World News Summary: Women do ‘inspirational’ work in Gaza, surge in displaced persons in Haiti, Uighur rights in China
Talking to journalists in New York, United Nations Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the agency supports Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is estimated to have just 65,000 people left in Rafah, compared with six weeks ago when the southern city hosted 1.4 million displaced people – before evacuation orders and Israeli military operations began.
“UNRWA also told us that for more than eight months now, 625,000 children have been out of school,” Mr. Haq said.
Meanwhile, OCHA reported that for the first time since early June, five fuel trucks entered Gaza. However, supplies remain tight as no fuel has been delivered to the Strip in the past two weeks.
Women-led organizations in Gaza ‘an inspiration’
And in an exclusive interview with UN News, special representative for United Nations Women in the Occupied Palestinian Territories said Wednesday that the resilience of women-led organizations that continue to work across Gaza to benefit their communities is “an inspiration.” .
Maryse Guimond from the Palestine Office of the UN agency that advocates for gender equality described her first mission to the war-torn land since before fighting began and outlined how they collaborated with other agencies, providing resources such as food, dignity kits, and psychosocial support.
She said the women-run organizations UN Women is supporting are “key responders,” many of whom have been displaced multiple times during the ongoing conflict.
Number of displaced people increases 60% across Haiti: IOM
United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday that nearly 580,000 people are currently internally displaced across Haiti, a 60% increase since March.
In addition to displacement in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, gang-led violence has caused a growing number of people to flee to neighboring provinces.
As a result, in the southern region, the number of internally displaced men, women and children has increased from 116,000 to 270,000 in just the past three months.
Most of those displaced are being hosted by communities already struggling with overburdened social services and poor infrastructure.
fierce in the South
The IOM said this was especially severe in southern areas of the country, which were already weakened by 2021’s strong earthquake.
In the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, two-thirds of displaced people live in spontaneously created areas with limited access to basic services.
IOM has provided nearly 5 million liters of clean water to about 25,000 people and restored 22 hand water pumps.
More than 37,000 people were provided with relief goods including blankets, water bottles, solar lights, kitchen sets and plastic sheets. Mobile clinics have also been deployed to provide medical and psychosocial support, including a toll-free hotline.
China calls for information on imprisoned Uyghur doctor
A leading independent human rights expert reporting to the Human Rights Council on Wednesday called on China to provide information on the whereabouts of imprisoned Uighur doctor Gulshan Abbas.
Mary LawlorThe United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, said in an appeal for information that in the nearly six years since her detention, members of Dr. Abbas’s family “ There is still no information about where she is being held or the evidence used to convict her.” , or most worryingly, her health condition.”
Ms. Lawlor, an independent expert and not a United Nations employee, called on the Chinese government to comply with its international human rights obligations and at least provide this information to Dr. Abbas’s family. .
She said she was appalled by Dr. Abbas’ continued imprisonment in “apparent retaliation for her sister’s criticism of the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur people.”
The expert noted that former High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet highlighted in her 2022 report on human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, an alleged pattern of “intimidation, intimidation and retaliation.” enmity” toward family members of exiled Uyghurs who have engaged in advocacy related to the region.
The Special Rapporteur is appointed by the UN Eastern Human Rights Association to monitor and report on country-specific situations or thematic issues worldwide.
They are not employees of the United Nations and are independent of any government or organization. They serve as individuals and do not receive salary for their work.
