25 November 2014 – While humanitarians have made some progress in delivering much-needed supplies to the growing numbers of people in conflict-riven Syria, efforts by the United Nations and its partners are still falling short, a top UN relief official has said today, calling on the Security Council to push for an end to the violence that is destroying the country and destabilizing the region. “This is a conflict that is affecting every Syrian,” said Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a briefing to the Security Council this afternoon on the humanitarian…
Author: UN News
26 November 2014 – The newest outpost of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) became operational today, while a new head of its Guinea office was named and the World Health Organization reported that the number of cases had stabilized in Guinea, had stabilized or declined in Liberia but may still be on rise in Sierra Leone. The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors, meanwhile, approved a $70 million project for Côte d’Ivoire to promote the West African country’s pro-active measures to prevent the spread of Ebola. “So far, the Ivorian Ebola response plan has been…
26 November 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has condemned in the strongest terms the massacres perpetrated against civilians on 20 November near the city of Beni in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as the ongoing attacks targeting peacekeepers. “These attacks have increased to more than 200 the number of civilians killed since mid-October in this region,” said a statement released by the 15-member Council Tuesday evening. Members of the Council expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims and also condemned attacks against peacekeepers of the UN Organization Stabilization…
25 November 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern over an uptick in violence across Libya and urged all parties to recommit to the values of the revolution that inspired the North African country’s break towards democracy, according to a statement issued today by his spokesperson. The UN has reported a recent escalation in hostilities in Libya amid air strikes in Tripoli and the Nafusa Mountains in the west as well as in Benghazi and its environs in the country’s east. The outburst of fighting comes just days after a UN-mediated ceasefire brought temporary relief to…
25 November 2014 – Expressing “grave alarm about the further deteriorating political, security and humanitarian crisis” in South Sudan, the Security Council today extended the United Nations Mission the country (UNMISS) for an additional six months, maintaining the operation’s mandate to focus on civilian protection, facilitation of relief assistance, and human rights monitoring. In an adopted resolution, the Council decided to extend the Mission until 30 May 2015. In doing so, the Council authorized, as it had previously, UNMISS to use “all necessary means” to protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights, create the conditions for delivery of humanitarian assistance,…
24 November 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned Saturday’s attack in Mandera, Kenya for which Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility and which has caused the deaths of numerous innocent people. In a press statement, the Security Council extended its condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of the Republic of Kenya. According to media reports, militants claiming to belong to the Al-Shabaab extremist group hijacked the commuter bus travelling to Nairobi, the country’s capital, in the early morning hours of 22 November, executing at least 28 of the passengers. The…
24 November 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all appointed transitional leaders in Burkina Faso to work in a “collaborative and harmonious manner,” as the inaugural Cabinet meeting of the transitional Government was held today. Noting the appointment in Burkina Faso yesterday of the 26-member transitional Government, Mr. Ban also urged in a statement attributed to his spokesperson that all national stakeholders engage in dialogue to guide the country to elections next year. “The Secretary-General calls on all appointed transitional leaders to work in a collaborative and harmonious manner to ensure that the aspirations of the…
21 November 2014 – The next phase in reconstruction efforts for war-ravaged Gaza is slated to begin as early as next week following an updated “understanding” between Israeli and Palestinian stakeholders, the United Nations special envoy in the region has announced. In a statement released today, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, hailed what called a “further understanding” to the trilateral agreement between Israel, the Palestinian Government of National Consensus, and the UN, permitting some 25,000 home owners in Gaza to access building materials for the repair of their homes damaged in the recent…
22 November 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the brutal killing of 28 people on a bus in Mandera, Kenya in the latest spate of terrorist violence to afflict the East African nation. In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban conveyed his “profound condolences” to the families of the victims while pledging the UN’s “continuing support” to Kenya and the countries of the region “in their multidimensional efforts to address the scourge of terrorism.” According to media reports, militants claiming to belong to the Al-Shabaab extremist group hijacked the commuter bus travelling to Nairobi,…
21 November 2014 – Following her first official visit to Slovenia, the United Nations independent expert on the human rights of older persons hailed efforts by the country’s Government in ensuring the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, but urged authorities to focus on those being ostracized, as they are “the vulnerable of the vulnerable.” In a press release issued by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, UN Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons, noted that poverty among older persons in Slovenia is an area of concern, notably…