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Month: June 2019

Government internet ban leaves parts of Myanmar ‘in a blackout’, UN expert calls for immediate lifting

The Government shutdown mobile data networks in nine conflict areas townships of Rakhine and Chin States, risking serious implications for human rights and humanitarian monitoring, warned UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee.

Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar Yanghee Lee. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré, by UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre

“The entire region is in a blackout,” she said. “I fear for all civilians there, cut off and without the necessary means to communicate with people inside and outside the area.”

According to recent reports, over the last six months, both parties to the conflict have committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said that internet services were being used to coordinate illegal activities and ordered all mobile network providers under the Telecommunications Law of 2013, to temporarily cut mobile internet services.

Citing credible reports from a few days earlier, the Special Rapporteur asserted that the Tatmadaw, or national army, had conducted helicopter attacks in Minbya Township in central Rakhine, and that the following day, the Arakan Army – a rebel insurgent group in the state – fired on a navy ship in Sittwe, killing and injuring several soldiers.

“I am told that the Tatmadaw is now conducting a ‘clearance operation’, which we all know by now, can be a cover for committing gross human rights violations against the civilian population”, the UN expert said.

The conflict between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw has been ongoing since late 2018, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Throughout this time, over 35,000 civilians have been displaced and dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed and injured by both indiscriminate and targeted attacks. Others, mainly ethnic Rakhine men, have died while in the military’s custody.

“We must not forget that these are the same security forces that have so far avoided accountability for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya in Rakhine State less than two years ago”, reminded the UN envoy.

I fear for all civilians there, cut off and without the necessary means to communicate with people inside and outside the area – UN Special Rapporteur

Ms. Lee called on the Government to reverse its decision and remove the mobile internet ban, saying: “The restrictions on the media and humanitarian organizations must be lifted immediately.”

“Both parties to the conflict must ensure that civilians and civilian objects are protected at all times and uphold international humanitarian law”, she concluded.

The UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told journalists in New York on Monday that the Organization continues to hope “that there will be conditions set that would allow for the peaceful return of the Rohingya to that state”, adding in relation to the internet blackout that “we want to make sure that freedom of opinion and freedom of expression is upheld”.

Security Council urges ‘maximum restraint’ around Gulf region as Iran and United States trade diplomatic blows in New York

Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi, was speaking to reporters outside the Security Council chamber in New York, where a closed-door meeting was being held to discuss the deteriorating relations between the United States, and Iran, which has also ratcheted up tension with Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, and its allies.

Iran’s Permanent Representative said he had asked to take part in the meeting, but the request had been refused. He blamed the US, a Permanent Member of the 15-member body. He said that Iran wanted “neither war, nor an escalation of tension” in the region.   

“The US decision today, to impose more sanctions against Iran is yet another indication of continued US hostility against the Iranian people and their leaders”, he said. “To ease tensions in the broader Persian Gulf region, the US must stop its military adventurism in our region, as well as its economic war”.

US officials have said that Iran was responsible for two separate incidents in recent weeks, around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, involving six oil tankers which were damaged. Iran has categorically denied any involvement.

Last week, an unmanned US drone was shot down by the Iranian military over what the US said were international waters in the Gulf, but Ambassador Ravanchi repeated Iran’s assertion on Monday, that the drone had been violating Iranian airspace when it was shot down.

Iran ‘was responsible’ acting US ambassador

Speaking at the same podium immediately after the closed meeting, the acting US Ambassador, Jonathan Cohen, told reporters that “it’s clear to us, and it should be to the world, that Iran was responsible for the May 12 and June 13 attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf. Such attacks pose a serious threat to the freedom of navigation and commerce in one of the world’s most important waterways.”

Mr. Cohen said the drone had not entered Iranian airspace but relied on interpreting its position as having been in the country’s “flight information region”, which is “not the same as their airspace”.

“Iran must understand that these attacks are unacceptable. It’s time for the world to join us in saying so. Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.” Earlier, the Iranian Ambassador had said that his country would not hold talks with the US while punitive sanctions continued, along with intimidation and threats.   

‘Nerves of steel’ are needed: Guterres

Asked earlier at the regular noon briefing for reporters at UN Headquarters, to comment on the continuing tensions around the Gulf region, the UN’s Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the Secretary‑General “has made clear his concerns, both about the recent incidents and also the rhetoric from various quarters.”

He’s made it clear that it would be a catastrophe to have any escalation in the Gulf region”, added Mr. Haq. “He has urged all sides to show nerves of steel, and he is continuing to maintain that, and he wants to make sure that they take steps to avoid any further sorts of provocation.” 

Security Council urge all countries to ‘exercise maximum restraint’

After the closed-door talks, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi of Kuwait, which holds the Council’s presidency for the month of June, read out an informal statement on behalf of the 15-member body condemning the attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, saying they represented a “serious threat to maritime navigation and energy supply” as well as being a threat to international peace and security.

“The Council members urge concerned parties and all countries in the region to exercise maximum restraint and take measures and actions to reduce escalation and end tension,” he said.

The statement called for differences to be addressed “peacefully and through dialogue”.

‘Wanton destruction’ in Sudan’s Darfur region, ‘blatant violation’ of international law

On 19 June, a group of protestors ransacked the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Graida office, in South Darfur, stealing an unspecified amount of money and vandalizing four vehicles. They also invaded and destroyed offices and properties of the humanitarian organization, World Vision International (WVI).

“This behaviour is totally unacceptable, especially the looting and destruction of humanitarian property causing serious disruption to the work of humanitarians providing lifesaving assistance to the most vulnerable people of Graida”, said Gwi-Yeop Son, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.

“These actions constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law”, he spelled out.

Protect UN and other international staff — UN Joint Chief Mediator

Attacks against civilian populations in Darfur continue and appear to be increasing in severity. Some 1.64 million internally displaced persons in Darfur remain especially vulnerable and sexual and gender-based violence continues to restrict women and girls’ freedom of movement in IDP camps and areas of return, according to Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who briefed the Security Council last week.

She noted that this is part of a resurgence of grave crimes by former ‘Janjaweed’ militia fighters that are now part of the Transitional Military Council-sanctioned Rapid Support Forces and who were responsible more than a decade ago for many alleged atrocities in Darfur. 

For his part, UNAMID Joint Special Representative/Joint Chief Mediator, Jeremiah Mamabolo, decried the limited support given to UN entities facing dangerous attacks that risk the lives of staff and local citizens.

“This looting incident in Graida comes just a few weeks after a similar intrusion took place in El Geneina, west Darfur”, he pointed out. “Such wanton destruction of UN property and assets cannot continue with impunity”.

Although the situation has been brought under control and evacuated UN staff have safely arrived in Nyala, South Darfur, the Organization stressed the critical need to respect humanitarians assisting the most vulnerable in Darfur and the rest of Sudan.  

“The UN further reminds the Government of Sudan, as a member of the United Nations, and its citizenry in general, that they have a standing obligation to protect UN and other international staff operating in their country, including the organisation’s assets”, Mr. Mamabolo emphasized. “It is the responsibility of the of the Government of Sudan to be accountable and to protect all UN staff operating within Sudanese borders”, he underscored

In line with the protecting of civilians, UNAMID continues to monitor and facilitate humanitarian access in Darfur, as mandated by the Security Council.

FROM THE FIELD: Children in warzones denied right to education 

© UNICEF/Marko Kokic | Bintu Mohammed, 13, stands in her home in Banki, in northeast Nigeria. Her village was attacked four years ago and her school was destroyed. (1 May 2019) ​​​​​

Conflicts in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Ukraine have led to the destruction of the physical infrastructure of many schools and the breakdown in the provision of education, but six young people from those countries have been talking about how they are keeping their dreams for the future, alive.  

UNICEF has promoted the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to better protect students, teachers, schools and universities during war and to allow young people to continue their education. 

Read more here about the six children’s fight to get an education. 

Statelessness for terrorists’ families, never an acceptable option, urges UN rights chief

In an address to Member States marking the start of the Human Rights Council’s 41st session in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet explained that more than 55,000 men, women and children have been rounded up since the fall of the self-styled “Caliphate” in the spring.

“While the majority of these individuals are Syrian or Iraqi, they also include alleged foreign fighters from nearly 50 countries,” Ms. Bachelet said, noting that at least 11,000 suspected family members of foreign ISIL fighters – or Dae’sh, as the group is known in the Arab world – are still being held at Al Hol camp in north-eastern Syria, “in deeply sub-standard conditions”.

Citing estimates by UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, that there are 29,000 children of foreign fighters in Syria, the High Commissioner added that two-thirds of them originally came from Iraq and most were not even 12 years old.

© UNICEF/UN0277723/Souleiman
On 26 January 2019, in the Syrian Arab Republic, children and families are huddled together, after being forced to flee their homes, before embarking on the long and arduous journey to safety at Al-Hol camp.

Denying ISIL families nationality ‘could fuel revenge’

Thousands more children have been born to foreign families during the years of conflict, she noted, before appealing to States to give them nationality, or else risk fuelling a “narrative of grievance and revenge”.

In Iraq, “well over” 150 men and women have been sentenced to death under anti-terror laws after trials where due process guarantees were not provided, Ms. Bachelet stressed, before insisting that States of origin “should make all efforts to ensure that they will be treated in accordance with international law”.

Guiding principle ‘must be to protect children’

“Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights – including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by ISIL to perpetrate violent acts,” Ms. Bachelet insisted, before the 47-Member Council. “The primary consideration must be their rehabilitation, protection and best interests.”

According to a report published by the Office of the High Commissioner last year for the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, more than 40,000 people from 110 countries are estimated to have joined ISIL by October 2017, while at least 5,600 had also returned home.

Highlighting that family members were being detained “although they are not being held for prosecution”, Ms. Bachelet said that many also risked “revenge attacks” and were “unwanted” by their former communities.

Children denied education, dignity

Despite the complex challenges involved in repatriating these families amid concerns that they pose a potential terror risk, stripping them of their nationality so that they can never return home “is never an acceptable option”, she maintained.

Moreover, doing the same to children “who have already suffered so much is an act of irresponsible cruelty”, the High Commissioner insisted, adding that stateless children often get no education, health care access “or other basic elements of dignity”.

To date, “a few” countries have attempted to repatriate some foreign nationals, Ms. Bachelet said, in reference to the French grandparents of children being held in Syria or Iraq.

More Member States could tackle the issue of foreign fighters and their families in line with technical advice prepared by the High Commissioner’s office (OHCHR), she said, before urging them to work with Syrian and Iraqi authorities to address urgent humanitarian needs.

DR Congo, Sudan and Venezuela also in spotlight

Over the next three weeks, as in previous sessions, the Human Rights Council is set to examine some 100 reports by UN-appointed independent rights experts and committees.

There will also be dialogues on the human rights situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,  Myanmar and Sudan, along with a detailed update on Friday 5 July, by the High Commissioner on her recent official visit to Venezuela.

Many other human rights themes are also on the table, including women’s enjoyment of their rights in the context of work, old age and climate change; targeted surveillance and the private surveillance industry; mental health; and other essential areas of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights.

Interested in how the Human Rights Council works, and how countries get elected to the body? Here’s our explainer from last October.

Watch Michelle Bachelet’s full address to the Council on Monday:

 

Don’t take African generosity towards refugees for granted, says UN refugee chief

Speaking via video-link from Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, described Africa as a “humanitarian theatre”, referring to the recently published Global Trends report from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), which shows a significant increase in the number of people in Africa forced to feel their homes.

At the same time, he said, Africa is a “humanitarian leader”, and a positive example for other parts of the world, with many nations on the continent championing progressive policies towards refugees: “Unlike in other regions, including regions where countries have more resources and more means to respond, borders tend to stay open to refugee flows.”

Security Council must ‘redouble efforts’ to find political solutions

Referring to the role of the Security Council in tackling the challenges associated with refugees, migration and displacement, Mr. Grandi called on States to redouble political efforts to find solutions, because, he said, where they are successful — as in the relatively rare case of Cote d’Ivoire —refugees and displaced people do return home. 

We owe it to millions of ordinary Africans who keep their doors open, and share often scarce resources Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The UN refugee chief wrapped up his briefing with a tribute to the solidarity shown by Africans towards those forced to flee their homes, pointing out that, unlike in other parts of the world, such solidarity is not a subject of political debate: “We owe it to millions of ordinary Africans in villages, towns, and cities who, out of a sense of duty, cultural tradition, or their own values, keep their doors open, and share often scarce resources”.

Bience Gawanas, Special Adviser on Africa to the Secretary-General, also addressed the meeting, echoed Mr. Grandi’s recognition of African solidarity to displaced people. She declared that the Security Council has a responsibility to find coherent solutions to displacement, as opposed to “siloed” approaches to peace, humanitarian affairs and development that are neither effective, nor durable.

Ms. Gawanas said the best way to deal with displacement, is to deal with the root causes, so that people do not need to leave home in the first place. The international community, she continued, must listen to young people who do not simply want stability, but better prospects and hope for the future.

She said it was critical that the Council and international community overall, continue to support host countries, both financially, and by removing barriers that prevent refugees from working, or from fully integrating within host communities.

The informal meeting, entitled “Responding effectively to the needs of refugees, displaced persons and returnees: the role of the UN Security Council and its members”, was organised by the three African members of the Security Council—Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa—in conjunction with the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the UN.

Its aim was to find ways to improve the situation of refugees, displaced persons and returnees; discuss the role of the Security Council in implementing the Global Compact on Refugees – which provides guidance on how to meet the needs of refugees and host communities – and discuss how the partnership between the African Union and the UN can positively impacting refugees and internally displaced people.

The meeting took place amidst significant international efforts to address the global refugee crisis. More than 70 million people currently have had to leave their homes (the highest number ever recorded), including 25.9 million refugees, 41.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 3.5 million asylum seekers, according to UNHCR. 

The meeting also marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons in Africa.
 

Monday’s Daily Brief: human rights in the Near East and a Forum for Refugees

Statelessness for terrorists’ families, never an acceptable option, urges UN rights chief

Thousands of suspected foreign ISIL terrorist fighters and their families who are being held in detention in Syria and Iraq, must be treated fairly by their captors and taken back by their home countries, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.

In an address to Member States marking the start of the Human Rights Council’s 41st session in Geneva, Michelle Bacheletexplained that more than 55,000 men, women and children have been rounded up since the fall of the self-styled “Caliphate” in the spring.

Read our full story here.

Displacement challenges ‘cannot be done alone’

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announced that on 17 and 18 December it will be hosting the first-ever Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.

With tens of millions of people affected by war, conflict and persecution, the Forum will provide an opportunity for countries to take stock of the situation today and strengthen the international response.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said that “refugee situations send ripples across entire regions and beyond”, pointing out that “dealing with displacement challenges cannot be done alone”, requiring a united vision among countries, coupled with concrete action.

“This is the goal of the Global Compact on Refugees and it is what we will be working towards” during the Forum, he spelled out.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to attend the event, which will be held at Ministerial level and, among other things, focus on burden and responsibility-sharing; education; livelihoods; and protection.

New UN agriculture agency chief hails from China

On Sunday, the UN food and agriculture agency, FAO, elected Qu Dongyu, China’s agricultural deputy minister, to take the reins on 1 August. Having received a total of 108 votes out of 191 cast, FAO’s 194-member countries chose Mr. Qu during its 41st annual conference in Rome.

The new FAO chief, who was born in 1963, is the first person from a communist country to hold the top job and the ninth Director-General since the Organization was founded in 1945. Current chief José Graziano da Silva, from Brazil, will complete his four-year term on 31 July.

As China’s vice-minister for agriculture, Mr. Qu worked on several rural development projects all over the world, during which time he was in close contact with many UN countries.

UN committee sounds alarm over Israeli practices that violate Palestinians’ human rights

A United Nations human rights committee, mandated with investigating Israeli practices, noted on Monday “with deep concern the continued degradation of the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” as a result of  Israeli policies and practices. The recent spike in settlement expansion and settler violence, especially against children and schools, was also noted as alarming.

The findings stem from the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, which just concluded its annual mission to Amman, Jordan.

The various illegal and discriminatory practices denounced by the committee include, to name a few:

  • The killing and injury of Palestinians, resulting from the use of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas by Israeli security forces against people posing no direct threat to life.
  • Night raids to arrest children in the West Bank, after which children are often taken to unknown locations, held in military vehicles, and subjected to threats and verbal abuse during interrogations.
  • Severe, arbitrary and punitive restrictions on the fishing zone in Gaza and lack of safe drinking water.

The committee will present its next report to the General Assembly in November 2019. 
 

Listen to or download our audio News In Brief for 24 June on SoundCloud:  

Assassinations in Ethiopia amidst regional ‘coup’ attempt, condemned by UN chief

 

In a statement released on Sunday, António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the weekend’s deadly incidents”. The Governor of the restive Amhara National Region was killed along with an adviser, while in the capital Addis Ababa, another key ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Chief of Staff General Seare Mekonnen was shot, along with another senior officer.  

Mr. Guterres called on “all Ethiopian stakeholders to demonstrate restraint, prevent violence and avoid any action that could undermine the peace and stability of Ethiopia”.  

According to news reports, the Government has said the situation is now under control, which the Prime Minister addressed the nation on television urging Ethiopians to unite in the face of the “evil” coup attempt in Amhara. The region has been a hotspot of inter-ethnic violence, and the Government reportedly believes that the assassinations are linked. Many of those involved in the alleged coup attempt have been arrested, said Mr. Abiy’s office.  

The Prime Minister has made sweeping changes to the politics of the fast-growing African nation since taking office in April last year, transforming relations with neighbouring Eritrea, and making a series of bold internal reforms. 

The Secretary General said in his statement that he “welcomed the commitment of the Prime Minister and Government of Ethiopia to ensure that the perpetrators of these actions are brought to justice. The United Nations remains committed to supporting the Government of Ethiopia in its efforts to address ongoing challenges.” 

Around three million people have been displaced within Ethiopia, due to long-standing ethnic disputes, usually involving land ownership and rights.  

It’s time we took a seat ‘at your table’: Guterres calls on world youth to keep leading climate emergency response

António Guterres was making the closing address at the UN-backed World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, and Youth Forum, in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, Lisboa+21.  

The summit comes 21 years after the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, and provides a place for national governments to talk about progress made with young people directly, and well as introducing new approaches to empowering youth in politics and decision-making.  

Building on an argument he has been making for some months now in the face of the existential threat posed by climate change, enshrined in the Paris Agreement of 2015 to keep warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, the Secretary-General said that it’s “not enough to listen to young people and provide a seat at the table – we need to take a seat at your table”. 

Schoolchildren get it, more than global leaders 

Through the actions of inspiration young leaders such as Sweden’s Greta Thunberg who’s got classrooms striking for climate action across the world, Mr. Guterres said that “schoolchildren have grasped its urgency better than global leaders. They know the window of opportunity is closing; they are determined to beat this threat and they are making a big difference already.” 

The UN chief said Governments were listening, and “companies are starting to realise that a big carbon footprint is bad for their image, and even for their profits.” 

This is just the start, he added, saying that the energy and commitment of young people, such as the delegates in the audience in Lisbon, was making action a priority, “stepping up to the challenge.” 

“We need to create an enabling environment for young people, where they are seen not as subjects to be protected, but as citizens with equal rights, equal voices and equal influence, as full members of our societies and powerful agents for change.” 

He lauded the World Programme of Action for Youth, the focus of this weekend’s efforts in Portugal, saying that it was encouraging a wider focus on policy-making and programmes that are truly relevant to youth worldwide. 

“Policies on gender are particularly important since we cannot build strong, just and resilient communities and societies without the full participation and leadership of half of their members. 

Mr. Guterres told the hall he was hoping that many would be in New York in September, for not only the major Climate Action Summit, but also to help push along “more urgent and ambitious global action for implementation”. 

Lisboa +21
World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019 and Youth Forum Lisboa+21, in Lisbon, Portugal, as Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Envoy on Youth, addresses delegates.

Value ‘potential and promise’ of youth: Wickramanayake

With many senior UN attendees from multiple agencies, the UN chief’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, spoke on behalf of the whole UN System, telling delegates that they represented “the largest-ever generation of young people” in human history, with 1.8 billion aged between 10 and 24. Around 90 per cent are in developing countries, noting that sustainable development could not be achieved, “unless we involve young people and create the conditions that allow them to reach their full potential.” 

“Young people should be valued for their potential and promise” she said, “not seen as a problem”. Addressing the ministers in the room, she said that when “implemented and adequately funded, robust youth policies can be instrumental in reducing inequality among young people and between youth and the broader community.” 

She said the UN’s Youth 2030 strategy, launched last year, was a holistic plan to “build the agency and advance the rights of young people and ensure their engagement” with the whole 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She called on ministers and policy makers to work with the UN to deliver the youngest generations, a better future. 

Ensure that widows are ‘not left out or left behind’, UN chief urges on International Day 

In the “absence of social and legal protection”, he said in his message, “widowed women’s lifetime earnings and savings are often too little to avoid poverty”.  

Even in countries with good pension coverage, “women are significantly more likely to suffer poverty in old age than men”, he continued, pointing out that “social services are particularly important for older widows who may live alone or have greater need for elderly care services”. 

Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez (2nd left) helped to set up the Center for the Historical Memory of Women in San Juan Comalapa, bringing closure for widows of Guatemalan conflict. (April 2018), by UN Women/Ryan Brown

In many countries, widows do not have the same inheritance rights as their male counterparts, “meaning that they may be stripped of land, property and even rights and access to their own children”, according to the UN chief. “Even where laws do not discriminate, those rights need to be equally applied and enjoyed in practice”.  

Moreover, in some societies, widows suffer marginalization, ill-treatment and violence, including sexual abuse, harassment and forced remarriage.  

Mr. Guterres also shone a light on the vulneraries of widows in conflict and natural disaster, which are exacerbated through loss and displacement and weakened social and legal protections, stressing that “norms that are used to justify” these discriminatory practices must be tackled.  

“On this international day, let us reaffirm our commitment to supporting all widows, regardless of age, location, or legal system” ensuring that they are “not left out or left behind”, concluded the Secretary-General. 

‘Unseen’ women 

For her part, the Executive Director of UN Women observed that while families sustain cultures and economies and provide love, support and nourishment, “all too often”, they can also be “places of violence and discrimination for women and girls, with widows being some of the most affected, with little recourse”. 

“When a woman’s value is contingent on having a husband, widowhood can force women out of family structures entirely, leaving them particularly vulnerable to multi-dimensional poverty, loneliness and isolation” Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in her message.  

Noting that poorer women are more likely to become widowed because of large spousal age gaps in poorer households – often sustained by harmful practices like child marriage – and a lower life expectancy of poor men, she observed that “many widows also struggle to maintain economic security in the face of discriminatory inheritance laws”.  

“Even in places where legislation exists to protect women from these situations, widows are often subjected to eviction and property grabbing”, maintained Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka. “Despite being present in every society in significant numbers, widows remain largely unseen, with correspondingly weak support for the challenges they face”.  

When a woman’s value is contingent on having a husband, widowhood can force women out of family structures entirely — UN Women chief

While 2010 figures show that 14.6 per cent of women aged 55–59 globally were widowed, this does not capture the full picture. Widows can also be child brides whose husbands died, leaving them with little or no inheritance, property or livelihood opportunities.  

“The struggle to support themselves and their children in these conditions sets women up for a lifetime of disadvantage and fuels cycles of poverty across generations”, bemoaned the UN Women chief, underscoring that urgent action is needed “to better protect and sustain widows”. 

She noted steps that governments could take, including policy efforts toward supporting income security and economic participation for the most vulnerable, such as widows.  

“On this International Widows’ Day, we recognize widows in all their diversity, and acknowledge the need to integrate them fully and visibly into our work on gender equality so that we break cycles of poverty and disadvantage and ensure that all widows can enjoy their full human rights”, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka concluded. 

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