Author: UN News

4 July 2014 – sudan has forced dozens of Eritrean refugees and other asylum seekers to return to their home country, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today, warning that the recent deportations are “an act of repression” and could place the lives and liberty of those expelled at risk. Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokesperson told the press in Geneva today that the agency is deeply concerned over recent forced returns, or “refoulement”, of Eritrean and other asylum seekers and refugees from Sudan, including an incident in Eastern sudan on 30 June where 74 Eritreans were sent back to Eritrea…

4 July 2014 – Already working hard to get supplies to people in South sudan cut off by flooded roads, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that the rains, as well as the ongoing fighting, are pushing the country towards a “hunger catastrophe”. “Fighting has led to alarming food insecurity in areas isolated by conflict,” WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byers said today in Geneva, explaining that the agency is facing serious challenges in transporting food to “deep field” locations due to access and security concerns. This has hampered WFP’s annual pre-positioning exercise, in which it stocks up warehouses…

3 July 2014 – The United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) said today that the number of conflict-displaced persons sheltering at its bases is likely to remain high over the coming months in light of insecurity and the projected worsening of the food security situation. Derk Segaar, Head of the Mission’s Recovery, Reintegration and Peacebuilding Section, told a news conference in the capital, Juba, that there are currently about 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking protection in 10 UN bases around the country. The Mission took the unprecedented decision to open its gates to all unarmed civilians facing an…

3 July 2014 – The Security Council and the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) have condemned the killing today in Mogadishu of parliamentarian Mohamed Mohamud ‘Hayd’. Mr. Mohamud and a security officer were shot and killed as they travelled in a vehicle in Mogadishu this morning, according to UNSOM. A parliamentary official accompanying them was also injured and a second Member of Parliament escaped unharmed. “I am appalled to learn of the murder of Mohamed Mohamud ‘Hayd’ and condemn his brutal murder in the strongest terms,” Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of…

2 July 2014 – Urgent action is needed to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian crises in both Somalia and Yemen, senior United Nations relief officials warned today, as they urged donors to help them step up their response as well as to consolidate the recent gains made in both countries. In Somalia, the widespread food security crisis is set to deteriorate over the second half of the year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than one million people are internally displaced and 875,000 people need urgent life-saving food assistance. “Failure to act…

2 July 2014 – Urging health authorities in West African countries affected by the largest Ebola outbreak in history to “leave no stone unturned” in their efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus, a United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) official today underscored the critical need to engage community, religious and opinion leaders in the region to be at the forefront of the response. Speaking at the opening session of the two-day Emergency Ministerial meeting in Accra, Ghana, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, reiterated his call for urgent, cross-border, concrete actions to bring an…

2 July 2014 – Concerned by recent allegations against the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan’s Darfur region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a review of related investigations and reviews over the last two years to determine what, if any, corrective action needs to be taken. A statement from his spokesperson said Mr. Ban has instructed the UN Secretariat to review the reports of all investigations and inquiries related to the hybrid operations, known as UNAMID, undertaken since mid-2012 to ensure that the recommendations have been implemented and that any relevant issues have been fully addressed. The review…

1 July 2014 – The heads of two United Nations humanitarian agencies today issued an urgent appeal as food shortages hit nearly 800,000 refugees in Africa, threatening to worsen already unacceptable levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anaemia, particularly in children. World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin and UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres appealed during a meeting in Geneva for $186 million to allow WFP to restore full rations and another $39 million to enable UNHCR to provide nutrition support to malnourished and vulnerable refugees in Africa. “The number of crises around the world is far…

6 July 2014 – Unable for more than a month now to deliver food and other supplies to Palestinians trapped in a refugee camp near Damascus, the United Nations agency tasked with ensuring their well-being said today it is urgently seeking to resume its humanitarian activities, warning that the civilians would likely go hungry. “UNRWA’s distribution of food to civilian families in Yarmouk last took place on 23 May. The most recent…distribution of hygiene kits was on 7 June,” Chris Gunness, spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said in a…

4 July 2014 – United Nations relief agencies and their partners working amid the ongoing turmoil and massive population displacement in Iraq are scaling up their healthcare responses, with a major polio vaccination campaign in Baghdad, and efforts to help relieve the “immense burden” on the existing healthcare system in Kurdistan. Speaking to the press in Geneva today, Dan Epstein, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO), said the agency and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are cooperating on polio vaccination in Iraq. “Sub-regional vaccination campaigns in Baghdad and two other Governorates have just been completed, and according to…

3 July 2014 – Failure to close the funding gap to meet the needs of the growing number of people fleeing the conflict in Syria could mean grave risks for the refugees as well as for the stability of the region, according to the United Nations refugee agency. The warning comes as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) prepares to present an updated 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan tomorrow in Geneva, calling on donors to fund a $3.74 billion programme across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The Plan aims to save lives, prevent harm, protect the vulnerable and…

2 July 2014 – Amid reports of deliberate targeting of women and girls in Iraq, senior United Nations officials today voiced deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian and security situations in the country, where more than 1.2 million people have fled their homes in fear for their lives. “As the security situation continues to worsen, I am extremely worried about the families urgently in need of water, food, shelter, healthcare, sanitation and protection from violence,” said Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. That includes targeting of women and children, who have reportedly been kidnapped, raped…

2 July 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process have both condemned the murder of a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem, and called on both Israelis and Palestinians to refrain from exacerbating an already tense situation. Mohammed Abu Khdair, 17, was reportedly seen being forced into a car early on Wednesday. Media reports say his partly burnt body was found in a forest on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The killing comes in the wake of the recent murder of three Israeli teenagers, which had been widely condemned by the UN. Mr.…

4 July 2014 – Amid fresh deadly clashes in eastern Ukraine, destruction of civilian infrastructure and “utterly reprehensible” incitement to violence targeting women and underage girls, the United Nations human rights chief today urged all sides to engage in dialogue and “turn away from the destructive path” towards which they are leading the crisis-torn region. Following the end of the ceasefire on 30 June, the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has reported numerous cases of death of people in the country’s eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk who are caught in the middle of the ongoing security operations,…

1 July 2014 – The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, condemned today the killing of Russian television journalist Anatoli Klian, who was shot to death last night in crisis-torn eastern Ukraine. According to a press release from the agency, Mr. Klian was employed by the Russian television network Perviy Kanal. He was shot dead on the night of 30 June while he was filming with his crew near a Ukrainian military base in the Donetsk region. “I call on the authorities to do everything possible to find the perpetrators of this crime…

28 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the extension of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine and, with continued deep concern about the situation there, urged all sides to honour their commitments and work within a political process. In a late night statement yesterday from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he “remains deeply concerned over the situation in eastern Ukraine but he welcomes recent measures toward de-escalation of hostilities”, including consultations among all sides and the three-day extension of the reciprocal cease-fire. Mr. Ban said that he expects all sides “to strictly adhere to their commitments” and urged concerned…

27 June 2014 – Some 16,400 people fled their homes in crisis-riven eastern Ukraine during the past week, bringing the number of displaced within the country to 54,000, according the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “Many cite a deteriorating situation and fear of abduction for the sharp rise in displacement,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming, adding “Increases were also being seen in the numbers of Ukrainians in russia and other countries, although so far only a small number had applied for refugee status.” Since the start of 2014, approximately 110,000 Ukrainians had arrived in russia – with only 9,600 requesting…

27 June 2014 – Two of the World Heritage mausoleums destroyed in Timbuktu have now been rebuilt through a partnership with local communities, the United Nations cultural agency said, adding that it will need an additional $8 million to finish the rehabilitation of the site and of libraries that could again store hundreds of thousands of Malian manuscripts.“We are looking for $11 million,” UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative to Mali, Lazare Eloudou Assomo, said in New York. The UN agency has been able to gather around $3 million through bilateral cooperation and other funding, he said, but…

27 June 2014 – The United Nations health agency and partners are working with the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to control an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, an official today said, announcing an international meeting next week to agree on a coordinated regional response. “The situation is not out of hand,” Pierre Formenty told journalists in Geneva on behalf of the UN World Health Organization (WHO). “WHO has been supporting the three affected countries and their Ministries of Health staff, and are working with them on a daily basis to try to contain the outbreak.” Those…

29 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his grave concern at the deepening crisis in Iraq and the rising number of civilian deaths and injuries, with over one million Iraqis having fled their homes due to the fighting. Mr. Ban “is deeply troubled by persistent reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law taking place in Iraq,” a United Nations spokesperson said in a statement. These include summary execution of captured soldiers and detainees, indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, and the abduction and murder of members of ethnic and religious communities. In a recently released report,…