13 April 2015 – The United Nations agency mandated with protecting heritage sites worldwide today denounced further destruction at the archeological site of Nimrud in Iraq, calling the deliberate damage of culture a “war crime” and pledging to do everything possible to fight it. “I condemn this mad, destructive act that accentuates the horror of the situation. It confirms that the terrorists are not only destroying representations of figures and bas-reliefs,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a statement to the press. “With their hammers and explosives they are also obliterating the…
Author: UN News
11 April 2015 – The United Nations agency concerned with the well-being of Palestinian refugees is undertaking an urgent mission to Syria today, prompted by deepening concerns for the safety and protection of thousands Palestinian and Syrian civilians at Yarmouk refugee camp overrun in recent days by militants. Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is visiting Yarmouk to get a sense of the situation in the camp, hear from refugees affected by the crisis, and consult with leaders on how to get aid to people in need.…
11 April 2015 – A meeting of Libyan political leaders and activists facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) will take place in Algeria tomorrow, 13 April, with hopes of devising a plan to end Libya’s crisis, which is said to have ‘gravely’ escalated in the country’s west. “The role of political parties and political activists is important in lobbying the necessary support on all levels to achieve success for the dialogue and peace and stability for Libya,” said a statement released from UNSMIL today. “This meeting is significant in that the leaders of political parties and…
11 April 2015 – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has today condemned the grave escalation in hostilities in western Libya, particularly in the Aziziya area in Warshafana, a region whose towns in recent days have undergone considerable destruction from intermittent battles. The people who live in Warshafana are enduring immense hardship, with many civilians displaced, abducted and tortured, and in dire need of humanitarian aid, the Mission said today in a statement. “The Mission urges all parties to take all necessary measures to ensure the right of return for all those displaced from the area, and that…
10 April 2015 – The United Nations Secretary-General, in an address in Panama to the CEO Summit of the Americas, said today that business has a key role in the success of several important international forums taking place in 2015 and will be deeply involved in the implementation of their outcomes. “The new global development agenda and the battle against climate change will need resources, technology and capacity,” he told business leaders who gathered in Panama City. “Private sources and partnerships will be crucial.” He spoke of the UN Global Compact set up following the Millennium Declaration between business and…
10 April 2015 – As Nigeria gets set this weekend to hold its Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the country’s people and Government on the peaceful manner in which the recent presidential and parliamentary elections were held and expressed the hope that similar conditions will prevail during the new polls. “The Secretary General wishes to congratulate once again the people and Government of Nigeria for the peaceful manner in which the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections were conducted on 28 and 29 March 2015,” said a statement issued by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson. Praising the statesmanship…
10 April 2015 – The members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed a peace and reconciliation accord between the Malian Government, armed groups and an international mediation team in what the body described as an “historic opportunity” for resolving the African country’s ongoing political and security crisis. In a press statement, Council members said the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation, initialled by representatives of the Government and a coalition of armed groups, known as Platform, on 1 March was “a critical step to achieving lasting peace” in the conflict-ridden country and urged other armed groups to follow suit.…
9 April 2015 – The international community must continue to support dialogue between Malian stakeholders to achieve a political solution to the crisis, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council this morning, calling on all parties to the conflict to seize this historic opportunity to reach a settlement. “The crisis in Mali can only be resolved through an inclusive and viable political agreement that can be implemented,” Hervé Ladsous said at a briefing to the Council during which the Foreign Minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, also spoke. Mr. Ladsous said there is a historical opportunity currently present in…
8 April 2015 – The United Nations education agency today celebrated the opening of a new school at Dawodiyah Camp in Dohouk, Iraq, as part of its efforts to provide quality secondary education to children and adolescents in internally displaced persons communities. The opening of the new school represents another major milestone in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) work to improve access to quality education in Iraq following the opening of the Baharka Secondary School in March this year. “Regardless of the circumstances you are in, remember that education is your right, demand for it and take…
7 April 2015 – Around 4,500 people have recently sought shelter on the premises of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in Malakal, Upper Nile state, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General said during a press briefing at Headquarters today. The new arrivals bring the total number of civilians in that site close to 26,000, with a total of 115,000 sheltering in UN compounds elsewhere in the country. That takes the number of displaced people being sheltered in UN compounds to its highest level since the start of the conflict in December 2013. Despite that lugubrious statistic, new displacements of…