19 February 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today there is no evidence that human patients infected with influenza A(H7N9), a low pathogenic virus in poultry, can transmit the virus to animals, including birds. “Humans that become ill with influenza A(H7N9) constitute no threat to poultry populations,” underlined FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth. The agency’s comments come in the wake of the first human case of A(H7N9) outside China. The patient is originally from Guangdong Province in China – one of the provinces most affected by the virus this year and where the woman…
Author: UN News
18 February 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency today highlighted the need to address “significant shortcomings” in the process by which Australia moves asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea and called for a probe into recent incidents that reportedly led to the death of an asylum-seeker on Manus Island. Over the years, Australia has sent thousands of refugees who fled conflict, persecution or poverty in the Middle East and Central and South Asia to the processing centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva…
18 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to engage with the international community improve its human rights record after a UN-mandated report catalogued crimes against humanity of an “unimaginable scale” being committed in the country. Mr. Ban is seriously concerned about human rights and the humanitarian situation in the DPRK, his spokesperson said in a statement. As such, the Secretary-General remains “deeply disturbed” by the findings. Noting that human rights are universal values, he “hopes the report will contribute to raising…
17 February 2014 – A grim array of human rights abuses, driven by “policies established at the highest level of State,” have been and continue to be committed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to a United Nations-mandated report released today, which also calls for urgent action to address the rights situation in the country, including referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a 400-page set of linked reports and supporting documents, culled from first-hand testimony from victims and witnesses, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea…
19 February 2014 – Authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) will be held personally accountable for the serious human rights violations committed in the country, Navi Pillay, the United Nations human rights chief today said, urging that every effort be made to break the cycle of violence and revenge, and to restore security and rule of law. “I remind all leaders in key positions, whether they belong to anti-Balaka, ex-Séléka or the former army, FACA, that they have clear obligations under international law,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said. “They have a responsibility to refrain from committing,…
18 February 2014 – Family farming is an important path for inclusion for millions of poor rural communities, and is of special importance for women and for youth, the head of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has said, hailing the expansion of a youth gardening project in Africa as a vital way to promote nutrition and sustainability, as well as inclusivity. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva made these observations in Milan where yesterday the Italy-based Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity project outlined its plans to help African youths plant 10,000 food gardens. The project, backed by…
18 February 2014 – The United Nations agency leading the global HIV/AIDS response warned today that the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda would have “serious human rights implications” and urged protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world. The bill, passed by the Ugandan Parliament on 20 December, calls for a 14-year jail term for a first conviction and imprisonment for life for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality.” “I strongly urge the Ugandan authorities to reject the bill and ensure the human rights and dignity of all people in Uganda,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive…
18 February 2014 – Despite some stabilization, the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains fragile and it is vital that the international community stays the course to ensure that millions of people in the Horn of Africa nation receive the assistance they need, a top United Nations relief official said today. “For Somalia, it does come down to the funding,” John Ging, Director of the Coordination and Response Division in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a news conference in New York. “Right now, we are very worried about the prospects for funding,” he stated, noting that…
18 February 2014 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South sudan (UNMISS) has reported that heavy fighting broke out earlier today between pro-Government and opposition forces near its compound in the Upper Nile state town of Malakal, while condemning those who instigated the inter-communal violence that flared up inside its base. The Mission said that fighting between sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) opposition forces and Government troops, which started this morning, appeared to have subsided, although there are continued reports of gunfire and mortars being heard in the area, a UN spokesperson told journalists in New York. Simultaneously, inter-communal…
18 February 2014 – Libya’s new law could place undue restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion, the United Nations human rights office today warned while also expressing concern about an increasing number of attacks against journalists in recent months. The warning coincides with the third anniversary of the 2011 Libyan uprising which overthrew Muammar al-Qadhafi and began a democratic transition in the country. The new Law No. 5 imposes prison sentences on any person “undermining the February 17 Revolution” and for “publicly insulting one of the legislative, executive or judicial authorities.” “Law No. 5 of 2014 certainly appears to…