Trade: AU challenges WTO reform agenda backed by industrialized nations (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
At the end of their two-day summit in Maputo, Mozambique, on 26 February, African Union (AU) trade ministers finalized a blueprint challenging the World Trade Organization Director- General's backing of a WTO reform agenda that they argue is being forced by the major industrialized countries, said people familiar with the development.

UN: Sudan descending into a "land of despair," warns rights chief (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
Nearly three years of brutal conflict have almost turned Sudan into a "land of despair," with the shockwaves of the war hitting hardest those who are the least able to withstand them, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned on 26 February.

UN: Afghanistan becoming a "graveyard for human rights", warns Turk (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
Afghanistan has become a "graveyard for human rights," with the cascade of edicts and laws issued by the Taliban since coming into power in 2021 having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.