The demonstrations broke out two weeks ago, with students clashing with their pro-government counterparts and police in the capital Dhaka and other cities.
The Bangladeshi government has closed all public and private universities after protests turned deadly on Tuesday, with six people killed and scores injured, according to media reports.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk wrote on social media that all acts of violence and use of force, especially those resulting in loss of life, must be investigated and perpetrators held accountable.
“Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights,” he added.
The students are protesting against quotas that reserve a third of government jobs for the children of veterans of Pakistan’s 1971 war of independence.
The quotas were abolished in 2018, but reintroduced earlier this month.
South Sudan: Community militias continue to attack civilians
In South Sudan, widespread attacks on civilians continue, driven largely by subnational armed violence involving community-based militias and civilian defense groups. The UN mission in the country, UNMISSABLE, said Wednesday in its latest quarterly report.
Between January and March, UNMISS documented 240 incidents of violence, affecting 913 civilians nationwide.
Of this number, 468 were killed, 328 injured and 70 abducted, with 47 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence. This represents a 24 percent increase compared to the 194 violent incidents reported during the same period in 2023.
According to the mission, inter- and intra-communal violence by community militias and/or civil defence groups remains the main source of subnational violence, accounting for 87 percent of victims, or 796 people.
On a positive note, the report also showed a 30 percent decrease in documented abductions compared to Q4 2023 (from 100 to 70). Incidents of conflict-related sexual violence also fell by 25 percent, from 63 to 47.
UNMISS Chief Nicholas Haysom called on authorities and communities to take collective action to peacefully resolve long-standing grievances, especially as South Sudan heads towards its first elections, scheduled for December.
“Creating a culture of human rights is fundamental to achieving sustainable security, peace and democracy,” he said.
UNDP/Karin Schermbrucker for Slingshot
Solar panels provide power to a rural hospital in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
New UNDP report highlights opportunities for climate action in Africa
Also on Wednesday, the UN Development Programme (UN Development Programme) launched the third edition of its Africa Investment Report Climate Opportunities at the Africa Impact Summit 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The report outlines private sector opportunities with economic, social and environmental potential for sustainable development in Africa, and presents data and trends on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) investments across the continent.
“Through the UNDP Africa Investment Insights report“We are translating Africa’s climate challenges into private sector investment opportunities, in line with the continent’s own ambitions set out in national NDCs,” said Maxwell Gomera, Director of the UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub.
Opportunities for the private sector
This third edition of the report highlights climate-related investment opportunities using insights from 16 African SDGs Investor Maps. In partnership with UNDP’s Climate Promise, it shows how the private sector can support African countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
The report highlights that climate action offers significant opportunities for the private sector: more than half of identified SDG investment opportunities in Africa contribute to climate action and NDCs.
Mr. Romera said the UNDP is calling on investors to participate in “realizing opportunities for positive climate action.”
