5 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it will convene a meeting of its emergency committee starting tomorrow to determine whether the current Ebola viral disease outbreak in West Africa is a public health emergency of international concern. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarevic told a press briefing at the United Nations Office in Geneva today that the sole subject of the two-day meeting of experts would be the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. It was the first time the emergency committee would discuss Ebola. “The idea is that the WHO Director-General is seeking an…
Author: UN News
4 August 2014 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South sudan today strongly condemned the killing of a humanitarian worker, as peace talks to end fighting in the world’s newest country resumed in Addis Ababa. “UNMISS is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Bunj, Maban County, Upper Nile State,” the UN peacekeeping mission said in a statement, noting that it has no military or police presence in the city. In addition to its own staff, the UN is protecting more than 125,000 Sudanese refugees there “threatened since they depend on relief and services provided by aid workers.”…
5 August 2014 – The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) expressed “extreme concern” today over reports that some 40 children from northern Iraq’s Yazidi minority group died as a result of the violence being carried out in the Sinjar region by militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other armed groups. “According to official reports received by UNICEF, these children from the Yazidi minority died as a direct consequence of violence, displacement and dehydration over the past two days,” Marzio Babille, a representative from UNICEF said in a statement today. Sinjar, a district of…
5 August 2014 – More people in besieged and difficult-to-reach areas of Syria are getting food due to a Security Council resolution approved last month that allows delivery trucks to more easily cross borders and conflict lines, the United Nations emergency food agency today confirmed. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it has made “significant progress” over the previous few weeks, reaching 3.7 million people in July. More than 300,000 of those people are in hard-to-reach areas, said spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs, a figure that is “twice the number of people reached using cross-line convoys in June.” In Moadamiyeh, rural…
5 August 2014 – Following the announcement yesterday of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to commence talks in Cairo for a durable peace. Both Israelis and Palestinians must address underlying issues that continue to cause outbreaks of conflict, said Mr. Ban in a statement issued by a spokesperson at UN Headquarters. He welcomed the proactive engagement of the Palestinian delegation under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, saying “such talks are the only way to sustainably stop the violence, which has cost far too many lives, and to change…
4 August 2014 – The United Nations health agency today appealed for urgently needed contributions to combat the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa, saying hundreds of doctors, nurses, health staff and materials are needed in the region “as fast as possible.” World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Gregory Hartl said that this week is all about putting into practice the emergency response agreed upon by the head of the UN health agency and the presidents of the three affected West African countries – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – in a meeting that lasted more than five hours last Friday.…
4 August 2014 – The Libyan parliament convened for the first time today, a move welcomed by the United Nations mission assisting the country which said it hopes that the politicians can lead the north African nation away from continuing bloody battles in Tripoli and Benghazi. “This step reflects the genuine will of the Libyan people to see that the democratic process and its outcomes are respected,” the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement referring to the seating of the 200-member Council of Representatives. It added that the convening of the Council “also reflects the people’s…
1 August 2014 – United Nations humanitarian staff working in crisis-torn Central African Republic (CAR) reported today that despite peace talks, civilians continue to be caught in crossfire in ongoing fighting. According to a UN spokesperson in New York, 26 civilians were killed earlier this week when clashes between armed groups resulted in an attack on the village of Batangafo in Ouham Prefecture. “Our humanitarian colleagues tells us that despite recent peace talks in Brazzaville, clashes between armed groups have continued, exacting a heavy toll on civilians,” Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. Even more alarming,…
1 August 2014 – United Nations officials have welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Court of Uganda to annul the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, hailing it as a victory for the rule of law and social justice. The law, which drew condemnation from the UN when it was promulgated in February, called for a 14-year jail term for a first conviction, and imprisonment for life for ‘aggravated homosexuality’. Challenged by 10 petitioners, including civil society, parliamentarians and academics, the law was annulled by the Court over a lack of quorum when the bill was passed. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to…
4 August 2014 – Amid a seven-hour ceasefire announced by Israel in Gaza, the United Nations and aid partners are restocking supplies in schools and other buildings being used as temporary shelters for the nearly 270,000 displaced people throughout the Gaza Strip. According to its spokesperson, the UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is using the time to resupply food, water and other “essentials of life” in the 90 UN shelters in the area. Israel said that it would allow a seven-hour “humanitarian window” starting at 10am local time. “These people are deeply traumatized and living in fear because…
4 August 2014 – The top United Nations relief official in Lebanon today strongly condemned attacks on the Lebanese Armed Forces and the ongoing fighting in and around the city of Arsal, in the northeastern part of the country near its border with Syria. “Those attacks led to the deaths, injury and abduction of soldiers and members of the security forces, and caused civilian fatalities and injuries,” Ross Mountain, the Acting UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon, said through a UN spokesperson in New York. Mr. Mountain added that given the UN’s commitment to the stability and security of Lebanon, it…
17 July 2014 – Haiti, often cited as one of the least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere, has reached – or nearly reached – several of the Millennium Development Goals ahead of the 2015 deadline, according to a report launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) a month ago. Among other achievements, the country has seen a steady boost in enrollment rates in primary education from 47 per cent in 1993 to nearly 90 per cent, achieving equal participation of boys and girls in education. Haiti has also halved the number of underweight children under the age of…
16 July 2014 – Deeply concerned by the “urgent humanitarian situation” of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for Governments of countries where the children start, continue or finish their journeys, to protect their dignity and human rights. “Unaccompanied minors, including those under seven years of age, are making this dangerous journey, often relying on unscrupulous human smuggling networks that expose them to harm, exploitation and abuse,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the Conference on Unaccompanied Child Migrants, in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. The message was delivered by the United Nations Resident Coordinator,…
16 July 2014 – In a first-ever visit to the Dominican Republic, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today addressed the National Congress, saying “one country with dedication and solidarity can move the world,” helping to spur progress in across the three pillars of the UN – development, human rights and peace. “Our world is facing many trials – a warming planet, growing inequality, rising insecurity, terrible upheaval in the Middle East, the Central African Republic and beyond. At the same time, we face a pivotal moment to chart a future of more opportunity, more dignity and more hope for people…
30 July 2014 – As the United Nations “re-hats” some of the African troops currently serving in the Central African Republic to a peacekeeping mission that will take over in mid-September, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that the current African force commander will remain in charge under the UN flag. Major General Martin Chomu Tumenta has been appointed to head the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), according to a statement from a UN spokesperson. The Major General will take up his appointment when MINUSCA officially takes authority from the African-led International Support Mission in…
30 July 2014 – The United Nations envoy in Somalia welcomed today the agreement stating intent and principles for forming a new regional administration in the central part of the country. “This is another encouraging sign for Somalia’s progress to meet the goals set out in ‘Vision 2016’ and the Provisional Federal Constitution” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay. Under the leadership of the Federal Government, representatives from the region signed a document stating they would work together towards the establishment of a new administration in central Somalia. The ‘Vision 2016 National Conference’ was held in Mogadishu,…
28 July 2014 – The shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine may amount to a war crime, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today said today, releasing a new report that details a total breakdown of law and order and a reign of fear and terror inflicted by armed groups in the area. “I would like to stress to all those involved in the conflict, including foreign fighters, that every effort will be made to ensure that anyone committing serious violations of international law, including war crimes, will be brought to justice, no matter…
24 July 2014 – In the wake of recent tragedies, the United Nations refugee agency today called on European countries to take urgent action to stop the rising number of deaths among refugees and migrants attempting to reach the continent by sea. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 260 people have died or been reported missing in the past 10 days after attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe. The total number of deaths for this year amounts to more than 800 people, compared with 600 in 2013 and 500 in 2012. “The death…
15 July 2014 – Calling them “the backbone” of Haiti, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised national police recruits and the efforts under way to strengthen the rule of law in the country, as he continued his visit to the Caribbean nation. “As I am standing here before so many cadets and police officers, senior police officers, I feel as if I am seeing the brighter future of Haiti,” Mr. Ban said in remarks to the Police Academy and School in Port-au-Prince. More than 1,000 cadets have graduated, including 100 women, Mr. Ban said, adding that “they give us hope that…
30 July 2014 – While Kenyans have rights to safe water and sanitation on paper, it is now time to turn the law into reality for the millions who do not enjoy these fundamental rights, an independent United Nations human rights expert said at the end of her mission to the country. “Kenya is in a critical transitional moment for the provision of water and sanitation,” Catarina de Albuquerque, the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, said in a statement. “Kenya is often invoked as a model at the international level due to the…