United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Friday stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said. Washington’s reversal came a …
Read More »US, China block UN resolution in spat over WHO handling of pandemic
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States and China remained at loggerheads Thursday over a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for a 90-day humanitarian pause in conflicts worldwide in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The stalemate — over a mention of the World Health Organization — …
Read More »Lift sanctions to prevent ‘disaster’ in Sudan: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Sudan risks being plunged into a humanitarian disaster by COVID-19 unless sanctions are lifted and donors provide financial support, the UN rights chief said Tuesday. Without international backing, the country’s transition towards peace and stability could swing into reverse, Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. A year has passed since …
Read More »UN appeals for UGX 1Trillion to support Ugandans during lockdown
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Up to 1.1 Trillion Shillings is needed to support refugee populations and food insecure populations in Uganda, whose lives have been further disrupted by the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. This is part of the UN Emergency Appeal for Response to COVID-19 fundraising campaign which …
Read More »Economic impact of coronavirus threatens hard-won gains across great lakes region
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Sweeping preventative measures seem to be curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the Great Lakes region of Africa, but the economic impact of the global pandemic threatens hard-won gains made along the long road back to peace and stability, a UN regional representative has stated. …
Read More »Humans to blame for spread of coronavirus and other ‘zoonoses’
Paris, France | AFP | Whether it came from a bat or a pangolin is not certain, but one thing is: the coronavirus outbreak that has killed tens of thousands and turned the world upside down comes from the animal world. It is human activity enabled the virus to jump to …
Read More »Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as COVID-19 advances
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses. This is according to an analysis by the UN Department of …
Read More »UN agency unveils $15m digital project
It is targeting one million people in key economy sectors Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Small and medium businesses in northern Uganda now have a big opportunity to exploit from a Shs57bn new project that aims to use information technology tools to offer services for the next five years. …
Read More »Complaint filed with UN over Burundi ‘reprisals’ on lawyers
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A legal complaint against Burundi was filed with a UN rights body on Thursday, over punitive actions taken against lawyers and activists who cooperated with a UN review of the country’s rights record. The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee against Torture …
Read More »Humanitarian agencies fear looming locust catastrophe
Damage to crops and pasture already reported across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Humanitarian agencies are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in eastern Africa as a result of the ongoing desert locust invasion around the region. Eastern Africa hosts about 14 million refugees, the majority …
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