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Tag: Culture and education

  • At Rafah border crossing to Gaza, UN’s Guterres calls for immediate ceasefire

    At Rafah border crossing to Gaza, UN’s Guterres calls for immediate ceasefire

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    In a tradition that started when he served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to shine a light on Muslim communities in distress, Mr. Guterres arrived in Cairo on Saturday, where he reiterated his urgent calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and the cessation of violence, notably in Gaza and Sudan. His visit underscores the UN’s commitment to addressing pressing humanitarian concerns in conflict zones.

    During his time in Egypt, the Secretary-General will journey to northern Sinai, a region deeply impacted by conflict. There, he met with Palestinians in El Arish, demonstrating solidarity with those affected by the violence, and with UN humanitarian workers in Rafah on the Egyptian side to discuss strategies to alleviate the suffering of those caught in the midst of conflict.

    UN Photo/Mark Garten

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres (left) meets a Palestinian patient at a hospital in El Arish in Egypt.

    Meetings with Palestinian families

    Early Saturday, the UN chief met with Palestinian civilians and their families at the General Hospital in El Arish, Egypt, saying he “was extremely moved by their stories, experiences and hardships they have endured”.

    At the nearby Rafah border crossing with Gaza, he told journalists that Ramadan is a time for spreading the values of compassion, community and peace. His visit comes a day after China and Russia vetoed a US-proposed draft resolution that would have had the Security Council deem it imperative to impose a ceasefire and get sorely needed aid into the enclave.

    “It is monstrous that after so much suffering over so many months, Palestinians in Gaza are marking Ramadan with Israeli bombs still falling, bullets still flying artillery still pounding and humanitarian assistance still facing obstacle upon obstacle,” he said.

    “Fasting with you on Ramadan, I am deeply troubled to know so many people in Gaza will not be able to have a proper iftar.”

    Palestinians in Gaza – children, women, men – remain stuck in a non-stop nightmare, he said, with communities obliterated, homes demolished, entire families and generations wiped out and hunger and starvation stalking the population.

    Aid delays are a ‘moral outrage’

    “Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness of it all,” he said, pointing to a long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates and the “long shadow of starvation on the other”.

    “That is more than tragic; moral outrage,” he said, adding that “any further onslaught will make everything worse” for Palestinian civilians, hostages and all people of the region.

    Calls for hostage release and ceasefire now

    All this demonstrates that it’s more than time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for “an ironclad commitment by Israel for total, unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza”, he said, emphasizing that in the Ramadan spirit of compassion, it’s time for the immediate release of all hostages.

    He also urged all UN Member States to support the “lifesaving work led by the backbone of all Gaza relief operations, UNRWA”, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees.

    Pledging to continue working with Egypt to streamline the flow of aid, he had a message for Palestinians in Gaza: “you are not alone.”

    UN staff deliver humanitarian supplies in the north of the Gaza Strip.

    © UNRWA

    UN staff deliver humanitarian supplies in the north of the Gaza Strip.

    ‘It’s time to truly flood Gaza with aid’

    “People around the world are outraged by the horrors we are all witnessing in real time,” he said. “I carry the voices of the vast majority of the world who have seen enough, who have had enough and who still believe that human dignity and decency must define us as a global community.”

    That is “our only hope”, he said.

    “It’s time to truly flood Gaza with lifesaving aid; the choice is clear: either surge or starvation,” he said. “Let’s choose the side of help – the side of hope – and the right side of history.”

    “I will not give up,” he stated, “and all of us must not give up in doing all we can for our common humanity to prevail.”

    Children in Gaza hold lanterns to celebrate the advent of Ramadan.

    © UNRWA

    Children in Gaza hold lanterns to celebrate the advent of Ramadan.

    Annual Ramadan solidarity trip

    In a symbolic gesture of solidarity, Mr. Guterres will partake in a Ramadan iftar with refugees from Sudan, who have fled their homeland due to ongoing hostilities there.

    He is expected to emphasize the importance of peace and stability, particularly during the sacred month of Ramadan, urging all parties to observe a cessation of hostilities.

    Moreover, the Secretary-General will engage in discussions with Egyptian officials, furthering diplomatic efforts to address regional challenges and foster cooperation in conflict resolution.

    Visits to UNRWA in Jordan

    Following his engagements in Egypt, Mr. Guterres will proceed to Amman, Jordan, continuing his Ramadan solidarity trip. In Jordan, he will visit facilities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which provides essential services to the population, highlighting the UN’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities amid crises.

    During his time in Amman, the Secretary-General will share in a Ramadan iftar with Palestine refugees and UN staff, underscoring the importance of compassion and unity during times of adversity.

    He is also scheduled to hold meetings with Jordanian officials, reinforcing collaborative efforts to address regional challenges and promote peace and stability.

    As the world grapples with ongoing conflicts and humanitarian emergencies, Secretary-General Guterres’ Ramadan solidarity trip serves as a reminder of the UN’s unwavering commitment to upholding humanitarian principles and fostering peace in the most challenging of circumstances.

    More to come…

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  • Good morning, Mogadishu! Preserving Somalia’s cultural history, one tape at a time

    Good morning, Mogadishu! Preserving Somalia’s cultural history, one tape at a time

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    Sitting in a small, windowless room in a government building in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, Mohamed Yusuf Mohamed loops another audio tape onto the dilapidated machine and presses a few buttons.

    He’s beginning a time-intensive process to digitize some seven decades of unique historical recordings belonging to the government-run Radio Mogadishu.

    One down, a couple of hundred thousand to go

    After a few clicks, the antiquated device starts to whir, and its wheels spin. One tape down and another couple of hundred thousand or so to go. In the adjoining room, there are shelves more than three metres high which teeter under a layer of dust and thousands of audio reels.

    Given the decrepit equipment and limited staffing at hand, the project Mr. Mohamed and other colleagues are embarking on will take many decades to complete.

    “I arrive here at 8am and work until 4pm, digitizing around 30 to 40 audio tracks per day with very limited equipment,” he said.

    UN Photo/Mukhtar Nuur

    Much of Radio Mogadishu’s analogue archive is in a poor state.

    First broadcaster

    At stake are the only remaining audio recordings of much of Somalia’s history, with thousands of reels of music, poetry, religious texts, political speeches and drama shows going all the way back to the station’s creation in 1951. Much of it is in a poor state.

    “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in improving the history of my country,” he said, adding that he is conscious of the task’s importance.

    Radio Mogadishu was established during the period when Somalia was held under the trusteeship of the United Nations and administered by its former colonial power, Italy.

    It began broadcasting news in Italian, and Somali programming followed soon afterwards.

    In the 1960s, Radio Mogadishu was modernized with assistance from the Soviet Union, and began broadcasting in Amharic, Oromo, Somali and Italian.

    War breaks out

    The station closed soon after the start of Somalia’s civil war in 1991, and its premises fell into the hands of warring factions. Two years later, the archives sustained some damage during clashes between one of the factions and international peacekeepers deployed in the city at the time.

    The violence that engulfed the country led to the destruction of much of Somalia’s cultural heritage. Museums were stripped of their collections, with items destroyed or sold on the black market, and the material in Radio Mogadishu’s vaults was targeted.

    The majority of the magnetic, reel-to-reel tape recordings in the Radio Mogadishu archives – made up of Somali-language tapes, records and limited manuscripts – survived the war, although most of its foreign language collection was not so fortunate.

    Digitizing analog recordings is painstaking and time-consuming work.

    UN Photo/Mukhtar Nuur

    Digitizing analog recordings is painstaking and time-consuming work.

    Digital hopes

    The introduction of digital technology has breathed new life into Radio Mogadishu, but its analogue archives have been rapidly deteriorating.

    The fragile reel-to-reel tapes made from acetate, polyester or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are at risk of distortion and degradation, according to Daud Aweis, Somalia’s federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism.

    “This is the only archive for this nation after the civil war,” he said. “As time passes, if we do not preserve it, it will only be seen in pictures.”

    Radio Mogadishu’s director, Abdifatah Dahir Jeyte, echoed those concerns.

    “Urgent action is imperative to safeguard the history, language, culture and literature of the Somali nation stored within these archives, considering the vastness of Radio Mogadishu’s archives, which contain around 225,000 tapes and vinyl records, the digital conversion is currently incomplete, covering less than 30 per cent of the total content,” he said.

    Initial attempts at digitization began in 2013, with the support of the French government, African Union, United Nations and Somalia’s information ministry. Staff worked to preserve the collection and make the music, speeches, plays and prayers available to a generation who had never known how vibrant Somalia was prior to the war.

    But, the attempt foundered, with less than a third of the items digitized.

    Radio Mogadishu is now broadcasting using digital technology.

    UN Photo/Mukhtar Nuur

    Radio Mogadishu is now broadcasting using digital technology.

    UN mission to preserve cultural treasure

    Working with the Government’s information ministry, the UN in Somalia has been exploring options for a solution to the urgent digitization needs of Radio Mogadishu’s archives.

    “The open-reel tape collection of Radio Mogadishu is a cultural treasure that all Somalis would benefit from,” said Kirsten Young, Chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNSOM) Human Rights and Protection Group.

    “Radio continues to play an important role in access to information in Somalia,” she said, “and having access to these rich archives would bring recent history into the homes of many Somalis.”

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  • Banksy highlights cultural revival amid rubble strewn Kyiv suburb

    Banksy highlights cultural revival amid rubble strewn Kyiv suburb

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    The artwork – a ballerina balancing precariously on the rubble – solidified the town’s reputation as a beacon of resilience. Despite Borodianka’s sudden fame, the efforts of its local artists musicians and librarians to revive their beloved hometown remain largely unknown outside Ukraine.

    Now, cultural activities, one supported by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), are drawing hundreds of fans, choirs are singing again, and art is being made and taught by inspirational local artists.

    IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

    Despite the war, Natalia is determined to help her community in Ukraine preserve and revive its cultural identity.

    Revival and resilience

    Natalia Vyshynska is committed to reviving cultural life in the town. She and her colleagues have organized several public events since last year.

    “We don’t use the word ‘concert’,” she explained. “We say ‘a public gathering with musical performances.’ Concerts will be after our victory.”

    Taking part in this revival and resilience, Ms. Vyshynska has led Borodianka’s culture department for nearly two decades. She works out of the local cultural centre, still scarred from shelling and standing next to homes destroyed in the devastating March 2022 bombings.

    Despite the dangers of war, she has remained dedicated to her colleagues and the important work they carry out. She even returned to the office two days after the invasion to ensure staff would get their salaries.

    Since April 2022, she and colleagues worked in the offices for the following year, with broken windows covered with plastic film.

    A town in ruins

    Ms. Vyshynska, along with her husband, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, took refuge in a cellar, where they survived weeks of heavy fighting. Eventually, the family was able to escape and briefly relocated to western Ukraine.

    This depiction of a dancer in Borodianka was the first of a series Banksy spray painted in Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

    IOM

    This depiction of a dancer in Borodianka was the first of a series Banksy spray painted in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

    When they returned home, they found their town in ruins. Of its 26 cultural establishments, 18 were damaged or destroyed, losing 95 per cent of their facilities and assets, among them a local art school.

    “Every musical instrument, including a grand piano, was ruined,” she said. “We had a violin from 1826 stored in a protective box, but it was consumed by fire. Only a scorched metal violin clef was found amidst the rubble.”

    Life before war

    Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ms. Vyshynska and her colleagues were working to modernize the cultural institutions in Borodianka, a town with a pre-war population of roughly 13,000.

    Applying her background in psychology to transform a local sewing class into a fashion theatre, students were able to walk onto a stage, showcasing their creations, gaining confidence, and overcoming fears of sharing their art with a live audience.

    Before the war, town librarians helped senior citizens develop digital literacy skills.

    Coming home

    While many young people have left to find safety and jobs elsewhere, a steady stream is returning since the Government of Ukraine regained control over Borodianka and the northern areas of the country.

    Many displaced people make the decision to return, even as the war continues. Most of those returning are in their forties and fifties, Ms. Vyshynska said.

    ‘They are singing now’

    Acknowledging that some people still might find public events inappropriate, she said for the hundreds of attendees and for those who organize them, it all has meaning.

    “Many of our singers lost their relatives; many lost their homes,” she said. “They could not sing for some time. Some needed two months, some needed three. They managed. They are singing now.”

    However, coping with death and losses is a reality in the town.

    “We go to the cemetery; we cry and remember our dead,” she said. “I think, they would like life in Borodianka to go on.”

    The monument of renowned Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, was damaged in the conflict.

    IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

    The monument of renowned Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, was damaged in the conflict.

    Healing power of art

    Ms. Vyshynska and her team continue to engage psychologists in their efforts, particularly with children.

    “Children are afraid of death, injury, and losing their parents and homes,” she said. “By using drawing, music and games, they can express their fears and traumatizing experiences, and we help them process these difficult emotions and continue with their lives.”

    Members of her community give her strength and make her proud. She can point to many examples.

    There is local history expert Valentyn Moiseenko. He miraculously survived the bombing of Borodianka and escaped with his wife, who has a mobility impairment. They spent weeks sheltering in a basement. Recalling those times, he wrote a book about the days when the town was under Russian military control and at the centre of heavy fighting.

    Another inspirational town resident is Svitlana Vyskochy, a local artist who creates decorated Easter eggs called pysankas. She conducts master classes for hospital patients every week, including people with amputations.

    Pins adorned with “Borodianka’s culture is alive” alongside the famous maiolica rooster were created by Natalia’s team.

    IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

    Pins adorned with “Borodianka’s culture is alive” alongside the famous maiolica rooster were created by Natalia’s team.

    ‘Borodianka’s culture is alive’

    Ms. Vyshynska’s team have produced pins, adorned with the famous maiolica rooster and the words “Borodianka’s culture is alive”.

    The town cultural centre relies on grants from businesses and international organizations.

    One project supported by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funding from the Republic of Korea and Canada, is helping to refurbish a local museum. It is also creating a space for young families, purchasing equipment for a local library, and providing a huge tent that will allow Ms. Vyshynska’s team to bring services to people in war-affected communities around Borodianka.

    With support from IOM, she and other community members took part in inclusive dialogue sessions, where they could collectively shape the future of their community through projects for social change.

    Together with volunteers from across Ukraine, they applied these skills to transform their cultural centre, so that Borodianka can continue to celebrate its unique culture for generations to come.

    The “Girl under the Sun” sculpture represents the victory of life over destruction.

    IOM/Alisa Kyrpychova

    The “Girl under the Sun” sculpture represents the victory of life over destruction.

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  • Repel intensifying attacks on schools, urges Guterres

    Repel intensifying attacks on schools, urges Guterres

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    Marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was important to defend “havens of education”.

    “Education is not only a fundamental human right, but a pathway to a better future for every person, and a more peaceful, understanding world,” he underscored.

    He voiced a startling truth: around the globe 224 million children and young people are in urgent need of educational support – including 72 million who are out-of-school altogether – because of crises such as armed conflict.

    Attacks double

    According to a comprehensive report on children and armed conflicts published by the UN chief earlier this year, from January to December 2022, there was a 112 per cent rise in attacks targeting schools and hospitals, with hotspots identified in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Israel, Palestine, Myanmar and Mali.

    In Afghanistan, for example, the UN verified a total of 95 attacks on civilian targets, including 72 on schools.

    The report attributed 50 per cent of grave violations to non-State armed groups. The other half involved government forces, who were primarily responsible for the gravest offenses, including the killing and maiming of children, relentless assaults on schools and hospitals, and obstructing humanitarian access.

    The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday that by the end of 2022, the total number of school-aged refugees globally jumped nearly 50 per cent from 10 million in 2021 to 14.8 million, driven mostly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Disrupted learning

    As put by Mr. Guterres, “attacks on students, teachers, educational personnel and schools are becoming all too common, cruelly disrupting young learners’ education and inflicting untold psychological and physical damage that can last a lifetime.”

    One of the clear signs of the education deficit is the startling statistic that 763 million people around the world – adults and youngsters – lack even basic literacy skills.

    ‘Havens of safety and learning’

    The Secretary-General urged all countries to ensure the protection of schools, children and teachers at all times, through measures such as the Safe Schools Declaration and the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.

    Through joint efforts, Mr. Guterres believes, schools can become “havens of safety and learning for every child, no matter where they live”.

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  • From the Field: Literacy classes for Afghan girls and women

    From the Field: Literacy classes for Afghan girls and women

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    More than 1,000 women and young girls, from 15 to 45, are now learning how to read, write, and calculate for the first time in their lives through literacy classes supported by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

    Bi Bi, a 32-year-old home-based tailor, shared her story, which is common among her classmates.

    “In the past, I was not allowed to attend school by my father, but now my husband allows me to join UNESCO’s classes and learn,” she said. “I have nine children: eight girls and one boy. I want my girls to go to school and I want to help them learn.”

    Learn more about the agency’s community-based programme, here.

    © UNESCO/Navid Rahi

    All students in UNESCO’s community-based literacy classes are experiencing schooling for the first time in their lives.

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  • UN strongly condemns Russian strikes in Odesa, Ukraine

    UN strongly condemns Russian strikes in Odesa, Ukraine

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    Over the past week, Russia has carried out aerial attacks on Odesa and two other port cities, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv, since terminating the landmark Black Sea Initiative on grain and fertilizer exports.

    International media reported that at least one person was killed and more than 20 wounded in Sunday’s attack, which damaged significant cultural sites in Odesa, including the Transfiguration Cathedral, the first and foremost Orthodox church in the city.

    The Cathedral was founded in 1794 and is located in the Historic Centre of Odesa, which was in January inscribed on the World Heritage List maintained by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

    Culture in the crosshairs

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack, his spokesperson said in a statement.

    “In addition to the appalling toll the war is taking on civilian lives, this is yet another attack in an area protected under the World Heritage Convention in violation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,” it said.

    Mr. Guterres also expressed concern about the war’s increasing threat to Ukrainian culture and heritage. UNESCO has verified damage to 270 cultural sites, including 116 religious sites, since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022.

    “The Secretary-General urges the Russian Federation to immediately cease attacks against cultural property protected by widely ratified international normative instruments. The Secretary-General also continues to urge immediate cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” the statement concluded.

    ‘Outrageous destruction’

    UNESCO was deeply dismayed by the “brazen attack”, which it condemned in the strongest terms. A mission will be deployed to Odesa in the coming days to conduct a preliminary assessment of damages.

    The agency said this “act of hostility” follows other recent attacks that impacted cultural heritage in areas of Lviv and Odesa that are protected under the World Heritage Convention.

    “This outrageous destruction marks an escalation of violence against cultural heritage of Ukraine,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General. She urged Russia “to take meaningful action” to comply with its obligations under international law, including with regard to the protection of cultural property during armed conflict.

    Furthermore, the attacks contradict recent statements by Russian authorities concerning precautions taken to spare World Heritage sites in Ukraine, including their buffer zones, the agency said, adding that intentional destruction of cultural sites may amount to a war crime.

    © UNESCO

    UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay (2nd left) visited a church during her mission to Ukraine in April 2023.

    Protecting cultural institutions

    In response to the war, UNESCO is working to promote the protection of cultural institutions in Ukraine, along with other actions such as denouncing violence against journalists and supporting the maintenance of education.

    Ms. Azoulay was in Odesa in April where she met with World Heritage site managers and stakeholders from the cultural sector. She took stock of emergency actions by UNESCO to protect cultural heritage threatened by the conflict.

    Speaking at the time, she said nearly $7 billion will be required over the next decade to rebuild the cultural sector in Ukraine.

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  • Ukraine’s ‘Wild West’: Rebuilding a ‘new’ Kharkiv during an invasion

    Ukraine’s ‘Wild West’: Rebuilding a ‘new’ Kharkiv during an invasion

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    Speaking with UN News one hour after fierce shelling sparked fires across the city, Mr. Rosenfeld said his “Kharkiv is a frontier city” concept is now being sketched out amid the rubble.

    “Seeing the whole city from the panoramic windows and the smoke from the fire, you understand that our city is proud of itself, feels smart, educated, knows its worth,” said Mr. Rosenfeld, who was born and raised in Kharkiv.

    The master plan is now unfurling, developed on a voluntary basis by the Norman Foster Foundation together with a group of local architects and urban planners as well as with the Advisory Council of International Experts.

    Supported by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) through a pilot project, the newly created UN4Kharkiv task force has united 16 UN agencies and international organizations, with Mr. Rosenfeld volunteering as a local specialist.

    Ever-changing dynamics amid war

    “It is impossible to understand what is happening here from a distance,” he explained. “It is difficult to understand even from the inside because the situation is dynamic. It changes all the time. We make an appointment for a Zoom meeting, and then there is nightly shelling. When we come to the issue of, say, energy security, the situation has completely changed.”

    He said he is “in love” with his city, makes films about it, and can talk about its history and people for hours. Since the beginning of the war, when Kharkiv began to be systematically shelled, many have moved to other parts of Ukraine or gone abroad, but he said he never thought about leaving.

    The total damage caused to Ukraine’s housing sector since Russia’s invasion is estimated at more than $50 billion. According to the City Council of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, 3,367 apartment buildings and 1,823 single-family houses have been destroyed, along with urban infrastructure.

    Ukrainian ‘Wild West’

    The frontier city is the “Ukrainian Wild West”, Mr. Rosenfeld said, referring to its mid-17th century beginnings.

    “People who came here were ready to take risks in order to take advantage of the opportunities that were opening up,” he said, providing a snapshot of its rich history, from its changing character in the early 19th century once a university was built to its early 20th century role as the capital of Soviet Ukraine.

    “I have always believed that we have a lot in common with Berlin,” he said. “Now I do not compare Kharkiv with anything. It’s unique. To understand it, you must come and live here.”

    The multicultural, multinational city is a melting pot, with students from Africa to Asia studying and living together, he said, adding that Kharkiv’s frontier characteristics “are in its genetic code”.

    Kharkiv dreams: Stop the bombing

    The population of Kharkiv was invited to take part in a survey focused on reconstructing the city, but many had fled the daily attacks and those remaining at that time dreamed of one thing: for the bombing to stop, Mr. Rosenfeld said.

    Their voices were heard, he said. Noting that bomb shelters built in Soviet Kharkov nearly a century ago were rebuilt to tackle new realities, he said only one of 11 current proposals from architects and engineers contain a security framework.

    “Today, a ‘modern’ bomb shelter is an underground factory, underground universities, and event centres, which should be dual-use facilities,” Mr. Rosenfeld said.

    Cultural life is back

    Since 2022, despite constant shelling over the past month and a half, “a huge number of people” have returned to Kharkiv, and cultural life has resumed in the city, Mr. Rosenfeld said.

    “We recently attended an amazing performance based on a play written two months ago on current events,” the architect said, noting that a jazz festival are in the works.

    Despite air raid sirens, the shows go on, he said.

    Indeed, the concept of the future of Kharkiv was born to the sounds of an air raid siren, Mr. Rosenfeld recalled, adding that despite current conditions, he and many of his colleagues feel “happy” to be working on the project.

    ‘Do the right thing’

    “Maybe for some, it sounds terrible, but at this moment you understand that you are doing a very important and necessary thing,” he said. “You want to be needed.”

    After the start of the war, many people in Kharkiv, like doctors and volunteers, who understood that they are needed and useful, he said.

    “They don’t do it out of vanity; they just do the right thing,” he said. “Doing what I do gives me a colossal sense of happiness. Our work with the UN is real, making the most of our abilities, talents, knowledge, and skills. Yes, it has to do with such a tragedy, but you’re happy because you’re not vegetating. You’re living.”

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  • We must work together to reign in ‘toxic and destructive’ hate speech

    We must work together to reign in ‘toxic and destructive’ hate speech

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    Hate speech reinforces discrimination and stigma and is most often aimed at women, refugees and migrants, and minorities. If left unchecked, it can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts and tensions, wide scale human rights violations.

    To turn back the rising tide of hate, the United Nations is marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech by calling on everyone to work together to build a more respectful and civil world, and for effective action to end this toxic and destructive phenomenon.

    Responses must protect free speech

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres also warns that misguided and ambiguous responses to hate speech – including blanket bans and internet shutdowns – may also violate human rights by restricting freedom of speech and expression.

    Similarly, the top UN human rights official, Volker Türk, says that the spread of hate speech-related laws being misused against journalists and human rights defenders is almost as viral as the spread of hate speech itself.

    In his message on the Day, he stresses that broad laws – that license States to censor speech they find uncomfortable and to threaten or detain those who question Government policy or criticize officials – violate rights and endanger essential public debate.

    “Rather than criminalizing protected speech, we need States and companies to take urgent steps to address incitement to hatred and violence,” Mr. Türk says.

    ‘Amplify voices that cut through the hate’

    But we are far from powerless in the face of hate speech, says Mr. Guterres, stressing that “we can and must raise awareness about its dangers, and work to prevent and end it in all its forms.”

    He cites the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech as the Organization’s comprehensive framework for tackling the causes and impacts of hate speech, and notes that the world body’s offices and teams around the world are confronting hate speech by implementing local action plans, based on this strategy.

    “The United Nations is consulting governments, technology companies and others on a voluntary Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms, aimed at reducing the spread of mis- and disinformation and hate speech, while protecting freedom of expression,” he adds.

    Mr. Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calls for a range of actions – from education initiatives and investing in digital literacy programmes to listening to those most effective by hate speech and holding companies to their human rights obligations.

    “More also needs to be done to address mega-spreaders – those officials and influencers whose voices have profound impact and whose examples inspire thousands of others,” Mr. Türk said. “We must build networks and amplify voices that can cut through the hate.”

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  • Century-old call for equality resonates today

    Century-old call for equality resonates today

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    Both share an emphasis on the rights and freedoms of all people.

    “The Universal Declaration stated that we are all born equal, and this is exactly what Gibran wrote,” observed Shirin Yaseen, an associate spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

    The Universal Declaration opens with the provision that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

    “Gibran emphasizes that we should all treat each other as brothers,” Ms. Yassen pointed out.

    The Lebanese poet, whose works have been translated into more than 100 languages, vividly expressed the spirit of equality in the first person, writing: “I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.”

    UN Headquarters in New York drew artists, diplomats, and members of the local community to a celebration marking the centenary. In April, an exhibit, Kahlil Gibran Returns to New York After 100 years, showcased paintings, notebooks, manuscripts, and the first edition of The Prophet.

    “We are at the United Nations because Kahlil Gibran believed in peace, in human rights, in diversity and the dialogue between civilizations,” explained Joseph Geagea, Director of the Gibran Museum in Lebanon. “He believed that as human beings, there are no differences among us; we should walk on the same level to reach the same point: a better future for all.”

    Ms. Yassen said family, women, love, and nature were all very important aspects of the poet’s work.

    “It left an impression for successive generations,” she said. “Gibran spoke about people without any discrimination based on their race or religion or colour, and these are things that are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That is the importance of this person’s work and how much it means at the United Nations.”

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  • UN humanitarians complete first food distribution in Khartoum as hunger, threats to children, intensify

    UN humanitarians complete first food distribution in Khartoum as hunger, threats to children, intensify

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    WFP’s Country Director in Sudan, Eddie Rowe, told reporters in Geneva that in a major breakthrough, the agency distributed food assistance to 15,000 people in both Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled areas of Omdurman, part of the Khartoum metropolitan area, beginning on Saturday.

    Speaking from Port Sudan, Mr. Rowe highlighted other recent food distributions, in Wadi Halfa in Northern State to reach 8,000 people fleeing Khartoum and on their way to Egypt, as well as to 4,000 newly displaced people in Port Sudan.

    Rapidly scaling up support

    In total, WFP has been able to reach 725,000 people across 13 states in the country since it resumed its operations on 3 May, following a pause brought on by the killing of three aid workers at the start of the conflict.

    Mr. Rowe said that WFP was rapidly scaling up its support, which they expected to expand depending on progress in negotiations for humanitarian access for all regions, including the Darfurs and Kordofans, strongly impacted by violence and displacement.

    Hunger on the rise

    In addition to the 16 million Sudanese who were already finding it “very difficult to afford a meal a day” before the fighting started, Mr. Rowe warned that the conflict compounded by the upcoming hunger season, could increase the food insecure population by about 2.5 million people in the coming months.

    With the lean season fast approaching, WFP’s plan was to reach 5.9 million people across Sudan over the next six months, he said.

    He stressed that WFP needed a total of $730 million to provide required assistance as well as telecommunications and logistics services to the humanitarian community, including all of the UN agencies operating in Sudan.

    17,000 tonnes of food lost to looting

    He also reiterated the humanitarian community’s call on all parties to the conflict to enable the safe delivery of urgently needed food aid, and deplored that so far, WFP had lost about 17,000 metric tonnes of food to widespread looting across the country, particularly in the Darfurs.

    Just two days ago, he said, the agency’s main hub in El Obeid, North Kordofan, came under threat and looting of assets and vehicles was already confirmed.

    Over 13 million children in need

    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that “more children in Sudan today require lifesaving support than ever before”, with 13.6 million children in need of urgent assistance. “That’s more than the entire population of Sweden, of Portugal, of Rwanda,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva.

    According to reports received by UNICEF, hundreds of girls and boys have been killed in the fighting. “While we are unable to confirm these due to the intensity of the violence, we also have reports that thousands of children have been maimed,” Mr. Elder said.

    ‘Death sentence’

    He also pointed out that reports of children killed or injured are only those who had contact with a medical facility, meaning that the reality is “no doubt much worse” and compounded by a lack of access to life-saving services including nutrition, safe water, and healthcare.

    Mr. Elder alerted that “all these factors combined, risk becoming a death sentence, especially for the most vulnerable”.

    UNICEF called for funding to the tune of $838 million to address the crisis, an increase of $253 million since the current conflict began in April, to reach 10 million children. Mr. Elder stressed that only 5 per cent of the required amount had been received so far, and that without the therapeutic food and vaccines which this money would allow to secure, children would be dying.

    Healthcare under attack

    The dire situation of healthcare in the country has been aggravated by continuing attacks on medical facilities. From the start of the conflict on 15 till 25 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) verified 45 attacks on healthcare, which led to eight deaths and 18 injuries, the agency’s spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said.

    He also cited reports of military occupation of hospitals and medical supplies warehouses, which made it impossible for people in need to access chronic disease medicines or malaria treatment. Mr. Jašarević recalled that attacks on healthcare are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop.

    Keep borders open: Grandi

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded a three-day visit to Egypt on Tuesday, with an urgent call for support for people fleeing Sudan – and the countries hosting them – insisting that the borders must remain open.

    More than 170,000 people have entered Egypt since the conflict started – many through Qoustul, a border crossing that Grandi visited close to the end of his trip. The country hosts around half of the more than 345,000 people who have recently fled Sudan.

    Mr. Grandi met newly arrived refugees and Egyptian border officials, to get a sense of the hardships being endured.

    Loss ‘on a huge scale’

    “I heard harrowing experiences: loss of life and property on a huge scale,” Grandi said. “People spoke of risky and expensive journeys to arrive here to safety. Many families have been torn apart. They are traumatized and urgently need our protection and support.“

    The UNHCR chief also held talks with the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and discussed how best to support refugees and mobilize resources for host countries, not least Egypt.

    “I commend Egypt for its long-standing commitment to providing a safe haven to those fleeing violence,” Mr. Grandi said. “The Government, the Egyptian Red Cresent and the people, have been very generous in supporting arrivals. We urgently need to mobilize more resources to help them to maintain this generosity.”

    Prior to this conflict, Egypt was already host to a large refugee population of 300,000 people from 55 different nationalities.

    After registering with UNHCR, refugees and asylum-seekers have access to a wide range of services including health and education. UNHCR’s emergency cash assistance programme started during the last week.

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  • Malaysia: ‘Everyone has a migration story’, now let’s eat

    Malaysia: ‘Everyone has a migration story’, now let’s eat

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    “I can’t think of a better way than using food to bring everyone to the table,” said Elroi Yee, an investigative reporter and producer of the Dari Dapur campaign. “We need shared stories that show migrants and refugees have a place in the Malaysian narratives.”

    Tales and tastes of Tamil puttu, Cambodia’s nom banh chok, Kachin jungle food shan ju, Yemeni chicken mandy, and Rohingya flatbread ludifida flavour those narratives, telling their stories in Dari Dapur’s videos featuring Malaysian celebrities who sampled culinary history and heritage.

    Launched by OHCHR in December 2022, the campaign partnered with untitled kompeni, a Kuala Lumpur-based social impact production team, with a view to putting these delicious stories at the heart of public discourse.

    ‘Food always brings people to the table’

    Through seven short videos, celebrities visited the kitchens of migrant workers and refugees to share a home-cooked meal around the same table, hearing about each other’s lives, hopes and dreams, and learning what they have in common.

    “Anytime you cook food and you bring your guests, everyone turns to smile and be happy because food always brings people to the table,” said Chef Wan in an episode with Hameed, who served up a scrumptious Pakistani ayam korma.

    “Regardless of which culture, where we come from, everybody will need to eat,” he said.

    Plantation day trip

    Liza, a Cambodian plantation worker, shared more than just a meal with her guests, Malaysian comedian Kavin Jay and food Instagrammer Elvi. During a day trip to visit her on the plantation, Liza showed them how she cooks nom banh chok, a fragrant fermented rice noodle dish.

    “To have someone come here to visit me, to see me and to see my friends, I’m so happy,” Liza said.

    Exchanging jokes around the table, Mr. Jay said “everyone has a migration story”.

    “It doesn’t matter what your race is, if you look back far enough, you will find your migration story,” he said.

    Similar exchanges around dinner tables unfolded in other Dari Dapur episodes that starred migrant and refugee chefs with social justice influencer Dr. Hartini Zainudin, hijabi rapper Bunga, educator Samuel Isaiah, Tamil film star Yasmin Nadiah, Chinese-language radio DJ Chrystina, and politician and activist Nurul Izzah Anwar.

    ‘It’s exactly the same!’

    From Myanmar to Malaysia, breaking fast was common ground in an episode that brought broadcast journalist Melisa Idris and US Ambassador Brian McFeeters tableside with Ayesha, a Rohingya community trainer.

    “I would like to know them, and I am also very happy that I can explain what I am doing and who I am [to them],” Ayesha said, as she prepared an iftar feast for her guests.

    Sitting them down at a table laden with traditional dishes along with some of her friends, Ayesha was frank.

    “Before this, I’ve never cooked for other communities,” she admitted, ahead of a lively conversation about Eid celebrations.

    Ms. Idris and Ayesha’s friend, Rokon, shared similar childhood memories, from her Malaysian village and to his family home in Rakhine, Myanmar.

    The way they treated me today, if we could be as gracious a host as a country, it would go such a long way. – journalist Melisa Idris

    “It’s exactly the same!” Ms. Idris exclaimed. “Sometimes we focus on the differences and don’t realize we have almost exactly the same traditions.”

    Post-feast, she shared gratitude and a revelation.

    She said it was clear how “complicit the media has been in othering refugees and migrants, in normalizing the hate, in sowing the division, and targeting an already marginalized community as a scapegoat of our fears during a pandemic.”

    “They gave us the best; they gave everything to us,” she said, tearfully. “The way they treated me today, if we could be as gracious a host as a country, it would go such a long way.”

    ‘Cut through the noise’

    To design the campaign, OHCHR commissioned research that revealed a complex relationship between migrants and Malaysians. Findings showed respondents overwhelmingly agreeing that respect for human rights is a sign of a decent society and that everyone deserves equal rights in the country.

    Some 63 per cent agreed that their communities are stronger when they support everyone, and more than half believed they should help other people no matter who they are or where they come from. Around 35 per cent of respondents strongly or somewhat strongly believed that people fleeing persecution or war should be welcomed, with an equal number wanting to welcome those who are unable to obtain healthcare, education, food, or decent work.

    “Migration is a complicated and often abstract issue for many Malaysians,” said Pia Oberoi, senior advisor on migration in the Asia Pacific region at OHCHR, “but storytelling is a good way to cut through the noise.”

    Cow’s feet and camaraderie

    “Our research found that people want to hear and see the everyday lives of people on the move, to understand and appreciate that we have more in common than what divides us,” she said, adding that the campaign was built on shared realities and values that personify the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which turns 75 this year.

    With the production of these short films, she said “we hope to inspire Malaysian storytellers to share the narrative space, and for all of us to rethink the way we relate to our migrant and refugee neighbours.”

    On a sprawling oil palm estate, actress Lisa Surihani tucked into a meal of kaldu kokot – cow’s feet soup – dished up by her host Suha, an Indonesian plantation worker.

    “What I learned was ‘try and not let what you do not know of affect the way you treat other human beings’,” actress Lisa Surihani said in a Dari Dapur episode.

    “No matter who it is, our actions should be rooted in kindness,” Ms. Surihani said.

    Learn more about the Dari Dapur campaign here.

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  • Menstrual Hygiene Day: Putting an end to period poverty

    Menstrual Hygiene Day: Putting an end to period poverty

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    Period poverty, or the inability to afford menstrual products, is a serious issue especially in developing countries, an issue menstruating girls and women grapple with monthly and a spotlight topic on Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed annually on 28 May.

    “I’m happy to come work here because I meet and work with other people,” said Ms. Fatty, who operates a special machine to install snaps on each pad. “This place gives me joy because I can forget about my disability while working here.”

    The sturdy, long-lasting pads she produces help women like her with a mobility impairment, who have trouble going to the restroom. After working there for a year, Ms. Fatty hopes to continue. While her disabilities bring many challenges and she struggled to make ends meet for a long time, her life has become better since she joined the project.

    Keeping girls in school

    In The Gambia, Africa’s smallest nation, period poverty is prevalent across the country, but it hits harder in rural areas, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Some girls skip school for around five days every month due to the lack of menstrual products and sanitary facilities.

    The girls are afraid of staining their clothes and become a target of bullying or abuse, the agency said. As a result, gender inequality widens; boys will have an advantage as they attend school more often than girls, who have a higher chance of dropping out of education.

    To tackle this problem, UNFPA developed a project in Basse, in the country’s Upper River Region, to produce recyclable sanitary pads. These pads are distributed at schools and hospitals in local communities.

    The agency takes it as an opportunity to talk about bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health with young girls to mitigate period shaming and stigma.

    Empowering young women

    The project is also a way of empowering young women in the community as it provides them with a secure job and an opportunity to learn new skills.

    United Nations

    SDG Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

    Since 2014, Menstrual Hygiene Day has been observed on the 28th day of the fifth month of the year as menstrual cycles average 28 days in length and people menstruate an average of five days each month.

    Poor menstrual health and hygiene undercuts fundamental rights – including the right to work and go to school – for women, girls and people who menstruate, according to UNFPA.

    It also worsens social and economic inequalities, the agency said. In addition, insufficient resources to manage menstruation, as well as patterns of exclusion and shame, undermine human dignity. Gender inequality, extreme poverty, humanitarian crises and harmful traditions can amplify deprivation and stigma.

    With that in mind, the theme for Menstrual Hygiene Day this year is “Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030”, said UNFPA Executive-Director Natalia Kanem.

    “A girl’s first period should be a happy fact of life, a sign of coming of age with dignity,” she said. “She should have access to everything necessary to understand and care for her body and attend school without stigma or shame.”

    The Day brings together governments, non-profits, the private sector, and individuals to promote good menstrual health and hygiene for everyone in the world. The occasion also aims at breaking the silence, raise awareness around menstrual issues and engaging decision-makers to take actions for better menstrual health and hygiene.

    Learn more about what UNFPA is doing to eliminate period poverty here.

    Eliminating period poverty

    UNFPA has four broad approaches to promoting and improving menstrual health around the world:

    • Supplies and safe bathrooms: In 2017, 484,000 dignity kits, containing pads, soap and underwear, were distributed in 18 countries affected by humanitarian emergencies. UNFPA also helps to improve the safety in displacement camps, distributing flashlights and installing solar lights in bathing areas. Promoting menstrual health information and skills-building, projects include teaching girls to make reusable menstrual pads or raising awareness about menstrual cups.
    • Improving education and information: Through its youth programmes and comprehensive sexuality education efforts, UNFPA helps both boys and girls understand that menstruation is healthy and normal.
    • Supporting national health systems: Efforts include promoting menstrual health and provide treatment to girls and women suffering from menstrual disorders. The agency also procures reproductive health commodities that can be useful for treating menstruation-related disorders.
    • Gathering data and evidence about menstrual health and its connection to global development: A long overlooked topic of research, UNFPA-supported surveys provide critical insight into girls’ and women’s knowledge about their menstrual cycles, health, and access to sanitation facilities.

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  • Trafficking in the Sahel: Killer cough syrup and fake medicine

    Trafficking in the Sahel: Killer cough syrup and fake medicine

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    This feature, which focuses on the illegal trade in substandard and fake medicines, is part of a UN News series exploring the fight against trafficking in the Sahel.

    From ineffective hand sanitizer to fake antimalarial pills, an illicit trade that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is being meticulously dismantled by the UN and partner countries in Africa’s Sahel region.

    Substandard or fake medicines, like contraband baby cough syrup, are killing almost half a million sub-Saharan Africans every year, according to a threat assessment report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    The report explains how nations in the Sahel, a 6,000-kilometre-wide swath stretching from the Red Sea to the Atlantic, which is home to 300 million people, are joining forces to stop fake medicines at their borders and hold the perpetrators accountable.

    This fight is taking place as Sahelians face unprecedented strife: more than 2.9 million people have been displaced by conflict and violence, with armed groups launching attacks that have already shuttered 11,000 schools and 7,000 health centres.

    Deadly supply meets desperate demand

    Health care is scarce in the region, which has among the world’s highest incidence of malaria and where infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of death.

    “This disparity between the supply of and demand for medical care is at least partly filled by medicines supplied from the illegal market to treat self-diagnosed diseases or symptoms,” the report says, explaining that street markets and unauthorized sellers, especially in rural or conflict-affected areas, are sometimes the only sources of medicines and pharmaceutical products.

    Fake treatments with fatal results

    The study shows that the cost of the illegal medicine trade is high, in terms of health care and human lives.

    Fake or substandard antimalarial medicines kill as many as 267,000 sub-Saharan Africans every year. Nearly 170,000 sub-Saharan African children die every year from unauthorized antibiotics used to treat severe pneumonia.

    Caring for people who have used falsified or substandard medical products for malaria treatment in sub-Saharan Africa costs up to $44.7 million every year, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.

    Motley trafficking

    Corruption is one of the main reasons that the trade is allowed to flourish.

    About 40 per cent of substandard and falsified medical products reported in Sahelian countries between 2013 and 2021 land in the regulated supply chain, the report showed. Products diverted from the legal supply chain typically come from such exporting nations as Belgium, China, France, and India. Some end up on pharmacy shelves.

    The perpetrators are employees of pharmaceutical companies, public officials, law enforcement officers, health agency workers and street vendors, all motivated by potential financial gain, the report found.

    Traffickers are finding ever more sophisticated routes, from working with pharmacists to taking their crimes online, according to a UNODC research brief on the issue.

    While terrorist groups and non-State armed groups are commonly associated with trafficking in medical products in the Sahel, this mainly revolves around consuming medicines or levying “taxes” on shipments in areas under their control.

    Snip supply, meet demand

    Efforts are under way to adopt a regional approach to the problem, involving every nation in the region. For example, all Sahel countries except Mauritania have ratified a treaty to establish an African medicines agency, and the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization initiative, launched by the African Union in 2009, aims at improving access to safe, affordable medicine.

    All the Sahel countries have legal provisions in place relating to trafficking in medical products, but some laws are outdated, UNODC findings showed. The agency recommended, among other things, revised legislation alongside enhanced coordination among stakeholders.

    © UNODC

    Custom and law enforcement officers prevent huge quantities of contraband from entering the markets of destination countries.

    States taking action

    Law enforcement and judicial efforts that safeguard the legal supply chain should be a priority, said UNODC, pointing to the seizure of some 605 tonnes of fake medicines between 2017 to 2021 by authorities in the region.

    Operation Pangea, for example, coordinated by UN partner INTERPOL in 90 countries, targeted online sales of pharmaceutical products. Results saw seizures of unauthorized antivirals rise by 18 per cent and unauthorized chloroquine, to treat malaria, by 100 per cent.

    “Transnational organized crime groups take advantage of gaps in national regulation and oversight to peddle substandard and falsified medical products,” UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said. “We need to help countries increase cooperation to close gaps, build law enforcement and criminal justice capacity, and drive public awareness to keep people safe.”

    Following the death of 70 children in The Gambia in 2022, the World Health Organization identified four contaminated paediatric medicines in the West African nation.

    © WHO

    Following the death of 70 children in The Gambia in 2022, the World Health Organization identified four contaminated paediatric medicines in the West African nation.

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  • ‘Safe digital public square’ never more important, says Türk

    ‘Safe digital public square’ never more important, says Türk

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    Volker Türk was issuing a clarion call to protect and expand civic space, arguing that it’s the only way to enable us all “to play a role in political, economic, and social life, at all levels, from local to global.”

    Hate speech going unchecked

    He said with more and more decision-making migrating online, “with private companies playing an outsized role, having an open, safe digital public square has never been more important”.

    And yet, States are struggling and “often failing” to protect online space for the common good, “swinging between a laissez-faire approach that has allowed violence and dangerous hate speech to go unchecked, and overbroad regulations used as a cudgel against those exercising their free speech rights, including journalists and human rights defenders,” he added.

    Invest in multilingual markets

    He called on big business to step up and increase investment in preventing and responding to online harms, especially in the non-English language environment, stressing that “doing business in any location requires making sure you can do so safely, in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”

    The UN rights chief said that carving out civic space was key to human rights, to peace, development, and for “sustainable and resilient societies”, but coming under more and more pressure from undue restrictions, and laws.

    This includes crackdowns on peaceful assembly, internet shutdowns and bullying and harassment online.

    Expand space as a ‘precondition’

    “States must step up efforts to protect and expand civic space as the precondition for people to be able to sustainably enjoy all other entitlements enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from access to healthcare and clean water and quality education to social protection and labour rights”, Mr. Türk argued.

    Pressure on civil space continues despite the inspiring commitment of civil society groups, he continued.

    “Civil society is a key enabler of trust between governments and the populations they serve and is often the bridge between the two. For governments to reduce barriers to public participation, they must protect this space, for the benefit of all – both online and offline”.

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  • Ukraine: UN delivers aid to millions, as civilian suffering continues

    Ukraine: UN delivers aid to millions, as civilian suffering continues

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    “The escalating war is taking a heavy toll on civilians who live close to the front lines, people who cannot go back to their homes, and people across the country living under almost daily threats of attacks,” said Jens Laerke, from the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.

    More than a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mine contamination and lack of access to Russia-controlled areas remain obstacles to reaching those in need, he said.

    Delivering emergency assistance

    Assistance has included cash to more than 2.1 million people and food for 3.5 million people, while nearly 3 million gained access to health services and medicines, Mr. Laerke said.

    The assistance also included support for survivors of gender-based violence, he said, adding that more than 60 per cent of those reached with aid are women and girls.

    Other types of assistance include access to clean water and hygiene products, emergency shelter, education services for children, and protection services, including prevention of gender-based violence and support to survivors, he said.

    Volunteers play vital role

    “Hundreds of humanitarian organizations are involved in this effort working with local groups and community-based volunteers who play a vital role in getting the assistance delivered on the last mile,” he said.

    However, assistance to areas under Russian military control remains extremely limited, he said.

    This year, because of the worsening security situation and shifts in the front lines, humanitarian partners have lost access to almost 60,000 people in around 40 towns and villages close to the front lines in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, he said.

    Mine action casualties

    At the same time, mines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine have left 263 killed or injured in 2023. That is more than 50 per month on average, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which believes that the actual figures are considerably higher.

    The agency’s latest report indicates that from 1 to 21 May, 46 civilians were killed or injured by mines, 44 in April, 102 in March, 36 in February and 35 in January.

    Mine contamination remains a deadly threat to farmers and humanitarians delivering assistance. In the agricultural regions of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson, dozens of mine-related accidents are being reported every month, Mr. Laerke said.

    Denise Brown, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said recovery work hinges on demining.

    “Ukraine is considered as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world,” she said. “Demining agricultural land is one of the Government’s priorities so that farmers can get back to work, and the UN, through WFP World Food Programme] and FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization], working with the Ministry of Agriculture, are contributing to this.”

    Learn more about what the UN is doing to help the people of Ukraine here.

    UNDP Ukraine/Oleksandr Simonenko

    A deminer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine sweeps the ground for unexploded ordnance and landmines.

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  • Despite ‘slightly’ improved food security in Yemen, hunger stalks millions

    Despite ‘slightly’ improved food security in Yemen, hunger stalks millions

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    “The United Nations and its partners made strides in rolling back the worst food insecurity last year, but these gains remain fragile, and 17 million people are still food insecure in Yemen,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.

    Compared to the same period in 2022, the levels of acutely malnourished people rose in 2023, indicating a need for more funding to stave off extreme hunger, according to the latest findings of a new report by three UN agencies that are closely monitoring the situation, following eight years of intense warfare.

    Drivers of hunger

    Yemen remains one of the most food insecure countries globally, mainly driven by the impact of conflict and economic decline, according to the report from the UN food agency, FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

    The integrated phase classification (IPC) analysis provides an outlook for the period between now until the end of this year, indicating the need for more programme investments, as the modest improvements may be eroded, the agencies said.

    Their report showed that the people of Yemen continue to require attention, with hunger stalking millions. The agencies cautioned that the situation could worsen if nothing is done to address the key drivers of food insecurity.

    The new report showed that between January and May 2023, about 3.2 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in government-controlled areas, representing a 23 per cent reduction from the period between October and December 2022.

    During the June to December 2023 period, the report estimated that the number of people likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity could increase to 3.9 million, out of which 2.8 million people are projected to reach crisis levels of hunger.

    Life-saving interventions

    FAO Yemen representative Hussein Gadain, said the agency is focused, through various interventions, on improving household food security and income by strengthening agricultural production practices, increasing labour opportunities, and diversifying livelihoods in a sustainable way that fosters peaceful coexistence.

    We are working directly with farmers on the ground to enable them to maintain their livelihoods,” he said. “We make sure that smallholder farmers in Yemen will withstand any shocks which impact food security.”

    UNICEF and partners reached around 420,000 children suffering from severe and acute malnutrition with life-saving interventions in 2022, said the agency’s Yemen representative, Peter Hawkins.

    “This is the highest ever reached in Yemen, thanks to the scale-up of nutrition services,” he said, adding that despite this, malnutrition levels remain critical in many areas of the southern governorates.

    “A multisectoral approach to address all forms of malnutrition is essential and together with partners UNICEF is strengthening the provision of primary health care, including early detection and treatment of severe acute malnutrition”, he said.

    Averting famine

    The UN food agency’s assistance is critical for getting people to firmer ground, for averting crisis and famine, said WFP Country Director, Richard Ragan. Yemen’s food insecurity situation remains fragile, and the hard-won gains of the past 12 months will be lost without continued and urgent support, he said.

    “There are women, men, and children behind these IPC statistics, whose lives straddle the fine line between hope and utter devastation,” he said, urging donors to renew their commitment to supporting the most vulnerable Yemenis. “We simply cannot take our foot off the gas now.”

    Learn more about what the UN is doing to help the people of Yemen here.

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  • Freedom of the press under attack worldwide

    Freedom of the press under attack worldwide

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    The appeal comes in his message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on 3 May, in line with a 1993 UN General Assembly resolution.

    The focus this year is on the connection between press freedom and overall human rights.

    World Press Freedom Day 2023 – UN Chief Message | United Nations

    A global problem

    “Freedom of the press is the foundation of democracy and justice. It gives all of us the facts we need to shape opinions and speak truth to power. But in every corner of the world, freedom of the press is under attack,” Mr. Guterres said.

    The Secretary-General is away from New York and a video of his message was played during a ceremony in the General Assembly Hall to commemorate the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day.

    Prominent journalists and the heads of media and human rights organizations from around the world are attending the event, sharing their experiences and opinions in several panels on subjects such as multilateralism and freedom of expression.

    Deadliest year for journalists

    Delivering opening remarks, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UN cultural agency UNESCO, which advocates for the protection of journalists, said 2022 was the deadliest year for the profession.

    Last year, 86 journalists were killed, mainly outside war zones. “Oftentimes, they were at home with their family,” she said. Hundreds more were attacked or imprisoned.

    She said the level of impunity for these crimes sends a chilling message because “the security of journalists is not a matter just for journalists or international organizations. It is a matter for society as a whole.”

    Furthermore, reporters are also coming under attack in cyberspace. A 2021 report revealed that three out of four women journalists have been the victim of online harassment, prompting UNESCO to issue recommendations for digital platforms to step up protection.

    Digital era dilemma

    Ms. Azoulay noted that these challenges are happening at the exact moment when journalists are needed more than ever, as the advent of the digital era has changed the entire information landscape.

    Although the Internet has opened new channels for information and expression, it has also provided fertile ground for those seeking to sow disinformation and conspiracy theories.

    ‘A new crossroads’

    “We find ourselves at a new crossroads,” she said. “Our current path is leading us away from informed public debates. Away from the very notion of a shared reality on which it depends. A path towards ever more polarization.”

    She called for greater action to ensure that information can remain a public good, noting that UNESCO is supporting some 20 countries to develop educational policies in media and information literacy in the digital era.

    The agency also organizeda major global conference in Paris in February to discuss draft global guidelines for regulating digital platforms, which will be published later this year.

    Democracy under fire

    In his keynote address, A.G. Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher of The New York Times, voiced concern over how threats to press freedom globally ultimately impact multilateralism.

    “Without journalists to provide news and information that people can depend on, I fear we will continue to see the unraveling of civic bonds, the erosion of democratic norms, and the weakening of the trust in institutions and in each other that is so essential to the global order,” he said.

    Mr. Sulzberger reflected on how the media landscape has evolved since 1993 – a period of optimism characterized by the apparent end of Cold War divisions, the emergence of fledgling democracies, and technological advancements in information and connectivity. News organizations also enjoyed “historic financial strength” and seemed well positioned to inform the public.

    ‘Avalanche of misinformation’

    He said the moment was short-lived as the same technology that allowed journalists to reach people everywhere also forced many thousands of newspapers to close, and digital outlets that emerged were unable to fill the void, particularly in providing critical local and investigative reporting.

    “The Internet also unleashed the avalanche of misinformation, propaganda, punditry and clickbait that now overwhelms our information ecosystem, often drowning out credible journalism and accelerating the decline in societal trust,” he said.

    Media censorship and control

    Mr. Sulzberger warned that erosion of the free press is almost always followed by democratic erosion.

    “And sure enough, this period of weakness for the press has coincided with destabilized democracies and emboldened autocracies. And when democracy erodes, you can be sure that the free press will be the first target,” he said.

    “All over the world autocrats and those who aspire to join their ranks have used censorship, media repression, and attacks on journalists to consolidate power. That’s because gaining control of information is essential to gaining control of everything else,” he added.

    He provided examples from across the globe, including Russia, where “journalists who dare to even acknowledge the war in Ukraine face long prison terms.”

    He also highlighted the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Yekaterinburg last month for alleged spying, saying the former Times journalist “remains in Russian custody for sham charges and should be released.”

    Support independent journalism

    Mr. Sulzberger told UN Member States that countering the worldwide assault on the press will only be solved if they take action.

    “For nations with a strong tradition of a free press, including the United States, this means leaders standing up to secure legal protections for independent reporters and their sources,” he said.

    “For nations where reporting the truth remains perilous, this means the international community must make clear that we’ll call out and punish the crackdowns and attacks against journalists no matter where they occur.”

    He further emphasized the need to address the challenges facing the press, including developing clear financial models for sustaining independent journalism.

    “We still need a commitment from the digital giants to elevate independent journalism and ensure it stands apart from untrustworthy information on their platforms,” he added. “And we still need more of the public to value independent journalism enough to support it with their time, their money and their trust.”

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  • Fight slavery’s ‘legacy of racism’ through education: Guterres

    Fight slavery’s ‘legacy of racism’ through education: Guterres

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    He said the history of slavery is one of suffering and barbarity that shows humanity at its worst. 

    “But it is also a history of awe-inspiring courage that shows human beings at their best – starting with enslaved people who rose up against impossible odds and extending to the abolitionists who spoke out against this atrocious crime,” he added.

    An ‘evil enterprise’ 

    For more than 400 years, over 13 million Africans were trafficked across the Atlantic Ocean in what the Secretary-General called the “evil enterprise of enslavement”. 

    Men, women and children were “ripped from their families and homelands – their communities torn apart, their bodies commodified, their humanity denied.” 

    United Nations/Israa Hamad

    Slavery memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Photo: Israa Hamad

    A haunting legacy 

    “The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade haunts us to this day.  We can draw a straight line from the centuries of colonial exploitation to the social and economic inequalities of today,” he said. 

    “And we can recognize the racist tropes popularized to rationalize the inhumanity of the slave trade in the white supremacist hate that is resurgent”, he added. 

    Mr. Guterres stressed that it was incumbent on everyone to fight slavery’s legacy of racism, using the “powerful weapon” of education – the theme of this year’s commemoration.  

    Unite against racism 

    Teaching the history of slavery can “help to guard against humanity’s most vicious impulses,” he said. 

    “By studying the assumptions and beliefs that allowed the practice to flourish for centuries, we unmask the racism of our own time,” he added. “And by honouring the victims of slavery, we restore some measure of dignity to those who were so mercilessly stripped of it.” 

    The Secretary-General called for people everywhere to “stand united against racism and together build a world in which everyone, everywhere can live lives of liberty, dignity, and human rights.” 

    Intl Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery & Transatlantic Slave Trade – UN Chief (March 25)

    UN commemorative events

    The UN has organized a series of events to commemorate the International Day. 

    On Monday, the UN General Assembly will hold a meeting where Brazilian philosopher and journalist, Professor Djamila Ribeiro, will deliver the keynote address.  

    Ms. Ribeiro has been using the power of education to fight discrimination against Afro-Brazilians, including through her bestselling book titled ‘Little Anti-Racist Manual’ and her Instagram account, which has attracted more than a million followers. 

    American university student Taylor Cassidy, recognized as one of TikTok’s 2020 Top 10 Voices of Change, will deliver the youth address.  Ms. Taylor empowers her two million followers with uplifting videos on Black history. 

    On Thursday, Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative – a non-profit working to end mass incarceration in the United States – will be the featured speaker and a participant in a panel discussion highlighting efforts by museums to include the voices of people of African descent and deal with the colonial past. 

    Other panelists will include the General Director of the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, Taco Dibbits, and the Head of its History Department, Valika Smeulders.

    The 2023 commemoration kicked off in late February with the opening of an interactive exhibition titled Slavery: Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery, brought to the UN by the museum, which is located in Amsterdam. 

    A Revealing Look at our Past

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  • Ground-breaking exhibit on slavery gives new generation ‘hope for humanity’

    Ground-breaking exhibit on slavery gives new generation ‘hope for humanity’

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    With myriad objects casting a new light on some of the darkest pages of history, Slavery: Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery has been brought to the UN by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.

    “It’s baffling to me that there are a lot of countries still apologizing for slavery,” Daniela Paredes,18, from Cancun, Mexico, told UN News following a class visit. “Governments are working to not overlook slavery and how it’s present today. It shows it is possible for society to learn from our mistakes. It gives me hope for humanity.”

    The exhibit tethers around a single artefact: a heavy wooden plank brace, known as a “tronco” – Portuguese for tree trunk. Used to restrain enslaved people for sleeping or corporal punishment to prevent their escape, the sinister contraption – carbon dated to between 1700 and 1850 ¬ was discovered in the 1960s in a barn in Zeeland, a town in the Netherlands.

    The tronco remains a stark material reminder that 15 million men, women, and children were victims of a heinous legalized system for centuries, said the UN Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, established by the General Assembly in 2007, which coordinated the event.

    UN News/Eileen Travers

    Valika Smeulders, head of history at the Rijksmuseum, is one of the curators of the Ten True Stories exhibition.

    “Bringing the exhibit here to the UN connects it all,” Valika Smeulders, one of the exhibit’s four curators and head of history at the museum, told UN News. “We thought it would be important that the Netherlands comes to terms with the fact that it has had a major role in colonial history. We wanted to connect everybody in the Netherlands to that larger story by making the exhibition really personal.”

    Ms. Paredes’ classmate, Alexa Bejar, 17, marvelled at learning about the world through the exhibit’s zoom lens.

    “It is amazing that governments and countries are willing to talk openly and truthfully,” she said.

    Profiteers to freedom fighters

    Surrounding the tronco, interactive panels tell the stories of people hailing from Bangladesh, Brazil, Netherlands, South Africa, Suriname, and the Caribbean and West African regions, intertwined with the Dutch slave trade, which trapped about one million people across the world into slavery between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.

    Visitors can swipe QR codes on each of the panels, to link to present-day recordings of descendants and others who are connected to profiteers, victims, and freedom fighters. Meticulously “researched and re-researched”, Ms. Smeulders said the stories were produced by a bevy of experts, including historians, a theatre director, interior designer, artists, and a biologist who conducted DNA analysis.

    However, the curators had a hard time choosing just 10 stories out of the more than a million, she said.

    “There are millions of stories, of course, but what we wanted the 10 stories to give an insight into the system,” she said.

    From the lifestyles of the rich to the flight to freedom, the exhibit tells the story of Surapti, from Indonesia, who went from enslavement to freedom fighter. Another explains that Oopjen, the frothily enlaced wife of a Dutch sugar magnate who profited from slavery, had her portrait painted by Rembrandt himself.

    Then there is the brave Sapani, who hid in her plaited hair tiny grains of rice indigenous to West Africa when she was forced onto a ship sailing to Suriname. Fleeing enslavement at a plantation, she used those seeds, which became a critical food source in newly established communities and a symbol of hard-won freedom.

    ‘Not just about history’

    The exhibit comes at a time when world leaders are reckoning with the colonial past, trying to make amends by, among other things, repatriating artefacts looted in the colonial era. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in December issued a formal apology for the country’s role in the slave trade.

    “It’s not just about history; it’s also about our common future,” Ms. Smeulders said. “The legacy of slavery is among us every day. We need to address that, especially all the types of discrimination and racism that are still around.”

    To have that conversation going on here at the UN and having the exhibit as a ‘talking stick’ to continue that conversation “is really important to us”, she said.

    “Part of the solution is to recognize that it is connected to that past and that by understanding the past, we understand today’s society as well,” she added.

    At the exhibit’s opening, Melissa Fleming, head of the UN Department of Global Communications, who hosted the event, said teaching, learning, and understanding this history “helps us in our work to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all.”

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  • Musicians promote ‘empathy, fraternity, solidarity’ between Israelis and Palestinians

    Musicians promote ‘empathy, fraternity, solidarity’ between Israelis and Palestinians

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    The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2016 as a United Nations Global Advocate for Cultural Understanding, recently played their first concert at UN headquarters in New York, at a special event organized to demonstrate that when people listen to each other, both musically and in other ways, great results can be achieved.

    UN News/Abdelmonem Makki

    The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble performs at UN headquarters in February 2023

    The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, led by the orchestra’s concertmaster Michael Barenboim, draws upon players of Arab and Israeli heritage.

    Founded in 1999, the orchestra’s origins lie in the conversations between its creators, Edward W. Said and Daniel Barenboim. Over the course of their friendship, the Palestinian author-scholar and Israeli conductor-pianist discussed ideas on music, culture and humanity.

    In their exchanges, they realized the urgent need for an alternative way to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The opportunity to do so came when Barenboim and Said initiated a workshop for young musicians using their experience as a model.

    “We have musicians that come from countries that are in conflict with each other in one way or another. We show that by cooperating in a project such as this one, it’s possible to bring together people from states which are in conflict so that they’re able to work together towards a common goal,” said Michael Barenboim.

    Violinist Michael Barenboim is the concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble

    UN Photo/Mark Garten

    “I think that’s showing an alternative model and alternative way of thinking for the Middle East region. Which is not based on arms, bombs, war, blood and conflict, but based on understanding, dialogue and listening to each other. When you play music, you play, but you also have to listen to others,” he added.

    Mariam Said, widow of Edward W. Said, is a vice president of the US-based Barenboim-Said Foundation.

    “Edward believed that humanity is the only thing through which we can counteract the disintegration of our world. And this is the message that the orchestra is trying to send,” Mariam Said explained.

    “Teaching music as a language opens minds, leading to the generation of new ideas in society. It also allows people to get to know each other,” she added.

    Sindy Faisal Abdel Wahab from Egypt plays violin in the ensemble.

    “I started playing with the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble in 2013, and it was the first time for me to meet musicians from other Arab countries and Israel. It was a surprise to me, and I was curious about how we would deal with each other, how we would play together and understand each other,” he said, adding that “I discovered that Israelis have a similar culture to us, but politics is what separates people. When we play together, we forget everything.”

    West-Eastern Divan Ensemble cellist Assif Binness (right) hails from Israel.

    UN Photo/Mark Garten

    David Strongin, who is from Israel, also plays the violin; he believes that the mission of the orchestra is for musicians from different backgrounds to play music together.

    “Through music, one can do everything. You don’t need words, and don’t need any text. You play together, you learn to listen to each other. And this is actually a great help also for life for us as human beings, because we learn how to listen to each other.”

    “I think it’s not very easy to make music with strangers,” he added “because you have to you put so much soul into what you do. But this orchestra feels like one family and so it doesn’t really matter where we are from. We just we just love each other as human beings.”

    Speaking ahead of the concert Maher Nasser, the Director of the Outreach Division in the UN Department of Global Communications said: “When you look a group of eight musicians playing together and they are all reading from the same sheet of paper, they introduce harmony, and they are all equal. Some of them play cello and some of them are playing violin but the sound that comes out appears to be coming from one instrument. Every one of them is equal, every note is equal.”

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