Girls are forced to cross borders to undergo genital mutilation. Top news of the day | Friday: UN Secretary General, Ukraine, hate speech, “female circumcision” UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: speech by the UN Secretary General at the G7 summit session, intensification of hostilities in Ukraine, briefing at the UN Security Council on hate speech, the fight against female genital mutilation .
UN Head at the summit in Italy
The UN Secretary General took part in the session of the Group of 7 summit in Italy. He called on participants for greater and faster efforts to combat climate change, including through finance and technology transfer. The UN chief repeated his call for reform of the international financial architecture to ensure it serves the interests of developing countries. On artificial intelligence, he told summit participants that these technologies should support human rights, sustainable development and benefit humanity, rather than exacerbating power imbalances by increasing tensions and divisions. The Secretary General drew attention to the recommendations of his Advisory Group on this issue.
The situation in Ukraine
Intensifying Russian attacks in the Kharkov region of Ukraine are leading to significant civilian casualties, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and children having to study in subway tunnels. UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown said this on Friday during a press briefing in Geneva, calling for the difficult conditions for Ukrainian civilians not to be “normalized.” She noted that when there are discussions about intensifying hostilities, about missile strikes and about bombs, the focus should be on the people who suffer every day from what is happening in Ukraine.Hate speech
Participants in conflicts often resort to using hate speech against the opposing side. This increases tension, and in some cases can serve as an impetus for committing mass crimes and genocide. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, told Security Council members. She emphasized that the UN has developed strategies to combat hate speech. The briefing at the Security Council was devoted to the implementation of the resolution aimed at combating hate speech, and was timed to coincide with the corresponding international day, which is celebrated on June 18.
Mutilation
Female circumcision, officially called “female genital mutilation,” is illegal in many countries. As a result, girls and women are forced to cross borders to undergo such operations. The UN Human Rights Office examined the routes and scale of such movements. The report’s authors offer specific recommendations to ensure that measures to combat FGM are strengthened or implemented. Experts also call for strengthening and developing regional and global cooperation in the fight against female circumcision.