8 December 2014 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura has met officials in Turkey as part of regional consultations related to bringing an end to the nearly four-year Syria crisis. In Istanbul, Mr. de Mistura met yesterday with a delegation of the Syria National Coalition, headed by Hadi Al-Bahra, the president of the Coalition. According to a UN spokesperson, the two exchanged views on his proposal to “freeze” the conflict in Aleppo and on ways to make that plan operational on the ground. The Special Envoy’s plan, first presented to the UN Security Council on…
Author: UN News
7 December 2014 – The top United Nations official in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has condemned Friday’s terrorist attacks in Baidoa that is feared to have killed at least fifteen people with many more wounded, and called for political unity following that country’s parliamentary vote of no confidence in its Prime Minister. According to his office, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) deplored the “appalling” terrorist attacks which resulted in numerous casualties, including several local politicians and journalists. “The use of such indiscriminate tactics against the Somali people demonstrates a shocking disregard for the most basic principles of humanity.…
4 December 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned last night’s terrorist attacks in Grozny, Russia, reiterating that there can be no justification for acts of terror. According to media reports, a gun battle between Islamic militants and Government forces overnight on Thursday left as many as 19 people dead. In a statement issued by the UN chief’s spokesperson, Mr. Ban sent his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of these “heinous acts.” The Secretary-General also expressed condolences to the Government and people of the Russian Federation. “He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,”…
5 December 2014 – Grand jury verdicts in the United States which resulted in the decisions to not bring to trial the cases of two unarmed African-American men killed by police forces have sparked “legitimate concerns” regarding policing practices across the country, a group of United Nations human rights experts said today. Michael Brown, an African-American teenager from Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, an African-American man from New York City, were both killed in separate incidents by white police officers after they had reportedly surrendered. Their deaths, and the grand jury decisions which followed them, have set off a wave…
5 December 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency voiced concern today over the sudden closure of a camp for internally displaced people, or IDPs, located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), exposing some 2,000 to potential lawlessness, banditry and sexual violence against women perpetrated by militia groups still operating in the area. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on 2 December, local authorities shuttered the Kiwanja IDP camp in the DRC’s North Kivu Province, ordering 2,300 residents to leave their makeshift shelters and return to their homes. The shelters were then…
5 December 2014 – The situation in the Central African Republic remained one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, the United Nations refugee agency warned today, with more than 187,000 refugees having fled to neighbouring countries over the last year, bringing the total number of refugees and internally displaced people over 850,000, about a fifth of the country’s entire population. The figure was half a million less than at the end of December 2013, after Bangui was captured by the anti-Balaka militia, an event that triggered fresh violence and displacement according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for…
4 December 2014 – Strongly condemning the spiralling violence in Libya, including a recent round of air raids in the western part of the country, the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL) today noted with deep concern the “disastrous impact” the attacks have on civilians and infrastructure, and warned that the violence is also endangering the political process. While the Mission has proposed to convene a new round of inclusive dialogue among Libyan stakeholders next week to seek ways to end the country’s political and security crisis and restore stability, UNSMIL noted in a statement today that the continuing escalation in…
4 December 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has condemned yesterday’s bomb attack at the residence of the Iranian Ambassador to Yemen which killed several people. In a press statement issued today, the 15-member body expressed its deep sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured by these “heinous acts.” The Council condemned in the strongest terms all acts of violence against diplomatic premises, which endanger innocent lives and “seriously impede the normal work of diplomatic representatives and officials.” “Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to…
3 December 2014 – Denouncing the persecution of minorities, attacks on cultural heritage and illicit trafficking in cultural properties in Iraq and Syria as “part of a strategy of deliberate cultural cleansing of exceptional violence,” the head of the United Nations cultural agency today urged the creation of “protected cultural zones” around heritage sites in the two crisis-riven countries. “It is not too late to take action,” Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said, adding “there can be no purely military solution to this crisis. To fight fanaticism, we also need to reinforce education,…
3 December 2014 – The United Nations Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, today took his message directly to the people of Liberia, applauding them for the progress made so far in combating the virus, but cautioning that “the most dangerous time is actually when it looks as though you are near a point where the disease is coming under control because people relax and stop being vigilant.” While congratulating the Government and people of Liberia for the progress made so far as reflected by “clear evidence” that new cases of Ebola were reducing, Dr. Nabarro said in an…