20 February 2014 – The United Nations agency charged with ensuring the well-being of Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East is awaiting clearance to again resume distributing aid in a camp near Damascus, where just yesterday it had been able to reach civilians in desperate need. “There was no distribution of food or humanitarian assistance today in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, which is regrettable given the desperate humanitarian plight of the civilian population there, said Christopher Gunness, spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). However, a few critically sick people were evacuated in…
Author: UN News
20 February 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that water scarcity is one of the most urgent food security issues facing countries of the Near East and North Africa, with fresh water availability in the region expected to drop by 50 per cent by 2050. FAO’s warning comes as ministers of agriculture and national officials prepare to tackle the issue at a meeting of the organization’s highest regional governing body beginning next Monday. Among the issues on the agenda for the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa is a…
19 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the top United Nations envoy for Lebanon and the Security Council have condemned today’s double bombing in the area of Bir Hassan in the southern Beirut suburbs that killed and wounded a number of people. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban extended his condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Lebanon. “The Secretary-General notes the active efforts of the Lebanese army and security forces in working to detain terrorist suspects and prevent attacks, and calls for the perpetrators of this crime to be brought…
19 February 2014 – An estimated 240,000 Syrian remain trapped in areas under siege resulting in severe hardship, suffering and deaths of civilians, in clear breach of the obligations under international human rights and humanitarian laws, the United Nations today reported. The analysis, based on information collected between April 2013 and 20 January of this year by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), focuses on ongoing sieges imposed by Syrian Government forces and pro-Government militias, as well as by armed opposition groups, in particular, in the Governorates of Rural Damascus, Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Under…
19 February 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees expressed his “outrage and shock” today, strongly condemning a bomb attack that killed 18 people, including five children, near a school the agency operates in southern Syria. “I must express my revulsion at this wanton disregard for civilian life and international law,” Filippo Grandi, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said, deploring the deadly incident, which occurred Tuesday when an explosive struck near the Zeitoun school in Muzeirib, which is 11 km north-west of Dera’a in southern Syria. According…
19 February 2014 – Concerned by the escalating violence in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, top United Nations officials have urged all sides to exercise restraint and find a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis.According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 22 people were killed during violence clashes on Tuesday between riot police and protesters. This is the latest wave of violence to hit Kiev, which has been witnessing mass protests since late November. In yesterday’s events, protesters attempted in the morning to march on Parliament ahead of a crucial debate reinstating the…
14 February 2014 – The United Nations human rights office has expressed concerns about a bill allowing Turkey’s telecommunications authority (Turkish Telecommunications Directorate) the power to block websites without having to seek a court order and to penalize Internet providers if they fail to cooperate. Briefing journalists in Geneva, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the Office is concerned that the legislation “may lead to breaches of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to privacy.” Law 6518, which contains the amendments, was adopted by…
17 February 2014 – Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new study out today based on a project led by the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO). “We must learn from farmers’ experience. Pragmatic, field-based and farmer-centric education can and must play a key role in making agriculture stronger and more sustainable,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva in a press release. The study, published today by the London-based Royal Society, was conducted…
17 February 2014 – United Nations human rights experts today urged Kenya to repeal sections of its Marriage and Property Act which effectively strip women of marital property upon divorce or death of their spouse, unless they can prove they made a contribution to the acquisition of the property during their marriage. “It is expected that very few women will be able to demonstrate such a contribution under the new provisions, since few Kenyan women have land title deeds in their own names and even less hold deeds jointly with men,” warned independent expert Frances Raday, who currently heads the…
16 February 2014 – The United Nations and its partners in the Philippines are warning today that millions of people still require urgent assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, 100 days after Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, cut a swath of devastation across the archipelago. “The authorities, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, and the Filipino people should be commended for the pace of progress that we have seen in the first 100 days. But we cannot afford to be complacent,” said Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Philippines. In a news…