28 May 2014 – In the Security Council’s first meeting on Ukraine since the presidential election there, United Nations political chief Jeffrey Feltman said violence in the country’s east has dramatically increased and reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call on President-elect Petro Poroshenko to steer the country away from instability. “Despite what we at the United Nations hope will be the beginning of a new chapter for Ukraine, violence rages on in parts of the east, causing loss of life and injuries,” Mr. Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs told the 15-member Council. He noted that Mr. Ban spoke by phone…
Author: UN News
27 May 2014 – Despite a slower pace recently on implanting the aims of the European Union-led political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today the two sides have “narrowed their remaining differences,” and that he hopes once elections are complete in Kosovo, the dialogue will resume without delay. “During the reporting period, the pace of implementation of last year’s historic agreements was somewhat affected by the holding of early parliamentary elections in Serbia, and the preparations for the forthcoming early legislative elections in Kosovo,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative,…
27 May 2014 – The United Nations independent expert on the human rights of internally displaced persons ended his official visit to Azerbaijan with an urgent appeal today for a peaceful settlement to restore the human rights of some 600,000 people who have been displaced for more than two decades. “It is urgent to reach a peaceful settlement to the conflict in order to resolve the protracted situation of internal displacement, which has lasted more than 20 years in Azerbaijan,” said UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani. The Special Rapporteur also called…
27 May 2014 – While welcoming the “generally peaceful” nature of Ukraine’s weekend presidential elections, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern that eligible voters in some parts of the county’s crisis torn eastern region were not allowed to participate in the national poll. “The Secretary-General welcomes the fact that polling in most of Ukraine took place in a generally peaceful and orderly manner and largely in line with international standards and fundamental freedoms, according to a number of national and international monitors,” according to a statement read out be a UN spokesperson. At the same time however, Mr.…
7 June 2014 – The United Nations envoy for Somalia has welcomed the release earlier today of sailors on a ship hijacked by Somali pirates nearly four years, and has called for the release of all remaining captives still being held by Somali pirates. In a press release from the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), Nicholas Kay welcomed the release today of 11 crew members of the ship MV Albedo, held hostage since November 2010. According to UNSOM, the 11 survivors of the MV Albedo crew were released to officials from the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC)…
7 June 2014 – Strongly condemning the fresh outbreak of deadly violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), sparked by a dispute over cattle, the head of the United Nations mission there has called for an immediate end to the fighting and has deployed UN peacekeepers to work alongside local authorities to help restore calm. The inter-ethnic clashes “caused many casualties”, leaving at least 30 dead and 15 wounded, said a press release issued by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO), describing the aftermath of a cattle rustling incident last night that led to fighting between the Bafuliru…
6 June 2014 – The United Nations mission in South sudan today confirmed reports of “intense small arms fire and shelling” close to its base in Renk, Upper Nile state, where some of the 93,000 civilians sheltered by UN peacekeepers throughout the country are staying. “The Mission continues to call on all parties to respect the work and inviolability of UN premises and protection of civilian sites,” a UN spokesperson told journalists in New York. Also in the Upper Nile, a UN patrol yesterday in Baliet observed that “most houses, as well as a hospital, have been destroyed and looted”,…
6 June 2014 – The United Nations’ top envoy in Libya today announced an initiative to bring together some of the country’s most influential actors to settle long-divisive issues, as the world Organization’s human rights arm expressed deepening concern over the violence plaguing the east of the country, particularly the city of Benghazi. In the political initiative announced by Tarek Mitri, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Libyan parties will meet in the week before parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 June to work out a binding declaration of principles. “It…
6 June 2014 – The United Nations has welcomed the upcoming launch of the Truth and Dignity Commission in Tunisia, calling it a step forward in addressing past human rights violations in the North African nation. Tunisia will launch the Commission on 9 June at a seminar in the capital, Tunis, co-organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Centre for Transitional Justice and the Tunisian Ministry of Human Rights and Transitional Justice. “The Commission is a very welcome step forward in addressing the human rights…
5 June 2014 – As the rainy season begins in South Sudan, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has scaled up its emergency response operations with large-scale airdrops to provide remote communities with livelihood kits that will allow them to plant crops, fish waterways and protect livestock from fatal diseases. The agency announced today that despite problems of access and insecurity in parts of the country, it has extended its emergency response for an additional three months to reach conflict-affected farmers, fishers and herders with the tools they need. Along with targeting conflict-affected communities with large-scale distributions by…
4 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice-President Riek Machar to meet on Monday, as agreed to in the 9 May document that aimed to end the fighting in the world’s newest country. In a telephone call with President Kiir, Mr. Ban expressed “grave concern” about ongoing hostilities and called for an “immediate” end to all military operations, his spokesperson said. Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May, to agree to end fighting after the 23 January Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities failed to stem…
4 June 2014 – The United Nations humanitarian chief today called for $60 million for the next three months to prevent Somalia “from slipping back into a major humanitarian crisis” as it did during the 2011 famine. Briefing the Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos stressed that “early warnings must trigger early action so that Somalia moves towards and not away from food security; that it remains polio-free; and that the resilience of the people is reinforced.” Approximately 857,000 Somalis require urgent and life-saving assistance. An additional 2 million people are on the margin of food insecurity and…
4 June 2014 – Citing aerial attacks, use of heavy weaponry and civilian casualties in Benghazi and elsewhere in eastern Libya, the United Nations today called for an end to the bloodshed and urged the country’s officials to agree on precise means to counter terrorism and other challenges to security and state authority. In particular, through a formal statement released in Tripoli, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that “the persistence and increasing range of clashes involving heavy weaponry and aerial attacks need to be addressed immediately to ensure the situation does not deteriorate to dangerous levels. “In…
4 June 2014 – Thousands of women and children fleeing the Central African Republic (CAR) for Cameroon arrive in a ‘shocking state,’ malnourished and dangerously ill, the heads of two United Nations humanitarian agencies said today, warning that their funds are nearly exhausted and that hundreds of thousands of people could die unless urgent contributions are received. “We must all act now or more children will needlessly suffer. We must intervene to save lives and prevent a worsening situation,” said Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Ertharin Cousin and UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. Refugees…
8 June 2014 – The senior United Nations envoy in the Middle East visited the Gaza Strip today for the first time since the signing of the Beach Camp Agreement and the formation of a Palestinian government of national consensus, and pledged the Organization’s ongoing support as the nascent process moves forward. The formation of a unity government was announced on 2 June by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and follows the late April reconciliation deal agreed in Gaza City’s Beach Camp between long-time rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas. While in Gaza, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace…
6 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern today about reports regarding the deteriorating health of Palestinian administrative detainees who have been on hunger strike for over a month. “He reiterates his long-standing position that administrative detainees should be charged or released without delay,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. The Secretary-General’s concerns on these issues were recently reiterated to the Israeli Government by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. The High Commissioner also expressed concerns regarding a legislative amendment before the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, which would permit force-feeding and medical treatment of prisoners on…
6 June 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency said today that 62 people are confirmed to have died when their boat foundered while trying to cross the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, making it the deadliest sinking this year. “We are still seeking information, but it is now confirmed that a boat carrying 60 people from Somalia and Ethiopia and two Yemeni crew sank last Saturday in the Red Sea,” Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva. The victims were reportedly buried by local residents after their…
6 June 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has stressed its support for the engagement of all political groups in Iraq, where nearly 800 people fell victim to violence last month, on concerted efforts to ensure security for its entire population, particularly in Anbar province, which has been embattled for months. “Members of the Security Council…believe that through its democratic institutions, in cooperation with Iraqi society, Iraq can work to address the challenges facing the country for the benefit of all Iraqis,” said a press statement issued by the 15-member body. “They emphasize support for the Government of Iraq’s…
5 June 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is deeply concerned by reports that Israeli authorities have issued tenders for the construction of over 1,400 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem. “As the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions, the building of settlements on occupied territory is illegal under international law,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. Mr. Ban has, on previous occasions, urged on both parties to exercise prudence and to avoid taking unilateral actions on the ground that would further diminish the chances of reaching…
25 May 2014 – Following a shooting today at the Jewish Museum of Brussels which may have been an act of anti-Semitism, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his strong condemnation of all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. “The Secretary-General was shocked to learn of the shooting on 24 May in the Jewish Museum of Brussels, which reportedly left two Israelis and one French citizen dead,” his spokesperson said . Mr. Ban sent his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to one person reported injured, according to the spokesperson. Belgian authorities…