News in Brief 29 February 2024 |

This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

‘Carnage’ in Gaza must end, UN rights chief tells Human Rights Council

The “carnage” in Gaza has left more than 30,000 dead and the violence needs to stop immediately, UN rights chief Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council on Thursday.

The development came amid unconfirmed reports from the enclave’s health ministry on Thursday morning that more than 100 Palestinians had been killed during an incident in Gaza City involving the Israeli military, while waiting for aid trucks to arrive.

The appeal from the High Commissioner for Human Rights came after almost five months of constant Israeli bombardment and mass displacement in the enclave, prompted by Hamas-led terror attacks. 

“The war in Gaza must end. Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties. It is time – well past time – for peace, investigation and accountability.” 

The UN rights chief underscored the “unprecedented level of killing and maiming” of civilians in the enclave and noted that at least 17,000 children have now been orphaned or separated from their families.

UN chief ‘committed’ to Sudan as mission ends 

António Guterres expressed his strong commitment to the people of Sudan on Thursday as the UN assistance mission based there comes to an end, in line with a Security Council resolution ending its mandate.

In a statement, the UN Secretary-General extended his “deep appreciation” to all international and national personnel of the United Nations Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan – UNITAMS.

“The United Nations is not leaving Sudan,” the UN chief insisted, as he noted that heavy fighting continues throughout the country and risks sparking a regional crisis. 

The UN “remains strongly committed to providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance and supporting the Sudanese people in their aspirations for a peaceful and secure future,” the UN chief stressed. 

In a call to Sudan’s warring parties to lay down their weapons, Mr. Guterres urged them to commit to “broad-based” peace talks and a transition to civilian-led democratic government.

High-level UN-partnered mediation efforts towards a peaceful future for Sudan have already begun, led by the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra. 

Risks from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are real, warn UN leaders 

To Nairobi, where the UN Environment Assembly is galvanizing global action to tackle climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, and pollution.

The weeklong meeting is the world’s highest level decision-making body for environment matters.

In support of its work, UN Secretary-General António Guterres led the call for urgent, concrete and sustainable measures to prevent our climate from “imploding”.

And with poisoned rivers and rising seas just two of the major threats facing our world, Mr. Guterres insisted that humanity is to blame – and yet those least responsible suffer most.

Echoing that message, Inger Andersen – head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – appealed to delegates attending the meeting in Nairobi “to create space for the climate to stabilize, (for) nature to recover and pollution to recede…providing the basis for economies and societies to flourish sustainably”.

She said that the international community had already shown that it can work together on many significant environmental safeguards. 

These include global agreements  to protect the ozone layer, many endangered species and “huge areas of land and sea”. 

Ms. Andersen also applauded how the international community had agreed to slow the rate of climate change and raised the profile of action to combat desertification and land degradation.

She noted that “billions of people” depended on the UN Environment Assembly to succeed.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.