Many residents of Haiti’s capital have fled their homes and are living in tents. Top news of the day | Thursday: anti-racism, Ukraine, Haiti, nuclear energy UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the UN celebrates International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, attacks on Kharkov and Kyiv led to civilian casualties; the situation in Port-au-Prince continues to deteriorate; Participants of the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels adopted a declaration.
Strikes on Kyiv and Kharkov
Early this morning, a densely populated area of Kyiv came under heavy shelling, a UN spokesman said, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The attack resulted in civilian casualties and damage to homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure. According to authorities, yesterday’s strikes on Kharkov killed civilians and damaged residential buildings and electrical power infrastructure. Meanwhile, fighting in the front-line regions also resulted in civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure. The Donetsk and Kherson regions suffered the most. Humanitarian organizations quickly mobilized emergency assistance after the attacks on Kharkov and Kiev.
The situation in Haiti is deteriorating
The situation in Haiti’s capital is “extremely alarming,” Ulrika Richardson, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country, said Thursday. The situation in Port-au-Prince continues to deteriorate: criminal violence continues, the scale of the food crisis grows, and medical staff in the city’s hospitals do not have time to treat all victims of gunshot wounds. “It is important not to allow violence to spread from the capital to the entire country,” Ulrika Richardson told reporters at UN headquarters via video link from Haiti. She also noted numerous human rights violations: More than 2,500 people were killed, kidnapped or injured, she said, adding that sexual violence, including torture and gang rape, was also widespread in Port-au-Prince.
Combating racial discrimination
Racial discrimination and the legacy of slavery and colonialism continue to destroy the lives and limit the opportunities of millions of people around the world. To draw the attention of the international community to this problem and stimulate the search for solutions, the UN celebrates the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “Racism is an evil that infects countries and societies around the world, a deeply rooted legacy of colonialism and enslavement.” The head of the world organization called for protecting people of African descent from discrimination and supporting their rights and freedoms.
Brussels Nuclear Energy Summit
Participants at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels adopted a declaration in which they reaffirmed their “strong commitment to nuclear energy as a key component of the global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ensure energy security,” and the transition to clean energy. “We are committed to doing everything we can to fulfill this commitment by expanding cooperation with countries that choose to develop civilian nuclear capabilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition energy systems away from fossil fuels,” the declaration said. The Brussels Summit has become the highest level international forum dedicated to the topic of nuclear energy. It was co-chaired by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Cros and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.