20 June 2015 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Saturday the signature, earlier today, of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali by the Coordination coalition of armed groups in Bamako. “The Secretary-General notes that signature by all parties paves the way for the full and timely implementation of the Peace Agreement. The ultimate responsibility for peace lies with Mali and the Malians, and [he] urges all parties to continue to work in good faith to advance progress, and to fully implement the provisions of the ceasefire,” reads a statement made available by the UN Spokesperson. Mr. Ban congratulates…
Author: UN News
19 June 2015 – In the wake of the ‘appalling’ attack that left nine African Americans dead at church in South Carolina, a group of UN human rights experts today called for prompt action by authorities in the United States to investigate the hate crimes and urged measures to prevent gun violence affecting the security of African-Americans, their communities and wider society as well. Issuing a statement on behalf of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, the current Chairperson, Mireille Fanon-Mendes-France, denounced what the experts flagged as racially motivated 17 June killings. “We utterly…
19 June 2015 – Decrying Burundi’s “blatant failures” to respect freedom of expression and assembly and the fact that open issues from the past are ensnaring the upcoming elections process, a United Nations rights expert today issued a strong call for greater global efforts to ensure independent monitoring and reporting and for all Burundian parties to safeguard fair elections and keep protests peaceful. “In Burundi, the neglected violent past has become a major obstacle for the country’s future,” Pablo de Greiff, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, said today while presenting…
18 June 2015 – The United Nations Security Council, reiterating today its support to the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, said it looked forward to the expected signing of the accord this weekend by the so-called ‘Coordination’ armed groups. “Recognizing the aspiration of all Malian citizens to enjoy lasting peace and development, the members of the Security Council urged the Coordination and Plateforme armed groups to refrain from any action that could undermine the peace process and to demonstrate responsibility and courage in the supreme interest of peace in Mali,” the Council said in a press statement. Council…
18 June 2015 – Six million people in Yemen are slipping towards severe hunger and now need emergency food and life-saving assistance, “a sharp increase” from the last quarter of 2014, according to a new joint study by two United Nations organizations. “We are seeing a serious deterioration of the food security situation because of the ongoing conflict, which is also making humanitarian access difficult,” warned Salah El Hajj Hassan, Yemen Representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In addition to the population facing a food security ‘emergency,’ another over 6.5 million people are classified as facing a…
18 June 2015 – The cholera outbreak in Tanzania continues to spread among the populations in the country’s western Kigoma region amid an influx of refugees from neighbouring Burundi, the United Nations health agency warned today as it detailed its ongoing response aimed at stemming the epidemic. “Carrying out social mobilization, including door-to-door campaigns and health education is a key component to educate populations and inform district and community leaders about the disease,” Dr. Rufaro Chatora, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for Tanzania, declared in a press release. The Tanzanian cholera epidemic – spawned by a massive inflow…
17 June 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has deemed the fact that both Yemeni delegations are in now Geneva to participate in the UN-facilitated consultations “an important start towards the return to a political process,” a spokesperson for the world body said today. Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Farhan Haq said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed had spoken to the press in Geneva last night, and had said that the significance of having in Geneva both delegations to the Yemen consultations should not be underestimated. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon…
17 June 2015 – The Security Council has emphasized the urgency for Libyan stakeholders to reach a political solution to the country’s crisis amid ongoing United Nations-facilitated talks. In a statement issued late this afternoon, the 15-member Council “strongly encouraged” all participants of the Libyan Political Dialogue “to positively consider” the proposals contained in the fourth draft of the political agreement which emerged from the most recent round of talks held in Morocco from 8 to 9 June. “The members of the Security Council reiterated that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya and that reaching…
17 June 2015 – The United Nations agriculture agency has launched an emergency airlift operation in South Sudan and has distributed to families fleeing violence in hard-to-reach areas supplies ranging from nutritional biscuits for children, mosquito nets, vegetable seeds, water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced yesterday that the first distribution of survival kits was delivered by helicopter, targeting an estimated 28,000 people displaced by the fighting with approximately 4,500 kits. Recent violence in South Sudan has affected an estimated 750,000 people in Greater Upper Nile and forced approximately 150,000 people to…
16 June 2015 – To tackle the humanitarian impact of the “relentlessly deteriorating” crisis in South Sudan, the European Union and the United Nations today announced that more than $275 million has been pledged in support of the victims in the country and the wider region. The pledges were made during a high-level conference in Geneva organised by the European Union (EU) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country. According to OCHA, the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has deteriorated relentlessly since violence broke out at the…
15 June 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a series of deadly bombings in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena which reportedly killed more than 25 people and injured dozens of others, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations. In a statement issued earlier today, the UN spokesperson said the Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the Government and people of Chad and wished a “speedy recovery” to those injured. Initial media reports suggest that Boko Haram is responsible for the suicide attacks which targeted two police buildings in…
15 June 2015 – The international community has not a moment to lose if it is to help end the fighting in Yemen and broker a lasting peace for the country, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today as he urged stakeholders to “make the most of the momentum of opportunity.” Briefing the press at the UN Office in Geneva at the opening of consultations on the situation in the Gulf state, the Secretary-General explained that as total casualty figures surpassed 2,600, the UN and Member States retained “a special obligation to act.” “Today, Yemen’s very existence hangs in the…
12 June 2015 – Condemning the rising number of Government aerial attacks in Syria and the use of indiscriminate weapons, such as barrel bombs, including in civilian populated areas, a group of United Nations officials today warned of retaliatory action by non-State armed groups, which could increase the vulnerability of religious and ethnic minorities perceived to support the Government. “Government air strikes have reportedly killed more than a hundred civilians in the past week. Employing means or methods of combat which cannot distinguish civilian from military objectives is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Not only has the Government…
14 June 2015 – The top United Nations official in Libya has strongly condemned an attack on the Tunisian consulate in the Libyan capital of Tripoli which resulted in the capture of ten consulate staff members. In a press release issued earlier today, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino Leon, called for “the immediate and unconditional release” of the abducted staff and recalled the principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises must be respected. The storming of the Tunisian consulate – which occurred on 12…
11 June 2015 – Concerned at the recent armed clashes amid the ongoing peace talks on Colombia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, today said these incidents have the potential to “derail” a long sought peace process, increasing risks for the civilian population. “After decades of unrest, Colombians, especially the millions displaced, have longed for peace, pinning hopes on a negotiated settlement. Any disruptions in the peace process could jeopardize its chances of arriving at a positive outcome. I encourage both parties to move forward with negotiations and hope that the talks that have been taking place…
12 June 2015 – Citing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to children in Sudan who are affected by the war in South Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed the huge demand and urgency of receiving more financial support to continue its relief work in the Country. “We cannot make these boys and girls suffer even more by failing to provide timely, quality…humanitarian assistance and protection,” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Representative to Sudan, stressing that “children are the main victims of the intensification of conflict in South Sudan.” Representing over 60 per cent of the South Sudanese refugees, as…
11 June 2015 – The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission has called on all stakeholders in Central African Republic (CAR) to help promote an environment conducive to holding elections ahead of the country’s upcoming parliamentary vote. A statement issued today by the Commission’s CAR Configuration said it had taken note of the “commendable progress” to date in the processes of preparation for the elections and welcomed the “determination and commitment” of the international and national stakeholders in implementing the concluding documents of the Bangui Forum. The country’s parliamentary elections are slated for next month and have sparked hope among many in…
10 June 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria is continuing a series of critical meetings with Syrian and international stakeholders as part of the ongoing Geneva Consultations and in an effort to find a political solution to the country’s five-year long conflict. According to a spokesperson for the Organization, Staffan de Mistura – who has been engaged since 5 May with representatives of the Syrian Government, the Syrian opposition Coalition and 39 Syrian political and civil society groups – will continue the consultation process into the month of July with the “sincere hope and belief that guns…
10 June 2015 – Amid “very encouraging signs” in the United Nations-facilitated Libyan political dialogue, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the North African nation today said that “time has come to make an agreement” and if possible, before or at the beginning of Ramadan, which begins on 17 June. “We now have a draft.This draft provides solution for most of the challenges we have been facing and will be facing in the coming months,” Bernardino León said at a press conference in Berlin today. “The principles of inclusion, balance and consensus are there, at every step, at every institution and…
10 June 2015 – The security situation in Darfur is a very serious one, marked by a “deeply concerning” increase in violent attacks by armed assailants against United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel, the Assistant Secretary-General for UN peacekeeping operations told the Security Council today. “Most worrisome is the devastating impact that [it] has had on innocent civilians and the obstacles it has created for their protection and for humanitarian assistance,” Edmond Mulet stated this morning, reporting to the Council “very limited progress” in the peace process. Indeed, he stressed, the second phase of the Government’s military offensive, ‘Operation Decisive…