United Nations Weekly Roundup: 24-30 September 2022

United Nations – Editor’s Note: Here’s a quick look at what the international community has been doing over the past week, as seen from the UN anchorage.

Ukrainian President Zelensky reports to Security Council

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Russia must completely isolate itself internationally because of the fake referendum. In a video briefing to the council, he warned that such a move would destroy any chances of peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

From President Zelensky to the UN: Isolating Russia

On Friday, Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to formally annex Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and Kherson and Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine. Later in the day, Russia used its veto at the UN Security Council to block a resolution condemning the fake referendum brought by the United States and Albania and Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Ukrainian territory. Brazil, China, Gabon and India abstained.

When this story was published on Friday afternoon, the Security Council was about to receive a report on a leak earlier this week in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that carry gas from Russia to Europe. Russia requested a briefing. Prior to the talks, the Swedish and Danish UN ambassadors sent a joint letter to the UN Security Council President. They said two large explosions “probably equivalent to hundreds of kilograms of explosive load” caused the leak. . Both countries are investigating.

You can read more about the leak from the Nord Stream pipeline here.

Mysterious Pipeline Leak Appears in Baltic Sea

Human rights bureau calls for release of Russian anti-conscription protesters

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military call-up last week forced tens of thousands of Russian men to flee the country. Thousands of Russians also took to the streets in several cities to protest the mobilization of 300,000 of his people to fight in Ukraine. As of Wednesday, about 2,400 protesters were reportedly arrested. The United Nations Office for Human Rights is calling for their release.

UN calls for release of Russian conscription opponents

Secretary-General calls for speedy investigation into death of Iranian woman

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a “prompt, impartial and effective” investigation into Masa Amini’s death. A 22-year-old woman died in Iranian police custody after being detained for not covering her hair properly, after her death mass street protests erupted in her more than a dozen cities in Iran and around the world. It broke out inside and security forces responded with force. Guterres’ office said he stressed to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a meeting on Sept. 22 the need to respect human rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. The UN Human Rights Office also condemned the needless and disproportionate use of force against protesters.

UN human rights official condemns violent crackdown on Iranian protesters

Security Council considers new sanctions against Haitian gang leaders

Mexico and the United States are working on draft resolutions to sanction criminal gangs that have sought to exploit the political vacuum since the July 7, 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise at his home in the capital. The Haitian Foreign Minister welcomed the move. at the board meeting on Monday. Gangs have paralyzed the Caribbean country, terrorized civilians, blocked highways and looted relief warehouses.

UN Security Council considers sanctions against Haitian gang leaders

in a nutshell

– Secretary-General Guterres lamented a powerful suicide bomber that struck a packed classroom in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Friday, killing and injuring more than 60 mostly Hazara Shia schoolgirls. Guterres said the Taliban “must protect the right of all Afghans to a safe and secure education, regardless of ethnicity or gender.” UNICEF said in a statement that schools should be “peace havens” and the UN mission in Afghanistan said “education must be free from prejudice and violence”. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

– The UN secretary-general also condemned Monday’s deadly attack on a convoy carrying essential supplies to the town of Zibo in Burkina Faso.The attack occurred near Gaskinde in Burkina’s Sahel region. Eleven of his soldiers escorting the relief party are dead and dozens of civilians are missing. Armed groups associated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State terrorist groups operate in the area. Burkina Faso is in a dire humanitarian situation, with nearly a fifth of his population in need of assistance. As of June, 1.5 million people have been displaced due to insecurity in the country.

– The General Assembly on Tuesday approved a two-and-a-half-year term for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. Grundy served his first five-year term from January 2016 to January 2020. When the general secretary wanted to recommend reappointing him for a second time to his five-year term, Grandi suggested a shorter term, but he later agreed to extend it to a full five-year term. . His tenure will continue until December 31, 2025.

– The World Health Organization said Tuesday that cases and deaths from the highly contagious strain of Ebola virus are rising rapidly in Uganda. declared the occurrence of It is the first time in 10 years that the strain has been detected in Uganda. As of 25 September, WHO has recorded 36 confirmed and probable cases in three districts. 23 dead.

– Thursday was International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, in 2019 he generated over 930 million tons of food waste. This represents about 20% of the available food. Waste levels are similar in rich and poor countries. Food waste has a serious impact not only on global hunger, but also on climate change. The United Nations says food waste accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

good news

On Tuesday, Ukraine passed the 5 million tonne milestone through the Black Sea Grains Initiative. This helped start the movement of 20 million tonnes of grain that had been stuck in silos and ships for months due to the Russian blockade, and by Friday that number had reached her 5.5 million tonnes. Did. Cereals and other foodstuffs have been credited with driving down international food prices.

Note citation

“It ignores the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. It must not be accepted.”

Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned Russia’s announced intention to formally annex the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. Either way, the Kremlin went ahead and did it on Friday.

what we’re seeing next week

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva is set to vote on a US-proposed resolution condemning China’s human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The move follows a report released by former High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in the final minutes of her presidency, which concluded there were “credible” allegations of widespread and serious abuses against Uyghurs. China contends that the allegations are false.

Have you seen it…

A giant mural brightly illuminating the building of the United Nations Doug Hammarskjold Library? Famous Brazilian street artist Eduardo Cobra completed just before his week at the General Assembly High Level. It was a gift from Brazil to the United Nations as part of Brazil’s 200th anniversary of independence. A mural of a man and a girl holding a green earth is about sustainable development. It will be on display until the end of the year.