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Category: United Nations

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan crisis: UN rights chief condemns extrajudicial killings in Khartoum

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Human Rights

    The fight for Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, likely involved widespread summary executions of civilians following its recent recapture by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday.

    Citing credible reports of extrajudicial killings in several areas of the capital, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the victims were suspected of collaborating with rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters.

    “I urge the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces to take immediate measures to put an end to arbitrary deprivation of life,” insisted Mr. Türk, pointing to reports attributing the killings to SAF soldiers, State security personnel and affiliated militias.

    Video horrors

    The High Commissioner’s comments follow the review of “multiple horrific videos” available on social media since 26 March, apparently filmed in southern and eastern Khartoum and showing armed men “some in uniform and others in civilian clothes” executing civilians.

    In some of the video footage, perpetrators state that they are punishing supporters of RSF, the UN rights chief said, adding that he was “utterly appalled” by the development.

    One report from the Janoub Al Hezam area of southern Khartoum apparently showed the alleged killing of at least 20 civilians, including one woman, by SAF and affiliated supporters.

    Accountability call

    “Extrajudicial killings are serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” Mr. Türk said. “Individual perpetrators, as well as those with command responsibility, must be held accountable for such unacceptable actions under international criminal law.”

    Sudan’s spiralling crisis stems from the breakdown of a transition to civilian rule after the overthrow of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

    The country was the first that Mr. Türk visited as High Commissioner in November 2022 and he has invested heavily in trying to protect Sudanese people from heavy fighting and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has gripped the country. In May 2024 he spoke to rival generals Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan of the SAF and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the RSF, in an effort to pursue a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

    Human Rights Council spotlight

    At the current Human Rights Council session in Geneva, however, the High Commissioner warned more than 600,000 people are on the brink of starvation in Sudan after nearly two years of fighting.

    “Famine is reported to have taken hold in five areas, including Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur,” Mr. Türk said, referring to the shelter where the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to suspend its lifesaving operations amid intense fighting.

    An additional five more areas could face famine in coming months and a further 17 are at risk, the High Commissioner told the Council on 27 February. “My own staff have heard harrowing testimonies of death from starvation in Khartoum and Omdurman.”

    El Fasher alert

    In an alert late Wednesday, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that 250,000 people – mostly women, children and older people – had fled violence in the Al Malha area, around 180 kilometres north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

    “Many are now scattered across 15 villages, lacking even basic necessities, the UN agency said, highlighting that just last week, the UN migration agency, IOM, said that 75,000 people had been displaced because of clashes.

    “The newly reported figure would mark a very significant escalation in displacement and signal a serious deterioration in an already dire humanitarian situation across North Darfur,” OCHA said.

    In eastern Sudan, meanwhile, humanitarian partners continue to respond to a hepatitis outbreak spreading among displaced communities at the Gharb Al Matar displacement site in Kassala state.

    Between 27 and 31 March, more than 60 new suspected cases were reported, bringing the total to 236 cases in less than a month.

    The outbreak is being driven by overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation and limited healthcare.

    Millions displaced

    To date, an estimated 8.8 million people have been forced from their homes to camps and other locations within Sudan; 3.5 million more have fled across borders.

    More than 30.4 million people need assistance, from healthcare to food and other forms of humanitarian support. Less than 30 per cent of hospitals and clinics are still working, and outbreaks of disease are rampant in displacement camps.

    Online threat

    In a statement, Mr. Türk expressed concern at the rise in online hate speech and incitement to violence in Sudan, “with lists of individuals accused of collaborating with the RSF posted online”. The High Commissioner also warned that ethnic groups from the Darfur and Kordofan regions were being targeted disproportionately, before calling for the Sudanese authorities to launch independent, transparent and effective investigations into the latest incidents.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Evicted PNG settlement fears collective punishment over gang rape and killing

    By Harlyne Joku and BenarNews staff

    Residents of an informal Port Moresby settlement that was razed following the gang rape and murder of a woman by 20 men say they are being unfairly punished by Papua New Guinea authorities over alleged links to the crime.

    Human rights advocates and the UN have condemned the killing but warned the eviction by police has raised serious concerns about collective punishment, violations of national law, police misconduct and governance failures.

    A community spokesman said more than 500 people living at the settlement at the capital’s Baruni rubbish dump were forcibly evicted by the police in response to the killing of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel on February 15.

    Port Moresby newspapers reported the gang rape and murder by 20 men of 32-year-old Margaret Gabriel . . . “Barbaric”, said the Post-Courier in a banner headline. Image: BenarNews

    Authorities accuse the settlement residents, who are primarily migrants from the Goilala district in Central Province, of harboring some of the men involved in her murder.

    Prime Minister James Marape condemned Gabriel’s death as “inhuman, barbaric” and a “defining moment for our nation to unite against crime, to take a stand against violence”, the day after the attack.

    He assured every effort would be made to prosecute those responsible and his “unwavering support” for the removal of settlements like Baruni, calling them “breeding grounds for criminal elements who terrorise innocent people.”

    Gabriel was one of three women killed in the capital that week.

    Charged with rape, murder
    Four men from Goilala district and two from Enga province, all aged between 18 and 29, appeared in a Port Moresby court on Monday on charges of her rape and murder.

    The case has again put a spotlight again on gender-based violence in PNG and renewed calls for the government to find a long-term solution to Port Moresby’s impoverished settlements.

    Dozens of families, some of whom have lived in the Baruni settlement for more than 40 years, were forced out of their homes on February 22 and are now sleeping under blue tarpaulins at a school sports oval on the outskirts of the capital.

    Spokesman for the evicted Baruni residents, Peter Laiam . . . “My people are innocent.” Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    “My people are innocent,” Peter Laiam, a community spokesman and school caretaker, told BenarNews, adding that police continued to harass the community at their new location.

    “They told me I had to move these people out in two weeks’ time or they will shoot us.”

    Laiam said a further six men from the settlement were suspected of involvement in Gabriel’s death, but had not been charged, and the community has fully cooperated with police on the matter, including naming the suspects.

    Authorities however were treating the entire population as “trouble makers,” Laiam added.

    “They also took cash and building materials like corrugated iron roofing for themselves” he said.

    No police response
    Senior police in Port Moresby did not respond to ongoing requests from BenarNews for reaction to the allegations.

    Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Turi last week thanked the evicted settlers for information that led to the arrest of six suspects, The National newspaper reported.

    Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Junior defended the eviction at Baruni last month, telling EMTV News it was lawful and the settlement was on state-owned land.

    Bare land left after homes in the Baruni settlement village were flattened by bulldozers at Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    Police used excavators and other heavy machinery to tear down houses at the Baruni settlement, with images showing some buildings on fire.

    Residents say the resettlement site in Laloki lacks adequate water, sanitation and other facilities.

    “They are running out of food,” Laiam said. “Last weekend they were washed out by the rain and their food supplies were finished.”

    Separated from their gardens and unable to sell firewood, the families are surviving on food donations from local authorities, he said.

    Human rights critics
    The evictions have been criticised by human rights advocates, including Peterson Magoola, the UN Women Representative for PNG.

    “We strongly condemn all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and call for justice for the victim,” he said in a statement last month.

    “At the same time, collective punishment, forced evictions, and destruction of homes violate fundamental human rights and disproportionately harm vulnerable members of the community.”

    The evicted families living in tents at Laloki St Paul’s Primary School, on the outskirts of Port Moresby, PNG. Image: Harlyne Joku/Benar News

    Melanesian Solidarity, a local nonprofit, called on the government to ensure justice for both the murder victim and displaced families.

    It said the evictions might have contravened international treaties and domestic laws that protect against unlawful property deprivation and mandate proper legal procedures for relocation.

    The Baruni settlement, which is home primarily to migrants from Goilala district, was established with consent on the customary land of the Baruni people during the colonial era, according to Laiam.

    Central Province Governor Rufina Peter defended the evicted settlers on national broadcaster NBC on February 20, and their contribution to the national capital.

    “The Goilala people were here during pre-independence time. They are the ones who were the bucket carriers,” she said.

    ‘Knee jerk’ response
    She also criticised the eviction by police as “knee jerk” and raised human rights concerns.

    The Goilala community in Central Province, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital, was the center of controversy in January when a trophy video of butchered body parts being displayed by a gang went viral, attracted erroneous ‘cannibalism’ reportage by the local media and sparked national and international condemnation.

    The evictions at Baruni have touched off again a complex debate about crime and housing in PNG, the Pacific’s most populous nation.

    Informal settlements have mushroomed in Port Moresby as thousands of people from the countryside migrate to the city in search of employment.

    Critics say the impoverished settlements are unfit for habitation, contribute to the city’s frequent utility shortages, and harbour criminals.

    Mass evictions have been ordered before, but the government has failed to enact any meaningful policies to address their rapid growth across the city.

    While accurate population data is hard to find in PNG, the United Nations Population Fund estimates that the number of people living in Port Moresby is about 513,000.

    Lack basic infrastructure
    At least half of them are thought to live in informal settlements, which lack basic infrastructure like water, electricity and sewerage, according to 2022 research by the PNG National Research Institute.

    A shortage of affordable housing and high rental prices have caused a mismatch between demand and supply.

    Melanesian Solidarity said the government needed to develop a national housing strategy to prevent the rise of informal settlements.

    “This eviction is a wake-up call for the government to implement sustainable urban planning and housing reforms rather than resorting to forced removals,” it said in a statement.

    “We stand with the affected families and demand justice, accountability, and humane solutions for all Papua New Guineans.”

    Stefan Armbruster, Sue Ahearn and Harry Pearl contributed to this story. Republished from BenarNews with permission. However, it is the last report from BenarNews as the editors have announced a “pause” in publication due to the US administration withholding funds.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP delivers aid to hardest-hit areas in earthquake-stricken Myanmar

    Source: World Food Programme

    Photo: © WFP/Arete/Photolibrary. Mother and children seek shelter after the earthquake in Seinpan ward, Mandalay city on 1st April 2025.

    MANDALAY, Myanmar – Within 48 hours of the powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began emergency food distributions to affected communities. WFP has so far reached over 24,000 earthquake survivors in four areas, Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Sagaing and Shan, and is scaling up efforts to assist 850,000 affected people.

    Here are the latest updates on WFP’s emergency quake operations in Myanmar.

    WFP Food Distributions

    • WFP has ongoing food assistance operations in the hardest-hit areas of Mandalay, Naypyitaw, Sagaing and Shan. 
    • Sagaing: WFP has reached nearly 4,000 people with food rations in conflict-hit Sagaing, already home to a third of Myanmar’s internally displaced population before the earthquake. 
    • Mandalay City: At the epicentre in Mandalay, WFP has distributed fortified biscuits to more than 15,000 people since 1 April. WFP also reached 480 households – about 2,400 people – in Sein Pan, one of the poorest and worst-impacted ward in Mandalay, where almost every resident lost their home due to the earthquake and a subsequent fire.
    • Southern Shan: WFP and partners have so far reached 4,000 people with assistance. 
    • Nay Pyi Taw: Since food distributions started on 30 March, a total of 1,000 people have received fortified biscuits from WFP.
    • WFP has dispatched more than 100 metric tons of food from Yangon to Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, and Sagaing. 
    • WFP has over 200 metric tons of fortified biscuits available for immediate distribution, with an additional 7,000 metric tons of food stocks in-country to assist those hardest hit.
    • WFP aims to reach 100,000 people with ready-to-eat food in the first phase of response, followed by food assistance for 850,000 people for one month.

    Assessments, logistics and coordination: 

    • WFP has established a central response hub in Nay Pyi Taw to coordinate the earthquake response and has rapidly deployed teams to Mandalay.
    • WFP is collaborating with partners on rapid needs assessments in Mandalay, Sagaing, Shan and Nay Pyi Taw, while also evaluating market access and functionality.
    • An interagency Rapid Needs Assessment is ongoing, with results expected soon.  

     Response challenges:

    • Access to earthquake hit areas and unreliable telecommunications continue to pose challenges for WFP and partners to mount a full-scale response to the massive needs. 
    • WFP urgently needs US$ 40 million to support 850,000 people affected by the earthquake.
    • Myanmar is already facing severe food insecurity, with 15.2 million people – one in four – food insecure. Despite escalating humanitarian needs, WFP’s funding shortfalls recently forced the suspension of assistance to over one million people, leaving only 35,000 of the most vulnerable currently receiving monthly support from WFP.

    Note to the editor: 
    Broadcast quality footage available here
    Hi-res photos available here
    More about WFP’s operations in Myanmar here

    #                     #                       #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media, @WFPAsiaPacific

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 3 April 2025 Departmental update Membership of the Expert Group on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Anaemia

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Anaemia remains a persistent public health issue. It affects an estimated 500 million women 15–49 years of age, including 37% of pregnant women and 30% of non-pregnant women (1). Anaemia may range from mild to severe, causing symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath, which reduce a person’s capacity for learning and physical work (2). It also significantly increases the risk of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. During pregnancy, women with anaemia have a higher probability of pre-eclampsia and of prenatal depression. The newborn is more likely to be low birth weight, small-for-gestational age or stillborn. By preventing, diagnosing and managing anaemia, health and well-being is improved, contributing to improved economic growth and reduced gender inequalities, as anaemia affects twice as many women as men.

    Despite being a World Health Assembly Global Nutrition Target and an indicator of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the prevalence of anaemia has not appreciably decreased over the past decade. The causes of anaemia are often complex, involving micronutrient deficiencies, infections, inflammation, chronic diseases and inherited red blood cell disorders. For adolescent girls and women, gynaecological and obstetric conditions also play a role. Interventions have focused on preventing and managing infections (e.g. malaria, soil transmitted helminths), and iron deficiency through the use of iron and folic acid supplementation. However, coverage has been low. Since 2020, the use of antenatal multiple micronutrient supplements that include iron and folic acid has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the context of rigorous research, and research on the use of intravenous iron has shown promise in some settings.

    In May 2023, WHO launched a Comprehensive framework for action to accelerate anaemia reduction, advocating for coordinated action across systems and emphasizing a broad approach to diagnosis, prevention and management. This includes addressing all main causes of anaemia and the broader social inequities related to education, poverty, food insecurity and lack of access to family planning, health and nutrition services and clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Addressing both the causes and risk factors simultaneously is essential for effective anaemia control.

    An Expert Group on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Anaemia meeting will be held virtually on 14–15 April 2025 to discuss findings from a state of the evidence review on maternal anaemia, identify evidence and knowledge gaps, and highlight priority areas for updating or providing new guidance on the prevention, diagnosis and management of anaemia during pregnancy and postpartum. The Expert Group will ensure that anaemia is being addressed from multiple perspectives and with a person-centred approach.

    In keeping with the requirements of the WHO Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Office, short biographies of the expert group members will be posted online. The listed candidates have also submitted a declaration of interest form stating any conflict of interest. WHO has applied its internal processes to ensure that the performance of the above tasks by members of this group will be transparent and without any significant conflict of interests (academic, financial or other) that could affect the credibility of the guideline.

    Nevertheless, WHO invites the public to review the experts and stakeholders involved and provide feedback regarding any member deemed to have a significant conflict of interest with respect to the terms of reference for this group. Comments and feedback should be cordial and constructive, and sent to srhmph@who.int.

    This WHO meeting is by invitation only.

    NOTE:

    The Expert Group members are participating in the meeting on their individual capacity. Affiliations are presented only as a reference. The participation of experts in a WHO meeting does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO nor does it create a binding relationship between the experts and WHO. The biographies have been provided by the experts themselves and are the sole responsibility of the individuals concerned. WHO is not responsible for the accuracy, veracity and completeness of the information provided. In accordance with WHO conflict of interest assessment policy, experts’ biographies are published for transparency purposes. Comments and perceptions are brought to the knowledge of WHO through the public notice and comment process.

    Comments sent to WHO are treated confidentially and their receipt will be acknowledged through a generic email notification to the sender. Please send any comments to the following email: srhmph@who.int. WHO reserves the right to discuss information received through this process with the relevant expert with no attribution to the provider of such information. Upon review and assessment of the information received through this process, WHO, in its sole discretion, may take appropriate management of conflicts of interests in accordance with its policies.

    1. Stevens GA, Paciorek CJ, Flores-Urrutia MC, Borghi E, Namaste S, Wirth JP, Suchdev PS, Ezzati M, Rohner F, Flaxman SR, Rogers LM. National, regional, and global estimates of anaemia by severity in women and children for 2000-19: a pooled analysis of population-representative data. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 May;10(5):e627-e639.

    2. Wilson SE, Rogers LM, Garcia-Casal MN, Barreix M, Bosman A, Cunningham J, Goga A, Montresor A, Tunçalp Ö. Comprehensive framework for integrated action on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of anemia: An introduction. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2023 Jun;152 4(1):5-9.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Global Relief Institute

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    Global Relief Institute is an international centre for development and aid workers. GRI provides training, project management and evaluations services, fundraising, facilitation, advisory, technical assistance, consultancies and partnerships worldwide.

    Global Relief Institute’s work is to address capacity building gaps in the development and relief organizations. GRI also prepare professionals who want to seek careers in the relief sector.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Call for Applications: World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2025

    Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

    UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, 1-8 July 2025 – “World Heritage in an interconnected world: Leveraging digital technologies and innovative approaches”

    As an integral part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, and with the support of the Republic of Bulgaria, the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2025 will take place from 1 to 8 July 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, under the theme of World Heritage in an interconnected world: Leveraging digital technologies and innovative approaches.

    The Forum will enhance the expertise and capacities of young professionals in protecting, preserving, and promoting our natural and cultural World Heritage. Participants will discuss and gain a comprehensive understanding of global concepts related to World Heritage in a rapidly changing and increasingly connected world. They will explore how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), immersive tools (AR and VR), digital mapping, drones, and 3D modeling can revolutionize the preservation of World Heritage and enhance public awareness. Additionally, they will examine innovative approaches to World Heritage aimed at fostering sustainable heritage management for future generations. At the end of the Forum, the young professionals will present their Declaration to the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.

    Call for Applications

    All interested candidates are invited to consult the Call for Applications

    Download

    Online application

    Candidates should submit the Online Application Form together with the requested documents by 22 April 2025 at 23:59 CET

    Online Application

    For any questions, kindly contact: wh-ypf@unesco.org

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 3 April 2025 Years of research are poised to dramatically alter the course of maternal mortality

    Source: World Health Organisation

    “You never forget the experience when a woman just slips away in your hands, and you know it is too late,” said Dr Hadiza Galadanci, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bayero University, on the experience of a woman dying as she delivers a baby.

    Excessive bleeding is a common complication of childbirth that millions of women experience and survive. However, thousands of women are still dying due to haemorrhage every year, making up 27% of all maternal deaths. Nearly all these women are from sub-Saharan Africa, where a number of challenges persist, including a lack of access to prenatal care, skilled birth attendants and high-quality medicines in health facilities.

    Dramatic change

    However, this is primed to change. More women are surviving childbirth than ever before, in part thanks to years of research that led to a highly effective and affordable clinical protocol called the Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) bundle. This new way of detecting and treating postpartum haemorrhage early combines the most effective interventions into a quicker, life-saving method that is being scaled up in the places that need it the most.

    “In the last year or two, we’ve seen a real difference. Even the cleaners and staff in the labour ward say the new way is a great innovation. Before, blood would flow onto the beds and floors. Now, with the drape, the blood is collected in a pouch,” said Dr Galadanci.

    This plastic pouch, or drape, is the first step in the new approach that takes the guesswork out of estimating blood loss. The drape itself is not new, but its consistent use is, and the difference has been immediately felt.

    “You cannot accurately assess blood loss by just looking. By the time we decide to intervene, many women are already in shock – thirsty, disoriented, fading away before our eyes,”​ said Dr Zahida Qureshi, principal investigator of the E-MOTIVE trial in Kenya and Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Nairobi.

    Simulation exercises for training at the ACEPHAP simulation lab, 2025. © Stephen Mohammed Abu

    Scaffolding progress

    Finding affordable and effective interventions that work to detect, treat and prevent life-threatening complications in resource-poor settings takes years of iterative research, testing and refinement. Dr Quresh explained that throughout her career she took part in multiple trials that laid the groundwork for where we are today – on the brink of altering the course of maternal mortality.

    Studies like the WOMAN trial on tranexamic acid and the CHAMPION trial on oxytocic drugs, generated useful evidence that was foundational to the components of the E-MOTIVE package, or PPH bundle. Scientists and doctors at WHO, the UN’s Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) and the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, built off the foundation of these trials and devised the PPH bundle to address the very specific needs of women who are most at risk of dying in childbirth.

    Once proven effective through a large-scale study, WHO convened a Guideline Development Group to rapidly formulate a WHO recommendation so that the solution would be taken to scale as fast as possible.

    Now, doctors and midwives who are implementing and scaling up the innovative approach report drastic reductions in cases of severe bleeding and deaths. Adesida Odunayo, a midwife in Ondo State, Nigeria, said the impact of the E-MOTIVE trial has ultimately helped her save lives.

    “To carry out research on your own is not easy. Without WHO, we would not know that this E-MOTIVE bundle could really reduce maternal mortality due to postpartum haemorrhage,” said Odunayo. “Somebody made the proposal and said, ‘Let’s do this together.’ That really helped us.”

    What’s next

    Now that the effectiveness is known, the next step is ensuring it is widely put to use.

    “E-MOTIVE is more than the drape; it is a full package. We need to train people to use it effectively,” said Dr Alfred Osoti, Associate Professor at the University of Nairobi. “We need to invest in what we know works. When we have scarce resources, we cannot afford to ignore proven solutions.”

    Another pressing issue is drug quality and availability. In the E-MOTIVE trial, researchers had to test brands and identify those that were effective. “Countries need systems to routinely check drug quality, not just once at registration, but on an ongoing basis,” Dr Osoti added. In the absence of such systems, facilities risk relying on poor-quality medications that fail when they are needed most.

    To address maternal mortality now that resources are scarce, it is essential to put funding into solutions that we know work. This means training health workers on the complete PPH bundle, regular monitoring on drug quality and consistent monitoring and evaluation of the intervention, which helps ensure that success in one hospital can be replicated in others.

    A woman still dies due to maternal causes every two minutes. With scalable solutions at hand the question is no longer what should be done, it is whether or not such solutions will make it to women everywhere.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM Urgently Seeks USD 17.3 Million to Support Communities Hit Hardest by Myanmar Earthquake

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Bangkok, 3 April 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 17.3 million to respond to the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in critical need of humanitarian assistance.   

    “The immediate needs of those affected include shelter, food, health services, water, sanitation, and mental health and psychosocial support. Vulnerable populations, including children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, are at heightened risk of family separation, trafficking, abuse, and gender-based violence,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.  

    IOM and local partners are working around the clock to collect information on the impact of the earthquake through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) to help assess the critical needs of the affected communities, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  

    The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks are the largest to hit Myanmar in over a century and have caused widespread destruction across central Myanmar, including Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions, along with Nay Pyi Taw and parts of Shan State. More than 3,000 people are confirmed dead so far, with thousands more injured. As rescue efforts continue and the full extent of the devastation becomes clearer, the death toll is expected to rise. About 10.4 million people live in areas hardest hit by the earthquake.  

    In coordination with local authorities and other humanitarian partners, IOM is prioritizing the delivery of emergency shelter kits, multipurpose cash assistance, essential healthcare, safe drinking water, hygiene kits, and psychosocial support for affected families. IOM also aims to support local authorities in managing displacement sites, ensuring displaced communities have access to essential services and protection.  

    While IOM is urgently appealing for support to address immediate emergency needs, the aftermath of the earthquake is expected to require extensive long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts. This disaster further exacerbates already critical humanitarian needs, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.  

    Even before the earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar (one third of the population) needed humanitarian aid, because of conflict, hunger, curtailed access to public services, and economic upheaval. More than 3.5 million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict.   

     

    The IOM Flash Appeal for Myanmar Earthquake Response can be found here. 

     

    For more information on how to contribute or to get involved, please visit IOM Myanmar Crisis Response Plan 2025. You can also donate here.  

     

    For more information, please contact:   

     

    In Bangkok: Itayi Viriri, iviriri@iom.int   

    In Geneva: Daniela Rovina, drovina@iom.int    

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 3 April 2025 Departmental update Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) became a member of the Primary Registry Network of ICTRP

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Today the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) became a member of the Primary Registry Network of ICTRP. It provides information on individual clinical trials in the European Union and European Economic Area since its launch on 31 January 2022 and has been a data provider to ICTRP since 2023.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s video message to the Club de Madrid Annual Policy Dialogue: Driving Sustainable Futures for All

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Download the video:
    https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/downloads2.unmultimedia.org/public/video/evergreen/MSG+SG+/SG+26+Mar+25/3355311_MSG+SG+CLUB+DE+MADRID+DIALOGUE+26+MAR+25.mp4

    Excellencies, Dear Friends,

    The resolve to advance a better world won’t get very far without resources. 

    And so, I applaud the Club de Madrid for focussing this policy dialogue on the crucial issue of financing for sustainable development.

    Our world groans with injustices:

    Gaping inequalities…

    Developing countries locked-out of the energy revolution… 

    And the Sustainable Development Goals woefully off track.

    These problems erode trust and foment frustration.

    And finance is at their heart. 

    Debt crises, painful repayment schedules, and soaring capital costs are enormous obstacles to investing in people.

    But last year, countries took a critical step forward. 

    They agreed to the Pact for the Future:

    This calls for reforms of the Multilateral Development Banks to make them bigger and bolder so they can facilitate greater investment and leverage far more private finance.

    It demands steps to improve access to concessional finance for developing countries.

    It urges action to assist countries drowning in debt service, and an overhaul of the debt architecture.

    And it calls for greater voice and representation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.

    The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla in June will be a critical opportunity to turn ambitions into action.

    I urge you to help make that a reality.

    Yes, the international landscape is undeniably tough.

    But together, we can demonstrate that multilateralism can deliver.

    We can create a more just and effective financial architecture.

    And we can make sure our resolve for sustainable development is matched by resources.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Pakistan Presents Credentials

    Source: United Nations 4

    (Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

    The new Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

    Prior to his appointment, Mr. Ahmad served as his country’s ambassador to France and Monaco and as Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from November 2022 to December 2024.

    Before holding several positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, Mr. Ahmad served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Thailand and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) from 2017 to 2021.

    His work with the United Nations in New York and Geneva includes serving as a member of the country’s delegation to the Security Council in 2003-2004 and in 2012-2013, when he also served as Pakistan’s political coordinator in the Council.  He has represented Pakistan at the Human Rights Council and the review of Pakistan’s reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee against Torture.  He also served as the Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the General Assembly President from 2009-2010.

    Mr. Ahmad holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Punjab, both in Lahore, Pakistan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Amid Record High Killing of Humanitarian Workers, Speakers Implore Security Council to Ensure Accountability for Attacks on Personnel in Conflict Zones

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    What is the Council going to do to ensure accountability for the killing of aid workers and to prevent more such deaths, a senior United Nations humanitarian official asked the 15-member body today, as she detailed the unprecedented attacks that such workers face in conflict zones around the world.

    Joyce Msuya, Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, noting the record number of humanitarian workers killed in 2024 — 377 across 20 countries — said many more were injured, kidnapped, and arbitrarily detained.  “Being shot at should not be part of the job,” she emphasized. 

    In Sudan, at least 84 humanitarian workers, all Sudanese nationals, have been killed since the current conflict began in 2023.  Three days ago, the bodies of 15 emergency aid workers were recovered from a mass grave in Rafah — killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.  “Gaza is the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever”, she said — a statement echoed several times in the ensuing discussion.  More than 408 aid workers were killed there, since 7 October 2023.  

    There is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to tackle this, she added — “what is lacking is the political will to comply.”   Almost 95 per cent of those killed are local aid workers; but the killing of a local aid worker receives 500 times less media coverage than that of an international staff member.  She also highlighted the challenge posed by disinformation and misinformation campaigns targeting aid organizations. 

    Respect for International Law Is Critical 

    Highlighting three asks, she called on the Council to ensure respect for international law and protect humanitarian workers.  Secondly, “speak out”, she said, adding that “silence, inconsistency and selective outrage is emboldening perpetrators”.  Finally, accountability is crucial, she stressed, adding that the Council must ask concerned Governments to pursue justice, and when national jurisdictions fail it must use international mechanisms.

    Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, recalled that he had previously urged the Council to “translate words of support for the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel into meaningful action”.  At the time, he also called on Member States to join the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.  “Since that briefing, I regret to inform you that progress has been elusive,” he said.

    In Gaza, the breakdown of the ceasefire has been “particularly brutal”, he emphasized, noting, among others, the direct attack on a clearly identified UN building on 19 March.  On 23 March, a worker of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other humanitarian staff were killed while providing life-saving assistance — “their bodies left for days before they could be retrieved”, he noted. 

    “Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel have become the ‘new normal’,” he said.  Such attacks are perpetrated by non-State actors and Governments alike and, while the motives vary, he stressed:  “But, above all, they do it because they can get away with it.” 

    Closure of Vital Services Due to ‘Criminalization of Aid’ 

    “Through the eyes of a humanitarian, the world is a volatile place,” Nic Lee, Executive Director of the International NGO Safety Organisation told the Council.  On average, at least one aid worker is abducted, injured or killed every day.  Nationally and locally recruited personnel are particularly vulnerable and the international response to their death is lacking.  Violence at the hands of non-State armed groups continues to remain prevalent, with the most common incidents occurring in West and Central Africa. Further, the “criminalization of aid” amid an “explosive growth” in NGO restrictions has led to the closure of vital services for populations in dire need, he said.

    The Council must do more to facilitate diplomatic engagement on humanitarian issues, protect the humanitarian space and “challenge the worrying trend of criminalization of aid”, he said. “The fact is that violence against aid workers is more commonly linked to their identity as civilians than as aid workers,” he added.  The Council must address the double standards of Member States who continue to support those responsible for civilian and aid worker deaths alike. 

    Patterns of Violence Extend Across Multiple Conflict Zones

    When the floor opened, Council members reaffirmed that it is unacceptable to target humanitarian workers and highlighted the frontlines where they are in danger.  The representative of Slovenia recalled the words of the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who addressed the Council in September 2024:  “One conflict informs the other, boundaries are pushed into the zone of the acceptable, and more human suffering follows.” 

    “The pattern of violence against humanitarian workers extends across multiple conflict zones,” Somalia’s delegate said, noting that in Sudan, over 100 aid workers have been killed since April 2023, while Ukraine has lost 23 brave souls, and in Gaza, 399 humanitarian personnel, including 289 UN staff members, paid the ultimate price.  Eight of the aid workers whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Rafah recently, he noted, were Red Crescent medics still wearing their protective gear.  This is a “stark violation of every principle we hold sacred”, he said. 

    In Gaza UN Workers Systematically Suppressed, Aid Workers Attacked

    Algeria’s delegate noted that the bodies were buried near destroyed ambulances — they were assassinated by Israeli occupying forces while attempting to save lives.  They deserve justice, he said, stressing that attacks directed at humanitarian personnel, their premises and assets are considered war crimes under international law.  The fact that these basic principles do not seem to apply to the Israeli occupying Power calls into question the relevance of international humanitarian law and the Security Council itself, he said.  Also stressing the need for accountability, China’s delegate stressed the role of UNRWA in Gaza, noting that it has been systematically suppressed and its humanitarian workers attacked. 

    The representative of the United Kingdom noted the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, and called for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated. 

    In Gaza, the representative of the United States said, “Hamas has cynically misused civilian infrastructure to shield themselves” causing “civilians to be caught in the crossfire”.  He expressed concern about the surge in civilian deaths in Sudan, the constraints faced by humanitarians in South Sudan and the devastating effects of the Russian Federation’s war on Ukraine on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Further, “we condemn the Houthis’ sham so-called judicial proceedings against detainees,” he said, expressing concern about the humanitarian and diplomatic personnel detained by the Houthis. 

    In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone’s delegate said, civilians are caught in the crossfire of armed group activity, while in Haiti, violence from armed gangs has engulfed urban centers, displaced thousands and left civilians at the mercy of lawlessness.  In Ukraine, the Russian Federation uses “cruel double-tap strikes” to target first responders, Denmark’s delegate pointed out.

    The Republic of Korea’s delegate noted that in Sudan, warring parties spread false narratives accusing the Sudan Emergency Response Room of collaborating with their enemies, thereby justifying the denial of humanitarian access and leaving millions in urgent need.  He called upon all States to consider sanctioning those responsible for disseminating unverified and libelous content.  Last year – the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers – also saw the adoption of Council resolution 2730 (2024), he recalled.

    Calls for Stronger Action to Implement Council Resolution 2730 (2024)

    The representative of Switzerland, who presented that text to the Council during the country’s tenure as a non-permanent member, stressed the importance of implementing it and guaranteeing unimpeded humanitarian access.  Several speakers reaffirmed support for that text, including the representative of Greece.  France’s delegate, Council President for April, speaking in his national capacity, echoed the call for justice and said that each time violations occur, the Council has to “speak out, it must react”.  Panama’s delegate said the text “set us on the right track, and it remains fully relevant.” 

    Pakistan’s delegate urged the creation of a “global implementation dashboard” for that resolution — it should provide real-time public tracking of violations, investigations and their outcomes “for everyone to see and follow”. The escalating attacks on humanitarian personnel are not just isolated incidents — “they reflect a growing disregard for international norms,” he said, adding that it is unacceptable that those who work to provide “dignity amidst displacement” are met “not with gratitude, but with gunfire”. 

    Guyana’s delegate expressed support for the Secretary-General’s recommendation for the Council to systematically request the concerned State authorities to conduct prompt, independent and effective investigations into incidents and to report to the Council about the outcomes of these investigations, including on measures to prevent reoccurrence.  The Council must also consider referrals to the International Criminal Court or other international tribunals where State authorities prove unable or unwilling to act, she said.

    “What new instruments can we talk about if the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations are unable to enforce previous ones which remain fully relevant?” asked the Russian Federation’s delegate.  Current international obligations are more than sufficient, he said, calling for more scrupulous compliance.  His delegation abstained from voting on Council resolution 2730 (2024) because it contained some language “which is not fully accurate” and may result in distorted interpretation, he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN condemns killing of 1,000 people in Gaza since ceasefire collapse

    Source: United Nations 2

    He condemned the reported killing of more than a thousand people, including women and children, since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 18 March.

    In his daily press briefing, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that large-scale Israeli shelling and ground operations have resulted in widespread destruction and the displacement of more than 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah in the past two days alone, most of whom have been displaced multiple times.

    Deadly attack on medical personnel

    “The Secretary-General is shocked by the attack of the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on 23 March resulting in the killing of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza,” he said. 

    Mr. Dujarric stressed that all parties to the conflict must protect medical, humanitarian and emergency workers at all times, and respect and protect civilians, as required by international humanitarian law. He underscored the need to end the denial of life-saving assistance.

    Since October 2023, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, including 280 UN humanitarian personnel.

    Resume the ceasefire

    Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General honours all humanitarian workers killed in this conflict and demands a full, thorough and independent investigation into these incidents.

    The UN chief reiterated his strong condemnation of the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, stressing that there was no justification for the terror attacks or the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

    Mr. Guterres renewed his urgent call for the immediate resumption of the ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza.

    UN rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change

    Mr. Dujarric was asked about the plans Israel’s has announced to take control of more land in Gaza.

    “The Secretary-General also reminds that Security Council resolution 2735 (2024) rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza,” he said.

    In this regard, the UN chief is increasingly concerned about inflammatory rhetoric which calls on the Israeli military to “capture extensive territory that will be added to the State of Israel’s security areas.”

    ‘Even ruins have become a target’

    Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA), reported on Wednesday that Israeli forces shelled one of its buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

    He said in a social media post that the building was previously a health centre and had been badly damaged earlier in the war.  In Gaza, “even ruins have become a target,” he remarked.

    Initial reports indicate that the facility was sheltering more than 700 people when it was bombed, and that “among those killed are reportedly nine children, including a two-week-old baby,” Mr. Lazzarini said, noting that displaced families had stayed in the shelter after it was hit because “they have nowhere else to go.”

    Investigate all attacks

    Since the war began, more than 300 UN buildings have been destroyed or damaged, although the coordinates of these locations have been shared regularly with the parties to the conflict. He said more than 700 people had been killed while seeking UN protection.

    Mr. Lazzarini added that too many UNRWA premises have also reportedly been used for military and combat purposes by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, or by Israeli forces.

    “The total disregard of UN staff, premises or operations is a profound defiance of international law,” he said.

    “I call once again for independent investigations to find out the circumstances of each of these attacks and the serious violations. In Gaza, all lines have been crossed over and over again.”

    ‘Gaza is a death trap’

    Jonathan Whittall, acting director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described the situation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as a “war without borders.”  

    He described what is happening there as “an endless loop of blood, pain, death,” saying “Gaza is a death trap.”

    Mr. Whittall was briefing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York via video link from Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

    The top official noted that he was not sure what he could say to describe the situation on the ground, but decided against mincing his words especially after having coordinated a mission on Sunday that uncovered the mass grave of a number of humanitarian workers who were killed in Rafah.

    The dead paramedics were “still wearing their uniforms, still wearing gloves” and killed while trying to save lives, he said. He added that their ambulances “were hit one by one” as they entered an area where Israeli forces were advancing.

    He noted that the grave where they were buried had an emergency light from  one of the ambulances. 

    Mr. Whittall said he began by highlighting this case as it was emblematic of the point we have reached in Gaza.

    “What is happening here defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law,” he said. “It really is a war without limits.”

    He said that forced displacement orders resumed after the collapse of the ceasefire, and 64 per cent of the Gaza Strip is now under active forced displacement orders or within the so-called “buffer zone.”

    One month since Israeli aid blockade began

    “Nowhere and no one is safe,” according to Mr. Whittall, who said his colleagues tell him they “just want to die with their families” and that their worst fear is to survive alone.

    “We cannot accept that Palestinian civilians are dehumanized to the point of being somehow unworthy of survival,” he said, noting that a month has passed since aid supplies were blocked from entering Gaza.

    Responding to reporters’ questions, he said there was nowhere else in the world, to his knowledge, where an entire population of 2.1 million people is under siege, denied all forms of humanitarian aid, and the commercial sector is destroyed, and then expected to survive entirely dependent on aid in a besieged and bombarded area.

    He added that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was spiraling out of control, with all bakeries supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) closed, markets reduced to rubble, ambulance teams being killed, and people living on an aid system under attack.

    Mr. Whittall emphasized the lack of humanitarian solutions to the problems facing Gaza. He stated that the crisis requires political action that begins with accountability, stressing that aid cannot compensate for political failures.

    End the cruelty

    “I think it’s important for us to acknowledge that what is happening in Gaza is not going to stay in Gaza,” he warned. “We cannot let the rules-based order be replaced by one set of rules for some people, and another set of rules for others.”

    The UN official expressed hope that Member States would use their political and economic influence to enforce international law, that a ceasefire would be reached to stop the slaughter and free the hostages, that “Palestinians would be finally seen as human, and that this cruelty will end.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of France Presents Credentials

    Source: United Nations 4

    (Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

    The new Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, Jérôme Bonnafont, presented his credentials to UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed today.

    Prior to his appointment, Mr. Bonnafont served as Ambassador at his country’s Permanent Mission in Geneva since September 2021. Concurrently, he was rapporteur-general of the “Etats généraux de la diplomatie” (National Roundtable on Diplomacy) — launched by President Emmanuel Macron and then Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna — which led to the March 2023 plan to transform and strengthen France’s diplomatic apparatus.

    He was also an adviser to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in 2020, Director of the North Africa and Middle East Department (2015-2019), Ambassador to Madrid (2012-2015), Chief of Staff to Minister for Foreign Affairs Alain Juppé (2011-2012) and Ambassador to New Delhi (2007-2011).

    Mr. Bonnafont served as adviser for global affairs and then spokesman for the Presidency from 1997 to 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.

    Prior to this, he served in the Ministry of the Environment (1996-1997), in the Department of Legal Affairs (1995-1996), at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York (1993-1995), in Kuwait (1991-1993), in the Department of Economic Affairs (1989-1991) and in New Delhi (1986-1989).

    He is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, France.

    Mr. Bonnafont is married and has one child.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World is ‘failing’ people with disabilities: UN deputy chief

    Source: United Nations 2

    Human Rights

    The “world is failing” people living with disabilities, UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed has told a major summit which aims to galvanize global efforts to ensure they are fully integrated into all parts of society.

    Although persons with disabilities represent a sizeable 16 per cent of the world’s population, they still experience a range of health inequities, including premature deaths, poorer health outcomes, and higher disease risk when compared to the general population.

    Addressing the Global Disability Summit in Berlin in a video message on Monday, Ms. Mohammed said that providing opportunities to people with disabilities “is a matter of dignity, of humanity, of human rights,” adding that it is a test not only of “our common values,” but also “plain common sense.”

    Conflict zones

    The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the vulnerability of people living in conflict areas such as Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, noting that Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

    “Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services – an assault on their human rights and dignity,” she said.

    UN research shows that they are often among the first casualties in conflict.

    The UN deputy chief focused on a young Palestinian woman called Mai, working for the United Nations in Gaza, who “did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.”

    Mai, a top student, became a software developer for the UN, “bringing skill and determination to all she did,” but in November 2023, Ms. Mohammed said, “she was killed along with her family,” adding that her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.”

    Internationally protected rights

    The rights of people living with disabilities are protected by a treaty adopted in 2006 at the United Nations.

    The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is recognized as the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century which “clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights.”

    In the wake of the Convention, nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities, yet only about one-third of those countries have accessible schools.

    Half of all people with disabilities in the same countries face inaccessible transportation.

    “Behind these figures are people,” said Ms Mohammed.

    © WHO

    The ongoing war in Gaza has displaced more than 1.9 million people, many who seek shelter in makeshift tents.

    “Children shut out of classrooms. Adults who cannot get to work. Families denied essential services. This must change. And we must all be part of it.”

    The Global Disability Summit 2025 is taking place in Berlin from 2-3 April and is expected to bring some 4,000 people together. It has been organized by the governments of Jordan and Germany in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance.  

    One significant outcome is expected to be the “Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Note to Correspondents – situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Gaza)

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the human toll of the intensified hostilities in Gaza. He condemns the reported killing of over a thousand people, including women and children, since the collapse of the ceasefire. 
     
    Large-scale Israeli bombardments and ground operations have resulted in widespread destruction and the displacement of over 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah in the last two days alone, most after having already been displaced multiple times and with few belongings.
     
    The Secretary-General is shocked by the attack by the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on 23 March resulting in the killing of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza. Medical personnel and humanitarian and emergency workers must be protected by all parties to the conflict at all times, as required by international humanitarian law. Since October 2023, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, at least 280 of whom were UN staff. The Secretary-General honours all humanitarian workers who have been killed in this conflict, and demands a full, thorough and independent investigation of these incidents.
     
    All parties must comply fully with international law at all times. Civilians must be respected and protected. The denial of lifesaving aid must end.
      
    The Secretary-General reiterates his strong condemnation of the 7 October attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. Nothing can justify the 7 October terror attacks. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.  The Secretary-General renews his urgent call for the immediate restoration of the ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.
     
     
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Wazzup Pilipinas

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    Wazzup Pilipinas an online news and lifestyle platform that focuses on promoting the Philippines as a premier destination for both business and leisure. Wazzup Pilipinas has successfully collaborated with all forms of media including print, radio and television making it a diverse multimedia organization.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: University of the Philippines Resilience Institute

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    As a University arm in providing service to the nation, the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute envisions people, institutions and communities that are resilient to disaster and climate change risks. This shall be done by empowering them with open, accessible, accurate, understandable, and timely risk-based information and by developing a culture of safety and preparedness. It adopts the whole of government, nation and society approach and the trans-disciplinary science, arts, and humanities.

    DRR activities

    UP NOAH Website and Mobile Application

    The UP NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) website and mobile application is an initiative by the University of the Philippines (UP) that provides real-time weather, flood, landslide, and other disaster-related data for the Philippines. It aims to enhance disaster risk reduction and management by offering scientific tools and hazard maps to local governments, emergency responders, and the general public.

    Basics of Resilience Massive Open Online Courses

    The Basics of Resilience is a free, self-paced MOOC collaboratively offered by the UPRI and the UP Open University (UPOU). This foundational course aims to equip learners with essential knowledge and skills to understand and implement DRRM, as well as CCAM strategies.

    Scientific and Policy Research

    UPRI is dedicated to advancing scientific and policy research aimed at enhancing disaster resilience and climate adaptation in the Philippines. UPRI undertakes a variety of research initiatives, including policy research, action research, and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary studies, all aimed at producing and applying new knowledge in DRRM. 

    Probabilistic Risk Assessment

    UPRI advocates for the implementation of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to enhance disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Philippines. PRA is a systematic approach that evaluates the likelihood and potential impacts of various hazard scenarios, including those beyond historical records, by incorporating uncertainty and randomness into risk analysis. This method contrasts with deterministic assessments, which typically consider only single, often historical, scenarios.​ UPRI emphasizes the necessity of PRA in national development planning to anticipate and prepare for future hazards that may surpass those previously experienced. 

    Capacity Building of Higher Education Institutions

    UPRI actively enhances disaster resilience and climate adaptation capacities across the University of the Philippines System and other state universities and colleges (SUCs) through various strategic initiatives. UPRI actively collaborates with various SUCs to co-create local knowledge and build capacity in disaster resilience. These partnerships are crucial for formulating effective DRRM strategies tailored to local contexts. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan: Sexual violence used as weapon of terror against women and girls

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Women

    Amid alarming reports of sexual violence being used as a weapon of terror across Sudan, UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is warning that over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk.

    It is nearly two years since the brutal war between the forces of the military government in Khartoum and the Rapid Support Forces militia erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

    Human rights abuses have been committed on both sides and more than 30.4 million Sudanese require urgent assistance, with millions displaced, and tens of thousands killed. Nearly 25 million people face acute hunger.

    According to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, there have been increasing and alarming reports of sexual violence being used to terrorise civilians.

    Layla’s story

    In late 2024, in the northern state of Sudan, armed men forced their way into Layla’s* home in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, while she was alone with her children. “They arrested my son and took me to a separate car. I noticed they were looking at my daughter in a disturbing way – she’s 18 years old. Probably they took me away to keep her alone.”, she told UNFPA.

    Layla’s fears for her daughter were a precursor of what she would later confront at an overcrowded prison, where she was held for nearly three weeks.

    © UNFPA Sudan

    A woman, who has fled conflict in Sudan, washes clothes.

    ‘Unimaginable horrors’

    Recounting that they brought her son back and started beating him in front of her, Layla added that they interrogated her, accused her of being a spy and claimed that her husband was working for the army.

    Although the Sudanese army has recently retaken strategic areas of Khartoum, at that time opposition paramilitary forces were in control. Layla described being strip-searched, beaten and detained without charge.

    “I witnessed unimaginable horrors,” she said. “When the officers left, the soldiers would begin raping prisoners. They would take young women out into the yard, and all night long we would hear the screams of girls and women.”

    Over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk of assault, an 80 per cent increase from the previous year.

    A growing health crisis

    Since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, the situation has worsened dramatically, with almost 13 million people forcibly displaced – nearly one third of the population – and the health system all but obliterated.

    Across Sudan, UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services through 90 mobile health teams, more than 120 health facilities, and 51 safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence.

    This assistance includes clinical treatment and psychological counselling following rape, sexual abuse and assault, as well as referrals for legal assistance and awareness raising among communities of the risks of sexual violence, coercion and trafficking.

    At a UNFPA-supported safe space, Layla explained how she struggled to endure the ordeal in prison. “One day, a 16-year-old girl was brought back to the cell, bleeding heavily,” she recalled. “She came to me, hugged me, and we cried together for an entire day.”

    © UNFPA Sudan

    UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services in dozens of locations in Sudan.

    After nine days in prison, Layla stopped eating and drinking, hoping to die instead of being raped as well. Eventually becoming very sick, Layla was released.

    Although Layla and the young survivor were able to find physical and mental health support through the safe space, they are not among the majority.

    According to UNFPA, there have been more than 540 attacks on health facilities reported over the last two years, supplies and equipment are frequently looted, and health workers, patients and ambulances are targeted with violence and intimidation.

    ‘No longer safe havens’

    Maha Mahmoud, a social worker at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Dongola in Northern State, said health facilities are no longer safe havens.

    “I was informed that a young woman had been raped at a maternity hospital,” she told UNFPA. “She’s 18, divorced with one daughter and had been living with her family when opposition forces entered her area. They took her, along with many other women, and raped them.”

    “She lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself surrounded by other girls, all of whom had also been raped. They were then left in the street.”

    The woman would later discover she was pregnant. “She made her way to the safe space, where we provided her with psychological support and all the necessary medical care,” said Ms. Mahmoud, adding that the woman and her baby are slowly recovering. “Since then, we have continued to help her cope with the trauma.”

    Listen to an interview with UNFPA’s Representative ad interim in the country, Argentina Matavel Piccin: 

    Soundcloud

    Urgent appeal

    UNFPA is calling for $119.6 million for its work in Sudan and a further $26 million to assist refugees in the country. In the northern state, UNFPA’s sexual and reproductive health programmes and safe spaces operate with funding from Canada, the European Union, Japan, Norway and Sweden.

    Yet unprecedented funding cuts by many leading donors are throwing into jeopardy the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls.

    The United States has been a crucial supporter of the people of Sudan, but recent funding cuts will leave some 250,000 women without reproductive health services.

    Training for frontline medical workers has also been halted, and 10,000 women will lose access to safe spaces that provide medical, legal, and psychosocial support.

    * Name changed for privacy and protection.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Inclusion Not Optional’, Deputy Secretary-General Says in Message to Disability Summit

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the opening of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin today:

    I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today, but it is a true honour to open this third Global Disability Summit.  More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

    Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart — and that of the Secretary-General.  It is a matter of dignity, of humanity, of human rights.  It is a test of our common values.  And it is also plain common sense.

    When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger.  When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive. When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

    Disability rights are human rights — and everyone one wins when we make them real.  And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

    You are meeting at a crucial time — with the five-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  I was involved in the shaping of that agenda — and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and centre.

    In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind — and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

    The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world — with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

    Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

    Progress is not just slow — in some cases, we are moving backward.  The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

    This is far more than a statistic — it is a wake-up call. Persons with disabilities are being left behind.  The world is failing them.

    We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board — with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

    Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion.

    Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations. In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma.  Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable.  Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

    Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services — an assault on their human rights and dignity.  Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival.  When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai.  Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza.  Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.

    She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations. When given the opportunity, she excelled — bringing skill and determination to all she did.  Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023.  Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

    I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

    Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon.  The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide.  Yet, implementation is lagging.

    The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources. Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities — yet only about one third of those countries have accessible schools.

    Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation.  Behind these figures are people.  Children shut out of classrooms.

    Adults who cannot get to work.  Families denied essential services.  This must change.  And we must all be part of it.  The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

    Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system.  We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

    At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with Governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

    And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress — for and with persons with disabilities.  This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners — and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

    Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing — but it is still far from enough.  And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat.  So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

    Developed countries in particular have a responsibility to step up support.  Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by securing decent work and dignified livelihoods, fostering inclusive education and career opportunities, building accessible and affordable housing, promoting equitable health systems and harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

    That means investing in inclusive public institutions, empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation, and integrating disability inclusion into national development plans backed by clear targets and real funding.

    I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers and opening doors — for all of us.  Let this Summit help drive that action forward.

    As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message:  Inclusion is not optional.  Rights are not negotiable.  Accessibility is essential.  Promises made must be promises kept.  Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Myanmar quake: UN calls for urgent protection for vulnerable women and girls

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Humanitarian Aid

    Friday’s devastating earthquakes in Myanmar not only caused mass casualties and widespread destruction, they also deepened long-standing gender inequalities – leaving millions of women and girls at heightened risk, UN aid agencies warned on Wednesday.

    As emergency aid trickles in, women and girls who were already vulnerable due to years of conflict, displacement and economic instability, now face even greater risks from gender-based violence and exploitation, according to a UN-led coalition responding to the crisis.

    “Girls are particularly vulnerable, especially when separated from their families or living in overcrowded shelters without adequate privacy,” it warned, stressing the need for protection measures.

    “With many caregivers injured or killed, urgent efforts are needed to identify, protect and reunify unaccompanied and separated children.”

    The coalition, formally called the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group, is co-led by UN-Women and the UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA).

    Reports of temporary ceasefire

    News outlets are reporting on Wednesday that Myanmar’s military junta has announced a temporary ceasefire from 2 to 22 April to facilitate emergency relief and rescue operations.

    This follows an earlier ceasefire declaration by armed groups opposing the junta earlier this week.

    Myanmar remains engulfed in a deepening crisis since the Tatmadaw – as the military is known – overthrew the democratically elected government in 2021, imprisoning top leaders, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

    Pre-existing vulnerabilities

    While estimates indicate that up to 20 million people may be affected by the earthquakes, women and girls – who already made up more than half of the 10 million people in urgent need of aid before the disaster – face mounting challenges.

    More than 100,000 pregnant women have been caught up in the chaos across central Myanmar, with 12,250 expected to give birth in April.

    The destruction of health facilities and damage to roads and bridges have cut off access to essential reproductive health services, endangering pregnant women and survivors of gender-based violence who rely on medical support.

    “Prior to the earthquakes, women and girls in Myanmar were already facing significant mental health stress due to prolonged conflict, political instability, and economic challenges. The disaster has deepened this stress,” UN agencies added.

    © UNICEF/Nyan Zay Hte

    In Sagiang, destroyed buildings show the aftermath of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March.

    Prioritizing action

    “Women, especially from crisis-affected communities, must be actively involved in designing and implementing assessments to ensure their priorities are reflected,” UN humanitarians underscored.

    Women and girls need safe shelter, clean water, and enough food. Shelters should have locks, lights and private spaces. They need secure toilets and bathing areas, along with dignity kits and menstrual hygiene products.

    Adequate lighting near water points and toilets can reduce the risk of gender-based violence, especially after dark, with agencies also stressing the need to involve women-led organizations in the response.

    Many women-led NGOs “are on the ground and ready to provide support, drawing on their deep community ties and understanding of the context to effectively identify and respond to the specific needs of women and girls,” the UN agencies added.

    Limited funding undermines relief

    UN relief chief Tom Fletcher has issued an urgent appeal for increased funding to support the aid effort, warning that access to survivors is severely constrained.

    While $5 million has been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Respond Fund (CERF) the response “has been hampered by a lack of funding”, he said on Tuesday, alongside disruptions to communications and transport networks.

    “We are in contact with authorities on how the international community can do more. We must have unrestricted, safe access. All parties must uphold obligations to protect civilians,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has mobilized $12 million in emergency funding, which is being allocated to partners for cash and food assistance, non-food items, shelter, water, sanitation, debris removal and healthcare, including mental health support.

    “We deliver assistance through our valued partners and are deeply grateful to our donors for their swift support, enabling this rapid response. We are prepared to scale up our support as the full extent of the damage becomes clear,” said Sara Netzer, UNOPS Director in Myanmar.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Attacks on aid workers must end,’ Security Council told

    Source: United Nations 4

    Peace and Security

    Two senior UN officials appealed in the Security Council on Wednesday for an end to attacks against humanitarians and personnel working for the global organization. 

    Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General with UN aid coordination office OCHA, and Gilles Michaud, head of the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) were speaking during a meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

    Debate focused on Council Resolution 2730 (2024) which calls for upholding the safety of UN and humanitarian staff.

    “Allow me to go straight to the point,” said Ms. Msuya. “Attacks on aid workers must end. Perpetrators must be held to account.” 

    Deadliest year ever

    She told the Council that humanitarian workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers, and 2024 was the worst year on record with 377 fatalities across 20 countries.

    This was nearly 100 more than in 2023, which already saw a 137 per cent increase over 2022.  Meanwhile, many more aid workers were injured, kidnapped, attacked and arbitrarily detained.

    The past two years have been particularly brutal, she continued. At least 85 humanitarians have been killed in Sudan since war broke out in April 2023.  All were Sudanese nationals.

    Killings in Gaza

    Furthermore, just three days ago, teams from OCHA and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from a mass grave in Gaza who had been killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.

    She added that “this tragedy comes just 11 days after another deadly incident – on 19 March, when yet another United Nations colleague was killed, and six others were injured in Gaza.” 

    These deaths bring the number of aid workers killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023 to more than 408, making it the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever. 

    Appeal to Council members

    Ms. Msuya issued a challenge to ambassadors. 

    “Since we are here today to discuss the protection of aid workers, I must ask this Council: what are you going to do to help us find those answers and achieve justice – and avoid more killings?”

    While there is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to protect humanitarian and UN personnel, she said political will to comply is lacking.

    Local staff mostly affected

    Ms. Msuya noted that the vast majority of those killed, roughly 95 per cent, are local aid workers who are the cornerstone of relief efforts. 

    “These colleagues deserve our highest respect. Yet, conduct harming our local staff rarely elicits reaction or makes the news,” she remarked.

    Criminalization and misinformation

    Humanitarians also face other challenges, such as the criminalization of their work. They are increasingly being detained, interrogated and accused of supporting terrorism simply for delivering aid to people in need.

    Aid organizations are also targets of disinformation and misinformation campaigns in places such as Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Yemen. 

    Moreover, funding shortfalls threaten to make matters worse, forcing the humanitarian community to make impossible choices, Ms. Msuya underscored.

    Respect and accountability

    She described the adoption of Resolution 2730 as an important step in the right direction, then made three requests to the Council and Member States at large.

    “First, act to ensure respect for international law and to protect humanitarian and UN workers,” she said, listing tangible steps such as Security Council visits, fact-finding missions, or withholding of arms transfers. 

    She also called for speaking out and condemning harm to UN and humanitarian personnel, including local staff, because “silence, inconsistency, and selective outrage only embolden perpetrators.”

    Her final request was for accountability, highlighting the need to strengthen domestic and international legal frameworks to prosecute international crimes.   

    “The Security Council should play a key role in pushing for accountability; for instance, by asking concerned governments to pursue justice and by following up with them,” she suggested.

    “When national jurisdictions fail, the Council can use international mechanisms, including by referring situations to the International Criminal Court.” 

    Focus on survivors

    Ms. Msuya insisted that accountability is not only about prosecution but must also centre on those who survive. 

    In this regard, she reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s recommendation to adopt a survivor-centered approach to ensure that affected aid workers have a say in global discussions. 

    In his briefing, Mr. Michaud noted that progress has been elusive in getting more countries to join the Convention on the safety of UN and associated personnel, while attacks on humanitarian workers have continued unabated.

    Impunity now ‘a pervasive normal’ 

    “Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel has become the new normal,” he said. “A pervasive normal. An accepted normal. One perpetuated not only by non-State actors, but also by governments and their proxies.” 

    He said that against a backdrop of widespread disregard for international humanitarian law, UN agencies are now forced to significantly reduce assistance due to budget cuts imposed by several Member States.  

    Humanitarian agencies are among the most affected, and the situation could lead to further insecurity.

    Funding shortfall risks

    “And if, where and when the United Nations and its partners are forced to deliver less aid, the risks to UN and humanitarian personnel will grow,” he warned.

    “We are already seeing signs of this in Gaza and elsewhere.  Humanitarian personnel may become the first target of people’s despair.”

    Mr. Michaud said that the UN must – and will – adapt, adding that budgetary pressures will also impact the level of security support available.

    UN Security commitment

    “We will need to adjust our footprint. And in some areas, we may even be compelled by resource constraints to completely withdraw,” he said.

    “But the UN Security will do its part through these turbulent times. We will be present wherever our humanitarian partners need us.” 

    He said UN Security will also continue to engage with the Council and Member States, including to protect investments made in the humanitarian, peace and security, and development spheres.

    He underlined that the Department will always be a steadfast and reliable partner to the humanitarian and development community, as well as Member States.

    “But we need attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel to stop,” he declared. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Accountability for missing persons is ‘crucial’: UN human rights chief

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Human Rights

    2024 saw the highest increase in missing persons in at least two decades, with 56,559 new cases recorded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

    That’s one of the alarming updates shared by Volker Türk during a General Assembly briefing on Wednesday, the first informal meeting dedicated to the issue of the thousands who go missing after being targeted each year.

    The High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Member States to do more to address the “unprecedented” rise in disappearances, largely driven by armed conflict and growing disregard for international humanitarian law.

    “Persistent impunity for violations of international humanitarian law fuels more abuses,” he told delegates, calling the scale of the crisis “enormous”.

    While the meeting focused on missing persons in armed conflict, disappearances today are also linked to State repression, counter-terrorism measures, migration and the targeting of dissidents and human rights defenders.

    “It is precisely in circumstances of conflict, instability, and repression that people are

    likely to go missing,” Mr. Türk stressed. “Accountability for those violations is crucial.”

    Echoing this sentiment, the President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, insisted: “We have a moral responsibility to determine and find every missing person.”

    ‘Tip of a very large iceberg’

    The Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has handled more than 62,000 cases across 115 countries in the past 45 years. “Sadly, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg,” said Mr. Türk.

    Mr. Yang expressed that these figures demand “that we take decisive steps to lessen the hardship and distress.”

    The High Commissioner pointed to recent momentum in addressing the issue, including this year’s UN-organized First World Congress on Enforced Disappearances, where governments, civil society and victims’ groups gathered in a show of global solidarity.

    A call for stronger frameworks

    Mr. Türk outlined three key areas for action, beginning with the need to strengthen and implement international human rights frameworks.

    He urged States to ratify and implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted in 2006 and described as the “key global agreement” on the issue. Only 77 countries have ratified it so far.

    The Convention guarantees the right to know the truth about the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons and the progress of investigations – “exactly what family members need and demand,” said Mr. Türk.

    “We must pursue justice and other forms of accountability,” continued Mr. Türk, pointing to widespread impunity as a major obstacle to reparations for victims.

    “For families, accountability begins with knowing the truth about the fate of their loved ones, regardless of how they went missing,” he said.

    He called on States to thoroughly investigate cases, bring perpetrators to justice and build up forensic, judicial and law enforcement institutions to ensure proper identification.

    Centre the victims

    Mr. Türk said placing victims at the heart of the response is crucial. He emphasised the critical role of families, especially women, who often lead the search for loved ones in precarious and dangerous circumstances.

    “In some cases, the law prevents them from obtaining the documents needed to exercise their rights to health, to education, or to property,” Mr. Türk noted, which leaves them stigmatised and at risk of falling into poverty.

    Family members are often ignored, disbelieved, or intimidated into silence. “They must feel able – and safe – to speak out for their missing relatives, at home and abroad,” Mr. Türk insisted.

    Momentum for change

    International efforts can make a real difference, the High Commissioner said, referencing the recent creation of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, established to clarify the fate of missing persons in the country and support survivors and their families.

    In February, the institution’s head visited Damascus and met dozens of families – some of whom were being asked about their missing loved ones for the first time ever.

    ‘Our common humanity demands it’

    Concluding his remarks, Mr. Türk reaffirmed the commitment of his Office to support victims and help States meet their obligations.

    OHCHR continues to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention, follow up on individual cases and connect victims with UN human rights mechanisms.

    “We all have a role to play,” he said. “We must commit, together, to doing more for truth and justice, in solidarity with victims everywhere. Our common humanity demands it.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s video message at the Opening of the Global Disability Summit

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

    H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

    Mr. Nawaf Kabbara, Chair and President, International Disability Alliance,

    Excellencies, Dear friends,

    I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today but it is a true honor to open this third Global Disability Summit.

    More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

    Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart – and that of the Secretary-General.

    It is a matter of dignity… of humanity… of human rights.

    It is a test of our common values.

    And it is also plain common sense.

    When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger.

    When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive.

    When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

    Disability rights are human rights – and everyone one wins when we make them real.

    And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

    You are meeting at a crucial time – with the 5-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    I was involved in the shaping of that agenda – and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and center.

    In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind – and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

    The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world – with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

    Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

    Progress is not just slow – in some cases, we are moving backward.

    The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

    This is far more than a statistic – it is a wake-up call.

    Persons with disabilities are being left behind.

    The world is failing them.

    We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board – with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

    Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion. 

    Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations.

    In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma.

    Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable.

    Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

    Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services – an assault on their human rights and dignity.  

    Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival.

    When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai.

    Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza.

    Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams. 

    She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations. 

    When given the opportunity, she excelled – bringing skill and determination to all she did.

    Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023. 

    Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

    I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed – and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

    Excellencies,

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon. 

    The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide.

    Yet, implementation is lagging.

    The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources.

    Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities – yet only about one-third of those countries have accessible schools.

    Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation.

    Behind these figures are people. 

    Children shut out of classrooms. 

    Adults who cannot get to work. 

    Families denied essential services.

    This must change.

    And we must all be part of it.

    The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

    Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system.

    We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

    At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

    And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress – for and with persons with disabilities.

    This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners – and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

    Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing – but it is still far from enough.

    And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat.

    So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

    Developed countries, in particular, have a responsibility to step up support.

    Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by:

    Securing decent work and dignified livelihoods;

    Fostering inclusive education and career opportunities;

    Building accessible and affordable housing;

    Promoting equitable health systems;

    And harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

    That means investing in inclusive public institutions;

    Empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation;

    And integrating disability inclusion into national development plans – backed by clear targets and real funding.

    Dear friends,

    I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers, and opening doors – for all of us.

    Let this Summit help drive that action forward.       

    As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message:

    Inclusion is not optional.

    Rights are not negotiable.

    Accessibility is essential.

    Promises made must be promises kept.

    Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

    Thank you.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Guinea Presents Credentials

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    (Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

    The new Permanent Representative of Guinea to the United Nations, Mohamed Dabo, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

    Prior to his appointment, Mr. Dabo served in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Guineans Living Abroad as Coordinator of Economic Diplomacy, Strategic Intelligence and International Cooperation, from January 2022 to December 2024.

    Before that, from April 2019 to January 2022, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, African Integration and Guineans Abroad, as Adviser responsible for diaspora and international careers.

    From October 2017 to April 2019, he served as a member of the Minister’s cabinet and Special Assistant to the Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad.  Before that, from August 2013 to October 2017, he served in the Permanent Mission of Guinea to the United Nations as First Secretary and Special Assistant to the Permanent Representative.

    Mr. Dabo holds a master’s degree in political science, policies and strategies of international public action and a bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations and security defence, both from the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France.  He also holds a degree in law and political science from the University Lumière Lyon 2 and a degree in law from the University of Lille 2, both in France.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Liberia Presents Credentials

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    (Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

    The new Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, Lewis Garseedah Brown II, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

    Mr. Brown returns to the post after a previous tenure from March 2016 to September 2018.  During that time, he served as Vice-President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly and chaired the Assembly’s Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).  Throughout his career, he has held several key Government positions. He served as the Government’s Chief Spokesperson in the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism. He was also Liberia’s Chief Negotiator at the Accra Comprehensive Peace Conference.

    In 2003, Mr. Brown served as Minister for Foreign Affairs.  Prior to that, he held roles in the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs as National Security Advisor and Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company.  Additionally, he was a member of Liberia’s Transitional Legislative Assembly.

    Mr. Brown holds a Master of Science in management from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Liberia.

    __________

    * This supersedes Press Release BIO/4854 of 30 June 2016.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Observer for Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa Presents Letter of Appointment

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    (Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

    The new Permanent Observer for the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa, Nabhit Kapur, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

    Since 2016, Mr. Kapur has been Founder and Chairman of the Peacfulmind Foundation, which uses workshops and outreach programmes to advocate for the awareness of mental health.  The organization engages with policymakers and Government officials to support mental health initiatives.

    Prior to his appointment, Mr. Kapur worked as Director of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDG) Program, National Association of Somalia between 2023 and 2024.  From 2021 to 2023, he served as Adviser to the Vice-President of Liberia.

    He holds a Master of Arts in psychology from Kalinga University, a Master of Science in counselling and psychotherapy from the Institute for Behavioural and Management Sciences Chittoor and a Bachelor of Arts in applied psychology from Amity University.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon’s aim is the preservation of a world worth living in. To this end, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon generates knowledge and research new technologies for more resilience and sustainability—for the benefit of the climate, the coasts and the people.

    The path from idea to innovation leads through experimental studies, modeling and artificial intelligence to the digital twin. This is an interdisciplinary approach that spans from the fundamental scientific understanding of complex systems to scenarios and practical applications.

    As an active member of international research networks and the Helmholtz Association, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon provides support toward shaping a sustainable future through the transfer of our expertise to political, economic and societal institutions.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW)

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) is a non-university institute that covers all core disciplines of marine research. Its research programme is directed towards coastal and marginal seas with a special focus on the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

    In addition to its research activities, the IOW pursues a transfer concept and operates research infrastructures for the scientific community. The IOW is a member of the Leibniz Association. Its institutional budget is jointly funded by the Federal Government and the Länder. The IOW is a foundation under public law.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: BMJ Mental Health

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    BMJ Mental Health (formerly Evidence-Based Mental Health) is an open access, peer reviewed journal publishing evidence-based, innovative research, systematic reviews, and methodological papers in the area of mental health. It facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration among psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals, encourages debate on clinically relevant topics, and informs real world practice to improve patient and carer outcomes.

    BMJ Mental Health invites submissions in all areas of mental health including digital health; medical statistics; precision mental health; evaluation of psychotherapies; studies in children, young people and in the elderly; forensic psychiatry; health economics; data science and computational mental health.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –