un education

In response to a request from South Africa to put pressure on Israel to end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half of the population has sought refuge, the top court of the United Nations will begin two days of hearings on Thursday. Since initiating proceedings, South Africa has requested the International Court of Justice four times for emergency measures, claiming that Israel's military behavior in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza amounted to genocide. The most recent motion claims that the court at The Hague's prior preliminary decisions were insufficient to deal with "a brutal military attack on the sole remaining refuge for the people of Gaza." Israel has dismissed warnings from the US and other partners that any significant action ...

As voters in thirteen Commonwealth nations this year decide which issues to prioritize for the next ten years, focus shifts to the global effort to address global issues as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which are expected to be fulfilled by 2030 and beyond. Higher education is at the vanguard of this enormous undertaking, playing a crucial role in influencing how the world responds through research, leadership, and the facilitation of teaching and learning. At the invitation of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) has taken a proactive stance, establishing a higher education taskforce comprised of 20 vice-chancellors across our 400+ institutional membership to address key challenges and recommendat...

UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk voiced alarm on Thursday about police brutality against demonstrators and urged Georgia's government to revoke a contentious "foreign influence" measure that was pending in parliament. His remarks were made the day after the draft law was approved by the Georgian parliament on a second reading and after more rallies against the bill, which opponents claim is an attempt to quell dissent. Should the bill become law, every independent media outlet or non-governmental organization that receives more than 20 percent of its money from outside would have to register as a "organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power." Turk urged the Georgian government to revoke the proposed bill and to start a conversation, notably with media outlet...

The United Nations is putting out a plan to put pressure on Afghanistan and provide incentives for the Taliban to change their ways, following two years of failed attempts to hold discussions with the group about eliminating their bans on women working and attending secondary and university schools in their country. The number of girls and young women who are denied secondary school is already over 2.5 million, and in a few months it will rise to 3 million. The United Nations envoy for global education, Gordon Brown, a former British prime minister, unveiled a five-point strategy on Tuesday that includes putting the matter before the International Criminal Court. According to Brown, he has sent ICC prosecutor Karim Khan a legal opinion requesting that he launch an inquiry into the de...

In fact, a UN representative called the current antisemitic pro-Hamas campus demonstrations in the United States "troubling" due to "the rise in hate speech on all sides." Irene Khan, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, stated, "One after the other, the Ivy League heads of colleges and universities, their heads are rolling, they've been chopped off."Khan stated to a U.N. news agency that "legitimate speech needs to be protected, but sadly, there is a hysteria that is taking hold in the United States." Following a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism on December 5, the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania resigned under pressure because they, along with the president of MIT, were unable to state whether calls for the genoci...

As of Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) rated the overall public health risk associated with the recent A(H5N1) influenza pandemic as "low." However, the risk of infection is "considered low-to-moderate" for people who have been exposed to diseased birds, animals, or contaminated habitats, according to a statement from the organization. It emphasized that when the UN agency learns more, the risk assessment may alter. It noted, "The virus has been detected in milk and its potential role in transmission is being investigated," and advised against drinking raw milk and instead recommended pasteurized. According to a nationwide investigation conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration, particles of the H5N1 virus were detected in one out of every five commercial ...

At the 68th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), Mandy Romero, a 23-year-old, authored and gave the country statement in an effort to break down the educational hurdles that women and girls in the Philippines face. Romero delivered a powerful speech at the UN headquarters in New York, speaking on behalf of the youth of the Philippines at the UNCSW. She stated, "Investing in quality education is one of the most transformative zero poverty strategies—to give a platform for diverse female voices." The annual conference, which was attended by UN members, covered the most significant initiatives and tactics to promote gender equality globally. Each country's delegate plots the course that their government will take to address obstacles to gender ine...

Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Paula Narváez, the President of ECOSOC; the Director-Generals of DESA, UNDP, UN Women, FAO, and WHO; and Juan Somavia, the Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit for Social Development (1995) will all be present at this high-level seminar, which is being organized by ECLAC and the ILO.Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Paula Narváez, the President of ECOSOC; the Director-Generals of DESA, UNDP, UN Women, FAO, and WHO; and Juan Somavia, the Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit for Social Development (1995) will all be present at this high-level seminar, which is being organized by ECLAC and the ILO. Participants will discuss ways to strengthen i...