Europe 

UN General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council

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
Europe 

Ukraine: UN relief chief joins call for probe after ‘horrifying’ visit to Bucha

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
Europe 

Justice and reparations still critical, 30 years on from Sarajevo siege

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
Europe 

UN humanitarian aid convoy reaches Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine

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
Europe 

Ukraine’s President calls on Security Council to act for peace, or ‘dissolve’ itself

“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
Europe 

Ukraine: Secretary-General calls for probe into Bucha killings

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
Europe 

First Person: A first in psychological aid, for Ukraine refugees in Poland

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
Europe 

First Person: ‘I fear I will never see my husband again’

Ms. Vladimirova is an accountant and former teacher in Kharkiv University. Along with her daughter and mother-in-law, she arrived in Lisbon on a humanitarian flight organized by the Portuguese government on March 14th.  With the help of volunteers, they found a local family willing to share their apartment whilst they seek official refugee status. More than 22,700 other Ukrainians, and… Read More
Europe 

Ukraine: Second UN convoy reaches Sumy, Mariupol access thwarted

Briefing journalists in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, noted that the first convoy had arrived in Sumy nearly two weeks ago, with another inter-agency relief mission reaching nearby Kharkiv, earlier this week. Critical supplies “In today’s convoy, which included seven trucks delivered food, medicines and hygiene products that will be distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and its local partners, and that… Read More
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