UN News Today 11 September 2024 |

Human rights expert urges U.S. government to deliver justice for 9/11 victims

An independent human rights expert is calling on the United States Government to assist the victims and families of the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and injured over 6,000, as the world remembers the attacks 23 years later on Wednesday.

UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said “sadly…the victims remain starved of justice” due to the US Government’s “undermined efforts towards genuine accountability.”

He said the victims’ ability to find closure is obstructed by arbitrary detentions, inhuman detention conditions and other human rights violations that have “thwarted justice for over two decades” and made fair trials impossible.

Mr. Saul noted that the US Secretary of Defense recently delayed the trials of three 9/11 suspects while revoking a plea deal that would sentence them to life imprisonment.

The independent rights expert further mentioned that 30 detainees at the US detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba are being held under conditions that do not meet international standards, including lack of access to lawyers, limited medical care and more.

Mr. Saul is encouraging the US authorities to take accountability for violations against victims.

UN refugee agency seeks millions to combat mpox outbreak in Africa

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Wednesday that they need $21.4 million until the end of the year to increase response to the mpox outbreak in Africa.

The funding will support 9.9 million forcibly displaced people and host communities in 35 countries across the continent.

The World Health Organization, WHO, declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August. To date, there have been 20,000 suspected cases in the African region.

UNHCR’s public health chief, Allen Maina, said the new outbreak is putting the refugees, forcibly displaced people and other vulnerable communities at high risk.

He said members of these communities often live in overcrowded shelters with limited access to safe water, soap and nutritious food.

UNHCR warned that the mpox emergency threatens to add strain to “already overstretched humanitarian resources” and could further disrupt critical services.

Mr. Maina said sustainable financing is needed to strengthen the resilience of health systems and essential facilities and services.

The refugee agency also called on the international community to increase financial support to assist with their response efforts.

UNICEF condemns migrant family separation in Latin America and the Caribbean

Also on Wednesday, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, revealed that children make up one in four migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Disasters, extreme weather events and high levels of inequality, poverty and violence, have forced families in the region to leave their homes.

No matter their migration status and no matter where they are, children have the right to be with their family or caregivers, UNICEF said, while also reminding governments that they are obligated to “ensure border and reception processes do not result in deliberate or inadvertent family separation.”

The UN agency noted that migrant and refugee children have the right to a process that assesses their best interests to find sustainable solutions, such as integration into the country of residence or resettlement.

UNICEF called on governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to implement measures to keep families, caregivers and children together and to ensure those separated are reunited.

Shanaé Harte, UN News

Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved