This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.
UN chief launches plan to tackle ‘baked-in bias’
The UN chief on Friday unveiled a new plan to advance progress on women’s empowerment at a high-level meeting marking International Women’s Day.
Antonio Guterres’s UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan commits to placing women and girls at the centre of the Organisation’s work “across the board”.
“Equality is overdue. To achieve it we must match rhetoric with resources. We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress and build a better world for all.”
The Secretary-General pledged to support governments around the world to design and implement policies, budgets and investments that respond better to the needs of women and girls.
The new plan comes amidst a global backlash against women’s rights that is threatening and sometimes reversing progress in developing and developed countries alike, he added, pointing to Afghanistan’s gender-based restrictions on school and work outside the home and potential legislation in The Gambia to legalise the harmful practice of female genital mutilation.
Gaza: Rafah ground assault would increase risk of atrocity crimes
Any assault by Israeli forces on Rafah, where 1.5 million mostly internally-displaced people are sheltering, will hugely increase the risk of atrocity crimes, the UN High Commissioner for Human rights warned on Friday.
The spokesperson for Volker Türk in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence, told journalists that an already catastrophic situation could “slide deeper into the abyss” in the coming days if Israeli forces enter the southern border city, carrying through with their threat to invade unless Hamas militants hand over the remaining hostages by the start of Ramadan.
The holy month for Muslims worldwide begins this weekend, a “period that is meant to honour peace and tolerance”, said Mr. Laurence.
Gazans who have nowhere else to run to are living in “deplorable sub-human conditions” in Rafah, he added, saying any ground assault on Rafah would incur a massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes.
Hostages seized by Hamas and other militants during the 7 October terror attacks have endured 150 days of suffering and torment, Mr. Türk said, calling for their unconditional release and return.
Mozambique: Thousands displaced over fear of violence
A humanitarian crisis in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province and northern regions has sparked serious concern, Guy Taylor, UNICEF’s spokesperson in the country, told journalists at a briefing in Geneva on Friday.
Nearly 100,000 people, including 60,000 children, are on the run amid escalating fears of violence and attacks.
Over 100 schools have shut down and the area is grappling with a serious cholera outbreak.
UNICEF has registered 182 cases of children separated from their families since 24 February. Efforts are underway to reunite them, but aid funding remains inadequate.
During a recent visit, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and the UN Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, Robert Piper, called for more urgent support for Mozambique.
Since 2017, violence by non-State armed groups and the climate emergency have displaced over 1.2 million people in the country.
Funding is critical, yet the country’s 2024 humanitarian appeal of $413.4 million remains less than six per cent funded.
Source of original article: United Nations (news.un.org). Photo credit: UN. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.globaldiasporanews.com).
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