Page 3 - United Nations General Assembly

Russia vetoes UN resolution for prevention of nuclear arms race in space

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN resolution sponsored by the United States and Japan calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favour, Russia opposed and China abstaining. Russia dismissed the measure as politicised and said it did not go far enough in banning all types of weapons in space. The resolution would have called on all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction in space, as banned under a 1967 international treaty that included the US and Russia, and to agree to the need to verify compliance. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space, but that the country's veto raises the question of what the government may be hiding. Thomas-Greenfield's announcement of the resolution on March 18 followed White House confirmation in .

International law falling apart amid wars in Gaza, Ukraine, says Amnesty

The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned on Wednesday as it published its annual report. The human rights organisation said the most powerful governments, including the United States, Russia and China, have led a global disregard for international rules and values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with civilians in conflicts paying the highest price. Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary general, said the level of violation of international order witnessed in the past year was "unprecedented". "Israel's flagrant disregard for international law is compounded by the failures of its allies to stop the indescribable civilian bloodshed meted out in Gaza," she said. "Many of those allies were the very architects of that post-World War Two system of law." The

UN agency agreed to help distribute aid to Gaza via sea route, says US

The U.N. World Food Program has agreed to help deliver aid for the starving civilians of Gaza once the U.S. military completes a pier for transporting the humanitarian assistance by sea, U.S. officials said Friday. The involvement of the U.N. agency could help resolve one of the major obstacles facing the U.S.-planned project the reluctance of aid groups to handle on-the-ground distribution of food and other badly needed goods in Gaza absent significant changes by Israel. An Israeli military attack April 1 that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen intensified international criticism of Israel for failing to provide security for humanitarian workers or allow adequate amounts of aid across its land borders. President Joe Biden, himself facing criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while supporting Israel's military campaign against Hamas, announced March 8 that the U.S. military would build the temporary pier and causeway, as an alternative to the land ...

Sudan's war being fuelled by weapons from foreign supporters, says UN

The year-old war in Sudan between rival generals vying for power has sparked a crisis of epic proportions fuelled by weapons from foreign supporters who continue to flout UN sanctions aimed at helping end the conflict, the UN political chief said on Friday. This is illegal, it is immoral, and it must stop, Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council. Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting has spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas and the western Darfur region, DiCarlo painted a dire picture of the war's impact over 14,000 dead, tens of thousands wounded, looming famine with 25 million people in need of life-saving assistance, and over 8.6 million forced to flee their homes. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chair of th

250,000 Afghan children require education, food and homes, says NGO

A quarter of a million Afghan children need education, food and homes after being forcibly returned from Pakistan, a nongovernmental organisation said Thursday. Pakistan is cracking down on foreigners it alleges are in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans. It insists the campaign is not directed against Afghans specifically, but they make up most of the foreigners in the country. More than 520,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since last October. Save the Children said families are entering Afghanistan with virtually nothing and that nearly half of all returnees are children. A survey of families by the NGO said nearly all of them lacked enough food for the next one to two months. Some returnees and host families had to borrow money for food or rely on friends and relatives for food. Almost two thirds of children who have returned to Afghanistan have not been enrolled in school, according to Save the Children. The majority told the organisation they don't have the ...

Full UN membership won't help Palestinians with statehood: US envoy

US President Joe Biden had categorically said that Washington supported a two-state solution and was working on the ground to get that in place as soon as possible, she said

UN appeals for $2.8 bn to help 3 mn Palestinians who need food, aid

The United Nations appealed for USD 2.8 billion on Tuesday to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but sanitation, water and health facilities. Andrea De Domenico, the head of the UN humanitarian office for Gaza and the West Bank, told reporters that massive operations are required to restore those services and meet minimum standards and this can't be done during military operations. He pointed to the destruction of hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools, adding that there is not a single university that is standing in Gaza. De Domenico said Israel's recently-ended second major military operation at Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical facility, was so destructive the facility has been forced to shut down. As an example, he questioned what the military objective was in shooting an MRI scanner that examines parts of the body and can detect cancers. He

UN experts condemn forced marriages, religious conversions in Pak

In Pakistan, the legal marriage age stands at 16 for girls and 18 for boys

EU court decision shows safe climate is human right: Ex-UN rights chief

Having a safe climate is becoming more of a human right globally with this week's European court decision that says countries must better protect people from climate change, something warming-hit residents of the Global South long knew, said former Ireland President Mary Robinson. Robinson, who was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, praised Tuesday's mixed court decision as precedent-setting and change-triggering. The European Court of Human Rights sided with Swiss senior women saying their government wasn't doing enough to protect them from climate shocks, but dismissed similar complaints from Portuguese youth and France's mayor on technical grounds. "Many countries in Europe, if not all, will be vulnerable to litigation along those lines, that their countries are not doing enough to protect the human rights," Robinson said in a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press at the Skoll World Forum, a conference of ideas and entrepreneurship. "If countries do not

UN court takes up case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel in Gaza

Preliminary hearings are opening Monday at the United Nations' top court in a case that seeks an end to German military and other aid to Israel, based on claims that Berlin is enabling acts of genocide and breaches of international humanitarian law in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Nicaragua argues that by giving Israel political, financial and military support and by defunding the United Nations aid agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide and, in any case has failed in its obligation to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide. While the case brought by Nicaragua centers on Germany, it indirectly takes aim at Israel's military campaign in Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7 attacks when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry. Its toll doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants

Sustainability has to be at core of development in 21st century: UNGA prez

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis has said that there is no conflict between promoting sustainability and economic growth and development, underscoring that sustainability has to be the anchor for development in the 21st century. Francis will convene the UN's first-ever Sustainability Week' April 15-19 under the theme Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future' at the world body's headquarters here. The week will feature dedicated events focused on sustainability in critical sectors such as tourism, infrastructure connectivity, transport, energy and debt. The reality is that sustainability has to be the anchor for development in the 21st century. Since we are talking about prioritizing people and the planet, the sustainability dimension of things lies at the very heart of everything we are seeking to do developmentally in the UN, Francis, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, told PTI in an exclusive interview here. We have identified five key areas or .

US policy to change if Netanyahu fails to protect Gaza civilians: Biden

Washington is Israel's top weapons supplier and the Biden administration has mostly provided a diplomatic shield for it at the United Nations

Myanmar's worst violence since military takeover intensifying crisis: UN

Myanmar's escalating conflict and worst violence since the military takeover in 2021 are having a devastating impact on human rights, fundamental freedoms and basic needs of millions of people as well as alarming spillover effects in the region, UN officials have said. Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Khaled Khiari told the UN Security Council on Thursday that the civilian toll keeps rising amid reports of indiscriminate bombing by Myanmar's armed forces and artillery shelling by various parties. The nationwide armed conflict in Myanmar began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule. Thousands of young people fled to jungles and mountains in remote border areas as a result of the military's suppression and made common cause with ethnic guerrilla forces battle-hardened by decades of combat with the army in pursuit of autonomy. Despite its .

Palestinians seek April vote on UN membership, US says 'peace first'

The Palestinians want the Security Council to vote later this month on their revived request for full membership in the United Nations, despite the United States reiterating Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinians must first negotiate a peace agreement. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said 140 countries recognise the state of Palestine, and we believe it is high time now for our state to become a full member at the United Nations. The Palestinians are making a fresh bid for UN membership as the war between Israel and Hamas that began Oct 7 nears its sixth month, putting the unresolved decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the spotlight after years on the back burner. During the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States, Mansour said, countries were blocked from joining the UN, but they all eventually became members, including North Korea. The US doesn't recognise North Korea but didn't block its admission, he said, and asked why conditions

Russia vetoes UN resolution on N Korea sanctions amid Ukraine war

The dynamics have shifted amid the Ukraine crisis, leading to increased reliance on North Korea for munitions by Russian President Vladimir Putin

India launches database to record crimes against UN peacekeepers

India has launched a new database designed to record crimes against UN peacekeepers and monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable, India's UN envoy Ruchira Kamboj said on Thursday, asserting that New Delhi is at the forefront of advocating for accountability. The launch of the database was announced at a high-level meeting of the India-led 'Group of Friends' (GOF) on Tuesday. "Delighted to announce the launch of a new database designed to record crimes against Peacekeepers & monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable. India is at the forefront of advocating for accountability, leading the Group of Friends dedicated to this cause," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Kamboj, said in a post on X. The database is designed to serve as an online repository, empowering the Secretariat, Missions, and member states to monitor and address cases of malicious acts against peacekeepers, a press release by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said. "This ...

UN Security Council set to vote on resolution demanding Ramadan cease-fire

The UN Security Council is set to vote on a resolution demanding a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but the United States warned the measure could hurt negotiations to halt Israeli-Hamas hostilities. The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, is backed by Russia and China, who vetoed a US-sponsored resolution Friday that supported an immediate and sustained cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The 22-nation Arab Group at the UN issued a statement Friday night appealing to all 15 council members to act with unity and urgency" and vote for the resolution "to halt the bloodshed, preserve human lives and avert further human suffering and destruction. It is long past time for a cease-fire," the Arab Group said. Ramadan began March 10 and ends April 9. The council scheduled a vote on the resolution Saturday morning (10 am EDT). Many members are hoping that the UN's most powerful body, which is charged with maintaining ...

UN to vote US resolution declaring immediate cease-fire in Gaza imperative

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a United States-sponsored resolution declaring that an immediate and sustained cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is imperative to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that the new, tougher draft resolution would be approved Friday by the 15-member council. The draft being put to a vote determines which is a council order the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire, with no direct link to the release of hostages taken during Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, which was in the previous draft. But it would unequivocally support diplomatic efforts to secure such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages. Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow will not be satisfied with anything that doesn't call for an immediate cease-fire, saying it's

United Nations adopts first global artificial intelligence resolution

The nonbinding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China and over 120 other nations, also advocates the strengthening of privacy policies

UN to vote on its first resolution on AI, aimed at ensuring safety

The General Assembly is set to vote Thursday on what would be the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the powerful new technology benefits all nations, respects human rights and is safe, secure and trustworthy. The United States, which sponsored the resolution, has said it hopes the world body will adopt it by consensus, meaning it would have the support of all 193 UN member nations. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that if the resolution is adopted it will be a historic step forward" in fostering the safe use of AI. The resolution would represent global support for a baseline set of principles for the development and use of AI and would lay out a path to leverage AI systems for good while managing the risks, he said in a statement to The Associated Press earlier in March. The draft resolution aims to close the digital divide between rich developed countries and poorer developing countries and make sure they are all at the ta