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Month: April 2024

UN updates on probe into allegations of staff collusion during 7 October attacks

“We are exploring corrective administrative action to be taken in that person’s case,” he said, speaking during the daily press briefing in New York. 

Meanwhile, eight staff remain under investigation by the UN’s internal oversight body, OIOS, which also suspended three cases “as the information provided by Israel is not sufficient for OIOS to proceed with an investigation”. 

UNRWA is now also considering what administrative action to take in those three cases.  

Immediate action taken 

The accusations surfaced in January when Israel informed UNRWA of the alleged involvement of the staff members in the brutal assault on its territory. Some 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages. 

Of the 12 people implicated, UNRWA immediately identified and terminated the contracts of 10, while two were confirmed dead.  

The UN Secretary-General immediately ordered OIOS to investigate, while an independent panel was appointed to conduct a separate assessment into whether UNRWA is doing everything to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they arise. 

The panel, headed by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, published its report on Monday which found that “the set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system”. 

Seven more cases 

Mr. Dujarric said the UN subsequently received information from Israel about seven more cases – five in March and two in April. One case has also been suspended pending receipt of additional supporting evidence, and OIOS are investigating the remainder. 

“OIOS has also informed us that its investigators had travelled to Israel for discussions with the Israeli authorities and will undertake another visit in May. These discussions are continuing and have so far been productive and have enabled progress on the investigations,” he said. 

No alternative to UNRWA 

The initial Israeli allegations prompted 16 countries to stop contributing to UNRWA, which mainly relies on donations to fund its operations across five locations in the Middle East, including Gaza.  

The agency is the largest humanitarian organisation in besieged Gaza, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, according to the authorities.

This week, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said several donor countries “have come back”, and UNRWA has sufficient funding to keep operations running until the end of June. 

Separately, UNRWA launched a $1.2 billion appeal to meet urgent needs in Gaza and in the West Bank, where violence is increasing. 

“The past months proved that there is no replacement or alternative to UNRWA,” Mr. Lazzarini said on Wednesday, announcing the appeal.

Burkina Faso: UN rights office deeply alarmed at reported killing of 220 villagers

According to media reports, over 220 civilians, including 56 children, were killed in attacks reportedly carried out by the military in two villages on a single day in late February.

Furthermore, at least two international media outlets – the BBC and Voice of America – have been “temporarily suspended” in the past few days following their reporting of the deadly attacks.

OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado called for an immediate end to restrictions on media freedom and civic space.

“Freedom of expression, including the right of access to information, is crucial in any society and even more so in the context of the transition in Burkina Faso,” she said in a statement.

Burkina Faso has been under military rule since early 2022 amid an insurgency by extremist militants which triggered a series of coups and counter coups.  

Capt. Ibrahim Traoré was named transitional president in September 2022, and the transitional government has continued to battle insurgents and further reported counter-coup attempts.  

Unable to verify allegations

Ms. Hurtado added that while OHCHR has not been able to independently verify reports of the alleged massacre due to lack of access, it is crucial that allegations of such serious violations and abuses by various actors are brought to light and that the transitional authorities promptly undertake thorough, impartial and effective investigations.  

“Perpetrators need to be held accountable and victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparations must be upheld. Fighting impunity and pursuing accountability is paramount to ensure people’s trust in the rule of law and social cohesion,” she stressed.

Multifaceted challenges

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, visited the country in late March, where he highlighted the multifaceted challenges Burkinabè have been facing since the overthrow of the democratically-elected government in January 2022.

In all, about 6.3 million out of a population of 20 million people need humanitarian assistance, and in 2023, OHCHR had documented 1,335 violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian laws involving at least 3,800 civilian victims.

“Armed groups were responsible for the vast majority of violations against civilians in incidents involving more than 86 per cent of the victims,” Mr. Türk said, emphasising that “protection of civilians is paramount. Such wanton violence must stop and the perpetrators held accountable.” 

Sudan: Civilians trapped in El Fasher as UN warns of imminent attack

In a note to correspondents issued on Friday, the UN said there were “increasingly alarming reports of a dramatic escalation of tensions”.

“The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are reportedly encircling El Fasher, suggesting a coordinated move to attack the city may be imminent. Simultaneously, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) appear to be positioning themselves,” the statement added.

An attack on the city would have devastating consequences for civilians, the statement from the UN Spokesperson’s Office continued.

“This escalation of tensions is in an area already on the brink of famine. The Secretary-General reiterates his call on all parties to refrain from fighting in the El Fasher area.”

Overall, around 25 million people, or half Sudan’s population, require humanitarian aid, with over eight million forced to flee their homes. More than 14,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded.

Around 1.8 million have fled across the country’s borders trying the escape the brutal fighting.

Dozens already killed

In a further alert on Friday over Darfur, UN rights chief Volker Türk cited reports that the rival militaries have launched indiscriminate attacks using “mortar shells and rockets fired from fighter jets in residential districts”.

Since the RSF began their push into the state capital, El Fasher, at least 43 people have been reportedly killed, including women and children.

“Civilians are trapped in the city, the only one in Darfur still in the hands of the Sudanese Armed Forces,” and they are afraid of being killed if they attempt to flee, the High Commissioner said.

Mr. Türk noted that the dire situation had been made worse by a severe shortage of essential supplies as delivery trucks “are unable to freely transit through Rapid Support Forces-controlled territory”.

He said the RSF had burned down villages in western El Fasher, including Durma, Umoshosh, Sarafaya and Ozbani, raising the possibility of “further ethnically motivated violence in Darfur, including mass killings”.

Last year, fighting and attacks between the ethnic Arab Rizeigat tribe and the ethnic African Masalit people in West Darfur left hundreds of civilians dead or injured and thousands displaced, the High Commissioner noted, as he called for an end to the more than year-long conflict.

‘Wholly man-made crisis’

The UN’s head of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council last week that the situation across Sudan is “a crisis of epic proportions; it is wholly man-made”.

The director of operations at the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, Edem Wosornu, warned the same meeting that the siege by the RSF of El Fasher posed an extreme and immediate danger to civilians there and in other parts of Darfur, where more than nine million are in dire need of assistance.

World News in Brief: Support for Haiti mission, challenge of ‘commodity dependence’, Iran's 'strict' hijab law

Kenya has offered to lead the multinational mission that aims to provide much needed back up to the national police in a bid to regain control of the streets from gang rule, which has plunged the country into chaos in recent months. 

Kenya was joined by the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica in pledging support. The UN Spokesperson’s Office said “other countries have expressed interest, including publicly, but have not notified the Secretary-General yet.” 

Currently, $18 million has been deposited in the support mission’s Trust Fund, provided by Canada ($8.7 million), France ($3.2 million) and the United States ($6 million). 

Meanwhile, armed violence continues across the country, with Port-au-Prince and the Ouest department the worst hit. 

The situation also remains volatile at the national port, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. 

“The Varreux fuel terminal is now closed after several attacks by gangs. However, on a more positive note, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the past three weeks, more than 100 humanitarian containers were retrieved at the Caribbean Port Service.” 

Meanwhile, the humanitarian response continues, and the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided daily food assistance to displaced people in Port-au-Prince, and in other departments.  

UN health agency WHO and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have set up mobile clinics at displacement sites to provide medical consultations. Migration agency IOM is also providing basic medical and psychosocial services to people displaced. 

General Assembly President raises alert over ‘commodity dependence’ 

The President of the General Assembly on Friday called for Member States and stakeholders to address commodity dependence in countries and its effect on the global economy during an informal dialogue on the issue. 

According to Dennis Francis, commodity dependence is “a scenario where 60 per cent or more of a country’s export revenue depends on basic goods”, disproportionately affecting mainly developing countries. 

While commodity markets are important to the global economy, excessive commodity dependence leaves countries and their citizens vulnerable to economic instability, he said.  

Mr. Francis called for the issue to be addressed urgently amid ongoing global discussions over debt sustainability and reform of the international financial architecture. 

“I believe that breaking free from commodity dependence, while challenging, is achievable,” Mr. Francis said.  

Dependent nations 

Based on UN trade and development body UNCTAD’s State of Commodity Dependence report, 85 per cent of the world’s least-developed countries are commodity dependent along with many landlocked developing nations and small island developing States, leaving their economies “vulnerable and highly susceptible to external shocks”. 

The Assembly President said the two-decade long increase in countries impacted should “sound the alarm bell” for Member States as addressing the issue is necessary for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. 

Iran police enforces ‘strict’ hijab rules, OHCHR says

Police in Iran are enforcing a violent crackdown against women and girls under the country’s hijab laws, resulting in the arrest and harassment of girls between ages 15 and 17, said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday. 

The Tehran head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on 21 April a new body that would allow them to enforce existing mandatory hijab laws; members of the IRGC are reportedly allowed to implement these laws “in a more serious manner” when in public.

OHCHR is concerned about the Supporting the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab draft bill, which, in its earlier form, states that violators of the mandated dress code could face flogging, fines or up to 10 years in prison.

Mr. Laurence reiterated that corporal punishment is arbitrary under international law.

As the draft bill is nearing final approval by the Guardian Council, OHCHR is calling for its shelving.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is calling on the Iranian government to remove “all forms of gender-based discrimination and violence, including through the revision and the repeal of harmful laws, policies and practices, in line with international human rights norms and standards”.

Climate action ‘cannot trample over the poor’, says Guterres, launching new initiative to protect key minerals for clean energy transition

The newly established Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals brings together a diverse group of governments, organisations and UN bodies to develop a set of common and voluntary principles to protect environmental and social standards aimed at embedding justice in the energy transition.

“A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals,” Secretary-General António Guterres said at the launch of the panel.

For developing countries, this new demand presents a big opportunity to create new jobs, diversify economies and dramatically boost revenues, he continued, stressing that this requires effective management.

“The race to net zero cannot trample over the poor,” he said. “The renewables revolution is happening, but we must make sure that it is done in a way that moves us towards justice.”

Mr. Guterres had announced his plan to set up the panel at the COP28 climate summit, held in Dubai in early December. It is expected to provide initial recommendations ahead of the General Assembly’s high-level week in September. 

Skyrocketing demand

As the climate emergency worsens, demand is soaring for minerals vital for renewable energy technology, such as solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles (EV).

For instance, lithium is required to manufacture high efficiency batteries, electronics and EVs, with demand expected to rise by over 1,500 per cent, according to the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Similar increasing demand is anticipated for nickel, cobalt and copper.

The rising demand could be a big boost for many developing countries, especially in Africa, which boasts over one fifth of the world’s reserves for a dozen metals essential to the energy transition.

Cornerstone of UN’s response

Mr. Guterres highlighted that developing countries cannot be relegated to the bottom of the clean energy value chain – merely as suppliers of basic raw materials.

“Little wonder that resource-rich developing countries are calling for urgent action to ensure that they, and their communities, benefit from the production and trade of critical minerals and that people and nature are protected,” he said.

The UN chief offered the Organization’s full support for the new panel.

“This work is extremely complex, but the world cannot wait,” he said.

Panel membership

The panel is co-chaired by Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen of the European Commission.

Its members include Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe alongside the African Union, European Union, UN and intergovernmental entities and non-governmental organisations.

‘Just in case’ antibiotics widely overused during COVID-19, says UN health agency

In an alert, WHO noted that although just eight per cent of hospitalized coronavirus patients also had bacterial infections which can be treated with antibiotics, a staggering three in four were given them on a “just in case” basis.

At no point during the global pandemic did the UN health agency recommend using antibiotics to treat the coronavirus COVID-19, insisted WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris.

Viral, not bacterial

“The advice was very clear from the start, that this was a virus. So it wasn’t that there was any guidance or any recommendation that that clinicians go in this direction, but perhaps because people were dealing with something completely new, they were looking for whatever they thought might be appropriate.”

According to the UN health agency, antibiotic use ranged from 33 per cent for patients in the Western Pacific Region to 83 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean and the African Regions. Between 2020 and 2022, prescriptions decreased over time in Europe and the Americas, but they increased in Africa.

Last hope

Data compiled by WHO also indicated that most antibiotics were given to critically ill COVID-19 patients at a global average of 81 per cent. Antibiotic use in mild or moderate infections showed considerable variation across regions, with highest use in Africa, at 79 per cent.

Worryingly, the UN agency found that the most frequently prescribed bacteria-busting antibiotics globally were those with higher potential for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to antibiotics.

“When a patient requires antibiotics, the benefits often outweigh the risks associated with side effects or antibiotic resistance. However, when they are unnecessary, they offer no benefit while posing risks, and their use contributes to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr Silvia Bertagnolio, WHO Unit Head for Surveillance, Evidence and Laboratory Strengthening, Division for AMR.

No positive impact

The UN health agency report maintained that antibiotic use “did not improve clinical outcomes for patients with COVID-19”. 

Instead, their systematic prescription “might create harm for people without bacterial infection, compared to those not receiving antibiotics,” WHO said in a statement. 

“These data call for improvements in the rational use of antibiotics to minimize unnecessary negative consequences for patients and populations.”

The findings were based on data from the WHO Global Clinical Platform for COVID-19, a database of anonymous clinical data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Data came from 450,000 patients in 65 countries from January 2020 to March 2023.

Superbugs

Antimicrobial resistance threatens the prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

The development is in line with several western European countries that have reportedly reduced access to similar gender identity treatments whose benefits were found to be “remarkably weak”, according to a National Health Service (NHS) England-commissioned review, published on 10 April by consultant paediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass.

UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem also welcomed the commitment by the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to implement the implications of the Cass Review.

It “has…very clearly shown the devastating consequences that policies on gender treatments have had on human rights of children, including girls…its implications go beyond the UK,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Ms. Alsalem.

Referrals spike

The independent rights expert cited the Review’s findings that between 2009 and 2016, the number of adolescent girls referred to NHS-England’s service for gender distress – or dysphoria – increased from just 15 to 1,071.

These referrals “breached fundamental principles, such as the need to uphold the best interest of the child in all decisions that affect their lives”, the Special Rapporteur insisted, while transgender rights groups have maintained that there are long waiting lists for treatment.

Mental anguish

Noting the “extraordinarily high number of teenage girls” impacted by anxiety and depression in recent years, Ms. Alsalem said it was crucially important that health authorities stopped “rapidly initiating permanent gender transition pathways that usually begin with puberty blockers, which could cause temporary or permanent disruption to brain maturation”.

Instead, girls potentially seeking “gender affirming interventions” should be offered more holistic psychological support, protected by legislation that should ensure “transition does not become the only option that is acceptable to discuss with them”.

‘Detransition’ support

The same opportunity for wider therapeutic support should also be available to “detransitioners” – individuals who have discontinued gender transitioning – “most of whom are girls”, Ms. Alsalem maintained, in support of the Review’s findings.

“Far too long, the suffering of this group of children and adults has been ignored or discounted. The report’s findings and recommendation signals that they have been heard, seen, and that their specific needs have been recognised.”

Toxic debate

According to Dr Cass’s report, “many more” young girls are being referred for gender transition treatment today, marking a distinct change from the past, when most requests for medical help came from adolescent boys.

Reiterating an earlier call for tolerance regarding discussions surrounding gender treatments amid a “toxicity of the debate” identified by the Cass Review, Special Rapporteur Alsalem stressed that researchers and academics who expressed their views should not be “silenced, threatened or intimidated”.

Special Rapporteurs are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

Stories from the UN Archive: UN proclaims world’s first Earth Day

That’s when environmental protection was not yet a priority of national political agendas, but a growing movement took hold across the planet.

In 1971, UN Secretary-General U Thant held a special ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, proclaiming 22 April the world’s first Earth Day.

A team prepares posters and signs to be used at the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972. (file)
UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata

A team prepares posters and signs to be used at the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972. (file)

“May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and cycle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life,” he said at the time. “Happy Earth Day!”

Watch the UN Video’s latest Stories from the UN Archive episode here.

In 1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment opened in Stockholm, marking the start of a global awareness of the interdependence between people, other living species and Earth. That landmark meeting that drew leaders from 130 nations also saw the establishment of World Environment Day on 5 June and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Since then, the global movement rippled across the planet, with the UN helping to push the needle on environmental awareness one major conference at a time. In 1992, more than 178 governments met in Rio for a conference on environment and development that became known as the “‘Earth Summit”, adopting Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests. It was the first major conference in which sustainable development was the main issue discussed by UN Member States.

Environmental movement ripples across the planet

From then on, efforts to conserve the environment grew exponentially. From the 1994 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2002 follow-up to the Earth Summit, held in Johannesburg, to the declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

Representatives of Indigenous peoples, environmental groups, children and youth, women, and persons with disabilities came together to support the Peoples’ Declaration on Climate Justice at COP27 in Egypt. (file)
Kiara Worth

Representatives of Indigenous peoples, environmental groups, children and youth, women, and persons with disabilities came together to support the Peoples’ Declaration on Climate Justice at COP27 in Egypt. (file)

More recently, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals strikes a greener, cleaner, fairer path forward for all, and every year, world leaders and civil society gather to take stock of the UNFCC at a conference of the parties (COP), with COP29 approaching this November.

This week, the UN launched Climate Promise 2025 to help countries stay on track towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and from Rio to Beijing and Stockholm to Funafuti, Earth Day was celebrated around the world.

On #ThrowbackThursday, UN News is showcasing pivotal moments across the UN’s past. From the infamous and nearly-forgotten to world leaders and global superstars, stay tuned for a taste of the UN Audiovisual Library’s 49,400 hours of video recordings and 18,000 hours of audio chronicling.

Visit UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive playlist here and our accompanying series here. Join us next Thursday for another dive into history.

People take part in a demonstration for climate action, led by youth climate activists and organised on the sidelines of COP26 in Scotland. (file)
© UNICEF/Howard Elwyn-Jones

People take part in a demonstration for climate action, led by youth climate activists and organised on the sidelines of COP26 in Scotland. (file)

Debate at UN examines impact of Portugal’s ‘Carnation Revolution’

Named after the flowers civilians stuffed in the muzzles of the soldiers’ guns, the revolution put Portugal on the path to democracy and led to the independence of its six remaining colonies, stretching from Africa to the Pacific, with ripple effects in Brazil – independent since 1822, but under military rule at the time.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, argues that from a historical perspective, the uprising “should have occurred decades earlier.”

Reflection and analysis

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the revolution, which is also known as 25 April, Mr. Guterres and UN Ambassadors from Portuguese-speaking countries sat down to reflect on its significance and implications today. 

Participating in the debate were the Permanent Representatives of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Portugal and Timor-Leste. Their countries are all members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), established roughly a decade after the revolution. Other members include Guinea-Bissau and the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.

UN News’s Portuguese team organized the high-level discussion, moderated by journalists Marta Moreira from Portugal and Felippe Coaglio from Brazil. 

Secretary-General Participates in Debate on 50th Anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution
UN Photo/Mark Garten

The debate will be broadcast by media outlets throughout the Lusophone world. Globally, roughly 250 million people speak Portuguese.

‘On the right side of history’

Having experienced the events of the Carnation Revolution firsthand, Mr. Guterres declared that “being on the side of freedom against oppression” means being on the right side of history.

“It is clear that we are on the right side of history, freeing a country from dictatorship, and we are on the right side of history re-establishing justice in international relations after a colonial past that is unacceptable,” he said.

The UN chief declared that 25 April would not have occurred “without the struggle of the African liberation movements”. For him, “the two things are interconnected and that is why there is no cause-and-effect relationship”.

In this regard, Mr. Guterres noted that if there were any criticism of 25 April, it would be that “from a historical point of view, it should have happened decades earlier.”

Catalyst for independence 

The Permanent Representative of Angola, Francisco José da Cruz, stated that the Carnation Revolution was of great importance to Angolans as it created the dynamics that led to the country’s independence.

“Portugal’s desire to move forward in this process became clearer when the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim, visited Portugal in August, and Portugal made it clear that this would be the path to follow and that the liberation movements would be the legitimate interlocutors in this process that would lead to independence,” he said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres attends event organized by Portugal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution
Eleuterio Guevane/ ONU News

Brazilian Ambassador Sérgio Danese said 25 April had two main impacts on South America’s largest country. The first was to show that “there was hope” for a path towards democratic rule once again and the second was in diplomacy.

“We had a very strong contradiction in our foreign policy. We recognized the independence of all former French, British and Dutch colonies, but we remained tied to Portuguese colonialism, and the 25th of April and its immediate consequences promptly freed us from that yoke,” he recalled.

“We were the first country to recognize Angola. And then we were among the first to recognize each of the former Portuguese colonies,” he added.

A deep friendship

When asked what helped shape new relations between the Portuguese-speaking nations, the Ambassador of Cabo Verde, Tânia Romualdo, highlighted the relationship between their populations as the basis for the bond between the emerging States.

“This revolution made it possible not to begin, but to continue this deep friendship that united peoples,” she said. “There was a union there, a very strong friendship, that preceded the revolution itself which contributed to the revolution and which helped the decolonization process after 25 April to accelerate bilateral cooperation”.

Among the issues raised during the debate was how Portuguese-speaking countries have much in common, despite their different paths to democracy and nationhood.

Unity and fraternity

Ambassador Pedro Commissar of Mozambique highlighted how the Lusophone bloc is defined by ties of proximity and solidarity with the United Nations. Mozambique is currently the only Lusophone country on the 15-member UN Security Council, occupying one of the 10 seats allotted to non-permanent members.

“The CPLP is a totally different model from the Commonwealth or Francophonie model. It is a model of sovereign States but linked by a bond of deep fraternity. 25 April gave us that basis, that impulse so that today we have this affection that unites our countries,” he said.

ONU News Debate on the 50 years anniversary of the Carnation Revolution
UN Photo/Mark Garten

On this issue, the Ambassador of Portugal, Ana Paula Zacarias, pointed to ongoing efforts on the diplomatic front to amplify their common voice, in Portuguese, at the UN. She emphasized that some of their common positions are already being heard in the General Assembly and the Security Council.

“Being heard means working together – and working together in areas that have already been identified,” she said.  “Above all, we have a lot to do in political coordination, in coordinating security and defense issues which are currently fundamental. And everything that has to do with the fight against climate change.”

The Representative of Timor-Leste, Dionísio Babo Soares, spoke of reinforcement at an internal and external level to boost future action as a bloc in a world marked by complexities in politics and development.

“For Timor-Leste, the CPLP is an entry point to the world. Member countries are located in different parts of the world,” he said. Furthermore, efforts to reintroduce the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste are intensifiying. 

“We work together with Portugal in this sense, and we are committed to moving forward with this programme of having Portuguese as the official language of the United Nations”.

‘Symbol of peace’

Looking to the future, Mr. Guterres characterized the cooperative relations that exist today between Portuguese-speaking countries as a “symbol of peace” that should inspire the world.

The Secretary-General expressed hope that the bloc “can play a decisive role in re-establishing the trust that has unfortunately been lost in our world, and in re-establishing the conditions that can allow us not only more peace but at the same time fairer development, respect for human rights and overcoming the dramatic divisions that today weigh on us all as a threat to the future of humanity.”

Debate na ONU: Legado da Revolução dos Cravos nas nações de língua portuguesa

World News in Brief: ‘Barbaric’ sexual violence in Sudan, Haiti’s transitional council in place, rights experts condemn Iran rapper's death sentence

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten together with Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya, said that more than a year into the battle for control of the country between rival militaries, the “barbaric acts” being committed “echo the horrors witnessed in Darfur two decades ago”.

They urged Security Council members who met this week to debate Ms. Patten’s latest report on sexual violence to send “an unequivocal message: under international humanitarian law, civilians in Sudan must be protected and must never be subjected to acts of sexual violence, which constitute war crimes.”

The disturbing reports show how women and girls are being disproportionately impacted.

Millions at risk

Allegations of rape, forced marriages, sexual slavery, and trafficking of women and girls – especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – continue to be recorded with millions of civilians at risk as they flee conflict areas in search of shelter, inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries.

The two top women officials noted that the true scale of the crisis remains unseen, “a result of severe underreporting due to stigma, fear of reprisals, and a lack of confidence in national institutions.”

Without more financial and political support for frontline responders, access to life-saving services will only continue to shrink, they warned.

UN welcomes Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council

Hopes rose on Thursday of political progress amid the multiple crises engulfing gang-ravaged Haiti, with the formal resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the official installation of the Transitional Presidential Council.

Mr. Henry had agreed to step down in March after heavily armed criminal gangs seized the country’s airport and blocked his return. He will be replaced by former Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who takes over as interim Prime Minister.

Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said the UN welcomed the newly-formed Council.

Call for swift international police deployment

“We call on the new authorities and all stakeholders to expedite the full implementation of the transitional governance arrangements,” he said.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the swift deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti, authorized by the Security Council in October last year, to support the Haitian National Police and return law and order to the streets after months of turmoil which has left millions in need, Mr. Dujarric added.

“The Secretary-General appeals to all Member States to ensure the Multinational Security Support mission receives the financial and logistical support it needs to succeed.”

Iran: Rights experts alarmed by death sentence imposed on rapper Toomaj Salehi

UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts demanded the immediate release of Iranian rapper and songwriter Toomaj Salehi on Thursday and urged authorities to reverse his death sentence.

“Criticism of government policy, including through artistic expression is protected under the rights to freedom of expression and the right to take part in cultural life. It must not be criminalised,” the experts said.

“Art must be allowed to criticise, to provoke, to push the boundaries in any society.”

They expressed alarm at his sentencing and alleged ill-treatment “which appears to be related solely to the exercise of his right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity”.

Freedom of expression

“As harsh as Mr. Salehi’s songs are to the government, they are a manifestation of artistic freedom and cultural rights,” they said.

The rapper was initially sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests but was released after Iran’s Supreme Court ruled that it had identified flaws in the original sentence.

However, he was detained again on 30 November last year for expressing his opinion on the Iranian government and revealing that he was tortured and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days following his arrest in October 2022.

Toomaj Saleh’s harsh sentencing takes place against a backdrop of severe restriction on artistic freedom and other forms of expression in the country said the experts.

“We have received allegations that it is increasingly common for artists, activists and journalists to be arrested and detained on charges such as ‘publishing false news’ or ‘propaganda against the state’,” the experts said.

They called on Iran to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

Special Rapporteurs are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

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