Tag: Europe News

“The Secretary-General decided to organize this meeting following the consultations conducted over the past several months on his behalf by Under Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute”, Stephane Dujarric told journalists at the UN Palais des Nations, referring to the veteran UN and former US Government official who has been working to advance reconciliation. “As we have repeatedly said, the purpose of… Read More

A 20-second shut down of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986, created a surge that led to a chemical explosion, which released nearly 520 dangerous radionuclides into the atmosphere. As a result, large parts of the former Soviet Union were contaminated; territory which now lies within the borders of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, according to the UN. … Read More

This is the second UN-organised convoy to pass through the Novotroitske crossing point, since it reopened for the delivery of humanitarian cargo a little over a week ago.   The crossing is currently the only one that is operational for humanitarian aid deliveries along the contact line. It had been closed for humanitarian cargo movement since 24 February owing to security concerns.  While there… Read More

“We believe Mr. Navalny’s life is in serious danger,” the UN independent human rights experts said in a statement.   “He has been incarcerated under harsh conditions in a high security penal colony and denied access to adequate medical care. Despite having recently been transferred to a hospital, doctors of his own choosing have not been allowed to visit him.” … Read More

“In 2021, it is stunning to read a report on race and ethnicity that repackages racist tropes and stereotypes into fact, twisting data and misapplying statistics and studies into conclusory findings and ad hominem attacks on people of African descent”, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, said in a news release. The report was presented on… Read More

Zahir Tanin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, reported on the results of the 14 February legislative election, where the winning party, Vetëvendosje, received more than half the vote, amid high turnout.   SRSG Tanin at #UNSC: “The voters in #Kosovo raised their voices for breaking with the past, and I hope that the members of this Council will add their… Read More

Last week, 176 people were detained during peaceful protests commemorating Freedom Day on 25 March, an unofficial holiday, they reported, and seven journalists were among more than 240 people apprehended days later.  Mass protests and demonstrations have continued since last August’s disputed presidential election returned Alexander Lukashenko to power. Last week, the Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning abuses… Read More

Most countries saw a rise in coronavirus transmission last week, with 1.6 million new cases and nearly 24 000 deaths, the UN office has reported.    My message to governments in the Region is therefore that now is not the time to relax measures. We can’t afford not to heed the danger. We have all made sacrifices, but we cannot… Read More

In his former life, in Syria, Hussam worked as a journalist, and was an elite athlete. “I was the Syrian kickboxing champion three times”, he says. However, the conflict in the country put paid to his professional and sporting ambitions. “I was shot in the chest, and after that I stopped taking part in sports”. Forced to leave , Hussam… Read More

“This decision…sends a dangerous message that violence against women is not important, with the risk of encouraging perpetrators and weakening measures to prevent it”, said Dubravka Šimonović, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women.  She noted that it will only weaken laws which provide women protection and helps keep them safe, “and leaves them at further risk at a… Read More