NewzIntel.com

Category: United Nations

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Terror and chaos for Gaza’s people now entering the ‘death phase’

    Source: United Nations 2

    In an alert, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, relayed desperate testimonies from its colleagues who are also struggling to survive in the war-torn enclave.

    “We’re in the death phase,” one UNRWA worker said. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it’s bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.”

    Doctors and nurses who continue to work in the UN agency’s clinics and medical centres “are watching children disappear and die in front of their eyes, and there’s absolutely nothing that they can do about it,” the worker continued.  

    Civilians ‘faced sniper and tank-fire’

    The development comes after desperate Gazans seeking aid came under fire at the weekend “from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire”, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

    In a detailed statement after the incident on Sunday 20 July, it explained that a 25-truck lorry convoy crossed the Zikim border point in northern Gaza “destined for starving communities”. 

    Shortly after passing the final checkpoint after the Zikim crossing point, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians waiting to access food supplies. This was when the shooting began, leaving “countless” Gazans dead, WFP said, echoing reports by the health authorities.

    Condemning the incident, WFP noted that the victims “were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation”.

    The UN agency said furthermore that the violence had happened “despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve; including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes.”

    Without such fundamental guarantees, it will not be possible to continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza Strip, WPF said, its reaction coming a day after a reported 36 people seeking aid were reportedly killed close to a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub run by the Israeli and US in the south of the Strip. 

    Deir Al-Balah evacuation shock

    In central Gaza’s Deir Al-Balah, meanwhile, 50,000 to 80,000 people have been impacted by a mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military – the first since war erupted on 7 October 2023.

    “The new order cuts through Deir Al-Balah all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, further splintering the Strip,” OCHA said. “It will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, choking humanitarian access when it is needed most.”

    UN staff remain in Deir Al-Balah across “dozens of premises” whose coordinates have been shared with the warring parties. “These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of displacement orders,” OCHA insisted, as  Israeli tanks reportedly moved into southern and eastern areas of the city.

    According to reports, this may be where some of the remaining hostages seized in Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October 2023 in Israel may still be held.

    Gaza cut in two

    The latest evacuation order means that almost 88 per cent of Gaza is impacted by displacement orders or falls within Israeli-militarized zones. Some 2.1 million civilians who have been uprooted multiple times are now squeezed into the little remaining space, where essential services have collapsed.

    “There’s nowhere for [Gazans] to escape. They are trapped,” said UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer Louise Wateridge. “They cannot leave the Gaza Strip. They’re trying to keep their children alive. They’re trying to keep themselves alive.”

    In comments to UN News, the veteran humanitarian explained that no food is available and only very limited water, explaining why so many desperate Gazans risk their lives to fetch aid from the few distribution centres and arrival points still operational.

    “Children are malnourished, they’re dehydrated, they are dying in front of their [parents’] eyes,” Ms. Wateridge continued. “The bombs and the strikes are continuing; there’s no way to run, there’s nowhere to hide. There’s no way to escape there.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Japan Contributes $2 Million to Help WFP Prevent Worsening Hunger in Yemen

    Source: World Food Programme

    ADEN, Yemen – The Government of Japan has contributed US$2 million (approximately 300 million Japanese Yen) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), enabling life-saving food assistance at a time when millions in Yemen face deepening hunger.

    Japan’s support will enable WFP to provide vegetable oil as part of food rations for 700,000 people, helping prevent further deterioration in food security.

    “We are incredibly grateful for Japan’s timely support,” said WFP’s Head of Global Partner Countries Division Abdallah Alwardat. “We are witnessing unprecedented levels of need in Yemen. Families are increasingly telling us they can no longer afford enough food, while our resources continue to shrink. This contribution allows us to deliver food assistance that families urgently need.”

    Contributions like Japan’s are critical to sustaining WFP food assistance in Yemen, which remains one of the few lifelines for millions of Yemenis.

    This generous contribution comes as food insecurity levels in Yemen are the third worst globally, after Gaza and Sudan. By September, over 18 million people, more than half of the population, are projected to face acute food insecurity, with 41,000 people at risk of slipping into catastrophic, famine-like conditions. This is the worst outlook since 2022.

    “Yemen continues to suffer from dire human security situations due to lingering conflict, deteriorating economy, and subsequent collapse of local services. In light of this critical and deteriorating humanitarian situation, and in line with the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, Japan has decided to provide support in partnership with the WFP. We stand in firm solidarity with the Yemeni people,” stated H.E. Mr. Yoichi Nakashima, Ambassador of Japan to Yemen.

    Japan has been a consistent and valued partner of WFP in Yemen, contributing approximately US$160 million since 2016 to help address one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. This latest contribution reaffirms Japan’s continued commitment to fighting hunger and supporting the people of Yemen.

     #                   #                    #

    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 @WFPYemen

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP partners with Careem to deliver food aid in Gaza

    Source: World Food Programme

    Dubai, UAE – July 21, 2025: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), through its award-winning ShareTheMeal app, has partnered with Careem, a leading multi-service app in the Middle East, to launch a donation campaign across Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The initiative enables Careem users to support WFP’s emergency food assistance efforts in Gaza and the West Bank directly through the Careem app.

    WFP is delivering life-saving food aid in Gaza despite worsening security, limited access, and rising desperation. A recent assessment shows nearly one in three people are going days without food, putting more lives at risk. Since May 21, WFP teams have dispatched dozens of aid convoys with over 1,200 trucks carrying 18,247 metric tons (MT) of food into Gaza.

    Through Careem’s in-app donations platform “Right Click”, users can contribute directly to WFP’s emergency response, with donations going towards delivering wheat flour, hot meals, and nutrition supplements to communities across Gaza and the West Bank, where WFP aims to reach over 1.5 million people this year.

    “We welcome this important partnership with Careem, which empowers those in Jordan and the UAE to directly support families in Gaza through our joint platforms. These meaningful contributions will enable WFP to save lives in one of the toughest operations to date,” said Stephen Anderson, Director of WFP UAE Office & Representative to GCC Region. 

    “At Careem, we believe in using our platform to empower communities and respond to moments that matter. The crisis in Gaza is a humanitarian emergency that demands urgent action, and through our partnership with the World Food Programme, we’re enabling our customers in Jordan and the UAE to make a direct impact,” Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem. “With just a few taps in the app, you can contribute to life-saving food assistance for families who are facing unimaginable hardship.”

    In Gaza, food aid has become the only realistic option for people to eat, as flour prices have soared to 3,000 times pre-war levels, and cooking fuel is virtually impossible to find. Currently, WFP has pre-positioned over 116,000 metric tons of food assistance just outside Gaza, enough to feed the entirety of Gaza’s population for two months.

    In 2025 alone, Careem has facilitated over $200,000 in donations to various causes, including emergency relief and education support, reflecting the ongoing commitment of Careem customers to making an impact through the app.

    WFP’s campaign is now live on Careem’s donations platform “Right Click” in Jordan and the UAE. Download the latest version of the Careem app on iOS or Android to donate and be part of the impact.

    -END-

    About WFP

    The United Nations World Food Program is the largest humanitarian organization in the world, which saves lives during emergencies and provides food assistance to build a road to peace, stability and prosperity amongst populations which are recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter: @WFP_GCC and Instagram: @wfp_gcc

    Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel.

    About Careem

    Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East, making it easier than ever to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Careem is led by a powerful purpose to simplify and improve the lives of people and build an awesome organisation that inspires. Since 2012, Careem has created earning opportunities for over 3.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of over 75 million customers, and built a platform for the region’s best talent to thrive and for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. Careem operates in over 70 cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Gaza Convoy Incident Statement

    Source: World Food Programme

    On the morning of 20 July, a 25 truck WFP convoy carrying vital food assistance crossed the Zikim border point destined for starving communities in northern Gaza.

    Shortly after passing the final checkpoint beyond the Zikim crossing point into Gaza, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies.

    As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire.

    We are deeply concerned and saddened by this tragic incident resulting in the loss of countless lives. Many more suffered life-threatening injuries. These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation. This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.  

    Today’s violent incident comes despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve; including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes. 

    There should never, ever, be armed groups near or on our aid convoys, as reiterated on many occasions to all parties to the conflict. Shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions must stop immediately. Any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable. 

    We stand firmly by our principles of operating with independence, impartiality and neutrality. It is one of the many reasons why communities trust us. 

    The World Food Programme continues to call for the protection of all civilians and aid workers delivering life-saving assistance. WFP teams accompanying convoys should not have to risk their own lives in the effort to save others. Without these fundamental conditions in place, we cannot continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza strip.

    Gaza’s hunger crisis has reached new levels of desperation. People are dying from lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment. Nearly one person in three is not eating for days. Food aid is the only way for most people to access any food – as the cost of a one-kilogram bag of flour has surged to over USD100 in local markets.

    Only a massive scale-up in food aid distributions can stabilize this spiraling situation, calm anxieties and rebuild the trust within communities that more food is coming.

    An agreed ceasefire is long overdue. All hostages should be released, and humanitarians should be able to reach the civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner — wherever they are across the Gaza Strip. 

    WFP is ready. We have food supplies nearby, experienced teams on the ground, and proven systems in place to respond at scale. We did it before and we can do it again.

    We urgently call on the international community and all parties to advocate for, and facilitate, the delivery of life-saving food aid to starving populations inside Gaza – safely, securely, wherever families are, and without obstruction.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM and UNHCR Launch ‘Train-to-Hire’ Initiative to Boost International Refugee Employment

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Geneva, 21 July 2025 – In a move to strengthen refugee access to international labour markets, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have launched a pioneering “train-to-hire” programme for displaced individuals in the Asia-Pacific region.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General -on the Declaration of Principles between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the AFC/M23 [scroll down for French]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    The Secretary-General welcomes the signature of the Declaration of Principles between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Alliance Fleuve Congo/ Mouvement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23) in Doha. He commends this important step, which opens a pathway toward lasting peace, security, and the return of displaced persons and refugees.
     
    The Secretary-General urges all parties to ensure the swift implementation of the commitments undertaken and expresses his appreciation to the State of Qatar for its facilitation of this process.
     
    The United Nations remains committed to supporting efforts toward peace, protection of civilians, and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in close collaboration with national authorities, regional and international partners.
     

    *****

    Déclaration attribuable au Porte‑parole du Secrétaire général – sur la Déclaration de Principes entre la République démocratique du Congo et l’AFC/M23

    Le Secrétaire général se félicite de la signature de la Déclaration de principes entre le Gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo et l’Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23) à Doha. Il salue cette étape importante qui ouvre la voie à une paix durable, à la sécurité et au retour des personnes déplacées et des réfugiés.

    Le Secrétaire général exhorte toutes les parties à assurer la mise en œuvre rapide des engagements pris, et exprime sa gratitude à l’État du Qatar pour avoir facilité ce processus.

    Les Nations unies restent déterminées à soutenir les efforts en faveur de la paix, de la protection des civils et de la stabilité en République démocratique du Congo, en étroite collaboration avec les autorités nationales et les partenaires régionaux et internationaux.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Doha agreement brings DR Congo government and M23 rebels a step closer to peace

    Source: United Nations 2

    In a statement released on 19 July, MONUSCO said that the Declaration of Principles, signed in Doha under the mediation of Qatar, “reflects the parties’ resolve to prioritise peaceful means, establish a ceasefire, and set up a joint mechanism to define its practical implementation.”

    “This important declaration marks a shift towards easing tensions and protecting civilians seriously affected by the conflict,” declared Mr. Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC and Acting Head of MONUSCO. “We commend the commitments made and call for their timely and good-faith implementation.”

    These commitments include measures to facilitate the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their places or countries of origin, and the encouragement of inclusive dialogue, seen as vital to addressing the root causes of the conflict and achieving lasting peace.

    Earlier this year, the M23 launched an offensive in North and South Kivu provinces, capturing cities and villages, including provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu. Thousands of civilians were killed, hundreds of thousands more were displaced, and serious human rights violations were committed.

    The Declaration of Principles comes less than a month after a peace agreement signed by Congo and Rwanda, long accused by the Congolese Government of supporting the M23.

    The Mission’s statement highlighted the Declaration’s emphasis on civilian protection and support for the ceasefire, with assistance from MONUSCO and other partners, and reaffirmed its readiness to support the cessation of hostilities, particularly through the establishment of a credible and jointly agreed verification mechanism.

    MONUSCO’s statement concluded by urging all parties to honour their commitments, act in good faith throughout the process, and prioritise human rights, security, and the aspirations of the Congolese people in all decisions. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNESCO World Heritage: 26 new sites inscribed

    Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

    The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee came to a close in Paris, France, with the inscription of 26 new cultural and natural properties on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Once again this year, the spotlight was on African heritage, with the inclusion of 4 new sites from the continent and the removal of three others from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

    “With 196 States Parties, the World Heritage Convention is one of the most universally ratified in the world – proof …

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: PR: MONUSCO welcomes the signing of the Declaration of Principles between the Government of DRC and the AFC/M23 as a major step toward peace

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Kinshasa, 19 July 2025 – The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) welcomes the signing of the Declaration of Principles between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) as an important step toward sustainable peace.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Desks become beds as Haitian school shelters people displaced by violence

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    The classrooms at Anténor Firmin school in Hinche in central Haiti are no longer studiously quiet.

    Once a place of learning, it now echoes with the sounds of babies crying, water containers clanking, and voices murmuring through the night.

    Over 700 people displaced by violence are crammed into the crumbling compound, sleeping on floors where children once solved math problems.

    Among them is Edens Désir, a former teacher, who continues to believe that education should be the key to a more prosperous and peaceful future for this beleaguered Caribbean Island nation.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    Edens Désir teaches a class at Anténor Firmin school.

    A trained accountant and former secondary-school teacher, his life was upended by the violent clashes that erupted in March 2025 in Saut-d’Eau and Mirebalais, two small towns south of Hinche.

    Like 6,000 others, he fled massacres, rape, arson, and looting.

    “Everything I built, little by little, was destroyed,” he said. “I walked away with nothing.”

    Warring gangs have long controlled most of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, some 30 miles (48 km) away.

    It is only recently that their sphere of influence has moved to more the more rural areas of Centre department where, Hinche and Saut-d’Eau are located.

    Edens Désir, found refuge in the school where he once studied, a place now stripped of its purpose. Desks have become beds. Classrooms have turned into shelters. Families lie packed into rooms never meant to house them.

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    A classroom at Anténor Firmin school in Hinche now serves as both a shelter and an informal learning space for displaced children.

    Even in these crowded rooms, he found a way to start over. Not for himself, but for the children around him. With a whiteboard, a marker, and quiet determination, he has brought a sense of purpose to lives that have been thrown off course.

    “Ever since I was a kid, I loved teaching,” he explained. “It’s what matters most to me. I’d rather be in front of a class than sitting around doing nothing. For these kids, school is the only real chance they’ve got.”

    Living in limbo

    Once on the verge of expanding a small business, Mr. Désir now lives in limbo. “That plan is gone. Violence made sure of it. My only option now is to leave and try to start over somewhere else. But as long as I’m here, I will keep sharing what I know.”

    These days, he takes life one day at a time. “I can’t make plans anymore,” he said. “Each day, I just figure things out as they come. Each night, I wonder if there will be food tomorrow.”

    Clean water is scarce. Long queues stretch at distribution points, where women and children wait patiently, balancing heavy containers.

    Hygiene conditions are dire. With few latrines and showers available, hundreds are left without privacy or sanitation. The health risks are growing, especially for the most vulnerable.

    Food is just as uncertain. “There are nights I go to sleep without eating,” he says. “But I keep teaching because the kids are here.”

    © IOM/Antoine Lemonnier

    IOM staff and a civil protection agent asses the needs of displaced people

    Delivering aid to the displaced is no easy task. The main road between Port-au-Prince and Hinche remains blocked by insecurity, cutting off supply routes and isolating entire communities.

    Despite the hurdles, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reached over 800 families across 17 displacement sites, providing emergency items such as shelter kits, blankets, kitchen sets, and jerrycans.

    IOM teams continue working directly with displaced families, host communities, and local authorities to assess needs and provide relief.

    Site committees and civil protection teams are being trained to better manage the shelters. The most fragile sites are being relocated to safer areas and mental health support is offered to those affected by the violence.

    Protect the vulnerable

    These efforts aim to protect the most vulnerable, especially children, from a crisis they did not choose but are now forced to navigate.

    Edens Désir believes that knowledge is the best defence against dehumanization. When violence tears everything apart, forcing children into displacement, splitting families, and cutting off access to education, teaching becomes an act of resistance.

    Even when the days feel heavy, he keeps showing up for the children who still believe in him.

    “If we want things to change, we need people who grow into better citizens,” he said. “I don’t know if what I’m doing is enough to make that happen, but it gives me purpose. It breaks my heart to know that one day I’ll have to leave them behind and look for a better future.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Humanitarians report more deaths, displacement and desperation in Gaza

    Source: United Nations 2

    “Every day brings more preventable deaths, displacement and desperation,” the agency said in a humanitarian update.

    On Friday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order, this time for parts of North Gaza.

    OCHA said it continues to receive deeply troubling reports of malnourished children and adults being admitted to hospitals with insufficient resources available to treat them.

    Fuel crisis deepens

    The energy crisis in Gaza is also deepening, despite the resumption of limited fuel imports as the quantities that are entering – while critical for continuity – “remain at lower levels than what we were previously able to extract from dwindling internal reserves, which have now been fully depleted”.

    The situation has forced solid waste collection to be paused in recent days, and additional wells have had to shut down, particularly in Deir Al-Balah.

    “While specific health services, including dialysis, have reduced or shut down, others could go on for a few more days before they too will have to go dark,” OCHA warned.

    “With every day that passes, people have less clean water and healthcare and more sewage flooding ground floors.”

    Since the limited entry of fuel entry supplies resumed on 9 July, the UN has managed to send just over 600,000 litres of diesel to Kerem Shalom. On Thursday,

    it was able to send 35,000 litres of much-needed benzene for the first time.

    OCHA said these volumes are limited because Israel has allowed only 14 trucks over the past week. 

    The agency stressed that to maintain lifesaving operations, hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel are needed every day. The limited fuel currently entering is primarily allocated to health, water and communications services as well as to power vehicles.

    Humanitarian movements curtailed

    Humanitarian movements inside Gaza also continue to be restricted.

    On Thursday, seven out of 13 attempts to coordinate the movement of aid workers and supplies with the Israeli authorities were facilitated.

    Teams were able to retrieve some fuel, collect some water, relocate generators, provide supplies related to hygiene and sanitation and transfer much-needed medical supplies.

    The six remaining attempts were either outright denied or approved initially, but then faced obstacles on the ground.

    End international media ban

    Meanwhile, the head of the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA called on Friday for the ban on international media entering Gaza to be lifted.

    “650 days of atrocities against civilians with no international media allowed in,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote in social media post, adding that over 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed during this time.

    “Media ban fuels dis-information campaigns questioning first-hand data and accounts from eyewitnesses and international humanitarian organizations,” he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Violence in Haiti, rising insecurity in DR Congo, expert panel on nuclear war

    Source: United Nations 2

    Displaced Haitians are dispersed among the 250 active displacement sites across the country, most of which are informal. Just over a fifth of these sites are managed by humanitarian organizations, meaning that many are living in precarious conditions.  

    In June alone, more than 200 alerts were reported across displacement sites, over 80 per cent of which were related to essential needs such as lack of water, food, shelter or healthcare.

    OCHA noted that nearly 1.3 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti, the highest number ever recorded in the country due to violence.

    Constrained UN response

    The UN and partners have supported more than 113,000 displaced Haitians this year, providing essential services such as water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare.

    The humanitarian response is severely constrained by limited funding and persistent insecurity, hampering humanitarian access to the most affected areas and delaying the delivery of aid. 

    Despite the challenges, the agency continues to work closely with Haitian authorities and humanitarian partners to coordinate relief efforts and mobilise additional resources to support displaced communities. 

    DR Congo: Ongoing violence in the east drives displacement, impedes aid delivery

    Ongoing violence in North and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to claim the lives of civilians and to trigger new displacement. 

    In North Kivu, UN partners on the ground in Rutshuru and Lubero territories reported that fighting between M23 and other armed groups was ongoing until Tuesday, resulting in eight civilian deaths and 42,500 displaced people as of earlier this week. 

    Since early July, heavy clashes between M23 and other armed groups in South Kivu have also persisted, as local partners said the fighting has displaced at least 37,000 people from their homes. 

    Aid access restrictions 

    The surge in violence is making it harder for humanitarians to deliver assistance to vulnerable communities. 

    While partners and teams on the ground are doing their best to maintain services for those affected, access restrictions and severe funding shortages pose significant obstacles. 

    A humanitarian convoy coordinated by OCHA along the road between the provincial capital Bukavu and the city of Uvira, primarily planned for this Friday, has been postponed due to a lack of security guarantees on that route. 

    Many UN partners on the ground are forced to scale back their operations, disrupting essential services for those in need. 

    OCHA called on the international community to take urgent action to address these severe funding gaps and avert a humanitarian tragedy. 

    New panel to examine the effects of a nuclear war

    The UN Secretary-General has appointed an independent scientific panel of 21 experts to examine the physical and societal consequences of a nuclear war on a local, regional and planetary scale in the days, weeks and decades following such an event.

    The creation of the panel, mandated by a General Assembly resolution, comes at a time when nuclear guardrails are being eroded and “the risk of nuclear war is higher than at any point since the depths of the Cold War,” UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday during the daily media briefing from Headquarters in New York. 

    The panelists will seek input from a wide range of stakeholders – including international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), civil society and affected communities. 

    Members will hold their first meeting in September and will submit a final report to the General Assembly in 2027. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Respond with Unity, Urgency to End Impunity, Illicit Profits, Secretary-General Urges in Message for World Day against Horrific Crime of Human Trafficking

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    SG/SM/22731

    Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July:

    Human trafficking is a horrific crime and a gross violation of human rights. It is one of the fastest-growing forms of organized crime — run by ruthless networks that prey on vulnerability and profit from pain.

    This is a brutal, highly organized enterprise built on deception, coercion and exploitation.  And it is evolving rapidly.

    Criminal groups are operating across borders with alarming speed and sophistication.  They exploit legal loopholes, infiltrate legitimate industries and supply chains, take advantage of migration flows, and use technology to recruit, control and abuse — including through online sexual exploitation or forcing victims into cyberscams.

    We must respond with unity and urgency.  We can do so by breaking the business model that sustains human trafficking — ending impunity, cutting off illicit profits and strengthening law enforcement and justice systems.  Perpetrators must be held accountable.

    We must also forge strong alliances — with civil society and the private sector, including technology companies — to raise awareness and promote reporting channels to prevent exploitation and protect the vulnerable.

    And we must strive to ensure justice for survivors, support the displaced, and tackle root causes — from poverty and inequality to conflict and climate disruption.

    On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us act together to stand with victims, hold perpetrators to account and build a world where no one is bought, sold or exploited.

    For information media. Not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General Announces Members of Independent Scientific Panel on Effects of Nuclear War

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    NEW YORK, 18 July (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs) — On 17 July, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of an independent scientific panel of experts tasked with examining the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war on a local, regional and planetary scale in the days, weeks and decades following a nuclear war.

    The panel was established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/238, titled “Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research”, and is mandated to examine “the physical effects and societal consequences” of a nuclear war “on a local, regional and planetary scale, including, inter alia, the climatic, environmental and radiological effects, and their impacts on public health, global socioeconomic systems, agriculture and ecosystems, in the days, weeks and decades following a nuclear war”.

    The panel is tasked with publishing a comprehensive report on these matters, making key conclusions, and identifying areas requiring future research.  The report will be considered by the UN General Assembly at its eighty-second session in 2027.

    The last cross-sectional United Nations study of this kind was undertaken almost four decades ago in 1988 (Study on the Climatic and Other Global Effects of Nuclear War, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.89.IX.1).

    The panel consists of 21 members drawn from a range of scientific fields, including:  nuclear and radiation studies; atmospheric sciences and climate; environment and environmental studies; agriculture, biology and life sciences; public health and medicine; and behavioural and social sciences and applied economics.

    As mandated by resolution 79/238, the Secretary-General selected members of the panel based on “their leading scientific expertise across relevant disciplines, while ensuring impartiality, and equitable geographical and gender balance”.  In selecting the panel, the Secretary-General drew on the expertise and recommendations of relevant agencies from the United Nations system.

    The panel will engage the widest possible range of stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society, affected communities, and peoples from around the world, in order to understand local, regional and global perspectives on the effects of nuclear war.  Member States, relevant international and regional organizations and others are encouraged to support the panel’s work.

    The independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War will consist of the following 21 members, each participating in their personal capacity:

    Arlene Alves dos Reis, Head, Division of Dosimetry at the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN);

    Ana María Cetto Kramis, former Deputy Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  Full research professor at the Physics Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).  Founder and current holder of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair on Science Diplomacy and Heritage at UNAM;

    Manvendra K. Dubey, Senior Scientist and Fellow, Earth Systems Observations, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL);

    Friederike Renate Friess, Senior Scientist, BOKU University, Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure, Institute of Safety and Risk Sciences;

    Abel Gonzalez, Senior Adviser to the Argentina Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Olenum member of the National Academy of Sciences of Buenos Aires, the Argentine Academy of Environmental Sciences, the Argentine Academy of the Seas, and the International Nuclear Energy Academy;

    Md Ahsan Habib, Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Fellow, Chinese Academy of Sciences;

    Andrew Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Co-Director World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Health;

    Gi Hoon Hong, former President and Research Professor, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology;

    Togzhan Kassenova, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, University at Albany, State University of New York, former member of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM);

    Ausrele Kesminiene-Suonio, Senior Visiting Scientist, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), former head of the Lithuanian Chernobyl Medical Centre;

    Peter Klimek, Director of the Supply Chain Intelligence Institute, Austria, Associate Professor, Section for Science of Complex Systems, Medical University of Vienna;

    Karina Meredith, Director of Environment Research and Technology at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Adjunct Professor in the Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences school at University of New South Wales;

    Thobela Nkukwana, Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria, Sub-editor for the South African Journal of Animal Sciences, Editorial Board member and Sub-editor of Welwitschia International Journal of Agricultural Sciences;

    Sébastien Philippe, research scholar at the Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security, member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;

    Laura Revell, Associate Professor in Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Canterbury, member of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) panel;

    Neil Rowan, Professor, Faculty of Science and Technological Health, University of the Shannon, Adjunct Professor to the School of Medicine, Nursing and Biomedical Science at the University of Galway;

    Rabia Sa’id, Professor of atmospheric and space-weather physics and a researcher at Bayero University Kano, Co-founder of Nigeria’s Association of Women Physicists;

    Georgiy L. Stenchikov, Professor Emeritus at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Professor of Earth Sciences, Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Earth Sciences and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology;

    Masao Tomonaga, Emeritus Director, Atomic Bomb Hospital, former Director of the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Bomb (Genbaku) Hospital, President of Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Association and current President of IPPNW Nagasaki Branch.  A hibakusha from Nagasaki;

    Hüseyin Yalçinkaya, Anakara University Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Veterinary Officer at the Turkish Directorate General for Food and Control/Department of Border Control for Animal and Animal Products; and

    Zhao Wuwen, Professor at the Center for Strategic Studies, China Academy of Engineering Physics.

    Questions regarding the panel can be addressed to:  nweffectspanel@un.org.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Sanctions Committee Concerning Democratic Republic of Congo Discusses Group of Experts’  Final Report

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    On 2 July 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo was briefed by the Group of Experts on its final report.

    The Coordinator of the Group presented the report’s main findings on conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the ongoing support to armed groups, continued violations of the arms embargo and international humanitarian law, and human rights violations and abuses.  The briefing also addressed the illicit exploitation of natural resources and the impact of regional dynamics on peace and security.

    Members of the Committee exchanged views with the Group and took note of its findings and recommendations.

    For information media. Not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: General Assembly Adopts Resolution Urging Action on Secretary-General’s Initiative to Modernize United Nations System

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The General Assembly today adopted, by consensus, a resolution welcoming the Secretary-General’s efforts to strengthen the United Nations so that the Organization can keep pace with a changing world and be fit for present and future challenges.

    That text, titled “UN80 Initiative” (document A/79/L.99) also saw the Assembly look forward to receiving the Secretary-General’s proposals in the framework of that initiative, “taking into account the necessity to have clearly defined objectives and an evidence-based approach, and aiming at strengthening the impact of the United Nations and enhancing its agility, responsiveness and resilience while addressing the issue of duplicative efforts and ensuring effective and efficient mandate delivery across all three pillars of the work of the United Nations”.

    Further, the Assembly called on UN entities and specialized agencies to align their reform efforts with this approach, as appropriate.

    Following the adoption, the representative of Japan underlined her country’s commitment to multilateralism and the UN80 Initiative.  Detailing her delegation’s understanding that the UN is drawing lessons from previous reforms where “negotiations on mandates faced deadlock between Member States”, she said that today’s resolution “is not intended to obstruct these efforts but, rather, to support and complement them”.

    However, several speakers took issue with the timing of today’s resolution.

    The representative of Switzerland, also speaking for Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, welcomed that today’s resolution recognizes the importance of Member States providing the Secretary-General with the necessary space and political backing for the UN80 Initiative.  However, he added:  “We were not fully convinced that the timing of this resolution was optimal or conducive to the ongoing discussions.”

    The representative of Australia, also speaking for Canada and New Zealand, emphasized that discussions concerning the UN80 Initiative should be based on clear, robust advice and proposals from the Secretary-General.  Further, they should be grounded in evidence-based, documented analysis.  “So, we believe a resolution at this stage is premature,” she said, pointing out that “it risks limiting both the scope and ambition of forthcoming proposals”.

    Similarly, Denmark’s representative, speaking for the European Union and its member States, expressed regret that “the process leading to the adoption of this resolution was premature and unnecessarily rushed”.  The limited time available for meaningful consultation and reflection did not allow for the constructive engagement required.  And, while the text aims to address duplication and promote efficiency, he stressed that the process leading to its adoption — “regrettably did not reflect these principles”.

    Following those statements, the representative of the Russian Federation took the floor to exercise the right of reply.  Recalling that his delegation conducted several rounds of consultations — “and, most importantly, took into account the red lines specified by delegations” — he urged the European Union to take such an approach in future negotiations.  Thanking those present for their consensus support, he said:  “It is because we seek success in the UN’s adaptation to current and future challenges that the Russian Federation presented this draft.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Madiba’s Legacy ‘Now Our Responsibility’, Secretary-General Says on Nelson Mandela Day, Praising 2025 Prize Winners for Embodying South African Leader’s Commitment to Justice

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day, in New York today:

    Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.  Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit.  He endured the brutal weight of oppression and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity.

    Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility.  We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity.

    One of the central lessons of Mandela’s life was that power is not a personal possession, to be hoarded.  Power is about lifting others up.  It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another.  Power is about people.

    In every facet of his life, Nelson Mandela demonstrated the power of collective, grass-roots action to drive change and progress and deliver power to the powerless.

    This same spirit can be found in today’s winners of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.  Ms. Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada.  She is a social worker, who turned her struggle against the most hideous of crimes against children into a national force for change, supporting and developing trauma responses for survivors and families of the residential schools system.

    Mr. Kennedy Odede grew up in the Kibera slum in Kenya.  A long-time community activist, the organization he founded unites community groups from across the country and now reaches more than 2.4 million people each year with essential services — everything from education to water.

    Both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes:  “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.  It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.”

    On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition.

    As the United Nations celebrates its eightieth anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us.  Around the world, human rights and dignity are under threat — not only from conflict and instability, but from systematic inequalities, exclusion, climate disasters and the rollback of hard-won freedoms.

    Now is the time to renew our global commitment to the principles that define our organization — and indeed, the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela.  Freedom. Justice.  Equal rights.  Solidarity.  Reconciliation.  Peace.

    Today, and every day, let’s continue following the path and principles set by Nelson Mandela’s life of service and progress.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN80 initiative should be ‘inclusive and transparent’, recognises General Assembly

    Source: United Nations 2

    The text, introduced by Russia and adopted without a vote, “welcomes the efforts of the Secretary‑General to strengthen the United Nations in order to keep pace with a changing world” and calls on UN entities and specialised agencies to align their reform efforts “as appropriate”.

    In the resolution, the 193-member Assembly “recognises the central role of Member States in the reform process, which should be inclusive and transparent”.

    It also “looks forward to receiving, in accordance with established procedures” the Secretary‑General’s proposals under the initiative, “taking into account the necessity to have clearly defined objectives and an evidence-based approach, and aiming at strengthening the impact of the United Nations and enhancing its agility, responsiveness and resilience while addressing the issue of duplicative efforts and ensuring effective and efficient mandate delivery across all three pillars of the work of the United Nations.”

    Launched by the Secretary-General in March, the UN80 Initiative centres on three priorities: enhancing operational efficiency, assessing how mandates – or key tasks – from Member States are implemented and exploring structural reforms across the UN system.

    Mixed reactions on timing

    Several delegations voiced backing for the reform effort, but questioned the timing of the resolution.

    Speaking for the European Union, Denmark said the process was “premature and unnecessarily rushed”, noting that limited time for consultations “did not allow for the constructive engagement such an initiative requires”.

    Australia, on behalf of the CANZ group (Canada, Australia and New Zealand), echoed that view, warning that an early resolution “risks limiting both the scope and ambition of the forthcoming proposals”.

    Switzerland, speaking for a group including Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, also stressed that reform should be “ambitious and strategic”, building on existing assets while ensuring long‑term efficiencies.

    Japan emphasised its “commitment to multilateralism” and said the initiative responds to the urgency of revitalising the UN.

    “The success of the UN80 initiative relies on our shared and complementary responsibilities,” its delegate said.

    Member States in the driving seat

    Exercising its right of reply, Russia rejected claims that the text was rushed, saying it had “conducted several rounds of consultations” and “took into account the red lines specified by delegations, which came out in the silence procedure”.

    The silence procedure sets out a window of time for delegations to express objections to a draft resolution or decision before it is formally acted upon.

    The Russian delegate said the resolution puts Member States “into the driving force of this process” while recognising the Secretary‑General’s prerogative as chief administrative officer under the UN Charter.

    “We seek success in the UN’s adaptation to current and future challenges,” the Russian delegate said, calling the resolution’s adoption “a very important step” to ensure universal support for the initiative.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Mandela’s legacy ‘is now our responsibility,’ Guterres says on International Day

    Source: United Nations 2

    In his remarks, the Secretary-General celebrated the extraordinary life of the South African civil rights icon, affectionately known by his Khosa clan name, Madiba.

    “He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division – but of reconciliation, peace and unity,” Mr. Guterres said.

    “Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity.”

    To honour this legacy, the UN chief awarded the annual Nelson Mandela Prize to two individuals who reflect the late leader’s commitment to peace and collective action, and this year’s theme of combating poverty and inequity: Brenda Reynolds of Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya. 

    Brenda Reynolds: turning pain into action

    Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada, and as a social worker she has spent decades advancing Indigenous rights, mental health and trauma-informed care.

    “There are many parallels to what we had experienced in both our countries, where the governments made impacted policies to change who we are, to face oppression, to face violations of human rights in our countries,” Ms. Reynolds said in her acceptance speech.

    In 1988, she supported 17 teenage girls in the first residential school sexual abuse case in Saskatchewan. 

    “These charges were the beginning of other disclosures that came from across Canada from survivors speaking about their sexual abuse experiences. Those charges and the disclosures became the largest class action lawsuit to date in Canada,” known as Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, she explained.

    Afterwards, she became a special adviser to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and developed the Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program – both created by the agreement – helping shape survivor support and trauma responses nationwide.

    Kennedy Odede: from slums to CEO

    After growing up in Kenya’s Kibera Slum, Kennedy Odede went from living on the street to global recognition when he was named one of TIME magazine’s 2024 100 Most Influential People and became a New York Times bestselling author.

    “At ten years old, fleeing domestic violence, I joined the ranks of Nairobi’s street children. One day I stole a mango because I was starving. A mob gathered to beat me dead, until a stranger stepped forward, paid for that mango, and in that single act of grace, showed me that kindness could interrupt cycles of violence,” Mr. Odede recounted in his acceptance speech.

    He began his journey as an activist by saving his meagre factory earnings to buy a soccer ball and bring his community together. 

    “That ball was not just for play; it was a tool for organising. A centre around which a community could form,” he said. 

    This soon grew into Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), the largest grassroots movement in Kenya he now leads as CEO. SHOFCO operates across the country, empowering local groups and delivering vital services to over 4 million people annually.

    “Mandela showed all of us at SHOFCO, that leadership is not a privilege reserved for those born to power. It belongs to anyone willing to serve and look within.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN envoy urges Colombia to ‘stay the course’ as peace faces new strains

    Source: United Nations 4

    Briefing the Security Council for the last time as head of the UN Verification Mission, Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the peace agreement provided a roadmap for addressing the root causes of conflict.

    “The Final Peace Agreement of 2016 set out the path to be followed: a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for addressing deep-rooted structural issues that have driven violence in Colombia for decades,” he told ambassadors.

    He cited progress in land reform, rural development, the reintegration of more than 13,000 former FARC combatants, the start of a “complex journey” for truth and reconciliation, and opening of political space.

    “Today, Colombia is a very different country from that it was in the years prior to the signing of the peace agreement,” he added, noting however that gaps and challenges remain.

    SRSG Ruiz Massieu briefs the Security Council.

    Violence persists

    Chief among these is the limited presence of civilian and military state institutions in various regions of the country where peace dividends remain limited and violence persists, including against social leaders and ex-combatants.

    At least 472 former fighters have been killed since 2016, four in recent weeks alone, Mr. Ruiz Massieu said, urging measures to strengthen their protection and ensure accountability.

    “It is also essential to achieve effective complementarity between peacebuilding policies, security strategies, and efforts to combat illicit economies,” he added.

    Painful moments revived

    Mr. Ruiz Massieu highlighted progress on opening political space, noting “a widespread rejection of political violence” but warning that the attempted assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in June revived painful memories and underscored the need to remove violence from electoral competition.

    To address persistent insecurity, he urged full implementation of security guarantees alongside rural development programs and strategies to combat illicit economies.

    “Expanded and sustained state presence remains essential,” he said, stressing the need for coordinated investments in conflict-prone regions.

    UN Photo/Loey Felipe

    A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC).

    Upcoming elections

    The briefing also comes as Colombia enters a sensitive period leading to the elections next year.

    Mr. Ruiz Massieu appealed to all actors to uphold commitments for a peaceful campaign and to advance the comprehensive vision of the 2016 accord, which includes provisions for women, Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities.

    “In their pursuit of peace, Colombians have a deeply rooted history of resilience and persistence – sometimes their efforts have not yielded the expected results but other times, thanks to patience and perseverance, they have achieved significant progress,” he said.

    Path to peace is never easy

    “The path to peace is never easy, nor is it free of obstacles. But staying the course is always worthwhile,” he concluded. “The 2016 peace agreement is a striking example of this.”

    Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who has led the mission for more than six years, will soon assume duties as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti.

    He thanked the Council for its “consistent and crucial” support, adding that the UN mission’s role in fostering trust “will remain as important as ever in the period ahead.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: On the road in war-torn Gaza

    Source: United Nations 2

    Moving around Gaza has become ever more difficult amid the ongoing 21-month-long war.

    Mr. Saad, who was displaced from the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was waiting for the vehicle pulling the cart he was sitting in to move.

    “Transportation is very difficult and unsafe,” he told UN News. “The roads are exhausting. We pray to God to grant us patience and to return home.”

    This was on Rashid Street, west of the city, which connects the north and south of the Strip. It is crowded with carts, cars and three-wheeled motorcycles that have also been converted into means of transportation.

    The area is interspersed with tents of displaced people, all surrounded by the rubble of buildings destroyed by war on both sides of the road.

    War and evacuation orders have left many in Gaza scrambling for transportation to safety.

    A luxury not for everyone

    “People can barely find enough to eat, so how will they pay for transportation?” Umm Haytham Al-Kulak asked while waiting in a passenger compartment attached behind a motorcycle,

    “We walk mostly; we can’t take public transportation,” she said.

    “May God help the drivers. Fuel prices are high, and all the people are exhausted and overwhelmed.”

    In Gaza, many people have no choice but to use risky ways to get around during the ongoing war.

    Sky high fuel costs

    Drivers are paying skyrocketing prices for fuel, which is a heavy burden, Abdel Karim Abu Asi said as he waited for his car to be fully loaded with passengers.

    “The price of a litre of diesel has reached 100 shekels [around $27],” he said. “What should we do? We’re trying to use locally produced fuel, but it causes significant damage to cars and a lot of problems.”

    This isn’t the only problem facing drivers. Mr. Abu Asi said the prices of spare parts are very high. A part that used to cost around 100 shekels now sells for around 2,000 shekels, or around $560.

    “We also suffer from the destruction of the streets, and no matter how hard the municipalities try to repair them, the problem is not solved because they require a large number of bulldozers to clear them,” he said.

    “People must be helped with transportation costs and many other aspects.”

    Fuel vendors sell their products at sharply inflated prices, with a litre of fuel reaching around 100 shekels.

    Only option

    Despite all the challenges, people there continue to go about their daily lives, even if it takes all day to get from one place to another. That’s what happened to Hussein Al-Hamarneh, who was waiting in a car to travel to the southern Gaza Strip.

    Mr. Al-Hamarneh believes that most of these means of transportation are “uncomfortable, such as tuk-tuks [three-wheeled motorcycles] and carts pulled by cars, which are primarily designed to transport goods or animals, not people”.

    “This is the only option for those who do not own cars,” he said.

    Tayseer Abu Asr, who arranges for passengers to board a cart pulled by a car, stood on the section of the road.

    “We’re trying to help people get around,” he said. “These carts have become our only means of transportation after the destruction of buses and taxis.”

    On top of these challenges during the ongoing war, the Gaza Strip is facing a fuel crisis.

    UN agencies warned earlier this week that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels. They said if supplies run out, it will place an unbearable new burden on the population.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Behind bars, not beyond rights: UN Peacekeeping & the Nelson Mandela Rules

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Written by Maya Kelly, a Strategic Communications Consultant and Social Media Coordinator for the UN Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in media, communications, technoculture, and education policy

    Human rights belong to everyone – including prisoners.  

    Nelson Mandela once said, “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but rather its lowest ones.” Imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid, the late president of South Africa saw firsthand the injustices faced behind bars. He spent his life advocating for the fair and human treatment of all people, including prisoners. 

    His fight continues today. Around the world, prisons hold individuals convicted of violent or non-violent offences, political prisoners, juveniles, and pre-trial detainees held for months or years without any conviction – and who accounted for nearly a third of the world’s 11.5 million prison population as of 2022. 

    In many places, these prisoners’ rights are still not upheld. Many are subjected to violence. Many are denied humane treatment, clean water, adequate food, proper sanitation, healthcare, and legal protections. Overincarceration, overcrowding, underfunding, poor conditions and the serious neglect of prison services threaten the lives of prisoners, the safety of communities, and the global community’s efforts to advance human rights, sustainable development, and peace. 

    The Nelson Mandela Rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago, seek to change this by establishing minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. In the countries where we operate, UN peacekeeping helps host governments put these rules into practice in countries like South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Kosovo*. Our efforts protect the rights of detainees, improve the safety and security of communities, and help advance sustainable peace in regions affected by conflict.

    What are the Nelson Mandela Rules?

    The UN first adopted rules for the treatment of prisoners in 1955. They were not updated again until 2015, when after five years of revisions, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – known today as the Nelson Mandela Rules.  

    The new resolution was named to honour the legacy of Mandela’s lifelong struggle for global human rights, equality, democracy, and the promotion of a culture of peace. 

    The Nelson Mandela Rules are the universally recognized blueprint for effective and humane prison management in the 21st century.

    While there are 122 rules in total, they are guided by a set of key principles, which seek to create prison systems that ensure humane treatment for prisoners and help prevent repeat offences:

    1. Humane treatment: Every prisoner is a human being whose rights and dignity must be respected. This includes protection from torture and from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to food, water, and medical attention.
    2. Non-discrimination: The rules should be applied equally and without discrimination based on race, gender, language, religion, sexuality or another other status.
    3. Normalisation: Life in prison should be as similar as possible to life in the wider community, with access to resources and regular family contact, to support reintegration and deter repeat offences.
    4. Safety and security: Prisons should provide a safe and secure environment for prisoners, prison staff, service providers and visitors, including protecting prisoners from violence.
    5. Tailored rehabilitation: Rehabilitation opportunities, including education and vocational training, should meet prisoners’ individual needs to prepare them to live a law-abiding and self-supporting life upon release. Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of repeat offences upon prisoners’ release. 

    Ensuring prisons meet these standards protects the prisoners and personnel inside and improves the safety of surrounding communities.

    Why are the Mandela Rules Important?

    When the Nelson Mandela Rules are applied, we’re all better off: the rules improve both prisoner and community safety and security.

    Humane, rehabilitative prisons lower reoffending rates upon release, improving public safety. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons accelerates the spread of disease, threatening the health of inmates and the wider community. Improving prison health protects public health. Incarceration disrupts families and communities for generations, while prison alternatives and maintained family contact during incarceration leads to stronger social and community cohesion. Incarceration is not only expensive for governments but has long lasting economic costs for families and communities who lose economic potential. 

    While the Mandela Rules establish the minimum standards in countries where United Nations peace operations are present, chronic underfunding, overcrowding, and outdated infrastructure severely limit governments’ abilities to meet even the most basic standards of detention. If left unchecked, prisons become breeding grounds for communicable disease, violence, and radicalization with social, economic and political costs that are felt well beyond the prison walls. We, therefore, work together with national authorities and partners to implement and uphold the Mandela Rules in prisons in some of the world’s toughest conflict environments.

    How UN Peacekeeping helps countries put the Mandela Rules into practice

    UN Peacekeeping deploys Justice and Corrections experts to improve how prisons are run, support programs that help prisoners reintegrate into society, and train national prison staff to strengthen justice for prisoners and wider community members.

    We support host governments implement the Nelson Mandela Rules, building safer, fairer prisons that respect human rights, reduce the risk of violence and radicalization, and strengthen public trust in justice institutions. These are key foundations for building lasting peace, security, and stability in conflict and post-conflict settings.

    In prisons in South Sudan, climate shocks, regional conflict, stalled imports and overcrowding in prisons mean that prisoners do not have enough to eat. The peacekeeping mission UNMISS is working with the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) to train inmates in agriculture and let them grow food on “prison farms” to supply the prisons. The results have been transformative: food insecurity has been reduced, and prisoners have gained vocational skills that give them hope for their futures. “This farm helps us produce food, gives us the physical exercise we need, but above all, gives us hope for rebuilding our lives once we finish our sentences,” says Jakor Kuron, an inmate.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Behind bars, not beyond rights: UN Peacekeeping & the Nelson Mandela Rules

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Written by Maya Kelly, a Strategic Communications Consultant and Social Media Coordinator for the UN Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in media, communications, technoculture, and education policy

    Human rights belong to everyone – including prisoners.  

    Nelson Mandela once said, “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but rather its lowest ones.” Imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid, the late president of South Africa saw firsthand the injustices faced behind bars. He spent his life advocating for the fair and human treatment of all people, including prisoners. 

    His fight continues today. Around the world, prisons hold individuals convicted of violent or non-violent offences, political prisoners, juveniles, and pre-trial detainees held for months or years without any conviction – and who accounted for nearly a third of the world’s 11.5 million prison population as of 2022. 

    In many places, these prisoners’ rights are still not upheld. Many are subjected to violence. Many are denied humane treatment, clean water, adequate food, proper sanitation, healthcare, and legal protections. Overincarceration, overcrowding, underfunding, poor conditions and the serious neglect of prison services threaten the lives of prisoners, the safety of communities, and the global community’s efforts to advance human rights, sustainable development, and peace. 

    The Nelson Mandela Rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago, seek to change this by establishing minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. In the countries where we operate, UN peacekeeping helps host governments put these rules into practice in countries like South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Kosovo*. Our efforts protect the rights of detainees, improve the safety and security of communities, and help advance sustainable peace in regions affected by conflict.

    What are the Nelson Mandela Rules?

    The UN first adopted rules for the treatment of prisoners in 1955. They were not updated again until 2015, when after five years of revisions, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – known today as the Nelson Mandela Rules.  

    The new resolution was named to honour the legacy of Mandela’s lifelong struggle for global human rights, equality, democracy, and the promotion of a culture of peace. 

    The Nelson Mandela Rules are the universally recognized blueprint for effective and humane prison management in the 21st century.

    While there are 122 rules in total, they are guided by a set of key principles, which seek to create prison systems that ensure humane treatment for prisoners and help prevent repeat offences:

    1. Humane treatment: Every prisoner is a human being whose rights and dignity must be respected. This includes protection from torture and from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to food, water, and medical attention.
    2. Non-discrimination: The rules should be applied equally and without discrimination based on race, gender, language, religion, sexuality or another other status.
    3. Normalisation: Life in prison should be as similar as possible to life in the wider community, with access to resources and regular family contact, to support reintegration and deter repeat offences.
    4. Safety and security: Prisons should provide a safe and secure environment for prisoners, prison staff, service providers and visitors, including protecting prisoners from violence.
    5. Tailored rehabilitation: Rehabilitation opportunities, including education and vocational training, should meet prisoners’ individual needs to prepare them to live a law-abiding and self-supporting life upon release. Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of repeat offences upon prisoners’ release. 

    Ensuring prisons meet these standards protects the prisoners and personnel inside and improves the safety of surrounding communities.

    Why are the Mandela Rules Important?

    When the Nelson Mandela Rules are applied, we’re all better off: the rules improve both prisoner and community safety and security.

    Humane, rehabilitative prisons lower reoffending rates upon release, improving public safety. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons accelerates the spread of disease, threatening the health of inmates and the wider community. Improving prison health protects public health. Incarceration disrupts families and communities for generations, while prison alternatives and maintained family contact during incarceration leads to stronger social and community cohesion. Incarceration is not only expensive for governments but has long lasting economic costs for families and communities who lose economic potential. 

    While the Mandela Rules establish the minimum standards in countries where United Nations peace operations are present, chronic underfunding, overcrowding, and outdated infrastructure severely limit governments’ abilities to meet even the most basic standards of detention. If left unchecked, prisons become breeding grounds for communicable disease, violence, and radicalization with social, economic and political costs that are felt well beyond the prison walls. We, therefore, work together with national authorities and partners to implement and uphold the Mandela Rules in prisons in some of the world’s toughest conflict environments.

    How UN Peacekeeping helps countries put the Mandela Rules into practice

    UN Peacekeeping deploys Justice and Corrections experts to improve how prisons are run, support programs that help prisoners reintegrate into society, and train national prison staff to strengthen justice for prisoners and wider community members.

    We support host governments implement the Nelson Mandela Rules, building safer, fairer prisons that respect human rights, reduce the risk of violence and radicalization, and strengthen public trust in justice institutions. These are key foundations for building lasting peace, security, and stability in conflict and post-conflict settings.

    In prisons in South Sudan, climate shocks, regional conflict, stalled imports and overcrowding in prisons mean that prisoners do not have enough to eat. The peacekeeping mission UNMISS is working with the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) to train inmates in agriculture and let them grow food on “prison farms” to supply the prisons. The results have been transformative: food insecurity has been reduced, and prisoners have gained vocational skills that give them hope for their futures. “This farm helps us produce food, gives us the physical exercise we need, but above all, gives us hope for rebuilding our lives once we finish our sentences,” says Jakor Kuron, an inmate.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘You have to be able to rule your life’: The care revolution in Latin America

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    The workers we don’t pay or see are grandmothers, mothers, daughters — the women who take care of children, look after ill family members, and give dignity to the elderly. 

    To do this vital care work, they give up formal employment with pay cheques. 

    “Our system is designed as if women didn’t do care work. And that forces us to choose between raising children or working,” said Meredith Cortés Bravo, a founder of a grassroots organization in Chile that supports these women.

    But in Latin America, this is slowly changing — a care revolution is underway that is asking governments and employers to consider what it would mean to recognize, protect and fund care work. 

    “Care is essential for every family and for every community. The revolution is to make it visible, to make it valuable and to invest,” María Noel Vaeza, UN Women’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told UN News.

    The most off-track goal

    The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is convening at UN Headquarters in New York in order to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    While 18 per cent of the Goals are on track for 2030, achieving gender equality remains the Goal that is most off-track. Discriminatory laws and gender-based norms persist worldwide, with women dedicating approximately twice as many hours to unpaid care work as men.   

    “Gender equality is not a side issue. It is central to peace, it is central to justice, and it is central to sustainable development and the credibility of the multilateral system itself,” Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women said at an HLPF session this week.

    The revolution is underway

    Before the revolution began, Latin America faced a care crisis during the coronavirus“>COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ms. Vaeza.  There was not enough care available outside of the home for sick people, forcing society to recognize that taking care of others is work. 

    “Unpaid care work is what keeps the economy running, but it’s unfair because it’s invisible, undervalued and underfunded. We must recognize it,” Ms. Vaeza said. 

    In Latin America, 17 are countries actively working to redesign their care economies, ensuring more protections and income for the women and men who provide this work. 

    “The biggest shift has been putting care at the centre of public policy, not just academic debates,” said Virginia Gontijo, UN Women programme lead in Brazil.

    This work is already bearing fruit. 

    In Chile, one of the region’s most ambitious care systems is already delivering in 151 municipalities, with the ultimate goal of reaching 75,000 people in the next few years.  

    UN Women is working with State governments and civil society groups to ensure that these new systems, policies and laws are shaped by and for caregivers.

    A care system in Brazil worked closely with a care activist network to train caregivers in labour rights and promote long-term professional development.  

    “I never felt my work was valued. But after this project, I feel better prepared to take part in political discussions and make our voices heard,” said Lucileide Mafra Reis, a domestic worker activist in Brazil.

    Care is a human right

    Mexico and Peru have taken a more rights-based approach to care, codifying it as a basic human right. 

    While the international community has yet to make a similar guarantee, Ms. Vaeza said that the human rights framework is an exceptionally effective one — it restores dignity and recognizes that care is a fundamental part of human life trajectories, from birth to death.

    “If you say that care is a human right, it means that the government and the state have to provide support,” she Ms. Vaeza.  

    For Aideé Zamorano González — a mother who founded Mama Godin, an organization in Mexico which evaluates the impact of care policies on women — it is equally as important that employers protect women’s right to do care work. 

    This means ensuring that workplaces have policies that are supportive of mothers as workers, such as schedules that allow them to drop their children off at school.

    For her, these sorts of policies are crucial for women’s rights and particularly for their freedom and autonomy.

    “You have to be able to rule your life,” Ms. Zamorano González told UN News. 

    Beyond just autonomy, however, it is also about safety. If a woman can make her own money — and therefore, her own decisions — she can leave abusive relationships and avoid economic exploitation. 

    “Every other type of violence depends on the economic power that you have. If you have the ability to make your own decisions and own money, you are safer,” said Ms. Zamorano González. 

    An economic investment

    Changes to legal classifications and governmental support for care work not only benefit the caregivers but also promote economic growth across societies. 

    “[Care] is an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,” Ms. Vaeza said.

    She noted that dedicating government funds to paying caregivers will return the investment threefold — both by increasing caregivers’ purchasing power and by generating tax revenue. 

    In Chile and Colombia, new care systems are estimated to contribute 25.6 per cent and 19.6 percent respectively to their national GDPs, according to UN Women.

    “When you invest in a women’s organization, you strengthen a living network, a tree with many branches that reaches places no office or institutional programme ever could,” Ms. Bravo said. 

    Export the revolution

    Latin America’s progress on care is a model for other regions around the world, Ms. Vaeza said, and demonstrates the importance of changing legal frameworks for women and girls. 

    “It’s extremely important that this revolution be exported. It’s an investment, a strategic investment for social justice, for gender equality and for sustainable development,” she said. 

    But while the revolution is ongoing, Ms. Zamorano González underlined the importance of economic empowerment for women as a means to protect their own rights even when laws and policies fall short. 

    “We are under capitalism, so while we change the system, let’s play the game. Let’s get our own means to have freedom,” she said. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly to mark the observance of Nelson Mandela International Day [bilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    oday, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

    Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit. 

    He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity. 

    Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. 

    We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity. 

    One of the central lessons of Mandela’s life was that power is not a personal possession, to be hoarded. 

    Power is about lifting others up.

    It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another. 

    Power is about people. 

    In every facet of his life, Nelson Mandela demonstrated the power of collective, grassroots action to drive change and progress, and deliver power to the powerless. 

    This same spirit can be found in today’s winners of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 

    Ms. Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada. 

    She is a social worker, who turned her struggle against the most hideous of crimes against children into a national force for change, supporting and developing trauma responses for survivors and families of the residential schools system. 

    Mr. Kennedy Odede grew up in the Kibera slum in Kenya.

    A long-time community activist, the organization he founded unites community groups from across the country and now reaches more than 2.4 million people each year with essential services — everything from education to water. 

    Both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes: 

    “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” 

    On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition. 

    Excellences,

    Alors que l’Organisation des Nations Unies célèbre ses 80 ans, l’héritage de réconciliation et de transformation transmis par Nelson Mandela continue de nous inspirer et de nous motiver.

    Partout dans le monde, les droits humains et la dignité sont menacés – non seulement par les conflits et l’instabilité, mais aussi par les inégalités systématiques, l’exclusion, les catastrophes climatiques et le recul de libertés chèrement acquises.

    Le moment est venu de renouveler notre engagement collectif envers les principes qu’incarne notre Organisation – et qui ont défini la vie exceptionnelle de Nelson Mandela.

    La liberté. La justice. L’égalité des droits. La solidarité. La réconciliation. La paix.

    Aujourd’hui, et chaque jour, poursuivons le chemin tracé par la vie de Nelson Mandela — une vie au service des autres et du progrès. 

    Je vous remercie.

    *******
    [All-English]

    Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

    Madiba’s extraordinary life was a triumph of the human spirit. 

    He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division — but of reconciliation, peace and unity. 

    Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. 

    We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity. 

    One of the central lessons of Mandela’s life was that power is not a personal possession, to be hoarded. 

    Power is about lifting others up.

    It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another. 

    Power is about people. 

    In every facet of his life, Nelson Mandela demonstrated the power of collective, grassroots action to drive change and progress, and deliver power to the powerless. 

    This same spirit can be found in today’s winners of the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 

    Ms. Brenda Reynolds is a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada. 

    She is a social worker, who turned her struggle against the most hideous of crimes against children into a national force for change, supporting and developing trauma responses for survivors and families of the residential schools system. 

    Mr. Kennedy Odede grew up in the Kibera slum in Kenya.

    A long-time community activist, the organization he founded unites community groups from across the country and now reaches more than 2.4 million people each year with essential services — everything from education to water. 

    Both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela’s words, which are engraved on their Prizes: 

    “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” 

    On behalf of the United Nations, I congratulate Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Odede on this well-deserved recognition. 

    Excellencies,

    As the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation and transformation continues to inspire and drive us. 

    Around the world, human rights and dignity are under threat — not only from conflict and instability, but from systematic inequalities, exclusion, climate disasters, and the rollback of hard-won freedoms. 

    Now is the time to renew our global commitment to the principles that define our organization — and indeed, the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela. 

    Freedom. Justice. Equal rights. Solidarity. Reconciliation. Peace. 

    Today, and every day, let’s continue following the path and principles set by Nelson Mandela’s life of service and progress. 

    Thank you.

    *********
    [All-French]

    Nous célébrons aujourd’hui la vie et l’héritage de Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

    La vie extraordinaire de Madiba a été un triomphe de l’esprit humain.

    Accablé du poids brutal de l’oppression, il en est ressorti avec une vision, non pas de vengeance et de division, mais de réconciliation, de paix et d’unité.

    Aujourd’hui, l’héritage de Madiba est entre nos mains.

    Nous devons perpétuer son engagement en faveur de la paix, de la justice et de la dignité humaine.

    La vie de Mandela nous apprend notamment que le pouvoir n’est pas un bien personnel que l’on peut monopoliser.

    Le pouvoir consiste à tirer les autres vers le haut.
    Il faut se poser la question en ces termes : que pouvons-nous accomplir les uns avec les autres, et les uns pour les autres ?

    Le pouvoir concerne le peuple.

    Dans tous les aspects de sa vie, Nelson Mandela a prouvé que l’action collective et locale pouvait être porteuse de changement et de progrès, et donner du pouvoir à ceux qui n’en avaient pas.

    C’est ce même esprit qui anime aujourd’hui les lauréats du prix Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

    Madame Brenda Reynolds est une Saulteaux de la Première Nation de Fishing Lake, au Canada.

    Assistante sociale de profession, elle a fait de sa lutte contre le plus ignoble des crimes contre les enfants une force nationale de changement : elle a établi et porté des protocoles de prise en charge du traumatisme pour les survivants du système de pensionnats et leurs familles.

    Monsieur Kennedy Odede a grandi dans le bidonville de Kibera, au Kenya.

    Militant local de longue date, il a fondé une organisation qui rassemble des groupes communautaires de tout le pays et apporte aujourd’hui à plus de 2,4 millions de personnes chaque année des services essentiels, allant de l’éducation à l’accès à l’eau.

    Les deux lauréats incarnent les mots de Nelson Mandela, qui sont gravés sur leurs prix :

    « Ce qui compte dans la vie, ce n’est pas le simple fait d’avoir vécu. C’est la différence que nous avons apportée à la vie des autres qui déterminera l’importance de la vie que nous menons. »

    Au nom de l’ONU, je félicite Madame Reynolds et Monsieur Odede pour cette reconnaissance amplement méritée.

    Excellences,

    Alors que l’Organisation des Nations Unies célèbre ses 80 ans, l’héritage de réconciliation et de transformation transmis par Nelson Mandela continue de nous inspirer et de nous motiver.

    Partout dans le monde, les droits humains et la dignité sont menacés – non seulement par les conflits et l’instabilité, mais aussi par les inégalités systématiques, l’exclusion, les catastrophes climatiques et le recul de libertés chèrement acquises.

    Le moment est venu de renouveler notre engagement collectif envers les principes qu’incarne notre Organisation – et qui ont défini la vie exceptionnelle de Nelson Mandela.

    La liberté. La justice. L’égalité des droits. La solidarité. La réconciliation. La paix.

    Aujourd’hui, et chaque jour, poursuivons le chemin tracé par la vie de Nelson Mandela — une vie au service des autres et du progrès. 

    Je vous remercie.

    ***

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Holds Briefing on Situation in Colombia

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    9961st Meeting (AM)

    Special Representative and Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu will brief the Security Council this morning on recent developments in the country and the Secretary-General’s latest report on the Mission (document S/2025/419), which covers the period from 27 March to 26 June.   The report highlights major developments in the country, implementation of the Final Peace Agreement and the Mission’s coordination with the country team, among other matters. 

    Colombia will participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. 

    For information media. Not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Syria crisis: Hundreds killed in ongoing violence, hospitals overwhelmed

    Source: United Nations 4

    Briefing reporters in Geneva, UN human rights office, OHCHR, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani highlighted “credible” reports of “widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes” in the city of Sweida.

    “Among the reported perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim authorities, as well as other armed elements from the area, including the Druze and Bedouin,” she said.

    Many hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of injured, the UN refugee agency UNHCR also noted.

    Forced to flee

    On Friday morning, OHCHR colleagues reported that clashes were continuing and that “a lot of people are trying to flee or have fled the area”, Ms. Shamdasani continued.

    Latest updates from the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office, OCHA, on Thursday indicated that nearly 2,000 families had been displaced from areas affected by the fighting.

    Hundreds have reportedly been killed since sectarian violence involving the Druze and Bedouin communities erupted on 12 July, triggering an intervention by Syrian security forces.

    OHCHR’s Ms. Shamdasani highlighted an incident on 15 July in which at least 13 people were killed when “armed individuals affiliated with the interim authorities deliberately opened fire at a family gathering”.

    Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York on Thursday, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari also referenced reports of “civilians, religious figures and detainees being subjected to extrajudicial executions and humiliating and degrading treatment”. He urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

    Rumours and fact-checking

    Ms. Shamdasani stressed that the UN human rights office has been trying to verify the information through “contacts on the ground…families of people who were killed, eyewitnesses”, but that obtaining reliable estimates of the death toll remains challenging.

    “There are lots of videos circulating,” she said. “Some claim to be fighters who are in the area filming the abuses and violations they’re carrying out. We are trying to verify some of these videos, but there’s a lot of disinformation out there and a lot of it is being used to incite further violence to inflame tensions.”

    The OHCHR spokesperson also expressed concern about reports of civilian casualties resulting from Israel’s airstrikes on Sweida, Dara’a and central Damascus.

    “Attacks such as the one on Damascus on Wednesday pose great risks to civilians and civilian objects,” she warned, calling for the strikes to cease.

    Israel had launched the strikes pledging to protect the Druze community.

    The violence and displacement have sparked “considerable” humanitarian needs, with the health and aid systems struggling to keep up, said William Spindler of the UN refugee agency UNCHR.

    “Many of the hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been injured in the recent fighting,” he said.

    According to OCHA, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched enough trauma and emergency surgery kits for 1,750 interventions to the area, but many “remain undelivered due to access constraints”.

    Since the displaced had to flee at very short notice, they are in desperate need of essentials – blankets, jerry cans, solar lamps – but providing these items has been a challenge.

    Too risky to enter

    “We have this in stock and we are ready to deliver them as soon as the security allows it,” Mr. Spindler said. “For now, this has not been possible.”

    Mr. Spindler also warned of water shortages due to electricity outages. He said that people are unable to buy bottled water or food because of the insecurity.

    UNHCR has an office in rural Sweida and Mr. Spindler expressed concern about the impact of the hostilities on the agency’s operations, infrastructure and personnel.

    “We know that humanitarian infrastructure has been affected,” he said, describing an incident on 15 July in which a warehouse of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was severely damaged by shelling.

    The UNHCR spokesperson called on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian premises, personnel and assets “in accordance with international humanitarian law”.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Aid cuts leave refugee agency unable to shelter six in 10 fleeing war in Sudan

    Source: United Nations 4

    Globally, $1.4 billion of the agency’s programmes are being shuttered or put on hold, UNHCR said in a new report.

    “We can’t stop water, you can’t stop sanitation, but we’re having to take decisions when it comes, for example, to shelter,” said UNHCR Director of External Relations, Dominique Hyde.

    “We’re have people arriving on a daily basis from Sudan, from the Darfur regions…arriving in Chad, not able to be given any shelter.”

    In an urgent appeal for flexible funding from donors, Ms. Hyde noted that up to 11.6 million refugees and others risk losing access this year to direct humanitarian assistance from UNHCR. The figure represents about one-third of those reached by the organization last year.

    On the Sudan-Chad border, the UN agency is now unable to provide “even basic shelter” to more than six in 10 refugees fleeing the conflict. Thousands more vulnerable people have been left stranded in remote border locations in South Sudan, too. “If we just had a bit more support, we could get them to settlements,” she insisted.

    Because of the funding cuts, basic activities have already been hit hard. These include refugee registration, child protection, legal counselling and prevention of and responses to gender-based violence.

    Every aid sector hit

    In South Sudan, 75 per cent of safe spaces for women and girls supported by UNHCR have closed, leaving up to 80,000 refugee women and girls without access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, material support or income-generating activities. This includes survivors of sexual violence, UNHCR noted.

    “Behind these numbers are real lives hanging in the balance,” Ms. Hyde said.

    “Families are seeing the support they relied on vanish, forced to choose between feeding their children, buying medicines or paying rent, while hope for a better future slips out of sight. Every sector and operation has been hit and critical support is being suspended to keep life-saving aid going.”

    Libya influx

    Many of those impacted by the war in Sudan have taken the decision to move from Chad and Egypt to Libya, into the hands of people smugglers who dangerously overload boats with desperate people seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

    “What we’re observing now is that in terms of arrivals in Europe of…Sudanese refugees, [it] has increased since the beginning of the year by about 170 per cent compared to the first six months of 2024,” said UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado.

    Support slashed from Niger to Ukraine

    In camps hosting Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, education for some 230,000 children could now be suspended. Meanwhile in Lebanon “UNHCR’s entire health programme is at risk of being shuttered by the end of the year”, Ms. Hyde continued.

    In Niger and other emergency settings, cuts in financial aid for shelter have left families in overcrowded structures or at risk of homelessness. In Ukraine, financial aid has also been slashed, “leaving uprooted families unable to afford rent, food or medical treatment”, Ms. Hyde noted.

    Assistance to returning Afghans has also become another victim of the global aid cuts. Around 1.9 million Afghan nationals have returned home or been forced back since the start of the year, “but financial aid for returnees is barely enough to afford food, let alone rent, undermining efforts to ensure stable reintegration”, UNHCR said.

    Legal aid halted

    Overall, several UNHCR operations hit by severe funding gaps have now had to curtail investments in strengthening asylum systems and promoting regularization efforts.

    In Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico, any prolonged lack of legal status means prolonged insecurity for people on the move, the UN agency said. This results in deepening poverty “as refugees are excluded from formal employment and greater exposure to exploitation and abuse,” Ms. Hyde explained.

    Approximately one in three of the agency’s 550 offices around the world has been impacted by the cuts, Ms. Hyde told journalists in Geneva:

    “We’re not in a position to do so much contingency planning; what we’re able to do is make decisions on priorities – and at this point the priorities as I mentioned are dramatic.”

    For 2025 UNHCR needs $10.6 billion. Only 23 per cent of this amount has been provided.

    “Against this backdrop, our teams are focusing efforts on saving lives and protecting those forced to flee,” Ms. Hyde said. “Should additional funding become available, UNHCR has the systems, partnerships and expertise to rapidly resume and scale up assistance.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 18 July 2025 Expanding indigenous peoples’ access to quality primary health care in Paraguay

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Joaquina Portillo is an indigenous elderly resident from the rural community of Rio Verde, Department of Canindeyú, Northeast Paraguay. She recently attended an outpatient care day hosted in her community and was very pleased with the comprehensive care that she and her family received.

    “I came with my whole family. We have several ailments, but the main one is the flu. We are very happy, they treated us all very well,” said Joaquina.

    Joaquina Portillo, indigenous elderly resident from the rural community of Rio Verde, Department of Canindeyú, Northeast Paraguay. ©WHO/PAHO

    The outpatient care day, one of many held locally, promotes dialogue between health care providers and indigenous and rural communities about intercultural care and provides a range of health services through outreach activities.

    This activity was part of a broader project called Expanding Access to and Quality of Primary Health Care and Integrated Health Services in the XIV Health Region – Canindeyú, Paraguay, from 2023 – 2025.

    Previously, indigenous communities in Northeast Paraguay have struggled to access the health services they need despite increasing rates of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare has worked closely with PAHO/WHO, through the UHC Partnership, to expand access to and improve the quality of primary health care services at the community level, with family health teams playing a major role.

    The combination of applying geospatial analysis to identify health facility gaps, the training of health workers, and strategic approaches to health system policy has led to improved equity and access to services for many remote and indigenous populations. 

    Access to health services increases

    The inter-programmatic and interdisciplinary initiative included developing and implementing a tool for monitoring and managing health services using geospatial data about family health units, training health workers especially in the control of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and strategic Health Situation Analysis to facilitate the design of effective health policies.

    The initiative has enabled progress on multiple fronts to improve health services in Canindeyú including expanding access to health care for vulnerable populations, strengthening trust in public health services among indigenous and rural populations, increasing the technical capacity of health workers, and optimizing responses to health emergencies.

     Across the Department from 2022-2024 health insurance coverage increased by 18.1% and access to health services increased by 25.1%. From April-June 2023 to April-June 2024 the number of primary care visits increased by 10.5%, and the number of overall medical consultations increased by 19%.  In the same period, there was also a 29% increase in the proportion of pregnant women who received an HIV and Syphilis test during the first trimester of pregnancy.

    PAHO/WHO’s Modular Essential Conditions Assessment

    Created by PAHO/WHO, the ‘Modular Essential Conditions Assessment’ methodology (VCEm in Spanish) evaluates essential factors for the provision of services in health facilities. It was implemented in 14 health regions, including Canindeyú, to drive sustainable improvement within health service networks and to empower health workers. The methodology reveals significant changes that can be made with little or no investment.

    “There are many activities that do not require a large investment such as providing training to health workers on protocols which can be done virtually. I believe this benefit will be reflected in fewer patients reaching critical conditions,” said Dr Angie Duarte, Director of the Curuguaty District Hospital.

    Dr Angie Duarte, Director of the Curuguaty District Hospital. ©WHO/PAHO

    The implementation of the modular VCEm at the Canindeyú RISS facilities identified opportunities to improve and prioritize actions to promote inclusive, equitable, and culturally appropriate health services that maintain respect for traditional medical knowledge and foster intercultural dialogue.

    “The implementation of the project in Canindeyú, with the valuable support of the UHC Partnership, clearly reflects our inter-programmatic and territorial approach. This initiative was aligned with the country’s efforts to advance health equity by strengthening local capacities, promoting the use of innovative technologies, and ensuring appropriate care tailored to cultural and territorial realities,” said Dr Haydee Padilla, WHO Representative to Paraguay.

    “We capitalized on lessons learned from previous experiences, which allowed for a more effective and sustainable approach. Joint work with local actors and the incorporation of intercultural dialogue and community-based health care were essential in closing historical access gaps. Furthermore, the implementation of intersectoral work reinforces the positive impact of this cooperation. This experience confirms that international collaboration, aligned with national priorities, can generate real and lasting transformations in health systems,” Dr Haydee Padilla concluded.

     The UHC Partnership operates in over 125 countries, representing over 3 billion people. It is supported and funded by Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and WHO.  

    Videos

    VCEM Methodology in Canindeyú

    Intercultural Dialogues in Canindeyú

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 2024 Progress report: UN Plan of Action on disaster risk reduction for resilience

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    The 2024 Progress Report of the United Nations Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience summarizes progress towards achieving the three UN Plan of Action commitments, based on the Results Framework. It reflects on collective achievements, opportunities, challenges, and the UN system’s capacity to deliver high-quality support to countries on disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation and resilience building.

    The United Nations Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience (UN Plan of Action) is the contribution by the United Nations to ensure the implementation of the Sendai Framework contributes to a risk-informed and integrated approach to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.​

    View the 2024 achievements in digital format and the overall progress of the UN Plan of Action.

    Download

    Links last checked: 18 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Nations News –