Name: READY TO ROLL | READINESS TIPS FROM A PARAPLEGIC'S PERSPECTIVE by gisbarbados
Duration: 4 min 8 s
Description: Disability advocate Janelle Skinner shares how emergency personnel can better support persons with disabilities during a disaster.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, expressed alarm on Thursday over reports that Israel is preparing to “extend sovereignty” over parts of the occupied West Bank, warning of catastrophic consequences for Palestinians already facing settlement expansion, forced displacement and daily restrictions.

“Any declaration of sovereignty would accelerate settlement growth, legalize outposts, expropriate Palestinian land and natural resources, and put entire communities at imminent risk of expulsion through violence and demolitions,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR's office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “This would further undermine Palestinians’ right to self-determination and deepen segregation.”

Mr. Sunghay noted that Israel has already incorporated large areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Area C, through settlements, checkpoints and the forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians. He also raised grave concerns over the recent escalation of military operations in northern Gaza, where almost one million people are being pushed into smaller areas under dire humanitarian conditions.

Between 26 August and 1 September, 813 Palestinians were reported killed — nearly double the toll of the previous week, according to OHCHR. As aid convoys struggle to enter, attacks on civilians and aid seekers have continued, leaving many trapped without safety or access to relief.
UN officials have called for urgent international action to halt annexation plans, protect civilians and ensure unimpeded humanitarian assistance across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

CLIP – West Bank annexation would be catastrophic: UN human rights office

• As Afghanistan quake toll jumps to 2,200, aid agencies continue relief mission 
• Gaza: Families fleeing need a ceasefire desperately, says UNICEF worker
• Papua New Guinea is in frontline of climate change, warns UN’s Guterres

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News


UN News Today 04 September 2025 - Afghanistan quake, Gaza update, climate change

• DR Congo crisis: funding cuts curtail assistance to victims of sexual violence warns OHCHR
• Pakistan’s monsoon flood-hit communities face more misery: WMO, IFRC
• Air pollution is on the rise but China, Europe offer glimmer of hope 

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 05 September 2025 - DR Congo crisis, Pakistan monsoon-flood, air pollution

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix met in Fataki, in the province of Ituri, in the DR Congo, with local authorities, civil society organizations, including women and youth, urging them to peace.

He spoke to Radio Okapi about the role of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the country (MONUSCO) and the difference it makes on a day-to-day basis, including on the protection of civilians.

Audio credit: Radio Okapi

CLIP: Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on DR Congo

• Rights chief Türk condemns ‘glorification of violence’ OHCHR
• Gaza: chances of preventing famine spreading are narrowing: OCHA 
• Ukraine’s people pick up pieces after latest deadly Russian strikes: OCHA

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 08 September 2025 - human rights, Gaza and Ukraine updates

Disability advocate Janelle Skinner shares how emergency personnel can better support persons with disabilities during a disaster.

READY TO ROLL | READINESS TIPS FROM A PARAPLEGIC'S PERSPECTIVE

Following the Nepalese government’s ban on social media platforms due to non-registration and concerns about misinformation, large youth-led protests erupted across the capital Kathmandu and other cities on Monday.

The demonstrations are escalating rapidly, with at least 15 people killed and more than 100 injured amid clashes, curfews, and reports of police using tear gas and possibly live ammunition.

UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, described the events as “unlike Nepal,” expressing deep concern for civilian safety and stressing the urgent need to ensure unrestricted medical access for the injured.

UN News’s Anshu Sharma began by asking her to describe the situation on the ground.

Audio credit: Anshu Sharma, UN News

Social media ban sparks deadly protests in Nepal

Dr. Abdul Mateen Sahak knew the impact of the Afghanistan quake would be devastating. The head of WHO's local emergency office spoke to UN News about what he's seen & the work his team's been doing to save lives & ease the suffering.

Audio credit: UN News

CLIP: WHO's Dr. Abdul Mateen Sahak recounts quake in mountainous valleys of eastern Afghanistan

An independent probe into the Sudan war mandated by the Human Rights Council said on Tuesday that civilians have been deliberately shelled, executed, tortured and raped in attacks that amount to war crimes.
Both warring parties – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – bear responsibility, the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan said in its latest report.

“From the earliest days of this conflict, civilians have been systematically targeted — in their homes, at markets, in displacement camps, and even while trying to flee,” said Muhammad Chande Othman, Chair of the investigative body. “These are not incidental harms of war, they are deliberate, a synergy of violence against the civilian population.”

Mr. Othman cited the siege of El Fasher in Darfur, where the RSF has shelled residential areas and camps, killing hundreds and displacing more than 470,000 people. In January, RSF fighters opened fire on a civilian convoy near the Chadian border, killing at least 30, while SAF-allied forces carried out unlawful reprisals in Al Jazira and Khartoum. Survivors of detention facilities described them as “slaughterhouses”, where people died from torture, malnutrition and denial of care.

The mission concluded that acts committed by both the RSF and SAF amount to serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including murder, torture, forced displacement and sexual violence. It found that in the case of the RSF, the widespread and systematic nature of the attacks, particularly against non-Arab communities, also constitutes crimes against humanity.

CLIP – ‘Sudan is a war of atrocities,’ top human rights experts warn

• UN chief condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar 
• Ukraine: Russian attack on village kills more than 20, including pensioners 		
• Afghanistan earthquake response held back by funding shortages

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News


UN News Today 09 September 2025 - strike in Qatar, Ukraine update, Afghanistan earthquake

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READY TO ROLL | READINESS TIPS FROM A PARAPLEGIC'S PERSPECTIVE

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