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Tag: UN

  • Complete closure of the Gaza Strip violates international law – UN

    Complete closure of the Gaza Strip violates international law – UN

    The United Nations has criticised Israel’s decision to stop all deliveries of food, water, electricity, and fuel to the Gaza Strip.

    UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said in Geneva on Tuesday that it was forbidden under international humanitarian law to deprive people of what they needed to survive.

    “The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

    “Any restrictions on the movement of people and goods to implement a siege must be justified by military necessity or may otherwise amount to collective punishment,” said Türk.

    Israel said it was imposing a “complete siege” on the Palestinian territory in response to the large-scale Hamas attack that left around 900 people dead in Israel.

    Several hundred people have been killed in Gaza in retaliatory strikes by the Israeli air force.

  • Over 81,000 people enter Ethiopia from Sudan -UN

    Over 81,000 people enter Ethiopia from Sudan -UN

    The number of people arriving in Ethiopia due to the conflict in Sudan has reached 81,095, according to the UN migration agency.

    As of Sept. 16, a total of 81,095 crossings had been made by returnees, refugees and asylum seekers from conflict-affected Sudan to its neighbour, Ethiopia, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

    Of the total number of crossings, 37,515 are Ethiopian nationals, 28,177 are Sudanese nationals, and the remaining 15,403 are third-country nationals, the IOM said.

    The crossings started on April 21 shortly after the onset of the conflict in Sudan, mainly through the Metema and Kurmuk Ethiopia-Sudan border entry points, the United Nations had previously said.

    Sudan has been witnessing clashes between the country’s armed forces and the paramilitary forces in the capital of Khartoum and other areas since April 15.

  • Poland opposes Germany on permanent UN Security Council seat

    Poland opposes Germany on permanent UN Security Council seat

    Poland has opposed Germany gaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday.

    The proposal, made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is “rather strange and a great disappointment” from Poland’s point of view,  according to Blaszczak.

    Kiev seems to have forgotten that Germany did not initially come to Ukraine’s aid at the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, he said.

    Blaszczak said that Germany should first take responsibility in its relationship with Poland for the destruction caused during the World War II.

    “The demand for war reparations that we made to Germany is still valid,” Blaszczak said.

    Zelensky spoke out in favour of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for Germany on Wednesday.

    There are 193 UN member-states.

    Five countries – the U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France – have permanent seats on the security council and can veto all decisions.

    There are then 10 non-permanent members elected to two-year terms.

    In October 2022, Poland’s national conservative PiS Government demanded Berlin to pay 1.3 trillion euros (1.38 trillion U.S. dollars) in World War II reparations in a diplomatic note.

    However, Germany rejects any demands for reparations.

    It considers the case closed due to the 1990 Two Plus Four Treaty, which regulated the foreign policy aspects of German unity.

  • Russia commits ‘genocide’ by abducting Ukrainian children – Zelensky laments

    Russia commits ‘genocide’ by abducting Ukrainian children – Zelensky laments

    President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine told world leaders in the UN General Assembly that  Russia was conducting mass kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian children, making it a clear case of genocide.

    According to him, children were taught to hate Ukraine and all ties broken with their families.

    Speaking on food shortage, he said since the start of the war, Ukrainian ports in the Black and Azov seas were blocked by Russia and its ports on the Danube River targeted by drones and missiles.

    “It is a clear Russian attempt to weaponise the food shortage on the global market, in exchange for recognition of some, if not all, of the captured territories.”

    The impact of that weaponisation could be seen from Africa to South-East Asia, he said.

    “Nukes are not the scariest thing now. Mass destruction is gaining momentum. The aggressor is weaponizing many other things … things that are being used not only against our country but also yours as well,” he said,

    In addition, he said there were many conventions against weapons but none against weaponisation … of global food supplies and energy.”

    Zelenskyy further said that while Russia undermines the Black Sea Initiative, Ukraine continues to support it to ensure food security globally, having launched a temporary sea corridor from its ports and working to preserve land routes for grain exports.

    “When hatred is weaponised against one nation, it never stops there,” he said.

    The Ukrainian leader also said that he would present a Ukrainian peace formula at the Security Council on Wednesday to serve as a framework to end aggression on terms set by the victimized country in an open manner.

    Urging unity among countries, Zelenskyy said that while Russia is “pushing the world to the final war”, Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after this Russian aggression, “no one in the world will dare to attack any nation.”

    “Every nation must be restrained, war crimes must be punished, deported people must come back home, and the occupier must return to their own land,” he said.

     

  • UN Summit: 48,063 persons from 121 countries petition FG over disability rights

    UN Summit: 48,063 persons from 121 countries petition FG over disability rights

    The Federal Government has received a petition with 48,063 signatures from 121 countries calling for action to protect disability rights.

    This is ahead of the UN summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), scheduled for between Sept. 18 and 19.

    Miss Joy Tarbo, Communications Associate, Sightsavers Nigeria, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, after the handing over of the petition to Dr. Betta Edu, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

    According to Tarbo, the Nigerian Government has received a petition with 48,063 signatures calling for action to protect disability rights ahead of the UN summit on the SDGs.

    She said: “The petition was handed to Dr. Betta Edu, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; It was signed by 48,063 people from 121 countries, including Nigeria.

    “The signees include Mr. James Lalu, the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD); Dr. Zakariya Mohammed Deputy Director, OSSAP-SDG, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), and Sightsavers.

    “The campaign is calling on world leaders to keep the SDG promise of leaving no-one behind and ensure disability is specifically addressed in discussions on the SDGs.

    “The government will join other member states at the SDG Summit in New York on the 18 and 19 to make new commitments and assess progress on the global goals.

    “The outcome of the summit will be a political declaration and global and national commitments made by UN member states.”

    Meanwhile, Dr Sunday Isiyaku, Sightsavers Country Director, says that as the world arrives at the halfway point of the 2030 deadline, progress on the SDGs has derailed, and completely off-track.

    He said: “People with disabilities are being hit hardest by the lack of progress on poverty and inequality; The promise to leave no-one behind is in peril,” he said.

    Similarly, Abdullahi Aliyu- Usman, President, JONAPWD, said “We are calling on all world leaders to speed up action on the SDGs and make sure they are inclusive of people with disabilities.

    “They must ensure that the political declaration and all national commitments made at the summit, focus on reaching those who are being left furthest behind.

    “This is our last chance to get the SDGs back on track.”

    “The call follows a new UN report which shows that the SDGs cannot be achieved unless urgent action is taken to include marginalised groups, including PWDs in global progress,” he said.

     

  • Sudan: UN head of mission to Sudan resigns

    Sudan: UN head of mission to Sudan resigns

    Volker Perthes, UN head of mission to Sudan, has resigned three months after being declared “persona non grata” by the government with the country edging closer to full-scale civil war.

    Perthes told a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday that it would be his “last briefing in this function” as he urged the military leaders, whom he previously unanimously blamed the conflict on, to “negotiate and implement a cessation of hostilities.”

    Perthes told the 15-member council: “I have had the privilege to serve as the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Sudan for more than two and a half years.

    “I am grateful to the secretary-general for that opportunity and for his confidence in me, but I have asked him to relieve me of this duty. This will therefore be my last briefing in this function. I wish to thank UN staff in Sudan for their ceaseless engagement and support.”

    In May, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejected a request from Sudan’s military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan to remove Perthes.

    Burhan, who threatened to expel Perthes from the country, reportedly accused the envoy of “being partisan,” claiming his strategy in pre-war talks between the generals and the pro-democracy movement had only aggravated the conflict.

    However, having previously rejected Perthes’ request to resign, Guterres recognized Perthes’ “very strong reasons to resign,” stating today that he had to “accept his resignation.”

    Members of the council, including the UAE, US, and Malta, regretted Perthes’ departure but applauded his “professionalism and tireless efforts” in the role, with Malta noting that it remained “firm in belief that blaming UN officials does not help.”

    US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield added: “The threats are unacceptable. Nobody should be allowed to threaten (the) council’s work for peace and stability.”

    In summing up the state of conflict, Perthes said that “what started as a conflict between two military formations could be morphing into a full-blown civil war,” expressing particular concern over the mobilisation of former regime elements “advocating a continuation of the war.”

    He added that “both sides’ military leaders are needed to negotiate and implement cessation of hostilities, but military leaders should not continue to rule the country.”

    Some 7,500 people have been killed since the conflict between Burhan loyalists and fighters of the paramilitary Rapid Military Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo erupted on April 15.

    James Kariuki, deputy permanent representative of the UK mission to the UN, urged Burhan and Dagalo to “find peace,” adding that the UK was committed to the Sudanese people.

    Speaking after Perthes, Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy at the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the council that the number of displaced people had risen to 5 million, with more than 20 million experiencing food insecurity.

    Although 3.2 million had received some form of humanitarian support in the last three months, 18 million had been left wanting as bureaucracy hampered aid efforts, Wosornu noted.

    “We call on Sudanese authorities to facilitate aid by removing bureaucratic hurdles. We have been in continuous dialogue with them and are thankful for the 70 visas (issued) in the last two weeks alone but have 240 pending.

    “The conflict is expanding, the death toll has increased, and sexual violence raised to exceptional levels. This could be a harbinger of a return to horrors seen in the past,” she added.

    Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN, told the council that her country remained steadfast in its support for regional efforts to end the conflict and urged the warring factions to abide by international humanitarian law.

    Nusseibeh’s call came amid worrying claims of both sides not only arbitrarily detaining and arresting civilians but also executing them.

    “It has been half a year since the outbreak of hostilities and the conditions on the ground and displacement of millions underscores the need to address this situation, and we must explore and coordinate to achieve tangible impact on the ground,” she added.

    “The need of Sudanese people must reign above all other considerations. We must act to stop the tearing apart of Sudanese social fabric.”

    Even amid the chaos, Nusseibeh pointed to rays of optimism, noting that the UAE had been encouraged by humanitarian efforts undertaken by Sudan’s neighbou rs, and expressed appreciation for the role of the UN mission in Sudan as she encouraged it to continue coordinating humanitarian efforts.

    Pointing to the Sudanese people’s “indomitable spirit,” Perthes stressed that the country must not be left to “endure the ghosts of this war indefinitely.”

     

  • Small Island Nations seek help on Climate change from UN maritime Court

    Small Island Nations seek help on Climate change from UN maritime Court

    Leaders of nine small island states appeared at the United Nations Maritime Court in Hamburg on Monday to seek protection of the world’s oceans from catastrophic climate change, as rising sea levels threaten their very existence.

    They are asking the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to determine if carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by the oceans can be considered pollution, and if so, what obligations countries have to protect the marine environment.

    The island states said decades of diplomacy, pleading with the large emitters of greenhouse gases to reduce emissions, have not yielded results which is why they have taken this initiative.

    “There is nowhere else for us to go. And so for us this is all about, as far as small island states are concerned, this is about our livelihood. But then you look at the bigger picture, and this is all about humanity,” said Arnold Loughman, Attorney General of Vanuatu.

    The Bahamas, Niue, Palau, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua-and-Barbuda are also part of this coalition.

    As one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, the ocean absorbs 25 percent of all CO2 emissions and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by them. It also generates 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen.

    Excessive carbon pollution causes harmful chemical reactions such as acidification and coral bleaching, and jeopardises the ocean’s ability to absorb CO2 and safeguard life on Earth.

    The low-lying island states are also at risk of becoming submerged by water by the end of the century.

    “We are literally suffering from all the consequences. So, for example, we have droughts, we have had floods, we have seen more ferocious and frequent hurricanes, heat waves, bushfires. We have even lost part of our coastline as a result of sea level rise,” said Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua-and-Barbuda.

    This is despite small island developing states being collectively responsible for less than one per cent of global carbon emissions.

    At the heart of the case is the UN convention on the Law of the Sea that obliges countries to prevent pollution of the oceans.

    While it defines pollution as the introduction by humans of “substances or energy into the marine environment” that harms marine life, it cite carbon emissions as a pollutant

    The nine states said they had turned to the court for help in the belief that international law was an essential mechanism for correcting the injustice their people are suffering as a result of climate change.

    “That should help to complement the climate diplomacy that has been taking place at the various COPs. So this is a complementary pathway to ensure that we get leaders globally to enhance their ambitions, to make sure that we reduce global warming,” said Browne.

    In addition to the island nations, countries including Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, and Australia will be speaking at the hearing which continues until 25 September.

    The tribunal will then issue an advisory opinion which is not legally binding.

  • Why Earth experienced hottest three-month period on record- UN agency

    Why Earth experienced hottest three-month period on record- UN agency

    The past three months have been the hottest ever recorded on Earth, according to the United Nation’s World Meteorological Organisation.

    The UN agency, citing data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, further said August was the hottest month on record “by a large margin” and the second hottest ever month after July 2023.

    August is estimated to have been around 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average.

    August also saw the highest global monthly average sea surface temperatures on record at 20.98 degrees Celsius.

    “Our planet has just endured a season of simmering – the hottest summer on record.

    “Climate breakdown has begun,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres in a statement.

     

  • Tinubu solicits UN support in fight against terrorism

    Tinubu solicits UN support in fight against terrorism

    President Bola Tinubu has solicited the support of the United Nations in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism in the light of its rippling effect on global peace, displacements of people and rising poverty.

    He made the appeal at an audience with the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, Mr Vladimir Voronkov, at the State House on Thursday.

    The president noted that terrorism had consistently reversed the gains on development and increased instability in families and communities.

    He said that the UN needs to be more consistent in dealing with it in the developing world context.

    “We appreciate all that you have been doing. We know in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better. We can score you ‘A’ in collaboration but ‘B’ in physical support.

    ‘’You have to do more because terrorism is an effective danger to democracy; terrorism is also an effective danger to development. Growth and prosperity cannot be achieved until we banish terrorism.

    ‘’We have to equally look at other sides of the issue and I have said, it is the where, how and when of terrorism,” the President said.

    Tinubu said that global peace and prosperity would demand the swift and comprehensive provision of the right answers to the challenge posed by insurgencies in parts of the world.

    “We must take into account the basic needs of our people. If out of the meagre resources presently available, we have to dip our hands without the steady support from organisations like the UN, then we are in trouble,” the President said.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar said he had highlighted some of the conditions that promote insurgency like poverty and injustice with the UN team, while noting the Nigerian Government’s response.

    “Nigeria continues to make significant investments in education and social security,” he said.

    The Under-Secretary General commended the country’s contributions toward global counter-terrorism efforts.

    He said that Nigeria already had a framework on prevention, mitigation and reconciliation, adding that the efforts had been valuable in tackling terrorism.

    “Of course, terrorism is part of the international agenda, and we had successful meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussing how to enrich our agenda on international terrorism response.

    ‘’I can only mention that politically, and from the point of view of capacity building on activities for counter terrorism, Nigeria is one of the leading partners,” he added.

    Voronkov told the President that the UN was planning a Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja slated for April 2024, and it would be largely driven by African nations, with an African agenda.

  • Sudan unrest: Situation ‘spiralling out of control’ after four months of war- UN

    Sudan unrest: Situation ‘spiralling out of control’ after four months of war- UN

    Millions of people are running out of food in Sudan and some are dying due to lack of health care after four months of war that have devastated the capital Khartoum and sparked ethnically-driven attacks in Darfur, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.

    “Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbors. Medical supplies are scarce. The situation is spiralling out of control,” UN agencies said in a joint statement.

    The conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF, erupted on April 15 over tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule, plunging the country into violence and threatening to destablise the region.

    More than four million people have been displaced, including nearly one million who have fled to neighbouring countries. Civilians in war-affected states have been killed in attacks.

    “The remains of many of those killed have not been collected, identified or buried,” but the UN estimates that more than 4,000 have been killed, Elizabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a briefing in Geneva.

    Reports of sexual assaults have increased by 50 percent, said UN population fund official Laila Baker.

    The millions who remain in Khartoum and cities in the Darfur and Kordofan regions have faced rampant looting and long power, communications and water cuts.

    Large swathes of the country have been suffering from an electricity blackout since Sunday that has also taken mobile networks offline, according to a statement from the national electricity authority.

    Seasonal rains that increase the risk of water-borne diseases have destroyed or damaged the homes of up to 13,500 people, the UN estimates.

    In a speech on Monday, army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan accused the RSF of aiming “to take the country back to an era before the modern state” and “committing every crime that can be imagined.”

    The RSF has accused the army of trying to seize full power under the direction of loyalists of Omar Al-Bashir, the autocratic leader who was toppled during a popular uprising in 2019.

    Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to negotiate a cease-fire in the current conflict have stalled, and humanitarian agencies have struggled to provide relief because of insecurity, looting and bureaucratic hurdles.