Social media posts have ‘real world consequences’. Top stories of the day | Friday: Lebanon, ICC, temperature record, social media UN
Top stories of the day in the UN and around the world: $30 million to help Lebanese victims of the conflict, US bill on sanctions against the ICC, 2024 recognized as the hottest year on record, checking content on social media.
Humanitarian aid in Lebanon
Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza announced the release of more than $30 million from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to help those affected by the recent conflict. The additional funding will ensure timely and effective support to people displaced from their homes and those returning to devastated areas. Particular attention will be paid to strengthening local responses aimed at supporting the most vulnerable groups.
US Sanctions Against the ICC
Independent UN experts have called on the US Senate to oppose sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and cuts to its funding. The experts expressed concern over the passage in the US House of Representatives on Thursday of a bill that would impose measures against the ICC following the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hottest Year
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2024 will be the warmest year on record, according to six international data sets. At the same time, the entire last decade was among the top ten warmest years. The average global surface temperature in 2024 was 1.55 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average. But that doesn’t mean the long-term goal can’t be achieved, UN chief Antonio Guterres said, calling for “breakthrough climate action” in 2025.
Regulating social media
Social media posts that incite hatred and division have “real-world consequences,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday after Meta announced it would stop fact-checking posts in the United States. Regulation is not the same as censorship, Türk said. The High Commissioner noted that he would continue to call for “accountability and governance in the digital space in line with human rights.”