Systematic violations of the rights of women and girls by the Taliban have increased. Top news of the day | Tuesday: Ukraine, hate speech, Afghanistan, Theo James UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: strikes on Ukraine led to civilian casualties, International Day against Hate Speech, Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan calls for using “all tools” to dismantle the gender system oppression in the country, actor Theo James is appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency.
Civilian casualties in Ukraine
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that strikes in Ukraine and military operations in the country over the past days have led to to numerous civilian casualties, including children. The Donetsk, Kharkov and Poltava regions suffered the most: houses and civil infrastructure were damaged, and the power supply was disrupted. UN humanitarian agencies and their partners distributed construction materials to the affected population to urgently repair houses.
Hate Speech Day
Today marks the International Day against Hate Speech. In his message, the UN chief noted that hate speech often foreshadows and accompanies discrimination, abuse, violence, conflict and even crimes against humanity, as happened in Nazi Germany, Rwanda, Bosnia and other countries. Although there is no international legal definition of hate speech and any definitions can be called ambiguous and controversial, the UN considers hate speech to be any speech that is hostile, derogatory or discriminatory against any person or group of people on the basis of religion, nationality, race, social background, gender and other identity factors.
Women’s rights violations in Afghanistan
Systematic violations of the rights of women and girls by the Taliban have increased, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett said on Tuesday. He called for using “every tool” to dismantle the system of gender oppression in Afghanistan and bring those responsible to justice. This approach includes the use of international mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. The expert also recommended that countries adopt the concept of “gender apartheid,” as Afghan women argue that this term best describes their situation.
Actor Theo James will help refugees
British actor Theo James has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) ). James is known for his roles in the TV series White Lotus and The Gentlemen. He has supported the work of UNHCR since 2016 and, among others, has met with refugees in Greece, France and Jordan. Following his appointment, James said: “I am very proud to join UNHCR as a Goodwill Ambassador. My family’s experience gave me an understanding of what refugees have to lose and what they have to struggle with. During World War II, my grandfather was forced to flee on a small boat from Greece to Syria, and his courage and resilience inspired me to help make a difference in the lives of displaced people.”