The capital of Belarus is Minsk, Victory Square. Top news of the day | Monday: Ukraine, Belarus, UN head, corruption UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: massive shutdowns of water and heating throughout Ukraine, the release of political prisoners in Belarus, Security Council debates on the future of UN leadership, the 11th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention against Corruption.
Strikes on Ukraine
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says attacks in several regions of Ukraine over the weekend left more than a million people without electricity, heating or water. Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 15, fighting and attacks killed at least nine civilians and wounded more than 70, including three children, authorities said. With falling temperatures and snowfall, attacks on energy infrastructure are leading to widespread water and heating outages across the country. Humanitarian agencies provide hot meals, water, repair materials and psychosocial support to victims.
Political prisoners in Belarus
The UN welcomes the release of 123 political prisoners by the Belarusian authorities on December 13, including 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and public figure Maria Kolesnikova. The UN press secretary stated this today. According to him, the Organization highly appreciates the efforts of the United States to facilitate their release. In addition, the UN hopes that this step will allow for a more open dialogue, including on human rights issues, in Belarus and calls for the release of all remaining political prisoners. confrontation, the weakening of multilateralism and the crisis of the UN system itself. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Fordham University international politics professor Anjali Dayal spoke during the meeting. Ban Ki-moon proposed introducing one seven-year term for the Secretary-General, noting that the current practice of two five-year terms makes the head of the UN dependent on the permanent members of the Security Council.
Anti-Corruption Forum
The world’s largest anti-corruption conference kicked off today in Doha, Qatar. The draft resolutions being considered by the states parties to the UN Convention against Corruption are devoted, in particular, to the role of artificial intelligence in preventing and combating corruption, educating children and youth in the spirit of honesty and integrity, and increasing the transparency of the financing of political parties and election campaigns. Conference participants will also discuss how corruption contributes to other abuses, including migrant smuggling and environmental crimes.