News headlines in May 2021, page 5

The COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the already difficult situation of older refugees across Latin America, according to a joint assessment published on Wednesday by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the NGO HelpAge International. 

A call to use Africa’s rich cultural and natural heritage as a catalyst for growth and transformation is “the right appeal at the right time”, the UN chief told a three-day forum on the continent’s future held online on Wednesday. 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday urged Libya’s unity government and European Union (EU) countries to act to protect migrants making the dangerous crossing in the central Mediterranean Sea. 

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the derailing of Mali’s transitional government following the apparent forced departure of both the President and Prime Minister on Tuesday, by the leader of last August’s military coup.

In response to the apparent forced landing of a commercial passenger plane in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, convened an urgent diplomatic meeting on Thursday. What is ICAO saying about the incident, and what powers does the agency have? 

JAKARTA, Apr 07 (IPS) - Residents of Ngadirejo village in Sukaharjo regency, Central Java province, had often found themselves helpless when their wells dried up or water flooded through their homes. But thanks to a national campaign called Program Kampung Iklimknown by its acronym ProKlimthey now have solutions to this flooding that generally occurs because of a lack of adequate water catchments.

Violent conflict, terrorism and human rights abuses continue in Syria as its besieged population suffers economic destitution, displacement, detention and abduction, the UN’s Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

NEW YORK, May 26 (IPS) - It has been one year since the police murder of George Floyd, an outrage that resonated around the world. The killing forced people to the streets, in the USA and on every inhabited continent, to demand respect for Black lives and Black rights, proving that protest was essential even during the pandemic.

MONTREAL/VICTORIA, Canada, May 26 (IPS) - Over the past 75 years, there have been many UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions acknowledging Israel’s violations of international law, including a Resolution under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, that could have addressed, if implemented, the plight of the Palestinians.

The international legal framework and tools are all there to protect civilians caught up in conflict, and now it’s time for governments and armed groups to apply them, the UN relief chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.