"SWITZERLAND"

The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk welcomed the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in India, which will reserve one third of seats in national and state parliaments for women, a spokesperson said. UNTV CH

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said, “we deeply regret the Iranian parliament’s passing of the new Chastity and Hijab Bill which vastly increases jail terms and provides for crushing fines on women and girls who do not obey the compulsory dress code.” UNTV CH

Increasing violence from armed conflict and intercommunal clashes which have left entire villages burned to the ground in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along with rampant sexual violence and a cholera outbreak are devastating the lives of millions of people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. UNTV CH

The ten elected members of the Security Council called for all restraint in the use of the veto, “especially on actions aimed at preventing mass atrocities.” UNIFEED

World leaders gathered at UN Headquarters for the General Assembly’s annual General Debate. UNIFEED

Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, addresses the general debate of the 778th Session of the General Assembly of the UN (New York, 19-23 and 26 September 2023).

A deadly combination of a suspected measles outbreak and high malnutrition have led to the deaths of 1,200 refugee children under five in Sudan’s White Nile State while many thousands more, including newborns, are at risk of death before year-end, warned UN humanitarians. UNTV CH

As UN humanitarian responders continue their work in the worst-hit areas of Derna after two dams collapsed upstream of the coastal city of Derna, the magnitude of the disaster continues to unfold, they said. UNTV CH

A new UN report focused on reparatory justice for people of African descent urged States to show strong leadership and political will in tackling the lasting consequences of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, and colonialism. OHCHR

War crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in Ethiopia despite the signing of an agreement to cease hostilities 10 months ago, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia warned. UNTV CH