Category: Europe

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) aims to counter the devastation that’s been caused by the shelling of cities and early projections that two decades of economic progress could be lost, if the war continues. The announcement came as The World Bank issued an alert that Ukraine’s economy is set to shrink by 45 per cent this year, because of the… Read More

Mr. Guterres said the strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in eastern Ukraine, which killed and injured scores of civilians waiting to be evacuated, “including many women, children and elderly”, was “completely unacceptable.”  The statement issued by his Spokesperson went on to remind “all parties of their obligations under international law to protect civilians, and of the urgency to agree… Read More

The resolution received a two-thirds majority of those voting, minus abstentions, in the 193-member Assembly, with 93 nations voting in favour and 24 against.   Fifty-eight abstained from the process.  Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, were among those who voted against.  Those abstaining, included India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar,… Read More

Martin Griffiths was in Bucha and in Irpin, both located outside the capital, Kyiv, accompanied by the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Olha Stefanishyna.  Mass graves and destruction  The relief chief described the visit as “horrifying”, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking during his daily briefing in New York.  “He saw a mass grave with bodies wrapped in plastic, dozens of… Read More

The siege began after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in the wake of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia.  Bosnian Serbs largely opposed independence, while the other two large ethnic groups, Muslim Bosniaks and Croats, favoured the split from Belgrade.  Bosnian Serb troops started bombarding the capital city in April 1992, a sustained assault which lasted for nearly four years. … Read More

Infrastructure damage from shelling has left thousands of people in residential buildings across eastern Ukraine without electricity or gas for cooking and heating homes, or adequate access to clean water, which has been cut since the end of March. While millions of people have fled #Ukraine, some of the most vulnerable people remain there. While safety is their first concern,… Read More

“We are dealing with a State that is turning the veto of the United Nations Security Council into the right to die”, President Zelynskyy warned.  If it continues, countries will rely not on international law or global institutions to ensure security, but rather, on the power of their own arms. I regret the divisions that have prevented the Security Council from… Read More

Here at UN News, we’ve taken a deep dive into the UN Charter to try and give you the answers you might be looking for. Can the Security Council stop a war? Well, first let us review its mission. The functions and powers of the Security Council are set out in the UN Charter, the Organization’s founding document. It was… Read More

Images have emerged of bodies found in streets and in yards in the wake of Russian withdrawal from the area following weeks of intense fighting, according to international media reports. I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine. It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability. — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 3,… Read More

Mlyny is a small town in southeastern Poland, approximately eight kilometres from the border with Ukraine. The otherwise quiet village has become one of the main points of entry for the over two million people who have arrived in the country since the start of the war.  Ukrainians living abroad, third-country nationals, and local and international volunteers, have rushed to… Read More