News headlines in March 2023, page 27

A UN-supported ensemble is creating a “discourse of music, harmony, reconciliation, empathy, fraternity, and solidarity” in the hope of bridging historical divides between the Israeli and Arab people, according to UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.

SANTA CATARINA PALOPÓ, Guatemala, Mar 04 (IPS) - Centuries of racism and exclusion suffered by indigenous peoples in Guatemala continue to weigh heavily, as demonstrated by the denial of the registration of a political party that is promoting the presidential candidacy of indigenous leader Thelma Cabrera in the upcoming general elections.

MADRID, Mar 03 (IPS) - The data is shocking: three-quarters of African Governments have already reduced their agricultural budgets while paying almost double that on arms.

GENEVA, Mar 03 (IPS) - At a high-level UN event, global donors pledged US$1.2 billion in aid operations to Yemen in 2023. Millions of Yemenis require humanitarian assistance as the country continues to suffer from the fallout of a prolonged civil war.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 03 (IPS) - There is no better environment for the expansion of violent extremist groups than a vacuum in state authority. It provides ideal conditions for these groups to prey on existing and historical grievances, fill the void with promises of financial support, access to services and attention for marginalized, neglected communities.

The current spate of deadly violence is distancing the prospect of a two-State solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, as the occupation is “eating away” at both societies, the UN rights chief told the Human Rights Council on Friday.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed his support on Friday for the “restoration of civilian rule and the transition to democracy” in Sudan following the country's military coup in October 2021.

As well as causing untold suffering for the people of Ukraine, the consequences of Russia’s invasion of the country have spread far beyond the two nations, fuelling alarming cost increases and product shortages, and creating food shortages around the world. The UN has led efforts to manage the huge humanitarian crisis resulting from the war and to find a path to peace.

For the first time ever, there are women MPs in every single country on Earth, the Interparliamentary Union, IPU, said on Friday.

A fresh round of prison sentences announced on Friday in Belarus signal "ongoing repression" in the country, where almost 1,500 people are detained on politically motivated chargesthe UN human rights agency says.