22 June 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed a peace plan put forward by Ukraine’s President, Petro Poroshenko, and said he hopes it will reduce violence and tensions in the eastern part of the country. According to media reports, the peace plan involves proposals for decentralising power, holding early elections, and creating a buffer zone on the Ukrainian-Russian border. In his phone call with Mr. Poroshenko on Saturday, the Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s commitment to help resolve the crisis in eastern Ukraine. He also discussed the humanitarian situation in the country, while reaffirming the world body’s commitment…
Author: UN News
19 June 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today denounced the killing earlier this week of two journalists covering the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Television journalist Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin, working for the Russian public broadcaster VGTRK, were reporting on fighting near the city of Lugansk when they were hit by mortar fire. The Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, urged all parties to respect the civilian status of journalists. “The work of journalists, especially in situations of tension, is essential to nourish…
24 June 2014 – With women and girls in Central African Republic (CAR) falling prey to a raft of “terrifying” violations ¬perpetrated by armed groups – from rape to sexual slavery and forced marriage ¬– the head of UN Women today urged the Security Council to take strong action to help restore the rule of law in the country and bolster women’s participation, leadership and protection. Briefing on her recent mission to CAR, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, told the Council that she and Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the African Union on Women, Peace and Security, had…
24 June 2014 – Hailing the valuable history between the United Nations and the Namibian people, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in Windhoek to “write another chapter in our cooperation,” as he inaugurate the UN House there, which will help enhance the coordination of the world body’s activities and agencies working in the country. “This donation of the UN House is a stellar example of Namibia’s role in supporting the United Nations,” said Mr. Ban at the ceremony commissioning the facility, adding that: “We can all take pride in the accomplishments you have achieved in only 24 short years since…
24 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the top United Nations envoy in Somalia have welcomed the agreement reached to establish a new interim regional administration in the south-western part of the country. The new Interim South West Administration will comprise the regions of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle, according to the agreement signed yesterday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. “The Secretary-General commends all parties involved for their diligent negotiation of this important agreement, and looks forward to its prompt implementation,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. “He recalls that the formation of inclusive regional administrations is a…
24 June 2014 – The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon has strongly condemned the suicide bombing that took place yesterday at the entrance to the southern suburbs of Beirut in which a member of the security forces was killed and a number of people were injured. The attack, which occurred close to a Lebanese army checkpoint at the Tayyouneh roundabout, comes on the heels of last Friday’s suicide bombing at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint in Dahr El-Baidar. “The Special Coordinator underlined the need for continued unity in Lebanon in the face of the terrorist threat,” said a statement…
24 June 2014 – More than 1,000 people were killed in Iraq, and another 1,000 injured in the two weeks since the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) and its allies began to sweep across the country, the United Nations today confirmed, stressing that those figures should be viewed “very much as a minimum.” According to the human rights team at the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), at least 757 civilians were killed and 599 injured in Nineveh and Salah al-Din provinces, north of Baghdad, and Diyala, in the east, between 5 and…
23 June 2014 – Following a reported ceasefire in the besieged Yarmouk camp in Syria, the United Nations agency that administers aid to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East said it is ready to resume and expand its humanitarian activities as soon as it has access to the site. It has been more than two weeks since the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was able to distribute any aid to the estimated 18,000 civilians trapped “in desperate conditions” in the camp. Spokesman Chris Gunness today confirmed that the agency has received “credible…
23 June 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Libya to ensure the free and fair holding of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 June, stressing that the polls are an important step in the country’s democratic transition. In a statement issued to the press, the members of the Council emphasized that the elections are also an opportunity for the Libyan people to select a transitional government that meets their legitimate aspirations. “They called on all parties in Libya to ensure that elections take place peacefully across the whole country and that all Libyans…
23 June 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed deep concern over a string of recent court decisions in Egypt, including the verdicts and heavy jail sentences handed down today to three Al Jazeera journalists, as well as 11 other defendants who were tried in absentia. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by recent court decisions in Egypt, particularly the confirmation of death sentences for 183 people and the sentencing of journalists, including from Al Jazeera today, to lengthy jail terms,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York. “Proceedings…
21 June 2014 – The top United Nations envoy in Somalia condemned the killing on Saturday of radio journalist Yusuf Keynan in the capital, Mogadishu, and urged that the perpetrators of the crime be brought to justice. Mr. Keynan, who was working for Radio Mustaqbal and Radio Ergo at the time of his death, was killed when an explosive device attached to his vehicle detonated in the city’s Hamarweyne District. “I condemn the killing of another young, talented Somali journalist, and call on the Federal Government of Somalia to act swiftly to investigate this murder and bring the perpetrators to…
23 June 2014 – Amid a “critical” security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief today called on Israelis and Palestinians to exercise maximum restraint and find a way to return to negotiations. “With peace negotiations suspended since the end of April and despite restraint initially displayed by both sides, the situation on the ground has turned highly volatile with several disturbing developments,” Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the Security Council as he briefed the 15-member body on the latest developments. He reported that intensive search operations in the West Bank for the three Israeli students…
23 June 2014 – The Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations (OPCW-UN) announced today that the removal of Syria’s chemical weapons material is now complete. The removal of the most critical material for destruction began in early January, in line with an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States, by which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention. The focus in recent weeks had been on the removal of the remaining 7.2 per cent of the declared chemical weapons material which had been difficult owing…
14 June 2014 – Addressing the bloc of developing countries known as the Group of 77 (G77) and China, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is today expected to urge world leaders to work together to reduce poverty and inequality, while balancing the needs of the environment and addressing climate change. Mr. Ban arrived yesterday in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz for the G77 Summit which over two days will gather heads of state and government representatives from more than 130 member countries under the theme, “New World Order for Living Well”. “We need a strong partnership between the G77 and China…
12 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in São Paulo, Brazil, today to attend the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as United Nations agencies carry out a number of projects and activities related to one of the greatest sporting events on the planet. “I’m very excited to be here,” Mr. Ban said. “Like billions of people around the world, I have loved football since I was a very young boy. This shared passion is a great demonstration of how sport can unite people around shared values: teamwork, fair play and mutual respect.” The Secretary-General is confident…
10 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the announced start of peace talks between the Government of Colombia and representatives of the National Liberation Army (ELN), and encouraged all parties to remain committed to the pursuit of peace in the country. The Secretary-General hopes that this new development “will contribute to ending the hemisphere’s longest armed conflict and to building sustainable peace for the Colombian people,” his spokesperson said. Today’s announcement follows a peace agreement between Bogota and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Some 600,000 people have died since the conflict between the country’s authorities and…
4 June 2014 – Thousands of people are forcibly displaced and hundreds killed every month in Colombia, a senior United Nations humanitarian official today said, calling for more support for people affected by five decades of armed conflict and natural disasters in the country. “It is vital for the people living with this situation that every opportunity is taken to protect and assist them and to promote peace,” said Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang in Bogota, wrapping up her four-day mission to Colombia. She noted that since peace discussions began in November 2012…
19 June 2014 – A senior United Nations relief official today highlighted the need for “courageous leadership” by the authorities in mali to tackle the country’s political issues, warning that the already grave humanitarian situation is likely to deteriorate unless peace and stability are restored. The situation in mali “is most certainly not hopeless, but at the moment it’s quite bleak,” John Ging, Director of Operations in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said as he briefed reporters following a three-day visit to the country last week. Despite initial improvements in 2013, the situation in northern Mali…
19 June 2014 – The countries of Africa’s Sahel region – struggling to cope with terrorism, weak governance and recurrent droughts ¬– need assistance to lay the foundations for stability and sustainable development, a United Nations special envoy told the Security Council today, urging greater cooperation between the region’s Governments, neighbours and international partners. “The deterioration of the political and security situation in the region and beyond constitutes a serious risk of new connections between terrorist groups based in Sahara-Sahel, Nigeria and [East Africa],” said Guebre Sellassie in her first briefing to the Council as Special Envoy for the Sahel.…
18 June 2014 – The time for peace talks in mali is now, the United Nations peacekeeping chief told the Security Council today, underscoring the importance of a successful political process to the country’s stability and reversing the sharp deterioration in the security situation in the northern town of Kidal. “A successful political process is the cornerstone of this stability,” Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, told the 15-member Council. “All aspects of the stabilization of Mali, including the restoration of State authority, the re-establishment of security and the protection of civilians, remain contingent on the successful conclusion of peace…