UNnews

The UN General Assembly-mandated team investigating serious crimes in Syria released a new report on Friday, documenting systematic torture and abuse across over 100 Government detention facilities.

Migrants and refugees across Latin America and the Caribbean face profound challenges in accessing basic needs, formal employment and safe living conditions, UN agencies reported on Friday, launching a $1.4 billion regional plan to address their urgent needs.

The UN human rights chief on Thursday told a conference in the Ukrainian capital that in the face of Russia’s continuing full-scale invasion, they must unite and keep faith in democratic institutions.

Migration is one of the defining issues of our time, with migrants accounting for 3.6 per cent of the global population, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Thursday, urging coordinated action to find better solutions that prioritise safety, equity and opportunity for migrants.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has condemned a new ban imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan preventing women and girls from attending private medical institutions, warning that it will have devastating consequences for healthcare – especially the future availability of midwives and nurses.

With more than 2,526 women murdered in the past three decades – from 1993 through 2023 – and hundreds disappeared, Ciudad Juárez remains Mexico’s deadliest city for women. 

The UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, appealed on Thursday for $1.4 billion to safeguard the rights and well-being of women, girls and youth in 57 crisis-affected countries in the coming year. 

The UN human rights chief has called on leaders and international stakeholders to radically rethink global drug policy, stating that the decades-long “War on Drugs” approach has “destroyed countless lives and damaged entire communities”.

Humanitarians continue to provide support to people caught up in conflicts in the Middle East region, the UN reported on Thursday.