Sunday, February 28We Break the News

UN

Feb272021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
UNHCR seeks US$164 million for displaced Central Africans

UNHCR seeks US$164 million for displaced Central Africans

AFRICA, BREAKING NEWS, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UNHCR, USA
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has yesterday launched a US$164 million appeal to provide life-saving assistance and protection to nearly 1.5 million uprooted Central Africans, including 210,000 who fled a new bout of violence related to the December 2020 presidential elections. With no end in sight to the violence fueling the displacement crisis, nearly one third of the Central African Republic (CAR)’s population of 4.7 million have been forced to flee. Since the new crisis erupted, some 100,000 people have been displaced inside CAR, while neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo have received 111,000 new arrivals. Refugees continue to cross every day. Many new arrivals are reporting grave human rights abuses inside CAR. Our col...
Read More
Feb272021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
Displaced Yemenis flee clashes, face imminent risk of hunger

Displaced Yemenis flee clashes, face imminent risk of hunger

AFRICA, BREAKING NEWS, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UNHCR, USA
Amid intensified clashes in Yemen’s Marib region UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is calling for a safe passage for the fleeing civilians. Fighting parties must spare no effort to protect the population caught in the conflict and ease its impact on civilians. Insecurity is increasingly hindering the delivery of aid to civilians in Marib, with dire consequences for the most vulnerable among them. The latest clashes are just a few kilometers from Marib city and people had little choice but to flee to relative safety in the urban areas. The existing sites for internally displaced people (IDPs) are already overcrowded, and the humanitarian response is overstretched. More than 800,000 displaced Yemenis have been taking refuge in this part of the country. Most of them have been sheltering the...
Read More
Feb252021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
IOM and UNHCR: 41 dead in latest shipwreck demonstrates urgent need to strengthen Europe’s search and rescue system

IOM and UNHCR: 41 dead in latest shipwreck demonstrates urgent need to strengthen Europe’s search and rescue system

AFRICA, EUROPEAN UNION, UN, UNHCR, USA
Saving the lives of refugees and migrants in distress in the Mediterranean must once again become a priority for the European Union and the international community. This is the appeal made by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the  UN Refugee Agency, after gathering the testimonies of survivors of the latest shipwreck. The UNHCR team in Porto Empedocle, where 77 migrants and refugees are waiting to be disembarked from the commercial vessel Vos Triton, has gathered accurate reports about the shipwreck that took place on Saturday 20 February in the Central Mediterranean, confirming that at least 41 people drowned and are missing. According to these testimonies, 120 people were on a dinghy that left Libya on Thursday 18 February, including six women, ...
Read More
Feb242021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
UN Human Rights Council Hears From 23 Dignitaries as it Continues its High-level Segment

UN Human Rights Council Hears From 23 Dignitaries as it Continues its High-level Segment

AFRICA, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, World Bank
The Human Rights Council in its midday meeting continued its high-level segment, hearing addresses from 23 dignitaries, who spoke about their national efforts to promote and protect human rights, challenges facing the multilateral order, and human rights violations globally. Many dignitaries called for COVID-19 vaccines to be made affordable and accessible to all, especially to the citizens of the poorest nations, and expressed concern over the increasing dissemination of false information about the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Despite the rhetoric of solidarity proclaimed by leaders when this Council met one year ago, the pandemic had accelerated inequalities. Research had found that over 1 billion people could be living in extreme poverty by the year 2030, a quarter as a direct resul...
Read More
Feb242021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBER5 Comments
UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Holds Biennial High-Level Panel Discussion on the Question of the Death Penalty

UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Holds Biennial High-Level Panel Discussion on the Question of the Death Penalty

AFRICA, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, USA, World Health Organization
High Commissioner for Human Rights: There is no Evidence that the Death Penalty Deters Crime More Effectively than any other Punishment The Human Rights Council this morning held its biennial high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty, with a focus on human rights violations related to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to whether the use of the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime rate. Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that there was no evidence that the death penalty deterred crime more effectively than any other punishment. Studies suggested that some States that had abolished the death penalty saw their murder rates unaltered or even decline. Studies had shown that it was the certainty of punishment,...
Read More
Feb242021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Kenya will remain a strong voice for Africa on the UN Security Council, President Kenyatta says

Kenya will remain a strong voice for Africa on the UN Security Council, President Kenyatta says

AFRICA, EAST AFRICA, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, KENYA, Kenyan Parliament, Parliament, Security, UN, UN Human RiGHTS, WORLD
NAIROBI, 23rd February 2021 –President Uhuru Kenyatta has reiterated Kenya's strong commitment to advancing Africa's agenda at UN Security Council especially on matters of climate change and security on the continent. President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Virtual UN Security Council open debate hosted by the United Kingdom on the nexus between climate and security. At the same time, the President rallied the Security Council to support more mitigation and adaptation measures in Africa saying effects of climate change are having adverse socioeconomic impacts on the continent. "As a start, we can recognize that persistent droughts, constant sea level rises, and increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns are reversing economic growth and development gains achieved over decades....
Read More
Feb232021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
PM RUGUNDA LAUNCHES THE FIRST EVER NATIONAL RISK AND VULNERABILITY ATLAS OF UGANDA

PM RUGUNDA LAUNCHES THE FIRST EVER NATIONAL RISK AND VULNERABILITY ATLAS OF UGANDA

AFRICA, Disaster Preparedness, EAST AFRICA, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA, UN, UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, WORLD
The Prime Minister of Uganda, RT Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda has today launched the first of its kind National Risk and Vulnerability Atlas for Uganda at the Office of the Prime Minister headquarters in Kampala. The National Risk and Vulnerability Atlas is a key instrument designed by the Office of the Prime Minister, with support from the United National Development Program (UNDP) to enhance understanding of disaster risk in all its dimensions; including hazards, exposure and vulnerability in all the 122 Districts of Uganda. While giving his remarks at the launch, PM Rugunda said that the National Atlas will enable policy makers and practitioners in government, private sector, media and the general public to understand and make informed decisions on planning and implementing disaster...
Read More
Feb142021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBER1 Comment
UN Women calls upon all stakeholders to listen to the voices of women in Myanmar in response to political events

UN Women calls upon all stakeholders to listen to the voices of women in Myanmar in response to political events

AFRICA, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UN Women, WORLD
Statement by UN Women Myanmar In light of recent political events in Myanmar, UN Women expresses strong concern over the use of force by security forces against peaceful demonstrators including women and calls upon all stakeholders to listen to the voices of Myanmar women. On 9 February 2021, there were several reports from Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and other cities in Myanmar of demonstrators having been injured by security forces in connection with the peaceful disobedience movement sweeping across the country. It was later confirmed that Ma Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing a 19-year old woman, who was shot in the head by security forces, was the first reported victim of this violence. Doctors have confirmed since that the young woman is currently in critical condition and being kept on life ...
Read More
Feb142021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
UN Women Executive Board to convene First Regular Session of 2021

UN Women Executive Board to convene First Regular Session of 2021

AFRICA, EUROPEAN UNION, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UN Women, WORLD
The UN Women Executive Board will convene for this year’s First Regular Session from Monday 15 to Tuesday 16 February 2021, remotely via the Zoom Platform. The President of the Executive Board, H.E. Alie Kabba, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, will open the Session at 10 a.m. EDT. UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will deliver opening remarks, which include updates on the COVID-19 response, the implementation of General Assembly resolution 72/279, the QCPR, UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, and the Generation Equality Forum. Over the two days, UN Women will present: An overview on the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinating Board meeting, including UN Women’s follow-up to recommendations...
Read More
Feb132021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
UNHCR appeals for access as Central African displacement soars

UNHCR appeals for access as Central African displacement soars

AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for humanitarian access to reach tens of thousands of people in dire need after they fled  escalating violence, clashes, and military operations in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country where almost one third of the population is now forcibly displaced. Increasing attacks against humanitarian workers and blocked key supply routes are hampering UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations’ ability to assist internally displaced Central Africans. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated, increasing the suffering of an already vulnerable population. Humanitarians have been targeted and have had their offices looted and their vehicles stolen. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA...
Read More
Feb132021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBERNo Comments
UN High Commissioner for Refugees commends Costa Rica for commitment to those forced to flee

UN High Commissioner for Refugees commends Costa Rica for commitment to those forced to flee

AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL, UN, UNHCR
High Commssioner, Filippo Grandi arriving to Upala by plane. © UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi thanked President Carlos Alvarado for Costa Rica´s commitment to protect and promote the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers through an agreement with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to extend health insurance to 10,000 of those who are most vulnerable. “Costa Rica’s generosity in assisting people in need of international protection is an example to countries the world over,” said Grandi. President Alvarado also announced his decision to extend Costa Rica´s commitments to address the challenges of forced displacement, as part of its participation in the MIRPS, a regional framework for protection and solutions for those forced to flee....
Read More
Feb132021 by TUMUTEGYEREIZE WILBER4 Comments
UNHCR East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes: Human and child rights advocates benefit from online course on ending child statelessness

UNHCR East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes: Human and child rights advocates benefit from online course on ending child statelessness

AFRICA, EDUCATION, ETHIOPIA, INTERNATIONAL, Somalia, UN, UNHCR
UNHCR teams up with the African Committee on Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to help eradicate childhood statelessness through an online course. Yvonne Kagaju, a Protection and Monitoring Officer for Rwanda’s National Commission for Human Rights attends the online course on ‘Eradication of statelessness among children in East and Horn of Africa’. Yvonne Kagaju, a Protection and Monitoring Officer for Rwanda’s National Commission for Human Rights attends the online course on ‘Eradication of statelessness among children in East and Horn of Africa’.   © Photo courtesy of Yvonne Kagaju. Initially, Yvonne Kagaju, was looking forward to travelling from Rwanda, to join a vibrant group of participants from eleven countries for a statelessness training worksho...
Read More