15 June 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the abduction of three Israeli students in the West Bank, urging everyone to exercise restraint and to support efforts for the release and safe return of the young people, who include two minors. In a late evening statement from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban expressed his solidarity with the families of the abducted and called for the immediate release of the students. According to media reports, they were last seen returning from lessons on Thursday, near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Mr. Ban reiterated his deep concern about…
Author: UN News
13 June 2014 – As insurgents continue to overrun parts of northern Iraq, the United Nations human rights chief expressed “extreme alarm” today at reports of summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and the massive displacement of some half a million people, many of whom are now in urgent need of shelter. “The full extent of civilian casualties is not yet known,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, “but reports suggest the number of people killed in recent days may run into the hundreds, and the number of wounded is said to be approaching 1,000.” Ms. Pillay added…
12 June 2014 – With Iraq facing “the most serious threats to its security in years,” the top United Nations official in the country reiterated today the Organization’s support for the Iraqi Government’s efforts to combat terrorist groups in the wake of the crisis sparked by the militant takeover of key cities in the north. According to a UN spokesperson in New York, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Nikolay Mladenov, met earlier today with Speaker Osama Nujeifi of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and expressed grave concern about the situation in the country. Islamic insurgents seized Iraq’s…
10 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the successful conduct of assembly elections in Kosovo and called on authorities to remain committed to strengthening democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights of all living there. A statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson today says the Secretary-General is encouraged by the preliminary positive reports from local and international observers as well as the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) of the smooth and orderly conduct of the 8 June elections and broad public participation throughout Kosovo. “He commends Kosovo’s authorities and population for…
9 June 2014 – The top United Nations political official today concluded a visit to Ukraine where he reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s commitment to supporting the country, and held meetings with senior Government and civil society representatives. According to a UN spokesperson, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman represented Mr. Ban at the inauguration of President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday. The UN chief spoke by phone with Mr. Poroshenko a week ago, congratulating him “on having received a strong mandate from the people” to steer the country “towards security, greater prosperity and genuine democratic governance.” In addition to meeting with…
6 June 2014 – The most senior United Nations official in Kosovo has today stressed the critical importance of maximum participation of all communities in assembly elections slated for this Sunday. A statement issued today by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) noted that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Farid Zarif, during his recent meetings in Belgrade, Pristina and Mitrovica, has stressed the vital need for all communities throughout Kosovo to participate in the poll. “Mr. Zarif has underlined that diligent efforts must be sustained to ensure the conditions for a free and fair process, respecting and…
2 June 2014 – United Nations officials today welcomed the initiative announced by President Barack Obama to limit emissions from power plants in the United States, voicing their hope that it will spur other countries to take concrete action to combat climate change. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the initiative “a significant step toward reducing global greenhouse gas emissions that are disrupting the climate, exacerbating extreme weather patterns, and threatening human health, sustainable economic growth and development.” Mr. Ban, who is convening a climate summit later this year in New York, called on all…
30 May 2014 – Citing a new ruling issued by the United States Supreme Court, the United Nations human rights office today touted this latest development as a watershed moment in the country’s rulings regarding the use of the death penalty against people with mental and intellectual disabilities. “OHCHR (The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) welcomes the Supreme Court’s ruling as a significant step towards limiting the scope of the death penalty in the United States,” spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told the reporters in Geneva. According to OHCHR, the particular case involved a death row prisoner in…
29 May 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon mourned the death of celebrated African-American poet and author Maya Angelou, saying the United Nations owed her a particular debt of gratitude for the moving poem she wrote for the world body’s 50th anniversary. “The United Nations owes her a particular debt of gratitude for her poem ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’, written for the 50th anniversary of our Organization,” the Secretary-General said in a letter sent out on behalf of the UN to the family and friends of Ms. Angelou, who died Wednesday at her home in Winston Salem, North Carolina. She…
28 May 2014 – The Haitian Prime Minister, the UN Special Representative to Haiti and the UN Senior Coordinator for cholera response vowed to press on with intensified efforts to eliminate the disease from the island as reports from the first months of 2014 reflected the lowest number of cases and cholera-related deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. After the High-Level Committee for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti met for the first time in Port-au-Prince yesterday to discuss efforts against the disease, from operational strategies to sensitization campaigns, Prime Minister Lamothe said that the Government’s activities and those…
12 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged all Libyans to remain engaged in the search for political solutions to resolve differences, while stressing the importance of the peaceful and timely holding of legislative elections later this month. Libya, which has been undergoing a democratic transition since the toppling in 2011 of former leader Muammar al-Qadhafi, has recently witnessed political tensions as well as major security developments, particularly in the eastern part of the country. Against this backdrop, the North African nation is preparing, with UN technical support, for the election on 25 June of the 200-member Council of…
12 June 2014 – The United Nations agency that advocates for the protection of irreplaceable natural and cultural resources today welcomed as “a step in the right direction” the decision of British oil company Soco to halt oil exploration in ecologically rich but endangered Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a press release today, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) welcomed the announcement that Soco now joins Shell, Total and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) in pledges not to undertake extraction activities within the agencies’ World Heritage Sites. “The World…
12 June 2014 – Following clashes on Wednesday between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, a senior United Nations official has called on both sides to restore calm in the border area of Kibumba. Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO), called for a de-escalation of tensions and a halt to any further acts of violence. “I appeal for calm from both sides and urge them to take immediate steps to re-establish security in the border area,” Mr. Kobler said in a news release,…
12 June 2014 – A group of independent United Nations experts today voiced serious concerns at the arrest, detention and prosecution of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and the editor-in-chief of The Nation magazine, Bheki Makhubu, in Swaziland. “We condemn the repeated arrests, detention and trial of Mr. Maseko and Mr. Makhubu and are concerned that these may be directly related to their legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression,” the experts said in a news release, noting that the country’s Constitution recognises the rights to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. The men…
11 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned today’s car bomb attack on a United Nations camp in mali that resulted in the death of four peacekeepers from Chad. The attack on the camp in Aguelhok of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA) also injured six peacekeepers. A number of soldiers from the Malian Armed Forces were also reportedly wounded. “The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Governments and people of Chad and Mali. He wishes a speedy and full recovery to the injured,” his spokesperson said in a…
10 June 2014 – Voicing deep concern that outbreaks of measles have left thousands of children in Somalia at risk of disability or death, United Nations agencies today called for urgent vaccination to tackle the highly contagious disease. “This is extremely alarming. There is a very poor health care system due to the years of conflict,” warned Dr. Ghulam Popal, Somalia Representative of the UN World Health Organization (WHO). “We know there have been extremely low immunization rates among Somali children and we need to urgently ensure as many as possible are vaccinated.” There were over 1,350 suspected cases of…
11 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council today deplored the kidnapping of Turkish diplomats in the Iraqi city of Mosul, while the United Nations humanitarian arm reported that hundreds of thousands of people have fled the area amid rising violence. Islamic insurgents seized Iraq’s second largest city on Tuesday following days of fighting against Iraqi Government forces. As many as 500,000 people have reportedly fled Mosul in the wake of the violence, and today, terrorists kidnapped the Consul General of Turkey and several consulate staff working in the city. “This is totally unacceptable,” Mr. Ban said,…
10 June 2014 – Urging all political leaders in Iraq to show national unity against the myriad threats facing the country, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed grave concern about the “serious deterioration” of security in Mosul, and condemned the recent spate of terrorist attacks that have left scores of dead and wounded in Iraq’s northern and eastern provinces. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, the UN chief said he is gravely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Mosul, where, according to news reports, after days of fighting against Government forces, militants associated with the Islamic State…
3 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Spain’s Queen Sofia today highlighted the continued need for girls’ education, addressing the livelihood challenges faced by today’s youth and continuing to combat intolerance, while the United Nations chief also recognized the contributions rendered by King Juan Carlos during his reign. In a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban commended Queen Sofia, who is the honorary president of the Spanish National Committee for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for her long-standing commitment to youth and education. He stressed that he would “continue to rely on the leadership of…
29 May 2014 – The Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” the recent terrorist attack against the Jewish Museum in Brussels, which resulted in loss of life and injuries and may have had a possible anti-Semitic motivation behind it. A gunman reportedly shot dead two Israelis and a French woman at the museum during Saturday’s attack, which was also condemned by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the weekend. The members of the Council, in a statement issued to the press last night, expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and expressed their sympathy to…