November 28, 2023 No comments
Syria: ‘A dozen different powder kegs’
INTERNATIONAL, 28 November 2023, Peace and Security - The situation in Syria remains dire, with continued fighting, and tens of thousands displaced - all exacerbating the suffering of civilians and compounded by the effects of the war in Gaza, senior UN officials said on Tuesday. Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, told ambassadors at the Security Council that Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus airport this weekend, following several other airstrikes and artillery fire on locations across the country, reportedly killing one civilian airport worker. She added that the airstrikes coincided with reports of rocket and missile launches from southern Syria over the Occupied Syrian Golan towards Israel. “The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) claims that a drone strike in Eilat in southern Israel came from an organization in...
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November 28, 2023 No comments
UN and African Union sign new human rights agreement
INTERNATIONAL, 28 November 2023, UN Affairs - The United Nations and the African Union have reinforced their partnership following the conclusion of their seventh high-level dialogue in New York on Tuesday. At the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat signed a framework agreement on human rights, which follows a previous accord on peace and security, and another on development. Speaking afterwards to reporters, they underscored the need to reform the global financial architecture to reflect current realities. “What Africa needs above all is justice in international relations because Africa has been the victim of the structural injustices of our international relations,” said Mr. Guterres. Haven for terrorism Touching on their discussions, Mr. Faki began by focusing on peace and security. He said that...
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November 28, 2023 No comments
Haiti: Gangs move into rural areas as Türk says new force ‘must be deployed’
INTERNATIONAL, 28 November 2023, Peace and Security - Gang violence in Haiti is on the rise with new alliances being forged and expansion into rural areas previously considered safe, warns a new UN report. The report, published on Tuesday by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN political mission in Haiti (BINUH), calls for the urgent deployment of the multinational security support mission authorized by the UN Security Council in October. But alongside that, greater efforts will need to be made to strengthen the institutions of the rule of law in Haiti, in particular the police, the judiciary and the penitentiary system, the report notes. Killing fields The report focuses on the Bas-Artibonite district, located in central Haiti, about 100 kilometers from the capital Port-au-Prince, which has seen a significant increase...
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November 28, 2023 No comments
Francis calls for longer-term humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza
INTERNATIONAL, 28 November 2023, Peace and Security - The brutal attack by Hamas on 7 October followed by Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, has only highlighted the importance of a peaceful and just solution to the situation in the Middle East, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday. Addressing the Assembly’s annual debate on the Question of Palestine, Dennis Francis urged UN Member States to find common ground, engage with each other in good faith, and increase collective resolve to end the crisis. “The longer the fear, distrust, appetite for revenge, hatred, and anxiety fester and deepen further – the more lethal the psychological chasm grows and the darker the shadow it will cast over generations to come,” he said. Mr. Francis highlighted that...
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November 28, 2023 No comments
Explainer: What's COP28 and why is it important?
INTERNATIONAL, 28 November 2023, Climate and Environment - Global temperatures continue to reach record levels and, as the year draws to a close, the diplomatic heat is rising as all eyes turn to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where world leaders are meeting from 30 November to 12 December, to chart an ambitious way forward in the global fight against climate change. Here’s what you need to know: United Nations/ Runa A The last COP was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022. What is a ‘COP’? UN climate conferences are government-level large-scale annual gatherings focused on climate action. They are also referred to as COPs – Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC convention entered into force on 21 March 1994 to prevent “dangerous” human interference...
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