Europe

“Today, the United Nations system is sclerotic and hobbled by hostile forces. We must assume our responsibility. That means being engaged to put multilateral cooperation back on solid ground. For that, we need to: Restore trust. Resolve the most pressing problems. Repair the United Nations system. Protecting the Charter Trust and confidence between Member States is based on a faithful commitment to the principles outlined in the UN Charter, said Mr. Michel. Respect for national...

The UN’s Special Rapporteur for Russia, Mariana Katzarova, sounded the alarm on what she says is a pattern of suppression of civil and political rights there. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ms. Katzarova voiced grave concerns over mass arbitrary arrests and the “persistent use of torture and ill-treatment.” Clear evidence Citing almost 200 sources from both in and outside the country, the UN-appointed expert also highlighted the lack of judicial independence and right to...

20 September 2023UN Affairs Zeljko Komsic, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, railing against the impact of larger countries’ allegedly selective and exploitative immigration policies, a government defined by ethnic divisions, and the intentional undermining of his nation’s stability by its “western and eastern neighbours.” Migration Mr. Komsic criticised the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, claiming it...

Mr. Christodoulides issued renewed condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged member states to live up to the commitments outlined in the UN Charter. “The horrors of the second world war, which began in Europe and consumed the world, brought nations together. We, assembled here today, must live up to the obligations prescribed in the UN Charter,” said Mr. Christodoulides. “As we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors, we remain accountable to deliver on the vision of peace...

He stated, therefore, that the order of the day is not less but more cooperation among countries. “Today – especially today – we need the courage, creative energy and will to fill in the rifts. Rifts which are deeper than ever.” A multipolar world Chancellor Scholz stated that the modern world no longer revolves around just two superpowers, as in the Cold War era, but features multiple centers of power and influence. “Multipolarity is not a normative category but a description of today’s...

Kyiv-Pechera Lavra, a historic Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine. (file) 18 September 2023Culture and Education The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added two of Ukraine’s most historic buildings, in Kyiv and Lviv, to its official list of World Heritage sites in danger. The Ukrainian capital has suffered multiple Russian missile strikes during the war, prompting the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to highlight the threat of...

“I’m in Kyiv, ending a fast-paced visit to IOM operations in Ukraine and Moldova. Sirens awoke me, and I was rushed to a bunker in my hotel. Yes, I was scared, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I now have a glimpse into what millions of Ukrainians, and all of my staff here have had to endure for 18 months. When I got the all-clear I was deeply saddened to learn that two people died in this attack: two more lives cut short, more families with empty places at their tables. While this...

As of the end of 2022, close to 2,900 people were still being held under the scheme. Unresolved legacy Between 2005 and 2012, English and Welsh courts used the IPP legislation to issue indeterminate sentences to those deemed likely to cause serious public harm, “until they no longer represented such a risk”, said a press release issued by the UN human rights office OHCHR on behalf of the UN torture expert, Alice Jill Edwards. These sentences were mandatory for more than 50 specified...

30 August 2023Humanitarian Aid The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday called for urgent assistance for children caught up in wildfires in Greece, considered to be the worst Europe has seen since the turn of the century. Fuelled by record temperatures and high winds, the deadly fires that began across the country in July have so far claimed 27 lives, including two children – both asylum seekers, according to news reports. They were among 18 bodies discovered by Greek authorities...

During the visit, Ms. Triggs mentioned that one of the worst shipwrecks in the Mediterranean happened just over a month ago. Protecting refugee rights “The Pylos tragedy and the other devastating tragedies in the Mediterranean underscore the primacy of saving lives and protecting the rights of people forced to flee. This was my message to the authorities,” she said. She emphasized the criticality of safeguarding access to territory and asylum, ensuring a predictable and...