Female genital mutilation is a violent act that, among other things, causes infection, disease, childbirth complications and death, said the Executive Directors of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Describing FGM as “a cruel […]
Category: Human Rights
Amid ‘difficult reality’ in Middle East, two-state solution more important than ever – UN chief
International consensus on a two-State solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be eroding “at a time when it is more important than ever,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, calling the ‘question of Palestine’ one of the longest unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations. “We must face today’s difficult reality,” Secretary-General António Guterres […]
Hunger continues to intensify in conflict zones, UN agencies report to Security Council
Food insecurity – or lack of access to enough food – continues to worsen in places torn by conflict, United Nations agencies reported Monday, listing Yemen, South Sudan and Syria among the countries most affected by acute hunger. Highlighting the extremely critical importance of humanitarian support for affected communities, the report was generated by the […]
‘Don’t let adults off the hook, keep raising your voices;’ Kids ‘take over’ UN for World Children’s Day
Secretary-General António Guterres and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake with Children’s Activists for UNICEF World Children’s Day. UN Photo/Kim Haughton 20 November 2017 – It’s official, kids have taken over… at least for today – World Children’s Day – celebrated annually on 20 November, which this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration of […]
Syrian conflict has now lasted longer than World War II – UN humanitarian envoy
While there had been a period of de-escalation in many areas of war-riven Syria – reducing human suffering to some extent – the fighting now seems to be returning to some of the “bleakest days” of the conflict, a senior United Nations official warned Thursday. The situation is particularly concerning in eastern Ghouta, near the […]
One-third of Rohingya refugee families in Bangladesh vulnerable, UN agency finds
The innovative data collection technology employed by the United Nations refugee agency for the first stage of Rohingya family counting in Bangladesh has revealed a worrying statistic: one-third of the refugee population is vulnerable. “In an innovative and revealing family counting exercise, UNHCR [the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees] teams found that one-third of […]