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Warring sides in Sudan are more open to negotiations and have accepted that the conflict that erupted two weeks ago cannot continue, a U.N. official told Reuters on Saturday, a possible flicker of hope even as fighting continued. Volker Perthes, U.N. special representative in Sudan, said the sides had nominated representatives for talks which had been suggested for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or Juba in South Sudan, though he said there was a practical question over whether they could get there to "actually sit together". He said no timeline had been set for talks. The prospects of negotiations between the leaders of the two sides have so far seemed bleak. On Friday, army leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said in an interview he would never sit down with the RSF's "rebel" leader, referring to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who said he would only talk after the army ceased hostilities. Hundreds of people have been killed since April 15 when a long-simmering power ...

The UN has been forced to essentially halt all aid operations across Sudan due to the continuing fighting between rival militaries, but humanitarians who have re-located to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast are determined to return to Khartoum “as quickly as possible”, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said on Thursday. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Abdou Dieng , speaking from Port Sudan, told reporters in the briefing room in New York that senior leadership would be returning to the Sudanese capital, as soon as the situation allows. The needs are urgent, and widespread, he said, as the final few hours of a US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire neared, with fighting continuing. Hundreds have been killed, and thousands wounded as the rival militia of the country’s top two generals continue to battle each other in civilian areas. Dire needs, before fighting erupted Before the fighting began nearly two weeks ago, one in three Sudanese was already in need of aid, and it’s proving “extremely d...

Canada says the United Nations' controversial move to enter dialogue with the Taliban must include women, as the organization mulls recognizing the terrorist group as the government of Afghanistan. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is set to meet with Taliban officials for closed-door talks next week in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to find what his spokesman called a "durable way forward" for Afghanistan. Guterres' deputy, Amina Mohammed, caused a stir this month by saying the UN was pondering "a principled recognition" of the Taliban as the government. No country has made that endorsement, although Canada has had frequent talks with the group it deems a terrorist organization in order to keep abreast of mounting humanitarian crises. On Thursday, Canada's ambassador for women, peace, and security, Jacqueline O'Neill, endorsed a letter calling for women to be at the table. In a tweet reposted by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, O...

Are children at risk in tight labour markets? UNICEF explains * There is substantial concern that COVID-19 and associated socioeconomic crises may have set back global progress on child labour. * Projections show that without mitigation measures, up to 8.9 million more children may have been pushed into child labour. * Companies and governments must collaborate to take a multifaceted approach to protect children from economic shocks, experts say. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic shocks have upended progress towards multiple economic and social development goals. There are fears that these include setbacks in the fight against child labour. Even prior to the pandemic, the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) was raising concerns that progress to end child labour had stalled in previous decades. In a report published with the International Labour Organization, the agency estimated that 160 million children—nearly 1 in 10 worldwide—were engaged in ...

The jet touched the runway at the Daniel K. Inouye International airport in Honolulu. I could almost smell the familiar scent of water as I peered out through the window of the aircraft. Finally, I was in Hawaii! I always wanted to visit Hawaii. My stints in Fiji, Kiribati, Sri Lanka and constant vacations in Thailand could never diminish my desire to feel Honolulu in person. In mid 1970s during my girlhood days when we had only one TV channel in Dhaka, right after the English news (prime time) “Hawaii Five O,” an American TV series used to be broadcast, once a week. With my sisters, I anxiously waited for it. Jack Lord played the part of detective Steve McGarret––the head of a special state police task force. At the opening scene, his face dominated the screen (24 inches, the largest available to us at the time), he looked directly at the camera and with a hint of a smile––sort of swaggered his face at us as a lock of hair flickered on his forehead. The camera froze at that point and...

(Massive inconsistency in information in absence of official statements, massive displacement of civilians, congestion at Egyptian border crossings, a severe shortage of water and services, absence of international organizations and delays in media coverage) Click here for the original article We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe with the continuation of the armed conflict in Sudan and the non-compliance of the two parties to the armistice. Due to the aftermath of the conflict and severe shortages of food, water, medicine, shelter, and other necessities; hundreds of thousands of people are currently in urgent need of safe passage and havens. There are challenges in accessing basic needs and moving to a neighboring country, particularly Egypt, can be terrifying. There is an urgent need for a UN relief presence at and nearby the border crossings. In order to enter into neighboring nations, people on the move need accurate and official information. Who is permitted to cross into ...

UN Pension Fund back on track after 2022 as low costs pay off Sarah Rundell April 26, 2023 Click here for the original article The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, UNJSPF, is clawing back 2022 losses with assets under management currently valued at $82 billion and the fund experiencing a positive return of 5 per cent so far this year. Robust returns between 2019 and 2021 had swelled the UNJSPF portfolio by 30 per cent to a record high in its 75-year history to over $91.5 billion by the end of 2021. Come 2022, and the ravages of high inflation and ensuing high interest rates impacting the long-term value of bonds and equity, and assets under management had fallen 14 per cent by the end of the year, said Pedro Guazo, representative of the Secretary-General for the investments of the assets of the fund, speaking in a recent UNJSPF Global Town Hall. Guazo predicted the fund would be back up to $90 billion assets under management in the next two to three years. UNJSPF targets a l...

His name was João. He was three years old. But small for his age. His skinny arm poked out the sleeve of his baggy, torn T-shirt. As he turned his face to meet mine, completely white eyes stared back. He was blind. The cause? Measles and a lack of Vitamin A. That was 25 years ago. But it’s one of the images that haunts me to this day. Günter Boussery, Sr. Health Specialist UNICEF ROSA I was seeing what can happen when malnutrition, missed vaccinations and measles collide. Life-destroying — but preventable with vaccines and vitamins. I was in Angola, on my first mission as a new doctor. The country was in the middle of a civil war. Health services had been disrupted by the war, so João and many other children had missed their routine vaccines – and diseases were surging. João had also become malnourished. This had left his body in need of vital nutrients to keep him strong, including vitamin A, which the cornea in the eye relies on to function. Both factors meant that when João bec...

The UNICEF Global Leadership Meeting took place in early March, in Istanbul. Representatives from all over the world  met with other UNICEF leaders to discuss leadership. And challenges. And the future of an 8 billion Dollar organization. Someone said that there was a lot of energy in the room. A lot of conversations were held. Some had a good time. Some felt underwhelmed.

Boundary of nationalism   A country becomes a nation only when all its citizens living within an administrative boundary share a sense of oneness and are involved with one another in the interest of their ‘nation’. Idea of nationalism   Nationalism defines an ideology of devotion and loyalty to a nation which outweigh obligations to other individuals or other nation’s interest. The government expects its citizens to rise above their personal and regional identities such as ethnic differences and to work cohesively for the purpose of national security and national development. In countries with heterogeneous populations a person may identify oneself as a citizen of a particular country but there are also tendencies for people to identify as belonging to a certain ethnic ‘nationality’. Such an idea of ethnic or religious identity for various reasons is the main reason for separatist movements in a number of countries. Nationalism & globalisation I n certain academic circ...

Putting children first legally, politically, economically Law professor says nation disregards their rights, fails to protect them, create conditions so they can thrive In his new book, “A Minor Revolution: How Prioritizing Kids Benefits Us All,” Adam Benforado, J.D.’05, professor of law at Drexel University, explains how the country is failing children politically, legally, and economically, and offers a roadmap for improvement. The Gazette interviewed Benforado about the extent of the disregard for children’s rights in the U.S. and the ways in which it can do better not only for children’s sake, but for the nation’s. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Q&A Adam Benforado GAZETTE: Your book says that the country is failing children? How so? BENFORADO: The way I’ve organized this book is in terms of a child’s normal development. One of the most important things to set a person up for health and success in life is strong attachment to primary caregi...

A  study by a UNICEF survey of 83 countries shows that adolescent girls scored higher than boys in maths proficiency in 38 countries, while boys performed better in 34, and with no significant difference in 11. According to the report released in April, in 81 countries the girls did better at reading. Reigniting questions on how even with their surpassing abilities women have always been relegated to an inferior intellectual status, the differences in gender intellectualism and professional placement persist.   A deep rooted problem Intellectualism and its relationship with gender has a long history around the world. Like many aspects of feminine identity when viewed historically this too is a complex issue, with no clear answers to it. Examples can be found for both empowerment and for disempowerment of women in different avenues of life. Education, jobs and intellectual activity also are avenues no different in this aspect. Though the case should have been different in toda...

Joint Press Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid. The rapid escalation of hostilities in Sudan has a dramatic impact on children, already highly affected by the country’s long-lasting and devastating conflicts and the dire humanitarian situation. The Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict and on violence against children echo the UN Secretary-General’s call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and to ensure that necessary measures are taken to protect civilians and especially children in the context of combat operations. “The lives, protection and well-being of children must take precedence over combat operations, and we call on all parties to halt hostilities and to ensure full protection of all children. Parties should further refrain from attacking civ...

The United Nations kicked off a campaign to reverse dangerous declines in routine childhood vaccination as disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic left some 67 million children fully or partially without vaccines , sparking rising outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, along with Gavi, the Gates Foundation and other partners launched "The Big Catch-up," to boost child vaccination worldwide. "Millions of children and adolescents, particularly in lower-income countries, have missed out on life-saving vaccinations, while outbreaks of these deadly diseases have risen," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "Catching up is a top priority. No child should die of a vaccine-preventable disease." The effort comes after essential immunization levels decreased in more than 100 countries as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, leading to overburdened health services, closed clinic...

Editors' Note: We published recently the launch of the report by a group led by Carol Bellamy. Humanitarian aid needs an overhaul to address hunger crisis by Teresa Welsh Click here for the original article in DEVEX - Inside Developmen t An overhaul of the humanitarian food aid system is urgently needed to prevent a reversal in progress on ending hunger amid a host of global challenges, according to a new report from the Rockefeller Foundation . The report, written by former UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, focuses on how to improve the efficiency of food aid while also strengthening the food system’s resilience to prevent an endless cycle of emergency response. Among its recommendations are planning for disasters long before they hit and funneling more money to local organizations as first responders. There has been an 80% rise of acutely food insecure people globally since 2016, with an estimated 193 million people in 53 countries needing food aid. Conflict, COVID-19 ...