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German’s appointment to head Convention on Biological Diversity follows global failure to meet any targets on protecting ecosystemsThe next UN biodiversity chief will be Astrid Schomaker, an EU civil servant who will be entrusted with helping the world confront the ongoing catastrophic loss of nature.Schomaker has been a career official with the EU commission for 30 years. A surprise appointment, she will be tasked...

Fact-finding mission concludes regime murdered, imprisoned, tortured and raped those who protested the death of Mahsa AminiThe Iranian regime’s human rights violations during its brutal suppression of protests in 2022 amount to crimes against humanity, a UN fact-finding mission (FFM) has said.Established by the UN human rights council in November 2022 – two months after the Woman, Life, Freedom protests swept the country in...

Ten months of armed conflict in the country has displaced nearly 11 million people and left half the population facing hungerThere is “epic suffering” in Sudan says the UN, where fighting between rival military factions since April has created the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis and raised fears of state failure.On Wednesday, the UN appealed for $4.1bn (£3. 25bn) to meet humanitarian needs, amid...

Whistleblowers allege large sums are being lost to corruption in Iraq as donors fail to track spending on postwar reconstructionStaff working for the UN in Iraq are allegedly demanding bribes in return for helping businessmen win contracts on postwar reconstruction projects in the country, a Guardian investigation has found.The alleged kickbacks are one of a number of claims of corruption and mismanagement the Guardian...

Human Rights Watch’s annual report highlights politicians’ double standards and ‘transactional diplomacy’ amid escalating crisesHuman rights across the world are in a parlous state as leaders shun their obligations to uphold international law, according to the annual report of Human Rights Watch (HRW).In its 2024 world report, HRW warns grimly of escalating human rights crises around the globe, with wartime atrocities increasing, suppression of...