Ethiopia & Sudan: Mine Action - Press Conference | United Nations

A UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) spokesperson said, “There are many crises in the world today that are taking up attention and resources, but neglecting countries on the path to peace will result in them sliding back to war.” Rob Syfret, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme in Ethiopia, and Mohammad Sediq Rashid (joining virtually from Khartoum), Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme in Sudan, addressed the press in New York. Syfret said, “Ethiopia at the moment, risks becoming the forgotten post conflict. There are many crises in the world today that are taking up attention and resources, but neglecting countries on the path to peace will result in them sliding back to war.” He continued, “The fighting left areas of the country littered with explosive remnants of war that continue to kill and maim civilians four years after the Pretoria agreement ended the conflict. The resources that required to solve the problem are ebbing away and being directed to more high-profile current events as the crisis caravan moves on to follow the headlines.” He stressed, “Ethiopia is the largest country in the Horn of Africa, and if it falls into conflict again there will be a vast region of instability stretching from the Red Sea to the borders of Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya. Some resources need to be focused on trying to prevent this. And what better way than by removing and destroying explosive remnants of war so they cannot be converted into IEDs, so they cannot be repaired and put back into service as weapons of war?” He added, “Humanitarian mine action has proved that there is the capability to solve this problem if the funds to employ people to do the work are available. In areas contaminated with explosive ordnance, it is foundational to almost every single one of the Sustainable Development Goals to clear it. Yet, time and again, it becomes the forgotten problem, a specialist issue that is easier to ignore than to understand.” He concluded, “My counterparts in the Ethiopian mine action office are doing a fine job but continue to need our support.” Mohammad Sediq Rashid, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme in Sudan, said that the scale and nature of contamination in the country is alarming, “because this war is fought in the cities.” He added, “As families begin to return, they are doing so into a highly dangerous environment, often without awareness of the risks.” He also said, “The conflict is ongoing, and in many areas, intensifying. The continued use of heavy weapons, including unmanned aerial systems. This means contamination is increasing day by day.” He said, “We estimate that around 14 million people are at risk from explosive hazards. This includes civilians, returnees and humanitarian workers.” He concluded, “Sudan was already dealing with legacy contamination from decades of conflict. The current war is adding a new and complex layer of contamination across densely populated areas. On our response, the mine action program has been severely impacted by the conflict, including the loss of critical equipment. It had one stage last year, the program faced the risk of shutting down due to funding constraints, while the response is now gradually regaining momentum, it remains far below what is required.” Established in 1997, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) leads, coordinates, and implements projects and programmes to mitigate the threat posed by explosive ordnance. In recent years, UNMAS has supported and continues to provide assistance in Abyei, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the State of Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, the Territory of Western Sahara and Yemen.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

J.D. Vance in 2016 #lastweektonight

Produced by LastWeekTonight
This episode features: J.D. Vance in 2016 #lastweektonight

For more information or to watch the video on YouTube, click here!

UN High Commissioner for Refugees on solutions & hope for forcibly displaced people | United Nations

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih speaks about his first months in office and advancing solutions for forcibly displaced people at a time when more than 117 million people have been forced to flee, his own story as a refugee and his message to refugee youth around the world.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

#SouthSudan - The fled war… but the bullets followed them.

Sudanese refugees who escaped conflict now face growing insecurity inside Makpandu camp in South Sudan—where safety is no longer guaranteed.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

Somehow Professor Jiang got even WORSE

The Kavernacle: Somehow Professor Jiang got even WORSE

The Kavernacle is a YouTube Channel covering internet culture and politics.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/TheKavernacle
Twitter: https://twitter.com//TheKavernacle
My Instagram: https://instagram.com/thekavernacle/
My Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheKavernacle/
My Medium: https://medium.com/@thekavernacle

For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

J. Gordon-Levitt, UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance | United Nations

The United Nations is pleased to welcome actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance. In this role, Mr. Gordon-Levitt will collaborate with the UN to help shape a digital future that is inclusive, innovative and human-centred. He will bring his creativity, perspective and influence to the UN Internet Governance Forum, amplifying the UN’s commitment to human rights and accountability in the digital age. From online safety to access and opportunity, his advocacy will help ensure that the human impact of technology on everyday life is never overlooked.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the #UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance

The United Nations is pleased to welcome actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance. In this role, Mr. Gordon-Levitt will collaborate with the UN to help shape a digital future that is inclusive, innovative and human-centred. He will bring his creativity, perspective and influence to the UN Internet Governance Forum, amplifying the UN’s commitment to human rights and accountability in the digital age. From online safety to access and opportunity, his advocacy will help ensure that the human impact of technology on everyday life is never overlooked.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

Islamophobia: Call to eradicate anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry - UN Chief | United Nations

At an event commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the Secretary-General urged a renewed commitment to “the equality, human rights, and dignity of every person, everywhere,” calling for actions to eradicate the rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry. The International Day to Combat Islamophobia is observed annually on March 15. Speaking at the event in New York, Guterres cautioned a rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry and hate. He said the bias can be overt: institutional discrimination, socio economic marginalization, sweeping immigration restrictions, and unwarranted surveillance and profiling. And the bias can also be subtle, in opportunities quietly denied, assumptions left unchallenged +, questions weighted down by suspicion. The UN chief said, “these realities are driven – and dangerously amplified – by anti‑Muslim rhetoric, misinformation, and outright hate,” adding “when discriminatory narratives are echoed by those in positions of authority, prejudice becomes normalized. When stereotypes are left unchallenged, they harden into policy. And when fear is allowed to guide decision-making, injustice follows.” “Online and offline, toxic narratives portray entire communities through the lens of hostility and blame,” Guterres highlighted, adding that the consequences are painfully real: “Harassment and intimidation. Vandalism and threats. Attacks on individuals and on mosques.” He continued, “this is an assault on Muslims – and it is an assault on the values that underpin peaceful, inclusive societies everywhere.” The Secretary-General reiterated, “governments have a clear responsibility. Laws and policies must safeguard equality, not entrench prejudice. Security measures must protect people and respect human rights, not stigmatize entire communities. Technology companies have a responsibility. Online spaces should bring people together, not drive them apart. They must do far more to identify, prevent, and address hate speech and harassment. “ “And all of us have a responsibility,” he added, “we must speak out – clearly and consistently – against bigotry, xenophobia, and discrimination wherever they appear.” “Silence in the face of hatred only allows it to spread. Real change requires sustained political will, inclusive leadership, and a commitment to listen to all voices across diverse communities,” the UN chief said. Guterres also said, “as Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims around the world reaffirm values that also form the foundation of the UN Charter: empathy for the vulnerable, generosity toward neighbors, and responsibility toward the wider community.” He continued, “these universal principles must guide our global response to hatred and division.” On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the Secretary-General said, “let us recommit to the equality, human rights, and dignity of every person, everywhere. Let us reject the narratives of fear and exclusion. And let us work together to eradicate the rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry, and build a world rooted in respect, inclusion, justice, and peace.”


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

Haiti: Human Rights Crisis - Press Conference | United Nations

“I am alarmed by the ongoing human rights crisis that creates massive suffering for the Haitian people,” a UN human rights independent expert said after a ten-day visit to Haiti. Briefing reporters in New York today (16 Mar), William O'Neill, a UN human rights independent expert on Haiti, said gang violence has forced at least 1.4 million people from their homes, describing it as an unprecedented level of internal displacement. He said some territory had been recovered from gang control and that police were more visible and motivated. Political leadership, he added, appeared more unified. But he said those gains were offset by conditions on the ground that remained dire. “In camps and makeshift settlements people struggle every day simply to survive,” O'Neill said. “Sexual violence is rife in these sites.” He said displaced families frequently lack access to healthcare, clean water, sanitation, food, schools and adequate shelter. O'Neill said thousands more remain trapped in gang-held areas or near shifting front lines. Young people in those communities face compounding dangers, he said, threatened by gangs and at the same time suspected by security forces and others in the population simply because of where they live. “This places them in an impossible situation,” he said, “caught between violence and suspicion.” On youth recruitment, O'Neill said Haiti urgently needs rehabilitation and reintegration programs for children associated with gangs. He said he was encouraged by the prime minister's commitment to programs targeting young gang members but called for broader action. “Haiti must also invest urgently in violence reduction and prevention, particularly for young people,” he said, adding that many children and adolescents “have been recruited or coerced by gangs that are growing up in communities where violence has become part of daily life.” O'Neill also said he visited prisons in Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince and described conditions there as unacceptable. Adults and children, as well as women and men, were held together in overcrowded, unsanitary facilities. “The conditions I observed were inhuman and degrading,” he said, calling the situation a reflection of "deeper structural failures within the justice and detention systems.” He said he remains “deeply concerned about corruption, impunity and the weakness of accountability mechanisms” across the country. Independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on specific country situations or thematic issues. They serve in an unpaid, personal capacity and their findings and views do not represent the UN or its member states.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!

Trump & Iran #lastweektonight

Produced by LastWeekTonight
This episode features: Trump & Iran #lastweektonight

For more information or to watch the video on YouTube, click here!

Israel on the Middle East - Security Council Stakeout | United Nations

Remarks by Ambassador Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, on the situation in the Middle East.


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!