6 months 4 weeks ago
Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament: the hardest challenges but also the greatest opportunities lie ahead
19 January 2021
Meeting Summaries
Tatiana Valovaya, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Conference, and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, this afternoon told the Conference on Disarmament that this year would be marked by important events for the global nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control regimes, including the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; the Review Conference of the Treaty on…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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‘Swift action’ needed in Tigray to save thousands at risk, UNHCR warns
19 January 2021
Two months after conflict forced humanitarian workers to withdraw from the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), on Tuesday, stressed the need for “swift action” to restore safe access to “save thousands of lives at risk”.
Granted one-time admittance by the Ethiopian authorities to conduct a needs assessment, UNHCR led the first humanitarian mission to Mai Aini and…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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Independent panel finds critical early failings in COVID-19 response
19 January 2021
The global system for pandemic alert and response is “not fit for purpose”, highlighting the need for a new framework in the wake of COVID-19, experts appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an interim report presented on Tuesday.
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response found critical elements to be “slow, cumbersome and indecisive” in an era when…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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Israel: ‘Halt and reverse’ new settlement construction – UN chief
19 January 2021
Israel’s decision to advance plans for some 800 new settlement units, most of which are located deep inside the occupied West Bank, has sparked the concern of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief urged the Israeli Government to “halt and reverse such decisions”, calling them “a major obstacle to the…
6 months 4 weeks ago
REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
19 January 2021
Bi-Weekly Briefing
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by the spokespersons of the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Universal Periodic Review…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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Spectre of unrest, violent repression looming over Haiti, warns UN rights office
19 January 2021
Increasing political tensions in Haiti coupled with insecurity and structural inequalities could result in protests followed by violent crackdowns by authorities, the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) warned on Tuesday.
According to the office, criminal activities, such as kidnappings, gang fights and widespread insecurity have increased, with “almost total” impunity…
6 months 4 weeks ago
Opening of the Conference on Disarmament Plenary meeting
19 January 2021
| Tatiana Valovaya
Speech
Mr. President, Ambassador Pecsteen,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to address you at the opening of this year’s Conference on Disarmament. Let me start by wishing you all a Happy New Year.
I have followed attentively the proceedings this morning and I am disappointed that the Conference has started this way. As a general principle, exclusion undermines the fundamental concept of multilateralism. However, I still maintain high hopes for the 2021 session.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and…
6 months 4 weeks ago
Conference on Disarmament opens its 2021 session under the Presidency of Belgium
19 January 2021
Meeting Summaries
Turkey Objects to the Participation of Cyprus as an Observer to the 2021 Session of the Conference and Iran Objects to the Participation of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates as Observers
The Conference on Disarmament this morning opened its 2021 session under the Presidency of Ambassador Marc Pecsteen of Belgium.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Pecsteen welcomed the new representatives of Bulgaria and Cameroon. The agenda of the Conference was adopted. The Conference then approved requests by Albania, Angola,…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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UN agencies supporting mammoth India COVID-19 vaccine rollout
19 January 2021
India has begun what is the world’s biggest COVID vaccination campaign so far, deploying hundreds of thousands of health workers, with the training and support of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
On 16 January, the first day of the campaign, 207,229 vaccine shots were given across the country, one of the worst-hit by COVID-19, with over 10 million COVID-19 infections and 150,000 deaths…
6 months 4 weeks ago
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Two UN peacekeepers killed in Central African Republic ambush, as 2021 death toll rises to nine worldwide
19 January 2021
Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed after their convoy was ambushed by members of the UPC and anti-Balaka armed groups in southern Central African Republic (CAR), the UN Mission in the country said on Monday, bringing the overall toll of 'blue helmet' deaths to nine so far this month.
Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement on…
