Former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet has officially been appointed as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, following a vote Friday at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Bachelet announcement was warmly received by UN Secretary General António Guterres, who called her “a pioneer, a…
The much-awaited Global Compact for Migration is one step closer to adoption, as the United Nations finalized the text on Friday. Plans for that adoption are set for December at a conference in Morocco. The Global Compact initiative was approved in 2016 during the Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and…
A report issued Tuesday by the United Nations human rights agency documents grisly attacks on South Sudanese civilians that appeared to be the work of government forces and groups aligned with them. The 14-page report, which records incidents in southern Unity state in April and May of this year, lists…
The United Nations said Thursday that it stands ready to support efforts to help resolve tensions between farmers and nomadic herders in areas of West and Central Africa, which in recent days have led to the deaths of some 200 people in Nigeria. The news comes as Nigerian authorities announced…
Nations in North Africa need to become more proactive in preventing drought before it happens in what is one of the world’s most water-scarce regions. That’s according to a report released Friday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), released in conjunction with World Day to Combat Desertification and…
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the news of a new cabinet established late Monday in Madagascar, following a May 25 court order to form a national unity government in hopes of ending the island nation’s political crisis. President Hery Rajaonarimampianina’s picks include Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, both of…
Another attack on aid workers and facilities in the Central African Republic has prompted outrage from the country’s United Nations humanitarian coordinator, who demanded that the armed groups responsible be held accountable for the consequences of violating international humanitarian law. The statement from Najat Rochdi followed an intrusion at the…
Meteorologists tracking Sagar, a relatively rare tropical storm that strengthened as it crossed the entire Gulf of Aden, are expecting landfall on Saturday near the Djibouti-Somalia border. It has potential impacts for Ethiopia too as it reaches the Horn of Africa. Flash floods were reported in the Bari region of…
The commanders from three United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa briefed the UN Security Council on Wednesday on the evolving security challenges they face in their respective roles. Jean‑Paul Deconinck, commander for United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), was joined by Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, the commander of United…
The Congolese minister for human rights said Monday that the remains of at least two people traveling with United Nations experts Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan in the Kasai provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo when they were killed have been found. Isaac Kabuayi, a motorcycle driver, and interpreter…
Congolese officials say two people arrested at the weekend are leaders responsible for the high-profile deaths of United Nations experts in the volatile Kasais a year ago – including a man who appears in the video recording of their murders. Vincent Manga, leader of the militia group Kamuina Nsapu, and…
In an annual update to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein noted a list of concerns among African nations – and also a few bright spots. The human rights chief noted The Gambia’s announcement of a death penalty moratorium last…
Journalists from Africa’s mainland Least Developed Countries (LDC) or island nations are invited to submit work to the United Nations on how sustainable energy is improving their communities – and potentially receive an expenses-paid invitation to cover the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in Portugal in May. The contest is designed…
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance has appealed to global leaders to treat practices of tax evasion by multinational corporations in her country as foreign corrupt practices. Kemi Adeosun made her case during the first global conference of the Platform for Collaboration on Tax in New York City. The platform partners –…
With no clear end to the Guinea Bissau political crisis in sight, the West African governing body ECOWAS has announced sanctions on “all persons or organizations who impede the process” of its resolution. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States said the sanctions – a long-discussed measure revisited in…