12 March 2014 – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports increasing difficulties in implementing its mandate due to growing restrictions of movement, and calls on all parties to respect the work done by UN staff and the inviolability of the Organization’s assets and premises. Such restrictions of movement are in violation of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which establishes the rights and privileges of foreign personnel in a host country in support of a larger security arrangement, under which the Mission operates. Meanwhile, UN workers are facing challenges related to inclement weather and the approach of…
Author: UN News
12 March 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today regretted the lack of progress in implementing a two-year-old agreement between sudan and South sudan on security, the common border and economic relations, and called on both Governments to renew their commitment to the aims of the accord, particularly regarding the status of the long-contested Abyei area. Speaking to reporters following closed-door consultations, Sylvie Lucas, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, which holds the Council’s presidency for the month, said members of the 15-nation body had also expressed concern about the lack of results in the recent round of political negotiations between…
13 March 2014 – The United Nations and Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria today appealed to the Security Council to assist him in pressing for a possible new round of negotiations bringing together the Syrian Government and opposition groups to end three years of bloodshed in the country. “We would very much like to continue this Geneva process, but we would like the help of the Council and of all those who can help to make sure that if, and when, we have the third round, it will be a little bit more productive than the second round,”…
12 March 2014 – A group of independent United Nations human rights experts today expressed alarm at the ongoing spike in executions in Iran, including the recent hanging of a former child bride amid questionable circumstances. At least 176 persons have reportedly been hanged in Iran this year alone, as part of what appears to be “a steadily increasing rate” since the summer of 2013, the experts stated in a news release. Most of these executions were carried out for drug-related offenses, in violation of international legal provisions limiting the permissibility of capital punishment to the ‘most serious’ crimes. “The…
12 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that the international community cannot afford to lose focus or turn away from war-torn Syria, and called for renewed political efforts to end what is now, after three years of bloodshed, the biggest humanitarian and security crisis in the world. “The Secretary-General deeply regrets the inability of the international community, the region and the Syrians themselves to put a stop to this appalling conflict,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement marking three years since fighting began between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and various opposition groups seeking his ouster. Syria is…
12 March 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today stressed that decisive action must be taken to ensure the safety of media workers in Iraq, following the recent killing of two cameramen. Muthanna Abdul Hussein and Khaled Abed Thamer, cameramen for Al-Iraqia TV, were killed in a suicide bomb blast at a checkpoint at the city of Hilla on 9 March, according to a news release issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “I condemn the killing of Muthanna Abdul Hussein and Khaled Abed Thamer,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova…
12 March 2014 – The rampant destruction of Syria’s cultural heritage – including ancient cities, houses and temples – is deepening hatred in the war-torn country and must stop, United Nations and Arab League officials warned today, stressing that the protection of Syria’s ancient history is inseparable from the protection of its people. “Destroying the inheritance of the past robs future generations of a powerful legacy, deepens hatred and despair and undermines all attempts to foster reconciliation,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director General, Irina Bokova, and UN and League of Arab States Joint…
12 March 2014 – The United Nations said today that in addition to logistical challenges that hindered Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights IvanŠimonović from traveling to the autonomous Ukrainian region of Crimea this week, he was informed by authorities that he could not be received there. “The reasons given were the complex situation on the ground as well as the impossibility of providing security for his delegation,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Mr. Šimonović, who was dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to continue the UN’s high-level engagement with the country and to assess the human rights…
11 March 2014 – Senior United Nations official Ivan Šimonovic is meeting with local authorities in Kharkiv, Ukraine, today to discuss human rights-related measures that can be taken to help de-escalate tensions in the country. “He is also raising with the authorities the allegations regarding human rights violations, and meeting with a range of pro-Russian as well as pro-Ukrainian civil society representatives,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva. Mr. Šimonovic, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, is in Ukraine to stress the “paramount” importance of ensuring…
10 March 2014 – With tensions and mistrust growing in Ukraine, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the international community to help the key actors calm the situation and work toward a durable and fair political solution, ahead of closed-door Security Council consultations on the crisis. “I am increasingly alarmed by the developments in Ukraine,” Mr. Ban said in a statement, urging all sides to refrain from hasty actions and provocative rhetoric. “Recent events in Crimea in particular have only served to deepen the crisis,” he added. “Since the beginning of this crisis, I have appealed to all parties…