17 November 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is deeply troubled about persistent allegations of mass rape in Tabit, North Darfur, and urged Government officials to grant unfettered access to the town so that investigators can verify these reports. In a statement released by his spokesperson in New York, the UN Chief expressed concern that even after intense consultations with the Government in Sudan and with local authorities in Darfur, authorities investigating the reports were yesterday denied access to the town of Tabit. Earlier this month, allegations of the mass rape of 200 women and…
Author: UN News
14 November 2014 – As the United Nations moves to broker a freeze of the ongoing Syrian conflict, the world body’s humanitarian agencies are continuing with their deliveries of critical assistance to civilians in the Middle Eastern country’s besieged areas in anticipation of an expectedly harsh winter. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson, Elizabeth Byrs, confirmed that earlier this week, a 23-truck convoy had entered the war-ravaged neighbourhood of Al Wa’er in Homs, delivering 12,000 WFP food rations and other humanitarian supplies for some 60,000 civilians. The convoy managed to break through the frontlines on 11…
16 November 2014 – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has expressed concern over yesterday’s outbreak of violence during preparations for the parliamentary elections in Somaliland. There have been reports that some members of parliament may have been detained and that the violence has led to a number of casualties, Mr. Kay said in a statement issued to the press. Mr. Kay, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), called on all parties to exercise restraint and fully respect the democratic process. Somaliland has been making positive strides…
12 November 2014 – Prevailing hostilities in Ukraine in recent days are putting the ceasefire agreed to in September under “continuous and serious strain,” a senior United Nations political official told the Security Council today, warning against the possibility of a return to full-scale fighting despite prospects of hope offered by recent parliamentary elections. “The promise of renewal, and of renewed, energy towards solving Ukraine’s problems embodied in the recent parliamentary elections, threatens to be overshadowed by the worsening security situation in the east of the country,” said Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, Assistant Secretary-General ad interim for UN Political Affairs, in…
14 November 2014 – The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) today cautioned against jumping to conclusions regarding the “complex and ongoing” investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico, amid reports that a number badly burned bodies have been recovered from sites in Guerrero state. During the bi-weekly press briefing on human rights and humanitarian issues at the UN Office in Geneva earlier today, OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville, took questions from a journalist about reports that DNA identification of the badly burned bodies of 43 missing students in Mexico would not be possible due to the extent of…
14 November 2014 – mali is at a critical humanitarian crossroads and failure to act immediately in response to the country’s urgent needs may ultimately jeopardize its path towards peace and stability, three senior United Nations relief officials warned today following a three-day visit to the country. “The situation in mali remains highly fragile,” said John Ging, Operations Director for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a press release issued after a briefing for reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. “Although humanitarian assistance cannot provide the solution to this crisis, which goes back more…
14 November 2014 – Starting tomorrow, about half a million refugees, mainly from Somalia and South Sudan, living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in remote areas in northern Kenya will receive reduced rations from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as a result of insufficient funding. The 50 per cent ration cut comes as WFP struggles to raise $38 million to cover its refugee operations for the next six months. This includes $15.5 million that is urgently required to address food needs through January 2015. “Cutting rations is the last resort and we’re doing it to eke out…
13 November 2014 – The illegal killing of elephants for their ivory is now at “critically high levels” in Africa with increased involvement by organized crime groups, leading to their possible extinction in parts of the continent, the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said today. “Wildlife crime is a serious and growing problem worldwide,” said the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) ‘ in releasing Guidelines on methods and procedures for ivory sampling and laboratory analysis in support of the deployment of forensic technology to combat elephant poaching. Led by UNODC, as a member of the consortium,…
13 November 2014 – Palestinian students attending United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools for refugees in the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan are achieving higher-than-average results in international assessments despite their challenging circumstances, a new World Bank report said today. The report, Learning in the Face of Adversity: The UNRWA Education Program for Palestine Refugees, highlights how a resilience approach that includes effective classroom practices of teachers, strong school leadership, assessments and shared accountability for learning can support adaptability and performance in high-risk contexts. “UNRWA schools have created a distinguished learning community centred on the student,” said Harry…
11 November 2014 – Amid an outburst of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all parties to do everything they can to reduce the simmering hostilities and continue, through dialogue, on the path to peace. In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern about the upsurge in violence and killings over the past few days in Israel and the West Bank. “Violence only deepens distrust, while making more distant the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr. Ban said. According to media reports, tensions between Israelis…
12 November 2014 – The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, today made a passionate appeal to combat stigmatization surrounding the disease by calling for a global social media campaign to “express solidarity and to show we are anti-discrimination.” “It is really important that we all understand the roots of the stigma and work to address it,” Dr. Nabarro said, briefing to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at UN Headquarters. “We are all in this together.” “I think all of us have a role to try to reduce the stigmatization,” he said. The Special Envoy said that even UN people…
12 November 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today reaffirmed its condemnation of all acts of piracy and robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, reiterating its calls for the international community to intensify their efforts in fighting what it said was a threat to the East African country’s stability. Adopting a new resolution, the Council stressed the need for UN Member States to engage in a “comprehensive response to repress piracy” and tackle its underlying causes, while also calling on the global community to “take part in the fight against piracy and armed robbery” by providing a…
11 November 2014 – Thousands of Nigerians are escaping the deadly threat posed by the terrorist group Boko Haram and fleeing into neighbouring Cameroon, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned. In a press release, UNHCR cited Cameroonian authorities’ claims that some 13,000 Nigerian refugees had now crossed over from the Nigerian border state of Adamawa after Boko Haram insurgents attacked and captured the town of Mubi in late October. The refugees fled to the towns of Guider and Gashiga in the North region of Cameroon and to Bourha, Mogode and Boukoula in the Far North, the agency added.…
10 November 2014 – The top United Nations official in Libya has strongly condemned the “cowardly” attack that occurred yesterday close to where he was meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, in the eastern city of Shahat to discuss how to put the political transition back on track. “I am not in a position to pass judgment on the apparent motive or the target behind the attack, but I can assure everyone that [it will in no way] have any impact on our work,” Mr. Bernardino Léon, who heads the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said today…
10 November 2014 – After being granted access yesterday to investigate allegations of the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in North Darfur, Sudan, the African Union-United Nations hybrid mission has said that its team found no evidence confirming the claims and received no information regarding the purported acts. In a press statement today, the African Union–UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), said that, after receiving access, its verification team – which included representatives from police, military and civilian components – spent several hours yesterday touring Tabit village and interviewed a range of the residents, to…
9 November 2014 – The world is on the “right track” to defeating Ebola as the infection rate of the deadly virus shows some signs of slowing in West Africa’s most affected areas, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today as he urged the international community to remain constant in fighting the disease until it is completely extinguished. “The rate of new Ebola cases shows encouraging signs of slowing in some of the hardest-hit parts of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone — and that’s good news. The full-scale international strategy to attack Ebola through safe burials, treatment facilities and community…
4 November 2014 – As civil conflicts, terrorism, illegal drug trafficking, a rise in divisive politics, and health crises such as Ebola continued to transcend borders and threaten millions of people worldwide, United Nations partnerships with regional organizations were ever more vital to deal with and adapt to such challenges, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he addressed the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria. Speaking on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Secretary-General stressed that he has continued to deepen ties between…
3 November 2014 – As part of a visit to mark the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Vienna International Centre today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among those treated to a performance by Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst, calling her win earlier this year an “electrifying moment of human rights education.” “She confounds people’s preconceived ideas of gender and sexuality – and she appeals to them to accept her as she is,” Mr. Ban said of the drag performer, who won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in May, marking the country’s first win since 1966. “That is a powerful message,” he noted,…
30 October 2014 – The United Nations human rights expert on migrants today urged British authorities to reconsider a decision not to support search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, saying allowing people to die at Europe’s borders just because of their administrative status “is appalling.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, said in a press release issued in Geneva today that “governments that do not support the search and rescue efforts have reduced themselves to the same level as the smugglers.” “They are preying on the precariousness of the migrants and asylum…
29 October 2014 – Europe’s labour market is facing a “substantial” mismatch between supply and demand as a sizeable percentage of continental workers are currently over- or under- qualified for their jobs, a new United Nations study has found. The study, conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and released today, covers 24 European countries and shows that between 25 and 45 per cent of workers in Europe fail to meet the exact competences as required by their jobs. In particular, the ILO notes that in nine European countries – including Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the…