Articles by UN News

We found 178 results.


Gaza: 23 Million Tonnes of Debris ‘Will Take Years to Clear’–Acute Malnutrition Doubles in a Month
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Mar 2024

15 Mar 2024 – The genocide in Gaza has left a staggering 23 million tonnes of rubble and unexploded weapons scattered across the enclave.

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Gaza ‘Buffer Zone’ Possible War Crime: UN Human Rights Chief
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Feb 2024

8 Feb 2024 – Israel’s reported attempt to create a “buffer zone” with Gaza could constitute a war crime, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned today.

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Rafah Escalation Fears – Gaza Massacre Unprecedented Death Rate
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Feb 2024

9 Feb 2024 – The unprecedented population density in Rafah in southern Gaza makes it nearly impossible to protect civilians in the event of ground attacks, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, warned today.

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UN Security Council Adopts Resolution on Gaza Crisis
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 25 Dec 2023

22 Dec 2023 – The UNSC has adopted a resolution on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, with 13 votes in favour, and the US and Russia abstaining. Among other points, it demands immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.

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Injured Patients ‘Waiting to Die’ in Northern Gaza as Last Hospital Shuts Down, Amid Rising ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger Levels
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 25 Dec 2023

21 Dec 2023 – There are no functioning hospitals in the north of Gaza and injured patients who need surgery and cannot be moved are “waiting to die”, the UN health agency said today, in a plea for a ceasefire to allow more aid into the shattered enclave.

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COP28: Methane Pledge by the ‘Giants Behind the Climate Crisis’ Falls Short, Says Guterres
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 11 Dec 2023

3 Dec 2023 – UN Secretary-General António Guterres today sent a strong message to the oil and gas industry: the pledges made at COP28 in Dubai fall well short of what’s needed to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis.

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Palestine-Israel Crisis: Gaza City a ‘Ghost Town’, Reports UN Aid Agency
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Dec 2023

29 Nov 2023 – Amid hopes of a deal to extend the pause in Gaza bombing today, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees reported that humanitarian assistance had reached its shelters in northern Gaza for first time since atrocities erupted last month.

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Besieged Gaza Hospital Horror Continues: Fuel Supplies Now Exhausted as Rainfall Prompts New Health Scare
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 20 Nov 2023

14 Nov 2023 – The WHO hailed today the “heroic efforts” of staff at Gaza City’s besieged Al-Shifa hospital and expressed concern for displaced people where heavy rainfall has caused flooding and aggravated the already dire health crisis.

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Rise in Intimidation, Settler Violence in the West Bank, Warns the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 6 Nov 2023

1 Nov 2023 – More than 820 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been displaced amid settler violence and increased movement restrictions since the Hamas attacks of 7 October and the start of Israel’s slaughter on Gaza, the OHCA said today.

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Haiti – Neocolonial Intervention, Grass Roots Resistance
Stephen Sefton | Kawsachun News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 16 Oct 2023

7 Oct 2023 – From the 2004 coup d’état against President Jean Bertrand Aristide until 2017, Haiti was occupied militarily by US and Canadian troops and by the MINUSTAH, always under the clear direction of the governments of the USA, Canada and France.

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Israeli Settlements ‘Systematically Erode’ Viability of Palestinian State
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Oct 2023

27 Sep 2023 – The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process today expressed deep concern over the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

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Haiti Violence: ‘Carnage Needs to Stop’ Says UN Relief Chief
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 11 Sep 2023

1 Sep 2023 – Haiti is in the grip of “extreme brutality”, with gang-related violence continuing to force thousands from their homes amidst widespread suffering, said the UN’s top humanitarian official there.

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Hundreds of Thousands Trafficked into Online Criminality Across SE Asia
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Sep 2023

29 Aug 2023 – Criminal gangs in southeast Asia are using torture and abuse to force hundreds of thousands of people into an online scam operation which generates billions of dollars per year, the UN rights office said today.

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Weapon Transfers, Including Banned Cluster Munitions, Spike in Ukraine
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 21 Aug 2023

17 Aug 2023 – Arms and ammunition transfers to Ukraine have increased rapidly in recent months, alongside concerning reports of deliveries of banned cluster munitions, the UN’s top disarmament official told the Security Council today.

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Devastating Rights Violations against Indigenous People Must End
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Jul 2023

17 Jul 2023 – Indigenous Peoples have the ancestral wisdom to guide humanity towards a more sustainable use of the Earth’s resources, yet they are systematically discriminated against and excluded, UN rights chief Volker Türk warned today.

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Temperatures Off the Charts, but More Records Imminent: WMO
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Jul 2023

10 Jul 2023 – Global sea surface temperatures reached a record high in May, June and July – and the warming El Niño weather pattern is only just getting started – experts at the UN World Meteorological Organization said today.

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Bangladesh Must Suspend Plans to Return Rohingya Refugees to Myanmar: Rights Expert
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Jun 2023

8 Jun 2023 – Bangladesh must “immediately suspend” a pilot repatriation project for Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, where they face “serious risks” to their lives and freedom, a UN-appointed independent rights expert said today.

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Lula and Xi Jinping Sign 15 Partnership Agreements in Beijing
Kawsachun News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Apr 2023

14 Apr 2023 – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed today in Beijing 15 trade and partnership agreements. Lula was received at the Great Hall of the People, seat of the Chinese government. Find the joint communique released by the two presidents here in English.

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Myanmar Spiraling ‘from Bad to Worse, to Horrific’, Human Rights Council Hears
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 26 Sep 2022

21 Sep 2022 – Since the Myanmar military launched its “disastrous” coup last year, UN-appointed independent human rights expert Tom Andrews said today that conditions have worsened, “by any measure”.

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IMF Tells Bolivia to Drop Its Successful Economic Model
Kawsachun News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 Sep 2022

16 Sep 2022 – The IMF released a report today on the Bolivian economy in which it recommends adopting drastic neoliberal measures, including; reducing workers’ salaries, cutting public investments, and ending currency controls. These policies have turned Bolivia from one of the poorest countries in the region into it’s fastest-growing economy. 

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US Supreme Court Ruling on Environmental Protection ‘a Setback in Our Fight against Climate Change’
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Jul 2022

30 Jun 2022 – The ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court against the Environmental Protection Agency today is “a setback in our fight against climate change,” said the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

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UK’s Bid to Export Some Refugees to Rwanda, ‘All Wrong’, Says UN Refugee Chief
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 20 Jun 2022

13 Jun 2022 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, today dismissed the British government’s proposal to process United Kingdom-bound asylum seekers in Rwanda, describing the offshore deal between the two countries announced in April, as “all wrong”.

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Nicaragua Expels the Organization of American States (OAS)
Kawsachun News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 May 2022

25 Apr 2022 – “We will not have a presence in any of the instances of that diabolical instrument of the misnamed OAS. Its local branch has been closed” reads the communique released by the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

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Rights Experts Condemn UK Racism Report Attempting to ‘Normalize White Supremacy’
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 26 Apr 2021

19 Apr 2021 – UN independent human rights experts today denounced a government-backed report into racism in the United Kingdom, saying that it further distorted and falsified historical facts, and could even fuel racism and racial discrimination.

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COVID Fuelling Risk of Recruitment and Use of Children in Armed Conflict, UN and EU Warn on International Day
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 15 Feb 2021

12 Feb 2021 – More children could be pushed into the joining armed forces and armed groups due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, senior United Nations and European Union (EU) officials said on International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, observed yesterday.

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Senior Officials Call on Israel to Halt West Bank Demolitions and Respect International Law
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 8 Feb 2021

5 Feb 2021 – Three high-level UN officials today issued a statement calling for Israel to end demolitions in the occupied West Bank, after meeting with members of a Bedouin community ousted from their homes earlier this week in the northern Jordan Valley, while their belongings were “seized or destroyed”. 

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Vaccination No Guarantee of Coronavirus Eradication: WHO Officials
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Jan 2021

In the final World Health Organization COVID-19 press conference of the year, on 28 December, senior officials warned that the virus is “not necessarily the big one”, and that there is a real chance of another, more serious pandemic spreading across the world.

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Bias, Racism and Lies: Facing Up To the Unwanted Consequences of AI
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Jan 2021

30 Dec 2020 – Powerful digital tools using artificial intelligence software are helping in the fight against COVID-19, and have the potential to improve the world in many other ways. However, it’s becoming clear that its misuse can lead to serious harm, leading the UN to call for strong, international regulation of the technology.

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India’s Pandemic of Violence against Women
UN News | Human Wrongs Watch - TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Jan 2021

28 Dec 2020 – An increase in violence against women in India during the global COVID-19 outbreak has been described by the United Nations as a “shadow pandemic”.

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Desert Locust ‘Re-Invasion’ Threatens Millions across Horn of Africa
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 21 Dec 2020

16 Dec 2020 – New Desert Locust swarms are forming in the Horn of Africa, threatening agricultural livelihoods and the food security of millions of people, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today-

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Rising Hunger in Drought-Stricken Southern Madagascar Forcing Families to Eat Insects: WFP
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 30 Nov 2020

27 Nov 2020 – Hunger is on the rise in southern Madagascar due to consecutive years of drought, affecting half the region’s population, or 1.5 million people, and forcing most families to eat insects, the World Food Programme reported today.

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UN and Partners Express Regret over US Departure from Paris Climate Accord
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 9 Nov 2020

4 Nov 2020 – Today the US formally withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a decision originally announced three years ago. The UN climate change secretariat has underlined its commitment to work with stakeholders in the US and beyond, to accelerate climate action, in line with an historic treaty on limiting global warming and curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

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‘High Time for Accountability’, UN Expert Says as Israel Approves Highest Rate of Illegal Settlements
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Nov 2020

30 Oct 2020 – The international community must answer a “grave” breach of international law with “more than mere criticism”, an independent UN expert said on Friday after the Israeli Government announced its approval of nearly 5,000 new settlement homes in occupied Palestinian territory.

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Myanmar: ‘Shocking’ Killing of Children Allegedly Used as Human Shields
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 Oct 2020

14 Oct 2020 – UN agencies in Myanmar have expressed ‘sadness’ and ‘shock’ over the killing of two boys, allegedly used as human shields by security forces in Rakhine . They were killed in a crossfire between Myanmar’s military and the separatist Arakan Army.

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70 Per Cent of COVID Cases Located in Just 10 Countries, WHO Reports
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Oct 2020

5 Oct 2020 – While COVID-19 has affected all countries, the pandemic is “uneven”, and it is estimated that 10 per cent of the global population may have been infected with the virus, senior officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

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UNESCO Expresses Deep Regret over Turkey Decision to Change Status of Historic Hagia Sophia
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 13 Jul 2020

10 Jul 2020 – The Turkish President signed a decree today converting the ancient Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque. The majestic building was founded around 1,500 years ago as a cathedral and is widely regarded as the foremost example of Byzantine Christian architecture in the world. Following the rise of the Ottoman Empire, it became a mosque, but in 1934, was designated a secular museum, shared by Christians, Muslims and those of all faiths or none, alike.

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UN Marks 75-Year Milestone Anniversary of Founding Charter
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 29 Jun 2020

26 Jun 2020 – The UN Charter “brought rules and hope to a world in ruins”, Secretary-General António Guterres told a virtual ceremony today, commemorating 75 years since the Organization’s foundational text was signed on 26 Jun 1945.

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US Sanctions against International Court Staff a ‘Direct Attack’ on Judicial Independence
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 29 Jun 2020

25 Jun 2020 – The decision by the United States to authorize sanctions targeting staff at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is “a direct attack to the institution’s judicial independence”, UN human rights experts said today.

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World Refugee Day, 20 Jun: End Conflict That Drives ‘Appalling’ Displacement Numbers
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 22 Jun 2020

In his message to mark World Refugee Day, the UN chief praised those nations and communities hosting refugees and internally displaced people, often amid their own economic and security challenges. “We owe these countries our thanks, our support and our investment,” he said.

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UN Refugee Chief Laments Nearly 80 Million People Forcibly Displaced
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 22 Jun 2020

18 June 2020 – Global displacement reached a staggering 79.5 million people last year – almost double the number of people in crisis registered a decade ago – owing to war, violence, persecution and other emergencies, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said today.

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International Criminal Court Oversight Chief ‘Deeply Regrets’ US Decision to Target Officials Investigating Afghanistan War Crimes
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 15 Jun 2020

13 Jun 2020 – Responding to the decision of the US government to sanction ICC officials and their families, O-Gon Kwon, president of the body that oversees the ICC, denounced the measures which, he said, undermine the “endeavour to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities”.

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UN Officials Call for Release of Detained Palestinian Children amid Pandemic
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 May 2020

11 May 2020 – Three senior United Nations officials in the Middle East are calling for the release of Palestinian children from Israeli-run prisons and detentions centres, saying they are at particular risk of COVID-19 infection.

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Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Thousands Stranded in Bay of Bengal ‘Unable to Come Ashore’
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 11 May 2020

6 May 2020 – In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, UN agencies called today for South-East Asian governments to show compassion to boats full of vulnerable people adrift in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Thousands of lives may be at stake if the stranded people are unable to disembark.

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‘No Evidence’ That Recovered COVID-19 Patients Cannot Be Reinfected, Says WHO
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 27 Apr 2020

25 Apr 2020 – The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.

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UN Chief Calls on Religious Leaders to Unite in the Fight against COVID-19
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 13 Apr 2020

11 April 2020 – António Guterres made the call in a special appeal issued today, and at a time when Christians are celebrating Easter, Jews are marking Passover, and Muslims will soon begin the holy month of Ramadan.

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COVID-19: UN Health Agency Advice Informs Decision to Delay Olympic Games for First Time Since 1944
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 30 Mar 2020

24 Mar 2020 -The International Olympic Committee declared today that it is postponing the 2020 Summer Olympics which were due to take place in Japan, based on information provided by the UN health agency, WHO, on the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

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Five Things You Should Know Now about the COVID-19 Pandemic
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Servivce, 16 Mar 2020

On 11 March the World Health Organization upgraded the status of the COVID-19 outbreak from epidemic to pandemic. Here are five important pieces of information on what this means for you and your community. 

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Coronavirus Update: WHO Chief Calls for Private Sector to Step Up, and, Should You Take That Flight?
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 9 Mar 2020

6 March 2020 – In his daily briefing to the press today, World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that supplies of medicine are at risk of disruption due to the epidemic, given that China – the worst hit nation so far – is a major producer of pharmaceutical ingredients.

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COVID-19: More New Virus Cases outside Than inside China–‘No Time for Complacency’, Says UN Health Agency
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Mar 2020

26 Feb 2020 – The number of new COVID-19, or coronavirus, infections outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Myanmar: ‘Multidimensional and Long-Standing’ Root Causes behind Rights Minority Abuses, Says Bachelet
UN News - TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Mar 2020

27 Feb 2020 – The Human Rights Council today held an interactive dialogue with UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on the root causes of violations and abuses suffered by the Rohingya mainly-Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar. She said the Government now has a historic opportunity to counteract systematic violations, “by bringing its people together, as one”.

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Outside China, Coronavirus Transmission ‘Iceberg’ May Not Be as Big as Feared
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Feb 2020

13 Feb 2020 – As infections from COVID-19 coronavirus continue to rise, a senior UN health expert today said that there were some indications that disease transmission outside China might not be the tip of the “iceberg” that had been feared.

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Coronavirus Emergency: Here’s What We Know So Far
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Feb 2020

A new strain of coronavirus (officially named 2019-nCoV), which has caused respiratory diseases in China, and spread to at least 23 other countries, has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. Here are the basic facts you need to know about the virus (figures correct as of Feb 3 2020).

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Coronavirus: UN Health Agency Moves Fast to Tackle ‘Infodemic’; Guterres Warns against Stigmatization
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Servie, 10 Feb 2020

4 Feb 2020 – The World Health Organization has taken steps to ensure that the coronavirus epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives in central China does not spark a dangerous social media “infodemic” fuelled by false information.

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Top UN Court Orders Myanmar to Protect Rohingya from Genocide
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 27 Jan 2020

23 Jan 2020 – Myanmar must take steps to protect its minority Rohingya population, the top UN court unanimously ruled on today. “The Secretary-General recalls that, pursuant to the UN Charter and to the Statute of the Court, decisions of the Court are binding and trusts that Myanmar will duly comply with the Order from the Court,” it said.

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Myanmar: UN Expert Calls for Tolerance and Safety from Reprisals after Online Threats to Activists
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 30 Dec 2019

10 Dec 2019 – The UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has condemned online threats against activists campaigning for justice and accountability, urging the Government and social media firms to do more to protect campaigners. “The online threats, including those targeting prominent activists Dr. Maung Zarni and Mr. Nay Say Lwin of the Free Rohingya Coalition are deeply concerning,” Lee said.

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Aung San Suu Kyi Appears at ICJ as UN Rights Expert Urges Greater Protection for Myanmar Activists
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 23 Dec 2019

10 Dec 2019 – “I call on each and every organ of the Myanmar State to ensure that absolutely no reprisals are taken against any group or individual that is advocating for justice and accountability in Myanmar,” said the independent expert in a statement issued today, adding that those targeted include members of the Free Rohingya Coalition.

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Top Criminal Court to Conduct Official Probe into Alleged War Crimes in Palestine
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 23 Dec 2019

20 Dec 2019 – “The preliminary examination into the Situation in Palestine has concluded with the determination that all the statutory criteria under the Rome Statute for the opening of an investigation have been met”, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said, “I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine”.

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One Third of Poorer Countries Face both Undernutrition and Obesity: WHO Report
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 23 Dec 2019

16 Dec 2019 – With one in three low and middle-income countries facing the two extremes of malnutrition – undernutrition and obesity – the World Health Organization is calling for a new approach to deal with rapidly changing food systems.

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Aung San Suu Kyi Defends Myanmar from Accusations of Genocide, at Top UN Court
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 16 Dec 2019

11 Dec 2019 – Myanmar will have “no tolerance” for human rights abuses committed in Rakhine state and will prosecute the military, if war crimes have been committed there, Aung San Suu Kyi told the International Court of Justice, the UN’s main judicial body, today.

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New Citizenship Law in India ‘Fundamentally Discriminatory’: UN Human Rights Office
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 16 Dec 2019

13 Dec 2019 – A new law in India which expedites citizenship for certain religious minorities has been criticized by the UN human rights office for being “fundamentally discriminatory in nature.” It gives priority to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians resident in India before 2014, but excludes Muslims.

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UN Commemorates International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Dec 2019

27 Nov 2019 – The UN has underlined its unwavering commitment to the Palestinian people in their ongoing struggle to achieve self-determination, independence and sovereignty. Senior officials joined ambassadors and other representatives today to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, officially observed each year on 29 November.

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At UN, Middle East Countries Discuss Steps towards Regional Nuclear-Free Zone
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 25 Nov 2019

18 Nov 2019 – Representatives from across the Middle East are meeting at UN Headquarters this week in efforts to negotiate a legally binding treaty establishing a regional zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

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UN ‘Regrets’ New US Position on Legality of Israeli Settlements
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 25 Nov 2019

19 Nov 2019 – The longstanding position of the UN regarding Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory – that they are in breach of international law – is unchanged, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing today in New York, reacting to the policy reversal announced by the United States.

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US Pardons for Accused War Criminals, Contrary to International Law: UN Rights Office
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 25 Nov 2019

19 Nov 2019 – A presidential pardon for two United States soldiers accused of war crimes, and a sentence reduction for a third, “run against the letter and the spirit of international law which requires accountability for such violations”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said today.

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ICC Gives Green Light for Probe into Violent Crimes against Rohingya
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Nov 2019

15 Nov 2019 – Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, namely deportation, which have forced between 600,000 and one million Rohingya refugees out of Myanmar, into neighboring Bangladesh since 2016.

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Revealed: Danger and Squalor for Cleaners Who Remove Human Waste by Hand
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Nov 2019

13 Nov 2019 – Highlighting the dangers for the millions of people who clean toilets, sewers and septic tanks, ahead of World Toilet Day on 19 Nov, the World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that while the workforce performs an essential public service, their own health is compromised and they are often shunned.

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UN Member States Overwhelmingly Support End of US Embargo against Cuba
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 11 Nov 2019

For the 28th consecutive year, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba. During a vote held on Wednesday [6 Nov], 187 Member States underlined their support for the resolution while Brazil and Israel joined the US in voting no. Two countries—Colombia and Ukraine—abstained.

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Decisive International Action Needed to End Israeli Occupation: UN Rights Expert
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Nov 2019

23 Oct 2019 – The international community has a responsibility and legal obligation to compel Israel to end its 52 year-long “occu-annexation” of Palestinian territory and remove barriers preventing Palestinian self-determination, a UN independent human rights expert told the General Assembly today.

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Afghanistan Probe: ‘At Least 60 Civilians’ Killed after US Military Airstrikes on Alleged Drug Labs
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 14 Oct 2019

9 Oct 2019 – “Multiple” airstrikes by the US military on alleged methamphetamine drug labs in a remote area of western Afghanistan earlier this year, killed or injured hundreds of civilians who should not have been treated as military targets, the UN said today.

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Genocide Threat for Myanmar’s Rohingya Greater than Ever, Investigators Warn Human Rights Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 23 Sep 2019

16 Sep 2019 – Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya who remain in Myanmar may face a greater threat of genocide than ever, amid Government attempts to “erase their identity and remove them from the country”, UN-appointed independent investigators said today.

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Hospitals among Seven Health Centres Attacked in Syria
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 9 Sep 2019

2 Sep 2019 – Seven health centres in Syria have been reportedly attacked in recent days and two of them have been destroyed, the World Health Organization said today.

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UN Experts Decry Torture of Rakhine Men and Boys Held Incommunicado by Myanmar’s Military
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 9 Sep 2019

3 Sep 2019 – Allegations of torture and ill-treatment leading to the death of ethnic Rakhine men and boys being held in incommunicado detention by Myanmar’s military, has prompted three independent UN rights experts to call for an end to the practice and for “credible, independent” investigations.

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Millions in Idlib ‘Counting on Your Support to Make the Violence Stop’, UN Relief Chief Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Sep 2019

29 Aug 2019 – Despite an agreement signed nearly a year ago on a halt to further escalation in Syria’s war-battered Idlib, “the bombing and fighting go on in plain sight, day in and day out”, the UN humanitarian chief told the Security Council today.

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Murder of Brazilian Indigenous Leader a ‘Worrying Symptom’ of Land Invasion
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 Aug 2019

29 Jul 2019 – In the wake of the murder of indigenous leader Emrya Wajãpi in Brazil, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has called on the country’s authorities to “react quickly and decisively” to protect the rights of indigenous peoples on their lands. According to media reports, witnesses saw a number of gold miners enter the protected reserve of the Wajãpi community, then stab their leader to death.

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UN Chief Laments Ending of Cold War-Era Disarmament Treaty
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 Aug 2019

2 Aug 2019 – Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his “deep regret” today that the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia came to an end.

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Record Displacement Shows ‘We’re Almost Unable to Make Peace’, Warns UN Refugee Agency Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Jun 2019

19 Jun 2019 – A record 70.8 million people fled war, persecution and conflict in 2018, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said today, appealing for greater international solidarity to counter the fact that “we have become almost unable to make peace”.

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Conflict Prevention, Mediation: Among ‘Most Important Tools’ to Reduce Human Suffering, Guterres Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Jun 2019

12 Jun 2019 – Conflict prevention and mediation are two of “the most important tools at our disposal to reduce human suffering” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council today. “When we act early, and are united, we can successfully prevent crises from escalating, saving lives and reducing suffering – fulfilling the most fundamental mandate of the United Nations”, he continued.

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UN Expert Criticizes States for ‘Ganging Up’ on WikiLeaks’ Assange; Warns against Extradition, Fearing ‘Serious’ Rights Violations
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 3 Jun 2019

On 9 May, the Special Rapporteur visited Mr. Assange with two medical experts who specialize in examining victims of ill-treatment. The team spoke to the prisoner and conducted a thorough medical assessment. “Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” he said. On Thursday [30 May], according to reports, Assange was too ill to appear via video-link from a British prison in a hearing over an extradition request from the US.

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UN Health Agency Highlights Lifestyle Choices That Can Prevent Onset of Dementia, as Millions More Succumb Each Year
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 20 May 2019

14 May 2019 -Key lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise, not smoking or drinking too much, can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, the UN health agency said today. Today, around 50 million people globally suffer from dementia and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year.

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Myanmar: Conflict Resolution at ‘Total Standstill’, Military Commanders Must Answer for Crimes against Humanity
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 20 May 2019

14 May 2019 – Myanmar’s military commanders must answer charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in a credible court, a United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) said today, urging the international community to cut off all financial and other support to them.

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At China’s Belt and Road Forum, Guterres Calls for ‘Inclusive, Sustainable and Durable’ Development
UN News – TRANSEND Media Service, 29 Apr 2019

26 Apr 2019 – China’s international trade and economic development plan – known as the Belt and Road Initiative – could contribute to a more equitable, prosperous world, and to reversing the negative impact of climate change, Secretary-General António Guterres said today, speaking in Beijing, China.

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Thu, 11 April Brief: Women in Peacekeeping, the Arrests of Assange & Sudan’s Leader, Updates on Libya, Nigeria & Syria
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 15 Apr 2019

11 Apr 2019 – Today the Security Council looked at the key role played by women in the UN’s peacekeeping operations. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be exposed to “serious human rights violations”, following his arrest in the United Kingdom, according a UN independent human rights expert. Fighting continues to escalate in Tripoli, Libya, and in Idlib, Syria, and 10,000 conflict-affected people were forcibly relocated in Nigeria and are in dire need of humanitarian aid.

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UN Agencies Urge Brunei to Repeal New ‘Extreme and Unjustified’ Penal Code
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 8 Apr 2019

4 Apr 2019 – New criminal laws in Brunei that impose the death penalty for same-sex relationships, adultery and childbirth out of marriage, “breach international human rights norms”, and should be suspended or repealed said the heads of two United Nations agencies today.

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Dozens Killed and Injured by New Airstrikes in Western Yemen, UN Coordinator Condemns ‘Outrageous’ Toll
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Mar 2019

11 Mar 2019 – Reports from Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate indicate that scores of civilians have been killed following airstrikes that hit residential areas over the past two days. Medical sources suggest that at least 22 have died, with more than 30 injured during the aerial bombardment.

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UN Rights Expert Calls for End to ‘Purgatory’ of ‘International Inaction’ Facing Myanmar’s Remaining Rohingya
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Mar 2019

11 Mar 2019 – A humanitarian crisis fuelled by the suppression of basic human rights is continuing across Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert said today, in an appeal for alleged atrocities there to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

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Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Remains the Worst in the World, Warns UN
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Feb 2019

14 Feb 2019 – An estimated 24 million people – close to 80 per cent of the population – need assistance and protection in Yemen, the UN warned today. With famine threatening hundreds of thousands of lives, humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions across the country.

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Million across Yemen ‘just a Step Away from Famine’, with Food Available but Inaccessible
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 11 Feb 2019

7 Feb 2019 – While nearly 10 million people across Yemen remain “just a step away from famine”, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has spoken of his deep concern that a large food storage depot on the outskirts of the crucial port city of Hudaydah, has been out of bounds since last September.

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Environment and Health at Increasing Risk from Growing Weight of ‘E-Waste’
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 28 Jan 2019

24 Jan 2019 – Around 50 million tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being thrown away each year, according to a new joint United Nations report – which exceeds the combined weight of all the commercial airliners ever made, or alternatively, enough Eiffel Towers to fill the whole of Manhattan.

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‘Historic’ Moment: Palestine Takes Reins of UN Coalition of Developing Countries
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 21 Jan 2019

15 Jan 2019 – Acknowledging “a long road ahead” on the United Nations ambitious agenda, Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed today “the historic leadership of the state of Palestine” as the new Chair of the Group of 77’s (G77).

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Rising Human Trafficking Takes on ‘Horrific Dimensions’: Almost a Third of Victims Are Children
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 14 Jan 2019

7 Jan 2019 – A new UN report published today shows that human trafficking is on the rise and taking on “horrific dimensions”, with sexual exploitation of victims the main driver. Children now account for 30 per cent of those being trafficked, and far more girls are detected than boys.

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Storms and Snow in Lebanon Worsen Plight for Syrian Refugees
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 14 Jan 2019

10 Jan 2019 – Storm-force winds and snow across Lebanon have worsened the plight for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who’ve been forced from their homes by nearly eight years of conflict, a top UN humanitarian official said today.

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Amid Troop Build-Up in Rohingya’s Home State, UN Appeals to Myanmar for Peaceful Solution
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 14 Jan 2019

9 Jan 2019 – Major fighting in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state has so far been avoided following clashes between armed separatists and national security forces that are increasing troop numbers there, a top UN humanitarian official there said today.

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Governments Adopt UN Global Migration Pact to Help ‘Prevent Suffering and Chaos’
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Dec 2018

The Global Compact for Migration was adopted on Monday [10 Dec] by leading representatives from 164 Governments at an international conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, in an historic move described by UN Chief António Guterres as the creation of a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.

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UNGA President Launches New Initiative to Purge Plastics and Purify Oceans
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Dec 2018

The President of the UN General Assembly launched a new global call to action on Tuesday [4 Dec] to help end the scourge of plastic pollution in the ocean.

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UNICEF Welcomes Bangladesh Statement That Rohingya Will Not Be Forced to Leave
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 Nov 2018

UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday, 16 Nov, welcomed confirmation from the Bangladesh authorities that Rohingya refugees will not be returned to Myanmar against their will, amid reported ongoing rights violations there.

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International Crime Gangs Amass ‘Staggering’ Profits in Conflict Zones, Expert Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Nov 2018

7 Nov 2018 – During yesterday’s briefing to the Security Council, Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described the problem as a “global and accelerating phenomenon, and a threat to international peace and security,” that, in conflict areas alone, is generating around $31.5 billion in illicit profits.

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Every Bite of Burger Boosts Harmful Greenhouse Gases: UN Environment Agency
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 Nov 2018

8 Nov 2018 – Even though meat production is known to be a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, worldwide demand for meat continues to rise, said UN environment agency, UNEP, in a statement released today.

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UN Rights Chief Warns of Potential ‘Witch-Hunt’ as Tanzanian Official Plans to Track and Arrest LGBT People
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 Nov 2018

2 Nov 2018 – Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed apprehension today over a statement earlier this week that a committee would soon be put in place to track and arrest gays, and to encourage member of the public to report people suspected of being gay.

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UN Postal Agency ‘Regrets’ US Withdrawal
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 22 Oct 2018

The United Nations specialized agency which coordinates the global postal system, has expressed “regret” over the withdrawal by the United States from the world body’s membership.

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Global Warming Report, an ‘Ear-Splitting Wake-Up Call’ Warns UN Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service, 15 Oct 2018

A special report on limiting global warming released on Monday [8 Oct] by a UN scientific panel, should be heard around the world as an “ear-splitting wake-up call” said UN chief António Guterres. He said the long-awaited findings show that “climate change is running faster than we are – and we are running out of time.”

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