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☆ COP27: WTO chief seeks to revive green trade talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Simon Jessop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization aims to revive negotiations on a global environmental trade deal, she told Reuters, as part of efforts to give the trade watchdog a bigger role in tackling climate change. But WTO discussions collapsed in 2016 after disagreements between China and Western countries about which products should be on the environmental list. "You need to have a friendly trade regime for renewables and other environmentally-friendly products," she said, noting tariffs for fossil fuel products are lower than for renewables in many countries. Exploratory discussions about a possible revival of a green trade deal have begun at the 164-member WTO body, although Okonjo-Iweala said some countries had expressed concerns, without naming them. She suggested beginning with a preliminary list of some 50 or 60 products that could be lengthened gradually.

☆ U.N. experts call for release of Turkish medical association head
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Umit BektasGENEVA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - United Nations experts called on Ankara to release the head of Turkey's medical association, who was arrested after she called for an investigation into allegations of chemical weapons used by the Turkish army. Five special rapporteurs from the U.N. Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council said on Tuesday that Turkey should stop using counter-terrorism legislation to intimidate human rights defenders and release Fincanci. "Human rights defenders and medical practitioners' ability to speak truth to power must be protected. Their role in exposing human rights violations is one of the cornerstones of democratic societies," they added. Turkey's defence ministry and top officials also said the armed forces had never used chemical weapons in their operations against Kurdish militants.

☆ Palestinian rights group accuses Israel of 'mafia methods' as U.N. hearings open
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The independent Commission of Inquiry, established by the Human Rights Council, the U.N. top human rights body, last year, plans five days of hearings which it says will be impartial and examine the allegations of both Israelis and Palestinians. A U.N. human rights office has previously dismissed allegations of bias and said Israel had not cooperated with the commission's work. Neither the hearings nor the U.N. Human Rights Council have any legal powers. Israel's ally the United States has criticised the U.N. Human Rights Council for what it has described as a "chronic bias" against Israel. The inquiry mandate includes alleged human rights abuses before and after that and seeks to investigate the root causes of the tensions.

☆ Michael Schumacher's winning Ferrari up for auction in Geneva
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Denis BalibouseGENEVA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The Ferrari driven to five race victories by Michael Schumacher during his World Championship-winning 2003 Formula 1 season is being auctioned next week in Geneva, auction house Sotheby's said on Friday. The red "Chassis 229" Ferrari raced by German world champion driver Schumacher nine times could fetch up to $9.4 million, according to the sellers. Sotheby's is also presenting eight rare "Fancy Blue" diamonds valued at more than $70 million. This colour is the highest possible colour grading for blue diamonds and is awarded to no more than 1% of blue diamonds submitted to the Gemological Institute of America, Sotheby's said. "It is extremely rare and to have a collection of eight it is super exciting," said jewellery specialist at Sotheby's Geneva, Marie-Cécile Cisamolo.

☆ Global jobs growth will 'deteriorate significantly' this quarter - ILO
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Overall, there were 40 million fewer full-time jobs between July-September than in the fourth quarter of 2019, which is used as the benchmark level before the COVID pandemic, it added. "On current trends, global employment growth will deteriorate significantly in the fourth quarter of 2022," the ILO said in its report on the World of Work. The report also said that excessive policy tightening could cause "undue damage to jobs and incomes in both advanced and developing countries". The ILO warned of declining job vacancies ahead and rising unemployment in the final months of the year. There are already signs that the labour market has cooled considerably in advanced economies, with sharp declines in vacancy growth, it said.

☆ Iran protests flare again as U.N. voices concern at detainees' treatment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody last month. Amnesty International has said security forces killed at least 66 people in the violent crackdown on Sept. 30. The provincial security council has said armed dissidents had provoked the clashes, leading to innocent people's deaths, but admitted "shortcomings" by police. The U.N. human rights office on Friday voiced concern at Iran's treatment of detained protesters and said authorities refused to release some of the bodies of those killed. Rights groups have said at least 250 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested across Iran.

☆ UN warns 'time is running out' as greenhouse gases surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hikes in the atmospheric concentration of all three greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - outstripped the average increase over the past decade, it showed, meaning they are now all at new record levels. Concentrations of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide rose by 2.5 parts per million to 415.7 - a level not seen since at least 3 million years ago when the Earth was much warmer. The jump in the potent, heat-trapping gas methane was the highest since records began in 1983, the report said. Greenhouse gases are responsible for warming the planet and triggering extreme weather events like heatwaves and intense rainfall. The WMO said scientists are investigating the reason for the exceptional hike in methane levels of 18 parts per billion to 1,908 last year following a similar increase in 2020.

☆ Malaysia's deportation of Myanmar refugees violates international law - UN
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deportations, which included former navy officers seeking asylum, expose those sent away to danger and are a violation of the international law on non-refoulement, according to UNHCR, referring to a law that protects refugees or asylum seekers from being deported. "In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the authorities," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a Geneva press briefing. The latest incident involving an asylum seeker being sent back to conflict-torn Myanmar occurred on Oct. 21, Mantoo added, despite intervention by the UNHCR with authorities. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia previously said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. So far, more than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including many ethnic Rohingya Muslims, have fled to neighbouring Malaysia.

☆ Exclusive: Russia is prepared to quit Black Sea grains deal, writes to UN with demands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Moscow has submitted concerns to the United Nations about an agreement on Black Sea grain exports, and is prepared to reject renewing the deal next month unless its demands are addressed, Russia's Geneva U.N. ambassador told Reuters on Thursday. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July, paved the way for Ukraine to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports that had been shut since Russia invaded. The agreement helped stave off a global food crisis: Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's biggest grain exporters and Russia is the number one fertiliser exporter. He said Guterres was committed to those efforts and to having an extended and expanded Black Sea Grain Initiative. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emma Farge Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Russia is prepared to quit Black Sea grains deal, writes to UN with demands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Red Cross pauses Ukraine field work for security reasons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary ICRC and Norwegian Refugee council pause field work on MondayBoth cite security fears after Russian missile attacksOperations continue, field work expected to resumeGENEVA, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross and at least one other aid group paused their field work in Ukraine for security reasons on Monday after Russia fired missiles at cities across Ukraine. A second ICRC spokesperson later added that while field work had halted, aid workers were able to continue desk work. The Norwegian Refugee Council also said that it had halted its aid operations in Ukraine until it is safe to resume. "We cannot aid vulnerable communities when our aid workers are hiding from a barrage of bombs and in fear of repeated attacks," said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC. A spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency said its operations continued, with staff sheltering during air raids.

☆ U.S. candidate beats Russian to head U.N. telecoms agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin on Thursday decisively beat a Russian candidate to be the next Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union in an election seen as a test of how many countries are still siding with Russia. Bogdan-Martin won the election to be the next head the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with 139 votes out of 172 cast, defeating Russia's Rashid Ismailov, the U.N. agency said in a statement. She is the first woman to head the Geneva-based agency that was set up in 1865 to overcome interruptions in the telegraph system at borders. The ITU also plays a key role in setting standards for new technology, such as artificial intelligence. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ WTO chief expects downside revisions in global trade forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization told Reuters on Tuesday that she expects that global trade forecasts will be revised lower from the current 3% for 2022, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and related food and energy crises. "We are in the middle of revising our forecasts now but it's not looking very promising. All the indicators are pointing to downside numbers," Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters in an interview. "Grosso modo the outlook is looking gloomy," she said, without giving exact estimates. The WTO already revised down its forecast for global trade growth this year to 3% from 4.7% in April.

☆ U.S., Britain seek U.N. human rights debate on China's Xinjiang
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Intense diplomatic discussions have been ongoing on the sidelines of the council meeting since a much-anticipated U.N. report last month stipulated that "serious human rights violations have been committed" in Xinjiang that may amount to crimes against humanity. read moreA spokesperson at China's diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The so-called "draft decision" reviewed by Reuters is so far backed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, diplomats said. China might seek to dismiss it with a no action motion. The Western-led call for a debate is seen as a less confrontational option than a resolution which could have sought a Xinjiang probe, although this could be raised later.

GENEVA, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A United Nations committee found on Friday that Australia had violated the human rights of a group of islanders off its north coast by failing to adequately protect them from the impacts of climate change, such as by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. A spokesperson for Australia's energy and climate change ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Torres Strait Islanders are part of Australia's indigenous population, along with Aboriginal people, who live on small clusters of low-lying islands dotted between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The case was filed when the former conservative government, seen as a laggard in the battle against climate change, was in power. Since then, parliament has passed legislation on emissions cuts and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has visited the islands this year.

☆ More than 1 million Ukrainians may have been deported, U.S. envoy says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGENEVA, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy said that Russia has forcibly deported between 900,000-1.6 million Ukrainians, citing unnamed sources, and urged a U.N.-mandated commission of inquiry to investigate. "We urge the commissioners to continue to examine the growing evidence of Russia's filtration operations, forced deportations and disappearances," U.S. Ambassador Michele Taylor told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, referring to a commission of inquiry into Ukraine. "Numerous sources indicate that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained and forcible deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens," she said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emma Farge, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UN-mandated inquiry concludes war crimes were committed in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Erik Mose, Chairperson of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, attends the Human Rights Council special session on the human rights situation in Ukraine, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2022. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseGENEVA, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The chair of an independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said on Friday that it had concluded that war crimes had been committed in Ukraine following investigations conducted in four regions of the country. "Based on the evidence gathered by the Commission, it has concluded that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine," Erik Møse told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. He did not say explicitly who had committed the crimes but the commission's work was focused on areas of Ukraine previously occupied by Russian forces such as Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy. Investigators from the commission, which was created by the U.N. Human Rights Council in March, visited 27 places and interviewed more than 150 victims and witnesses.

☆ U.N. rights envoy warns that Myanmar's election will be a 'fraud'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/GENEVA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights expert on Myanmar said on Thursday that an election planned by the country's junta will be a "fraud" and warned other countries against offering assistance that would help legitimise it. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAsked to elaborate on his views on the election, he said that repression of the opposition had made a free and fair election impossible. The junta has repeatedly accused the United Nations of interference in its affairs and says it is fighting "terrorists" determined to destabilise the country. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emma Farge and Reuters staffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China 'ready for the fight' if Xinjiang motion is brought to UN rights body
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A Chinese official said on Thursday that the country was readying "counter-measures" in case action is taken at a U.N. body against its human rights record in the western region of Xinjiang. A group of countries are mulling action against China at an ongoing U.N. human rights council meeting in Geneva after the U.N. human rights office released a report saying the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims in China's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. read more"We are not afraid of that," Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman told journalists in Geneva, referring to a possible anti-China motion at the council. We are ready for the fight actually so that the light of justice can shine in the world," he said, without elaborating. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emma Farge Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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