WFP aid distribution in Darfur. Top news of the day | Friday: Israel-Gaza, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, food prices UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the HRC called for an arms embargo on Israel, the first delivery of food aid to Darfur in months, a new law in Kyrgyzstan on “foreign representatives”, food prices rose in March.
Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday condemning Israel’s alleged use of starvation as a method of waging war in Gaza and calling for an arms embargo on Israel. The resolution was adopted with 28 votes in favor, six against and 13 abstentions. The Council also extended the mandates for investigations in Ukraine, Syria and South Sudan, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in Iran and other missions and experts. In addition, during the 55th session of the HRC, the HRC adopted a number of resolutions on various thematic areas.
Famine in Sudan
The UN World Food Program has managed to deliver aid to conflict-ridden Darfur for the first time in months. The organization warns that if constant supplies of food to the population are not established, hunger in Sudan will only worsen. The temporary stoppage of supplies from Chad, as well as ongoing fighting, have made it impossible for humanitarian organizations to operate on the scale needed to provide adequate assistance in Sudan. The war has already led to unprecedented levels of hunger, with 18 million people across the country suffering from acute malnutrition.
New law in Kyrgyzstan
The new “foreign representatives” law, which will come into force in Kyrgyzstan in just over a week, will pose a serious threat to the work of civil society organizations in the country and, more broadly, will violate fundamental human rights. This was stated at a briefing for journalists in Geneva by the press secretary of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeremy Lawrence. He called on authorities to repeal the new law and ensure full compliance with international law and human rights standards in all future legislation.
Food prices
The increase in world quotations for vegetable oils, dairy products and meat led to an increase in the basic index of world prices for food products – this figure in March grew by 1.1 percent. However, compared to March last year, it is down 7.7 percent. This is stated in the monthly report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cereal prices fell 2.6 percent, an average of 20 percent below March 2023 levels. Wheat fell due to ongoing export competition between the European Union, Russia and the United States.