11 July 2014 – United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown today called for the world to show support for the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok, Nigeria, on 22 July, which will be the 100th day of their captivity. “We, of course, hope that the Chibok girls will be released before July 22,” Mr. Brown, who will start his new term as special envoy this month, according to a press rlease from his office. “However, by marking the 100th day of the abduction of the girls, kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists, and by pledging never to abandon them, we…
Author: UN News
11 July 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) appealed on Friday for $658 million to respond to South Sudan’s growing regional refugee crisis, with as many as 715,000 refugees expected by the end of the year. Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokesperson told the press in Geneva that the agency is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict and worsening humanitarian situation inside the world’s youngest nation, warning that it is fuelling a “refugee exodus” into Ethiopia, Kenya, sudan and Uganda at a much higher rate than initially anticipated. “The figure of more than 715,000 more than doubles the number of…
9 July 2014 – While noting the progress made in addressing political and security issues in West Africa, the members of the United Nations Security Council today voiced concern over challenges such as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. “They stressed that these challenges pose a threat to the peace, stability and progress of the sub-region and beyond and could be addressed through multilateral cooperation among the member States,” the 15-member body said in a statement issued to the press. Yesterday, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Office for West…
9 July 2014 – In what it termed a “brutal” attack, the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) today condemned the killing of dozens of displaced people at the site of Saint Joseph Cathedral and the Bishop’s residence in Bambari.As many as 6,000 people are believed to have been taking shelter at the church, according to media reports. On 7 July, rebels purportedly entered the site and killed at least 27 people, including women and children.The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) “condemns in the strongest possible terms all acts of…
9 July 2014 – Warning that Gaza is on a knife’s edge, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today the situation could spiral quickly beyond anyone’s control, and urged the international community to work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to avert further escalation “in a region that can ill-afford another full-blown war.” “I am alarmed by the new wave of violence that has engulfed Gaza, southern Israel and the West Bank – including Jerusalem. This is one of the most critical tests the region has faced in recent years,” said the Secretary-General, as he briefed the press at UN Headquarters on the…
9 July 2014 – At a special meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory ruling declaring illegal Israel’s construction of a separation wall in the West Bank, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today called for a halt to the current violence between Israelis and Palestinians, while also the need all Member States to comply with international law. In a statement to the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, delivered by Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Ban urged all sides to abide by their international…
7 July 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the “continued, unlawful” acts of armed fighters in Ukraine after reports that they are regrouping in eastern provinces, and urged Ukrainian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and protect civilians. According to media reports, armed groups have regrouped in Donetsk and Lugansk, from which more and more residents have fled and others are trapped in zones of heavy fighting. On 30 June, an extended ceasefire that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had put in place ended, resulting in Ukrainian forces to engage in what Mr. Ban termed “intensified military activity.” Mr. Ban’s…
9 July 2014 – It was a simple adjustment – drying fish on raised racks instead of the sand – but the United Nations food agency project in Burundi has cut fish waste by half, provided jobs for hundreds of families and sparked a surge in the prices for the small sardine-like ndagala. “I am able to look after my child because of the business I do trading fish,” Pelousi Ndayisaba, a former rebel fighter who turned to fish drying, told the UN food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). “It is the only activity that provides me with a living.” On…
9 July 2014 – The top United Nations envoy in Somalia has condemned last night’s attack on the seat of the Federal Government in Mogadishu, the latest in a series of attacks by Al-Shabaab militants against the country’s political institutions. “Political progress in this country is only possible through the unity of its political institutions, which is why they are being attacked by those determined to plunge Somalia back into turmoil,” said Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). “The United Nations will continue to assist the people and institutions of…
8 July 2014 – Search and rescue operations are ongoing for survivors following a recent boat accident in the Mediterranean, the latest tragic incident off the Libyan coast of Tripoli, according to the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR). Since this past Sunday when the accident occurred, 12 bodies have been found by the Libyan coast guard, which informed UNHCR on Monday that the dead included three Syrians – including the mother and her children aged three and six – three Eritrean nationals and six other Africans of as yet undetermined nationalities, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in…
8 July 2014 – Warning about the deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that the violence there was threatening humanitarian assistance and creating major difficulties for relief workers in the field. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs said the difficulties spawned by deteriorating security are only compounded by drought and lack of precipitation in parts of the country, notably in the northwest, causing yet another decline in agricultural production. In addition, a lack of fuel for airplanes is hampering operations in the Car. The United Nations…
8 July 2014 – On the occasion of the third anniversary of South Sudan’s independence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on the country’s leaders to live up to the expectations of their people, lay down their arms and return immediately to negotiations to end the ongoing crisis. In a statement issued today by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban recalled the hopes and expectations of the people of South sudan when their country was established on 9 July 2011, following a UN-supported referendum. Those hopes were dashed by the conflict that broke out in December 2013, according to the statement, which points…
8 July 2014 – While countries in West Africa are trying to promote development and consolidate democracy, they continue to face daunting challenges such as transnational organized crime and growing terrorist activities, the top United Nations official in the region told the Security Council today, while also warning of the increasing threat the Boko Haram crisis poses to Nigeria. Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, added that the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA), which he heads, has been trying to sensitize regional leaders to the need for “decisive concerted efforts” to fight these threats to regional…
8 July 2014 – One in four of all Syrian refugee families in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan are headed by women who, on their own, are struggling to make ends meet and take care of their increasingly traumatized families, the United Nations today reported, calling for more resources to aid these single mothers. “For hundreds of thousands of women, escaping their ruined homeland was only the first step in a journey of grinding hardship,” said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, whose office compiled the report, Woman Alone: The Fight for Survival by Syria’s Refugee Women. “It’s shameful,”…
7 July 2014 – Ahead of tomorrow’s elections, the United Nations envoy for Iraq has called on the country’s political leaders to reach an agreement on a Speaker for the Council of Representatives as soon as possible. According to a UN spokesperson in New York, over the last few days, Nickolay Mladenov, head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), has been in talks with a number of Iraqi political leaders and has encouraged everyone to stay within the framework of the constitutional political process. Mr. Mladenov said that the blocs in Parliament should limit the number of days…
4 July 2014 – Four years after the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti, it is time to move from a largely humanitarian approach to a development based drive, a United Nations human rights expert said today, while calling for durable solutions for the internally displaced and the vulnerable segments of the population of the island nation. “It is high time to focus on a development approach for the achievement of durable solutions for the displaced,” said the Chaloka Beyani, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of his first mission to Haiti.…
27 June 2014 – The United Nations today expressed concern about the continuing human rights violations reportedly taking place in Venezuela and reiterated its call on authorities to respect the rights of peaceful demonstration and assembly. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), national and international human rights organizations have recently published reports of violations, including purported attacks by security forces and armed groups on university premises and violent detentions of young people who are sometimes cut off from lawyers and families. “Given the seriousness of these latest reports, we urge the Venezuelan authorities…
25 June 2014 – Disconnecting water from people who cannot pay their bills is an affront to their human rights, a group of United Nations experts said today, amid reports of widespread water shut-offs in the United States city of Detroit for non-payment. “Disconnection of water services because of failure to pay due to lack of means constitutes a violation of the human right to water and other international human rights,” the experts stated in a news release. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been disconnecting water services from households which have not paid bills for two months, and…
5 July 2014 – Condemning this morning’s attempted attack on Somalia’s Parliament, the United Nations envoy to the country has called on all Somalis to unite with the authorities to thwart future attacks and “bring to justice those behind this murderous campaign” of terror that has intensified since the start of Ramadan. In a press statement, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Nicholas Kay, condemned the attack on the Somali Parliament and the many killings claimed by Al-Shabaab’s since the start of the holy month of Ramadan. According to news reports, a car bomb went off earlier today just outside the…
4 July 2014 – West African countries and international health authorities at a United Nations-backed emergency summit have adopted a strategy covering a range or priorities, including strengthening cross-border collaboration, to combat the world’s deadliest Ebola outbreak, which has killed hundreds of people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The two-day Emergency Ministerial meeting on Ebola Virus Disease, convened by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) in Accra, Ghana, wrapped up with Health Ministers pledging to strengthen surveillance to detect cases of the virus, and boost local community engagement, among other priorities to rein in the unprecedented outbreak, with reports…