Tag: UN

Categories
-Top News UAE News

UN team transfers oil from decaying tanker off Yemen

File photo of the floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel Safer. (Photo credit: UN News/Xinhua/IANS)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body “assumed the risk to conduct this very delicate operation”…reports Asian Lite News

A UN emergency team has started transferring crude oil from the decaying super oil tanker FSO Safer moored off Yemen’s western coast as part of an urgent mission to avert a potential environmental catastrophe.

Safer, originally constructed as a supertanker in 1976 and later converted to a floating storage and offloading facility (FSO) for oil, is currently moored approximately 4.8 nautical miles (8,890 metres) off the coast of Hodeidah province, reports Xinhua news agency.

Abandoned since 2015, the FSO Safer is on the brink of breaking up, raising concerns about a potential oil spill that could wreak havoc on the fragile marine ecosystem and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.

On Tuesday, more than 1 million barrels of crude oil were carefully pumped into the replacement vessel Yemen, formerly known as Nautica, in a delicate ship-to-ship transfer.

According to a UN statement issued on Tuesday night, this intricate process is expected to last 19 days.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body “assumed the risk to conduct this very delicate operation”.

He added that the oil transfer is critical in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale, which could be four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska that killed thousands of seabirds and marine mammals.

Earlier this month, David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, emphasised that the ship-to-ship transfer of oil represents a significant milestone but does not signal the end of the operation.

“The next critical step involves the installation of a CALM buoy to securely moor the replacement vessel,” said Gressly.

Despite current efforts, UN experts caution that the vessel will continue presenting environmental hazards because of remaining oil residue and the potential for structural deterioration.

The 1,181 feet-long vessel comprises 34 storage tanks.

After years of neglect because of civil conflict, the tanker’s structural integrity has significantly weakened, making it susceptible to breaking apart or even exploding.

Seawater has infiltrated the engine compartment, causing extensive damage to the pipes and elevating the risk of sinking, according to previous UN reports.

Ali bin Hadi, a political observer based in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, also expressed concerns about potential risks that could jeopardise the operation’s success.

“The aging pipes used in the transfer process may pose leakage threats, compounded by scorching summer temperatures that could stress the equipment. Additionally, the sea mines laid by the Houthis previously in the surrounding waters heighten safety risks,” said the observer.

Moreover, tensions are expected to escalate by the lingering disputes over ownership of oil and the replacement vessel between the Houthis and the Yemeni government.

Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally-recognised government and its allies.

The war disrupted Yemen’s food supply chain and caused widespread famine, bringing the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of collapse. 

ALSO READ-UN envoy urges for ‘Serious breakthrough’ to end conflict in Yemen

Categories
-Top News UK News

UN slams UK govt’s Illegal Migration Bill

The cessation of the stand-off between the unelected chamber and MPs paves the way for the Bill to receive royal assent  and become law…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations has denounced the UK government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which recently passed through Parliament. Additionally, the plans for increasing the number of vessels to accommodate asylum seekers have encountered obstacles.

On Tuesday, the UN issued a highly critical statement stating that the legislation, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considers crucial to his commitment of “stopping the boats” crossing the Channel, violates the UK’s international legal obligations.

It came as the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge was met by protesters as it arrived into Dorset’s Portland Port, while two further cruise ships set to house migrants have reportedly been unable to find a berth.

The Bibby barge’s arrival came after a night of drama in which the Tory frontbench saw off changes being sought by peers to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits.

The cessation of the stand-off between the unelected chamber and MPs paves the way for the Bill to receive royal assent  and become law.

The reforms will prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

The Government also hopes the changes will ensure detained people are promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda, which is currently the subject of a legal challenge.

The Bill encountered fierce opposition in the upper chamber, while UN human rights chief Volker Turk and UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi led national and international outrage at the plans.

This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law

In a joint statement, they warned the Bill “will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection”.

“This new legislation significantly erodes the legal framework that has protected so many, exposing refugees to grave risks in breach of international law,” Grandi said.

Turk said: “Carrying out removals under these circumstances is contrary to prohibitions of refoulement and collective expulsions, rights to due process, to family and private life, and the principle of best interests of children concerned.”

They said the legislation will expose people to the danger of “detention and destitution” and put at risk “their rights to health, an adequate standard of living, and to work”.

Downing Street defended the Bill, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying: “We are confident we are acting within international law.”

The Government’s plans to use further vessels, alongside the Bibby Stockholm, to accommodate migrants are in trouble as two giant cruise ships were turned down by two prospective berthing sites, according to Sky News.

ALSO READ-Cleverly condemns Russia’s Black Sea grain initiative withdrawal

Categories
-Top News Africa News

UN says raging conflict in Sudan has displaced over 3 mn people

sudan crisis (https://twitter.com/UNOCHA_Sudan)

More than 72% of those displaced were from Khartoum and around 9% from West Darfur province, both places where the clashes have been largely centered, the IOM said…reports Asian Lite News

A raging conflict in Sudan has driven more than 3 million people from their homes, including over 700,000 who fled to neighboring countries, the U.N. said Wednesday. The United Kingdom announced sanctions on the warring factions, amid growing concerns the country is sliding into a “full-scale civil war.”

Sudan has plunged into chaos since mid-April when monthslong tensions between the military and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere across the northeastern African nation.

The conflict derailed Sudanese hopes of restoring the country’s fragile transition to democracy, which had begun after a popular uprising forced the military’s removal of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. A coup, led by the military and RSF, disrupted the democratic transition in October 2021.

More than 2.4 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside the country, according to the International Organization for Migration. Around 738,000 others crossed into neighboring countries, the agency said.

Egypt is hosting the largest number of those who fled — more than 255,500 people — followed by Chad with more than 238,000 and South Sudan with around 160,800, the IOM said. More than 62,000 people fled to Ethiopia, more than 16,700 to the Central African Republic and around 3,000 to Libya, it added.

More than 72% of those displaced were from Khartoum and around 9% from West Darfur province, both places where the clashes have been largely centered, the IOM said.

The IOM said that 65% of those who fled into neighboring countries were Sudanese nationals and the rest were foreigners and refugees who were forced to return to their home countries.

The fighting continued Wednesday in parts of Khartoum. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising over the city center, where residents said the military attacked a building allegedly used by RSF members.

The conflict has turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Members of the paramilitary force have occupied people’s houses and other civilian properties since the conflict broke out, according to residents and activists. There have also been reports of widespread destruction and looting across Khartoum and the nearby city of Omdurman.

The sprawling region of Darfur saw some of the worst bouts of violence in the conflict with the fighting turning into ethnic clashes, according to the U.N.

The RSF and allied Arab militias rampaged through the region, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, according to rights groups. Entire towns and villages were burned to the ground and looted, especially in West Darfur province.

The clashes have killed more than 3,000 people and wounded more than 6,000 others, Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said in televised comments last month. The casualty tally is likely much higher, according to doctors and activists.

ALSO READ-Number of people entering Ethiopia from Sudan nears 60,000

Categories
-Top News World News

UN lauds India for its ‘remarkable’ poverty reduction

Among those countries include India, Cambodia, China, Congo, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Serbia, and Viet Nam, it said, reiterating rapid progress is attainable…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 415 million people in India came out of poverty within a span of just 15 years from 2005/2006 to 2019/ 2021, the United Nations said on Tuesday highlighting the remarkable improvement in human development parameters by the world’s most populous country.

The latest update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) with estimates for 110 countries was released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. People living on less than USD 1.90 a day typically is considered to be in poverty.

Besides India, China lifted 69 million out of poverty between 2010-2014, and Indonesia 8 million between 2012-2017.

In neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan, 19 million and 7 million individuals came out of poverty during 2015-2019 and 2012-2018, respectively, the UN report said.

The report asserted that poverty reduction is achievable. The analysis of trends from 2000 to 2022, focused on 81 countries, according to the report, revealed that 25 countries successfully halved their global MPI values within 15 years. Many countries have halved their MPI in as short as four to 12 years.

Among those countries include India, Cambodia, China, Congo, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Serbia, and Viet Nam, it said, reiterating rapid progress is attainable.

The poverty levels in Cambodia, Peru, and Nigeria have shown significant reductions recently. For Cambodia, the most encouraging case among these according to the report is the incidence of poverty falling from 36.7 per cent to 16.6 per cent, and the number of poor people halved, from 5.6 million to 2.8 million, all within 7.5 years, including pandemic years.

Despite the encouraging trends in many countries, the lack of post-pandemic data for most of the 110 countries covered by the global MPI restricts analysis of the pandemic’s effects on poverty, the report pointed out.

“As we reach the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we can clearly see that there was steady progress in multidimensional poverty reduction before the pandemic. However, the negative impacts of the pandemic in dimensions such as education are significant and can have long-lasting consequences,” said Conceicao, Director of the Human Development Report Office.

“It is imperative that we intensify efforts to comprehend the dimensions most negatively affected, necessitating strengthened data collection and policy efforts to get poverty reduction back on track.”

According to the report, 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people (over 18 per cent) globally live in acute multidimensional poverty across 110 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa (534 million) and South Asia (389 million) are home to approximately five out of every six poor people.

Nearly two-thirds of all poor people (730 million people) live in middle-income countries, making “action in these countries vital for reducing global poverty”.

Although low-income countries constitute only 10 per cent of the population included in the MPI, they are, however, where 35 per cent of all poor people reside.

Among those living in poverty, children under 18 years old account for half (566 million). The poverty rate among children is 27.7 per cent, while among adults it is 13.4 per cent. (ANI)

ALSO READ-End terror, war and poverty: Modi’s call to SCO

Categories
-Top News Europe

UN envoy urges for ‘Serious breakthrough’ to end conflict in Yemen

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg speaks at a Security Council meeting on Yemen at the UN Headquarters in New York on Feb. 15, 2022. Hans Grundberg said Tuesday that he is developing a framework that will set out his plan to move toward an inclusive political settlement, including the establishment of a multi-track process. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)

The situation on the ground in Yemen remains fragile and challenging, said Grundberg, stressing that “we cannot afford to seek a seasonal peace”…reports Asian Lite News

UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has called on the warring parties in Yemen to make efforts for a “serious breakthrough” in the ongoing talks to end the conflict in the country.

Yemen has been locked in a military conflict since the Houthi militia took control of several northern cities and ousted the Yemeni government from the capital Sanaa in 2014, Xinhua news agency reported.

On April 2, 2022, the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia agreed upon a two-month truce brokered by the United Nations, which was later renewed twice through October 2. However, Yemen’s warring sides have failed to reach an agreement on further extension.

Despite the expiry of the truce, Yemen and its people continue to feel the benefits from the longest period of relative calm since the beginning of the conflict, Grundberg told a Security Council meeting on Monday.

The period of relative calm has opened the door for serious discussions with Yemeni actors on the way forward toward ending the conflict, he said, noting that to sustainably end the war, the ongoing talks “have to reach a serious breakthrough”.

The situation on the ground in Yemen remains fragile and challenging, said Grundberg, stressing that “we cannot afford to seek a seasonal peace”.

The parties in Yemen need to immediately stop military provocations and prepare for and agree to a sustainable nationwide ceasefire, he said.

They also need to immediately de-escalate economically and address near- and longer-term economic priorities, Grundberg added.

He also urged the parties to make progress on agreeing to a clear path to restarting an intra-Yemeni political process under UN auspices.

He underscored that only Yemenis can debate and decide on the weighty and fundamental questions of sovereignty, national and local governance, revenue management and security arrangements.

“The UN-mediated process will be led and owned by Yemenis, and will involve and reflect the priorities of a plurality of Yemenis, including women and men from across Yemen’s governorates,” the envoy said.

ALSO READ-Number of migrants entering Yemen via Gulf exceeded 77,000

Categories
-Top News World News

UN voices ‘shock and condemnation’ on violence against women across Sudan

Many individuals fleeing violence have sought refuge in these neighboring countries, and there is “a pressing need to address their increasing needs,” as stated in the release…reports Asian Lite News

Senior UN officials have expressed shock and condemnation in response to the increasing reports of gender-based violence in Sudan, including sexual violence against internally displaced and refugee women and girls of the violence-hit nation.

The officials called for “an immediate end to gender-based violence”, particularly sexual violence used as a tactic of war to terrorise people, Xinhua news agency.

They emphasised the importance of conducting “prompt, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations” into all alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

They also stressed “the need for accountability for the perpetrators”.

The officials underscored that all parties must fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law to protect civilians, including women and girls. This includes ensuring safe passage for survivors to access healthcare and allowing health workers to reach health facilities.

The heads of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Human Rights Office, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Population Fund, UN Women, and the World Health Organization also highlighted the urgent need “to scale up gender-based violence prevention and response services” in Sudan and neighboring countries.

Many individuals fleeing violence have sought refuge in these neighboring countries, and there is “a pressing need to address their increasing needs,” as stated in the release.

Prior to the outbreak of the conflict on April 15, the UN estimated that over 3 million women and girls in Sudan were at risk of gender-based violence, including intimate-partner violence.

This number has now increased to an estimated 4.2 million people.

Assisting women and girls on a large scale “requires generous support from donors”.

The revised Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan calls for $63 million to fund prevention and response services for survivors of gender-based violence in Sudan, aiming to reach 1.3 million people.

Funding requirements for protection programs, including gender-based violence prevention and response for those who fled Sudan to neighboring countries, stand at nearly $63 million in the complementary Regional Refugee Response Plan.

ALSO READ-Clashes renew in Sudan’s capital as truce expires

Categories
-Top News Africa News

UN says Somalia faces a ‘dire hunger emergency’

Somalia has faced numerous attacks from al-Shabab and recently the government embarked on what has been described as the most significant offensive against the extremist group in more than a decade…reports Asian Lite News

Somalia’s “dire hunger emergency” is spiraling upward with one-third of the population expected to face crisis or worse levels of food needs, but the U.N. has been forced to drastically cut food assistance because of a lack of funding, the head of the World Food Program said Thursday.

Cindy McCain told the U.N. Security Council the latest food security data show that over 6.6 million Somalis desperately need assistance including 40,000 “fighting for survival in famine-like conditions.”

But she said WFP was forced to cut monthly food assistance, which had reached a record 4.7 million people in December, to just 3 million people at the end of April – “and without an immediate cash injection, we’ll have to cut our distribution lists again in July to just 1.8 million per month.”

McCain, who visited Somalia last month, said she saw “how conflict and climate change are conspiring to destroy the lives and livelihoods of millions of Somalis.” She said the country’s longest drought on record, which killed millions of livestock and decimated crops, recently gave way to disastrous flash floods in the south.

Urging donors to be as generous as they were and hauling Somalia “back from the abyss of famine in 2022,” McCain warned that the survival of millions of Somalis is at stake.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Somalia in April “to ring the alarm” and appealed for “massive international support” for Somalia.

But the results of a high-level donors’ conference for three Horn of Africa countries – Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya – on May 24 were very disappointing. It raised less than $1 billion of the more than $5 billion organizers were hoping for to help over 30 million people.

Only in the past few years has Somalia begun to find its footing after three decades of chaos from warlords to the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group and the emergence of Islamic State-linked extremist groups. Last May, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who served as Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017, was returned to the top office by legislators after a protracted contest.

Somalia has faced numerous attacks from al-Shabab and recently the government embarked on what has been described as the most significant offensive against the extremist group in more than a decade.

Catriona Laing, the new U.N. special representative for Somalia, told the council that the government’s operations have degraded al-Shabab militarily and dislodged its fighters from a number of areas which is “a notable achievement.”

But Laing said al-Shabab remains a significant threat,” pointing to “a recent resurgence in the scale, tempo and geographic distribution” of its attacks including a June 9 attack on the Pearl Beach Hotel in the capital Mogadishu that killed nine people.

The African Union has a force in Somalia providing support to government forces battling al-Shabab. Last year, the Security Council unanimously approved a new AU transition mission known as ATMIS, to support the Somalis until their forces take full responsibility for the country’s security at the end of 2024.

Laing said the drawdown of ATMIS and handover are proceeding, but her initial assessment “is that the complexity, the constraints, and pace of the transition process presents risks, (and) this will be challenging.”

ALSO READ-Somalia wants to strengthen ties with India

Categories
-Top News India News World News

Modi to lead yoga event in UN

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi participates in the mass yoga demonstration at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan, on the occasion of the 3rd International Day of Yoga - 2017, in Lucknow on June 21, 2017.

Great enthusiasm among diplomats from around the world and UN officials for the International Day of Yoga celebrations to be led by Modi on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

There is great enthusiasm among diplomats from around the world and UN officials for the International Day of Yoga celebrations to be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, according to India’s Permanent Representative to UN, Ruchira Kamboj.

As workers were busy on Monday for the celebration at the North Lawn of the UN headquarters campus, Kamboj said that about 1,800 diplomats and officials have registered for the event.

Modi will be starting off his US visit at the Yoga Day celebrations and head to Washington. While in New York, he will also be meeting “a cross-section of prominent personalities and leaders,” according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.

This will be Modi’s eighth visit to the US as Prime Minister, but his first state visit that carries a higher level of pomp and circumstance — like a welcoming 21-gun salute and a state dinner.

He will also be addressing the joint session of US Congress for the second time. Modi said that the theme for this year’s event is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “Yoga for the Welfare of All as One World-One Family”.

Modi personally leading the celebration has increased the interest in and enthusiasm for the event, Kamboj said. UN General Assembly President and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has tweeted that she looks forward to being with Modi at the yoga event.

United Nations officials, diplomats and guests participate in a mass yoga exercise at the UN headquarters during the celebration of the eighth International Yoga Day on Monday, June 21, 2022. (Photo: Arul Louis/IANS).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be away in Paris for the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, but will be sending a video message to the celebration. The ninth International Yoga Day, which will include mass yoga exercises, will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. New York Time (5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST) on Wednesday and will be videocast on the UN network (webtv.un.org).

Modi will not be attending the yoga celebrations scheduled to be held at the Times Square. The annual event with the participation of the consulate, civic groups and yoga organisations is called “Mind over Madness Yog”.

In his address to the UN General Assembly in 2014, Modi suggested declaring June 21 — the Summer Solstice which is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere — as the International Day of Yoga.

He linked yoga to both health and climate change. He said yoga “is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature”. He added that it could lead to “changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change”.

Asoke Mukerji, who was then India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, worked feverishly to mobilise support for it and got it unanimously approved in a record time of less than three months in December. The first Yoga Day was celebrated in 2015 and has been held every year, even in the middle of the Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 when it went virtual.

Yoga Day has become an international celebration with group practices and asana demonstrations across the globe.

Meanwhile, Indian Army personnel on Wednesday performed Yoga at Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh on the occasion of the 9th International Yoga Day.

Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande also performed Yoga at Delhi Cantonment in the national capital.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar performed Yoga on board INS Vikrant at Kochi in Kerala.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will celebrate the International Day of Yoga on June 21 at the United Nations Headquarters with the UN leadership and members of the international community.

Every year International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 worldwide. It serves as a platform to raise awareness about the numerous benefits of yoga and promote its holistic approach to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

The concept of International Yoga Day was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2014 address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Since then, Yoga has gained huge popularity worldwide due to its ability to enhance flexibility, strength, balance, and overall fitness.

This year the theme of Yoga Day is ‘Yoga For Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ i.e. Yoga for the welfare of all in the form of ‘One World-One Family’.

ALSO READ-Modi to visit Al-Hakim mosque in Egypt

Categories
-Top News Africa News USA

US, UN condemn rights violations in Sudan

People wait to cross into Egypt through the Argeen land port with Sudan on April 27, 2023. Egypt has received more than 16,000 foreigners fleeing the deadly conflict in neighboring Sudan, including more than 14,000 Sudanese, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. (Photo by Radwan Abu Elmagd/Xinhua)

Since the clashes first broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at least 958 people have died…reports Asian Lite News

The United States and the United Nations have both condemned the violence and rights violations in Sudan’s West Darfur region as the violent conflict in Sudan has entered its third month.

The US State Department attributed the atrocities “primarily” to the RSF paramilitary force and saying they are an “ominous reminder” of the region’s previous genocide.

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing human rights violations and abuses and horrific violence in Sudan, especially reports of widespread sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity in West Darfur by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“The atrocities occurring today in West Darfur and other areas are an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths said that some 1.7 million people are now internally displaced while close to half a million people have sought refuge outside Sudan.

Looting of medical and humanitarian assets continues on a massive scale and farmers are unable to reach their land, which further raises the risk of food insecurity, the UN official said and noted that there has also been a spike in reports of gender-based violence.

“I am particularly worried about conditions in Darfur where people are trapped in a living nightmare,” Griffiths said in a statement.

In addition to dire humanitarian situations, inter-communal violence is spreading in Darfur, threatening to reignite the ethnic tensions that stoked the deadly conflict there 20 years ago, he said.

He noted that the violence is hampering humanitarians’ efforts, and urged parties to the conflict and those with influence to ensure the movement of humanitarian supplies and personnel from other parts of Sudan, as well as from neighbouring countries, to Darfur where close to 9 million people need assistance.

“Darfur is rapidly spiraling into a humanitarian calamity. The world cannot allow this to happen. Not again,” said Griffiths.

Since the clashes first broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at least 958 people have died, while 4,746 others injured, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union said in its latest update.

ALSO READ: Sudan Army urges Saudi-US help to restart negotiation

Categories
-Top News India News

UN unanimously backs India’s peacekeeper memorial project

New York, Feb 15 (ANI): India's Permanent Ambassador to United Nations Ruchira Kamboj speaks at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Climate change, in New York on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

The memorial to be constructed in the UN headquarters campus is expected to be ready in time for the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding in 2025…reports Arul Louis

The world organisation’s members have unanimously backed India’s efforts to honour with a monument the more than 4,300 Blue Helmets who made the supreme sacrifice in the cause of peace.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution proposed by India and co-sponsored by 190 members to create the peacekeepers’ memorial that India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said will “ensure that their sacrifice is not forgotten, their memories are honoured”.

The highest number of peacekeepers from any country killed in UN operations – 178 – is from India, which has contributed the most number of personnel for peacekeeping.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally made the proposal for the memorial in 2015 at the UN summit and offered to pay for it.

Paying his “homage to the peacekeepers who have laid down their lives in defending the highest ideals of the United Nations,” he said.

“It would be most fitting if the proposed memorial wall to the fallen peacekeepers is created quickly.”

It has taken nearly eight years for the proposal to wend its way through the UN system and the resolution has put a three-year deadline for its completion.

The memorial to be constructed in the UN headquarters campus is expected to be ready in time for the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding in 2025.

Introducing the resolution, Kamboj acknowledged that creating the memorial wall will be a “complex affair” and its shape, size and location and the display of the names to be determined.

It will honour the “brave men and women (who) came from different parts of the world, practised different faiths and followed different cultures” but “were united by their commitment to the cause of peace, their spirit of selfless sacrifice, their professionalism and their resolve to bring succour to lives riven by conflict,” she said.

“These peacekeepers made the supreme sacrifice in the pursuit of mandates that we, as member states, requested them to carry out,” she added.

The monument will “be a source of solace for the near and dear ones of the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice, including their serving comrades and colleagues,” she said.

A measure of the unity around paying homage to the peacekeeping heroes is the cooperation of Pakistan, which had moments earlier attacked India at the Assembly on a different issue, but joined in as one of the main co-sponsors of the monument resolution and Kamboj named it while thanking those whose efforts moved the resolution.

From Pakistan, 168 peacekeepers have died in UN operations.

Other countries she listed included Bangladesh (with 166 peacekeepers dying in UN operations), Nepal (90), China and the US.

ALSO READ-India to launch ‘Global Biofuel Alliance’ at G20 meet