September 12, 2022

At a time of unprecedented challenges and upheaval, “solutions lie in solidarity,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message commemorating the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation.   “South-South and triangular cooperation are critical for developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate disruption, address the global health crisis, including COVID-19 recovery, and achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” said the top UN official.   The UN chief stressed the importance of Southern-led development solutions being shared “far and wide.”   “South-South and triangular cooperation must play an ever-increasing role in resolving our common challenges,” he said.  

Fifty million people around the world are trapped in forced labour or forced marriage, the UN said, warning that their ranks had swelled dramatically in recent years.   The United Nations had set a goal to eradicate all forms of modern slavery by 2030, but instead the number of people caught up in forced labour or forced marriage ballooned by 10 million between 2016 and 2021, according to a new report.   The study, by the UN’s agencies for labour and migration along with the Walk Free Foundation, found that at the end of last year, 28 million people were

Somalia’s military says an offensive in the central Hiran region has captured 20 villages that were occupied by the Islamist militant group al-Shabab. A Somali National Army commander, Captain Mohamed Ibrahim Daud, told VOA by phone Monday that army troops backed by armed locals have killed more than 100 al-Shabab fighters and also “liberated” 20 villages from the al-Qaida-affiliated group. He said the retaken villages include several key locations in Hiran region, including the small town of Fidow near Somalia’s border with Ethiopia. Daud said troops captured another 20 militants alive. He acknowledged that the army received air support during