ICJ ruling is a victory for human rights and justice

ICJ ruling is a victory for human rights and justice

“The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, the Hague, Netherlands. The court is the principal judicial body of the United Nations.” Photo: United Nations via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed) By GroundUp Editors via GroundUp The ruling on Friday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a victory for human rights and justice. Fifteen of the seventeen judges found that South Africa made a plausible case that the dreadful […]

January 29, 2024 16

Opinion Pieces

UN genocide ruling won’t change Israel’s behaviour: three reasons why

By Anthoni van Nieuwkerk, University of South Africa South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the latter’s military operation in Gaza, which South Africa calls acts of genocide. The excessive bombing campaign and wilful destruction of property, life and limb is hardly in dispute. Israel calls it legitimate acts of self-defense, following Hamas’s murderous incursion from Gaza on Israeli terrain on 7 October […]

January 29, 2024 8

World

UN says still not enough aid getting into Gaza

The United Nations says its still facing many obstacles in getting sufficient humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza. Speaking to reporters from Jerusalem on Wednesday the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory says the situation keeps deteriorating further and Israeli authorities continue to stop these conveys. Jody Jacobs reports from the United Nations in New York.

January 25, 2024 28

World

WHO and partners bring fuel to Al-Shifa, as remaining hospitals in Gaza face growing threats

WHO and partners completed another high-risk mission on Monday to resupply fuel to the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. Across the Gaza Strip, the few remaining hospitals find themselves in ever more dire circumstances, with hostilities often preventing access for patients and supplies, and health workers managing on little rest and scarce supplies. The mission was carried out along […]

January 24, 2024 16

World

Two-State Solution ‘Only Way to Avoid Endless Cycles of Fear, Hatred, Violence’, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Debate on Middle East

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, in New York today: Over 100 days have passed since more than 1,200 Israelis and others were killed in the horrific terror attacks launched by Hamas against Israel, with over 250 people taken hostage. For all those affected, these have been 100 days of heartache and anguish. Nothing can justify […]

January 24, 2024 10

Africa

Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: 5 essential reads

Children’s education is frequently disrupted in conflict-fraught areas. Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images Natasha Joseph, The Conversation Nelson Mandela was a famous advocate for the value of education. In 1990, the man who would become South Africa’s first democratically president four years later told a high school in Boston: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The United Nations agrees. In 2018 […]

January 24, 2024 28

World

High Level UN Security Council meeting to be finalized in New York

A High Level Inter-ministerial Security Council meeting will take place in New York on Tuesday. France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs is expected to chair the meeting. The meeting comes as Palestinian officials in Gaza reported that over 25 thousand people have now been killed and the United Nations says the humanitarian situation is out of control. Jody Jacobs reports from the United Nations in New York.

January 24, 2024 4

Opinion Pieces

Syria’s Enduring Turmoil Heads Into 2024

Escalating violence in northwest Syria left 66 people dead in attacks by the government and Russia, according to the White Helmets/Syrian Civil Defense, above, in October 2023. The war, nearing its 13th year, has created the largest displacement crisis globally. Peacemaking efforts by the United Nations go on, but Russia’s crucial cooperation is growing more remote. By Jusaima Moaid-azm Peregrina via PassBlue The Syrian conflict, now nearing its 13th year, […]

January 23, 2024 23

World

UN launches 7.9 billion dollar migration appeal

The United Nations has launched a $7.9 billion dollar funding appeal to help people that have been forced from their homes. A new UN International Organization for Migration report estimates that 117 million people were forced to migrate by the end of 2022often making perilous journeys in search of a better life. William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York.

January 23, 2024 6