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Month: March 2024

With 783 million people going hungry, a fifth of all food goes to waste

The UN Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report 2024 highlights that latest data from 2022 shows 1.05 billion tonnes of food went to waste.

Some 19 per cent of food available to consumers was lost overall at retail, food service, and household levels.

That is in addition to around 13 per cent of food lost in the supply chain, as estimated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), from post-harvest up to the point of sale. 

‘Global tragedy’

“Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, explaining that this ongoing issue not only impacts the global economy but also exacerbates climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Most of the world’s food waste comes from households, totalling 631 million tonnes – or up to 60 per cent – of the total food squandered. The food service and retail sectors were responsible for 290 and 131 million tonnes accordingly.

On average, each person wastes 79 kilogrammes of food annually. This is the equivalent of 1.3 meals every day for everyone in the world impacted by hunger, the report authors underscore.

Not just a ‘rich country’ problem

The problem is not confined to affluent nations. Following a near doubling of data coverage since the 2021 Food Waste Index Report was published, there has been increased convergence between rich and poor.

High-income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries differ in average levels of household food waste by just seven kilogrammes per capita per year. 

The bigger divide comes in the variations between urban and rural populations.

In middle-income countries, for example, rural areas are generally wasting less. One possible explanation is in the recycling of food scraps for pets, animal feed, and home composting in the countryside. 

The report recommends focusing efforts on strengthening food waste reduction and composting in cities. 

Waste and climate change

There is a direct correlation between average temperatures and food waste levels, the report finds.

Hotter countries appear to have more food waste per capita in households, potentially due to increased consumption of fresh foods containing fewer edible parts and a lack of robust refrigeration and preservation solutions.

Higher seasonal temperatures, extreme heat events, and droughts make it more challenging to store, process, transport, and sell food safely, often leading to a significant volume of food being wasted or lost.

Since food loss and waste generates up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – almost five times the total emissions compared to the aviation sector – reducing emissions from food waste is essential, UNEP expert believe. 

Food for hope

There is room for optimism, the report suggests: public-private partnerships to reduce food waste and impacts on climate and water stress are being embraced by a steadily growing number of governments of all levels.

Examples include Japan and the UK with reductions of 18 per cent and 31 per cent respectively, showing that change at scale is possible, if food is rationed properly. 

Published ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste, the UNEP Food Waste Index Report, has been co-authored with WRAP, a UK climate action NGO.

It provides the most accurate global estimate on food waste at retail and consumer levels, offering countries guidance on improving data collection and best practices, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030.

First Person: ‘We had to avoid stepping on the bodies in the streets’ in Darfur

Sudan, and Darfur in particular, are facing a humanitarian and security crisis after a war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), although ethnic conflicts in Darfur date back more than two decades.

Fatima*, a resident of the city of El Geneina in West Darfur state, where thousands of people have been reportedly killed, escaped with her family across the border as rival militias battled for control of her city.

A school in El Geneina in West Darfur state, which had been serving as a displaced persons shelter, is burned to the ground. (file)
© Mohamed Khalil

A school in El Geneina in West Darfur state, which had been serving as a displaced persons shelter, is burned to the ground. (file)

“We were trapped inside our house for more than 57 days while militias systematically targeted and killed people based on their ethnicity. They did not spare women, children or elders.

Snipers were hiding on the rooftops and were targeting everyone they saw. There was death in a way I can’t describe.

Thousands of people have been displaced by over 20 years of conflict in Darfur and many move regularly between camps and El Geneina, especially at the beginning of the year or during Ramadan when killings, displacement and destruction occur.

Life is disrupted during this time, and markets, schools and government institutions are closed. Then, when the attacks stop, people try to resume their normal lives. When the last war broke out last April, we thought it would be the same, but, unfortunately, it was different.

I saw armed men, some of whom were foreigners, who surrounded the city from four sides. As a journalist, I went to an elevated area to take photographs and the neighbours were all watching through their windows. The militiamen were shooting and shouting about doomsday, saying they would bring destruction and death to Earth.

We were trapped inside houses and had to hide under beds; stray ammunition was everywhere, and I could hear people screaming in the streets and exchanging fire.

The war lasted for 57 days in the southern part of El Geneina, and whole neighborhoods were wiped out. The militiamen worked in a systematic way, going from house to house killing people. Snipers were also hiding on the rooftops and were targeting everyone they saw. There was death in a way I can’t describe.

There were two teams, one killing, one looting

The militiamen worked in two teams, one focused on killing people and the other on looting their property. Some of the gunmen didn’t speak Arabic and threatened to kill us if we didn’t give them gold and money.

There were so many bodies in the streets it was hard to walk

Masked people entered my house and one of them who seemed to know me said to me ‘you are a journalist; you used to write reports in the past, but you can’t now.’ They took my phone and computer and destroyed them in front of my eyes, telling me they were watching my every move and that if I wrote anything, they would kill me.

My husband told me to leave the house and head towards the northern neighborhoods. I took my baby and went with my neighbour who had given birth two days before. She carried the baby wrapped in a cloth and brought the rest of her children.

We came across bodies lying in the streets. A whole family, women and children, lay in front of their house. There were so many bodies in the streets that it was hard to walk, and we had to avoid stepping on the bodies.

A woman holds gun shells discharged in fighting in West Darfur.
© UNOCHA/Mohamed Khalil

A woman holds gun shells discharged in fighting in West Darfur.

Burning the bodies of the dead

We arrived at a quiet place and thought it was safe. We thought we smelled a barbecue, only to discover that it was hundreds of burned corpses. One of the gunmen was smoking a cigarette while watching the smouldering bodies.

We thought we smelled a barbecue, only to discover it was hundreds of burned corpses

We were scared and later could hear the neighbours repeating loudly the shahada [an Islamic declaration of faith in God] in preparation for death. I heard a man shouting for help, and then shortly after I heard the sound of gunfire and then his voice disappeared. 

There is a tree in El Geneina that the militants called the ‘tree of the dead’, to which they used to bring people for execution by firing squad. The men refused to bury the bodies, and no one else was allowed to do so or even ask about the missing. 

When the situation calmed down and people started looking for their missing relatives, they would tell them to go to the tree. Women were not allowed to go; only men were allowed.

A Sudanese mother and her children take refuge in a town in Chad across the border from Darfur in Sudan.
© UNICEF/Annadjib Ramadane Maha

A Sudanese mother and her children take refuge in a town in Chad across the border from Darfur in Sudan.

Fleeing to Chad

I fled home in a hurry and left all my money, valuables and gold, so I borrowed money and rented a car to drive my son and family members to Adré, a town in Chad. On the first day, we turned back because it was too dangerous, and the next day when we attempted the journey again armed men stopped the car and stole our possessions.

We eventually made it to the refugee camp in Adré, but many people were killed on the way; many children lost their parents. The Chadian army helped transport many of the refugees and some of the wounded from El Geneina to the camps and provided them with water and food.

The suffering in the camps in Chad is great, but it is less than what we experienced in war. I was in a very bad psychological condition. I couldn’t concentrate on who was talking to me, and I lost track of the days and time, but now I have recovered, thanks to God. 

My husband who stayed behind in El Geneina arrived at the camp two weeks ago.

I have lost everything I ever owned. The militias looted our house and took everything, even the doors. We heard that they started demolishing it and taking away the bricks, and I’m afraid that when we come back, we will find nothing but barren land.”

* Not her real name to protect her identity

World News in Brief: Civilian deaths in Ukraine, refugees in Cameroon at risk, older women facing abuse, cholera in Somalia

News reports said that residential buildings in the northern city of Kharkiv had been hit, killing one and injuring 16, quoting the city’s mayor. 

Four children were wounded, with images posted to social media showing extensive damage and a body visible lying on the floor.

The UN’s Denise Brown said that international law must be respected by combatants, adding that there had been a week of daily attacks on cities “which have taken the lives of people and severely impacted vital services.”

Food assistance to Cameroon refugees at risk amid funding shortages

Vital food assistance to refugees in Cameroon may cease unless funding shortfalls can be filled, UN humanitarians have warned.

The alert from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) affects vulnerable people sheltering in the country’s Far North, Adamawa, East and North regions.

A young boy tests positive for Malaria in eastern Cameroon. (file)
© UNICEF/Frank Dejongh

A young boy tests positive for Malaria in eastern Cameroon. (file)

Rations have already been cut in half in these areas, meaning that food baskets have been missing basic staples including pulses, vegetable oil and salt.

“Without immediate support we will have no option but to further cut the already meagre portions on refugees’ plates, with all the devastating impacts this will bring including rising malnutrition and hunger,” said Wanja Kaaria, WFP Country Director in Cameroon.

Less study, less food

Ms. Kaaria explained that families facing hunger cope by pulling children out of school and eating less food; this affects women and children especially, she warned.

Cameroon continues to be affected by three humanitarian crises; one is in the Far North and linked to violence and insecurity close by, in Lake Chad and Nigeria.

The second is in the Northwest and Southwest regions, where armed groups are fighting Government forces, and the third is in neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR).  

Thousands of people have been uprooted by fighting, fleeing to Cameroon for shelter, meaning that the country now hosts more than half a million refugees and asylum-seekers.

The $371 million humanitarian response plan for Cameroon is only five per cent funded.

Older women and those with disabilities at ‘particular risk’ of abuse

Older women and women with disabilities face particular risk of abuse, yet their situation is largely hidden in most countries’ statistics on victims of violence, according to two new publications released on Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UN agency is calling for governments to carry out more thorough research that will help ensure these women are counted, and that their specific needs are understood and addressed.

The data and evidence of gender-based violence amongst these groups, shows a high prevalence.

One systematic review found greater risks of intimate partner violence for women with disabilities compared with those without, while another also found higher rates of sexual violence.  

“Older women and women with disabilities are under-represented in much of the available research on violence against women, which undermines the ability of programmes to meet their particular needs,” said WHO’s Dr. Lynnmarie Sardinha, who is the author of the briefs and an expert on data relating to violence against women.

Understanding differences

“Understanding how diverse women and girls are differently affected, and if and how they are accessing services, is critical to ending violence in all its forms.”

Intimate partner and sexual violence are the most common forms of gender-based violence globally and affect around one in three women.

Older women and women with disabilities are still subjected to these types of violence but also face specific risks and additional forms of abuse, sometimes at the hands of caregivers or healthcare professionals.

These include coercive and controlling behaviours such as withholding of medicines, assistive devices or other aspects of care, and financial abuse.

Concern grows over spread of cholera, diarrhoea in Somalia

The UN humanitarian affairs coordination office, OCHA, on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the spread of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea in Somalia, which is grappling with multiple crises.  

As of a week ago, nearly 4,400 cases and 54 deaths had been recorded in nearly half of all districts in Somalia, since the beginning of the year, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing correspondents in New York.

Over 60 per cent of the deaths are reportedly among children under five. 

WHO said cases this year are three times higher than the previous three-year average and Somalia is already among the countries most severely impacted by cholera and acute watery diarrhoea.

Stepping up response

“We, along with our humanitarian partners, are working with Somalia’s health authorities to step up preparation and response efforts, in line with a six-month plan of action that will require nearly $6 million”, said Mr. Dujarric.

There are severe shortages in the number of available oral cholera vaccine doses, he said, while aid organizations are pre-positioning treatment kits and working on surveillance and case management.  

“However, we urgently need additional funding”, he continued. “This year’s humanitarian appeal for Somalia is only 10 per cent funded. We have about $150 million received out of the nearly $1.6 billion that are needed.

DR Congo mission chief says humanitarian disaster ‘unfolding before our very eyes’

Ms. Keita, who also heads the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, sounded the alarm over the humanitarian disaster “unfolding before our very eyes”.

More than seven million people in the country are displaced, particularly due to the operations of armed groups such as the M23 and the Allied Defense Forces (ADF) across the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. 

“As this Council has regularly reiterated, echoed by a recent statement of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, all foreign forces illegally operating on DRC’s territory need to withdraw, and national and foreign armed groups, such as the ADF and FDLR, need to be disarmed,” she said.   

Security reform a priority 

Ms. Keita presented the latest MONUSCO report, which covers political, security, human rights and humanitarian developments in the DRC over the past three months.

She said the presidential, national, and provincial legislative elections held in December were largely peaceful, despite major logistical challenges.

President Félix Tshisekedi secured a second term in office and announced that reform of the security and defense sector would be one of his main priorities. Negotiations around the formation of a new government are underway.

Tensions and atrocities

However, the security situation in the east deteriorated further following December’s polls, she said, with the M23 making significant advances and expanding its territory to unprecedented levels. This has resulted in an even more disastrous humanitarian situation, with internal displacement reaching unparalleled numbers.

The reporting period also saw Angola mediating in the wake of regional tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, and the start of the deployment of the Southern Africa Mission to the DRC (SAMIDRC) to North Kivu.

Although the M23 crisis has drawn a great deal of attention, Ms. Keita highlighted atrocities committed by other groups, such as ADF, particularly on the border between North Kivu and Ituri.

Almost 200 people have been killed there since the beginning of the year, she said, noting that insecurity in Ituri is fueled by the actions of four militias – CODECO, Zaire, FRPI and FPIC – as well as the ADF.

South Kivu has also seen a resurgence of tensions, driven by armed groups and inter-community rivalry. Frequent rumours about the presence of M23 elements, and the extension of the conflict from North Kivu towards the south, have further compounded the situation.

An escalation of tensions between Rwanda and Burundi, which led to the closing of their border by the Burundian authorities, was another issue that could lead to destabilization of the province and the region as a whole, she added.

Protecting civilians

To protect civilians, MONUSCO and the Congolese army have continued joint operations in Ituri and North Kivu, and strengthened a defensive operation known as “Springbok” in efforts to protect areas in the vicinity of Goma, the North Kivu capital, and nearby Sake.

Ms. Keita said UN peacekeepers have come under direct and indirect fire “almost on a daily basis”. Recently, mortar fire from M23-occupied positions landed on MONUSCO bases in Sake, wounding eight peacekeepers and six civilian staff, which she condemned. 

The M23 also managed to occupy all former positions held by East African forces, which withdrew completely in January after more than a year in place, allowing the group to move further south to encircle Goma and Sake.

In the meantime, deployment of SAMIDRC continues and troops have begun providing assistance to the Congolese forces.

Waves of displacement

Turning to the humanitarian situation, Ms. Keita said the situation is in particular due to the escalation of the M23 crisis in North Kivu as well as the prolonged armed violence in Ituri and South Kivu.

Some 7.1 million people are internally displaced, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, or 800,000 more since she last briefed the Council three months ago.

Furthermore, 23.4 million Congolese are facing hunger and malnutrition, one in four, making the DRC the country which is most affected by food insecurity.

Waves of internally displaced persons continue to arrive in Goma and the surrounding area. As of last month, more than 104 displacement sites were recorded around the city alone, hosting more than 630,000 people.

Record spike in gender-based violence 

“Cases of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation have also reached new records. In January 2024 alone, 10,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported across the country, a much higher increase than in previous years,” she added.

Ms. Keita urged the international community to address the humanitarian disaster.  However, she noted that the $2.6 billion humanitarian response plan for the DRC this year is only around 14 per cent funded.   

Gaza war: ‘Direct hits’ on more than 200 schools since Israeli bombing began   

Satellite imagery pointed to at least 53 schools “totally destroyed” since conflict erupted on 7 October 2023 and a near nine per cent increase in attacks on school premises since mid-February, according to a report by the UN Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) and NGOs the Education Cluster and Save The Children. 

The “high trend of attacks on school facilities” has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the report’s authors noted, amid “intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea across much of the Gaza Strip”.

Widespread destruction

Of the 563 school buildings in Gaza, 165 of the 212 that received a direct hit are in areas designated for evacuation by the Israeli military. This includes 62 schools in southern Khan Younis governorate and 76 out of 94 schools in Gaza governorate, to the north.

More than one in two school premises run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugeees, UNRWA have also been hit (57 per cent), according to the report, along with Government buildings targeted by Israeli shelling or during the ground operation.

Highlighting the scale of the impact of the conflict, the UN-partnered report indicated that more than 625,00 students and 22,000 teachers previously attended 813 schools.

More updates to come…

 

Donate to the humanitarian response in Gaza

UN says 758 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse reported in 2023

The findings published on Tuesday state that although progress has been made since 2017 through the establishment of new frameworks, policies and procedures, sexual exploitation and abuse continues to occur across the UN system.

Rising crises, rising risks 

Risks increased significantly last year, with the unprecedented rise in humanitarian crises along with significant reductions in funding, especially in high-risk and complex contexts where the UN operates. 

Last year, 758 allegations were received, compared to 534 the previous year and 265 in 2018. 

Of the 2023 figure, more than half, 384, were related to UN staff and affiliated personnel.  The remainder concerned personnel from partners and non-UN military forces not under UN authority.

One hundred allegations were reported in peacekeeping and special political missions, compared to 79 in 2022. 

Some 143 identified victims were associated with these allegations -115 adults and 28 children.  

Most allegations, 90 per cent, related to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, and another in the Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA. 

Prevention efforts continue 

The report contains updates on the implementation of the UN Secretary-General’s strategy to improve efforts in preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse.

“Our approach, which is centered on the rights and needs of victims, continues,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said during the daily media briefing in New York.

“We are intensifying efforts to uphold the rights of victims, and to end impunity. This also includes engagement with Member States to facilitate the resolution of paternity claims.” 

Guterres upholds accountability 

The Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator on improving UN response to sexual exploitation and abuse, Christian Saunders, has commissioned a comprehensive assessment to determine how to best integrate the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in all UN activities and programmes.

The assessment will propose a strategy to ensure sustainable, effective prevention work across the UN system and options for predictable and adequate resourcing at headquarters and in the field.  

“Sexual exploitation and abuse violate everything the United Nations stands for,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message accompanying the report. 

“It is up to all of us to eradicate sexual exploitation and abuse from our work, support victims, and hold perpetrators and their enablers to account.” 

IOM report: 1 in 3 migrant deaths occurs on the move

Last year was the deadliest on record, with 8,541 migrant victims. Nearly 60 per cent of deaths were linked to drowning. 

So far in 2024, the trends are just as alarming. Along the Mediterranean sea route alone – while arrivals this year are significantly lower (16,818) compared to the same period in 2023 (26,984) – the number of deaths is nearly as high as before, with 956 registered since 1 January.   

Unidentified, under-reported 

IOM noted that that the number of unidentified deaths remains high – more than two in three migrants – leaving families and communities to grapple with the lack of clarity about what happened to a friend or relative. To date, the UN agency’s Missing Migrant Project data shows that the remains of 26,666 people who died while migrating have not been recovered.

“Despite the many lives lost whose identities remain unknown, we know that almost 5,500 females have perished on migration routes during the last 10 years and the number of identified children is nearly 3,500,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, commenting on the recent findings. However, the report suggests, the true number of deaths of women and children is likely far higher: there are more than 37,000 dead for whom no information on sex or age is available.   

Call for safe pathways 

More than one in three deceased migrants whose origin could be identified come from countries in conflict or with large refugee populations, the study finds. That highlights dangers faced by those attempting to flee conflict zones without safe pathways, the agency underscored. The deadliest route is the Central Mediterranean, where at least 23,092 people have died since 2014.

“The toll on vulnerable populations and their families urges us to turn the attention on the data into concrete action,” Ms. Daniels said, advocating for more detailed information collection that would facilitate creating safer migration routes for people fleeing conflict and distress in their home countries.

IOM has adopted a new Strategic Plan 2024-2028 that aims to save lives and protect people on the move as its first objective. To do so, the UN migration agency is calling on countries and other partners to work jointly to end migrant deaths and address the impacts of the tens of thousands of lives lost on migratory routes worldwide.  

ISIL growing stronger in Syria, as war enters its thirteenth year

This was a reminder of the ongoing impact of a conflict which has now dragged on for more than 12 years and rarely makes headlines, even though it continues to have a devastating effect on the civilian population. 

In early March, the United Nations Syria Commission of Inquiry released a report which detailed an escalation of fighting, attacks on civilians and infrastructure that could amount to war crimes, and a humanitarian crisis. Ninety per cent of the population is living in poverty.

Hanny Megally is the Deputy Director and Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and he’s been a member of the Commission since 2017. He told UN News that, although it has been five years since ISIL last held territory in Syria, the group continues to gain strength.

Hanny Megally The country is crumbling, after 13 years of conflict, and some groups that we thought were defeated are coming back. And, in the meantime, none of the root causes of the conflict have been dealt with. ISIL has been growing in strength in Syria and, this year alone, there have already been more than 35 attacks. 

UN News Gaza has dominated the headlines ever since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, but just two days before that, on 5 October there was a very significant attack in the Syrian city of Homs, which triggered the current escalation of violence. 

Hanny Megally It was an attack on a ceremony at the military academy, attended by some senior representatives of the state. Recently graduated cadets were there with their families. Around 63 were killed and hundreds injured. The response from the Syrian state, with the help of the Russian airforce, was to hit over 2,300 targets within days, killing hundreds, mostly civilians, and displacing around 150,000 people. 

UN News The scale of activity by foreign powers detailed in your report is striking.

Hanny Megally You have Russia and Iran supporting the government; the United States and coalition partners essentially shoring up the autonomous Kurdish authority in the northeast; Turkey in the northwest supporting armed opposition groups; Israel targeting what they perceive to be pro-Iranian forces on the ground; and Jordan going after drug smugglers in the south.

UN News Has Syria has become the location for a series of overlapping proxy wars?

Hanny Megally I think it has. The sad thing is that the involvement of these states has prolonged the conflict. In essence, Syria has become a place where they can test out weapons, use old weapons that they no longer need to keep, and hit each other in way that would be much more serious if they were attacking each other directly.

UN News You also say that the events in Gaza [the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent assault on the Palestinian occupied territory] have elevated the risks of the conflict spreading further.

Five consecutive days of shelling and airstrikes caused damage in north-west Syria's Idleb area and the western Aleppo countryside. (Oct 2023)
© UNOCHA

Five consecutive days of shelling and airstrikes caused damage in north-west Syria’s Idleb area and the western Aleppo countryside. (Oct 2023)

Hanny Megally We have seen a big escalation over the last six months. Turkey is going after Kurdish PKK fighters, and they’re hitting infrastructure like power stations and water plants that are essential for the survival of the civilian population. In one attack more than a million people were without water for several days. There are also skirmishes between groups, whether in the Kurdish controlled areas with Arab tribes, or in the north, where groups supported by Turkey are beginning to fight amongst themselves. 

UN News 13 million Syrians have been forced to leave their homes. How would you describe the effect the conflict has had on the civilian population?

Hanny Megally Consider 13 years of barrel bomb bombardments and fighting on the ground, and the destruction of much of the infrastructure, which is not being rebuilt because sanctions imposed by a number of states are preventing necessary materials from coming into the country.

Half of the hospitals have been destroyed and there’s been an exodus of medical staff. The economy is plummeting and people are voting with their feet and leaving the country. 

Reception centre for displaced families in northern Idlib, Syria.
© UNOCHA/Bilal Al-Hammoud

Reception centre for displaced families in northern Idlib, Syria.

UN News According to media reports, ISIL actually controls aspects of life in camps for displaced people in Syria [Al Hawl and Al Rawj], and there seems to be no distinction between people who are ISIL sympathizers and people who have been victims of ISIL.

Hanny Megally After the military defeat of ISIL, the Syrian Democratic Forces took around 9,000 men who were considered to be fighters, or to have had connections with ISIL, into detention, along with their families. At one point the numbers in the camps rose to over 70,000 and now it’s around 47,000. 

Those who have been there say the conditions are the worst they’ve ever seen. These are not refugee camps, they’re more like prisons, but they are guarded from the outside, which has allowed extremist elements to take control. 

At the moment, around 30,000 children are living in these camps, and they’re in legal limbo. When they reach puberty, they are considered to be have reached fighting age or be a risk to others, and they are removed from the camps.

Imagine what this is like: you’re in your teens and you’re removed from your mother. You’re put in a rehabilitation centre and you have no idea what happens next. When you reach 18, they may move you to a prison with adults that are considered fighters or supporters of ISIL. It’s not a solution, and it’s creating a problem which will come back to haunt us, in terms of being a breeding ground for terrorism.

UN News You’ve been cataloguing the suffering of Syrians for many years. Given everything you’ve seen, is there any hope for Syria? 

Hanny Megally Part of the problem is the involvement of the foreign armies in Syria. The outside interference is not bringing solutions. It’s prolonging the situation, creating a stalemate and a never-ending cycle of violence. If everybody left, the Syrians would likely sort the problems out themselves. 

UN News What’s the next step for the commission? 

Hanny Megally We’re asking the world not to forget about Syria, because it risks being left behind at a point where violence is back on the increase. We’re seeing ISIL back on the rise, a weakened state that’s essentially losing control, even if it controls more territory, delegating power to non-state actors. Syria needs help now and, above all, a ceasefire. 

Rights expert finds ‘reasonable grounds’ genocide is being committed in Gaza

Francesca Albanese was speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she presented her latest report, entitled ‘Anatomy of a Genocide’, during an interactive dialogue with Member States.

“Following nearly six months of unrelenting Israeli assault on occupied Gaza, it is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of, and to present my findings,” she said. 

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met.” 

Three acts committed 

Citing international law, Ms. Albanese explained that genocide is defined as a specific set of acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. 

“Specifically, Israel has committed three acts of genocide with the requisite intent, causing seriously serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent birth within the group,” she said.  

Furthermore, “the genocide in Gaza is the most extreme stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure of the native Palestinians,” she continued. 

‘A tragedy foretold’ 

“For over 76 years, this process has oppressed the Palestinians as a people in every way imaginable, crushing their inalienable right to self-determination demographically, economically, territorially, culturally and politically.” 

She said the “colonial amnesia of the West has condoned Israel’s colonial settler project”, adding that “the world now sees the bitter fruit of the impunity afforded to Israel. This was a tragedy foretold.” 

Ms. Albanese said denial of the reality and the continuation of Israel’s impunity and exceptionalism is no longer viable, especially in light of the binding UN Security Council resolution, adopted on Monday, which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

Arms embargo and sanctions against Israel 

“I implore Member States to abide by their obligations which start with imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel, and so ensure that the future does not continue to repeat itself,” she concluded. 

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts like Ms. Albanese receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. 

Israel ‘utterly rejects’ report 

Israel did not participate in the dialogue but issued a press release stating that it “utterly rejects” Ms. Albanese’s report, calling it “an obscene inversion of reality”. 

“The very attempt to level the charge of genocide against Israel is an outrageous distortion of the Genocide Convention. It is an attempt to empty the word genocide of its unique force and special meaning; and turn the Convention itself into a tool of terrorists, who have total disdain for life and for the law, against those trying to defend against them,” the release said. 

Israel said its war is against Hamas, not Palestinian civilians. 

“This is a matter of explicit government policy, military directives and procedures. It is no less an expression of Israel’s core values. As stated, our commitment to uphold the law, including our obligations under international humanitarian law, is unwavering.”

‘Barbaric aggression continues’: Palestine Ambassador 

The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, noted that the report provides the historic context of genocide against the Palestinian people. 

He said Israel “continues its barbaric aggression” and refuses to abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), issued in January, to take provisional measures in order to prevent the crime of genocide. Israel has also refused to abide by UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, including the one adopted on Monday, he added.  

“And this means that all recommendations in the report of the Special Rapporteur shall be implemented, and practical measures should be taken to prevent the export of weapons, to boycott Israel commercially and politically, and to implement mechanisms of accountability,” he said.

Displaced Palestinians walk through the Nour Shams camp in the West Bank.
© UNRWA/Mohammed Alsharif

Displaced Palestinians walk through the Nour Shams camp in the West Bank.

Israeli settlement expansion 

Separately, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, presented a report on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory during the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023.

“The reporting period has seen a drastic acceleration, particularly after 7 October 2023, of long-standing trends of discrimination, oppression and violence against Palestinians that accompany Israeli occupation and settlement expansion bringing the West Bank to the brink of catastrophe,” she said.

There are now around 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, who live in 300 settlements and outposts, all of which are illegal under international humanitarian law. 

Expansion of existing settlements 

The size of existing Israeli settlements has also expanded markedly, according to the report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

Approximately 24,300 housing units within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank in Area C were advanced or approved during the reporting period – the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017.  

The report observed that policies of the current Israeli Government “appear aligned, to an unprecedented extent, with the goals of the Israeli settler movement to expand long-term control over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to steadily integrate this occupied territory into the State of Israel,” Ms. Al-Nashif said.

Transfer of power 

During the reporting period, Israel took steps to transfer administrative powers relating to settlements and land administration from the military authorities to Israeli government offices, whose primary focus is to provide services within the State of Israel.

“The report therefore raises serious concerns that a series of measures, including this transfer of powers to the Israeli civilian officials, could facilitate the annexation of the West Bank in violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations,” she said. 

‘Dramatic increase’ in violence 

There was also a dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, accelerating their displacement from their land, in circumstances that may amount to forcible transfer. 

The UN recorded 835 incidents of settler violence in the first nine months of 2023, the highest on record. Between 7 and 31 October 2023, the UN recorded 203 settler attacks against Palestinians and monitored the killing of eight Palestinians by settlers, all by firearms.  

Of the 203 settler attacks, more than a third involved threats with firearms, including shooting. Furthermore, almost half of all incidents between 7 and 31 October involved Israeli forces escorting or actively supporting Israeli settlers while carrying out attacks. 

Blurred lines 

Ms. Al-Nashif said the line between settler violence and State violence has further blurred, including violence with the declared intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians from their land.  She reported that in cases monitored by OHCHR, settlers arrived masked, armed, and sometimes wearing the uniforms of Israeli security forces. 

“They destroyed Palestinians’ tents, solar panels, water pipes and tanks, hurling insults and threatening that, if Palestinians did not leave within 24 hours, they would be killed,” she said.

By the end of the reporting period, Israeli security forces had reportedly handed out some 8,000 weapons to so-called “settlement defence squads” and “regional defence battalions” in the West Bank, she continued. 

“After 7 October, the United Nations human rights office documented cases of settlers wearing full or partial Israeli army uniforms and carrying army rifles, harassing and attacking Palestinians, including shooting at them at point-blank range.” 

Evictions and demolitions 

Israeli authorities also continued to implement eviction and demolition orders against Palestinians based on discriminatory planning policies, laws and practices, including on the grounds that properties lacked building permits.

Ms. Al-Nashif said Israel demolished 917 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including 210 in East Jerusalem, again one of the fastest rates on record.  As a result, more than 1,000 Palestinians were displaced. 

“It is noteworthy that out of the 210 demolitions in East Jerusalem, 89 were self-demolitions by their owners to avoid paying fines from the Israeli authorities. This epitomizes the coercive environment that the Palestinians live in,” she said. 

The human rights report also documented Israel’s ongoing plan to double the settler population in the Syrian Golan by 2027, which is currently distributed among 35 different settlements.

Beside settlement expansion, commercial activity has been approved, which she said may continue to limit the access of the Syrian population to land and water.

 

 

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UN report: Credible allegations Ukrainian POWs have been tortured by Russian forces

According to the Monitoring Mission, interviews conducted with 60 recently released Ukrainian POWs painted a harrowing picture of their experiences in Russian captivity.

“Almost every single one of the Ukrainian POWs we interviewed described how Russian servicepersons or officials tortured them during their captivity, using repeated beatings, electric shocks, threats of execution, prolonged stress positions and mock execution. Over half of them were subjected to sexual violence,” said Danielle Bell, the head of HRMMU.

“Most POWs also recounted the anguish of not being allowed to communicate with their families and being deprived of adequate food and medical attention.”

Credible allegations

The report documented “credible allegations” of executions of at least 32 Ukrainian POWs,  in 12 separate incidents between December and February. HRMMU has independently verified three of these incidents.

HRMMU also noted findings from interviews with 44 Russian POWs in Ukrainian captivity, stating that while the POWs did not make any allegations of torture at established internment facilities, several provided credible accounts of torture and ill-treatment while in transit having been removed from the battlefield.

Violations in Russian-occupied territory

In addition to the findings on POWs, the report detailed continued violence against civilians in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, citing, among other violations, killings, arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of expression.

The report highlighted the Ukrainian Government’s continued prosecution and conviction of individuals for activities allegedly conducted under Russian occupation.

Civilian casualties remained high during the December 2023-February 2024 period, with conflict-related violence leading to the deaths of 429 civilians and injuring 1,374.

A significant intensification of missile and other aerial munitions (such as suicide unmanned aerial vehicles), together with attacks by Russia in late December and January, caused a spike in civilian casualties in areas far from the frontline, while the overall civilian casualty numbers remained comparable to the previous period.

Ukrainian cities under attack

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine reported that attacks continued in the south and east of the country on Monday and Tuesday, impacting civilians and critical infrastructure.

Several people were injured in the cities of Odesa and Kharkiv, according to local authorities.

Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power, mainly in Odesa and Kharkiv Regions. Authorities estimate that restoring the power to its full capacity will take months. Humanitarian organizations are on the ground, providing emergency aid to people affected.

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