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United Nation

Hania Aamir appointed as UN National Goodwill Ambassador

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KARACHI: The United Nations in Pakistan has appointed renowned actress Hania Aamir as its new National Goodwill Ambassador. According to the organization, Hania will play a key role in promoting awareness on women’s rights, gender equality, and empowerment across the country. In an announcement shared on Instagram, the UN stated that through her new role, … Read more

Pakistani Trans woman Nayyab Ali makes history with UN shortlisting

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ISLAMABAD: Nayyab Ali, a prominent Pakistani human rights defender and policy expert, has been officially shortlisted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the position of UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders. Expressing her gratitude, Nayyab Ali said the recognition underscores the UN’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. … Read more

Pakistan elected to UN Human Rights Council with overwhelming majority

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The United Nations has once again acknowledged Pakistan’s active and effective role as the country has been elected a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term. Pakistan, along with 13 other countries, has secured membership in the Council following the recent elections. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar expressed gratitude to the … Read more

UN calls for restoration of power supply in Gaza

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UN

United Nation (UN) has called for restoration of power supply in Gaza strip and Israel is also not allowing humanitarian aid in area. The UN has said that Israel is not allowing Gaza to enter anything, including fuel and humanitarian aid. UN chief expressed deep concern over Israel’s decision to cut electricity supply to Gaza, … Read more

Israel-Hamas War: UN Agency Mourns, 29 Staff Slain in 2 Weeks

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Israel-Hamas War: UN Agency Mourns, 29 Staff Slain in 2 Weeks

UNRWA confirms 29 staff members killed in recent conflict Half of the casualties were teachers Thousands of Gazans seek refuge in UNRWA facilities The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has sadly confirmed that the number of its staff members killed has risen to 29 since the outbreak of the conflict between Hamas and Israel … Read more

Israel-Hamas War: Gaza needs aid now says UN chief

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Israel-Hamas War: Gaza needs aid now says UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges urgent humanitarian aid for Gaza. Emphasis on unhindered and safe aid distribution for 2.2 million people in Gaza. Israel’s Defense Minister motivates troops on Gaza border. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the urgent and ongoing need for substantial humanitarian assistance in Gaza during a press conference held in Cairo, … Read more

UK to guarantee $300 mln for climate funding in Asia and Pacific

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UK to guarantee $300 mln for climate funding in Asia and Pacific

The UK will offer guarantees to support a climate funding initiative. The initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement comes at the UN General Assembly. The UK will offer guarantees of up to $300 million to support a climate funding initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing climate-resilient infrastructure in Asia … Read more

UN Celebrates International Women’s Day

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UN
  • This year’s UN theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
  • 37% of women do not use the internet.
  • 259 million fewer women than men have internet access.

On March 8, countries around the world observe International Women’s Day (IWD).

According to the United Nations, this year’s theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

According to the United Nations, women have contributed to information technology since its inception. Nonetheless, it claims that those contributions have received little recognition or significance.

According to the international body, 37% of women do not use the internet. It also claims that 259 million fewer women than men have internet access. Yet, women constitute about half of the world’s population. According to the United Nations, women are vastly underrepresented in jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality,” says the U.N.’s website.

For this year’s International Women’s Day, U.S. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, “Let us work together – across governments, the private sector, and civil society – to build a more inclusive, just, and prosperous world for women, girls, men, and boys everywhere.”

What Is International Women’s Day?

The IWD has its origins in the American social and labor movements.

On March 8, 1857, female employees marched in New York City in protest of unjust working conditions and uneven rights in textile factories. According to the National Archives, the workers demanded a shorter workday and more pay.

Women workers marched through New York City again on March 8, 1908, to protest child labor and bad working conditions and to demand women’s right to vote.

On March 19, 1911, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland held the first recorded international celebration. Almost a million individuals showed up to support women’s rights at the time.

Following World War II, some countries began to observe March 8 as Women’s Day. In 1977, the United Nations formally designated that date as International Women’s Day. Other countries, including China, Russia, and Uganda, observe it as a national holiday.

Climate change, rural women, and HIV/AIDS have all been topics of previous United Nations festivities.

Since 2007, the United States State Department has given the International Women of Courage Award to over 180 women from 80 nations.

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 UN Secretary-General warns, Gender equality will take 300 years

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United Nation
  • Progress towards gender equality is “disappearing before our eyes”.
  • UN Women is the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
  • High rates of maternal mortality, girls being forced into early marriage.

Progress towards gender equality is “disappearing before our eyes,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said Monday at the Commission on the Status of Women.

Speaking to a key UN women’s rights group ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Guterres stated that gender equality is “300 years away,” according to the most recent UN Women estimates. UN Women is the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

High rates of maternal mortality, girls being forced into early marriage, and girls being kidnapped and assaulted for attending school were cited by Guterres as evidence that the goal of gender equality “is growing more distant.”

Guterres did not mention Iran in his speech, despite the fact that the country was kicked off the 45-member commission in December following protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s so-called “morality police.”

“Women’s rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world,” Guterres said, naming a few countries in particular, including Afghanistan, where he said “women and girls have been erased from public life.”

On Monday, young Afghan women gathered outside Kabul University to protest the ruling Taliban’s ban on female education, which a new UN report claims is a “crime against humanity.”

The report, which was presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, also noted an increase in forced and child marriages, a ban on women entering other public spaces such as parks and gyms, and other restrictions limiting women’s ability to work and travel independently in Afghanistan.

According to Guterres, the deputy secretary-general and executive director of UN Women recently visited Afghanistan and told Taliban officials that “we will never give up fighting for” women and girls.

“Crisis and conflict affect women and girls first and worst,” Guterres said, citing the conflict in Ukraine as an example. Following Russia’s invasion, the UN called for an investigation into reports of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women and children.

Guterres also stated that “women’s sexual and reproductive rights are being rolled back in many places,” though he did not specify where.

The United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, leaving abortion rights to individual states. A ban on abortions due to foetal defects went into effect in Poland the previous year, effectively ending almost all abortions in the country.

Guterres called for “collective” and “urgent” action to achieve gender equality, ranging from increasing education, income, and employment for women and girls, particularly in developing countries in the Global South, to encouraging women and girls to participate in science and technology.

“Centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and harmful stereotypes have created a huge gender gap in science and technology,” Guterres said. “Let’s be clear: global frameworks are not working for the world’s women and girls. They need to change.”

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Spain welcomes nearly 170,000 Ukrainian refugees after war

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Spain

168,000 refugees from the Ukraine war have been housed in Spain. With 33% under 18, 63% women. And 1.8% lawfully residing before the crisis. Spain‘s Interior Ministry announced in a statement that 168,000 refugees from the Ukraine war have been housed there one year after Russia’s invasion. 33% of them are under the age of … Read more

One aftershock every four minutes, says Orhan Tatar

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Orhan Tatar

Since the earthquakes last week, there have been around 4,700 aftershocks. Syria are suffering from severe shock and panic due to the earthquakes. In addition, he warned that magnitude 5 tremors might happen soon. Since the earthquakes last week, there have been around 4,700 aftershocks, or one every four minutes, according to Orhan Tatar. “Most … Read more

5.3 million Syrians may now be homeless, says UN

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Syria

The UN’s refugee agency estimates that up to 5.3m Syrians may have lost their homes. And  has been focusing on distributing shelters. However, it has been difficult to send help to the northwest of Syria due to rebel control. The UN’s refugee agency estimates that up to 5.3 million people in Syria may have lost … Read more

Hundreds of bodies delivered across Turkey-Syrian border

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Turkey-Syrian border

The UN assistance convoy of six trucks carrying non-food items. And shelter supplies entered northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday. Ending a three-day period of no relief. A United Nations assistance convoy of six trucks carrying non-food items (NFI) and shelter supplies entered northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday through the Bab Al Hawa crossing. … Read more

Up to 23M people could be affected by earthquake, says WHO

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WHO

WHO estimates that 23 million people are exposed to the earthquake. Including 5 million vulnerable populations and 350,000 older people, 1.4 million children. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as a “race against time”. The massive earthquake that slammed southern Turkey early on Monday has killed over 5,000 people and injured thousands more, according … Read more

Iraqis protest after father murders YouTuber daughter

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Iraqis
  • Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father.
  • She had amassed a YouTube following by streaming videos of her daily life.
  • She also accuses her brother of sexual assault in the recordings.

Iraqi activists demonstrated on Sunday to demand a domestic violence law, just days after a YouTuber was strangled by her father in a killing that outraged the conservative country.

Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father on January 31 in Diwaniyah, the interior ministry’s spokesman Saad Maan announced on Twitter on Friday.

Maan stated that an attempt had been made to settle a “family dispute” between the young woman and her relatives. Later, the father surrendered to authorities and admitted to murdering his daughter.

According to accounts, security authorities blocked some 20 activists from demonstrating outside the country’s Supreme Judicial Council on Sunday, and they instead congregated at a road leading to the institution.

Some held placards saying “Stop killing women” and “Tiba’s killer must be held to account”.

“We demand laws to protect women, especially laws against domestic violence,” 22-year-old protester Rose Hamid told sources.

“We came here to protest against Tiba’s murder and against all others. Who will be the next victim?”

UN mission in Iraq

Another demonstrator, Lina Ali, said: “We will keep mobilizing because of rising domestic violence and killings of women.”

The UN mission in Iraq condemned Ali’s “abhorrent killing” and urged the Baghdad government to pass “a law that specifically criminalizes gender-based violence” on Sunday.

In Turkey, she had amassed a YouTube following by streaming videos of her daily life, in which her fiance frequently appeared.

Recordings allegedly of discussions with Ali’s father, who was unhappy because his daughter was living in Turkey, were published on social media by a friend of Ali and picked up by activists.

She also accuses her brother of sexual assault in the recordings.

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Sri Lankans regrets Independence Day pomp

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Sri Lankans

Sri Lankans protest against military parade to honor independence from British colonial control. Many Christian and Buddhist clergy in Colombo announced a boycott of the celebration. Catholic priest Cyril Gamini called this year’s ceremony a “crime and waste”. At a time when the nation is going through a severe economic crisis, Sri Lankans have protested … Read more

UN accuses Russia of breaking child protection rules over refugees

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UN
  • UN refugee agency has accused Moscow.
  • Nearly three million Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Russia.
  • It is unknown how many of these people are children.

The head of the UN refugee agency has accused Moscow of violating “fundamental” child protection principles by issuing Russian passports to unaccompanied child refugees.

Filippo Grandi added that Russia had then placed these children for adoption by Russian families.

He stated that the UNHCR would try to gain access to those affected and find solutions in their best interests.

Mr. Grandi, on the other hand, admitted that he had no idea how many children were affected.

“In the situation of war, you cannot determine if children have families or guardianship. And therefore, until that is clarified, you cannot give them another nationality or have them adopted by another family,” Mr. Grandi said.

According to the most recent UNHCR figures, nearly three million Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Russia, more than in any other European country. It is unknown how many of these people are children.

Earlier this month, a Ukrainian presidential adviser claimed that nearly 14,000 children had been “deported” to Russia from occupied parts of Ukraine, accusing Russia of kidnapping them. The allegations have been denied by the Kremlin.

Mr. Grandi stated that the UNHCR seeks access to Russia “all the time,” but that this has been “rare, sporadic, and not unfettered” thus far.

UN’s top human rights official expressed concern

His remarks come after the UN’s top human rights official expressed concern in July that Ukrainian children were being “forcefully deported” to Russia from orphanages in the eastern Donbas region. There was also concern that Moscow was “changing existing legislation” to expedite the process.

Michelle Bachelet stated at the time that she was unable to confirm the allegations or the number of children who may have been affected.

Then in September, the assistant UN secretary-general for human rights said there were “credible allegations” of “forced transfers of unaccompanied children to Russian occupied territory, or to the Russian Federation itself”.

Mr. Grandi was speaking to local residents at the end of a six-day visit to Ukraine, telling them that “the whole world admires you because you are strong people.”

He predicted that more refugees would return to Ukraine this summer, as they did last year, but warned that more fighting would lead to more displacement, particularly internally.

Mr. Grandi also painted a bleak global picture when it came to refugees, predicting that the current figure of around 103 million would “almost inevitably” rise in the coming years.

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United Nation: Myanmar United Nation farming booming after coup

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United Nation
  • UN report says results show a “significant expansion” of Myanmar’s opium economy.
  • Opium poppy production in Myanmar increased dramatically after the 2021 military coup.
  • Political and economic turmoil drove farmers to cultivate the crop.

BANGKOK – Opium poppy production in Myanmar increased dramatically after the 2021 military coup, according to the UN’s drug office, as political and economic turmoil drove farmers to cultivate the crop.

Following the military takeover in February 2021 and subsequent fighting between the junta and anti-coup rebels, the country’s economy has been paralyzed.

According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report released Thursday, the area of land used for opium poppy cultivation will increase by one-third to just over 40,000 hectares in 2021-22, the first full growing season since the coup.

Potential output increased by nearly 90% over the previous year, reaching 790 tonnes.

According to the UNODC report, the results show a “significant expansion” of Myanmar’s opium economy.

“Economic, security, and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover of February 2021 have converged, and farmers… have had little option but to move back to opium,” UNODC regional representative Jeremy Douglas said.

The report, based on satellite imagery and fieldwork, stated that the downward trend in opium production seen from 2014 to 2020 had reversed.

Economic hit

According to the UNODC, Myanmar’s opium economy is worth around $2 billion, which equates to up to 3% of the country’s GDP in 2021.

Despite the increase in production, farm gate prices for opium have risen to around $280 per kilo, according to the report, a 69% increase over the previous year.

In Afghanistan, the world’s leading opium producer, the farm gate price is around $203.

However, the report stated that higher opium income is not translating into greater purchasing power for farmers due to higher petrol and fertiliser prices as a result of the Ukraine war.

According to the World Bank, a combination of the pandemic and the aftermath of the coup will cause Myanmar’s economy to contract by 18% in 2021.

In 2022, approximately 40% of the population was poor, and Douglas stated that financial hardship had forced many labourers to leave cities to work in poppy cultivation in the countryside.

Farmers require outside assistance to improve their livelihoods by growing other crops to compete with the opium economy, according to UNODC Myanmar country manager Benedikt Hofmann.

“Opium cultivation is really about economics, and it cannot be solved by destroying crops, which only exacerbates vulnerabilities,” he said.

According to the report, Myanmar’s Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control eradicated 1,403 hectares of opium poppies by the end of last year, a 70% decrease from the previous year.

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78 people died as winter temperatures plunge in Afghanistan

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan experiencing humanitarian and economic catastrophe due to Taliban’s rule. More than 21 million people in need of food and agricultural assistance. Temperatures as low as minus 28 degrees Celsius. At least 78 people have perished in frigid circumstances in Afghanistan in the previous nine days, according to a Taliban spokesperson on Thursday. Worsening the … Read more

The UN Security Council asks the Taliban to reverse restrictions on women

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Taliban

The most recent restrictions, according to UN Secretary, “must be lifted”. Taliban have outlawed women’s participation in higher education and employment by NGOs. At least five prominent NGOs suspended operations in Afghanistan. The Taliban government’s actions in Afghanistan that target women and girls have been condemned by the UN Security Council. Within the past week, … Read more

Zelenskyy seeks Modi’s help with peace proposal

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Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he counts on India’s help to implement peace formula. Request comes as New Delhi tries to improve commercial relations with Moscow. India is Russia’s main oil consumer, defying Western sanctions and aiding Putin. During a phone chat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he was … Read more

Afghanistan heading “into authoritarianism” claims UN human rights expert

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Afghanistan

Afghan women urged the UN to establish an investigation mechanism for abuses. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan has called for radical change. Thousands of girls have dropped out of school, putting them at risk of child marriage and sexual exploitation.   A United Nation expert On Monday said that human … Read more

Prince Harry not able to attract enough audience at UN

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prince harry

Last month, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle visited the United Nations headquarters, where he was a featured speaker on Nelson Mandela Day; however, the auditorium was empty. Late last month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to New York for an occasion where Prince Harry would deliver a speech, but the event … Read more

United Nation says 16 mn people in Ukraine need humanitarian aid

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United Nation
  • UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine says 16 million people inside the country require humanitarian assistance.
  • Osnat Lubrani: Six million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes for other parts of the country.
  • The UN tally of casualties since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 was likely much higher.

 

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the United Nation humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine said Thursday that 16 million people inside the country require humanitarian assistance.

“Almost 16 million people in Ukraine today need humanitarian assistance: water food, health services,” Osnat Lubrani told a press briefing.

Six million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes for other parts of the country since the war began, though she estimates that 5 million have since returned.

But “many know that they might be forced to flee again,” she added.

Over 5.3 million more Ukrainians have fled abroad, Lubrani said.

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Ethiopian ex-peacekeepers from Tigray arrive in Sudan for asylum

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Ethiopian

Some 40 former peacekeepers from Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray province gathered in eastern Sudan on Sunday to seek shelter, According to an AFP correspondent, More than 500 UN peacekeepers stationed in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan requested asylum in Khartoum last month, citing fears for their safety if they returned home. Hundreds … Read more

Food shortages affect over 97% of Afghans

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afghan

Afghanistan has been dealing with an extreme food crisis, with over 22 million people, or more than half of the country’s population, suffering from severe hunger and the majority unable to predict when their next meal would arrive, the United Nations said. According to a report in Khaama Press, more than 97 percent of Afghans … Read more

Zelensky asks UN chief to help ‘save’ wounded from Mariupol plant

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President Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday asked the head of the United Nations to assist “store” the lives of the last wounded Ukrainians trapped beneath the giant Azovstal metallic plant in battered Mariupol. “The lives of the folks who continue to be there are in hazard. Everyone is crucial to us. We ask for your … Read more

UN says ‘safe passage operation’ ongoing from Ukraine steel plant

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Ukraine steel plant

An operation changed underway Sunday for civilians to go away from the besieged Azovstal metallic plant in the Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol, a UN spokesman said. “UN confirms that a safe passage operation is ongoing in Azovstal steel plant, in coordination with the ICRC and the parties to the conflict,” spokesman Jens Laerke said. He … Read more

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