenous Peoples on Thursday welcomed the decision by outgoing US President Joe Biden to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous leader who has spent nearly 50 years in prison under controversial circumstances.

    The Executive Grant of Clemency, signed on Sunday just hours before Mr. Biden left office, commutes Mr. Peltier’s life sentences to home confinement, allowing him to receive proper medical care and reconnect with his community, the Special Rapporteur said in a statement.

    The Human Rights Council-appointed expert Albert Barume praised the decision, describing it as “an important gesture by the United States toward the country’s Indigenous Peoples”.

    Decades of advocacy

    Mr. Peltier is a member of the Chippewa and Lakota Nations, who was convicted of murder in 1977, in connection with the deaths of two FBI agents during a confrontation with Indigenous activists at Pine Ridge reservation. He received two life sentences following his trial after being extradited to the US from Canada in December 1976.

    “Over the years, Mr. Peltier has maintained his innocence, and concerns have been raised about the fairness of his trial and about his legal representation,” the Special Rapporteur said.

    His trial raised serious concerns about due process, with international human rights bodies, including the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, calling for his release.

    In its 2022 findings, the UN Working Group determined that Mr. Peltier’s detention constituted arbitrary imprisonment.

    Previous UN Special Rapporteurs, including a 2012 report on Indigenous rights in the US, had called for clemency for Mr. Peltier, framing his case as emblematic of the systemic injustices faced by Native Americans.

    “Mr. Peltier has also suffered from serious health conditions, which prison authorities have been unable to properly address,” Mr. Barume noted.

    Step toward reconciliation

    “Although this clemency cannot restore the decades of life he has lost, it provides an opportunity for him to receive proper medical care and reconnect with his People,” said the independent expert.

    Mr. Barume underscored that while the clemency decision does not absolve Mr. Peltier’s conviction, it represents a critical acknowledgment of past wrongs.

    “States have a duty to ensure due process for all defendants at every stage of criminal proceedings, including parole hearings, as required by international law”, he said.

    The decision also aligns with broader calls for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in the US, including addressing historical injustices such as forced removals, cultural erasure and disproportionate incarceration rates.

    Mr. Peltier’s early life reflects this history: forcibly removed from his family at age nine and placed in a government-run boarding school, he endured the systemic severance of Indigenous children from their culture.

    His case has since become a symbol of the need for justice and reconciliation.

    Looking ahead

    While Mr. Peltier’s clemency has been celebrated by advocates, it also underscores the need for continued reforms to ensure fairness and equity in the US justice system.

    The decision “highlights the importance of addressing systemic issues within the criminal justice system, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, are afforded their fundamental rights”, Mr. Barume affirmed.

    As Mr. Peltier transitions to home confinement, the Special Rapporteur called for the clemency decision to be a turning point in efforts to address historical and ongoing injustices.

    Special Rapporteurs and other independent rights experts are not UN staff, receive no salary and are independent of any government or organization.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Guterres calls on US to exempt development and humanitarian funds from aid ‘pause’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    The UN Secretary-General on Monday called on the US Government to consider “additional exemptions” to a directive which pauses nearly all foreign aid for 90 days.

    President Trump’s executive order a week ago called for all foreign aid to be re-evaluated to ensure that it complies which his new foreign policy priorities.

    The immediate scope of the order was not clear but on Friday, according to news reports, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order putting any new funding on hold, pending review.

    The State Department directive reportedly clarifies that funding for existing programmes is also suspended until it has been reviewed.

    The only exceptions were reportedly for military assistance to Israel and Egypt and emergency food aid.

    Concern over aid freeze

    “The Secretary-General notes with concern the announcement of a pause in US foreign assistance,” said the statement issued on behalf of António Guterres by his Spokesperson.

    “The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.

    The statement added the Mr. Guterres was looking forward to engaging with the Trump administration on how “much needed development support” can be provided to citizens in the developing world who face the severest challenges.

    “The United States is one of the largest aid providers and it is vital that we work constructively to jointly shape a strategic path forward,” the statement continued.

    The US Government is the largest single donor of aid in the world, disbursing around $72 billion in assistance during 2023. It also reportedly provided more than 40 per cent of all humanitarian aid accounted for by the UN during 2024.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Robbed’ of their childhood: UNICEF warns of crisis facing Haiti’s youth

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    Violent clashes this week between security forces and armed groups on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince have led to another wave of displacement, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).  

    In a briefing on Friday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported that more than 1,600 men, women and children have fled. 

    Two-thirds are seeking refuge with host families and over 500 sheltering in three newly established displacement sites, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

    Children at risk

    The situation for children remains particularly dire. The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by nearly 50 per cent since September, now exceeding half a million. 

    UNICEF reports that approximately one in eight children in the country is now displaced.

    The agency also warns of a 70 per cent rise in child recruitment by gangs over the past year, with up to half of gang members in Haiti now estimated to be children.

    ‘Childhood is a right’

    Speaking from a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the growing desperation:

    “I’m in a prison in Port-au-Prince where dozens of children are being held,” he said, explaining that 85 per cent of this capital city is controlled by armed groups.

    “So, child recruitment into armed groups is rampant. Children get recruited. It’s out of desperation. It’s out of manipulation, out of being engulfed in violence,” he emphasised.

    Mentioning a 16-year-old girl who dreamt of being a paediatrician, but was caught up in a raid, he said: “The point of this is that childhood should not be a gift. Childhood is a right.”

    Humanitarian needs grow

    The crisis is further aggravated by forced returns from neighbouring countries. 

    In the first two weeks of January alone, nearly 15,000 Haitians were returned from the Dominican Republic, adding to the 200,000 people deported across the region last year.

    Meanwhile, natural disasters have worsened conditions across the country. 

    Since November, nearly 330,000 people have been affected by floods in six of Haiti’s departments, leaving dozens dead and damaging or destroying nearly 50,000 homes.

    UN appeals 

    The UN has launched a $908 million humanitarian appeal to assist 3.9 million people in Haiti this year.

    “We urge the international community to scale up its support so that we and our humanitarian partners can support the people of Haiti who need it,” said Mr. Dujarric. 

    As conditions deteriorate, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations stress the need for urgent international action to protect Haiti’s most vulnerable, particularly its children – trapped in a cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation.

    “For those of us with freedom, those with safety, those who have an opportunity – we also have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to raise our voices for those who simply do not have one,” Mr. Elder said.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Haiti: ‘I was deported to a country I never lived in’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Antoine Lemonnier in Haiti

    Human Rights

    Migrants who have been deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti – the two Caribbean nations that share the island of Hispaniola – have been talking to the UN about the challenges of returning to a crisis-ridden country they barely know.

    Mireille

    Pregnant and exhausted and clutching a small bag with all that was left of her belongings, Mireille* stood under the relentless Haitian sun, not sure what to do next.

    She had just been deported from the Dominican Republic, a country she had called home since she was eight years old.

    Over the years she has seen Haiti, the land of her birth, overcome by gang violence as well as humanitarian, political and economic crises.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    Mireille gazes through the protective bars at the GARR facility, reflecting on her journey back to Haiti.

    “I was deported to a country I never lived in,” she said, filled with a mix of anger and despair.

    The Dominican Republic had been her home for nearly three decades. It was where she built her life, forged relationships and created memories. But overnight, she became an outsider, stripped of her dignity and forced to return to a country she didn’t know.

    Mireille’s ordeal began in the early hours of the morning, five days before she crossed the border into Haiti when she was taken to a crowded and uncomfortable detention center, where she stayed for several days before being transported to the border.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    A deportation truck arrives at the Belladère border crossing between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

    “I arrived in Haiti feeling scared and unsure of what to do,” Mireille said. “I barely know this country, and I’m struggling to figure out where to start. It’s disorienting and difficult.”

    Guerson and Roselène

    Guerson and Roselène* had spent over a decade in the Dominican Republic, building their lives in Loma de Cabrera, not far from the border with Haiti.

    Guerson worked as a mechanic at a small garage fixing cars, motorbikes, and agricultural equipment. His hands, often smeared with grease, were a source of pride. “People trusted me with their vehicles,” he said. “It was hard work, but I could provide for my family.”

    Roselène, meanwhile, managed their modest home. She prepared meals and supplemented the family income by selling patés and fried plantains to neighbours.

    Soundcloud

    A simple life

    Their daily life was simple but stable. Their son Kenson attended a local preschool, and Roselène spoke of her pride seeing him learn to write his name.

    Then the Dominican authorities arrived. “My children didn’t understand,” said Guerson. “Kenson asked if we were going on a trip. I didn’t know how to answer him.”

    The family was herded onto a truck “I held my baby so tightly. I was afraid we wouldn’t survive the journey,” Guerson recalled.

    Crossing the border into Haiti felt like stepping into chaos.

    The town of Ouanaminthe, already struggling with a sharp increase in deportations, lacked the capacity to respond to the growing crisis.

    Families stood on dusty roads, clutching bags and children, unsure of where to go.

    “We stood there for hours, lost,” Roselène said. “The children were hungry. I didn’t know how to comfort them because I had nothing left to give.”

    Crisis country

    Mireille, Guerson and Roselène are just three of the more than 200,000 Haitians who were forcibly repatriated to their homeland in 2024, some 97 per cent of them from the Dominican Republic.

    Nearly 15,000 people were returned from across the border in the first two weeks of January alone.

    They returned to a country in crisis.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    Guerson (left) and Roselène are beginning a new life in Haiti.

    Armed groups now control large parts of the country, including key roads in and out of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

    The years of violence have displaced over 700,000 people, forcing families into precarious shelters including abandoned schools and churches. In these places, access to food, water and healthcare is limited, leaving many extremely vulnerable.

    Nearly 5.5 million people, half of Haiti’s population, require humanitarian aid to survive.

    Safety net across the border

    Fortunately, when migrants cross over the border into Haiti, they are not alone.

    The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) works with the Support Group for the Repatriated and Refugees (Groupe d’Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés, GARR) to ensure the returnees have access to a range of services to meet their immediate needs, including psychosocial support, health referrals, for example pre-natal care, and the distribution of basic items such as clothing, hygiene products, and toiletries.

    Temporary accommodation is also available for the most vulnerable, so they can rest and take stock before moving forward with their lives.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    IOM staff prepare to assist deported Haitians as they re-enter their home country.

    For unaccompanied children, family reunifications are organised and in cases of gender-based violence, survivors are provided with specialised care.

    IOM also works with the Office National de la Migration (ONM), Haiti’s government agency for migration.

    ONM leads the registration process, ensuring that each individual is accounted for and works with IOM to assess vulnerabilities and provide individual assistance.

    The future remains unclear for many returnees in a country where the vast majority of people struggle to get by on a daily basis.

    Guerson and Roselène remain somewhat hopeful that they will return to the Dominican Republic someday. “In the meantime, I will find a way to work,” Guerson said softly, his words conveying uncertainty. “I do this for my children.”

    *Names have been changed for their safety

    Fact box:

    The work of IOM as well as GARR and ONM is supported by international donors, including the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: First Person: Bodies of children in Haiti have turned into ‘battlegrounds’

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    Armed groups in Haiti are inflicting “unimaginable horrors” on children, turning their “bodies into battlegrounds”, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

    The agency’s spokesperson James Elder has just visited Port-au-Prince, the capital of the embattled Caribbean nation and has been speaking about what he experienced there.

    Staggering abuse and neglect

    “There has been a staggering 1,000 per cent rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti, which has turned their bodies into battlegrounds. The 10-fold rise, recorded from 2023 to last year, comes as armed groups inflict unimaginable horrors on children.

    Almost equally staggering is how little coverage this gruesome statistic has received. And so, if numbers have lost meaning, perhaps the children living this horror will count.

    © UNOCHA/Giles Clarke

    Gangs control the majority of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

    Roseline* is 16. Late last year, she left her friend’s house to go to the shop and was abducted by armed men.

    She was placed in a van with other young girls and taken to a warehouse. There she was extensively beaten. She was then drugged and over the course of what she believes to be a month, she was relentlessly raped.

    When the armed group realised Roseline had no one to pay her kidnapping ransom, she was released. She is currently in a UNICEF-supported safe house with more than a dozen other girls, all receiving care.

    Astounding insecurity

    Armed groups now control 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince. Let me repeat that. 85 per cent of the capital of Haiti is under the control of armed groups, an astounding case of insecurity in a capital city.

    Last year alone, child recruitment into armed groups surged by 70 per cent. Right now, up to half of all armed group members are children, some as young as eight years old.

    Many are taken by force. Others are manipulated or driven by extreme poverty. It’s a lethal cycle. Children are recruited into the groups that fuel their own suffering.

    And in Haiti, the suffering is immense – 1.2 million children live under the constant threat of armed violence.

    Collapse of essential services

    Essential services have collapsed. Hospitals are overwhelmed. More than half of Haiti’s health facilities lack the equipment and medication to treat children in emergencies.

    © UNICEF/Maxime Le Lijour

    A woman collects relief items distributed by UNICEF.

    Playgrounds, schools and homes have turned into battlegrounds, forcing many families to flee. More than 500,000 children have been displaced. An estimated three million will require urgent humanitarian assistance this year.

    And education? More than 300,000 children have seen their education disrupted due to recurrent population displacement and school closures.

    And as noted, sexual violence is rampant. The abhorrence of an attack on a child is obvious. A 10-fold increase is ruinous. The pain of course does not stop with the survivor – it ripples through families, shatters communities and scars society as a whole.

    Engaging communities through young reporters

    And yet, Haitians refuse to give up in the face of crisis.

    Take one example: UNICEF’s 135,000 “U-reporters” in the country. These young people embody the commitment of everyday Haitians, bringing their energy and dedication to help those who need it most.

    © UNICEF/Rachel Opota

    A U-reporter gives a presentation on proper hygiene practices and cholera prevention.

    U-Report is a digital platform created by UNICEF to engage communities, especially youth, in social issues.

    And in Haiti, in one month in 2024 alone, U-reporter efforts led to the identification and referral of cases of malnutrition, under-vaccination and essential support for pregnant women in displaced sites and host communities.

    Underfunded programmes

    Haiti’s progress starts with its children. With incredible partners, UNICEF has created 32 mobile safe spaces to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, deployed more than 380 health professionals across 105 institutions, distributed cash to almost 30,000 families and treated more than 80,000 children for moderate and severe wasting.

    Programmes that meet children’s needs can disrupt cycles of violence and reduce the risk of them becoming perpetrators or victims.

    Despite this, UNICEF Haiti’s 2024 emergency funding appeal of $221.4 million was 72 per cent underfunded.

    This starkly contrasts with the urgent need for education, protection and development opportunities to prevent children from being drawn into violence. Without these efforts, violence will continue to consume future generations.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Myanmar: UN experts call for ‘course correction’ as civilian deaths reach 6,000

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    UN independent human rights experts have called for urgent international intervention in Myanmar as civilian deaths hit 6,000 since the military junta seized power in February 2021 following a coup, leading to mass civilian resistance and international condemnation. 

    “There are now 6,000 reminders that the international community is failing the people of Myanmar,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts stated in a news release on Monday. “It is time for a change, starting with moving this disaster out of the shadows of international attention”.

    ‘Course correction’ needed 

    The experts called for an urgent “course correction” in the international response, emphasising that while targeted action has proven effective – with sanctions reducing the junta’s weapons procurement by one-third – current measures “remain grossly inadequate and lack the coordination and strategic targeting necessary to deliver the support the people of Myanmar need and deserve”.

    They urged increased assistance for civil society organisations documenting abuses and delivering humanitarian aid.

    “Governments and donors also need to significantly step up assistance to civil society organisations documenting human rights abuses, protecting civilian populations and delivery life-saving humanitarian aid”.

    The experts revealed recent evidence demonstrates that coordinated international pressure can yield results.

    “We know that international action makes a difference. We have documented it has reduced the junta’s access to weapons that its uses to attack civilians,” the experts said, following the publication of UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews’ ‘Billion Dollar Death Trade’ report.

    Soundcloud

    Brutal and inhumane violence

    Since seizing power “thousands of lives have been cut short in indiscriminate attacks by the military, which often targets civilian homes and infrastructure”.

    “Many victims have been tortured to death. Others have been subjected to acts tantamount to enforced disappearance before execution. Beheadings, dismemberment and the disfiguration of bodies are shockingly common,” the experts said.

    According to credible reports, nearly 2,000 individuals have died in military custody, with 365 victims executed by headshots and 215 burned alive. The experts detailed how “unlawful killings by junta forces are common and characterised by their brutality and inhumanity”.

    The military’s campaign of suppression extends beyond killings. Over 21,000 people have been arrested since the February 2021 coup remain in detention, with many held incommunicado. The experts expressed alarm at the widespread use of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance to silence opposition.

    “Many are held incommunicado and in many instances with their families and lawyers having no information on their fates or whereabouts,” they reported.

    Soundcloud

    Spurious election plan

    The experts have strongly condemned the junta’s planned elections. “You cannot hold an election when you deposed a democratically elected Government in an unconstitutional coup and continue to arbitrary arrest, detain, disappear, torture and execute opposition leaders, nor when it is illegal for journalists to report the truth,” they stated.

    “It is time for a change, starting with moving this disaster out of the shadows of international attention. It would be unconscionable to allow thousands more innocent lives to be lost when options for effective action by the international community remain on the table” they concluded.

    Special Rapporteurs and other independent human rights experts work on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN surge teams mobilise as Vanuatu hit by second earthquake

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Humanitarian Aid

    UN agencies are intensifying their response in Vanuatu after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 12 people and injured over 200 earlier this week, with a second 6.1 magnitude tremor on Sunday further exacerbating the challenges for affected communities.

    A state of emergency remains in effect across the island nation, and a seven-day dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of Port Vila was scheduled to end on 24 December. Access road to the seaport is also reportedly blocked.

    The second earthquake heightened concerns, with further updates on its impact, including on the reopening of Port Vila airport to commercial flights, still awaited.

    Humanitarian needs

    As of Saturday night (local time), over 80,000 people have been affected by Tuesday’s earthquake, with nearly 1,700 individuals temporarily displaced. Eleven evacuation centres are sheltering more than 1,200 people, while others are staying with host households.

    Immediate needs include access to clean water, food and healthcare, as communities face rising risks of waterborne diseases.

    Health services are also reported to be severely strained, with the Vanuatu Central Hospital (VCH) requiring essential medical supplies and coordinated surge support to address critical gaps.

    Source: UNOCHA

    Vanuatu earthquake Impact in Shefa province (as of 21 December 2024).

    Coordinated response

    In response to the escalating crisis, a humanitarian flight coordinated by the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service (PHAS) landed in Port Vila on Saturday, delivering surge teams from UN agencies, huamnitarian partners and relief supplies.

    Agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are working alongside national authorities to support the response.

    UNFPA has set up maternity tents at VCH, while UNICEF has established four tents to manage patient overflow and deployed child protection teams to support families and healthcare workers.

    UNICEF also delivered bladder water tanks to VCH to ensure continued access to clean water.

    WFP has deployed emergency telecommunications specialists to restore disrupted communication networks crucial for coordinating relief efforts. It is also working with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and partners to assess food security needs.

    Additionally, the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) is conducting satellite-based damage assessments to guide resource allocation and prioritize affected areas.

    Humanitarian partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), are also providing on-the-ground assistance alongside national response teams.

    Timely response crucial

    Alpha Bah, Director for WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office, based in Fiji, underscored the need for timely response for affected families.

    “We are saddened by the loss of lives and destruction to property caused by this earthquake. This concerted effort is crucial to ensure that people affected by the earthquake receive timely and essential assistance,” he said.

    “WFP is dedicated to supporting the NDMO and other national institutions, and we will continue to step up our efforts to bolster Vanuatu’s response in the face of this crisis.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Indian Ocean tsunami anniversary: A call to safeguard future generations

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    On Boxing Day – 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, unleashing a massive tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean.

    Waves as high as 51 meters (167 feet) inundated communities in Aceh, Indonesia, with flooding extending up to five kilometres (three miles) inland.

    The devastation spread across Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives and India, with tsunami waves travelling at speeds of 800 kilometres per hour (500 miles per hour). The impacts extended to Somalia and Tanzania, and waves reached as far afield as Mexico, Chile and even the Arctic.

    In addition to the lives lost, more than 1.7 million people were displaced, and the economic toll reached an estimated $10 billion. Children bore a particularly heavy toll, with thousands killed or orphaned.

    A wake-up call for humanity

    Philémon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly, described the tsunami as “the first global disaster of the 21st century and one of the most devastating in recent history.”

    He urged nations to reaffirm their resolve to protect future generations and integrate disaster preparedness and resilience into sustainable development strategies.

    Kamal Kishore, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, called the tsunami a “wake-up call for humanity”.

    “It really showed us how such low-frequency, high-impact hazards, can have impacts that will ripple across the entire global system and across multiple geographies,” he said.

    Progress through global collaboration

    The tragedy also catalysed unprecedented global collaboration.

    “Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, it was evident that transboundary problems require solutions that reach across borders,” emphasised Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

    In the two decades since the tragedy, working together the international community has made significant strides in disaster preparedness.

    In 2005, nations convened under the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) to establish the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS). Today, 27 national tsunami warning centers can issue alerts within minutes of seismic events.

    Compared to just 25 per cent in 2004, over 75 per cent of coastal communities in high-risk areas now have access to tsunami early warning information, according to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

    Furthermore, UN initiatives like the Tsunami Ready Programme and the Tsunami Project continue to empower local leaders and communities with life-saving knowledge and resources. Similarly, the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness is developing vital early warning systems for all.

    ESCAP Video | Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness

    Climate change amplifying risks

    However, challenges have also grown more complex.

    Climate change is amplifying the frequency and severity of water-related disasters, often cascading with and compounding geophysical events like earthquakes and volcanoes.

    ESCAP estimates that 68 million people in 43 Asian and Pacific countries, along with $2.3 trillion in infrastructure along coasts, remain at significant risk. In the Indian Ocean basin alone, over 2,600 educational facilities, 1,200 ports, and 140 power plants are vulnerable.

    We must do more

    Mr. Kishore underscored the need for sustained awareness and preparation.

    “We have to continue to keep the awareness of Tsunami risk high,” he said.

    “It is crucial that we do not forget the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and continue to do everything we can to protect ourselves, our children and our future generations from the impact of future tsunamis.”

    Indian Ocean tsunami: Survivors recall the fateful day

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Afghanistan: ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken an historic step towards addressing the “unacceptable” systemic repression of Afghan women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals by the Taliban. 

    On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials: Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

    They are accused of crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender-based persecution under the Rome Statute of the court, which sets out the duty of every State signatory to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.

    “These applications recognise that Afghan women and girls as well as the LGBTQI+ community are facing an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban,” Mr. Khan said in a statement.

    Since reclaiming power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have implemented a series of oppressive measures that have systematically stripped women of their rights, including barring them from employment, public spaces and education beyond the age of 12.

    The ICC Prosecutor emphasised that these acts constitute severe deprivations of fundamental rights, including physical autonomy, freedom of expression and access to education – rights protected under international law.

    Landmark decision against impunity

    This marks the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrant applications concerning Afghan.

    Mr. Khan said the filings are supported by diverse evidence, including expert testimony, forensic reports and numerous decrees issued by the de facto authorities.

    The ICC’s Afghanistan team, under the supervision of Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan and Special Adviser on Gender and Discriminatory Crimes Lisa Davis, has played a critical role in investigating these allegations, the prosecutor continued.

    These severe deprivations of fundamental rights were committed in connection with other Rome Statute crimes, Mr. Khan explained.

    “Perceived resistance or opposition to the Taliban was, and is, brutally repressed through the commission of crimes including murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts,” he said.

    He underscored that the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia – the Islamic legal system derived from the Quran – cannot be used to justify such violations of fundamental human rights.

    Victims’ resilience

    “In making these applications, I wish to acknowledge the remarkable courage and resilience of Afghan victims and witnesses who cooperated with my Office’s investigations,” Mr. Khan noted.

    “We remain unwavering in our commitment to ensure that they are not forgotten, and to demonstrate through our work, through the effective and impartial application of international law,” he affirmed, underscoring that “all lives have equal value.”

    The Prosecutor also expressed gratitude to Afghan civil society and international partners for their support.

    Next steps

    The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber will now determine whether these applications for arrest warrants establish reasonable grounds to believe that the named individuals committed the alleged crimes.

    “If the judges issue the warrants, my Office will work closely with the Registrar in all efforts to arrest the individuals,” said Mr. Khan, also announcing that further applications against other senior Taliban leaders are forthcoming.

    “Afghan victims and survivors have suffered injustice for too long,” he stressed. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Toxic air threatens children’s lives across East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF warns

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Health

    More than 100 children under the age of five die every day in East Asia and the Pacific due to air pollution, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned in a new analysis released on Thursday, calling for urgent action to tackle the crisis.

    The analysis underscores the devastating impact of toxic air on young lives, with air pollution now linked to nearly one in four deaths of under fives in the region.

    Exposure begins in the womb, increasing risks of premature birth and low birth weight, and continues throughout childhood, impairing lung development, reducing cognitive function, and contributing to chronic diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular conditions.

    “Every breath matters but for too many children every breath can bring harm,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific.

    “The air they breathe, at a time when their bodies and minds are still developing, too often contains unhealthy levels of pollution that can comprise their growth, harm their lungs, and impair their cognitive development.”

    Every child at risk

    The report reveals that all 500 million children in the region live in countries with unhealthy air.

    Over 325 million children are exposed to annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by five times or more, while 373 million live in areas with dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide, a gas emitted by vehicles and industrial processes.

    Nearly half of PM2.5 pollution in the worst-affected countries comes from the burning of fossil fuels, biomass, and agricultural waste – also major contributors to climate change.

    As extreme weather events worsen due to climate change, air pollution is expected to become an even greater threat, UNICEF warned.

    Impacts beyond health

    The impacts of the air pollution crisis go beyond health.

    High pollution levels force school closures, disrupt learning, and increase medical expenses, straining already overwhelmed healthcare systems.

    The World Bank estimates that in 2019, the economic cost of air pollution from PM2.5 in East Asia and the Pacific amounted to $2.5 trillion, or 9.3 percent of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    © UNICEF/Patipat Janthong

    Students at a primary school in Bangkok wear masks during their morning lineup as air pollution levels soar.

    Urgent call for action

    In response to the “silent killer,” UNICEF called on governments, businesses, healthcare professionals, parents, and educators to take immediate steps to reduce air pollution and protect children’s health.

    Governments must enforce stronger environmental policies, transition to clean energy sources, and implement air quality standards aligned with WHO guidelines, alongside, businesses should adopt cleaner technologies, reduce emissions, and ensure their practices prioritize child safety.

    Parents and educators also have a crucial role in raising awareness, advocating for cleaner environments, and empowering young people to take action, UNICEF highlighted.

    Solutions exist

    Furthermore, UNICEF is collaborating with governments, businesses, and communities on multiple initiatives to reduce children’s exposure to air pollution.

    These include pushing for stronger environmental regulations, improving air quality monitoring by installing affordable sensors and implementing programmes to reduce household air pollution, such as cleaner cooking stoves and better ventilation.

    The agency is also working to strengthen healthcare systems to better diagnose and treat pollution-related illnesses and is supporting young people to become clean air advocates, raising awareness, and pushing for stronger policies.

    “Addressing air pollution will lead to enormous improvements in children’s health, education, and well-being, with ripple effects across entire societies and economies,” Ms. Kunugi underscored.

    “Solutions exist, and our collective future depends on implementing them.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Deadly virus outbreak in Uganda, $500 million human rights appeal, Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws in spotlight

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Health

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of Sudan virus disease in Uganda, which is part of the Ebola virus family. 

    Health authorities in Kampala confirmed that one patient has died – a nurse who had sought treatment at various other medical facilities after developing fever-like symptoms.

    In response to the outbreak of the often deadly and infectious haemorrhagic fever which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and tissue, WHO is mobilising efforts to support national health authorities in swiftly containing and ending the outbreak.

    Senior public health experts and staff from WHO’s country office are being deployed to support key outbreak response measures.

    Additionally, WHO has allocated $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to accelerate early action. Medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, are being readied for delivery from WHO’s Emergency Response Hub in Nairobi.

    Race to develop a vaccine

    Although there are no licensed vaccines for Sudan virus disease, WHO is coordinating with developers to deploy candidate vaccines once all necessary approvals are obtained.

    Regarding the deceased man, no other health workers or patients have shown symptoms, said WHO.

    A total of 45 contacts, including health workers and family members are under close monitoring. The identification of the case in a densely populated urban area necessitates a rapid and intense response, the agency stressed.

    Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, welcomed the prompt outbreak declaration saying the agency was supporting the Government and partners “to scale up measures to quickly identify cases, isolate and provide care, curb the spread of the virus, and protect the population.

    “Uganda’s robust expertise in responding to public health emergencies will be crucial in ending this outbreak effectively.”

    There have been eight previous outbreaks of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease, with five in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda last reported an outbreak in 2022.

    UN rights chief launches $500 million global appeal

    The UN human rights chief on Thursday launched a $500 million funding appeal for 2025 to address a multitude of crises threatening to reverse decades of progress.

    The appeal aims to support critical human rights efforts, including rights mainstreaming, advisory services and technical cooperation, alongside field offices of the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

    It will also boost special trust funds, such as those supporting victims of torture, Indigenous Peoples, or those impacted by slavery.

    Launching the appeal in Geneva, UN rights chief Volker Türk, reiterated the importance of these efforts: “During conflicts and in peacetime; in developing countries and advanced economies; from historic grievances to emerging risks – my Office is holding the line for humanity.

    Low cost, high impact

    “Human rights are a low-cost, high-impact investment to mobilize people for peace, security, and sustainable development; and to build social cohesion based on the contributions of every individual,” he added.

    The appeal is in addition to the OHCHR’s regular budget of $238.5 million as part of UN’s overall budget that was approved in late December 2024. That amount is not sufficient to cover all of its mandated work and the requests for assistance it receives.

    Mr. Türk underscored the need to ensure OHCHR has sufficient resources to carry out its vital work.

    “I am very concerned that if we do not reach our funding targets in 2025, people who should otherwise be free, may remain in prison,” he said.

    “Women and girls may lose out on opportunities, ignored by the world. Violations and abuses may go undocumented, leading to a lack of accountability and increased impunity. And human rights defenders may lose the little protection they have,” he warned.

    Independent rights experts urge Thailand to end lèse-majesté prosecutions

    A group of independent UN human rights experts condemned Thailand’s continued use of lèse-majesté laws to imprison activists and human rights defenders, calling for the repeal or significant revision of the country’s criminal code.

    In a news release on Thursday, the experts – who are mandated and appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council – warned that Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, which punishes criticism of the monarchy with up to 15 years in prison, violates international human rights standards.

    Free speech rules

    “Under international law, individuals have the right to criticise public officials, including a King, and to advocate peacefully for the reform of any public institution, including the monarchy,” the experts said.

    They described the law as “harsh and vague”, highlighting that it grants excessive discretion to authorities and courts, leading to widespread misuse.

    Since 2020, more than 270 people have been prosecuted under Article 112, many receiving lengthy consecutive sentences.

    “Lèse-majesté laws have no place in a democratic country,” the experts said, warning that their use stifles political expression and silences activists, journalists, and opposition members.

    They urged the Thai Government to amend the country’s criminal code to align with international human rights laws and called for an immediate moratorium on prosecutions and imprisonments under lèse-majesté laws.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Explainer: How family planning saves lives

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Health

    Sakina Sani was married off when she was 12 years old amid conflict and food shortages in northern Nigeria. She became pregnant at 15 but miscarried and then had two children in rapid succession.

    “I will never allow my daughter to go through what happened to me,” she told UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency.

    What happens when conflict displaces tens of thousands of people in hotspots like Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Ukraine, and women die every day in childbirth or pregnancy?

    UNFPA is there, equipping displacement camps and medical personnel with lifesaving supplies.

    When an earthquake tumbles whole city blocks, it puts contraceptives onto emergency relief convoys alongside kits for delivering babies and medicines to stop internal bleeding.

    When a cyclone slashes through remote island communities, the agency sends contraceptives just as it sends sterile medical equipment, including condoms, oral and injectable contraceptives, contraceptives implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs).

    Why? Because contraceptives are part of lifesaving humanitarian care.

    This may be counterintuitive to some, but it is a settled fact in the eyes of medical science, humanitarian responders and women themselves.

    Even outside emergency settings, having access to modern, safe contraceptives empowers women to make their own decisions about their fertility, which in turn reduces unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, improves health outcomes and lowers the risk of maternal and child mortality.

    In short, family planning saves millions of lives. Here are some of the reasons why:

    © UNFPA/Karel Prinsloo

    A woman is injected with a contraceptive at a UNFPA-supported health centre in the Central African Republic.

    Getting pregnant does not stop in emergency settings

    More than 60 per cent of all maternal deaths are estimated to take place in humanitarian crises and fragile settings, places where women struggle to access the care and nutrition needed to safely carry a pregnancy.

    Even in the best circumstances, alarming proportions of women are unable to say no to sex, roughly one quarter of women, according to the most recent data.

    In a humanitarian crisis, women experience about twice the rates of gender-based violence as well as the heightened risk of rape as a weapon of war and tool of genocide and the increased risk of intimate partner violence. All of this elevates their vulnerability to an unintended pregnancy.

    © UNFPA/Danil Pavlov

    Preventing fatal complications

    While contraception is sometimes criticised – incorrectly – as a new medication, one that is unnatural or poorly understood, the truth is that they have existed for millennia. Condoms, for example, have been used for centuries.

    When it comes to  modern forms of contraception, they are among the most prescribed and well-studied medications in existence. Contraceptives have been investigated not just by pharmacologists and medical researchers, but also by healthcare economists, epidemiologists and policymakers, and the findings are conclusive: by preventing unintended pregnancy, contraceptives prevent women from dying.

    How? Every pregnancy carries a risk, and pregnancies in crisis settings, where health systems are in tatters and medical care scarce, are particularly dangerous.

    Lifesaving aid because babies don’t wait

    What happens when a woman is ready to give birth after a hurricane or in a war zone?

    In the crisis-addled DRC, a breakdown in healthcare infrastructure has led maternal mortality rates to soar, with three women dying every hour from pregnancy or childbirth complications.

    “Many women in northwest Syria lose their lives while being transferred between hospitals in the absence of essential supplies for critical conditions,” Dr. Ikram Haboush, in Idlib, said.

    Unintended pregnancies are also directly correlated with higher maternal mortality rates.

    “That is why every public health programme designed to reduce the number of maternal deaths incorporates contraception as one of the pillars of action,” according to the experts who wrote UNFPA’s flagship annual publication, the State of the World’s Population Report, Seeing the unseen: The case of action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy.

    By preventing unintended pregnancy, contraceptives also reduce the incidence of maternal injuries and illness, stillbirth and neonatal death.

    In 2023, UNFPA’s dedicated supplies partnership procured $136 million worth of contraceptives, which is estimated to have prevented nearly 10 million unintended pregnancies and over 200,000 maternal and newborn deaths. It is estimated these contraceptives also prevented nearly three million unsafe abortions.

    © UNFPA

    Two community workers provide information about contraceptives in Bihar, India.

    Preventing fatal illness, chronic ailments

    Contraceptives like male and female condoms additionally save lives by decreasing the chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

    Even a treatable STI can be life-threatening in settings with limited access to medical care,  as is the case for women and girls in Haiti, for example, where widespread and relentless sexual violence has led to rising rates of unintended pregnancy as well as STIs, while the health system has all but collapsed.

    Only around three per cent of survivors in Haiti report receiving post-rape treatment within 72 hours of being assaulted. This treatment includes emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy and post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission.

    Contraceptives also treat ailments unrelated to sexual activity that are debilitating in even stable and secure circumstances like polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea and extremely heavy bleeding.

    For women like Omaira Opikuko from Venezuela, there is no question that long-term contraception after her sixth delivery was lifesaving.

    She suffered both haemorrhaging and a prolapsed uterus during her last labour.

    “I was on the brink of death,” she said.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Two Thai peer educator high school students describe a range of available condoms.

    Cost-effective humanitarian interventions

    Family planning is cost effective.

    In 2023, more than 50 countries that received UNFPA contraceptive supplies made collective savings of over $700 million through reduced healthcare costs for pregnancy, delivery and post-abortion care.

    Numerous studies have shown that family planning is a critical investment for society, not only by averting unintended pregnancy and the maternal health problems that accompany it, but also by increasing education and employment gains among women.

    In humanitarian settings, contraceptives are all the more critical, helping women and families survive and stabilise and leaving them better prepared to recover.

    No one knows this better than survivors of humanitarian crises themselves

    “There is a lot of demand for family planning services,” one emergency responder said in the immediate aftermath of a deadly cyclone.

    Amid the world’s growing precarity, rising catastrophes and increasing displacements, these services are a light in the dark for women and girls around the world.

    As Ms. Opikuko in Venezuela said, “I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

    Learn more about UNFPA here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: US executive orders continue, killings in Sudan, breast cancer alert in Africa, human rights in Tunisia

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    New executive orders issued by the White House are set to further impact the cooperative, multilateral work of the United Nations, two weeks since the United States declared that it was pulling out of the UN health agency, WHO.

    According to President Trump’s latest directive from the White House on Tuesday on international cooperation, the US will no longer participate in or financially support the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which is set to meet on Friday to discuss the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    The executive order also calls for a review of US membership of UNESCO, the UN agency for education, science and culture.

    Leading the review will be US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has 90 days to evaluate “how and if” UNESCO supports Washington’s interests.

    The third UN agency immediately affected by the order is UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, which the White House order maintained “has reportedly been infiltrated” by terrorist affiliates.

    The presidential order withdraws US funding from UNRWA and notes the UN agency’s alleged involvement in the 7 October attacks on Israel, something which UNRWA strongly condemned and responded to by opening itself up to an independent as well as an internal investigation, ultimately sacking nine staff for their possible involvement.

    Israel did not provide independent investigators with evidence to fully corroborate its allegations.

    By 4 August 2025 – in just six months’ time – the US executive order also calls for a review of US membership in “all international intergovernmental organizations” and all conventions and treaties.

    Praise for lifesaving US support

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in response to questions regarding the latest executive order that “from day one”, it has been clear that US support for the UN has “saved countless lives and advanced global security”.

    “As I have mentioned, the Secretary-General looks forward to speaking to President Trump. He looks forward to continuing what was a very frank and productive relationship during the first term,” he said.

    Mr. Dujarric recalled President Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office on Tuesday where he said the UN has “got great potential” with a critical role to play in taking on many big challenges facing the world.

    At least 40 children killed in three days as violence escalates in Sudan

    A surge in violence across Sudan has reportedly killed at least 40 children in just three days, with shelling targeting multiple areas of the country, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

    On Monday, heavy shelling in Kadugli, South Kordofan state, killed 21 children and injured 29 others.

    Over the weekend, attacks on markets in El Fasher in Darfur state and Sabreen in Khartoum state claimed the lives of at least 19 more children, with several others wounded.

    “Sadly, it is rare that more than a few short days go past without new reports of children being killed and injured,” said Annmarie Swai, the UNICEF representative in the country.

    Daily killings

    Since June 2024, as the conflict has spread into new regions, an average of over four incidents per day has been documented, with an overwhelming 80 per cent of these cases involving killings and maimings.

    The violence has also hit vital civilian infrastructure. In late January, shelling reportedly struck the only functioning hospital in El Fasher, killing and injuring seven children, while another attack on a UNICEF child-friendly space in Khartoum state left three children dead or wounded.

    “Children in Sudan are paying the ultimate price of the relentless fighting,” Ms. Swai said, urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian law.

    135,000 women in Africa could die from breast cancer by 2040, warns WHO

    An estimated 135,000 women could die from preventable breast cancer by 2040 in sub-Saharan Africa without urgent action, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

    According to a WHO study in 42 of the region’s 47 countries, there are significant gaps and disparities in breast cancer control.

    Key findings included a critical shortage of healthcare workers who are essential for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

    Tackling breast cancer is also limited by a lack of access to specialised cancer centres, WHO said.

    Lack of screening

    The UN health agency found that only five out of 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have regular breast cancer screening programmes. Lab screening facilities are also lacking, with only two countries meeting the standard of one lab per 100,000 people.

    Breast cancer-related deaths in the region continue to be driven by late diagnosis and insufficient prevention and care. Much more healthcare investment is needed, WHO insisted.

    In 2022 alone, the UN agency said that 38 out of every 100,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 19 per 100,000 died from the disease.

    Tunisia: Rights panel demands immediate release of activist on hunger strike

    Top independent rights experts reiterated their call to the Tunisian authorities on Wednesday to release an imprisoned activist who is intensive care after going on hunger strike.

    Sihem Bensedrine, 75, was the former president of the Truth and Dignity Commission in Tunisia until she was detained in August last year.

    In a joint appeal, the independent rights experts insisted that Ms. Bensedrine must be immediately and unconditionally released and any charges against her dropped.

    The rights experts – Special Rapporteurs Bernard Duhaime, Mary Lawlor and Margaret Satterthwaite – said that her arrest appeared to be in retaliation for her activism.

    Truth to power

    In particular, they cited her contribution to the Truth and Dignity Commission’s report which they said “should lead to the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of serious violations of past regimes”.

    The Tunisian commission was established in 2014 in collaboration with the UN human rights office, OHCHR, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). It was tasked with investigating alleged abuses going back six decades as well as acting as an arbiter in cases of corruption and gross human rights violations.

    Ms. Bensedrine is accused of falsifying the commission’s report on corruption in the banking system and has been the subject of judicial investigations since 2021, before her pre-trial detention last year.

    The Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts further argued that commission members and staff cannot be held liable for any content, conclusions or recommendations in the report as their work was carried out in line with their mandate.

    Chad and Nigeria sign agreement for voluntary refugee repatriation

    The governments of Chad and Nigeria, in collaboration with UN refugee agency, UNHCR, have signed a tripartite agreement to allow the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees currently residing in Chad.

    It marks a significant milestone in regional efforts to provide durable solutions for refugees, ensuring that any future returns are voluntary, safe and dignified.

    A tripartite commission will be set up to develop standard operating procedures for implementing the agreement. This includes facilitating ongoing dialogue, joint assessments and coordination between Chad, Nigeria and UNHCR. The commission will ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and that the protection needs of refugees remain central to the process.

    “This tripartite agreement is a crucial step toward ensuring that any voluntary repatriation of refugees is conducted in a manner that upholds their fundamental rights and dignity,” said UNHCR regional bureau director Abdouraouf Gnon-Kondé.

    The signing of this agreement is part of a broader commitment by the governments of Chad and Nigeria to strengthen protection and solutions for forcibly displaced populations. This includes ongoing cooperation with neighbouring countries to enhance regional coordination on voluntary repatriation and reintegration efforts.

    UNHCR commends the governments of Chad and Nigeria for their leadership in promoting durable solutions while safeguarding refugee rights. The agency stands ready to implement its commitments under this tripartite agreement.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: US aid funding cuts put HIV prevention at risk, warns UNAIDS

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    The US pause in foreign assistance funding has created “confusion” in the vital work of community HIV prevention, despite a waiver issued for HIV/AIDS programmes, the UN agency to combat the still deadly disease said on Friday.

    The waiver allows the continuation or resumption of “life-saving humanitarian assistance” including HIV treatment.

    That means 20 million people living with HIV and whose medication is funded by the US can continue to receive treatment. “That’s 20 million out of the 30 million people living with HIV in the world,” said Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, at scheduled press briefing in Geneva.

    Although it is expected that governments around the world will respond to the US announcement by supporting existing medication plans, “what we’re really concerned about is that…governments will focus right now on keeping people on treatment rather than preventing new infections” she explained.

    The HIV global response is heavily dependent on funds from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); it finances 70 per cent of the overall AIDS response.

    Since its creation in 2003, PEPFAR has saved more than 26 million lives by investing in critical HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes in 55 countries, according to UNAIDS.

    Nevertheless, “there is a lot of confusion on the ground especially at the community level on how the waiver will be implemented”, Ms. Stegling reported, pointing to disruption of treatment services.

    Transport services and community health workers are also still impacted by the US funding pause, according to UNAIDS.

    Drop-in centres at risk

    The agency – which works with 70 countries – highlighted that the pause in US assistance to community programmes would lead to the closure of many drop-in health centres and the termination of outreach workers’ contracts, effectively depriving vulnerable groups of support.

    The biggest interruption will be to community health services which have been crucial in the success of the fight against HIV, according to UNAIDS.

    In Ethiopia, 5,000 public health worker contracts depend on US assistance. “All of these, in all regions of Ethiopia, have been terminated, as well as 10,000 data clerks, very important in Ethiopia”, added Ms. Stegling.

    Critical services cut

    Thousands of individuals – women, young girls, and priority populations at higher risk of sexually transmitted infections – will no longer be able to access critical services, such as condom distribution, HIV testing, antiretroviral treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, screenings for tuberculosis or support to address gender-based violence.

    UNAIDS is most concerned about the long-term impact of the US funding freeze on prevention of new HIV infections as most services community-based, while national governments tend to focus on keeping people on treatment, rather than preventing new infections.

    Fear over spike in AIDS deaths

    If PEPFAR is not re-authorized between 2025 and 2029 and other resources are not found for the HIV response, “there would be a 400 per cent increase in AIDS death”, UNAIDS said. “That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS related deaths that will occur in the future”, Ms. Stegling told journalists.

    UNAIDS says it will continue efforts to ensure that during the 90-day pause, all people affected by HIV continue to access life-saving services. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Meds platform launch gives children with cancer a fighting chance

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Health

    A new UN-partnered project to distribute essential childhood cancer medicines has begun in Uzbekistan and Mongolia, the first rollout for a project due to be piloted in six countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

    Around 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and most of them live in low-income countries where medicines are either unaffordable or unavailable, resulting in an overwhelming 70 per cent death rate.

    In high-income countries, more than eight in 10 children who are diagnosed survive.

    “The platform is now set to close this gap”, said Dr. Andre Ilbawi, Technical lead of the WHO cancer control programme.

    The UN agency’s goal – working with leading US paediatric facility St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – is to reach 50 countries where needs are greatest, providing medicines to treat 120,000 children with cancer in the next five to seven years. Although it is an ambitious goal, it is achievable, Dr Ilbawi told journalists in Geneva.

    “This marks the beginning of a global movement to provide children with cancer the medicines that they need, regardless of where they live, or their ability to pay”, he insisted thanks to the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines.

    Major funding boost

    The launch of the platform has been made possible by a $200 million investment by St. Jude’s – marking the largest financial commitment ever made for childhood cancer medicines globally.

    The initiative also draws on the experience of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Pan American Health Organization Strategic Fund, which procure and distribute the medicines. “This innovation has now become a needed beacon of hope for families around the world”, Dr. Ilbawi said.

    The platform is not a donation programme, but rather a joint venture involving governments, the pharmaceutical industry, non-governmental organizations and local stakeholders such as hospitals.

    Complex and challenging

    The remaining four countries of the pilot phase that will soon receive cancer medication are Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia. Within days, El Salvador, Moldova, Senegal, Pakistan, Ghana and Sri Lanka will join the programme too.

    The needs of a child suffering from cancer are complex and demanding, ranging from qualified professionals to pharmaceutical companies and communities that are ready to support a family through the traumatic process of diagnosis, WHO explained.

    But with the launch of this platform come hopes of scaling it up. “The vision of giving every child a chance to fight cancer – no matter where they are born, is now becoming a reality” Dr. Ilbawi said.

    Soundcloud

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 2025 agenda: ‘We must not let opportunities pass,’ says UN Assembly President

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    The President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang presented a detailed vision of his 2025 priorities for the world body on Tuesday, calling it an opportunity for “a new start.”

    Under the theme Unity in Diversity, he emphasised the need for collective action to address pressing global challenges and deliver tangible progress. 

    Highlighting the mandates entrusted to the 79th Session, he outlined critical events, including the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the World Social Summit for Development.

    Reflecting on these milestones, Mr. Yang said, “these mandates are an integral part of our efforts to address the challenges our world faces.”

    The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled for July in Spain, was described as “crucial” in order “to elevate the urgency of financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    Additional high-level meetings will address structural barriers faced by middle-income countries, including discussions on moving beyond gross domestic product as the primary measure of economic progress. 

    The High-Level Interactive Dialogue on Culture and Sustainable Development, and the High-Level Meeting on Sand and Dust Storms, offer two more key moments to build momentum for change.

    Championing human rights and equality

    The President reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to human rights and equality, noting, “throughout our work, we must remember that our mission is to leave no one behind.”

    The proclamation of a second International Decade for People of African Descent was highlighted, alongside plans to advance the rights of older persons and address global prison reform on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Nelson Mandela Rules, “to ensure humane treatment of prisoners.”

    In a similar vein, the General Assembly is due to award the Nelson Mandela Prize for the third time in 2025. Given every five years to two outstanding individuals who have dedicated their lives to serving humanity, the award promotes values guided by the purposes and principles of the UN.

    Acknowledging the ongoing fight for gender equality, the President called for participation in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, affirming that he will push “for both prevention and accountability” and pledged to “promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, across all aspects of my Presidency.”

    The 25th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 will also serve as an opportunity to tackle enduring challenges in advancing women’s roles in peace and security. 

    Advancing climate action and technology

    Mr. Yang also outlined the importance of sustainable development and digital transformation.

    The Third UN Ocean Conference in June will focus on supporting “blue economies” and accelerating progress on SDG 14 which aims to conserve and develop a sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources.

    Meanwhile, the World Summit on Information Society will address digital divides, bolstered by the establishment of an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.

    This panel aims to “build a reliable scientific knowledge base, to firmly close the digital divides,” and “create a free, open and secure digital future for all.”

    Liquidity crisis must end

    Mr. Yang called on Member States to address the UN’s ongoing liquidity crisis, warning that late payments and withholding of assessed contributions could spark “a crisis of confidence in the United Nations.”

    Emphasising the stakes, he said: “the funding of the United Nations must, therefore, never be subjected to solving political problems. It is the contrary. We must all fund our organization in order to deal with our problems.”

    In a call for unity, the President stressed that “as with all our priorities, we will be measured by our actions. We cannot succeed alone. We count on you Member States.”

    80 years of the UN Charter

    A commemorative meeting of the assembly will be held on 26 June to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter.

    Reflecting on its historical significance, the President stated, “We must recover this San Francisco spirit. That powerful spirit must continue to guide all of us.”

    Consultations are also underway for a potential UN80 Summit in September to further celebrate the milestone. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: At Davos, Guterres slams backsliding on climate commitments

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    The world’s political and business elite present in Davos on Wednesday faced an uncompromising address from UN chief António Guterres as he rounded on a lack of multilateral collaboration in an “increasingly rudderless world” at risk from two existential dangers: climate change and unregulated Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    Mr. Guterres was speaking at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, the exclusive event held high in the Swiss Alps where senior politicians, Heads of State and CEOs of some of the world’s biggest and most influential companies rub shoulders.

    The UN Secretary-General took aim at the theme of this year’s meeting, Collaboration for the Intelligent Age, maintaining that there has been scant proof of either collaboration or intelligence and plenty of evidence that many of the world’s problems are worsening, from conflicts to inequality and assaults on human rights.

    Nuclear war is no longer the only existential threat to humanity, he said, pointing to the climate crisis and the “ungoverned expansion” of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    ‘Fossil fuel addiction’

    Likening fossil fuel addiction to Frankenstein’s monster – “sparing nothing and no one” – the Secretary-General noted the irony that 13 of the world’s biggest ports for oil supertankers are set to be overwhelmed by rising sea levels, a consequence of rising temperatures and sea ice melt, caused overwhelmingly by burning coal, crude oil and natural gas.

    A number of financial institutions and industries are backtracking on climate commitments, noted Mr. Guterres.

    A move that is, he said “short-sighted, and paradoxically, it is selfish and also self-defeating. You are on the wrong side of history. You are on the wrong side of science. And you are on the wrong side of consumers who are looking for more sustainability, not less.”

    Looking ahead to the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil at the end of the year, the UN chief reminded world leaders that they must keep their promise to produce new, economy-wide national climate action plans well before the event.

    Developing countries need a “surge in finance” for climate action, he declared, urging not just governments but all businesses and financial institutions to create robust and accountable transition plans.

    AI’s untold promise 

    The next existential threat, AI, is a double-edged sword, Mr. Guterres continued, as it is already revolutionizing learning, diagnosing illnesses, helping farmers to increase their yields and improving the targeting of aid.

    But it comes with profound risks if it is left ungoverned: it can disrupt economies, undermine trust in institutions and deepen inequalities, the Secretary-General warned.

    The Global Digital Compact – part of the Pact for the Future adopted by UN Member States last September – offers a “roadmap to harness the immense potential of digital technology and close digital divides” with a shared vision of AI serving humanity, not the other way around.

    Despite the challenges, the UN will never halt its demand for peace grounded in the UN Charter, international law and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of States, he said.

    Reforming institutions, from the global financial architecture to the UN Security Council, is, the UN chief asserted, a necessity because systems of governance are often ill-equipped to deal with today’s challenges. But achieving these essential changes – which world leaders committed to at last September’s Summit of the Future – will only be possible with political will, he said, cautioning: “I am not convinced leaders get it.”

    The Secretary-General concluded his remarks with a return to the theme of this year’s Davos event, appealing to the global community to face these existential challenges head on and work as one. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNOPS: the UN agency turning commitments into reality

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    Nations around the world which are seeking practical solutions to peace and security, humanitarian and development issues are marking 30 years of collaboration with a specialized UN agency.

    Despite immense security risks and logistical challenges, the agency worked with international partners to transport and eliminate hundreds of tonnes of chemical materials under strict deadlines. This mission drew praise from global leaders, illustrating how a UN body with the right expertise can help neutralize threats to international peace and security.

    The devastating 2004 tsunami left Indonesian provinces Aceh and Nias in ruins. Amid overwhelming damage, UNOPS constructed 225 earthquake-resistant schools in the region, providing children with secure, modern learning environments. By combining engineering expertise, local labor, and a rapid implementation timeline, education was revitalized for communities that had lost so much.

    UNOPS commitment to helping protect the environment was also highlighted through its work on the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that led to the healing of the ozone layer. By providing technical guidance and project support, UNOPS helped countries transition to safer alternatives for nearly 100 chemicals that harm the ozone layer.

    © UNOPS/John Rae

    A newly installed tap in Mirtala Village, India provides a clean water supply

    Bridging the gap between ambition and action

    In any country coming out of conflict, rebuilding essential infrastructure can make the biggest difference. UNOPS remains committed to supporting countries in conflict – building on its recent work in Ukraine, Syria and Gaza, which has been practically reduced to rubble. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is still in its early stages, but UNOPS stands ready to support a coordinated UN reconstruction response.

    From its beginnings as a small department to its evolution into a driving force for concrete action, the UNOPS journey is a testament to the power of resilience, innovation, and partnership. As global challenges multiply, the agency’s role in bridging the gap between humanitarian, developmental and environmental needs is an example of what the UN can achieve through determination, expertise, and a global commitment to improving lives worldwide.

    Today, the office is committed to bridging the gap between ambitions and tangible action, building foundations for countries to recover and thrive, from constructing schools and hospitals, building roads that connect communities in remote areas, and strengthening health systems.

    In 2025, as it marks its 30th anniversary, UNOPS is planning for the future, to ensure that it provides solutions where needs are greatest, with a focus on serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: US funding pause leaves millions ‘in jeopardy’, insist UN humanitarians

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    UN agencies on Tuesday offered a dire assessment of the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.

    The development follows the pause announced to billions of dollars of funding on 24 January by the US administration affecting “nearly all US foreign aid programmes, pending a 90-day review”, said Pio Smith from the UN’s sexual reproductive health agency, UNFPA, briefing journalists in Geneva.

    ‘Unwavering commitment’ to serve people in need

    In a letter to all UN personnel released on Tuesday morning in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had responded to the executive order from US President Donald Trump with a call to “ensure the delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities”.

    Mr. Guterres said the organization will remain actively engaged in assessing and mitigating the impact of the order.

    “Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial…Together, we will ensure that our organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment.”

    Deadly consequences

    Mr. Smith said that in response to the executive order, UNFPA “has suspended services funded by US grants that provide a lifeline for women and girls in crises, including in South Asia”.

    The UNFPA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific warned that between 2025 and 2028 in Afghanistan, the absence of US support will likely result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unintended pregnancies.

    Mr. Smith said the agency was seeking “more clarity” from the administration “as to why our programmes are being impacted, particularly those which we would hope would be exempt” on humanitarian grounds.

    Meanwhile, the UN aid coordination agency OCHA, said that there have been no “layoffs or closing down access” in response to the executive orders. 

    Spokesperson Jens Laerke added that the agency’s country offices were “in close contact” with local US embassies to better understand how the situation will unfold.

    He explained that the US Government funded around 47 per cent of the global humanitarian appeal across the world last year; “that gives you an indication of how much it matters when we are in the situation we are in right now, with the messaging we’re getting from the Government”.

    The move follows the announcement that the new US administration has placed the country’s principal overseas development agency, USAID, under the authority of the Secretary of State.

    Staff from the agency have been locked out of their offices, while the head of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency has accused USAID of criminal activity and a lack of accountability.

    “Public name-calling won’t save any lives,” said OCHA’s Mr. Laerke, while Alessandra Vellucci, head of the UN Information Service at UN Geneva, highlighted the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for a relationship of trust with the Trump administration.

    “We are looking at continuing this work together [and listening]…if there are criticisms, constructive criticism and points that we need to review,” she told reporters, underscoring the “decades-long relationship of mutual support” between the UN and the US.

    © UNICEF/Anmar Anmar

    USAID and UNICEF sign a partnership in 2024 to improve water and sanitation services across Iraq.

    Retreat from Human Rights Council

    At the same scheduled press encounter, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Council responded to news reports that President Trump plans to issue an executive order withdrawing the US from the 47-member world body.

    The US was a member of the Council from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024, meaning that since 1 January this year it has been an “observer State…like any of the 193 UN Member States that are not Council Members” explained spokesperson Pascal Sim:

    “Any Observer State of the Council cannot technically withdraw from an intergovernmental body that is no longer part of.”

    Preventable problems

    Amid uncertainty about future US funding, UNFPA’s Mr. Smith underscored the immediate impact on at-risk individuals in the world’s poorest settings: “Women give birth alone in unsanitary conditions; the risk of obstetric fistula is heightened, newborns die from preventable causes; survivors of gender-based violence have nowhere to turn for medical or psychological support,” he said.

    “We hope that the US Government will retain its position as a global leader in development and continue to work with UNFPA to alleviate the suffering of women and their families as a result of catastrophes they did not cause.”

    Afghanistan emergency

    UNFPA works across the world including in Afghanistan, where more than nine million people are expected to lose access to health and protection services because of the US funding crisis, it said.

    This will impact nearly 600 mobile health teams, family health houses and counselling centres, whose work will be suspended, Mr. Smith explained.

    “Every two hours, a mother dies from preventable pregnancy complications, making Afghanistan one of the deadliest countries in the world for women to give birth. Without UNFPA’s support, even more lives will be lost at a time when the rights of Afghan women and girls are already being torn to pieces.”

    Pakistan, Bangladesh fall-out

    In Pakistan, the UN agency warns that the US announcement will affect 1.7 million people, including 1.2 million Afghan refugees, who will be cut off from lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, with the closure of over 60 health facilities.

    In Bangladesh, nearly 600,000 people, including Rohingya refugees, face losing access to critical maternal and reproductive health services.

    “This is not about statistics. This is about real lives. These are literally the world’s most vulnerable people,” Mr. Smith insisted.

    In Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar refugee camp complex –where more than one million Rohingya refugees remain trapped in dire conditions – nearly half of all births now take place in health facilities, with UNFPA’s support.

    “This progress is now at risk,” Mr. Smith continued, noting that the agency requires more than $308 million dollars this year to sustain essential services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –