August 05, 2020 No comments
75 years after the bomb, Hiroshima still chooses ‘reconciliation and hope’
INTERNATIONAL, 5 August 2020, Peace and Security - At a Peace Memorial Ceremony in Japan on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has paid tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which devastated the city in 1945. “Seventy-five years ago, a single nuclear weapon visited unspeakable death and destruction upon this city”, he said in his video message. “The effects linger to this day”. However, he noted that Hiroshima and its people have chosen not to be characterized by calamity, but instead by “resilience, reconciliation and hope”. As “unmatched advocates for nuclear disarmament”, the survivors, known as hibakusha, have turned their tragedy into “a rallying voice for the safety and well-being of all humanity”, he said. Intertwined fate The birth of the UN in that...
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August 05, 2020 No comments
Lebanon: Support for hospitals top UN priority in the wake of deadly blast
INTERNATIONAL, 5 August 2020, Peace and Security - The United Nations is working closely with the authorities in Lebanon to support ongoing response in the aftermath of the massive deadly explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, destroying large swathes of the capital. More than 130 people were killed in the blast, which ripped through the port and surrounding area, causing countless injuries and leaving thousands homeless. The Government has declared a two-week state of emergency. Speaking on Wednesday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that support for hospitals and trauma response is a top priority. “The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the Lebanese Ministry of Health to conduct an assessment of hospital facilities in Beirut, their functionality and needs for additional...
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August 05, 2020 No comments
Independent rights experts call on India to remedy ‘alarming’ situation in Jammu and Kashmir
INTERNATIONAL, 5 August 2020, Human Rights - UN-appointed independent human rights experts have called for urgent action in India’s Jammu and Kashmir, amid concerns of ongoing abuses against civilians there. The appeal comes a year after the Indian Parliament revoked the special status of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, which provided partial autonomy and specific protections to its mainly-Muslim citizens. In a statement, the group of 17 experts said that the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in “free fall”. International community urged to ‘step up’ “Urgent action is needed”, they said. “If India will not take any genuine and immediate steps to resolve the situation, meet their obligations to investigate historic and recent cases of human rights violations and prevent future violations, then the...
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August 05, 2020 No comments
South Africa: UN health agency sends experts to help battle against COVID-19
INTERNATIONAL, 5 August 2020, Health - New “surge team” of leading UN health experts is on its way to South Africa to ramp up the COVID-19 response there, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. With the southernmost country on the continent, now among the top five of the world’s most affected, WHO underscored that it is critical to strengthen its COVID-19 response. “At this time, when the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa is spreading rapidly, it is important that we work together to intensify our fight against the virus”, said Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative for South Africa. To help manage the coronavirus outbreak, WHO will be deploying 43 experts from various fields, including seasoned infectious disease epidemiologist and public health expert, David Heymann, who headed the response to the 2003 epidemic of...
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August 04, 2020 No comments
Lebanon: UN ‘actively assisting’ in response to huge explosions at Beirut port
INTERNATIONAL, 4 August 2020, UN Affairs - The United Nations has said that it is “actively assisting” in the response to the horrific explosions that ripped through the port area of Beirut on Tuesday, reportedly leaving dozens dead and thousands wounded, among them some UN naval peacekeepers. A statement from a UN spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of Lebanon, following the horrific explosions in the capital. The UN chief wished a speedy recovery to the injured, including several UN personnel working in Lebanon. News reports suggest that along with dozens of deaths, perhaps several thousand people were injured in the massive blasts, which sent shockwaves across the bustling city of Beirut, bursting out windows and shaking buildings....
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