Beira, Mozambique | AFP | Disease is threatening to aggravate the already dire conditions facing millions of survivors following the powerful tropical cyclone which ravaged southern Africa 10 days ago, officials warned on Sunday. Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique’s coast unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes of the poor …
Read More »Banking on Refugees
Contrary to popular belief, refugees are on par with non-refugees when it comes to loan repayment Project Syndicate, 2019 | JACQUELINE MUSIITWA | Every minute, on average, 31 people are displaced around the world – forced to leave their jobs, homes, and even their families. These refugees often arrive, after …
Read More »Fighting human trafficking
Empower and train survivors cooperate with law enforcement to help dismantle trafficking networks Project Syndicate, 2019 | AGNES IGOYE | Human trafficking is on the rise, and a new report from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime reveals that perpetrators face “hardly any risk” of punishment. As …
Read More »‘World must stand with Uganda on refugees’
What UNHCR Chief learnt from recent visit to Uganda’s refugee settlements Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Kelly Clements, the Deputy High Commissioner for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, recently saw firsthand the ever-growing task of caring for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable South Sudanese refugees when she visited Uganda. …
Read More »Cyclone death toll surges as UN steps up Mozambique aid call
Beira, Mozambique | AFP | The death toll in Mozambique on Saturday climbed to 417 after a cyclone pummelled swathes of the southern African country, flooding thousands of square kilometres, as the UN stepped up calls for more help for survivors. Cyclone Idai smashed into the coast of central Mozambique …
Read More »Billions pledged to halt Africa’s forest loss
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | With the world’s forests increasingly under threat from climate change and logging, leaders and top bank chiefs pledged billions on Thursday to help reverse the steep decline in Africa’s woodland areas. So far this century East Africa alone has lost around 6 million hectares of …
Read More »UN confirms 19 staff killed in Ethiopian airlines crash
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The United Nations Department of Safety and Security has confirmed that it lost 19 of its staff members in the Ethiopian Airlines crash which killed more than 150 people yesterday. Among the dead are seven staff of the World Food Programme and two from the …
Read More »UN envoy sees prospects for South Sudan peace deal
United Nations, United States | AFP | A shaky peace deal in South Sudan stands a chance of success despite delays in implementing it and many lingering unresolved issues, the UN envoy said Friday. The agreement signed in September provides for a power-sharing government that will prepare elections meant to …
Read More »Venezuela crisis worsened by sanctions: UN
Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Sanctions have worsened Venezuela’s crippling economic and political crisis, the UN human rights chief said Wednesday, as Washington warned it may expand measures targeting President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said sanctions had exacerbated the crisis but also slammed Maduro’s “violations of civil and political rights” …
Read More »Global unemployment down, but too many working poor
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The global unemployment rate inched down last year, the UN said Wednesday, warning though that jobs often failed to guarantee decent living, with some 700 million workers wallowing in poverty. Unemployment around the world fell last year to 5.0 percent — from 5.1 percent in …
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