14 September 2014 – Sustained funding and support will be vital if the United Nations and its partners are to continue assisting the millions of Iraqis affected by the ongoing crisis in the country, particularly as winter approaches, the world body’s top humanitarian official said on Sunday. Addressing reporters in Baghdad, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos highlighted the very serious humanitarian crisis resulting from the surge in violence between armed groups and Government forces which has left 1.8 million people internally displaced and hundreds of thousands in need of assistance. “Some families have been displaced multiple times and have…
Author: UN News
14 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday strongly condemned an attack on a military vehicle of the United Nations mission in mali that resulted in the death of a Chadian peacekeeper and left four other troops wounded. The attack on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA) took place today in the vicinity of Aguelhok, in Kidal region. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns this attack, which follows another attack in the Kidal region on 2 September that killed four peacekeepers and wounded 14 others,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. “These attacks will not alter…
12 September 2014 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is rolling out its first operation in Ukraine, providing food assistance to vulnerable people affected by the conflict with distributions in transit centres and public shelters in Donetsk and Luhansk in the country’s east. Since the beginning of September, WFP in cooperation with local partners has distributed food boxes containing ready-to-eat canned food such as meat, fish, vegetables as well as biscuits, jam and tea. So far, 10,000 daily rations, enough to feed 2,000 people for five days, have been distributed, the agency said in a news release. “The…
8 September 2014 – The number of people killed in Ukraine has topped 3,000 and could be “significantly higher,” a senior United Nations human rights official said today, as he urgently appealed for a sustainable peace to spare the country “a winter of horrors.” “The trend is clear and alarming,” said Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, to a special session of the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held in Vienna, Austria. Also speaking at the meeting was Jeffrey Feltman, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, who said: “We need to be demanding…
5 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the news of a ceasefire in Ukraine and called for its full implementation, adding his hope that the cessation of hostilities will further allow the United Nations and partners to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to those affected by fighting. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban also welcomed the role recent discussions between the Presidents of Ukraine and russia have played in today’s breakthrough and strongly encouraged those contacts to continue. “The Secretary-General stresses that credible and comprehensive monitoring and verification are essential elements for successful implementation of the…
4 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of reaching a lasting settlement in Cyprus as the new United Nations envoy on this issue prepares to meet with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities tomorrow. During a meeting with his Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, Mr. Ban underscored the UN’s commitment to facilitating the achievement of a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, according to a note issued to the media. The Secretary-General noted that Mr. Eide was assuming his functions at a “promising moment” in the Cyprus peace process, with fresh momentum…
2 September 2014 – The number of displaced people in eastern Ukraine has risen dramatically in recent weeks due to the ongoing fighting in the country, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today, warning of corresponding increases in the need for humanitarian aid for civilians in the region. The agency estimates that the number of displaced people inside Ukraine has more than doubled during the past three weeks, and as of 1 September, that number stands at approximately 260,000, according to spokesperson Adrian Edwards, who addressed reporters in Geneva today. At the same time, he stressed that those numbers…
12 September 2014 – A Colombian women’s rights group, whose members put their lives on the line to assist survivors of forced displacement and sexual abuse, is this year’s winner of a prestigious award presented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The volunteers of the group, Red Mariposas de Alas Nuevas Construyendo Futuro (known in English as “Butterflies” for short), are being recognized with the Nansen Refugee Award for their work in helping more than 1,000 women and their families in Buenaventura, Colombia’s main seaport. “These women are doing extraordinary work in the most challenging of contexts,”…
12 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Mohammed Ibn Chambas as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA). Mr. Chambas, a national of Ghana, will succeed Said Djinnit of Algeria who was recently tasked by the Secretary-General to serve as his special envoy for the Great Lakes region. According to the announcement of his appointment, Mr. Chambas brings to the position extensive experience after a long and distinguished career in both international and governmental forums. Most recently he served as the African Union-UN Joint Special Representative for Darfur and Head of…
11 September 2014 – The United Nations will continue to stand by Liberia and its neighbours currently battling an “unprecedented” Ebola outbreak, the Organization’s peacekeeping chief pledged today in Monrovia, spotlighting his mission to assess how the UN can further support the country. “I think we owe it to this country and its neighbours…who are equally affected. We are fully committed,” to supporting Liberia, now and in the long run, Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, told reporters in the Liberian capital today. Mr. Ladsous is in Liberia to assess how the UN mission there, known by the acronym…
11 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today the release of the 45 United Nations peacekeepers that had been forcibly taken on 28 August 2014 in the Golan and detained by armed elements. The world body had earlier announced today that the 45 Fijian peacekeepers were released and are in good condition. The peacekeepers, who serve with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), were detained two weeks ago by armed elements of the opposition in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah amid increased fighting in the area between Syrian Government forces and armed groups. The UN said in a note…
10 September 2014 – The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today called for urgent international action and mobilization to support Iraq’s children and young people to get back to school. “The future of thousands of Iraqi children and adolescents – be they internally displaced or from host communities – is at stake, as they may be deprived of their right to education. It is time to stand up and act now: education cannot wait” said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova in a statement to the press. While schools in Iraq are due to reopen this…
10 September 2014 – The violence in Libya must stop, the United Nations envoy to that country today reiterated, calling for “meaningful, effective” dialogue to end what is among the worst fighting the country has seen since leader Muammar al-Qadhafi was ousted in 2011. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, held a series of discussions today in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with influential and political actors, according to the UN Support Mission (UNSMIL) which he heads. “The use of force to achieve political objectives is rejected,” he said on his first trip to the country since taking up the UN…
3 September 2014 – The head of the UN agency mandated to defend press freedom today expressed shock at the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff and called for the immediate release of all civilian hostages held by militant groups in Syria. “I condemn deeply the execution of Steven Sotloff,” said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova in a statement to the press in which she also expressed her heartfelt condolences to Mr. Sotloff’s family and friends. Mr. Sotloff, 31, was a freelance journalist who worked for a number of leading United States publications including Time magazine and World Affairs. He was…
2 September 2014 – Taking up her post today as head of the United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Løj acknowledged that while it was a “huge and difficult” challenge, the job was impossible to turn down because the country’s people had fought hard for their independence. “I strongly believe that your sons and daughters should be able to focus on realizing their potential and not worry about whether they will be killed tomorrow or whether they will go hungry to bed,” said Ms. Løj, who is also the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South sudan. Ms. Løj,…
1 September 2014 – United Nations officials today urged an immediate end to the acts of violence and abuses committed against civilians in Iraq, particularly against children and people from various ethnic and religious communities, as the Human Rights Council met to discuss the ongoing crisis. “The reports we have received reveal acts of inhumanity on an unimaginable scale,” Flavia Pansieri, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her opening remarks to the UN Human Rights Council’s special session on Iraq. During the session, the Council adopted a resolution requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human…
1 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday again called for the release of 44 Fijian peacekeepers seized in the Golan. The peacekeepers are serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), monitoring a ceasefire established in 1974 between Israel and Syria. “I again demand the immediate and unconditional release of these brave blue helmets who deployed to the region to bring stability for the sake of the people,” Mr. Ban told journalists in Apia, Samoa, where he is attending the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States. In a phone call yesterday, Mr. Ban spoke to Fijian…
31 August 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Sunday about the reported military takeover in the southern African nation of Lesotho, and called on all parties to resolve their differences peacefully. “He calls for respect for the constitutional order and democratic rule,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson. “He urges all parties to refrain from violence and work together towards a peaceful and lasting resolution of their differences.” The small, landlocked nation is surrounded on all sides by South Africa, which is where Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has reportedly fled after alleging that the army…
29 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six countries at risk for spread of the Ebola virus disease, adding that it is working with them to ensure that full surveillance, preparedness and response plans are in place. “The following countries share land borders or major transportation connections with the affected countries and are therefore at risk for spread of the Ebola outbreak: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal,” the agency said in the first in a series of regular updates on the Ebola response roadmap that was issued yesterday. “WHO and…
28 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a roadmap that aims to stop Ebola transmissions within six to nine months, but acknowledges the actual number of cases may be much higher than that currently reported and the total caseload could exceed 20,000 over the course of the emergency. Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration, told a news conference in Geneva: “What we are seeing today in contrast to previous Ebola outbreaks [are] multiple hotspots within these countries, not a single remote forested area, the kind of environments in…