GENEVA: The number of forcibly displaced people dropped for the first time in a decade last year, as more opted to return home despite often unsafe and unstable conditions, the UN said Thursday. At the end of 2025, 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes, marking a decline of 5.4 million compared to a year earlier, the UN refugee agency said. The agency said the number of people who had been forced to flee due to war, violence and persecution remained &quot;unacceptably high&quot;, urging action to dramatically reduce long-term displacement over the next decade. In its annual report, UNHCR explained that the declining displacement number was linked to &quot;a sharp increase&quot; in the number of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) returning home. In all, 14.7 million displaced people returned to their places of origin in 2025, said the report. They included 4.4 million refugees who crossed back into their home countries, marking the second highest number of refugee returns since records began 60 years ago. &nbsp;Unsafe returns&nbsp; UN refugee chief Barham Salih told reporters in Geneva that &quot;more than 90 percent&quot; of refugee returns last year were concentrated in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria. But, he stressed, &quot;many of these returns occurred not under conditions of safety and stability, but under pressure&quot;. They had gone back to &quot;countries where insecurity persists, where infrastructure has been damaged, and where basic services and economic opportunities remain scarce&quot;, he warned. &quot;Returns that are not safe... are not a solution,&quot; he insisted. &quot;They risk becoming the beginning of a new displacement cycle.&quot; Among those displaced at the end of 2025, 41.6 million were considered refugees, including nearly 5.4 million people who fled across borders to become refugees in the course of the year, Thursday&#39;s report showed. A full 60 percent of those new refugees fled from just eight countries, including nearly a million coming from war-ravaged Sudan alone, and almost 800,000 fled from Ukraine. The report also pointed to several crises driving mass displacement since the start of this year. They included the Mideast war launched by United States and Israel in February, which it said had forced 3.2 million people from their homes in Iran alone. And in Lebanon, Israeli attacks since March have displaced more than one million people, the UNHCR pointed out. The conflicts in Iran and Lebanon had spurred many refugees hosted there to return home since the start of the year, often under adverse circumstances, including to Syria and Afghanistan. &nbsp;Refugee resettlement needed&nbsp; The UN refugee agency meanwhile voiced concern over a narrowing space for refugee resettlement last year, estimating that the number of refugees needing to resettle in third countries stood at 2.9 million. The number of resettlement spots had reached 188,800 in 2024 -- its highest level in four decades. But last year, the number was more than halved to just 81,800, the report showed, pointing in particular to a sharp decline in the numbers accepted by the United States. &quot;The gap between places and needs is enormous and has been widening,&quot; the agency warned. Salih, a former Iraqi president who was once a refugee himself, also warned that forced displacement was becoming increasingly drawn out, often lasting years and even decades. &quot;Today, 70 percent of refugees are living in protracted situations,&quot; he pointed out. This was unsustainable, he insisted, calling on countries to back a new initiative aimed to lift millions out of long-term displacement and reliance on humanitarian aid. &quot;Humanitarian assistance was designed for emergencies. It was never intended to sustain generations of people indefinitely,&quot; he said. The new initiative, he said, aims to slash in half the number of refugees in long-term displacement over the next decade by developing opportunities for voluntary returns, resettlement and humanitarian visas. He voiced hope that countries would get onboard, realising that &quot;there is a pathway to having a more sustainable situation&quot;.

Americas

Africa

Middle East

Asia

The UN reported the first decline in global forced displacement in a decade as millions returned home, though many faced unsafe conditions while conflicts in Sudan, Iran and Lebanon continued driving crises.

Number of forcibly displaced people dips to 118M: UN

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reiterated its firm opposition to the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances and called for continued international cooperation to address outstanding issues related to Syria&rsquo;s chemical weapons file. Speaking during a United Nations Security Council briefing on the Middle East focused on Syria and chemical weapons on Thursday, Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, reaffirmed Islamabad&rsquo;s support for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and efforts aimed at its universal, effective, and non-discriminatory implementation.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 650px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2062560761860214861&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=88d809bfae25bd323453617d30ba61fed85e1873&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> Ambassador Jadoon welcomed the Syrian authorities&rsquo; commitment to extending full cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), including facilitating the work of Technical Secretariat teams and providing unrestricted access to suspected sites linked to the country&rsquo;s former chemical weapons program. He noted that such cooperation could help accelerate efforts to eliminate any remaining traces of chemical weapons activities.&nbsp; OPCW reportReferring to the latest OPCW report, the Pakistani envoy observed that 19 out of 26 outstanding issues remain unresolved, while additional locations continue to be assessed for possible declaration under the Convention. The ambassador highlighted several challenges affecting progress, including institutional constraints, limited technological capacities, security concerns, and the continued occupation of parts of Syrian territory, which impact the timely implementation of the OPCW mandate. Pakistan stressed the importance of enhancing Syrian capacities and extending international support to overcome these obstacles.&nbsp; Ambassador Jadoon commended countries assisting Syria in this regard, particularly T&uuml;rkiye and Qatar, for their contributions to capacity-building efforts. He emphasized that the OPCW Technical Secretariat must continue its independent verification work and expressed hope that ongoing engagement between Syria and the OPCW would help resolve all remaining issues and facilitate the closure of the long-standing file.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan tells the UN Security Council that cooperation between Syria and the OPCW is vital for resolving outstanding chemical weapons issues, strengthening verification efforts, and advancing regional peace and stability.

 Pakistan urges strengthening int'l cooperation to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria 

GENEVA: Making the digital world safe for children is an urgent priority, the United Nations said Friday, adding that those responsible for online harm must be held to account. UN rights chief Volker Turk said states had to force tech giants to embed child safety, and said child harm was the direct result of business practices and design choices. &quot;The digital world that connects children to learning, community, and creativity also exposes them to real risks to their safety, privacy, and well-being,&quot; Turk said in a statement. &quot;Online harms to kids&#39; safety, privacy, and wellbeing are not innate or inevitable; they result from design choices and business practices that undermine safety, including addictive design features, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and persistent notifications from apps. &quot;Enhancing protection of children online is an urgent priority that we need to make sure not only gets done -- but that it gets done right,&quot; he added. The UN high commissioner for human rights called for tougher measures by countries and tech firms to make online platforms safe places for children, through better regulation, oversight, and accountability. &quot;Blanket social media bans are not a one-off panacea,&quot; Turk added. &quot;Simply limiting access to platforms that remain unsafe cannot stand as the endpoint in effectively protecting children.&quot; He called for platforms to be made safer by design and ensure that data is protected, while &quot;those responsible for harm can held to account&quot;. Micro-targeting of kidsTurk said simply focusing on age restrictions would leave unaltered the designs and algorithms that made the platforms unsafe in the first place. Tech giants must embed safety &quot;by design, instead of shifting the burden to parents and children&quot;, he said. The UN rights chief also said experience so far showed that bans could be easily circumvented and voiced concern that such bans could even end up pushing children to riskier, even less monitored platforms. His office produced a set of 10 guidelines entitled &quot;Getting Children&#39;s Safety Online Right&quot;. These included ensuring the maximum protection of children&#39;s data as a default setting, while the &quot;micro-targeting&quot; of children for commercial purposes, based on a digital record, &quot;should not be permitted&quot;. They said emerging concerns, such as restrictions on artificial intelligence chatbot use or addictive design features, may warrant age restrictions. Measures should be subject to independent oversight, with legal consequences that serve as deterrents, the guidelines said. There should also be access to remedies for children whose rights are violated. &quot;Whatever regulations are adopted, it is essential to avoid inadvertently causing further harm. For example, age verification done wrong can both fail at its goal and endanger the privacy of both kids and adults,&quot; said Turk.

Gadgets

Volker Türk says states have to force tech giants to embed child safety, adding child harm is the direct result of business practices and design choices.

UN says protecting children online 'urgent priority'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s strong commitment to multilateralism, equitable global governance, and international cooperation while addressing the Meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance on Thursday. Speaking on the topic &ldquo;Reforming and Improving Global Governance; Working Together to Address Global Challenges&rdquo;, Dar commended China&rsquo;s leadership for its steadfast commitment to strengthening multilateralism and revitalizing international cooperation amid growing global uncertainty. Highlighting the challenges confronting the international community, the deputy prime minister referred to protracted conflicts, climate emergencies, rising inequalities, debt distress, food and energy insecurity, and governance challenges posed by emerging technologies. He said unilateralism and the selective application of international law were undermining global stability and weakening confidence in collective action, stressing the urgent need for renewed solidarity and a stronger global governance system anchored in the principles of the United Nations Charter.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 877px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2060066787627348103&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=f97d0ae85c8d94d844b46d4d70da19e771007333&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Dar emphasized that Pakistan and China stood united in support of a just and inclusive international order based on international law and centered on the United Nations.&nbsp; He described Pakistan-China relations as an enduring partnership built on mutual trust, strategic cooperation, and shared perspectives on key global issues. The deputy prime minister expressed Pakistan&rsquo;s full support for President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s Global Governance Initiative, calling it a timely and forward-looking framework to address contemporary global governance challenges. He also stressed the importance of reforming the UN Security Council to make it more democratic, representative, and accountable, particularly by ensuring adequate representation of small and medium-sized states. Reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to international peace and cooperation, Dar said Pakistan would continue working closely with China and other global partners to promote equitable development, uphold international law, and strengthen multilateral cooperation worldwide.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism, UN reforms, and China’s Global Governance Initiative during the Group of Friends of Global Governance meeting held on May 28, 2025.

Pakistan FM reaffirms support for China’s global governance vision at UN meeting

UNITED NATIONS: Israeli security forces have been added to a United Nations blacklist on sexual violence in conflict, according to a report reviewed Thursday by AFP. Published annually by the UN, the list includes dozens of state and non-state groups credibly suspected of having engaged &quot;systematically&quot; in sexual violence in countries such as Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Mali. Last August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel of possible inclusion on the list. Despite the warning, the report says that &quot;incidents and patterns of sexual violence continued to be documented by the United Nations&quot; in the occupied Palestinian territories. UN investigators faced &quot;continued denial of access&quot; from authorities in Israel, according to the report, seen by AFP before its circulation among Security Council members. &ldquo;In 2025, patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians detained in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be documented,&quot; the report says. It notes that the cases verified by the UN are indicative of multi-year trends but are not &quot;comprehensive&quot; given the denial of access to Israeli detention centers. Consequently, in 2025, the UN confirmed multiple cases dating back to 2023 of sexual violence, &quot;including as a form of torture,&quot; against 14 men, seven women, nine boys, and one girl in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. These violations include rape with an object, gang rape, physical violence against the genitals, forced nudity, and body searches conducted &quot;without apparent security justification.&quot; The perpetrators are identified by the UN as members of the Israeli military, security forces, and prison services.

UN added Israeli security forces to its blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence after documenting cases against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including rape, forced nudity and abuse in detention facilities.

Israel added to UN blacklist on sexual violence in conflicts

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan&#39;s representative to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, has said that the Taliban regime in Kabul cannot claim the country&rsquo;s permanent representation in the United Nations. In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Faiq said that representation in the world body is the legitimate right of a government, which has attained power and sovereignty through legitimate means and is based on the people&#39;s will. &ldquo;On what basis of positive action and what criterion of legitimacy do the Taliban demand the handing over of Afghanistan&#39;s seat in the United Nations?&rdquo; asked the Afghanistan representative in the UN, while responding to the Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. Muttaqi had called on the UN to hand over Afghanistan&rsquo;s representation in the UN to the Taliban administration in Kabul.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1044px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2056940117466448305&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=e25130daab5261921bc286898b8a48ef2acefdba&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Naseer Faiq, an appointee of the former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani&#39;s government, still serves as the country&rsquo;s legitimate representative in the organization. However, the Taliban regime has its own designated representative who also uses the platform. The United Nations doesn&#39;t recognize the Taliban regime as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan. Thus, the country&rsquo;s seat in the organization is still occupied by the appointee of the former regime. Faiq said that after five years of the Taliban regime, it has neither responded positively to the legitimate demands of the Afghan people nor to the explicit demands of the international community. He added that the doors of schools and universities remain closed to girls, women are deprived of the right to work and social participation, there is no legitimate and inclusive national system in place, corruption and repression have spread widely, and security in Afghanistan and the region has deteriorated further due to the harboring and support of international terrorist groups. Afghanistan&rsquo;s representative in the UN went on to say that poverty, forced marriages, suicides among youth due to unemployment, targeted killings of former military forces, suppression of freedom of expression, expansion of jihadist madrassas, and the promotion of terrorism and extremism have increased to an unprecedented degree. He said that only a legitimate government, which has guaranteed the rights of all citizens within the framework of the law without discrimination on grounds of gender, ethnicity, or religion, and has remained committed to its national and international obligations, can claim a permanent seat in the UN.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s UN envoy Naseer Ahmad Faiq rejected Taliban demands for Afghanistan’s UN seat, saying legitimacy requires public mandate, inclusive governance, women’s rights, and compliance with international obligations and commitments standards.

Afghan envoy says Taliban regime not eligible to claim UN seat

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, on Thursday discussed ongoing UN development system reforms and cooperation on Pakistan&rsquo;s sustainable development priorities during a meeting with&nbsp;United Nations Development Programme&nbsp;(UNDP) Resident Representative for Pakistan, Sam Rizk. In a post on X, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN said the two sides exchanged views on priority issues related to UNDP&#39;s engagement in Pakistan. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2055101574100242836&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ff8b4648ceee6919d087406d038750c403ea2c13&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> During the courtesy call, discussions also focused on &quot;ongoing UN development system reforms, and avenues for continued cooperation in support of Pakistan&rsquo;s sustainable development priorities&quot;, the post said. Rizk was accompanied by Doina Munteanu, Advisor for Countries in Crisis and Complex Situations.

In a post on X, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN says the two sides have exchanged views on priority issues related to UNDP's engagement in Pakistan, focusing on 'ongoing UN development system reforms, and avenues for continued cooperation in support of Pakistan’s sustainable development priorities.'

Pakistan ambassador, UNDP representative discuss development priorities, UN reform agenda

ROME: The UN said Wednesday it was cutting emergency food assistance to Syria by 50% and halting a bread subsidy program&nbsp;that had supported millions because of funding shortfalls. The World Food Programme, the UN&#39;s Rome-based food aid agency, said in a statement it was reducing the number of people covered by emergency aid from 1.3 million to 650,000. The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity. As part of its operations, WFP said it had supported more than 300 bakeries with fortified wheat flour. &quot;The bread subsidy program has been a vital lifeline, keeping this staple food affordable,&quot; the organization said. &quot;The reduction in WFP&rsquo;s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,&quot; said Marianne Ward, WFP director in Syria. &quot;This is a critical moment for Syria. Recovery remains fragile, needs are still severe, and we are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net.&quot; The organization said funding shortfalls were also affecting Syrian refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. &ldquo;Across the region, vulnerable families are facing the cumulative effects of prolonged crises, rising costs, and shrinking assistance,&rdquo; said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. The agency said it needed $189 million over the next six months to sustain and restore assistance in Syria.

A food distribution in Aleppo - since the escalation of conflict on 27 November, WFP has distributed 50,000 hot meals. Photo: WFP/Emad Etaki

The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity.

UN cuts emergency food aid to Syria by 50%

Geneva: The United Nations on Wednesday called on Israel to immediately release two activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla, and demanded an investigation into &quot;disturbing accounts&quot; they had been severely mistreated. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila, who are held in a prison in Ashkelon, were among dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece last Thursday. &quot;Israel must immediately and unconditionally release Global Sumud Flotilla members Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, who were detained in international waters and brought to Israel where they continue to be held without charge,&quot; UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement. &quot;It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it,&quot; he insisted. The flotilla&#39;s vessels set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel&#39;s blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Representatives for Avila and Abu Keshek have accused Israeli authorities of abusing the two men, who have been on hunger strike for the past six days. Kheetan decried the &quot;disturbing accounts of severe mistreatment&quot;, calling for an investigation and insisting &quot;those responsible must be brought to justice&quot;. &quot;We call for an end to Israel&#39;s use of arbitrary detention and of broadly and vaguely defined terrorism legislation, inconsistent with international human rights law,&quot; he said. &quot;Israel must also end its blockade on Gaza, and allow and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian strip, in sufficient amounts,&quot; the spokesman said.

The UN urged Israel to release two Gaza flotilla activists held without charge, investigate alleged mistreatment, end arbitrary detention practices and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

UN demands Israel 'immediately' release Gaza flotilla activists

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan strongly rebuffed accusations from the Indian delegation during a high‑level World Water Day event on Thursday, accusing New Delhi of undermining the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and &ldquo;weaponizing&rdquo; shared water resources for political ends. In <a data-fr-linked="true" href="//ends.In" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></a>a right of reply delivered by Pakistan&rsquo;s Second Secretary Aleena Majeed, Pakistan rejected what it called &ldquo;baseless remarks&rdquo; by the Indian representative, insisting that t<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">he unilateral holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty by India last year in April represents a grave departure from this legal and historical legacy.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2034806586120491506&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=bdeac2634829093058198481ac2e302d4e64ceb3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 720px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>She stated that concluded in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty has withstood the test of times, wars crises, and political tensions, between India and Pakistan, including the longstanding dispute on Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp; Majeed told the assembly that no provision in the treaty permits unilateral suspension or modification, and labelled India&rsquo;s move to place the pact in abeyance last year as a &ldquo;grave departure&rdquo; from its legal and historical legacy. She pointed to recent findings by a Court of Arbitration no party has the legal authority to unilaterally suspend or render it inoperative. India must revert immediately to full and complete implementation of the IWT. She also strongly rejected entirely baseless statement and accusations by the Indian representative on the issue of terrorism.&nbsp; She said that India&rsquo;s attempts to deflect attention through unfounded allegations of terrorism cannot conceal its record of sponsorship of terrorism across its borders, perpetration of state terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, global state-backed assassination campaign including in North America, and state patronage of violence against its minorities. There is credible evidence of India&rsquo;s sponsorship of terrorist groups, including the TTP, Fitna Al Khwarij, and BLA, Fitna Hindustan, which have carried out attacks in Pakistan, resulting in loss of lives of thousands of Pakistanis. She added that Pakistan reiterate its firm and unequivocal rejection of all attempts to weaponize water and to use it for political gains. Pakistan remains firmly committed to international law and to the faithful performance of treaty obligations, she said.&nbsp;

Aleena Majeed Second Secretary (Photo: X PakistanUN_NY)

India

Pakistan’s Second Secretary Aleena Majeed condemned India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty at the UN, accusing it of “weaponizing water” and rejecting its terrorism allegations.

Articles tagged with "UN"