May 20, 2024 No comments
ICC seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israel’s Netanyahu
INTERNATIONAL, 20 May 2024, Peace and Security - Arrest warrants are being sought for the leaders of Hamas and Israel for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday. In a statement, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh “bear criminal responsibility” for murder, extermination and taking hostages – among numerous other crimes – since the Gaza conflict erupted in the wake of Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October. There are also reasonable grounds to believe that Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defence, are responsible for other crimes and crimes...
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May 20, 2024 No comments
Haiti: Multinational mission and the ‘inexorable requirement to restore security conditions’
INTERNATIONAL, 20 May 2024, Peace and Security - The establishment of a Multinational Security Support mission for Haiti is moving closer as the Caribbean nation continues to face a crisis of violence and insecurity caused by entrenched criminal gang activity. Media reports suggest that infrastructure for the mission is being put in place as supplies arrive by air into the capital, Port-au-Prince. Here’s what you need to know about what happens next: Why is an international security mission necessary? Haiti is wracked by violence that has escalated to unprecedented levels. In an address to the UN Security Council on 22 April, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador said “it is impossible to overstate the increase in gang activity across Port-au-Prince and beyond, the deterioration of the human...
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May 19, 2024 No comments
Syria: WHO Regional Director calls for greater investment in health sector
INTERNATIONAL, 19 May 2024, Health - Failure to invest in the health of the Syrian people will only deepen instability in the war-ravaged country and pose threats to regional and global security, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Lives are at risk, and "the cost of inaction is simply too high", Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement on Saturday after concluding a five-day visit to Syria. She expressed grave concern over the complexities and challenges facing the population and humanitarian operations on the ground. “The number of people in need is staggering, and pockets of critical vulnerabilities persist in many parts of the country," she said. "Compounding this already catastrophic situation, increasing political tensions in the region risk...
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May 19, 2024 No comments
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister hopes for high impact conference charting course for small island States
INTERNATIONAL, 19 May 2024, SDGs - The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) is heading to Antigua and Barbuda later this month with “human survivability and protecting our planet” topping the agenda when it comes to containing climate change, according to the Caribbean nation’s Prime Minister. This year’s conference will focus on “charting the course toward resilient prosperity” by assessing small States’ ability to reach the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In an exclusive interview earlier this month at UN Headquarters, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, told UN News that he hopes the conference will be a game-changer for formulating strategies to mitigate climate change, crushing debt, and other key issues that may be stunting small island development. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. UN...
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May 18, 2024 No comments
Gaza: Nearly 800,000 now displaced from Rafah
INTERNATIONAL, 18 May 2024, Humanitarian Aid - Roughly 800,000 people have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched a military operation in the area on 6 May, the head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA said on Saturday in a renewed appeal for greater protection of civilians in Gaza, safe humanitarian access and, ultimately, a ceasefire. “Once again, nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in post on the social media platform X. formerly Twitter. He said that following evacuation orders demanding people to flee to so-called safe zones, people mainly went to the middle areas in Gaza and Khan Younis, including to destroyed buildings. No safe passage or protection “When people move, they are...
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