UN Weekly Roundup: August 20-26, 2022
Fears grow of potential for nuclear accident around Ukrainian power plant 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday called Russia's six-month war against his country "insane" and said the world has an interest in Ukraine's security. In his third video address to the U.N. Security Council since the war began, and on the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the former Soviet Union, he said the world's future is being decided on Ukrainian territory. "Our independence is your security," he said. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "halt armed attacks against Ukraine." Speaking a day after the conflict reached its six-month mark, Bachelet highlighted the situation regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying fighting in the area is posing "unthinkable risks" to civilians and the environment and it must be immediately demilitarized. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community Wednesday not to forget the million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar and have been living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh for the last five years. Following the military's takeover in February 2021, the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Myanmar has deteriorated. The secretary-general says it is critical that the international community continue to seek "comprehensive, durable and inclusive solutions to the crisis." The U.S. government is facing pressure from Iranian Americans and others not to grant visas and provide protection for Iran's hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, and other Iranian officials expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly high-level week in September. A State Department spokesman said Thursday that Washington takes its host country obligations seriously, but he did not say whether the visas would be issued, noting that visa records are confidential. — The World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley called the looting of the aid agency's fuel supplies by Tigray rebels in northern Ethiopia "reprehensible" and demanded their return. Twelve tankers filled with more than 500,000 liters of fuel were seized by armed men Wednesday morning at WFP's Mekelle compound. Beasley said without it, WFP will not be able to distribute food, fertilizer, medicines and other emergency supplies across Tigray, where 5.2 million people face severe hunger. — Human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Thursday she hopes to release a long-awaited report on China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority in the western Xinjiang region before her term ends next week. International human rights groups say China has carried out numerous abuses against Uyghurs living in the western region, including the use of forced labor in internment camps. The groups have criticized Bachelet for being too soft on China during her visit in May. Beijing denies accusations of human rights abuses in the region. — Denise Brown, who is the new U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, started a three-day mission to the eastern and central parts of the country Thursday. She is traveling to Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv and Dnipro to see the humanitarian impact of the war and the work of humanitarian organizations. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that global deaths from COVID-19 fell by 15% in the past week, while new infections dropped by 9%. As of August 21, WHO says there have been 593 million confirmed cases and 6.4 million deaths reported worldwide. "In 2021 alone, nuclear-armed states spent over $82 billion on maintaining, upgrading and expanding their nuclear arsenals." — Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on the failure of nuclear weapon states to make any progress on moving toward disarmament. She spoke to reporters Friday as the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was wrapping up after more than three weeks of discussions. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said Friday that he wants to lead a technical mission to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) "very soon, hopefully in the next few days." The plant has been the site of shelling, and temporarily lost connection to the country's power grid Thursday. U.N. chief Guterres said this week that the "warning lights are flashing" and that any further escalation around the plant "could lead to self-destruction." The IAEA is waiting for security guarantees from Russia, which controls the plant and the area around it, in order to safely carry out its mission.