Amid war crimes fears, UN rights chief renews calls to stop violence, free hostages — Global Issues

Amid war crimes fears, UN rights chief renews calls to stop violence, free hostages — Global Issues

“Water is scarce and fear is pervasive” in Gaza, Mr. Türk told journalists in Amman, recounting a conversation he had minutes earlier with a colleague in Gaza who had to flee Israeli bombardments with his family. “His children, aged nine and seven, are asking him questions he does not know…

Gaza conflict could spark rise in poverty, UN agencies warn — Global Issues

Gaza conflict could spark rise in poverty, UN agencies warn — Global Issues

The assessment by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) looks at preliminary socio-economic impacts, warning that poverty could spike while Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could plummet by 8.4 per cent, which translates into a loss of $1.7 billion. Lamenting the loss…

Silence the guns, UN relief chief tells Paris forum — Global Issues

Silence the guns, UN relief chief tells Paris forum — Global Issues

Echoing his remarks with French President Emmanuel Macron looking on, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, stressed the “heart-breaking” plight of children in the territory, whom he saw last week “pleading for a piece of bread and a sip of water”. Mass displacement has…

$20 million appeal to support Palestine labour market — Global Issues

$20 million appeal to support Palestine labour market — Global Issues

The funding appeal – launched on Thursday in Geneva – will be used to implement a three-phase programme to provide immediate relief and support longer-term job and business recovery, as well as social protection. “The hostilities have resulted in – and continue to cause – both a tragic loss of…

‘Outrage’ over Black Sea attack, funding pledge to alleviate El Niño, breast cancer alert — Global Issues

‘Outrage’ over Black Sea attack, funding pledge to alleviate El Niño, breast cancer alert — Global Issues

Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said in a statement that Wednesday’s attack came on the heels of a series of assaults that killed and inured civilians, destroyed grain supplies and damaged the historic Fine Arts Museum in the Ukrainian port city. “I share my condolences with the family of the killed…

2023 likely hottest year on record; further spike expected with El Niño — Global Issues

2023 likely hottest year on record; further spike expected with El Niño — Global Issues

That’s the message from UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which said on Wednesday that for the calendar year to date, the global mean temperature is the highest ever recorded, 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and sea ice in the Antarctic remains at record low levels. WMO expects the warming…

At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes — Global Issues

At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes — Global Issues

Volker Türk highlighted the dichotomy at the border crossing, describing it as a “lifeline” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza over the past month, although “unjustly, outrageously thin.” But it is also “the gates to a living nightmare”, he continued, as people in Gaza “have been suffocating, under persistent…