United Nations

At least 18 people have been killed and more than 30 others injured in Myanmar during nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations against the military coup, the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday. According to the UN, security forces fired live ammunition at crowds in the two largest cities of Yangon and Mandalay, as well as in Dawei, Bag, Myeik and Pokokkuo. At least 85 medical workers and students and seven journalists were also arrested during the demonstrations.

Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet welcomed the release earlier this month of women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul in Saudi Arabia, adding: "although I regret that others continued to be unjustly detained." The country has observer status on the council.

Bachelet also said. "I urge the authorities to also establish legislative frameworks to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association for everyone in the Kingdom."

In a high-level meeting to commemorate the recent International Day for Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the progress of denuclearization "has stalled and is at risk of backsliding". He added a warning that our current world is living "in the shadow of nuclear catastrophe" referring to growing tensions between the different nations that have nuclear powers.

Opposite positions about the World Health Organization are paralyzing the U.N. Security Council decision about Covid-19 crisis.

China thinks the WHOs role is major in the current pandemic crisis management, hence it should be explicitly included in any resolution; while the US remains extremely critical against the WHO since President Donal Trump accused the organization of failure and decided to suspend their funding in April.

Yesterday, Tunisia, Security Council elected member, and France, permanent member, made a joint proposal for a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in major conflicts to ease better management of the pandemic.

While it took three months between the first reported case of the coronavirus and reaching 100,000 reported cases, only 12 days have been needed to reach over 200,000 reported cases, according to the World Health Organization. In addition over 9,000 people worldwide have died so far from the coronavirus.