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Myanmar heading towards a ‘full-blown conflict’, UN human rights chief warns
13 April 2021
The ongoing repression of protests in Myanmar could spark a “full-blown conflict” on a par with Syria, the United Nations’ top human rights official warned on Tuesday, urging States with influence to take immediate and impactful action to halt the “slaughter” of civilians.
“Statements of condemnation, and limited targeted sanctions, are clearly not enough. States with influence…
4 months ago
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Review ‘disproportionate and unwarranted’ measures, rights experts urge Cambodia
13 April 2021
United Nations independent human rights experts on Monday called for the review of new legal and administrative measures adopted by the Government of Cambodia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which they said appear to be “disproportionate and unwarranted”.
The new law, promulgated on 11 March, could subject violators to prison for up to 20 years and fine them up to 20…
4 months ago
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Volcanic eruption leaves ‘entire population’ of Saint Vincent without clean water
12 April 2021
Last week’s eruption of La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, has left the entire population of the main island without clean water and electricity, the UN Spokesperson said on Monday.
Citing reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Stéphane Dujarric added that about 20,000 evacuees on the Caribbean island are…
4 months ago
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COVID complicates efforts to shut down drug traffickers, boost development
12 April 2021
The growing complexities of the world drug problem are hampering efforts to achieve sustainable development by the end of the decade: a situation which the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Monday.
Ghada Waly was addressing the opening of the latest session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the agency’s…
4 months ago
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‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Syrian military helicopter deployed chemical weapon: OPCW
12 April 2021
A report released on Monday by the body dedicated to freeing the world of chemical weapons, concludes that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that a Syrian military helicopter carried out a chemical attack on the town of Saraqib, in 2018.
The UN-backed international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released the findings of the second…
4 months ago
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COVID ‘long way from over’ as cases and deaths surge – WHO
12 April 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is “a long way from over” but there are many reasons to be optimistic and it’s possible the pandemic can be brought under control “within months”, the head of the UN health agency said on Monday.
Although January and February saw six consecutive weeks of plummeting COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said that had gone into reverse, with last week yielding…
4 months ago
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Great Lakes Region ‘on the right track’ to tackling political and other challenges
12 April 2021
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries in Africa’s Great Lakes region are “on the right track”, with leaders pushing forward on political, security and economic cooperation, UN Special Envoy Huang Xia told the Security Council on Monday.
Governments and people across the 13 nations continue to show resilience and determination in the face of the global…
4 months ago
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UK armed forces bill would limit war crimes accountability: UN rights chief
12 April 2021
Legislation under consideration in the UK regarding armed forces personnel could limit accountability for war crimes if it is passed in its current form, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday.
In a statement, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged Parliament to heed warnings that the proposed new Overseas Operations Bill risks undermining key human rights…
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Guterres calls for ‘paradigm shift’ to recover from COVID setbacks
12 April 2021
A “paradigm shift” aligning the private sector with the global goals is needed to address the challenges of the future, including those triggered by COVID-19, the UN chief said on Monday, addressing the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum.
Secretary-General António Guterres painted a grim picture of the past year during which more than three million have died from the virus. Around 120…
4 months ago
Committee on Enforced Disappearances Opens Twentieth Session Online
12 April 2021
Meeting Summaries
New Committee Member Matar Diop from Senegal Makes Solemn Declaration
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances this afternoon opened its twentieth session online, during which it will examine the initial reports of Mongolia and Switzerland on their implementation of the provisions of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and a report containing complementary information presented by Colombia. The Committee heard a statement by Ibrahim Salama, Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Branch, Human Rights…
