World News in Brief: Haiti crisis, measles surge, global torture accord turns 40

Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York that according to  UN migration agency, IOM, more than 4,300 people have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince and neighbouring towns.

“Despite the insecurity and access restrictions, we along with our partners are responding to the growing needs resulting from the continued and increasing violence,” Mr. Dujarric continued.

Cash injection

In the past two days, children’s agency UNICEF has provided cash to nearly 1,500 people sheltering at displacement sites in the gang-ravaged capital. UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, and IOM have deployed mobile health clinics and are also providing clean water supplies to those in need. 

Beginning on Thursday, the World Food Programme (WFP) is delivering assistance to more than 50,000 internally displaced men, women and children in the capital, aiming to reach more than 135,000 displaced people with hot meals by the end of November.

Across Haiti, WFP has also provided cash to nearly 100,000 people and is delivering daily meals to 430,000 children in 2,000 schools across the country.

The UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti calls for $674 million and is 45 per cent funded with $289 million in cash received.

Global measles crisis: Cases surge by 20 per cent in 2023

A surge in measles cases has reached 10.3 million worldwide in 2023, marking a 20 percent increase from the previous year, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The spike in cases has triggered outbreaks across 57 countries, with nearly half occurring in Africa. Despite being preventable through vaccination, more than 22 million children missed their first measles shot last year, resulting in 107,500 deaths, primarily among children under five.

“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To save even more lives, we must invest in immunization for every person, no matter where they live”.

Worrying slide in vaccination rate

Global vaccination rates remain below the critical 95 percent threshold needed to prevent outbreaks, with only 83 percent of children receiving their first dose and 74 percent getting the crucial second dose.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen emphasised that “measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health”.

While the Americas region maintained its measles-free status – with Brazil reverified as having eliminated the disease – other areas including the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions have experienced substantial increases in cases.

WHO notes that survivors often face serious complications including blindness, pneumonia and potential brain damage.

Torture is never justified, insists UN rights chief, as key accord turns 40

It’s been 40 years since countries adopted the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, but the fundamental principle that nothing ever justifies torture is under threat.

That’s the message from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk who expressed alarm on Thursday that the world has become “more violent and more polarized”.

‘Chaos machine’ of conflict

“Over 120 conflicts rage globally and every one of them is a chaos machine,” Mr. Türk told the Committee gathered in Geneva.

“Hate speech and discrimination are more and more prevalent, and entire communities are denounced and scapegoated,” he said, before highlighting a “pushback” against time-honoured values and human rights protections.

“Torture, the deliberate infliction of physical agony and psychological terror and trauma on defenceless adults and children, is a vile, heinous act that has absolutely no place in our world,” he said.

“It is never justified; it is always abhorrent; and we have a clear legal and moral duty to prevent it.”

Four decades since the adoption of the Convention Against Torture, it has been ratified by 174 out of 193 Member States of the United Nations.

Despite this high level of support for the international treaty, Mr. Türk appealed to all countries “to recommit to their obligations” to prevent torture.