A woman fled her home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Top news of the day | Monday: Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Haiti, North Korea UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the war in Ukraine and repression in Russia, the Middle East conflict, the escalation of violence in Haiti, the new UN representative in the DPRK.
Human rights
Humanity has rarely faced so many rapidly growing crises. Chief UN human rights activist Volker Türk said this at a session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. According to him, in the two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 10 thousand civilians have been killed and tens of thousands injured. The real numbers are most likely much higher. In the Russian Federation, authorities have further intensified repression on the eve of the presidential elections, Turk said. He recalled the death of Alexei Navalny, as well as the fact that several candidates were not allowed to run due to alleged administrative violations.
The situation in Gaza
Volker Türk also warned that the war in Gaza risks escalating into a crisis that will affect the entire Middle East and countries beyond. Presenting a report on global crises to members of the HRC, Türk urged the international community to do everything possible to avoid further spread of the conflict. Meanwhile, at the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Monday, they discussed the recent case of the use of the veto power by one of the permanent members of the Security Council. On February 20, the United States exercised this right when voting on a resolution calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza. h2>
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres is concerned about the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, where gang violence took place over the weekend have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure, including police stations and prisons. Guterres stated the need for urgent measures, in particular funding a multinational mission to support security in the country. The UN Secretary General also appealed to the Haitian government and other political figures with a request to quickly agree on steps to restore the democratic process.
UN Coordinator in the DPRK
Joe Colombano was appointed UN Resident Coordinator in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). He began his duties on the first of March. Colombano’s candidacy was approved by the Secretary General and agreed with the North Korean government. The new UN Coordinator will support the sustainable development of the country, in particular helping to strengthen food security and social development measures.