Category: Europe

Citizens and civil society critical of the Belarussian authorities face worsening repression, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and harassment, nearly four years since widespread public protests took place surrounding the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, a UN independent human rights expert said on Wednesday. Source UN News Read More

In a landmark art project for the Austrian capital Vienna, the UN building there has become a giant canvas representing the challenges of forging peace in a world that is still all too prone to conflict. Source UN News Read More

Like many expecting parents, Oleksandra and Oleksandr Chebotar were eagerly awaiting the birth of their daughter. The way it happened, however, was unlike anything they had ever imagined. Source UN News Read More

The UN’s top political affairs official on Tuesday reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law. More than 170 civilians lost their lives and a further 690 were injured in continued Russian strikes across Ukraine last month. Source UN News Read More

A surge of attacks by Russian forces on the Kharkiv area of Ukraine is causing significant civilian casualties, as well as the destruction of homes and crucial infrastructure, the top UN official in Ukraine said today, in a plea not to “normalize” the dire conditions for Ukrainian civilians.   Source UN News Read More

Speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said the UN and partners were continuing to deliver “critical humanitarian assistance”, focusing on communities on the frontlines, but there is “growing concern about the decrease in humanitarian funding amidst the significant scale of need.” Infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, energy and water systems, continue to be hit as Russia… Read More

The war has affected more than a quarter of Ukraine’s territory, according to the authorities, and caused large-scale destruction to buildings that has left thousands of tonnes of debris, creating a huge problem that will take decades to resolve. In most communities, this waste is not properly sorted, resulting in the formation of “spontaneous landfills”. Equipment and training  UNDP has… Read More

Briefing the Security Council in New York, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya urged the international community to work to end the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year. Ms. Msuya said the civilian toll has continued to mount since her last briefing to the Council three weeks ago. Kharkiv under fire  While few areas have… Read More

A new report from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed that each year, hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives to migrate from sub-Saharan countries in Africa without access to immediate assistance, shelter or information about the dangers they may face including from traffickers – even though the location of major movement hubs is well known. Avoidable dangers  Vincent… Read More

The experts said they have received allegations that migrants are being deceived about “working and living conditions and the nature of their agreements with employers in the agricultural or care sectors.”  “This is unlawful and highlights the need for urgent reform of the current system governing labour migration, to ensure effective protection of the rights of migrant workers,” they said. … Read More