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Tag: UN

  • President Mahama blocking UN postings for high-ranking Ashanti military personnel – Ntim Fordjour alleges

    President Mahama blocking UN postings for high-ranking Ashanti military personnel – Ntim Fordjour alleges

    Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has accused former President John Dramani Mahama of halting the promotion of several high-ranking Ashanti military officers.

    These officers were supposed to be reassigned from lieutenant colonels to colonels in United Nations mission operations.

    Fordjour, the MP for Assin South, explained that these appointments had been planned months in advance but were blocked by President Mahama, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

    In an interview with Mensa Musa on Voice of London Radio on April 4, 2025, Fordjour criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, claiming it was off to a bad start. He also accused the government of engaging in tribalistic practices.

    “They are using politics to dismiss people left, right, and centre; as I speak to you, call anyone in the Ghana Armed Forces and ask them how is it that Ashanti high-ranking military officers, from lieutenant colonels to colonels, who had been promoted and appointed to UN missions, suddenly had their appointments reversed.

    “These arrangements were made three to four months ago, and now this government has rescinded all such appointments for Ashantis while leaving appointments for officers from other tribes intact,” he said.

    Ntim Fordjour raised concerns about what he called a politically motivated, tribal, and ethnocentric approach to governance.

    He also criticized the current situation, pointing out serious issues like the suspected rise in cocaine trafficking and money laundering.

    “What kind of political, tribal, and ethnocentric governance is this?” he asked.

    “Cocaine is everywhere; money laundering is everywhere. I am telling you, they have started on a very terrible note. I have all the proof of this. I even mentioned it on Ekosiison and asked them to verify. The kind of text messages they received shocked them.”

    Reverend Ntim Fordjour had earlier criticized President Mahama for appointing a Brigadier General as Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces. This decision led to the resignation of several senior generals, whose ranks were higher than Major General William Agyapong, the current Chief of Defence Staff.

  • UN Secretary-General appoints Hannah Tetteh as Special Representative to Libya

    UN Secretary-General appoints Hannah Tetteh as Special Representative to Libya

    Madam Hannah Serwaa Tetteh has been named the United Nations (UN) Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN.

    Her appointment follows the tenure of Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, who served as Special Envoy and Head of UNSMIL until May 2024. The Secretary-General also extended his appreciation to Mr. Bathily for his contributions and to Stephanie Koury, Deputy Special Representative, who served as Officer-in-Charge in the interim.

    A statement issued by the Secretary-General and shared with the Ghana News Agency highlighted Madam Tetteh’s extensive experience in diplomacy and governance. Her career spans decades at the national, regional, and international levels, including her most recent role as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa from 2022 to 2024.

    Prior to that, she served as the Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the AU (UNOAU) between 2018 and 2020. Madam Tetteh also held the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

    Before joining the United Nations, Madam Tetteh held various leadership roles in Ghana’s government. She was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017, where she also served on the National Security Council and the Armed Forces Council. From 2009 to 2013, she served as Minister for Trade and Industry and was a member of the Government’s economic management team.

    During her tenure as Foreign Minister, she chaired the Council of Ministers and the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS from 2014 to 2015. In her role as Minister for Trade and Industry, she led the Ghana Free Zones Board and contributed to national development initiatives as a member of the National Development Planning Commission and the Millennium Development Authority board.

    Madam Tetteh’s parliamentary career includes representing the Awutu Senya Constituency under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 2000 to 2005 and again from 2013 to 2017. She also played a key role in peacebuilding efforts, serving as Co-Facilitator for the High-Level Forum on the Revitalisation of the Agreement to resolve the conflict in South Sudan.

    A legal professional, Madam Tetteh earned her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana and was called to the Ghana Bar in 1992 after completing her postgraduate studies at the Ghana School of Law. Fluent in English, Hungarian, and Fante, her linguistic skills add to her versatility in international diplomacy.

  • Be peaceful and responsible – UN Ghana urges in protests against galamsey

    Be peaceful and responsible – UN Ghana urges in protests against galamsey

    United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, has underscored the critical need for responsible mining practices and sustainable development, urging collaboration among all sectors to safeguard the nation’s future.

    He highlighted the severe consequences of illegal mining, or galamsey, which contribute to worsening poverty, destroys livelihoods, harms the environment, contaminates water sources, disrupts communities, and facilitates illegal financial activities.

    In a statement on Saturday, Abani encouraged protesters to remain peaceful and responsible, while calling on law enforcement to maintain professionalism, ensure public safety, and respect civil rights during demonstrations.

    He appealed to key leaders from government, political parties, traditional and religious bodies, civil society, and the private sector to join forces in tackling the illegal mining issue.

    Reaffirming the UN’s support for initiatives in line with the #PactfortheFuture, Abani emphasized the importance of sustainability, climate action, and environmental preservation, stressing that these efforts are vital to ensuring a peaceful and prosperous future for both present and future generations.

    He concluded by calling for collective ambition and unity in overcoming the challenges posed by galamsey.

  • Nkrumah’s recognition must be extraordinary – Former Snr Governance Advisor at UN

    Nkrumah’s recognition must be extraordinary – Former Snr Governance Advisor at UN

    Former Senior Governance Advisor at the United Nations, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has asserted that the significant contributions of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, should not be underestimated.

    Despite having personal disagreements with some of Nkrumah’s domestic policies, Professor Agyeman-Duah believes that Nkrumah’s impact on Ghana’s development warrants full acknowledgment.

    In a recent address on August 3, 2024, President Akufo-Addo rejected the notion that Ghana was founded by a single individual, emphasizing the collective efforts of various figures in the independence movement.

    While acknowledging Nkrumah’s vital role, the President asserted that Ghana’s independence was not the result of one person’s efforts alone.

    During a discussion on the JoyNews AM show, Professor Agyeman-Duah commented, “No matter what you say, Nkrumah stands tall in our politics, and nobody can belittle his accomplishment. Even though personally as I speak, there were certain domestic policies that I never liked and still don’t like, but still, even after discounting all those negativities, Nkrumah is a person that deserves the fullest recognition. After all, he (Nkrumah) was the man of the millennium, and that in itself says it all.”

    Professor Agyeman-Duah emphasized that while many contributed intellectually to Ghana’s founding, it was Kwame Nkrumah who played a crucial role in shaping the nation’s ideological and emotional direction.

    He stressed the importance of recognizing both Nkrumah’s ideological contributions and the significant role of the UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention) in achieving independence.

    He remarked, “After all, they [UGCC] brought Nkrumah; perhaps even if they had not brought him, he was going to come himself. Yet he was brought down to help them achieve independence. How can you take that away?”

  • Top UN court orders Israel to cease Rafah offensive

    Top UN court orders Israel to cease Rafah offensive

    United Nations (UN)’ highest judicial authority, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has delivered a significant ruling, demanding that Israel “immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah.”

    This decision supports a recent application by South Africa, which called for various actions against Israel, accusing it of escalating what they describe as a genocide.

    Israel has strongly denied these accusations and indicated it would disregard any directive to stop its operations.

    Government spokesperson David Mencer told the BBC: “There is no power in the world that will push us to commit a public suicide, because that’s what this is, to stop our war against Hamas.”

    A Hamas spokesmansaid: “We welcome the decision of the International Court of Justice, which demands that the brutal Zionist entity [Israel] stop its aggression” in Rafah.

    Reading the court’s ruling on Friday, presiding judge Nawaz Salam said that “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate” which could bring about “the physical destruction” of the Palestinians – alluding to what constitutes genocide under international law.

    Israel, he added, must also allow unimpeded access to Gaza to any UN body investigating allegations of genocide.

    The ruling also reiterated a requirement for Israel to enable “unhindered provision at scale” of basic services and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

    “The humanitarian situation [in Gaza] is now to be characterised as disastrous,” the ruling said.
    Aid agencies and the UN say insufficient amounts of aid are reaching people in Gaza, which they say is facing famine.

    The UN suspended food distribution in Rafah on Tuesday because of the perilous situation there.

    Israel says it has made “extensive efforts” t ensure that humanitarian aid is “flowing into Gaza”.

    Judge Salam also said that the court found it “deeply troubling” that Israeli hostages were still being held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, and called for “their immediate and unconditional release”.

    Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the ruling, calling it an “abject moral failure” that the ICJ did not connect their bombardment of Rafah to the release of the hostages.

    He said Israel was forced to defend itself, adding: “There is no country in the world which wouldn’t defend itself against an attack like that.”

    Minutes after the ruling was delivered, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on the Shaboura camp in central Rafah.

    A local activist at Kuwait Hospital nearby informed the BBC that the intensity of the raids prevented rescue teams from reaching the site.

    Israel commenced a long-awaited offensive in Rafah approximately three weeks ago, aiming to eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions and asserting that Israeli hostages are being held in the town.

    According to the UN, over 800,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since the offensive began, with about 1.5 million people taking refuge there from conflicts elsewhere in Gaza.

    The hearing is part of a case initiated by South Africa at the ICJ in December, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The case remains ongoing.

    Israel’s offensive in Gaza began after Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages back to Gaza.

    Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports that at least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.

  • Canada abstains from supporting Palestinian UN membership

    Canada abstains from supporting Palestinian UN membership

    Canada didn’t vote for or against Palestine joining the United Nations, along with 24 other countries.

    On Friday, most countries in the UN agreed to let Palestine become a full member of the UN. Out of 193 countries, 143 said yes to the resolution.

    Other countries like the UK and Switzerland also chose not to vote with Canada. The United States and Israel were two of nine countries that said no to the proposal.

    Canada always supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. This has always been our stance. “Canada has chosen not to vote on the General Assembly resolution about stopping the two-state solution. ”

    The statement said that both the leaders of Israel and Gaza are making it hard to reach a two-state solution, and that the chances for a lasting peace are not looking good.

    Global Affairs Canada said the Netanyahu government has shown it doesn’t want a two-state solution. “At the same time, Hamas is in charge of some parts of Gaza, which is an important area for the future State of Palestine. ” Hamas still has hostages and has not stopped using weapons or fighting against Israel’s existence.

    The issue will be discussed by the 15-member UN Security Council, but it is likely that the US will vote against it. The US said no to a resolution that was like this one in April.

    Starting in September 2024, Palestinians will be able to sit with other UN members in the assembly hall. However, they won’t be allowed to vote. Even if the Security Council says no, Palestinians will still be allowed to sit in the assembly hall.

    Palestinians have been allowed to attend and observe UN General Assembly meetings as a non-voting member since 2012. They are governed by the Palestinian Authority, which has some control over the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority used to control Gaza until 2007. That’s when Hamas took over after winning an election. Hamas started a violent attack on Israel on Oct 7, which led to the ongoing and destructive war in Gaza.

    Global Affairs Canada thinks that Palestinians should keep working towards being able to make their own decisions. “All Palestinians should have a government that is fair and represents them, and not run by a group that uses violence. ”

    Israel took control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem after a war with its Arab neighbors in 1967. The UN has always supported the idea of a Palestinian state and Israel both having safe and acknowledged borders.

    Global Affairs Canada said that we need to quickly make a plan to achieve the two-state solution. This plan should give both Palestinians and Israelis hope that they can live together peacefully, safely, and with respect. Canada is ready to acknowledge Palestine as a state when it is best for lasting peace, even if it’s not the final step.

  • Total number of victims in Gaza remains constant – UN

    Total number of victims in Gaza remains constant – UN

    The United Nations said on Monday that the number of people who have died in Gaza since the fighting between Israel and Hamas started on October 7th is still more than 35,000, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

    The update comes after the UN agency OCHA published a report on May 8 with new information about the number of Palestinians who were hurt or killed in the war. The UN report says fewer women and children were killed in the war than previously thought.

    The UN is now counting the number of dead women and children whose names and details are known, instead of just counting all women and children who have died. This is why the number has gone down. The government department says that when people who have died are brought to hospitals, their deaths are included in the total number of deaths.

    UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a meeting at the UN that the health ministry in Gaza has released two different numbers of people who have died – one for all deaths, and one for just the ones they know who died. The UN report only published the number of people who died and had their names and dates of birth recorded, which made things confusing.

    Haq says that the ministry released a list of 24,686 confirmed deaths out of the total 34,622 deaths in Gaza as of April 30th. The number of people who have died is 7,797 children, 4,959 women, 1,924 elderly, and 10,006 men, according to the UN spokesperson who got the information from the Gaza health ministry.

    The health authority in Gaza is still working on getting all the information about the people who were hurt.

    Two people from the Palestinian Health Ministry told the news that even though they count how many identified and unidentified people have died separately, the total number of deaths is still the same.

    The number of people who have died does not include the 10,000 people who are still missing and stuck under the collapsed buildings, officials said.

    Israel started attacking Gaza’s military on Oct 7 because the group in charge, Hamas, killed over 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 250 others. Israel has been attacking Gaza for many months, destroying many parts of it and causing a shortage of necessary supplies. This puts over 2. 2 million people at risk of starving.

    CNN received a report from the Palestinian health ministry that confirms the number published by OCHA. In the latest report, the Gaza Ministry of Health said that 15,103 children and 9,961 women have been killed in Gaza since Oct 7.

    Both the United Nations and United States officials have said they believe the numbers from the Ministry of Health in Gaza are accurate.

    CNN cannot check the ministry’s numbers by themselves. The ministry does not see a difference between the number of people hurt or killed in fighting and the number of civilians hurt or killed.

  • UN General Assembly supports Palestine’s membership application

    UN General Assembly supports Palestine’s membership application

    The United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of allowing Palestine to become a full member of the UN. They also recommended that the UN Security Council look into the request and approve it.

    The 193-member General Assembly voted to see if many countries support Palestine becoming a full member of the UN. This would mean that the world officially recognizes Palestine as a state. The United States said no to this in the UN Security Council last month.

    The group agreed on a decision with 143 members voting yes and nine voting no, including the US and Israel. Another 25 countries chose not to vote. It doesn’t make Palestinians full members of the UN, but it does say they are able to become members.

    The agreement says that Palestine is a state. It suggests that the country should be allowed to join the group and recommends that the Security Council think about it in a positive way.

    The Palestinians want to be full members of the UN. This comes after seven months of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. Also, Israel is building more homes in the West Bank, which the UN says is against the law.

    “We want peace and freedom,” said Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour before the vote. Voting yes means supporting the existence of Palestinians and does not mean being against any state. Please rewrite the following text in simpler language. Thank”It is putting money into peace. ”

    “He said voting yes is the right thing to do and people clapped. ”

    The UN Charter says that countries who want to join the UN must want peace and agree to follow the rules in the Charter. They must also be able to carry out the responsibilities in the Charter.

    “Many of you hate Jews, so you don’t care that Palestinians don’t want peace,” said UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, speaking after Mansour. He said the assembly tore up the UN Charter. He used a small machine to destroy a copy of the Charter at the podium.

    “Erdan said that he is disappointed in you. ”

    To join the UN as a full member, a country’s application must first be approved by the Security Council, which has 15 members, and then by the General Assembly. If the council votes for the measure again, it will probably be vetoed by the US.

    Additional UN rights More rights from the United Nations

    Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said that taking action at the UN without working with other countries is not a good idea. The plan for two separate states will not move forward.

    “We did not vote against a Palestinian state. We have been very clear that we support it and want to help make it happen. ” Instead, it means they recognize that the only way to become a state is by talking and making agreements with each other, he said.

    The United Nations has supported a plan for two separate countries to live next to each other with safe and agreed upon borders. Palestinians want to have their own country in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, which were taken by Israel in a war in 1967 with other countries in the area.

    The resolution passed on Friday gives the Palestinians more rights and privileges starting in September 2024. They will have a seat among the UN members in the assembly hall, but they won’t be able to vote.

    The Palestinians are now considered a state by the UN, even though they are not official members. This happened in 2012.

    The Palestinian Authority represents them at the UN. They have some control over the West Bank. Hamas removed the Palestinian Authority from control in Gaza in 2007. Hamas, a group that wants to destroy Israel, started the attack on Israel on October 7th. This led to Israel attacking Gaza.

    Erdan said on Monday that if the General Assembly passed the resolution, he thinks that Washington will reduce the money it gives to the United Nations and its groups.

    According to US law, Washington can’t give money to any UN group that lets in a group without all the internationally accepted rights of being a country. In 2011, the United States stopped giving money to UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, because the Palestinians became a full member.

    On Thursday, 25 Republican US senators – more than half of the party’s members in the chamber – introduced a bill to make the rules stricter and stop money going to any group that supports the Palestinians. The Senate, which is controlled by President Joe Biden’s Democrats, probably won’t approve the bill.

  • UN organisations ready for Rafah incursion

    UN organisations ready for Rafah incursion

    The UN has said that if Israel enters Rafah, it could put many lives in danger and make it difficult for aid groups to help people in that area. However, the World Health Organization is also getting ready in case this happens.

    Israel has said many times that they might attack Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. About a million people who have been forced to leave their homes are living there because of fighting between Israel and Hamas. This fighting started when Hamas fighters crossed into Israel and killed people on Oct 7th.

    Jens Laerke, who works for the UN humanitarian office, said it could be very bad for the people in the area and for the work the UN is doing there.

    Israel has said it will help make sure that people in Rafah can leave safely. The United States has always said it cannot approve of an attack on Rafah by its friend Israel unless there is a good plan to keep the civilians safe.

    Israel has shared some early information with the US, but we haven’t seen a complete plan that gives us confidence yet.

    Another person from the US government, who did not want their name to be known, said that the plan from Israel to provide shelter, food, and routes for people to escape needs to be improved.

    In Rafah, they are providing help like medical clinics, places with supplies for people in need, giving out food, and taking care of really hungry children in 50 places.

    OCHA will try its best to make sure that aid work keeps going, even if there is an attack. They are figuring out how to make this happen.

    “A person from the World Health Organization said that they have a plan for Rafah, which includes a new hospital. But they also said that the plan may not stop a lot more people from dying. ”

    More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in almost seven months of fighting, it was reported by Gaza’s health ministry.

    Rik Peeperkorn, who works for the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that he thinks the contingency plan is just a temporary solution. “It won’t stop the extra people getting hurt or dying from the military operation. ”

    Other plans involve putting medical supplies in hospitals up north in case the three hospitals in Rafah are not working. This has happened many times in the last seven months because of Israeli attacks.

    According to WHO data, only about a third of the 36 hospitals that were open before the war are still working to some extent. Israel says that Hamas is using hospitals for military purposes. Israel believes that its attacks on these hospitals are necessary because they have found fighters there. Hamas and medical staff say the accusations are not true.

    Peeperkorn said he was really worried that an attack might stop the Rafah crossing from bringing in medical supplies to Gaza from Egypt.

    “We are working hard to make sure it stays open no matter what,” he said. WHO has talked to Israeli authorities about this issue.

  • UN specialists claim North Korean missile touched down near Kharkiv, Ukraine

    UN specialists claim North Korean missile touched down near Kharkiv, Ukraine

    The parts from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 were from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, according to a report by United Nations sanctions monitors to a Security Council committee. This was seen by Reuters on Monday.

    The UN says they found pieces of a missile in Ukraine that came from North Korea, breaking the rules about weapons.

    North Korea, also called the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been punished by the UN since 2006 for its missile and nuclear projects, and the punishments have gotten tougher over time.

    Three people went to Ukraine to check the debris and they didn’t find any proof that Russia made the missile. They couldn’t figure out where the missile came from or who launched it on their own.

    Ukrainian authorities said that the missile was launched from Russia. They wrote this in a report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee on April 25th.

    They said that if the missile was in a place controlled by Russia, it would probably mean that people from Russia bought it. This would break the rule that stops North Korea from getting weapons, which was made in 2006.

    The Russian and North Korean representatives at the United Nations in New York did not give a response to a request for their thoughts on the report by the sanctions monitors.

    The US and other countries say North Korea gave weapons to Russia to use against Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have said they didn’t do it, but they promised to make their military relationship stronger last year.

    In February, the US said that Russia used missiles from North Korea to attack Ukraine many times.

    The UN people who watch over things said that North Korea tested the Hwasong-11 series missiles in 2019.

    Russia said no to renewing the UN sanctions monitors that have been keeping an eye on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs for 15 years. The current group of experts will have to stop working on Tuesday.

    Within a few days of January, The Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office showed parts of a missile to the media after an attack. They said the missile was not from Russia and it might have been given to them by North Korea.

  • Germany says it will start supporting Palestinian UN agency again

    Germany says it will start supporting Palestinian UN agency again

    Germany said it will work with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees again. This means they will start giving money again after they stopped because of accusations against UNRWA staff.

    The claims caused 16 countries that give money, including the biggest one, the United States, to stop giving about $450 million to UNRWA. This hurts UNRWA’s ability to help with the crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s attack.

    Former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna led a review into UNRWA’s rules for staying neutral. The review was published on Monday.

    The German foreign and development ministries want UNRWA to quickly follow the report’s suggestions. This includes making its internal audit function stronger and improving oversight of project management.

    “The German government will keep working with UNRWA in Gaza, just like Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan are already doing,” the statement said. Germany is the second largest giver to UNRWA.

    The organization has 32,000 workers in the Palestinian areas and nearby countries. This includes 13,000 in the Gaza Strip. It is the largest aid agency there and provides schools and social services to the refugees who are the majority of the people in Gaza.

    UNRWA’s communication director Juliette Touma said that they are very thankful. She also said that Germany has been a strong supporter of the agency.

    The review said Israel hasn’t shown proof to support their claims that many UNRWA staff in Gaza are part of terrorist groups.

    The review showed that UNRWA is better at staying neutral compared to other groups, but there are still some problems with staff sharing their political opinions publicly.

    The United Nations is looking into claims against 12 of its workers. After these came out in January, UNRWA said it had fired 10 of the people mentioned, and the other two had passed away.

    In March, Israel said that more than 450 UNRWA workers in Gaza were members of terrorist groups.

    Israel’s spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry said it was sad and not good that Germany made this decision. Israel gave lots of information about hundreds of UNRWA workers who are part of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to Germany.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants all countries to help UNRWA because it’s really important for Palestine refugees in the region.

    The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Tuesday that UNRWA has enough money to cover its operations until June.

  • UN calls for investigation into mass graves in Gaza hospitals raided by Israel

    UN calls for investigation into mass graves in Gaza hospitals raided by Israel

    The United Nations wants a thorough investigation of mass graves found at hospitals in Gaza. Israeli troops went into the hospitals.

    Reliable detectives need to be able to go to the places, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. He also said that more reporters should be able to work safely in Gaza to tell the truth.

    Earlier today, the head of UN human rights, Volker Türk, said he was very upset by the destruction of the Shifa medical center in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He also heard about mass graves being found near these places after the Israelis left.

    He asked for fair and clear investigations into the deaths. He said that because of the current culture of getting away with bad things, the investigations should involve people from other countries.

    “Hospitals are given extra special protection under the law of war,” Türk said. “Killing innocent people, prisoners, and those who can’t fight back is a serious crime in war. ”

    The US State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, said that the reports of mass graves at the hospitals are really worrying. US officials have asked the Israeli government for more information.

    The Israeli army dug up bodies that Palestinians had buried to find the remains of the hostages taken by Hamas during the attack that started the war. The military checked the bodies with respect and gave back the ones that were not from Israeli hostages.

    The Israeli military says it attacked and caught many militants who were hiding in two hospital buildings, but this has not been confirmed by others.

    The Palestinian civil defense in Gaza found 283 bodies buried in a temporary graveyard at the main hospital in Khan Younis. It was built when Israeli forces surrounded the hospital last month. At that time, people couldn’t bury their dead in a cemetery so they dug graves in the hospital yard instead, according to the group.

    The civil defense said that some of the bodies were of people who were killed during the attack on the hospital. Israeli forces went into the hospital and some people were killed.

    Palestinian health officials say that the attacks on hospitals have greatly damaged Gaza’s healthcare system, which is already struggling to handle the increasing number of casualties from the six-month long war.

    The question of who should do an investigation is still not clear.

    Dujarric said that in order for the United Nations to do an investigation, one of its big groups would have to give permission for it.

    “I don’t think anyone should judge the results or who did it,” he said. “I believe there should be a thorough investigation with access and credibility. ”

    The leader of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, stated that it is very important to investigate possible crimes committed by Hamas and Israeli forces. He visited Israel and the West Bank in December.

    “We found the graves, so we really need to stop fighting and find a way to end this conflict. We also need more help for people who need it, like medicine and food, and we need to make sure hospitals are safe. And we need to free the Israeli hostages,” Dujarric said on Monday.

    During the war started by the Hamas attack, about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 hostages were taken. Israel says that the militants are still keeping about 100 people as hostages and the bodies of over 30 others.

    In reply, Israel attacked Gaza to stop Hamas and has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, most of them being children and women, as reported by local health officials. It has destroyed two big cities in Gaza, causing a crisis for people. About 80% of the population have left to go to other places in the enclave.

  • 58,000 children face malnutrition after Haiti’s capital blocked by gangs – UN

    58,000 children face malnutrition after Haiti’s capital blocked by gangs – UN

    The capital of Haiti is mostly blocked off by gangs, making it hard for aid to reach 58,000 children with the most severe malnutrition. This is causing a big problem.

    The leader of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, said that most of the kids in Haiti need help. Also, women and girls are facing a lot of violence based on their gender, and many armed groups have children in them.

    Russell said the situation in Haiti is really bad and it’s getting worse every day, when speaking to the UN Security Council. “Port-au-Prince is now almost completely closed off because of blockades in the air, sea, and land. ”

    Haiti is getting ready for a new nine-member council to replace Prime Minister Ariel Henry. He promised to step down on March 11 while he was outside the country and under pressure from the United States.

    Haiti’s gangs, who have joined forces in an alliance called “Viv Ansanm” (Living Together), have been trying to remove Henry from power by attacking the capital. Despite Henry’s announcement, the attacks have not stopped.

    Gangs and police fought near the National Palace on Monday, according to local media. The new council is going to start working in the palace, but we don’t know the exact date yet.

    “Since March 8, almost 100,000 people from Port-au-Prince in Haiti have moved to other areas to get away from gang violence and find safety,” the UN special envoy on Haiti Maria Isabel Salvador said to the Security Council. Many people in the country don’t have enough food to eat, and the United Nations asked for $674 million in funding for 2024, but they only got 8% of it so far.

    ‘Running low on gas’

    Armed men stopped the fuel import terminal in Haiti on Monday. They took control of the trucks and asked for the port to be closed.

    Groups of people with weapons stopped the Varreux terminal from working for almost a month in October 2021, and then again for more than a month a year later. This stopped most businesses from happening and made the government ask for help from other countries.

    “They don’t have much fuel left,” said Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, who visited Haiti last weekend. He told Reuters this on Monday. “A ship is on its way. ” If the ships can park and unload their goods, then they are safe. But we’re worried about how many days it will take until they have no more supplies.

    Many businesses rely on diesel generators for power. During the past blockades, hospitals had to close, radio stations stopped working, mobile antennas ran out of fuel, and transportation stopped.

    In October 2023, the Security Council gave permission for a security mission from another country to go to Haiti. But Kenya has not yet started the mission because of legal and funding problems. Kenya has taken the lead in this mission but it has not started yet.

    Russell said that if security forces go to crowded cities, the safety of the people there is the most important thing.

    She said we should try not to use force in places where people live, and our mission should only use the least harmful methods needed to enforce the law.

  • 800,000 people in Sudan City in “urgent, serious danger” – UN warns

    800,000 people in Sudan City in “urgent, serious danger” – UN warns

    Almost 800,000 people in a city in Sudan are in really serious danger following the violence there is getting worse. The United Nations is warning that the violence could cause fighting between different groups throughout the region of Darfur.

    A big fight started in Sudan a year ago between the Sudanese army and a group called Rapid Support Forces. This caused a lot of people to leave their homes and become refugees.

    UN political affairs leader Rosemary DiCarlo told a group of 15 countries that there were fights between two groups in North Darfur and it was getting close to the capital city.

    “Fighting in El Fasher could cause a lot of violence between different groups in Darfur,” DiCarlo warned, repeating a message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

    The UN said that about 25 million people in Sudan need help and 8 million have left their homes. This is half of the country’s population.

    “The fighting is very dangerous for the 800,000 people living in El Fasher,” said Edem Wosornu, who leads UN aid efforts.

    She said it could cause more fighting in other areas of Darfur, where over 9 million people desperately need help.

    An organization supported by the United Nations and focused on food security said at the end of last month that urgent action is necessary to stop many people from dying and ensure that their lives and jobs don’t completely fall apart, and to avoid a major food crisis in Sudan.

    At a meeting in Paris on Monday, people promised to give more than US$2 billion to help Sudan, which has been affected by war.

  • US vetoes motion with broad support endorsing Palestine’s full UN membership

    US vetoes motion with broad support endorsing Palestine’s full UN membership

    The United States said no to a UN resolution that would have allowed Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations. Palestine has wanted this for a long time, but Israel has been against it.

    The Security Council voted on a decision, with 12 members saying yes, the United States saying no, and the United Kingdom and Switzerland not deciding. France, Japan, and South Korea were in favor of the resolution.

    Many countries are recognizing the statehood of Palestinians and supporting them because they are facing a humanitarian crisis due to the war in Gaza.

    The resolution wanted the UN General Assembly to approve Palestine joining as the 194th member of the United Nations. “About 140 countries have agreed that Palestine is a country. Many more countries would probably have said yes too. ”

    US deputy ambassador Robert Wood said to the Security Council that the veto does not show disapproval for Palestine becoming a state. Instead, it shows that it can only happen through talks between both sides.

    The United States has always said that taking action too soon in New York won’t make Palestine a state, even if people have good intentions. This was said by Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the State Department.

    Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that even though the resolution did not pass, it will not weaken their resolve. He felt emotional as he spoke.

    “He said we will keep trying and not give up. ” Palestine will definitely exist in the future. It’s trueMaybe they think it’s far, but we think it’s close.

    This is the second time Palestinians are trying to be full members and it’s happening while there is a war in Gaza. This war has brought a lot of attention to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which has been going on for over 75 years.

    In 2011, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas requested for the Palestinian Authority to be a member of the UN. It didn’t work because the Palestinians didn’t get enough support from at least nine out of the 15 members of the Security Council.

    They went to a meeting and most of the people agreed to give them a higher position in the UN in 2012. This allowed the Palestinian territories to become members of the UN and other international groups, like the International Criminal Court.

    Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama, who is representing Arab countries, proposed a resolution to admit Palestine. He said it is an important step to correct a long-standing unfair situation and believes that peace will only come by including Palestine, not by keeping it out.

    Wood said the US veto is because there are still some questions about whether Palestine can be thought of as a state. He said Hamas still has control and influence in the Gaza Strip, which is an important part of the state the Palestinians want.

    Wood said that the US is committed to finding a way for Israel and Palestine to live in peace as two separate countries. This is important for the security of both sides and for Israel to have good relationships with its Arab neighbors, like Saudi Arabia.

    The United States wants to work more closely with the Palestinians and the rest of the area. They want to help solve the problems in Gaza and work towards a plan that will allow the Palestinians to have their own country and be part of the United Nations.

    Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, repeated the promise to have two separate states. He said that Israel thinks that Palestine is a lasting danger to their strategic plans.

    “Israel will try very hard to stop the Palestinian state from becoming independent and to keep the Palestinian people from living in their own country, or to always control them. ”

    He asked the council and diplomats in the chamber, “What will the world do. What will you do. ”

    The talks between Israel and Palestine have not been happening for a long time. The government in Israel is mostly made up of people who are against the idea of Palestine becoming its own country.

    Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the resolution is not connected to what is really happening and will only cause more problems in the future. It will make it harder to have conversations and find solutions.

    Half a year after the Oct 7 attack by the Hamas militant group, which controlled Gaza, and the killing of 1,200 people in “the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” he accused the Security Council of seeking “to reward the perpetrators of these atrocities with statehood. ” Six months after the Hamas attack and the killing of 1,200 people, he said the Security Council wants to give statehood to the people who did these terrible things.

    Israel’s attack killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, and caused a lot of damage to the territory. Many people criticized the attack on Thursday.

    After the vote, Erdan said thank you to the United States and especially President Joe Biden for supporting truth and morality despite hypocrisy and politics.

    He said the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank and the US wants to take control of Gaza from Hamas, is a group that supports terrorism.

    The Israeli ambassador at the UN talked about the rules for joining the UN, which include following the UN Charter and being a country that wants peace.

    Erdan asked how could anyone seriously say that Palestinians are peace-loving. “The Palestinians are giving money to terrorists to kill us. ” None of their leaders speak out against terrorism or the October 7 massacre. Hamas is like a brother to them.

    Although Palestinians did not meet the requirements for UN membership, Erdan said that most council members were in favor of it.

    “He said it’s really sad because your vote will make it even harder for peace and give more confidence to the Palestinians who reject it. “

  • UN Security Council to decide on Palestinian membership this Friday

    UN Security Council to decide on Palestinian membership this Friday

    The United Nations Security Council will vote on Friday about whether or not to give full UN membership to Palestine. The United States, a friend of Israel, is likely to say no because it would mean accepting Palestine as a country.

    The council of 15 people will vote on Friday at 3 pm on a resolution to recommend that the United Nations accept Palestine as a member. Diplomats said this.

    A council decision must have at least nine positive votes and can’t be stopped by the US, Britain, France, Russia or China to be approved. Diplomats think that 13 council members may support the measure, which would make the US use its veto.

    The council member from Algeria had asked for a vote on Thursday afternoon to go along with a meeting about the Middle East at the United Nations.

    The United States thinks that an independent Palestinian state should be created through talks between the involved groups, not at the United Nations.

    “We don’t think making a decision in the Security Council will definitely help us to find a solution. ” “The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Wednesday that there should be a plan for two separate states in the future. ”

    The Palestinians are not a full member of the United Nations, but they are recognized as a state by most countries. This recognition was given by the UN in 2012. An application to be a full UN member must be okayed by the Security Council and then by at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.

    Countries that prefer peace.

    The UN Security Council supports the idea of two separate countries living next to each other with safe and agreed upon borders. The Palestinians want to have their own country in a part of the Middle East that is currently controlled by Israel.

    Not much has happened to create a Palestinian state since Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.

    The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, has some control in the West Bank and works with Israel under the Oslo Accords. In 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority.

    The Palestinians are asking to become a full member of the UN. This comes after six months of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and while Israel is building more homes in the West Bank, which they have taken over.

    Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, said on Wednesday that the Security Council is spending its time supporting the creation of a Palestinian terrorist state.

    Erdan said that if the Security Council says the Palestinian Authority can be a full member even though it supports terrorism and can’t control its land, it won’t be seen as legitimate anymore.

    A group of 15 council members met twice last week to talk about letting new members join. They discussed the Palestinian application and agreed to make a report about it on Tuesday.

    “About whether the application followed all the rules for joining. ” The Committee couldn’t agree on a suggestion to give to the Security Council, the report said. People had different opinions.

    Countries who want to join the UN must love peace, follow the rules in the UN Charter, and be ready to uphold them.

  • Head of UN calls for immediate de-escalation in Middle East

    Head of UN calls for immediate de-escalation in Middle East

    UN leader Antonio Guterres wants fighting to calm down quickly in the Middle East.

    The UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said that Guterres talked to Iran’s foreign minister on the phone and made the comments after Tehran’s attack on Israel over the weekend. Dujarric said Guterres talked to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday.

    During a meeting about a serious situation, Guterres said that the Middle East is very close to a dangerous situation and we need to be careful.

    World leaders have told Israel not to fight back after Iran sent a lot of drones and missiles over the weekend. This made the Middle East get closer to a big war. Less than two weeks after two Iranian generals were killed in a suspected Israeli attack in Syria, the attack happened.

    There has been more fighting in the area since the latest Israel-Hamas war began in October. In 2007, two militant groups called Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are supported by Iran, attacked Israel from across the border. They killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. Israel attacked Gaza and has caused a lot of damage and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.

    The UN asks for $2. 8 billion to help three million Palestinians.

    The United Nations is asking for $2. 8 billion to help 3 million Palestinians. They need food, clean water, and healthcare in Gaza to prevent a famine.

    Andrea De Domenico, who is in charge of helping people in Gaza and the West Bank, said on Tuesday that big efforts are needed to bring back basic services, but it can’t be done while the military is still active.

    He said that hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools have been destroyed in Gaza. He also said that there are no universities left standing in Gaza.

    De Domenico said that Israel is starting to show they want to help Gaza, but the UN keeps asking for more aid.

    He said Israel has been saying no and taking too long to let UN aid convoys into Gaza.

    The UN person in charge of helping people in need said we need to focus more on preventing famine by making sure people have clean water, bathrooms, and good health care, not just on giving them flour for bread.
    The US will make it harder for Iran to do business by adding new penalties, the White House says.

    The US will punish Iran with more penalties because Iran attacked Israel from the air for the first time ever on Saturday. This was confirmed by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

    Sullivan said that the sanctions will focus on Iran’s missile and drone programs, and on groups that support the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and defense ministry.

    The US expects that other countries in the Group of Seven will also impose their own penalties.

    Sullivan said that these new rules and other actions will keep up the pressure to limit and weaken Iran’s military power and effectiveness and deal with all of its troubling behavior.

    Israel says Iran fired more than 300 missiles and attack drones in the attack. Iran said the attack happened because they believed Israel had bombed and killed two Iranian generals in Syria on April 1.

  • I still can’t forgive myself for accepting Dr. UN’s award – Berla Mundi

    I still can’t forgive myself for accepting Dr. UN’s award – Berla Mundi


    Well-known broadcaster, Berla Mundi has expressed deep remorse for accepting an award from ‘Dr’ Fordjour, who falsely claimed to be affiliated with the United Nations.

    The awards, which were presented by the imposter ‘Dr’ UN, turned out to be part of a fraudulent scheme with no genuine ties to the UN.

    In a recent social media post, Berla Mundi shared her disbelief at being deceived by the scheme, stating, “I still can’t forgive myself ????????????. What is this?”

    See post below:

  • UN expectations for Palestinian Authority revived by Security Council

    UN expectations for Palestinian Authority revived by Security Council

    The UN Security Council on Monday gave the Palestinian Authority a new chance to become a full member of the United Nations.

    The United States said that Israel and the Palestinians are not getting along well. This pretty much ends the Palestinian Authority’s hope of becoming a member of the UN for now.

    The US is one of five important members who can say no to any council decision. The Palestinian Authority’s UN delegation said on Monday that they need to control all of the Palestinian territories and talk to Israel about becoming a state before they can become a state.

    The Palestinian Authority controls some areas of the West Bank that are under Israeli occupation. Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 and the forces were forced to leave. They don’t have any power in Gaza now.

    US deputy ambassador Robert Wood said that the decision about whether Palestinians can become full members should be talked about between Israel and the Palestinians.

    After many attempts at peace talks that didn’t work, the Palestinians are now asking the United Nations to help them become an independent state. Israel says these actions are trying to avoid the official discussions. Israel’s current government is led by people who are against giving the Palestinians their own state.

    Last week, people who want to help the Palestinians join the United Nations asked the Security Council to consider their request again. The Palestinians tried to join in 2011 but it didn’t happen. The Palestinians are trying again to become a member of the UN. This is happening while the war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for almost six months. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, which has been going on for many years, is getting a lot of attention again.

    Israel’s UN ambassador said that there is no chance for Palestinians to have their own country. He said this is because it is important for Israel to be able to keep existing.

    “Even before the creation of the UN, the Palestinians have always wanted to destroy the Jews,” said Ambassador Gilad Erdan to reporters. The United Nations was created after World War II, and the harmful beliefs that led to the war are still common among the Palestinians.

    The Security Council will make a decision about whether Palestine can join the UN this month. A committee will meet again on Thursday to talk about this. Vanessa Frazier, who is the president of the Security Council, said this.

    “The Palestinian UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, said this is a very important moment in history. ”

    The leader of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, gave a request to the United Nations to become a member. He gave the request to the Secretary-General on September. On September 23, 2011, before speaking to leaders from around the world at the General Assembly.

    “It was an important moment in the past, and now that moment has happened again,” Mansour told the reporters.

  • UN court to hear in a case accusing Germany for supporting Israel during Gaza crisis

    UN court to hear in a case accusing Germany for supporting Israel during Gaza crisis

    The United Nations court will start hearings on Monday in a case that wants Germany to stop giving military and other help to Israel. The case says Germany is helping in acts of genocide and breaking international laws in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

    Israel says that its military actions do not break the Genocide Convention.

    Nicaragua’s case is mainly about Germany, but it also criticizes Israel’s military actions in Gaza after the deadly Oct. incident. In 2007, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, and about 1,200 people were killed. Over 33,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The toll doesn’t care if someone is a civilian or a fighter, but it has been reported that most of the people who have died are women and children.

    “We are peaceful and we will explain our side in court,” said Sebastian Fischer, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, before the hearings.

    “We do not agree with Nicaragua’s accusations,” Fischer told reporters in Berlin on Friday. Germany did not break the rules about genocide or international humanitarian law, and we will explain this in detail at the International Court of Justice.

    Nicaragua asked the court to order Germany to stop giving military aid to Israel because it may be used to violate international law.

    The court will probably need a few weeks to make its first decision, and Nicaragua’s case could take many years to be resolved.

    On Monday, there was a meeting at the world court about the need for countries to stop giving weapons to Israel. This is because Israel has been attacking Gaza for six months and causing a lot of damage.

    The attack has forced most people in Gaza to leave their homes. There is not enough food, the UN says that a famine is coming, and only a few Palestinians have been able to leave the area that is surrounded by enemies.

    Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor at the University of Notre Dame thinks that the upcoming court case in The Hague will probably make more people against giving any support to Israel.

    On Friday, the highest group that looks after people’s rights at the United Nations asked countries to stop sending weapons to Israel. The United States and Germany were against the resolution.

    Many British legal experts, including three former Supreme Court judges, want their government to stop selling weapons to Israel after three U. KPeople from World Central Kitchen charity were killed in Israeli strikes, along with other aid workers. Israel said that they attacked the aid workers by accident because they thought they were someone else.

    For many years, Germany has strongly supported Israel. Days after October. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that because of Germany’s history and responsibility from the Holocaust, they will always support and protect the state of Israel’s security.

    Berlin changed its opinion because many innocent people in Gaza have been hurt. They are now very concerned about the people in Gaza and are against a military attack in Rafah.

    Nicaragua’s government has connections to Palestinian groups since the 1979 Sandinista revolution. UN experts accused the government of committing serious human rights abuses this year, but President Daniel Ortega denied the allegations.

    In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to do everything it can to stop people from dying, things from being destroyed, and genocide from happening in Gaza. South Africa filed a case accusing Israel of breaking the Genocide Convention.

    Last week, the court told Israel to do more to help the people in Gaza. They need more ways to get food, water, fuel, and other things they need.

    On Friday, Israel announced that it is opening a border crossing into northern Gaza to help get more aid to the people living there.

    Nicaragua is saying that by helping Israel with political, financial and military support and by stopping funding for the United Nations aid agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, Germany is making it easier for genocide to happen. And Germany has not done enough to stop it.

    Israel says it’s not committing genocide, they are just defending themselves. In January, Israeli legal advisor Tal Becker told judges that the country is fighting a war that they did not begin or want.

  • 783m people experience chronic hunger despite the fact that 19% of world’s food go waste – UN

    783m people experience chronic hunger despite the fact that 19% of world’s food go waste – UN

    The world threw away about 1. 05 billion tons of food in 2022, which is about 19% of all the food made. This information comes from a new United Nations report.

    The UN Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report measures how well countries are doing in cutting their food waste in half by 2030.

    The UN said that almost twice as many countries reported for the index compared to the first report in 2021. The 2021 report said that 17% of the food made in the world in 2019, which is 931 million metric tons, was thrown away. But the authors said it’s hard to compare because not all countries have enough data.

    The report is written by UNEP and an international charity called Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

    Experts studied information from different countries about how people buy food and where they buy it from. They discovered that each person throws away about 79 kilograms (about 174 pounds) of food every year, which is the same as at least 1 billion meals wasted every day around the world.

    60 per cent of the waste came from homes. About 28 out of 100 came from restaurants, and about 12 out of 100 came from stores.

    “It’s a terrible thing,” said co-author Clementine O’Connor, who focuses on food waste at UNEP. “This problem is tough and hard to understand, but if we work together and take action, we can solve it. ”

    The report is released when 783 million people in the world are always hungry and many places are having serious food problems. The fighting between Israel and Hamas and the violence in Haiti have made the crisis even worse. Experts are saying that hunger is likely to happen soon in northern Gaza and is getting closer in Haiti.

    Throwing away food is a big problem for the whole world. It takes a lot of land and water to grow food, and this harms the environment. It also creates greenhouse gases, like methane, which contribute to global warming.

    Losing and throwing away food makes 8 to 10 percent of the gases that make the earth’s temperature hotter. If it was a country, it would be the third biggest one after China and the US.

    Fadila Jumare is a project associate at Busara Center for Behavioral Economics in Nigeria. She has looked at how to stop food from being wasted in Kenya and Nigeria. She said this problem makes things even harder for people who already don’t have enough food and can’t buy healthy food.

    Jumare said that when people waste food, it means there is less food for the poor. Jumare was not part of the report.

    Brian Roe, a researcher who studies food waste at Ohio State University, said the index is important for addressing food waste. He was not part of the report.

    Roe said that if we waste less food, it can bring many good things like saving resources, less harm to the environment, more food security, and more land for other uses. He wasn’t part of the report.

    The report said that there has been a big increase in the amount of attention given to food waste in poorer countries. They said that rich countries may need to take the lead in working together with other countries to make rules to reduce food waste.

    The report said lots of governments, communities and businesses are working together to reduce food waste and its impact on the environment and water supply. Governments and cities work with food companies to reduce waste by measuring how much food is thrown away.

    The report said that giving extra food to food banks and charities is helpful in reducing wasted food from stores.

    Food Banking Kenya is a charity that collects extra food from farms, markets, supermarkets, and packing houses. They then give it to schoolchildren and people who are in need. In Kenya, a lot of food is thrown away each year, about 4. 45 million metric tons. This is a big problem that is getting worse.

    John Mukuhi, who helps run the group, said, “We help the community by giving them healthy food and also help the environment by polluting less. ”

    The people who wrote the report found that there was not a big difference in the amount of wasted food per person in rich and poor countries.

    Richard Swannel, who works at WRAP, said that food waste is not just a problem in wealthy countries. “It’s a problem all around the world. ”

    “The data clearly shows that there is a problem worldwide that we could all work on tomorrow to save money and help the environment,” he said.

  • Canada applauds UN Security Council’s decision to end Gaza conflict

    Canada applauds UN Security Council’s decision to end Gaza conflict

    Canada is happy that the United Nations wants the fighting to stop between Israel and Hamas during Ramadan. This was said by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on Monday.

    Canada has been urging for a lasting peace agreement since December, she said at a media event in Ottawa.

    “We have said that the fighting needs to stop and the ceasefire should be connected to releasing hostages, Hamas giving up its weapons, and making sure that help can reach Gaza,” Joly said.

    “We want everyone to understand our decision and what we expect from them. ”

    The decision made on Monday says that hostages should be released, but it doesn’t have to happen before the ceasefire during Ramadan, which ends on April 9.

    This means the pause would only be for two weeks. The proposal says that a pause in the fighting should bring about a long-lasting peace.

    The United States chose not to vote on the resolution, which made the Israeli prime minister very upset.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to go to Washington with a group of important people. He said the US is not standing by its principles.

    The Israeli group was supposed to tell White House officials about their ideas for sending troops into Rafah, a city in southern Gaza near Egypt. Over a million Palestinian people are living there to stay safe from the war.

    The decision was made 14-0 after the US chose not to stop it.

    John Kirby, a spokesman for national security at the White House, said the US has always supported a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal. Kirby said we didn’t vote because the resolution didn’t criticize Hamas.

    Hamas said it was happy that the Security Council voted, but they want the ceasefire to last forever.

    Over 32,000 people in Gaza have died in the fighting, says the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency counts all people who were killed, not just soldiers. It found that most of the people who were killed were women and children.

    Gaza is also dealing with a serious humanitarian crisis. A report from a global organization about hunger said on March 18 that a very serious food shortage could happen soon in northern Gaza. The report also said that if the fighting gets worse, half of the 2. 3 million people in Gaza could be in danger of not having enough food to eat.

    Joly has told Israel and other countries that she is worried about a possible military attack in Rafah.

    “Gaza is a really terrible place to live right now,” Joly said.

    “A military operation would be really bad because these people have no other place to go. “

  • UN calls for ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, Muslim holy month

    UN calls for ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, Muslim holy month

    The United Nations Security Council asked for fighting to stop in Gaza during Ramadan, which is an important time for Muslims. It was the first time they made this kind of request.

    The United States did not vote either way on the resolution. The resolution also said that all hostages taken by Hamas in October should be released. There was a surprise attack in southern Israel. However, the measure doesn’t connect the demand to stop fighting during Ramadan, which ends on April 9th.

    Russia and China said no to a US plan to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

    The United States said the decision made on Monday could make it harder to stop fighting. The US, Egypt, and Qatar are trying to negotiate peace. This might lead to the US vetoing the decision.

    The 10 council members made a plan, and Russia, China, and the 22-nation Arab Group support it at the United Nations.

    On Friday night, the Arab Group asked all 15 council members to work together and vote for the resolution to stop the fighting, save lives, and prevent more suffering and destruction.

    “The Arab Group said it’s been a long time since a ceasefire is needed. ”

    Since Ramadan will end next month, the request for a ceasefire will only be for two weeks, even though the plan says that the break in fighting should lead to a lasting ceasefire.

    Since the war began, the Security Council made two decisions about the getting worse situation for people in Gaza, but neither of them asked for the fighting to stop.

    Over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died in the fighting, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency counts both civilians and soldiers, and says that two-thirds of the people who died are women and children.

    Gaza is in a very bad situation. A group that knows about hunger said that a famine could happen soon in the northern part of Gaza. If the war gets worse, half of the 2. 3 million people living in Gaza could have no food to eat.

    The US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the resolution does not help with delicate negotiations in the area. Even more, it might give Hamas a reason to not accept the deal that is being offered.

    “We shouldn’t approve any decision that could harm the current negotiations,” she said. She warned that if we don’t support the diplomacy, “the council might be stuck without making any progress again. ”

    “I really hope that doesn’t happen,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

    The United States said “no” to three plans that wanted to stop the fighting in Gaza. The latest one was suggested by Arab countries in February. Rewrite this text in simpler words: 20清单23. 13 council members agreed to the resolution, one member didn’t vote, showing that most everyone supports a ceasefire.

    Russia and China said no to a resolution made by the US in late October. The resolution wanted to stop fighting so aid could be delivered, protect civilians, and stop giving weapons to Hamas. They said it does not show that everyone around the world wants the fighting to stop.

    Once again, they said no to the US resolution on Friday. They said it was unclear and did not directly demand an end to the fighting like many countries want.

    The vote was a big fight between powerful countries who are arguing in other places. The United States got criticized for not being strong against its friend Israel, even though they are getting more and more tense with each other.

    One important problem was the strange wording in the US draft. The Security Council said it is very important to stop fighting right away and for a long time. They didn’t just demand or ask for it directly.

    Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that before the vote, Russia supports a ceasefire right away. But he didn’t like the vague language in the resolution and said it was too philosophical for a UN resolution.

    He said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield were not telling the truth about asking for a ceasefire.

    “This was just a meaningless talk,” Nebenzia said. The American product is very political and is only meant to appeal to voters by mentioning a ceasefire in Gaza. It also aims to protect Israel from punishment for its crimes.

    China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said that the US proposal had conditions and did not meet the expectations of council members and the worldwide community.

    He said that if the US really wanted peace, it wouldn’t keep blocking the council’s resolutions. “It should have been more direct and clear on important issues instead of being unclear and avoiding them. ”

    On Friday, the 15-member council voted. Eleven members were in favor and three were against. Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, was one of the countries that voted against. Guyana chose not to vote.

    After the vote, Thomas-Greenfield said Russia and China said no to the resolution for bad reasons. They couldn’t condemn Hamas’ attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, which the resolution would have done for the first time. 7 would have been done for the first time by the resolution.

    She said another small reason is that Russia and China didn’t want to vote for a resolution written by the United States because they would rather see us fail than see the council succeed. She accused Russia of putting politics first and being hypocritical for invading Ukraine and then criticizing others.

    The decision showed that the United States is changing its position, because even Israel’s friends are asking for the fighting to stop without any conditions.

    In the past, the US has asked for a ceasefire and for Israeli hostages in Gaza to be freed. This decision, with wording that can be understood in different ways, still connected the two problems, but not as strongly.

  • Mass grave in Libya has at least 65 migrant corpses – UN

    Mass grave in Libya has at least 65 migrant corpses – UN

    A lot of dead bodies, at least 65, have been found in a big hole in Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

    The IOM said they don’t know how they died or where they were from, but they think they died while being taken through the desert to the Mediterranean.

    The United Nations organization said it was very surprised by the discovery.

    Libya is looking into it, the IOM said.

    The tomb was discovered in the southwest part of Libya.

    A person from IOM said that every time a migrant goes missing or dies, it makes their family very sad and they want to know what happened to them. It is a very sad and tragic situation.

    Not doing enough has led to more people dying and migrants suffering in terrible situations.

    The group said the sad event showed that we need to work together to stop people from being smuggled and to find legal ways for them to come to our country.

    Libya is one of the main places where people leave from to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea and get to Europe.

    The IOM in Geneva wants Libyan authorities and other UN agencies to make sure that the bodies are treated with respect and transferred in a dignified way.

    A lot of people died when the boat they were on had problems in the sea. Now, a lot of their bodies have been found in a big hole in the ground. This happened after about 60 people, who were trying to get to Europe from Libya, died.

    The IOM recently announced that 2023 was the worst year for migrants in the past ten years, with more than 8,565 people dying while trying to migrate to different places around the world.

    The United Nations agency helps people in Libya who are in need. They said the number of people they helped increased by 20% from the previous year.

  • US resolution requests for ceasefire in Gaza unapproved by UN Security Council

    US resolution requests for ceasefire in Gaza unapproved by UN Security Council

    The United Nations was unable to reach an agreement on stopping the fighting in Gaza due to opposition from Russia and China.

    The resolution asked for a quick and lasting stop to fighting for about six weeks. This would keep people safe and help get them necessary aid. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, said the report was very political and gave Israel permission to attack Rafah.

    The United Nations Security Council will vote on a resolution proposed by the United States. The resolution says it’s very important to have a quick and continuing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. This is to protect people and allow food and supplies to reach over 2 million Palestinians who need them.

    The US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she believed that the stricter resolution would be passed by the 15-member council on Friday.

    The vote on the draft will decide the council’s order for a quick and lasting ceasefire. It doesn’t specifically mention releasing hostages taken by Hamas in October. Israel was attacked 7 times before. The statement strongly supports using diplomacy to achieve a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

    Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, said that Russia wants an immediate ceasefire and that this is also what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pushing for, and what everyone wants. He asked about the wording in the draft and said, “What’s an imperative. I have to give you $100, but it’s just a rule, not $100. ”

    The Russian ambassador said that someone is playing tricks on the international community.

    The Security Council agreed on two plans to help the people in Gaza, but none of them asked for fighting to stop.

    In October, Russia and China said no to a plan from the US to stop the fighting so aid could be given and civilians could be protected. They also said no to stopping the arming of Hamas. They said it doesn’t show that countries all over the world are asking for a stop to fighting.

    The United States, the country that is closest to Israel, said no to three proposals asking for a stop to the fighting. The most recent proposal was supported by Arab countries and most of the council members, but the US said no. Please simplify the following text: “20. ”

    The US proposed a different resolution earlier, and it has been changed a lot in talks before the vote on Friday. Initially, it would have agreed to a short break in fighting if all hostages were released. The previous plan would have also supported efforts by other countries to stop fighting as part of a deal to free hostages.

    The vote will happen while Blinken, the top American diplomat, is on his sixth urgent trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war. He is talking about getting a ceasefire and releasing hostages, and also planning for after the war.

    Nate Evans, who speaks for the US Mission to the United Nations, said that the Council should all agree to support the negotiations happening and put pressure on Hamas to agree to the deal being offered.

    At the same time, the 10 chosen leaders of the Security Council have been writing their own decision. It would ask for a quick break in fighting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which began on March 10. This break should be followed by a long-lasting ceasefire.

    It also asks for all hostages to be released right away and without any conditions. It also emphasizes the urgent need to protect people and give them necessary help in the Gaza Strip.

    Palestinian fighters killed about 1,200 people in the unexpected October attack. 7 attacks happened in southern Israel, which started the war, and 250 more people were kidnapped. It is thought that Hamas is still keeping about 100 people as hostages, along with the bodies of 30 others.

    In Gaza, the Health Ministry said nearly 32,000 Palestinians have died. It doesn’t separate civilians from soldiers when counting the dead, but it says that two-thirds of the people who died are women and children.

    This week, the group that decides how bad hunger crises are says that there will be a famine in northern Gaza soon. 70% of people there really don’t have enough to eat. The IPC report says that if the war continues to get worse, half of the people in Gaza could not have enough food to eat.

    The US is very worried about the possibility of war causing hunger and sickness for the people in Gaza. They are also concerned about how many people in Gaza don’t have enough food to eat, and they think the situation there is very bad.

    It would show how important it is to send more help to people in Gaza and make sure there are no obstacles to getting them the aid they need.

    The final version of the draft was completed on Thursday night and is ready to be voted on.

    After talking with other leaders about Gaza on Thursday, France’s representative to the United Nations, Nicolas de Riviere, said, “We want to do something about this quickly and hope to make a decision by Friday evening. ”

    “He said we have two choices: Either we adopt the US text and move to the next phase of managing this crisis, or if we don’t adopt it, the elected members will bring their own draft to the table for a vote, and I hope it gets adopted. ”

    Israel is being pushed by its friends to make it easier to send help to Gaza and to open more borders. They also want Israel to agree to stop fighting. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to continue the military attack in the southern city of Rafah, where 1. 3 million Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes are seeking safety. Netanyahu says that Hamas has a lot of control in that area.

    The last version of the US draft took out a sentence that said Israel should not attack Rafah at that time. Instead, the council would talk about their worry that attacking Rafah would hurt more civilians and make them leave to other countries, and it would cause problems for peace and safety in the region.

    For the first time, a resolution from the UN would criticize all acts of terrorism, including the attacks led by Hamas in October. The US wrote this resolution. On 7th, 2023, it took hostages, killed people, and committed sexual violence, including rape.

  • UN agency head claims Israel prevented him from reaching Gaza

    UN agency head claims Israel prevented him from reaching Gaza

    The leader of the organization that helps Palestinian refugees says he can’t go to Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini said it was the first time this had ever happened to a leader of UNRWA.

    Speaking to the media, Mr. Lazzarini said it would be easy to send a lot of food to Gaza, but he couldn’t go there this week.

    He said that Israel picked only him and he disagreed with their reason for not letting him in.

    Mr Lazzarini, who has visited Gaza many times before, says he was the only one in his group who was not allowed to enter by the Israeli defence body COGAT on Monday.

    Israel is feeling pressure from its Western allies. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to invade Rafah, where he believes there are still Hamas soldiers.

    The country has been blamed for stopping aid from reaching Gaza, but it says it didn’t do that. The UN said this could be considered a war crime.

    Mr Lazzarini said it’s simple to send lots of food to Gaza and to change things for the better.

    He said, “I was supposed to go to Gaza on Monday. ” I was in Cairo when the Israeli authorities told me I couldn’t go to Gaza, even though the rest of my group could.

    “This is the first time ever that the boss of the agency was not allowed to go into Gaza on purpose. ”

    UNRWA is the biggest help group in Gaza. Israel says that the agency is protecting Hamas and claims that 12 UNRWA workers were involved in the attack on southern Israel on October 7th.

    When someone asked Mr. Miliband what he would tell Israeli officials, he said, “I would tell them to allow more trucks to go in. ”

    “Simplify the process for checking things, once the UN has checked the food, you need to make sure everything runs smoothly. ”

    “We also need to open more ways for people to cross into Gaza so that everyone there can get food help. ”

    “Up in the north of Gaza, there are people who were thought to be safe from the fighting after the first few months. ”

    “Al Shifa hospital is seeing more fighting, but it’s not okay to block food aid for military reasons. “

  • UN predicts Sudan’s hunger problem would surpass all others in the world

    UN predicts Sudan’s hunger problem would surpass all others in the world

    The fighting in Sudan has been going on for almost a year between the military and paramilitary forces. This has caused a big problem with hunger in the country. Many people, especially children, are not getting enough food and it is making them sick. The UN said that if this continues, Sudan could have the worst hunger crisis in the world.

    Edem Wosornu, in charge of helping people in need, said to the UN Security Council that 18 million people in Sudan don’t have enough food to eat. In some parts of the western Darfur region, hunger could get really bad by May.

    “One assessment found that a child is dying every two hours in Zamzam camp in El Fasher, North Darfur,” she said. “Our friends who help people say that in the next few weeks and months, about 222,000 children could die from not having enough food. ”

    Wosornu said the violent situation is really scary. There have been terrible attacks based on people’s ethnicity, sexual violence like gang rapes, and attacks in crowded places. It’s like something from a bad dream.

    The writer is sad that no one is paying attention to the terrible situation in Sudan, while everyone is focused on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. It’s a big problem that needs to be solved.

    Bashir and the civilian opposition finally boiled over, leading to widespread violence and instability. Abdel Fattah Burhan and his Rapid Support Forces fought in the streets of Khartoum.

    The fighting quickly spread to other parts of the country, especially in cities. In Darfur, the fighting was different – the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces brutally attacked ethnic African civilians. Many people have died.

    Twenty years ago, Darfur became known for genocide and war crimes. The Janjaweed Arab militias were particularly known for attacking Central and East African populations. In January, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, said that both sides in the current conflict in Darfur may be committing serious crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

    Wosornu from the UN said that there is still a lot of fighting in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan. These areas have 90% of people who don’t have enough food.

    Farmers had to leave their fields and there has been less cereal production in Sudan’s Jazeera state since the fighting started in December.

    In this situation, giving aid to help people should be very important, Wosornu said. But the UN asked for $2. 7 billion to help Sudan, and they have only received $131 million so far.

    She said she hopes an important meeting in Paris on April 15 will lead to real promises to help Sudan and its neighbors with food, because they might have a famine soon.

    Furthermore, Wosornu stated that the UN needs to be able to reach the most at-risk people in Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and Jazeera states. This is currently being made very difficult by the ongoing fighting. She said that aid should be allowed to go across borders and be approved to help people in conflict areas.

    Carl Skau, who works for the UN World Food Program, said that the food situation in Sudan is getting worse very quickly and it is also affecting nearby areas.

    Besides the 18 million people in Sudan who don’t have enough food, there are also seven million people in South Sudan and almost three million people in Chad who are very hungry.

    Skau said that most of the people who really need food to stay alive cannot get it because it is hard for aid groups to reach them. This includes areas like Khartoum, Jazeera, Kordofan, and Darfur.

    “If we want to stop Sudan from having the biggest hunger crisis in the world, we need to work together and act quickly with diplomacy,” he said. “We need everyone to allow complete access: through borders and in areas where there is fighting. ”

    Echoing what Wosornu said about needing money, he said WFP had to stop helping three million very hungry people in South Sudan and give less food to others in need because they don’t have enough money. In Chad, he said that WFP will have to stop helping 1. 2 million refugees and almost three million Chadians.

    Skau is worried that more people will be hungry when Sudan’s dry season comes. It could get really bad unless people can keep getting food and support.

    Rein Paulsen, who is in charge of emergencies and resilience at the FAO office, said at a press conference that a report on Sudan released on Tuesday shows how the fighting has hurt farming. The report found that cereal production in 2023 was 46% lower than in 2022, and in some areas with the most fighting, it dropped by up to 80%.

    “In 2024, it looks like there won’t be enough food,” he said.

  • US may stop supporting major UN organisation for Palestine permanently

    US may stop supporting major UN organisation for Palestine permanently

    American officials are getting ready to stop giving money to the main UN agency for Palestinians, and they might do it permanently because some people in Congress are against it. But the Biden administration says the aid group does important humanitarian work.

    The US and many other countries stopped giving money to the United Nations group that helps Palestinian refugees because Israel said some of the agency’s workers were involved in a deadly event. 7 attacks by the group called Hamas.

    The UN is looking into the accusations, and UNRWA let go of some workers because Israel gave the agency information about the accusations.

    The United States gives a lot of money to UNRWA each year. But now they want UNRWA to fix any problems and show that they have done that before giving them any more money.

    Even if the pause is lifted, only about $300,000 – what is left of money already set aside – would be given to UNRWA. Anything more than that would need permission from Congress.

    Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress don’t want to give money to UNRWA. This means the US probably won’t start giving money to UNRWA again, even though Sweden and Canada have said they will.

    A new bill in the US Congress gives money to the military in Israel and Ukraine. But it also has a rule that would stop UNRWA from getting money if the bill becomes a law. President Joe Biden’s team is in favor of the bill.

    US officials say they know UNRWA is very important in giving out aid in the crowded area that has been almost brought to famine by Israel’s attack in the last five months.

    “We need to prepare for the possibility that Congress may make that break permanent,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a press briefing on Tuesday.

    Washington wants to help people in need by working with groups like UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

    But the officials know that it is difficult to find a replacement for UNRWA.

    “Other groups are helping in Gaza, but UNRWA is the main organization because of their long history and experience there. “

    UNRWA is a facade.

    Some Democrats in the US Senate, like Senator Chris Van Hollen, and some progressive members in the US House of Representatives, have said they don’t want to stop giving money to UNRWA forever.

    However, getting new money would require some Republicans to agree since they have more members in the House. Many people do not support UNRWA.

    “UNRWA is just a cover, that’s all there is to it,” Representative Brian Mast, the Republican head of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, said in a statement.

    “It pretends to be a charity, but it’s really helping Hamas by providing the necessary structures and support. ” “He is just giving American money to terrorists,” Mast said.

    When Mast’s claims were asked about, Juliette Touma, who is the UNRWA Director of Communications, said that an independent review is being done by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to check if UNRWA is neutral and if its staff and programs are not biased.

    “Touma said that we want all countries, people, and groups to share any information about accusations against UNRWA with the investigation or review that is happening. ”

    UNRWA was created in 1949 by a decision made by the United Nations. This decision was made after a war that happened when Israel was established. During this war, 700,000 Palestinians had to leave their homes because they were forced to or because they were scared and ran away.

    Today, 30,000 Palestinians have jobs helping 5.9 million refugee descendants in Gaza, the West Bank, and nearby Arab countries. They do civic and humanitarian work.

    In Gaza, UNRWA takes care of the enclave’s schools, healthcare clinics, social services, and gives out aid to people in need.

    William Deere, who runs the UNRWA office in Washington, said that the US gives one-third of UNRWA’s money.

    “He said it will be really tough to deal with. ” “Remember that UNRWA helps more than just Gaza. ” It’s about taking care of people’s health, helping them learn, and providing support in the community. It’s in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon.

    Hamas fighters in charge of Gaza killed 1,200 people in October. In 7 attacks, they took 253 people as hostages in Israel. This led to a very violent war in the long conflict between Israel and Palestine.

    Israel has attacked Gaza, where many people live. More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed, and a lot of buildings and things like roads have been destroyed. Now, many people don’t have enough food to eat.

  • United States leads first artificial intelligence UN resolution

    United States leads first artificial intelligence UN resolution

    The United States is leading the way in passing a new United Nations rule about artificial intelligence. The goal is to make sure this new technology is safe and fair, and that all countries, especially those that are still developing, can use it.

    The resolution wants to make sure that all countries can participate in discussions about AI and have the technology to use it for things like finding diseases, predicting floods, and training workers.

    The draft says AI is growing quickly and we need to agree on how to make sure it’s safe, secure, and trustworthy. It also says we need to keep talking about how to govern AI.

    US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US wants to talk with countries around the world about how to deal with the effects of AI technology.

    He said that the resolution would show worldwide support for basic rules for using AI. It would also show how AI can be used for good while controlling the risks.

    Sullivan said that if it’s approved, the resolution will be an important step in making AI safe and reliable all over the world.

    The United States started talking with 193 countries in the UN about three months ago. They spent a lot of time talking one-on-one with each country and had long discussions with all the countries together. They also listened to ideas from 120 countries. This information comes from a senior US official. All member states agreed on the resolution and it will be officially discussed later this month. The official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly.

    General Assembly resolutions are not legally required to be followed, but they still show the opinions of many countries around the world.

    One important aim of the draft resolution is to use AI to help make progress toward reaching the UN’s development goals for 2030, like ending global hunger and poverty, improving global health, making sure all children can go to good secondary schools, and achieving gender equality.

    The draft resolution wants everyone to make rules for safe AI systems. This includes countries, organizations, experts, and regular people.

    European Union leaders are going to make the world’s first complete AI rules official on Wednesday. Many countries, including the United States. China and international organizations like the Group of 20 are also working on creating rules for AI.

    The US wants the UN and other countries to help poor countries use digital technology and safe AI systems. It stresses that AI systems need to always respect, protect, and support human rights and freedoms.

    The US Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, remembered when President Joe Biden talked about how new technologies like AI have a lot of potential at the General Assembly last year.

    She said the resolution is focused on getting countries to agree on how AI should be created and used, especially to help reach the UN’s goals for 2030.

  • 4 million people experience “acute food insecurity” – UN

    4 million people experience “acute food insecurity” – UN

    Four million people don’t have enough food to eat and one million of them are very close to starving, according to the head of the UN food agency in the Caribbean nation that is torn by conflict.

    Jean-Martin Bauer said in an online meeting that he is very worried about the recent rise in gang violence. The situation has become even worse and an extra 15,000 people had to leave their homes in Port-au-Prince in just one weekend in March.

    He said there are now more than 360,000 people who had to move from their homes in Haiti, and the UN says half of them are kids.

    Bauer said that in 2020, four million people in Haiti didn’t have enough food to eat because of COVID. That number hasn’t gone down, and now one million more people are in danger of not having enough to eat.

    Port-au-Prince is now controlled by gangs, the roads are dangerous, and the port and airport are closed. Nobody can enter or leave the city.

    The director of the World Food Program said they are providing hot meals to people who have recently been forced to leave their homes in the capital city. They started with 2,000 meals a day and now they are giving out almost 14,000 meals a day.

    He said the warehouse will run out of supplies soon if the port doesn’t reopen to bring in more food.

    Haiti gets half of its food from other countries, and WFP says the cost of food is going up in Port-au-Prince and all over Haiti.

    In January, there were problems and food prices went up by 25% in the southern region. This happened because roadblocks were set up and trucks couldn’t bring important things to Port-au-Prince. There was also not enough propane, which is needed for cooking and fuel.

    Lately, food prices have gone up by at least 10 per cent because of the gang violence.

    He said the economy in rural areas outside the capital depends on connections to Port-au-Prince. The prices of food have also gone up in other parts of the country because trade has been disrupted.

    A survey by WFP discovered that when prices increase, people’s incomes decrease because they can’t work, stay at home, and are not making money.

    When asked about how Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation will affect things, Bauer said he’s not good at understanding politics, but he hopes security will get better.

    People are feeling scared to do everyday things like taking their kids to school, going to the store, or going to work. They think these things are very dangerous.

    Speaking from the northern part of Haiti, Bauer emphasized that we can’t only focus on security.

    “He said we also need a strong and effective help for people in need,”

    The UN asked for $674 million to help Haiti, but only 2. 6% of that amount has been given.

    Bauer said that because of supplies WFP can buy from local farmers, they were able to give food to about 160,000 school children in some parts of Haiti on Monday. This is part of a continuing program.

    He said that even though it’s hard to get to certain areas because of the fighting, WFP gave money to some of the poorest people in Haiti using their mobile phones.

    UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday that a lot of hospitals and clinics have had to close because of the gang violence.

    There is not enough blood at the National Blood Transfusion Centre. They are trying to bring in blood from the Dominican Republic to help.

  • Head of UN atomic watchdog travels to Russia for negotiations

    Head of UN atomic watchdog travels to Russia for negotiations

    The head of the UN nuclear safety agency has come to Russia to talk about keeping Ukraine‘s nuclear power plant safe during the fighting there.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency is very worried about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and is afraid of a possible nuclear disaster. The plant has been affected by fighting since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February. On January 24, 2022, they took control of the building not long after.

    The plant’s six reactors are not working, but it still needs electricity and skilled workers to run important cooling systems and safety features.

    Rafael Mariano Grossi, the leader of IAEA, went to the Sochi resort by the Black Sea on Tuesday evening, as reported by Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Grossi told everyone about the trip on Monday, at the start of a meeting with the agency’s 35-country board of governors in Vienna.

    The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a meeting with Grossi when he visits.

    Grossi went to Ukraine in February, and went to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to help stop a nuclear accident while there is fighting. He also met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    The head of the IAEA last saw Putin in October 2022.

    He said to the media in Vienna that it’s important to talk to both sides. He also said the situation with the Zaporizhzhia plant is still unstable.

    Grossi said he planned to talk about “technical problems” concerning “how the plant will operate in the future” in Moscow. He also said that if the plant starts up again, he would need to talk about the safety checks that will be done. He also said he needs to talk about the problem of the power lines from outside because the IAEA thinks they are weak and delicate.

    The plant lost power from outside sources eight times since it was taken over. This made it use emergency diesel generators, and it still has problems finding enough workers.

  • Fighting parties in Sudan urged by UN to ceasefire during holy month of Ramadan

    Fighting parties in Sudan urged by UN to ceasefire during holy month of Ramadan

    The UN Security Council has told Sudan’s fighting groups to stop fighting during Ramadan and let food and aid reach 25 million people who need help.

    Ramadan is expected to start on Monday or a little later, depending on when the crescent moon is seen.

    The council of 15 people mostly agreed with the resolution from Britain. 14 countries supported it and only Russia did not vote.

    Sudan became very chaotic in April this happened because the military, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan, had been having problems for a longtime and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, fought in the streets of Khartoum.

    Violent fighting spread to more areas in the country, especially in cities. In Sudan’s western part called Darfur, the fighting was different. The Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces carried out brutal attacks on African civilians. Many people have died.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants both sides to agree to stop fighting during Ramadan. He said that the conflict, which has been going on for almost a year,could cause big problems for the country and the surrounding region. The African Union also supports the idea of stopping the fighting during Ramadan.

    Burhan was happy that the UN leader asked for peace, but the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that there are conditions for the ceasefire to work. The Rapid Support Forces did not answer.

    The resolution is very worried about the growing violence and the terrible humanitarian situation, including the serious lack of food in Darfur.

    Britain’s deputy UN ambassador James Kariuki asked the Sudanese armed forces and Rapid Support Forces to listen to the international call for peace and stop fighting.

    The Security Council asked the fighting groups to talk and find a way to end the conflict for good. Kariuki also said that both sides need to trust each other and work together to bring back peace.

    The UN says that 8. 3 million people had to leave their homes because of fighting between the government and paramilitary groups. Half of the country’s 51 million people need help, and most of the health facilities aren’t working.

  • U.S aid policy for Gaza “illogical” considering its military support for Israel – UN expert

    U.S aid policy for Gaza “illogical” considering its military support for Israel – UN expert

    The United Nations expert has criticised the United States’ actions for attempting to increase help for people in Gaza, like setting up a temporary port and dropping supplies from the air, were called “ridiculous” and “sneaky” as long as Israel keeps receiving military assistance.

    Despite warnings of a potential famine five months into Israel’s fight against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, the U.S The military has dropped food from the air to help people in Gaza. They also want to make a temporary port to bring in more help by boat.

    Air drops of food will not help much to reduce hunger and malnutrition, and they won’t stop famine, according to Michael Fakhri, who works for the UN and talks about people’s right to food. He said this to the media in Geneva.

    He said things could get messy when hungry people fight for food. Regarding the port, he said nobody had requested it. He said using the port and air drops methods should only be done if there are no other options left.

    “He said that countries use air drops and maritime piers when they want to deliver aid to enemy territory. ”

    The United States The diplomatic office in Geneva was not able to reply right away to the comments made late on Friday.

    Fakhri, a law professor from Lebanon and Canada, was asked by the UN Human Rights Council to write about and give advice on food security around the world. He said it didn’t make sense to do this while the US is still helping Israel with its military.

    The United States The new law proposes giving Israel an extra $17. 6 billion in military help as they continue to fight against Hamas after their deadly October attack. 7 times people have been hurt.

    “That’s more than just supporting a friend. ” That’s a wedding. “It’s nearly impossible to understand,” he said about the U. SThe US is giving help to Israel and some people think it’s just for show to please people in the US. “The presidential elections are coming soon. ”

    “That’s the only logical way to understand these aid announcements because from a humanitarian, international, and human rights perspective, it’s absurd in a dark and cynical way,” he said.

    Fakhri, who often says bad things about Israel on social media, told a group in Geneva that Israel is ruining Gaza’s food supply on purpose. Israel says this is not true and they are not stopping aid from getting to Gaza.

  • South Africa requests UN court issue additional orders to stop hunger in Gaza

    South Africa requests UN court issue additional orders to stop hunger in Gaza

    South Africa asked the United Nations to make Israel give food and supplies to the people in Gaza who are starving. They believe Israel’s military actions in Gaza are breaking the Genocide Convention. Israel is saying that they did not break the agreement.

    South Africa asked for more help from the International Court of Justice because the situation in Gaza, where many people are suffering from hunger, has gotten worse due to Israel breaking the rules.

    In January, lawyers for Israel said that the war in Gaza was to protect its people. They also said that Hamas militants were the ones responsible for killing a large number of people. The Israeli foreign ministry did not respond right away on Wednesday night to South Africa’s new request.

    Aid groups say that Gaza is facing a big problem, and the situation is especially bad in the isolated north. Many of the around 300,000 people who still live there have to eat food that is usually given to animals in order to survive. The United Nations It is said that one out of every six children under two years old in the north is suffering from severe malnutrition.

    “South Africa is asking the Court to act quickly to help save the Palestinians in Gaza from starving to death. ” This was stated in a written request from South Africa.

    The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday that even though aid workers had a lot of problems, they were able to do a lot more to help people in February. The report said there was a 48 per cent increase in helping missions compared to the month before.

    However, the office also said that they are having trouble helping people because they had to stop working in the northern areas and the safety of civilians and aid workers has been getting worse.

    South Africa said Israel broke rules set by the court on Jan. When judges told Israel to stop people from dying or being hurt in Gaza, but didn’t say they had to stop using their military in the area.

    On Wednesday, South Africa asked the court to tell Israel to quickly provide help for hunger and other problems. It asked the judges to make decisions quickly without having a meeting first because the situation was very urgent.

    The fighting started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. In 2007, Palestinian fighters killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Over 100 of them were set free during a week of peace in November.

    The attack led to Israel sending troops into the area where 2. 3 million people live. Yesterday, the Health Ministry in Gaza reported that 30,717 Palestinians have died in the war. The ministry is a part of the government run by Hamas and keeps careful records of people who have been hurt or killed. It doesn’t count separately the number of civilians and soldiers killed. Instead, it says that about two-thirds of the people killed are women and children.

    The number of people who have died has kept going up since January.

  • More than 8,500 migrants perished globally setting record since UN track in 2014

    More than 8,500 migrants perished globally setting record since UN track in 2014

    Last year, 8,565 migrants died while trying to travel by land and sea, which is the highest number of deaths recorded in the past ten years, according to the UN migration agency.

    The International Organization for Migration said that the number of people who died while trying to cross the dangerous Mediterranean Sea in 2021 increased to 3,129 from 2,411 in 2020. However, it was much less than the highest number of 5,136 deaths in 2016. Many Syrians, Afghans, and others were trying to escape from conflicts and move to Europe.

    IOM reported that the number of migrants who died in 2023 was almost 20% higher than the year before.

    It was reported that the majority of deaths last year, around 3,700, were caused by drowning.

    The total number also counts migrants who disappeared, sometimes while trying to cross the sea, and are believed to be dead even if their bodies were not found.

    The migration agency in Geneva said that the numbers are probably smaller than the actual number of people affected, and better ways of collecting data also affect their calculations.

    “Each one of these is a really sad event that affects families and communities for a long time,” said IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels in a statement.

    In recent years, the number of people who died while trying to move to another country increased the most in Asia. Last year, 2,138 migrants died in Asia, which was 68 more than in 2022. Many Afghan people died while trying to escape to Iran, and many Rohingya refugees died while traveling by sea. This is what IOM spokesperson Jorge Galindo said in an email.

    IOM reported that a lot of people died in Africa last year — 1,866 — mostly in the Sahara Desert and along the sea route to the Canary Islands.

    The agency said it was hard to gather information in faraway places like the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, where lots of people travel from South America to North America.

    In 2014, the IOM started keeping track of how many migrants were missing or dead. This was because a lot of migrants were dying in the Mediterranean and many were coming to the Italian island of Lampedusa from Tunisia.

  • Proposed UN resolution asks for ceasefire in Sudan as Muslim holy month approaches

    Proposed UN resolution asks for ceasefire in Sudan as Muslim holy month approaches

    Britain has sent out a plan for the United Nations to stop fighting in Sudan before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts.

    The document, received by The Associated Press on Wednesday, shows serious worries about the increasing violence and the very bad humanitarian situation, especially in Darfur where many people don’t have enough food.

    Ramadan is going to start soon, maybe on Sunday, if the moon is seen. The council is going to vote on the decision, probably on Friday.

    In April, Sudan became chaotic because of ongoing conflicts between the military led by General. Abdel Fattah Burhan and his paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, started fighting in the streets of the capital city, Khartoum.

    Fighting went to cities in other parts of the country, but in Darfur, the violence took a different form. The Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces attacked ethnic African people. Many people have died.

    Twenty years ago, Darfur was known for genocide and war crimes. The Janjaweed Arab militias attacked people who identify as Central or East African.

    The leader of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said at the end of January that there is reason to believe that both groups in the current fighting in Darfur may be committing serious crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

    France’s UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said it would be bad if we have a truce in Sudan during Ramadan but not in Gaza.

    “He said we need both. ”

    The United States said no to a decision asking for a quick break in fighting in Gaza in February. 20 was backed by almost all 15 members of the Security Council.

    The United States It is trying to make a deal about a plan for Gaza. The plan is to stop fighting for about six weeks and to let go of all the people who are being held captive, as long as Israel and Hamas both say yes. The draft does not talk about Ramadan.

    A new plan for a peace agreement in Sudan was shared on the same day that the leader of the United Nations visited. The food agency said the fighting in Sudan could cause the biggest hunger crisis in the world. People are paying more attention to the Israel-Hamas war.

    Cindy McCain, leader of the World Food Program, said the fighting in Sudan has ruined the lives of millions of people. She urged the warring groups to stop fighting and let aid groups help save lives.

    The UN says that. An organization says 18 million people in Sudan don’t have enough food to eat. Many of them are in a dangerous area where it’s hard to get help. It said that five million people are at risk of starving.

    The proposed U.N the resolution asks everyone involved to clear the way and let aid workers quickly and safely help people in need, even across borders and in the middle of conflicts in Sudan.

    The plan also encourages better teamwork between different groups in the region and around the world to help stop the fighting and bring about a long-term, fair, civilian-led democratic change.

    United Nations In a report found by AP on March 1, experts say that fighters for the Rapid Support Forces and their allied groups committed many ethnic killings and rapes in Darfur. This could be considered as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    The report to the Security Council showed how the Arab-led RSF treated Africans in Darfur very badly. It also explained how the group took control of four out of Darfur’s five states, using complicated money networks with many companies.

  • Israel intensifies its criticism of Gaza-based UN organisation

    Israel intensifies its criticism of Gaza-based UN organisation

    Israel has increased its criticism of the struggling UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Monday. They said that 450 of its workers in Gaza are part of militant groups, but they did not show any proof for their claim.

    Many big donors have not given a lot of money to UNRWA because Israel said 12 of its workers helped in a bad event. Israeli authorities say that Hamas has attacked Israel 7 times, killing 1,200 people and holding 250 others hostage in Gaza.

    Philippe Lazzarini, the leader of UNRWA, said at a press conference on Monday that he has never been told or shown any evidence of Israel’s claims, and this isn’t the first time.

    Each year, he stated that UNRWA gives Israel and the Palestinian Authority a list of its employees. He never received any worries about the staff they hire.

    He was told that 12 UNRWA workers were accused of being involved in the October incident. He said there have been 7 attacks that seemed really serious, so they have been reported and two investigations by the UN are happening now.

    The UN representative for sexual violence in war, Pramila Patten, said on Monday that there is evidence to believe that Hamas committed rape and other forms of cruel treatment towards women during the attack.

    The attack caused Israel to invade the area where 2. 3 million people live, called Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Help organizations say that ongoing battles have forced almost all the people living in the area to leave their homes, causing a big human crisis.

    UNRWA is the largest organization that helps people in Gaza, and it has about 13,000 workers there.

    On Monday, the accusations against the agency got much more serious. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who is in charge of Israel’s military, did not give any names or proof to support the claim that a lot more UNRWA employees are militants.

    More than 450 UNRWA workers are involved in terrorist groups in Gaza. This is not just a random event. This is organized and follows a specific system. Hagari said we can’t say “we didn’t know” to avoid taking responsibility.

    UNRWA said that Israel has arrested some of its workers and made them confess to untrue things by torturing them. They said that Israel is trying to link UNRWA, Hamas, and an event in October. 7 violent attacks on Israel.

    The Israeli authorities are making people say things they don’t mean because they are hurting them. They are doing this to make people believe that UNRWA is not a good organization. They want to get rid of UNRWA. “This is making our staff in Gaza unsafe and has a big impact on our work in Gaza and the surrounding area. ”

    After Israel accused UNRWA, the agency fired the accused employees and many countries stopped giving money. UNRWA lost about $450 million, which is almost half of its yearly budget.

    Juliette Touma, who is in charge of talking to the public for UNRWA, did not directly respond to the new claims made by Israel.

    “UNRWA wants anyone with information about the serious allegations against UNRWA staff to tell the UN investigation. ”

    The EU said it will give 50 million euros to UNRWA after the agency agreed to let EU experts check how it checks its staff for extremists. This happened while two UN investigations into Israel’s accusations were already happening.

    Hagari shared a recording of a phone call where a teacher from UNRWA talked about what he did in the October. There were 7 attacks.

    “We have women who are held captive. ” “I got one,” a man’s voice said in Arabic. A man who is said to be a member of Islamic Jihad and also a teacher for UNRWA, was heard on a second phone call saying “I’m inside with the Jews. ”

    The military identified the men, even though the man in the first call said a different name. The army said that the name might have been a nickname. The military did not show proof that they worked for UNRWA.

    Benny Gantz, a top leader in Israel during war, met with U.S while facing accusations. “Government leaders in Washington were meeting while negotiations were happening in Egypt to stop the fighting in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts next week. ”

    At the same time, fighting broke out between Israel and Lebanon, as tensions got worse in the area.

    A missile shot from Lebanon into northern Israel killed a person who was not from Israel and hurt seven others on Monday, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service. The Hezbollah group in Lebanon has not said they did the attack on Monday.

    Later, a bombing by Israel in southern Lebanon killed three paramedics from Hezbollah’s health group, as reported by Lebanon’s state media.

    United States Amos Hochstein came to Beirut on Monday to talk to Lebanese leaders and try to calm things down.

    Fights happen often between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers, and more than 200 Hezbollah fighters and 37 civilians in Lebanon have been killed. About 20 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Israel.

  • China buys North Korean art despite UN restrictions related to country’s nuclear programme

    China buys North Korean art despite UN restrictions related to country’s nuclear programme

    A painting of Mount Paektu, a special place for Korean people, was being sold for $2,460 at an art show in Beijing.

    A painting of a fancy young woman was being bought for $5,190. There were cheap and colorful landscapes for sale for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money.

    The person selling the art didn’t try to hide who made it, even though there were strict rules. The dealer said the goods were painted in North Korea, and now there are rules against selling them.

    The person selling the art had mixed gray and white hair and didn’t want to say his name. He worked for a gallery that says it’s the best place in China to buy art from North Korea. The gallery, The Paintings Say Arirang, also has a studio for artists from North Korea in the outskirts of Beijing.

    The North Koreans live in a guarded area and they show a very positive, peaceful picture of life in their country. The Arirang studio says they will make very beautiful portraits for a good price.

    The gallery is being criticized for using aggressive sales tactics, which experts say is possible because China doesn’t enforce U. Nrules very strictly. Sanctions against North Korea to stop them from building nuclear weapons. Sure, here is the simplified text: A. The United Nations has approved a large number of products from North Korea, such as weapons, coal, and art. The United Nations It has also tried to stop North Koreans from working in other countries so that North Korea can’t take their money to pay for its nuclear program. The United Nations in a report said Arirang broke rules by selling North Korean art and having North Korean artists perform.

    China has often said no to the U.N throughout its history. To control people who break the rules about sanctions, and last year blocked a decision by the United Nations. a decision that would have made the rules stricter. The United Nations It was said that Arirang did not answer when asked for information.

    The UN found Arirang to be easy. The gallery wants to attract a specific group of people who like the unique art style of North Korean artists.

    Arirang was started by Jin Zhe, who is Korean and loves art. He was born in China near North Korea, and he wrote this on Arirang’s website. Jin is the son of a famous painter. He worked at a radio station in China for many years before he went to Pyongyang and became interested in North Korean art. Jin, the person in charge of Arirang, could not be contacted for a statement.

    An Arirang worker said on the phone that the studio was open and invited a tour of the whole building. She also mentioned that the studio was selling unique portraits made by artists from North Korea. The worker, a woman named Shen, later said that the base wasn’t open because they didn’t have enough customers.

    AP journalists went to the place where paintings are made, but the guards didn’t let them in.

    On WeChat, the art gallery talks a lot about how North Korean artists create beautiful art because they are not influenced by money.

    “They don’t care who has more money, they just care about looking good,” said Arirang on WeChat. “They believe that making art is important for our souls and culture, not just for making money. ”

    This kind of art is really special because it looks so real, it’s worth a lot of money, and it’s something that people want to collect.

    In many places, art is considered a way for people to show themselves. But in North Korea, there are very strict rules. Artists in North Korea work for the government to make art that praises the country and its beliefs.

    Their work also gives money to North Korea.

    “Song Byeok, an artist who used to paint propaganda posters in North Korea, says that all artists there are controlled by the government. ” North Korean art is controlled by the Kim family and does not have its own unique identity.

    Posts on Arirang show a little bit of what the artists’ lives are like in China. In a picture, they hold up beer glasses while cooking on a hot barbecue. Some people show them playing ping pong or visiting old buildings and busy market streets.

    Jin wrote on WeChat that almost 1,000 paintings were created in Arirang’s “painting base. ” The artists work very hard and often don’t take breaks, the gallery’s director said.

    “It makes you feel calm and carefree,” Jin repeated what one artist said.

    Another person told Jin that they couldn’t sleep until they finished their work, Jin said.

    BG Muhn, a North Korean art expert at Georgetown University, said that artists are treated well and respected in North Korean society.

    “They don’t think they are making propaganda art,” said Muhn, who has met artists on nine trips to North Korea. “They believe they are creating art for the country, to help the country and the people. ”

    For many years, North Korean art was mainly made for people in North Korea. In the 1990s, North Korea’s biggest supporter, the Soviet Union, collapsed. North Korea really needed money, so it asked its artists for help.

    The government sent artists to Africa and the Middle East to make sculptures and paintings honoring their leaders. Those efforts made a lot of money. At that time, the private art market became interested, especially when South Korea started to encourage trade with North Korea. Many paintings were brought into South Korea through Chinese dealers.

    After Kim Jong Un became the leader in 2011, the government in Pyongyang started allowing artists to be more creative. They were told they didn’t have to make pictures that make state leaders look great anymore. Business was very successful: The Mansudae studio in North Korea built a museum in Cambodia and was paid to build statues of soldiers and dictators in Senegal, the Congo, Angola, and many other places in Africa. North Korea made a lot of money selling art.

    The success went away when the U.N in 2016 and 2017, the government put restrictions on North Korea because they did nuclear and missile tests. Investigators asked an art seller in Italy some questions and took some paintings in South Korea. Pyongyang’s art sales went down and then stopped completely when North Korea closed its borders because of the pandemic.

    But it looks like North Korea might not be as isolated as before. China and North Korea have become closer while their relationships with Western countries have become less friendly. Moscow is trying to be friendly with Pyongyang, and Kim is going to Russia in September to talk about selling weapons while there is a conflict with Ukraine.

    Art and cultural sharing are starting again, Jin wrote recently.

    Jin wrote on WeChat that art is a big way for people to learn about North Korea. “With continuous hard work and by learning new things, North Korean artists will definitely travel abroad and be known around the world. “

  • UN requests US$674 million as sexual and murderous gang violence in Haiti increases

    UN requests US$674 million as sexual and murderous gang violence in Haiti increases

    Violence in Haiti is getting worse, especially in the capital city and nearby areas. Armed gangs are killing people and committing sexual violence. The United Nations is worried about the situation.

    Ulrika Richardson said to UN reporters in an online meeting from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that the amount of violence people experience is like being treated in a cruel and unfair way.

    During her time at the United Nations, Richardson said she saw things that were worse than anything she had ever seen before.

    She said that men, women, and children are going through a lot of pain and suffering. She pointed out that sexual violence increased by 50% between 2022 and 2023 and 314,000 Haitians have left their homes to escape the violence. Many of them are now living on the streets and in schools, and they need help.

    Richardson stated that 5. 5 million people in Haiti need help, with 4. 4 million – about 40% of the population – having a big problem getting enough food.

    The UN just asked for money to help people in need. They want $674 million, and half of it will be used to buy food.

    Even though the needs are greater this year, Richardson said the request for help is smaller than the US$720 million request for 2023, which only received 34 percent of the funding.

    She said that the UN is trying harder to work with local groups in Haiti and is finding that it is working well. They are now figuring out how to work even better with these groups.

    Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Armed gangs have become stronger and there is more trouble with the government. Before he was killed, people were protesting and calling for him to step down because of corruption and because they said his time as president was finished.

    In 2023, over 8,400 people were reported killed, injured or kidnapped, which is more than twice the number reported in 2022. The gangs keep on fighting for control of the area and are thought to have control of about 80 percent of Port-au-Prince.

    Kenya said they would lead a big group of police to help make Haiti peaceful again. This was approved by the UN in October. It’s not clear when or if the soldiers will be sent because a court in Kenya said in January that it’s not allowed. The government of the East African country is asking for another decision to be made.

    On Monday, the United States said it will give money, equipment, and logistical support to help bring peace to Haiti. They are still not sure when a multinational force will be sent there.

    When she was asked if Haitians want help from a multinational force, she said, “If you ask people on the street if they want help dealing with gang violence, they will say yes. “

  • UN accuses Nicaragua gov’t of human rights violation

    UN accuses Nicaragua gov’t of human rights violation

    The United Nations has accused the Nicaraguan government of violating people’s rights to an extent that amounts to serious crimes against humanity.This is happening as the government tries to control political opposition.

    For many years, President Daniel Ortega’s government has been targeting people who disagree with them. In 2018, huge protests against the government led to a violent crackdown by the authorities.

    But in the last year, the government has started to control more and more of society to stop any opposition in the future. This information comes from a group of UN experts who have been looking into the issue since March 2022.

    “Nicaragua is in a lot of violence where people who disagree with the government are being targeted and punished,” said Jan Simon, an expert leading the investigation. “The Government has made it difficult for anyone to speak out against them. ”

    Ortega’s government keeps saying that the big protests against it in 2018 were actually a failed attempt to take over the government, organized by the United States. And when people criticize the government, it usually responds in the same way.

    The government has attacked regular people, such as students, Indigenous and Black Nicaraguans, and members of the Catholic Church. Kids and their families are being targeted just because they are related to people who speak out against the government.

    In December, the police accused the director of the Miss Nicaragua competition of planning to manipulate the competition against beauty queens who support the government. In February, the government closed down more social clubs, like the country’s scouting group and a rotary club.

    The report said the crackdown has spread to people who have left Nicaragua because of government repression. Many of them have gone to the United States and Costa Rica. Many Nicaraguans have lost their citizenship and are now without a country and cannot access important rights.

    The UN report asked the Ortega government to let go of Nicaraguans who were put in jail for no reason and also asked leaders from around the world to put more sanctions on people and organizations that are involved in violations of human rights.

  • 25% of Gaza’s population is a step from starvation – UN

    25% of Gaza’s population is a step from starvation – UN

    At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip are very close to not having enough food. A senior UN aid official said this to the Security Council. If we don’t do something, a lot of people could go hungry.

    “Not much can happen as long as fighting continues and there’s a chance it could move into the crowded areas in the south of Gaza. ” Ramesh Rajasingham, who works for the UN, said again that we want a ceasefire.

    One out of every six children under the age of two in northern Gaza is very malnourished and not growing properly. Almost everyone in the Palestinian enclave, which has 2. 3 million people, depends on food aid that is not enough to survive.

    Rajasingham said that it’s very hard for the UN and aid groups to bring even the basic things into Gaza because there are many things getting in the way, like closed crossings, rules about where they can go, and difficult screening processes. Also, there is fighting, broken roads, and bombs that haven’t exploded yet.

    Israel wants to help the people in Gaza, but they can only give as much aid as the UN and other agencies can handle.

    Israel has been straightforward about its rules and decisions. “There is no maximum amount of humanitarian aid that can be sent to the people of Gaza,” Miller said to the Security Council.
    ‘Israel needs to do better’

    The United States of America The US asked Israel to keep border crossings open for aid to reach Gaza and to open more crossings. “Robert Wood, who represents the US at the UN, spoke to the Security Council. ”

    He said Israel needs to do more. “We ask Israel to make sure aid can be delivered safely and securely by improving deconfliction procedures. ”

    The World Food Programme is prepared to increase our help quickly if there is a truce, said WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau to the Security Council.

    “But right now, there is a high risk of not having enough food in Gaza because we can’t bring in enough supplies, and it’s very difficult for our staff to work there,” Skau explained.

    The fighting in Gaza started when fighters from Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 people died, about 1,200 people were killed and 253 hostages were taken, as reported by Israel. Israel has attacked Gaza by air and ground, and around 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in Gaza.

    “Guyana’s UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said that starving people on purpose as a way of fighting is against the law, and Guyana is against those who are doing this to the people in Gaza. ”

    Israel’s attack on Gaza “is hurting all the innocent people in Palestine,” said Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama to the Security Council. “When we don’t speak out, we allow people to harm and deprive the Palestinian population. “

  • UN Supreme Court to hear major case pertaining to Israel’s occupation in Palestinian Territories

    UN Supreme Court to hear major case pertaining to Israel’s occupation in Palestinian Territories

    The International Court of Justice, which is a part of the UN, is to listen to the last reasons in a case that questions Israel’s 56-year control of the West Bank and Gaza.

    This week’s hearings will focus on the legal impact of Israel’s control over the Palestinian territories.

    Renowned lawyer Philippe Sands told the BBC that this issue is very important and the solution is crucial. Even though it may not be as dramatic as other Court cases, it is still very significant.

    This situation started because of a decision made by the United Nations in December 2022, before the attacks by Hamas on October 7th last year, and Israel’s military reaction in the Gaza Strip.

    What have people said in favor of their opinions.

    Last week, the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister accused Israel of being like a colonial power that treats Palestinians unfairly.

    He used a lot of maps to show how the land in Palestine is getting smaller and smaller.

    Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, showed a picture at the UNGA in September. In the picture, he held up a map of the Middle East without any Palestinian territory. He called it the “new” Middle East.

    Mr al-Maliki said there is no Palestine on the map, only Israel. It includes all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

    “This shows that the long-lasting Israeli control of Palestine aims to make Palestine disappear and destroy the Palestinian people. ”

    Paul S Reichler, a lawyer who works internationally, told the ICJ that permanent occupation doesn’t make sense according to the law. “If a job keeps going on and on, it becomes like adding on extra territory,” he said.

    Philippe Sands, who worked for the PA’s legal team, said to the judges: “The right for people to decide their own future. UN member states must make Israel stop occupying immediately.

    “No help, no support, no involvement, no help with using force, no money, no weapons, no trade. ” I don’t know anything.

    Many countries said that Israel’s occupation was violating the Palestinian people’s right to decide things for themselves. They talked about this for 30 minutes.

    Israel said no to being in the meetings. They gave a written statement instead. They said the meetings would make it harder to fix the problem. They didn’t like the questions from the UN.

    However, Israel’s best friends did take part.

    The US told the ICJ that pulling out without security promises would hurt talks for peace. It requested the judges to make sure that their decision would support, not harm, the possibility of a two-state solution.

    The UK asked a group of judges not to give their opinion because Israel did not agree to it.

    This might have something to do with another case at the ICJ. Mauritius is suing the UK over the Chagos Islands, and the UK made the same argument and lost.

    Many countries said the Hamas attacks, which killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in Gaza, showed that Israel needs to be safe. They said if Israeli forces leave, there must be guarantees for safety.

    Why is this important.

    If the ICJ gives an opinion that is not a law, it goes to the UN General Assembly, and they make a decision. That would be important and could start talks and create the rules for a future agreement.

    If the court says Israel’s control of the land is against the law, it will tell the UN and other countries not to help or support the current situation.

    This decision could have a big impact on trade and on Israel’s position. Countries such as the US might struggle to keep helping Israel.

    The UNGA’s current case is the first time since the 1940s that the highest UN court will be able to address all of these issues.

    In recent weeks, some ICJ presentations have become really popular on TikTok. It shows that even legal arguments, which usually seem far away and not relevant, are connecting with people outside of the ICJ’s Great Hall of Justice.

    At the same time, Human Rights Watch says that Israel is not following a court order to allow food and supplies into Gaza. This is putting 2. 3 million Palestinians in danger of not having enough food.

    Israeli officials said that they have given a response to the ICJ about the court’s request on January 26th. The court wanted Israel to report on the actions they are taking to stop genocide in Gaza.

    The Israeli government hasn’t said what they will do in response yet.

  • UN imposes sanctions on rebel leaders in DR Congo

    UN imposes sanctions on rebel leaders in DR Congo

    The United Nations has implemented sanctions including an arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze against six rebel leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo amidst escalating violence in the eastern region.

    Among those targeted are the military spokesperson of the M23 rebel group, a general affiliated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and two high-ranking figures within the Ugandan armed faction known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

    Additionally, sanctions were imposed on the leader of the National Coalition of the People for the Sovereignty of Congo (CNPSC), a member of the Mai-Mai militia, and a commander in the Twirwaneho armed group.

    The decision to impose these measures followed discussions at a UN Security Council meeting aimed at addressing the deteriorating security situation in DR Congo.

    Robert Wood, the US Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN, expressed satisfaction with the sanctions, highlighting the accountability they bring to those responsible for various abuses.

    Tensions between the Congolese and Rwandan governments have centered around the M23 and FDLR groups. DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the Tutsi-led M23, while Rwanda accuses its neighbor of collaborating with the Hutu-dominated FDLR, which it links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

    During the Security Council briefing, members condemned the recent advancement of the M23 towards the town of Sake, resulting in the displacement of thousands of individuals.

  • UN appoints Ama K. Abebrese and Kofi Kinaata

    UN appoints Ama K. Abebrese and Kofi Kinaata

    Ghanaians Ama K. Abebrese and Kofi Kinaata, have been selected as part of a diverse group of influential personalities for the United Nations International Organisation for Migration’s (UN-IOM) inaugural Goodwill Ambassador Pilot Programme and Celebrity Engagement Programme.

    The UN-IOM aims to leverage the influence and outreach of notable figures across different sectors to advance and advocate for its mission through this initiative.

    “This initiative will enhance our visibility, amplify our messages, and foster collaboration at national, regional, and global levels,” it also explained, adding: “We look forward to collaborating with committed and engaged individuals who share our dedication to improving the lives of migrants worldwide.”

    A movie and TV star, Ms. Abebrese, remarked: “As a diasporan who has lived between Ghana and the UK, I understand why many people choose to migrate. I encourage everyone to do this safely and through the right channels.”

    Multiple award-winning singer-songwriter and rapper King Arthur, alias Kinaata, remarked: “There is a lot to be done to allow young Ghanaians to make informed migration decisions. I use my music to educate people about safe migration pathways, dangers linked to irregular migration and opportunities at home.”

    Below are the names of the UN-IOM Goodwill Ambassadors:

    – Gold Medal Olympic Runner Mo Farah, Global Ambassador

    – Musician Dimash Qudaibergen, Regional Ambassador

    – Actress and TV Presenter Ama K. Abebrese, National Ambassador

    – Basketball Player Dzanan Musa, National Ambassador

    – Musician Kofi Kinaata, National Ambassador

    – Football Club Club Atletico Penarol, National Ambassador

    – Football Player Mouctar Diakhaby, National Ambassador

    – National Geographic Explorer Nicolas Marin Benitez, National Ambassador

    – Entrepreneur Mirela Sula, National Ambassador

    – Documentary Photographer Paul Choy, National Ambassador

    Amy Pope, the IOM Director General, said, “I am thrilled to welcome these remarkable people as IOM’s new Regional and National Goodwill Ambassadors.

    “They’re trailblazers and sources of inspiration around the world. Now, they’ll make a difference in another way, joining our efforts to champion well-managed migration and improve the lives of people on the move.

  • Israel Gaza: UN fears Rafah attack could result in “slaughter”

    Israel Gaza: UN fears Rafah attack could result in “slaughter”

    A high-ranking UN official has said that if Israel attacks Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, a lot of people could be killed.

    Humanitarian leader Martin Griffiths said that the people in Gaza are going through a really harsh and intense attack.

    He said that if Rafah is invaded, the results would be really bad.

    The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has promised to beat the Hamas fighters who he says are hiding in the city.

    In a very strong statement, Mr. Griffiths said that over a million people are crowded in Rafah and are facing the threat of death. He said people in the city don’t have much food or medicine and have no safe place to go.

    He said if Israel invades the city, it will make the humanitarian operation even more difficult.

    A person who speaks for the leader of the United Nations said to the BBC that the UN has not gotten any plans from Israel to move people out of Rafah, and the UN won’t help with any evacuations that are not voluntary.

    Stephane Dujarric said: “The United Nations will not be part of making people leave their homes without wanting to. ”

    Rafah is a little town in the southern part of the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt. Before the war, about 250,000 people lived there. But now, because Israel told people to go south, the population has grown to around 1. 5

    A lot of people are living in tents and they are in bad conditions. They have no place to go.

    Mr Griffiths also said that people helping others in Gaza have been shot, threatened with guns, attacked, and killed because there is no law and order.

    He said this while Israel and Hamas in Gaza were trying to talk and agree to stop fighting.

    Top leaders from the US, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar met on Tuesday. They discussed the situation in Rafah and urged Israel not to invade.

    Mr Guterres said he wanted the talks to be successful in order to prevent an attack by Israel on the city.

    But later statements from the Egyptian government said that there was no progress made in the meeting.

    It was said that the meeting showed how dangerous it is to increase military actions in Rafah in southern Gaza and how it could lead to very bad results. But they didn’t say if they made any progress towards peace.

    Joe Biden, the President of the United States, told Israel to make sure that the people who are not in the army are safe. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Israel to “stop and think carefully” before attacking Rafah.

    Around 1,200 people died in attacks in Israel by gunmen led by Hamas on October 7th last year.

    Israel started a war in the Gaza Strip. The war has caused the death of over 28,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and more than 68,000 have been injured, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.

    Rafah was heavily bombed by the Israeli military recently. At least 67 people were killed there on Monday, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.

  • UN chief names panel to conduct impartial external assessment of UNRWA

    UN chief names panel to conduct impartial external assessment of UNRWA

    The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has chosen a team to check and review the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). UNRWA helps Palestinians in Gaza with things like food and shelter.

    An outside review will start on February 14. At the same time, the UN will also investigate claims that UNRWA staff were part of Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

    Catherine Colonna, who used to be in charge of France’s relationships with other countries, will be in charge of looking at something and will work with three research groups: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Norwegian Michelsen Institute and Danish Institute for Human Rights.

    The group will check if the Agency is doing its best to stay neutral and deal with serious problems. Guterres said that Israeli help is important for the investigation to work well.

    UNRWA fired some workers because of the allegations. The United States and other countries have stopped giving money to the organization because of the crisis in Gaza. The agency said it will probably have to stop helping people by the end of February because it’s not getting enough money. This will make the situation worse for the people in Gaza and other places where they help Palestinian refugees.

    More update on this story soon.

  • Sudan border: Dozens killed in clashes in contested Abyei region

    Sudan border: Dozens killed in clashes in contested Abyei region

    More than 50 people, including peacekeepers from the United Nations, have been killed in attacks in a disputed area between South Sudan and Sudan, according to the United Nations.

    It is the most dangerous event in three years of fighting in the oil-rich area of Abyei.

    Two groups with weapons attacked Abyei on Saturday, the local government said.

    The next day, peacekeepers got shot at while taking injured people to the hospital, according to the UN.

    South Sudan and Sudan share control over Abyei, but both say it belongs to them. They have not settled this disagreement since South Sudan became independent in 2011.

    The fighting on the weekend is said to be because of a land disagreement between two groups of the Dinka people – the Ngok and Twic – from Abyei and South Sudan’s Warrap state.

    According to officials in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, a group of “rebels” teamed up with armed young people from the Twic faction and carried out several “brutal coordinated attacks” starting on Saturday morning.

    Forty-two people, mostly women and children, were killed on the first day of the attacks, according to the government.

    On Saturday, a Ghanaian peacekeeper died, according to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Unisfa). They want a quick investigation into the violence.

    Unifsa also said that on Sunday, more peacekeepers were shot at while taking hurt people from a Unifsa base to a hospital.

    A Pakistani peacekeeper died, and “four soldiers and one local person were injured”, the report said.

    Unifsa said on Monday that 52 people have died and 64 are severely injured, according to local authorities.

    According to the AFP news agency, Rou Manyiel Rou, who is the secretary general for the Abyei Special Administrative Area, said on Saturday that the fighting was connected to a long-standing disagreement between the Ngok and Twic (Dinka) communities.

    The UK, Norway, and the United States, who helped South Sudan become independent, have said they are very worried about increasing violence between communities in Abyei.

    The statement said that leaders who have power to make a difference in their communities but don’t use it to promote peace are not looking out for their people.

    Last year in November, there were fights that killed 32 people, including a United Nations peacekeeper. These new attacks happened over the weekend and were very deadly.

  • Over 50 killed along border between Sudan and South Sudan

    Over 50 killed along border between Sudan and South Sudan

    More than 50 people, including two peacekeepers from the UN, have died in a big fight at the border between South Sudan and Sudan, according to officials.

    Men with weapons from Warrap State in South Sudan attacked the Abyei region on Saturday, according to Abyei information minister Bulis Koch. Reuters news agency reported this.

    The reason for the attack is not known, but the Associated Press news agency said that the fighting was connected to a dispute over land between the Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka ethnic groups.

    South Sudan and Sudan both say Abyei belongs to them. They have been arguing about it since South Sudan became its own country in 2011.

    The UN force in the area, also called Unisfa, said a peacekeeper from Ghana was killed on Saturday when their base was attacked.

    A Pakistani peacekeeper died on Sunday when UN troops were attacked while taking injured people to the hospital.

    The UN said that local officials reported 52 people were killed and 64 were badly hurt in the battle.

  • Largest aid organisation in Gaza “desperate” after funding stopped

    Largest aid organisation in Gaza “desperate” after funding stopped

    Several countries have ceased funding the largest UN organization in Gaza due to accusations against some staff members for their alleged involvement in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. This is making the crisis in Gaza worse.

    Japan and Austria have decided to temporarily stop giving money to the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

    The US, UK, Germany, and Italy have also stopped giving money.

    UNRWA told the media that they are very desperate and that the needs for help in Gaza are getting bigger all the time.

    The company fired some of its employees because they were accused of being involved in an incident on 7 October, when Hamas fighters entered Israel, killing about 1,300 people – most of whom were not military and taking about 250 others as hostages back to Gaza.

    More than 26,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel started a big military operation. Hamas runs the health ministry in the territory. Another 17 million people have left their homes, and many of them are staying at UNRWA buildings for shelter.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is really upset by the accusations, but he asked donor countries to make sure that UNRWA can keep working.

    On Sunday, he said that 9 out of the 12 people involved were fired by the UNRWA’s leader. One person has died and they are figuring out who the other 2 people are.

    He said Gaza should not be punished. Because of the current funding, in February the agency will not have enough money to help all of the two million people in Gaza who rely on it for important assistance.

    Japan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that they are very worried about UNRWA staff members being involved in a terror attack on Israel. They have decided to stop giving money to UNRWA.

    It said it had been pushing UNRWA to look into the claims quickly and thoroughly.

    In 2022, Japan is the sixth highest contributor to UNRWA.

    On Monday, Austria also said it wants a thorough and fast investigation into the accusations.

    Juliette Touma, who is in charge of talking to people for UNRWA, told our reporters that the claims were very serious. She also said that Mr. Lazzarini did something very unusual by firing the staff members right away.

    We are very, very worried. “It came at a time when the people in Gaza need help more and more,” she said. She also mentioned that she had been to Gaza herself last week.

    “People are still being forced to leave their homes and move somewhere else. ” People don’t have enough food to eat. The clock is moving quickly towards a food shortage.

    We are doing everything we can to prevent famine. “We don’t have enough money because the biggest donors have stopped giving for now. This will have a very big impact on the important work we are doing to help people in Gaza. ”

    She said UNRWA hasn’t seen the proof, but the claims are being looked into by the UN’s oversight office in New York.

    On Friday, a person who gives advice to the leader of Israel told the media that the Hamas attacks on 7 October involved “people who are getting paid by UNRWA”.

    Mark Regev said there was evidence that teachers at UNRWA schools were openly celebrating the attacks that happened on October 7th.

  • UNRWA: UN Gaza aid agency faces diplomatic challenges

    UNRWA: UN Gaza aid agency faces diplomatic challenges

    In Gaza, a small area of land is being depleted and harmed, with only a handful of international aid organizations able to provide assistance.- They are joined by the United Nations.

    The Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, started in 1949. It helps Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It takes care of 700,000 Palestinians who had to leave their homes when Israel was created.

    The person in charge of the agency said that the help that two million people in Gaza depend on might stop because some Western governments are stopping their funding. They are doing this because they think some UNRWA staff were part of the attacks on Israel on 7th October.

    The mission runs shelters for people who have been forced to leave their homes and gives out the aid that Israel allows. But it also does other important things. UNRWA gives Gaza important things like buildings and everyday items that it has really needed because there has been a lot of fighting, blockades, and poverty for a long time.

    It runs hospitals and schools, including places where teachers are trained, and almost 300 elementary schools. It also makes the books that teach young Palestinians. In Gaza, it gives jobs to 13,000 people. As the largest UN organization working in Gaza, it has been very important in helping people in need.

    And it has also become something that politicians argue about and use for their own gain over the years. Israel doesn’t like that it exists because it makes Palestinians feel like they can still return to the land they were forced to leave in 1948.

    A list of the 10 countries that gave the most money to Unrwa in 2022, with the United States in first place. In that year, it gave away $343. 9 million (£270 million).

    The situation of refugees is very important in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Many Palestinians have a dream of going back to the land of historic Palestine, which is now in Israel.
    ‘Hate and intolerance’ mean disliking and not accepting others who are different from you.

    Additionally, Israeli leaders have criticized the agency’s education and books because they believe they promote anti-Israel beliefs.

    In 2022, IMPACT-se, a group in Israel, said that UNRWA’s school books told students that Israel was trying to erase Palestinian culture, steal and change their history, and eliminate the cultural history of Jerusalem. They also said that the UNRWA promoted hate and intolerance and was not neutral.

    The European Commission found bad and violent material in the schoolbooks that promoted hate against Jewish people. The European Parliament keeps saying that the European Union should only give money to the Palestinian Authority if they stop including harmful material. UNRWA says that reports about its school books were wrong and that most of the books mentioned were not used in its schools.

    In 2018, Donald Trump’s administration, who strongly supports Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stopped giving money to UNRWA because they thought it had too many problems and couldn’t be fixed.

    Now, because some Western governments have stopped giving money, the agency could be in big trouble again. This could affect the 5. 3 million Palestinian refugees who are helped by the agency. The US is the biggest donor, giving around $340 million in 2022. Germany has stopped giving money too. They have sent $162 million that year.

    Israel has been saying for a long time that some parts of the UN are unfair, against Jewish people, and even worse. The government is using this chance to improve its argument and change the focus, as it is getting a lot of criticism for the war in Gaza.

    Israel’s friends in the West can use this opportunity to show they support Israel, but also want its government to stop the offensive.

    Even though the money has been stopped, the White House National Security Adviser John Kirby made sure to say that the actions of a few staff members should not make the whole agency look bad. He also said the agency has helped save thousands of lives in Gaza. “They do very important jobs. ”

    Israel’s foreign minister said that UNRWA is linked to Hamas and should not help rebuild Gaza after the conflict. This raises the question: If the United Nations can’t help, then who will.