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Guterres urges Iran and Israel to ‘fully respect’ ceasefire
Before both sides had confirmed that a ceasefire was in place early Tuesday both sides exchanged fire, with Tehran residents saying they had experienced a heavy barrage of attacks.
Before leaving Washington for a NATO summit in Europe, President Trump expressed his frustration at the breaches of the fragile ceasefire agreement, urging Iran and Israel to observe the truce.
In a social media post, UN chief António Guterres urged both countries to fully respect the ceasefire.
“The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much,” he said, adding it was his “sincere hope” that the ceasefire can extend to other parts of the region.
It is my sincere hope that this ceasefire can be replicated in the other conflicts in the region.
IAEA chief stresses need for strong new nuclear deal
Earlier, the head of the UN-backed nuclear watchdog urged Tehran to consider “resuming cooperation” with the international community to quell any lingering hostility around its nuclear programme.“Resuming cooperation with [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is key to a successful agreement,” said Director General Rafael Grossi.
In a short online post on X, Mr. Grossi added that he had offered to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on working together, “stressing this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy” over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Tehran prison concern
Meanwhile, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, insisted that a notorious Tehran prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.
OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told media in Geneva that Evin prison is not a military objective, according to the laws of war.
“Targeting it constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law”, he said.
OHCHR does not have specific details about what the alleged attack, Mr. Al- Kheetan said, but there have reportedly been fires inside the prison and a number of injuries.
Casualty count
An updated casualty count from the Iranian authorities on Tuesday indicated that 610 people have been killed including 49 women and 13 children since 13 June. That number includes two pregnant women and one infant along with 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 65 minors.
Seven hospitals, four health units and six emergency bases and nine ambulances have been damaged, the Iranian health authorities said.
Some 28 Israeli citizens have reportedly been killed by Iranian missile strikes to date.
Civilians must be protected
Political prisoners including journalists are held at Evin prison, but whether they are detained “arbitrarily” or in connection with “crimes they’ve actually committed”, the inmates must be protected, Mr Al-Kheetan insisted.
According to media reports on Tuesday, Iran said that it transferred all the inmates out of the prison after it was hit by an Israeli strike, moving them to other prisons around the capital in order to repair damage.
A fragile ceasefire proposed by the United States seemed to take hold briefly on Tuesday morning, before reports of further Iranian missile strikes on Israel, disputed by Tehran.
The conflict began with Israeli air attacks on 13 June and escalated over the weekend with US forces striking Iranian nuclear facilities. Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in the Israeli airstrikes, while Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed close to 30 people in Israel.
Asked about signs of a crackdown on dissent by the Iranian authorities in the context of the Israeli and US military campaign against the country, the OHCHR spokesperson stressed that it was “difficult to verify information” coming from Iran, given the lack of access.
He confirmed seeing reports about Iranians being “arrested for cyber activities and publishing content related to the Israeli attacks on Iran, according to NGOs”.
Mr. Al-Kheetan also spoke of reports that nine men have been executed in Iran since Israel attacked the country on 13 June.
He called on the Iranian authorities to “completely respect the rights to freedom of expression and information, at all times”, insisting that journalists “must be able to do their work without any obstacles”.
Iranian citizens reportedly arrested and accused of espionage or collaboration with Israel “must have their full rights in terms of legal procedures and a fair trial”, he said.
“If these arrests are arbitrary, those persons must be freed immediately and unconditionally,” he concluded.
Human Rights Council concerns
On Monday, independent human rights experts reiterated their concerns about Iran’s “use of broadly defined national security offences, some of which are punishable by death”, in the context of recent reported executions on espionage charges.
Last week, the UN deputy human rights chief, Nada Al-Nashif, told the Human Rights Council that at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year – the highest number of reported executions since 2015.
She also briefed the Council on the use of torture in Iranian prisons and the ongoing targeting of minorities, journalists and human rights defenders.
“ Always in shock ”: Myanmar earthquakes aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the fractured country
The earthquake of March 28 measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck the central regions with a deadly forceKilling some 3,800 people and injuring more than 5,000, according to UN estimates.
The disaster has devastated the infrastructure and houses of Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway, moving tens of thousands of others in a country already struggling with more than 3.2 million people displaced internally (PDI) since the military coup of 2021.
“” Communities are still in shock from earthquakes – the strongest in the country has known in a century,“Said Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), addressing journalists from the United Nations headquarters in New York by video of Beijing after a three -day visit to Myanmar.
“” The devastation caused by earthquakes has aggravated the existing challenges of the conflict, displacement and serious humanitarian needs.“”
Need exceeding resources
UNOPS, which maintains the largest United Nations presence in Myanmar with nearly 500 employees, mobilized $ 25 million in the weeks following the disaster and reached half a million people with rescue support.
“My colleagues worked quickly with partners to deliver emergency shelters, clean water and deploy infrastructure specialists for quick assessments,” Da Silva said.
However, he warned that much greater international support is necessary to meet the extent of needs.
The World Bank estimates the total damages at almost $ 11 billion, the complete reconstruction should cost two to three times more. Over 2.5 million tonnes of debris must also be authorized to allow recovery.
Mr. Da Silva stressed that reconstruction must be centered on people, inclusive and linked to peacebuilding efforts.
“We echo the calls of the whole UN for an end of violence”, he said. “” Recovery and reconstruction should support the trip from Myanmar to peace and reconciliation. Civilians must be a priority.“”
Women and girls face disproportionate risks
Humanitarian repercussions have struck women and girls particularly hard – many of whom were one of people killed or injured – and are now facing increasing risk of protection.
According to the United Nations Reproductive Health Agency, Unfpamore than 4.6 million women of reproductive age – including More than 220,000 currently pregnant – are at increased risks.
Damage to health establishments, aggravated by the floods and insecurity of the monsoon, disrupted access to emergency obstetric care and menstrual hygiene. Gender -based violence increases sharply in overcrowded and poorly enlightened shelters.
The Executive Director of UNOPS, Jorge Moreira Da Silva, meets a woman and her newborn in a health clinic.
Pressure health system
THE Risk of water diseases Like cholera and vector diseases such as dengue and malaria also increase.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) while No major outbreaks had been reported on May 31, cases of acute aqueous diarrhea and skin infections turn.
The monsoon rains have aggravated the conditions in temporary shelters, where overcrowding and poor sanitation raise serious health problems. Mental health remains fragile, 67% of respondents in a recent survey reporting emotional distress linked to the earthquake and the current conflict.
WHO and its partners have delivered more than 300,000 doses of vaccines-including tetanus and rage-but access remains limited and underfunced health services.
Prolonged crisis
More than 3.25 million people stay inappropriate In Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021, with at least 176,000 others looking for refuge in neighboring countries, according to the refugee, the agency, Hcr.
This excludes hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas refugees from previous waves of violence.
Myanmar also remains One of the deadliest countries in the world for land mines and the explosive remains of war.
In the first nine months of 2024 only, 889 victims were reported – Reasons Fear that the toll could exceed the record of 1,052 deaths and injuries documented in 2023.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Gaza: Over 400 Palestinians killed around private aid hubs, UN rights office says
The alert comes nearly a month since the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operating on 27 May in select hubs, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs.
Its food distribution points have been associated frequently with confusion and shooting as desperate and hungry Gazans rush to fetch supplies, said UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan.
“Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” he insisted. “The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law.”
In its latest update on the emergency, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that “scores of people of all ages are being killed and injured every day” in the shattered enclave.
“Humanitarian operations of sufficient scale are not facilitated, leaving unaddressed the critical needs of those who have so far survived,” it said.
Shelled or shot
In Geneva, meanwhile, OHCHR’s Mr. Al-Keetan explained that private aid hub victims were either “shelled or shot” by the Israel Defense Forces. They have endangered civilians and contributed to the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza”, he maintained.
At least 93 people have also been reportedly killed by the Israeli army while attempting to approach the few remaining aid convoys of the UN and other aid partners still operating in Gaza.
In a previous alert, the UN human rights office has condemned the possible summary execution of Palestinian staff associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by armed men allegedly affiliated with Hamas.
“These killings must end immediately, and those responsible held to account,” the UN office said in a statement.
Most vulnerable miss out
The OHCHR spokesperson noted that women and children, along with older people and those with disabilities continue to face “multiple challenges” accessing food in Gaza today.
Looting of aid convoys is now commonplace in Gaza after more than 20 months of daily Israeli bombardment as a result of a near-total blockade on humanitarian supplies including food, fuel and medicine.
The result is that Gaza’s most vulnerable individuals are unable to access any of this diverted aid, the UN human rights office told UN News.
To date, at least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in incidents associated with the non-UN aid hubs and looting.
“Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food,” the UN human rights office explained.
Ongoing aid obstacles
Although the UN and other aid providers still function in Gaza, they are reliant on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. On Saturday and Sunday, only eight out of 16 requests for humanitarian operations were approved, aid teams reported.
“Half of [the missions] were denied outright, hindering the tracking of water and fuel, the provision of nutrition services and the retrieval of the bodies,” said Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the Information Service at UN Geneva.
Her comments followed a warning from the UN’s top aid official in Gaza on Sunday who described dire scenes and “carnage”.
“It is weaponized hunger. It is forced displacement. It’s a death sentence for people just trying to survive. All combined, it appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza,” said OCHA’s Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall.
Telecommunications have now been restored across Gaza after damaged fibre cables were repaired at the weekend.
“For the first time in days, humanitarian teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity – something that is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives,” OCHA said in Monday evening’s update.
But without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications “will go down again very soon”, the UN aid wing warned.
Fuel crisis
“Fuel is also needed to keep emergency rooms running, power ambulances, and operate water desalination and pumping stations,” it explained.
“Right now, teams on the ground are rationing what little fuel remains and working to retrieve stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are hard to reach.”
Access to Nasser Medical Complex is also limited because there is not enough fuel for transportation “and health workers and patients fear for their safety”, OCHA continued.
“Last week, in Khan Younis, in-patient admissions at field hospitals increased threefold, largely due to access challenges at Nasser, which also saw an influx of trauma patients and has been overwhelmed since.”
Most of Gaza remains under displacement orders issued by the Israeli military, including another one on Monday for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis city, reportedly following Palestinian rocket fire from these areas.
“These neighbourhoods were already subject to earlier displacement orders and include two hospitals – Al Amal and Nasser,” OCHA said. “While Israeli authorities have clarified that the hospitals are not required to evacuate, OCHA says the designation is nonetheless hindering access to those critical facilities for both patients and medical staff.”
Gaza: Over 400 Palestinians killed around private aid hubs, UN rights office says
The alert comes nearly a month since the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operating on 27 May in select hubs, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs.
Its food distribution points have been associated frequently with confusion and shooting as desperate and hungry Gazans rush to fetch supplies, said UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan.
“Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” he insisted. “The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law.”
In its latest update on the emergency, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that “scores of people of all ages are being killed and injured every day” in the shattered enclave.
“Humanitarian operations of sufficient scale are not facilitated, leaving unaddressed the critical needs of those who have so far survived,” it said.
Shelled or shot
In Geneva, meanwhile, OHCHR’s Mr. Al-Keetan explained that private aid hub victims were either “shelled or shot” by the Israel Defense Forces. They have endangered civilians and contributed to the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza”, he maintained.
At least 93 people have also been reportedly killed by the Israeli army while attempting to approach the few remaining aid convoys of the UN and other aid partners still operating in Gaza.
In a previous alert, the UN human rights office has condemned the possible summary execution of Palestinian staff associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by armed men allegedly affiliated with Hamas.
“These killings must end immediately, and those responsible held to account,” the UN office said in a statement.
Most vulnerable miss out
The OHCHR spokesperson noted that women and children, along with older people and those with disabilities continue to face “multiple challenges” accessing food in Gaza today.
Looting of aid convoys is now commonplace in Gaza after more than 20 months of daily Israeli bombardment as a result of a near-total blockade on humanitarian supplies including food, fuel and medicine.
The result is that Gaza’s most vulnerable individuals are unable to access any of this diverted aid, the UN human rights office told UN News.
To date, at least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in incidents associated with the non-UN aid hubs and looting.
“Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food,” the UN human rights office explained.
Ongoing aid obstacles
Although the UN and other aid providers still function in Gaza, they are reliant on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. On Saturday and Sunday, only eight out of 16 requests for humanitarian operations were approved, aid teams reported.
“Half of [the missions] were denied outright, hindering the tracking of water and fuel, the provision of nutrition services and the retrieval of the bodies,” said Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the Information Service at UN Geneva.
Her comments followed a warning from the UN’s top aid official in Gaza on Sunday who described dire scenes and “carnage”.
“It is weaponized hunger. It is forced displacement. It’s a death sentence for people just trying to survive. All combined, it appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza,” said OCHA’s Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall.
Telecommunications have now been restored across Gaza after damaged fibre cables were repaired at the weekend.
“For the first time in days, humanitarian teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity – something that is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives,” OCHA said in Monday evening’s update.
But without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications “will go down again very soon”, the UN aid wing warned.
Fuel crisis
“Fuel is also needed to keep emergency rooms running, power ambulances, and operate water desalination and pumping stations,” it explained.
“Right now, teams on the ground are rationing what little fuel remains and working to retrieve stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are hard to reach.”
Access to Nasser Medical Complex is also limited because there is not enough fuel for transportation “and health workers and patients fear for their safety”, OCHA continued.
“Last week, in Khan Younis, in-patient admissions at field hospitals increased threefold, largely due to access challenges at Nasser, which also saw an influx of trauma patients and has been overwhelmed since.”
Most of Gaza remains under displacement orders issued by the Israeli military, including another one on Monday for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis city, reportedly following Palestinian rocket fire from these areas.
“These neighbourhoods were already subject to earlier displacement orders and include two hospitals – Al Amal and Nasser,” OCHA said. “While Israeli authorities have clarified that the hospitals are not required to evacuate, OCHA says the designation is nonetheless hindering access to those critical facilities for both patients and medical staff.”
EU strengthens rules on right to vote
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EU strengthens rules on right to vote
New EU rules will help to strengthen the electoral rights of EU citizens living in another EU country. The rules will provide proactive information to citizens about their voting rights and registration conditions, as well as standardised registration templates to make registration more accessible.
Guterres urges Iran and Israel to “fully respect” the ceasefire
Before the two parties confirmed that a ceasefire was in place Thursday evening Thursday evening, the two parties exchanged fire, the residents of Tehran saying that they had experienced a heavy attack dam.
Before leaving Washington for a NATO summit in Europe, President Trump expressed his frustration in the face of violations of the Fragile Cee-Feu agreement, urging Iran and Israel to observe the truce.
In a social media position, UN chief António Guterres urged the two countries to fully respect the ceasefire.
“The fights must stop. The inhabitants of the two countries have already suffered too much, “he said, adding that it was his” sincere hope “that the cease-fire can extend to other parts of the region.
It is my sincere hope that this cease-fire can be reproduced in other conflicts in the region.
The IAEA chief underlines the need for a new solid nuclear agreement
Earlier, the chief of the nuclear guard dog supported by the UN urged Tehran to consider “resuming cooperation” with the international community to suppress any persistent hostility around his nuclear program. [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is the key to a successful agreement, “said Managing Director Rafael Grossi.
In a short online article on X, Mr. Grossi added that he had proposed to meet the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi to work together, ” Underline this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to longtime controversy»On the Iranian nuclear program.
Concern of Tehran prison
Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Office, Ohchrinsisted that a notorious teheran prison known to have dissidents should not be a target, one day after an Israeli strike reported on the complex.
Ohchr spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, the Evin prison was not a military objective, said to the media in Geneva.
“The target is a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” he said.
Ohchr has no specific details on what the alleged attack said Al-Kheetan, but there would have been fires inside the prison and a number of injuries.
Number of victims
On Tuesday, a victim chief updated from the Iranian authorities said that 610 people have been killed, including 49 women and 13 children since June 13. This number includes two pregnant women and an infant as well as 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 65 minors.
Seven hospitals, four health units and six emergency bases and nine ambulances were damaged, Iranian health authorities said.
Some 28 Israeli citizens have been killed by Iranian missile strikes to date.
Civilians must be protected
Political prisoners, including journalists, are detained in Evin prison, but whether they are detained “arbitrarily” or in relation to “crimes they have really committed”, the detainees must be protected, insisted Mr. Al-Kheetan.
According to the media on Tuesday, Iran said that he had transferred all prison prisoners after being struck by an Israeli strike, moving them to other prisons around the capital in order to repair damage.
A fragile ceasefire proposed by the United States seemed to settle briefly on Tuesday morning, before reports of new Iranian missile strikes in Israel, disputed by Tehran.
The conflict began with Israeli air attacks on June 13 and intensified during the weekend with American forces striking Iranian nuclear installations. Hundreds of civilians were said to have been killed during Israeli air strikes, while Iran’s reprisals have killed nearly 30 people in Israel.
Asked about the signs of a repression against the dissent of the Iranian authorities in the context of the Israeli and American military campaign against the country, the spokesperson for the OHCH stressed that it was “difficult to verify the information” from Iran, given the lack of access.
He confirmed that reports on Iranians “arrested for cyber and publishing content related to Israeli attacks against Iran, according to NGOs”.
Mr. Al-Kheetan also spoke of reports that nine men were executed in Iran since Israel attacked the country on June 13.
He called on the Iranian authorities to “completely respect the rights to freedom of expression and information, at any time”, insisting that journalists “must be able to do their work without any obstacle”.
Iranian citizens have arrested and accused of spying or collaboration with Israel “should have their full rights in terms of legal proceedings and a fair trial,” he said.
“If these arrests are arbitrary, these people must be released immediately and unconditionally,” he concluded.
Concerns of the Human Rights Council
On Monday, independent human rights experts reiterated their concerns concerning “the use by Iran of national security offenses, some of which are liable to Iran, some of which are liable to death”, in the context of recent executions reported on charges of espionage.
Last week, the deputy chief of the UN, Nada al-Nashif, told the Human Rights Council that at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year – the largest number of executions reported since 2015.
She also informed the Council on the use of torture in Iranian prisons and the continuous targeting of minorities, journalists and human rights defenders.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Gaza: More than 400 gasans killed in Private Aid Hubs, claim the United Nations Rights Office
The alert has occurred almost a month since the Israeli “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” and supported by the United States “began to operate on May 27 in Gaza.
Its food distribution points have been frequently associated with confusion and shooting while the desperate and hungry gasans rush to recover the supplies, said spokesperson for the Human Rights Office Thameen Al-Keetan.
“The militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism of Israel is in contradiction with international standards on the distribution of aid,” he insisted. “” The armament of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to survival services, constitutes a war crime and, in certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law. »»
In its last urgency update, The United Nations Coordination Office, OCHAreported that “dozens of people of all ages are killed and injured every day” in the broken enclave.
“The humanitarian operations of a sufficient scale are not facilitated, not leaving the critical needs of those who have so far survived,” he said.
Peeled or shot
In Geneva, in the meantime, OhchrAl-Keetan explained that the victims of the private aid hub were either “dissected or slaughtered” by the Israeli defense forces. They endangered civilians and contributed to the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza,” he said.
At least 93 people were also said to have been killed by the Israeli army while he was trying to approach the few remaining convoys of the UN and other aid partners still operating in Gaza.
In a previous alert, the United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the possible summary execution of Palestinian staff associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by armed men who have been affiliated in Hamas.
“These murders must end immediately, and officials were to report,” The United Nations office said in a statement.
Weakest
The OCHCL spokesman noted that women and children, as well as the elderly and disabled people continue to face “multiple challenges” accessing food in Gaza today.
The looting of help convoys is now commonplace in Gaza after more than 20 months of daily Israeli bombing due to an almost total blockade on humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel and drugs.
The result is that the most vulnerable individuals in Gaza are unable to access any of this diverted aid, said the United Nations Human Rights Office UN News.
To date, at least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in incidents associated with aid centers and looting.
“The desperate and hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhuman choice of starving or risking being killed while trying to get food,” said the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Current help obstacles
Although the UN and the other aid providers still work in Gaza, they depend on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. Saturday and Sunday, only eight requests out of 16 of humanitarian operations were approvedreported the aid teams.
“Half of [the missions] Were refused squarely, hampering water and fuel monitoring, the provision of nutrition services and the recovery of organizations, “said Alessandra Vellucci, director of the Information Service at the UN Geneva.
His comments followed a warning from the highest official of the UN help in Gaza on Sunday which described disastrous scenes and “carnage”.
“It’s armed hunger. It is a forced trip. It is a death sentence for people who try to survive. All combined, it seems that it is the erasure of the Palestinian life of Gaza, ” said the OCHA head of the OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jonathan Whittall.
Telecommunications have now been restored through Gaza after repairing damaged fiber cables this weekend.
“For the first time in days, humanitarian teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity – something that is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives”, ” Ochha said in the update on Monday evening.
But without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications “will leave very soon,” warned the United Nations wing.
“Fuel is also necessary to maintain the emergency rooms in progress, electrical ambulances and exploit the water and pumping desalination stations,” he explained.
“Currently, the teams on the ground are rationing the little fuel and the work to recover stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are difficult to reach. »»
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
What time is it on the moon? Everything is relative …
You can surely think that we can simply agree that a time zone can be used for “moon time”? Coordinated universal time (UTC), for example. How difficult can it be? Unfortunately, this does not work, for several reasons.
Here on earth, the chronometer is easy to take for granted: we divide our world into 24 time zones, based on the longitude and rotation of the planet, and can say the time based on the position of the sun in the sky.
But on the moon, the rules are different: a lunar “day” lasts about 29.5 days of the earth, and the equatorial regions of the moon can feel up to 14 days of continuous sun. On some of the highest mountains on the moon, nicknamed “Peaks of Eternal Light”, the sun never sets.
In addition to that, physicists and fans of science fiction will know that time is not the same on the moon as on earth. Place two perfectly synchronized clocks – one on earth and one on the moon – and, after a single day of the earth, the lunar clock would be ahead of around 56 microseconds. It may not seem much, but for navigation on spaceships, this small difference could be critical.
Unite efforts to standardize lunar time
For a moon time zone to work, budding lunar actors will have to agree on a current standard of time which is reliable, traceable in time based on earth and usable by everyone. Unoosa helps direct the charge to make it a reality.
In 2024, the United Nations International Committee for World Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) has established a dedicated working group to focus on the positioning, navigation and the lunar calendar, standardize the lunar time and trace it to the UTC that we use on earth, for the benefit of all future lunar missions.
Peace on earth, peace on the moon
The coordination of transparent timing on the Moon is part of a wider UN mission to ensure that lunar activities, whether public, private, scientific or commercial, are safe, peaceful and lasting. To this end, Unoosa summoned the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities In June 2024, bringing together space agency heads, legal experts, astronauts, businesses and academics around the world to discuss common ground, share concerns and reaffirm the need for transparent and inclusive lunar governance mechanisms.
Earth view from the NASA earth observatory
One of these mechanisms to continue international cooperation is the new Action team on the consultation of lunar activities (ATLAC), which is designed to help promote dialogue and formulate recommendations on how exploration and lunar activities can be coordinated internationally. Atlac will work to finalize his work plan for significant years to come and identify priority subjects – such as the coordinated lunar stopwatch – to ensure that lunar activities take place in a cooperative and orderly manner.
Humanity is entering a new era of lunar exploration with a record number of nations and space organizations which could reshape our relationship with our nearest celestial neighbors for future generations.
Member States will be able to work with UNOOSA to preserve the Moon as an area of global cooperation, guided by the main principle of the Treaty of the space that “the exploration and use of space, including the Moon, will be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries”.
The astronaut of NASA Harrison Schmitt on the Moon (File, 1972)
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
