What can the UN do to stop the war?
5/4/2022: The current war in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion, has sparked all sorts of questions about the United Nations, particularly the role of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretary-General. The UN Charter informs answers to five key questions.
Source: UN News
Sudanese militia leader to go on trial at the ICC
6/4/2022: A senior commander of the notorious Janjaweed militia will become the first person to go on trial at the International Criminal Court for atrocities in Darfur. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, 72, faces 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2003-04. Former president Omar al-Bashir and three others are still being sought by the ICC.
Source: The East African
Bangladesh shuts largest private school in Rohingya camps
28/3/2022: Bangladesh has been sheltering about 850,000 Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar since a military offensive in 2017. Closure of the school is a further blow to the educational prospects of thousands of children stuck in the camps.
Source: CNA
Taliban backtracks on school re-opening for girls
28/3/2022: The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has decided to keep girls’ schools closed until school uniforms are designed in accordance with Afghan customs, culture, and Sharia. Amnesty International is calling on the international community to make women’s and girls’ rights to education a red line during negotiations with the Taliban de-facto authorities.
Source: Amnesty International
Human rights abuse in China’s fishing fleet revealed
5/4/2022: China’s distant water fleet – by far the world’s largest – is rife with human rights abuses and illegal fishing, according to a new report. China’s state subsidies have allowed the fleet to exploit the waters of developing nations that rely on marine resources for livelihoods and food security.
Source: Environmental Justice Foundation
Bucha killings raise ‘serious’ questions about possible war crimes
4/4/2022: Senior UN officials have echoed the Secretary-General’s call for an independent investigation into the killing of scores of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. An independent investigation is critical to determine the extent of these crimes and to ensure that perpetrators are held to account.
Source: UN News
Kenyan farmers turn to indigenous seed banks
4/4/2022: The Kenyan government has introduced a law restricting the use of traditional seed systems, reliant on open pollination. Instead, the law compels the purchase of costly hybrid seeds, a hardship for small-scale farmers.
Source: Devex
What really happened at Geneva’s crucial biodiversity negotiations?
2/4/2022: Talks ahead of the key Cop15 summit on halting mass extinction of life were slow – and much has been asked of the developing world. Little progress was made on the targets and goals due for approval at the major biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, later this year.
Source: The Guardian
Will new African Union mission in Somalia succeed?
1/4/2022: A transitional force has been given less than two years to hand over security responsibilities to Somalia's national army and withdraw from the troubled country. Analysts say progress on security cannot be achieved while the country is stuck in political deadlock. Elections are more than a year overdue.
Source: The East African
UN announces 2-month truce in Yemen
1/4/2022: The two sides in Yemen's ongoing conflict — the Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels — will put down their weapons for two months, to coincide with Ramadan. The UN Special Envoy plans to intensify efforts to reach a permanent cease-fire, and address urgent economic and humanitarian measures.
Source: DW