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Hello, this is Pip, and today we’re hearing about the organisations working to support Syrian children’s mental health needs, a decade on from the start of the conflict.

We’ve also got a seat at a mock war crimes trial for Geneva students hosted by a Swiss human rights organisation, and we’re covering the UN’s call for an end to police brutality, ten months since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

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Pip Cook

23.03.2021


Peace and humanitarian news


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A Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer hosts a psychosocial support session for Syrian children. (Credit: Syrian Arab Red Crescent)

🇸🇾 Protecting Syrian children’s mental health. As the war in Syria passes its tenth year, the psychological impact it’s having on children and young people both inside and outside the country is striking. We speak to humanitarian actors working on the ground to support children’s mental health needs.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

🧑‍⚖️ Civitas Maxima puts students in the hot seat in mock war crimes trial. The organisation, which has been involved in Switzerland’s first ever war crimes trial of a former Liberian warlord starting last month, hosted the mock trial on Zoom.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

🚫 ‘Systemic racism needs a systemic response’. In an update to the Human Rights Council on Friday, ten months on from the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, Michelle Bachelet called on countries to tackle “systemic racism” within law enforcement and judicial authorities.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

What else is happening


Image of the day


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Head of Libya's Presidency Council Mohamed al-Manfi (R) and new interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (L) in Tripoli, Libya. (Credit: Keystone / EPA / STR)

Libya’s new interim government sworn in. Libya’s first unity government in seven years was sworn in last week as efforts to end the country’s decade-long conflict took an important step forward. The new temporary government, which emerged as a result of UN-facilitated talks held in Geneva, is tasked with preparing Libya for elections in December.

UNSMIL (EN)

Number of the day


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Source: Europa (Image credit: EPA / Antonio Cotrim)

A survey of 27,000 EU citizens released last week showed a slight increase in those who thought aid spending was important, up from 88 per cent in 2016. The figures were released as the EU announced an increase in its aid budget by 60 per cent, making it the biggest humanitarian donor in the world. Read this interview with the European Commission’s humanitarian aid chief Janez Lenarčič published on Geneva Solutions last week.

Europa (EN)

Next on the agenda


📌 24 March | Spotlight on gender sensitive reporting in journalism. The joint ILO-UN Women Safe and Fair Programme will host a webinar to discuss responsible and ethical reporting of labour migration, gender-based violence and discrimination against migrant workers.

ILO (EN)

📌 30 March | Human Development and the Anthropocene. The UNDP in Geneva will host a digital discussion on their latest Human Development Report, released in 2020, which explores how the expansion of human freedoms can be squared with living in balance with the planet.

UNDP (EN)

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