# UN
Last week
21st May 2023 - 27th May 2023
# Food security
WHO to expand support for farmers to grow food instead of tobacco
Following a successful pilot scheme in Kenya, the UN wants to expand it to other countries and continents.
# Sudan
Fighting in Sudan has displaced more than 1.3 million people, says UN
Violence erupted in April after months of escalating tensions between rival generals Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
This month
May 2023
# Black sea
Russia agrees two-month extension to deal allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the two sides had agreed to extend the deal.
# Afghanistan
UN chief slams Taliban over 'unprecedented' curbs on Afghan women's rights
The Taliban government has firmly rejected criticism of the curbs on women.
# Conflict
Sudan conflict could force 800,000 people to flee, says UN
Fighting between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group is in its third week.
Last month
April 2023
# Khartoum
Close to 90 Irish citizens evacuated from Sudan as fears mount for current ceasefire
The 88 Irish citizens have been evacuated on flights by EU partners and the UK.
Tánaiste Michéal Martin has thanked "our international partners for continued support" in so far evacuating 88 Irish citizens.
Irish Embassies in Jordan, Egypt, and Cyprus are providing consular assistance to people arriving into these countries.
The British evacuation mission from Sudan has lifted 301 people to safety over four flights.
# Port-au-Prince
At least 12 suspected gang members stoned and burned alive in Haiti
The UN has warned that insecurity in the Haitian capital has reached levels similar to countries at war.
# Taliban
United Nations ready for ‘heartbreaking’ decision to pull out of Afghanistan
The head of the UN Development Programme said it will pull out in May if it cannot persuade the Taliban to let local women work for the organisation.
# War crime
UN demands access to Ukrainian children deported to Russia
The Kremlin is accused of deporting thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia.
# Ukraine War
Russia defends itself from criticism over UN Security Council presidency
The presidency of the Security Council confers certain prerogatives in terms of setting the agenda for the body.
Voices
Barry Andrews: Russia at the helm of the UN Security Council from today makes a mockery of it
The Irish MEP says Russia’s assumption of the Presidency for a month makes a laughing stock of a body that stands for peace.
# Ukraine
Ukraine's foreign minister says Russia UN Security Council presidency a 'slap in the face'
The United States has also criticised Russia’s role and its permanent seat on the Security Council.
March
March 2023
# Climate
UN adopts ‘historic’ resolution on legal obligations to fight climate change
The resolution now goes to the International Court of Justice to clarify climate obligations and then begin proceedings.
# Matiullah Wesa
Founder of girls' education project in Afghanistan arrested by Taliban authorities in Kabul
The Taliban government last year barred girls from attending secondary school.
# Crimes Against Humanity
UN investigation finds migrants stuck in Libya are being tortured and forced into sex slavery
Nearly all the survivors interviewed did not lodge official complaints out of fear of reprisals, arrest, and extortion.
# Ukraine War
United Nations accuses both Russian and Ukrainian forces of 'summary executions' of prisoners
The head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said her organisation had recently recorded killings by both sides.
# War in Ukraine
UN-backed inquiry accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine
The report marked a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the Security Council.
# Climate Change
UN talks on agreement to protect the high seas continue into the early morning
The high seas comprise more than 60% of the world’s oceans and nearly half the planet’s surface.
# Climate Change
Over 100 nations, including Ireland, back Vanuatu plan to tackle climate change
Vanuatu, a nation made up of around 80 islands, has spearheaded a drive to define what legal responsibility countries have for the impact of climate change.
This year
2023
# rights of the child
UN rights committee 'seriously concerned' over children in Ireland experiencing homelessness
The UN Rights of the Child Committee published observations on Ireland today.
# UN
United Nations chief fears world is heading toward a wider war
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said experts who surveyed the state of the world in 2023 set the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight.
# Ukraine
UN chief says prospects for peace in Ukraine 'keep diminishing' as anniversary nears
It comes after Ukrainian officials said Russian forces are preparing for a large-scale offensive in the coming weeks.
# West Bank
Israel forces kill five Palestinians in Jericho raid according to official
The Israeli official told AFP the army was holding the bodies of the Palestinians killed.
# Climate
Past eight years were hottest since records began, UN scientists confirm
The World Meteorological Organisation found the average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15C above 1850-1900 levels.
# Burkina Faso
UN urges 'impartial' probe after 28 killed in Burkina Faso
The country has been grappling with an insurgency led by jihadists since 2015.
# Lebanon
Seven people charged in Lebanon over attack that killed Private Seán Rooney last month
UNIFIL had urged Beirut to ensure a swift investigation, the incident being the first violent death of one of its peacekeepers in nearly eight years.
Last year
2022
# Afghanistan
UN won't halt aid to Afghanistan despite ban on women working in the country's aid sector
‘Aid is never conditional,’ the UN Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan told reporters.
# Afghanistan
UN urges Taliban to end 'terrible' university ban on women
The Taliban have suspended university education for women and secondary schooling for girls.
# Aung San Suu Kyi
UN Security Council adopts first ever Myanmar resolution and calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi has been a prisoner since the army toppled her government almost two years ago.
# Tehran
Iran ousted from UN women's rights body over protest crackdown
The US led the campaign for Iran’s removal.
# United Nations
Russian invasion of Ukraine and veto undermines UN Security Council, Coveney says
Coveney believes Ireland has had a “sustained and positive impact” during its two-year term on the council.
# UN
UN launches record €49 billion emergency funding appeal amid Ukraine war and climate emergencies
An estimated 339 million people worldwide will need some form of emergency assistance next year.
# Ooh la la
UN puts French baguette on cultural heritage list
The simple French flute has been recognised on the Unesco list.
# COP27
COP27 summit strikes historic deal to fund climate damages
The two-week talks delivered a major breakthrough on a fund for climate loss and damage’.
# one in eight billion
World population set to reach eight billion today
The UN attributes the growth to human development, with people living longer thanks to improvements in public health and medicine.
Warming weather and rising seas getting worse, UN meteorological report warns
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the latest report was a chronicle of climate chaos and a distress signal from the planet.
# Takeover
Twitter starts rolling out paid subscriptions as UN calls for human rights to be respected
Musk’s takeover of Twitter has caused controversy in recent days.
# Ukraine
G7 discuss winter aid package for Ukraine as grain shipments resume
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the G7 will help Ukraine with items including generators and heaters to survive the winter.
# Glaciers
Yellowstone, Kilimanjaro glaciers among those set to vanish by 2050, UNESCO warns
The warning follows a study of 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage sites.
# Race Against Time
UN report finds current climate pledges 'nowhere near' enough to prevent 1.5C warming
Experts say the world is failing to act with sufficient urgency to curb greenhouse gas emissions
