Over the past two weeks, world leaders have been meeting in Dubai to discuss strategies to tackle climate change at the 28th annual UN climate summit (COP28). The aim of the conference is to reignite enthusiasm in achieving the goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, the summit has not been […]
United Nations Report Demonstrates Urgency of Climate Change Policies
Early today, a United Nations (U.N.) report composed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released in Geneva, Switzerland, detailing the fast approaching effects of climate change and their impact on global food security. The report examined the correlations between various measures such as rising earth temperatures, soil degradation, and carbon dioxide emissions to […]
More than Four Million Flee Venezuela Amidst Economic and Political Crisis
Venezuela’s downward spiral into chaos and the collapsing economy coupled with high levels of violent crime forces more than four million people to leave the country as accused illegitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, moves to crush political opposition. The crisis means that Venezuela is now “one of the single largest population groups displaced from their country”, […]
Afghan Woman Appointed to Key UN Post
Sima Samar, a top Afghan human rights and women’s rights advocate, was appointed to the United Nations High Level Advisory Board of Mediation. Dr. Samar has been a leading advocate for human rights and women’s rights and has served in high ranking roles since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Since then, she […]
UN Report Finds Majority of Female Homicide Victims are Killed by Partners or Family
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report this week that found that more than half of all female homicides were caused by intimate partners or relatives, depicting the home as one of the most dangerous places for women. The report also found that legal efforts to decrease these homicides and protect […]
Puerto Rican Police Pepper Spray Puerto Ricans Protesting Violence Against Women
On Friday, Colectiva Feminista en Construcción, in collaboration with other Puerto Rican Feminist groups, organized a sit-in (un plantón) in front of La Fortaleza, Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s residence, to protest the killing of a woman by her husband, a police officer. During the protests, the Puerto Rican police peppered sprayed the protestors and videos surfaced […]
US Pulls Out of United Nations Organization on Culture and Education (UNESCO)
On Thursday, the Trump administration announced its decision that the U.S. will withdraw from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization at the end of 2018.
Afghan President Welcomes US Troop Increase
During his statement to the United Nations General Assembly, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan welcomed President Trump’s plan to increase United States involvement and presence in the country.
New Boko Haram Video Reignites International Concern over Reproductive Health of Rape Victims
On Sunday, Boko Haram released a video reporting the alleged status of hundreds of girls held hostage by the militant group, including the over 250 schoolgirls that were abducted in 2014.
UN Reports Major Decrease In Maternal Mortality Worldwide
A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division reveals a 44 percent drop in maternal mortality worldwide since 1990.
World Leaders Commit to Ending Gender Discrimination at UN Summit
On the 20th anniversary of the fourth world conference on women in Beijing, leaders from around the globe met with the UN to discuss concrete and measurable plans for eliminating discrimination against women.
UN Expert Calls for Action To End Violence Against Women in Afghanistan
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Rashida Manjoo returned last week from a nine-day official visit in Afghanistan with a call to the Afghan Government and the international community to continue its focus on creating sustainable solutions to reduce violence against women. This was Manjoo’s third visit to Afghanistan, and the Special Rapporteur noted many positive developments since her […]
United Nations and US Attorney General Defend Rights of Demonstrators in Ferguson
The excessive use of force by law enforcement officials during ongoing protests in Ferguson, Missouri caught the attention of the world this week.