September 23, 2023 No comments
Russian Foreign Minister hits out at West’s ‘empire of lies’
INTERNATIONAL, 23 September 2023, UN Affairs - Russia’s Foreign Minister told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that a new world order is being born through a struggle between a neocolonial minority and a “global majority” seeking to end decades of Western domination. Sergey Lavrov said power was slipping through the hands of the old order, dominated by Washington, which has long rejected the principle of equality. Americans and Europeans “make all sorts of promises…and then just don’t fulfil them”, he told delegates. Quoting President Vladimir Putin, he said the West was “truly an empire of lies” which even during the battle against Nazism in World War Two, had plotted an offensive against their Soviet allies. Soviet and then Russian leaders “were given concrete political assurances regarding...
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September 22, 2023 No comments
New global action pledge to end TB by 2030
INTERNATIONAL, 22 September 2023, Health - Applause rang out in one of the main conference rooms at UN headquarters on Friday as world leaders, civil society representatives and other stakeholders approved a declaration to advance efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030. The document lays out ambitious new targets for the next five years that include reaching 90 per cent of people with TB prevention and care services, providing social benefit packages to those who have the disease, and licensing at least one new vaccine. TB is the second leading infectious killer worldwide after COVID-19, with some 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The only available vaccine is more than a century old. Defeating a killer “Why, after all the progress we have...
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September 22, 2023 No comments
UN calls for ‘clear-eyed’ vision for peace and security, as peacebuilders meet in New York
INTERNATIONAL, 22 September 2023, Peace and Security - Following the UN chief’s appeal this week for a fresh approach to global peace and security, UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) countries convened on Friday to discuss the best way forward. The Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace aims to address these complex challenges through multilateralism, rooted in the UN Charter and international law, centred on trust, solidarity, and universality. It comes amid criticism from some Member States that the UN is no longer playing an effective role in peacebuilding and peacekeeping, as calls for overall reform of institutions like the Security Council grow louder. Prioritize diplomacy Representing the UN chief at the meeting, that brought together ministers from Member States and countries on the Commission’s agenda, political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo explained the details of the...
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September 22, 2023 No comments
At critical moment for peacekeeping in Africa, Ghana steps up to host key summit
INTERNATIONAL, 22 September 2023, Peace and Security - The UN and Ghana jointly announced on Friday that December’s UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting will be hosted in Accra, at a time when some African nations are questioning the value of having ‘blue helmets’ on their soil. The gathering of defence ministers and others committed to peacekeeping efforts will focus on civilian protection, addressing misinformation and disinformation, promoting safety and security, protecting mental health, and boosting the pivotal role of women in UN missions. Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, together with senior UN officials, said the flagship biennial meeting will help secure political support and generate pledges to strengthen UN Peacekeeping, in line with Action for Peacekeeping and A4P+. The meeting is the fifth ministerial summit overall and the first to take place in...
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September 22, 2023 No comments
Human rights experts: Humanity facing ‘unprecedented global toxic emergency’
INTERNATIONAL, 22 September 2023, Climate and Environment - The consequences of poor chemicals and waste management worldwide are fuelling an “unprecedented global toxic emergency”, independent UN human rights experts have warned, ahead of a major summit next week. The fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM-5), organized by UN environment programme UNEP and hosted by Germany, kicks off in Bonn on Monday. “ICCM-5 is expected to be a watershed moment for international cooperation on chemicals and wastes”, said a statement released by the group of more than 30 experts. ‘Once in a generation’ chance “It is a once in a generation opportunity to deliver a robust outcome to confront the global toxic tide.” They urged those attending the conference to be guided by human rights principles...
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