Ioane Teitiota of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati lost his individual case, but the landmark ruling on the rights of climate refugees from the United Nations Human Rights Committee means he may have changed the future for people seeking to escape the extreme impacts of a warming world. That…
Central African Republic, Lesotho and The Gambia have had their United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voting privileges suspended because of a failure to pay required member dues. The decision is in line with rules under the UN charter that withhold the voting privileges when a nation meets or exceeds the…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres honored on Monday the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, with remarks that urged early intervention at the first warning signs of the threat. “Across the world, we are seeing an alarming surge in xenophobia, racism,…
When it comes to migration on the African continent, it is climate change that is among the key drivers, according to the annual World Migration Report released Wednesday by the United Nations migration agency. Eastern and southern Africa are seeing more disasters and environmental changes, including both drought conditions and…
The Government of Mauritius issued a statement Friday condemning the decision of the United Kingdom, which has refused to abide by international legal decisions that require the UK to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Those decisions included a nonbinding ruling by the International Court of Justice, the principal court…
The United Nations addressed on Friday the global spread of unrest that has swept across nearly every continent, with both the UN Secretary General and the head of the UN human rights office in Geneva appealing for peaceful demonstrations and expressing concerns over violence. “Disquiet in peoples’ lives is leading…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released over the weekend. Guterres expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the nation, and promised the UN will continue to support efforts to bring peace and…
Last week the Senegalese government announced a $93.3 million project to promote entrepreneurship in rural communities. Called the Rural Youth Agripreneur Support Project, the initiative is backed by a $51.9 million loan from the International Fund for Rural Development (IFAD) and will provide training and financial support to young people…
There was a moment during United States President Donald Trump’s press conference on Wednesday afternoon when – in addition to more defensive rambling than usual – the president almost sounded wistful about a time when he felt the world still loved him. “I used to be the king of getting…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
By Dominic Rohner and Alessandro Saia According to the United Nations Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, 2018 year was the worst on record in terms of children trapped in armed conflict regions, with nearly 250,000 students impacted by the closure of several hundred schools in Mali alone. These…
The death toll continues to rise in the Bahamas, where news crews report an increasingly dire situation as survivors of powerful Hurricane Dorian – some six days later – remain trapped on portions of the island nation where the damage has been described as apocalyptic. Thousands of people are still…
High-level officials in Burundi say they strongly reject the conclusions of a United Nations report released Wednesday, one that expressed concern over risks associated with human rights concerns as the volatile nation moves toward 2020 elections. The report, completed by a team of UN experts including Doudou Diène of Senegal…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres completed a three-day visit to Democratic Republic of Congo with expressions of confidence in the newly formed government and optimism that President Felix Tshisekedi and the country will meet their significant challenges. The Congolese will see “a government that wants to transform the country,…
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg completed on Wednesday her two-week journey by sea to New York City, where she will participate in the United Nations Climate Summit in September. Thunberg, the 16-year-old face of climate action since she began her Friday school strikes in her home country, traveled aboard the…
Last year was the worst on record for children trapped in regions where armed conflict rages, and it saw the highest numbers of children killed or maimed since the United Nations began keeping records on them, the UN said in a new report. The Annual Report of the Secretary-General on…