News headlines in 2023, page 251

Although cascading global crises are undermining hard fought development gains, “now is not the time for despair", UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told African ministers and policy makers meeting in Niamey, Niger, on Tuesday. 

Lifesaving aid is needed urgently to help millions of people enduring one of the  longest and most severe droughts on record in the Horn of Africa, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday, as the region enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain.

Water is life, yet this vital natural resource is being depleted, polluted and mismanaged. Disruption to the hydrological cycle is also causing more water-related disasters. To tackle the challenges, the United Nations will convene in March one of the most important water events in history at its Headquarters in New York. 

QUITO, Ecuador / LA PAZ, Bolivia, Feb 27 (IPS) - The Chief Executive of the twelfth largest oil producer - Sultan Al Jaber of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) - has been appointed as president of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) COP28, the biggest climate change conference that will take place in November, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27 (IPS) - The overwhelming political, economic and military support for war-ravaged Ukraine seems never ending—even as the Russian invasion moved into its second-year last week.

The US and Western allies have vowed to help Ukraine "as long as necessary" with no reservations or deadlines.

Independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council on Monday welcomed Armenia’s commitment to combat the use of mercenaries and private security companies, following an eight-day mission to the country. 

Twelve years after its revolution, political tensions in Libya remain high, and its leaders face a “major legitimacy crisis” amid widespread public frustration, the UN’s senior official in the country told the Security Council on Monday, announcing plans to create a new mechanism in support of crucial elections.

There are “no words” to explain the level of suffering of people in Türkiye following the hugely destructive earthquake which hit the country - as well as Syria - in early February, says Alvaro Rodriguez, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Türkiye.

Following the latest wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland on Monday appealed for both sides to take action towards addressing core issues fuelling their conflict. 

Donors are meeting in Geneva on Monday to raise $4.3 billion to provide support and protection for 17.3 million people in war-torn Yemen, which remains among the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.