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UN report details ‘climate of fear’ in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine

Russia has instilled a pervasive atmosphere of fear in the occupied regions of Ukraine, perpetrating egregious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in an attempt to cement its control, according to a new report from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, released on Wednesday…

Indonesia leads the way in taming forest fires

Some 70 million hectares of forest are affected by fires each year, causing huge environmental and economic damage. On the International Day of Forests, marked on 21 March, we look at how an innovative UN-led initiative in Indonesia is dramatically reducing forest fires, saving livelihoods and…

UNRWA review panel presents interim findings to Secretary-General

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has received the interim findings of an independent panel conducting an assessment of UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinians, his office said on Wednesday in a note to correspondents.…

First Person: Water key to cultivating financial independence in southern Madagascar

Women in one of the poorest parts of rural Madagascar are growing their financial independence from men by cultivating village land and selling their produce. They live in the village of Ankilinanjosoa…

‘Currently unsafe to return’ to Belarus, Human Rights Council hears

With the number of political prisoners growing and a shutdown of civic space, people in Belarus are being deprived of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and more, a new UN human rights report presented on Wednesday has revealed…

Haiti: Aid efforts continue amid violence and volatility

Humanitarians continue to deliver aid in Haiti, where the situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains tense and volatile in the face of escalating gang violence and political instability. The…

Gaza: Increasing numbers of newborns on brink of death, agencies warn

UN humanitarians reiterated their resolve on Tuesday to help the people of Gaza, where increasing numbers of children are on “the brink of death” from acute hunger, caused by five months of intense Israeli bombardment and constant aid access denials…

World News in Brief: $236 billion a year profit from forced labour, Senegal election update, peacekeepers in Lebanon

Forced labour is happening all over the world and it’s earning criminal gangs an astonishing $236 billion a year – $64 billion more than a decade ago, UN researchers said on Tuesday. In an alert, the…

Hong Kong: Rushed adoption of new security law a ‘regressive step’ - UN rights chief

The accelerated adoption of a national security bill in Hong Kong represents “a regressive step” for human rights there, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday. “It is…

UN rights expert urges global action to halt Myanmar junta atrocities

The UN independent human rights expert on Myanmar called on the international community on Tuesday to take strong, coordinated action to protect civilians from ongoing atrocities committed by the military junta’s forces…