16 December 2014 – Response workers battling the Ebola outbreak in West Africa will receive “hazard pay” for the first time in Sierra Leone using mobile money because “unless there is a certain element of incentives, or danger pay, it’s very difficult to attract and retain people,” the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced today. “One of the most difficult things about tackling the Ebola crisis is in the area of human resources,” said Sudipto Mukerjee, UNDP’s Country Director for Sierra Leone. “You can construct a treatment centre in a couple of months. You can construct a community care centre…
Author: UN News
15 December 2014 – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today condemned the sharp escalation in violence in the country and called on both sides to cease military operations immediately and give political dialogue a chance. “We consider the military escalation as a direct attempt to undermine the political dialogue efforts,” UNSMIL said in a statement on the escalation. “Those behind it clearly aim to scuttle the work to reach a political solution.” Calling on all political actors to “shoulder their responsibilities with courage and determination”, the statement stressed that that the country’s transition is at a critical…
15 December 2014 – With soaring numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Lebanon, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today pledged to “help as much as possible” to ensure that the tragic conflict in Syria will not spread into Lebanese society. Meeting with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri in Beirut, Mr. Eliasson said that his visit to the Middle Eastern nation comes at a “very crucial” time. “I was here two years ago and the numbers of refugees were less than 150,000 and now we have almost ten times that number and we understand fully the strains…
15 December 2014 – A team of United Nations, African Union and other Special Envoys on the Great Lakes region have noted with concern that overall implementation of the Nairobi Declarations remains slow. While welcoming steps taken so far, including on the amnesty and efforts to facilitate repatriation of ex-M23 combatants, the team used the one year anniversary of the Declarations to call on the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and Rwanda to strengthen collaboration to speed up repatriation of ex-M23 combatants and their dependants, calling also on leaders of the ex-M23 to cooperate fully.…
12 December 2014 – Reports of excessive use of force by Israeli security forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have risen sharply, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as he urged Israel to take steps to halt this “continuous stream of fatal incidents” and to launch a quick and “utterly transparent” investigation into the matter. This call comes days after the death of Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein following clashes with Israeli troops on 10 December during a protest against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. “The incidents that preceded the Minister’s death are disturbing and…
14 December 2014 – One year since conflict broke out in South sudan and the country’s warring factions have yet to reach a comprehensive peace agreement, endangering the lives of millions of people and the future of the world’s youngest nation, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned. “The killing must stop now. The very premise of the country’s independence struggle – a new beginning that was supposed to be founded on tolerance, good governance, accountability and unity – is disappearing before our eyes,” Mr. Ban said in a statement released through his spokesperson’s office. “I am dismayed and saddened…
10 December 2014 – Malta, a key entry point into Europe, needs to step up its preparation for migrants and asylum-seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea and arriving at its external borders, United Nations human rights expert François Crépeau warned today. He also urged European countries to support Malta’s efforts and “shoulder their share of responsibilities.” This call comes on today’s International Human Rights Day, an occasion to “remember that human rights do not only belong to Europeans,” Mr. Crépeau added. “Malta is likely to see an increase in the number of arrivals in 2015 with the phasing out of the…
8 December 2014 – The Government of Sweden must do more to end discrimination against people of African descent and increase integration as part of a wider effort in combatting racism and hate speech, a group of United Nations human rights experts urged today following their visit to the European nation. The appeal, launched by the Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent, comes amid a heightened prevalence of xenophobic and racist attitudes against migrants and refugee communities despite the Government’s best efforts to counter racial hate. “Afro-Swedes and Africans with whom we met expressed their experiences of…
5 December 2014 – The fighting in eastern Ukraine this year has internally displaced over half a million people leaving them vulnerable to the harsh winter months ahead, the United Nations Refugee (UNHCR) warned today as aid workers race against the clock to distribute essential cold-weather supplies. In a Geneva briefing today, UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said that the fighting has also forced over two hundred thousand Ukrainians to flee to russia and other neighbouring countries. Applications for asylum by Ukrainian citizens have also risen in the European Union (EU) this year, Spindler told journalists. As of the end of…
5 December 2014 – The rise of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea in the last few months has resulted in a global crisis that calls for a global humanitarian response, a United Nations human rights expert urged today. “This requires a new and concerted strategic approach by European States and the international community,” said François Crépeau, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, at the end of his follow-up official visit to Italy. According to the statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Mr. Crépeau was in the…