23 May 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has added Boko Haram, the Nigerian militant group that has claimed responsibility for the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in mid-April, to its list of Al-Qaida associates subject to financial sanctions and an arms embargo. In its designation, the Council’s Al Qaida Sanctions Committee listed the Islamist group, the name of which roughly translates as “Western education is a sin,” as an affiliate of AQIM, the Organization of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, and named its leader as Abubakar Shekau. In addition to targeting schools such as the one in…
Author: UN News
25 May 2014 – The United Nations humanitarian chief today expressed outrage at a deliberate attack on a humanitarian warehouse in the Damascus province of Syria, which occurred as aid workers were preparing to distribute urgently needed supplies to hundreds of families in the besieged city. “The targeting of the warehouse, which reportedly killed several people and wounded one Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) volunteer, is evidence of the blatant disregard for International Humanitarian Law which is a disturbing feature of the conflict in Syria,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said in a statement from her office (OCHA). She…
25 May 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today regretted that the Lebanese Parliament was unable to elect a new president within the timeframe set by the constitution and called on the country’s leaders to select a new one “without delay”. In a statement from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban also urged Lebanese leaders to ensure that the Government would continue to function to address challenges in the country and its international obligations. “The United Nations remains committed to continued partnership with the Government of Lebanon as it works towards achieving these goals,” Mr. Ban said. The term of the current head…
23 May 2014 – Health experts and veterinarians called for stepped-up monitoring, investigations and immediate reporting of cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) during a meeting convened by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Oman. The infection – which has caused numerous human illnesses and deaths – was spotlighted at the regional consultation convened by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery of Oman, where experts revealed that the origins of the illness may be linked to animals. “It is vitally important for the international community to increase our understanding of ‘where’ and ‘how’ the…
23 May 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned a deadly mortar attack on an electoral rally in southern Syria and reiterated his call for an end to violence in the country. In a statement from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban again stressed his opposition to the indiscriminate use of violence in the Syrian conflict. “Indiscriminate use of any weapons by any party against civilians in contravention of obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law,” he said in the statement. According to media reports, mortar fire has hit an election rally in support of President Bashar al-Assad, killing at least…
23 May 2014 – The United Nations human rights chief has voiced her “very serious concerns” about a recent incident involving the killing of two Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank. Navi Pillay has written to the Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva concerning the 15 May incident, her spokesperson Cécile Pouilly told reporters in the Swiss city. Israeli security forces allegedly shot and killed the two Palestinian minors – aged 16 and 17 – taking part in a demonstration in Beituniya commemorating the 66th anniversary of what Palestinians call “Nakba day.” The initial findings of a…
19 May 2014 – Deeply concerned by the devastating floods in the Balkans – days of rainfall have reportedly submerged entire villages and triggered landslides across the region – the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator is rallying the international community to provide speedy assistance that can help save lives and put people on the road to recovery. In a statement issued earlier today, Valerie Amos, who is also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, expressed concern about the flooding that has struck Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. She has since dispatched a team of UN disaster assessment experts to…
16 May 2014 – A United Nations report released today documents an “alarming” deterioration of the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine, including serious problems emerging in Crimea, citing numerous examples of targeted killings, torture and beatings, abductions, intimidation and some cases of sexual harassment, committed mostly by anti-Government groups. Following the release of the report produced by her 34-member monitoring team in Ukraine, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on “those with influence on the armed groups responsible for much of the violence in eastern Ukraine to do their utmost to rein in these men who…
16 May 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his solidarity with the people of Turkey following the coal mine tragedy in Soma, and said he hopes that measures will be taken to prevent such disasters in the future. In a statement issued last night by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he “stands together with the people of Turkey as they mourn fathers, sons and brothers, and attend to the wounded.” The Secretary-General shares their hope “that the causes will be investigated expeditiously.” Earlier this week, Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), had…
15 May 2014 – Ahead of the ‘hotly contested’ elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a senior United Nations official today warned the Security Council that the country is politically heading in the wrong direction and that politicians might try to raise inter-ethnic tensions to divert attention from real problems. “I am increasingly concerned that the country is in danger of falling into a vicious downward cycle of spiteful tit-for-tat politics that it will be difficult to emerge from,” Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the 15-member Council at a meeting on the situation in the country. “The…
14 May 2014 – This August, Major General Kristin Lund will become the first female commander of a United Nations peacekeeping force, taking the military helm in Cyprus where the top UN official, Lisa Buttenheim, is also a woman. “I think it’s very important that the UN took this step to appoint a female force commander and I hope that I can be a role model for other female officers that see that it’s possible,” Major General Lund told the UN News Centre. “When you approach a challenge in a country, such as Cyprus, it’s important also that you represent…
23 May 2014 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) today sentenced former militia leader Germain Katanga to 12 years in prison for war crimes committed in relation to a 2003 attack in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Mr. Katanga, a senior commander from the group known as the Force de Résistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI), was convicted in March on four counts of war crimes and one count of crimes against humanity, namely murder, attacking a civilian population, destruction of property and pillaging, relating to the 24 February 2003 attack on the village of Bogoro, in Ituri district.…
22 May 2014 – While Somalia has made political, economic and security progress in the last 12 months, the country is approaching a “danger zone” in a number of areas, the top United Nations official warned today. “2014 is critical for Somalia. Time is short. I remain a firm optimist, but it is clear that the Government and its international partners must make faster progress,” Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), said in a briefing to the Security Council. Speaking via video teleconference from the capital, Mogadishu, Mr. Kay noted…
21 May 2014 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South sudan today demanded unhindered freedom of movement for its workers after alleged members of South Sudan’s security forces assaulted and illegally detained two UN staff. The UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) “remains concerned about incidents, including assault, detention and harassment of its staff, that have recently occurred and exposed its personnel to serious security risks,” a UN spokesperson said. The incidents, reported recently in Juba, occurred despite public reassurances from President Salva Kiir, who met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month, and told the UN chief the…
21 May 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations envoy for West Africa have strongly condemned the double bombings that targeted a market in the Nigerian city of Jos and resulted in the deaths of over 100 people and the wounding of scores more. “There is absolutely no justification for such attacks,” said a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. “The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with the people and Government of Nigeria. He wishes a rapid recovery to those injured in the attacks.” Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special…
21 May 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation in the northern Malian town of Kidal, where the United Nations says renewed violence threatens to once again destabilize the country. The Secretary-General “calls for the immediate cessation of fighting and the establishment of a ceasefire,” his spokesperson said in statement. “The Secretary-General particularly emphasises his concern for the security of civilian populations, and recalls that the protection of civilians is an obligation for all parties. He condemns the killing of civilians and calls on the perpetrators to be held accountable.” The Malian…
20 May 2014 – Briefing the United Nations Security Council in the wake deadly violence that rocked the northern Malian town of Kidal this past weekend, the top UN official in the country urged all parties today to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions and avoid further provocation to keep the long-troubled region from sliding back into crisis. “The priority today is to pull Kidal back from the brink of renewed confrontation. It is absolutely imperative that all actions are taken to avoid further violence,” said Albert Koenders, head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA). The…
20 May 2014 – International donors today pledged more than $600 million dollars in aid to South sudan at a conference hosted by Norway and the United Nations aimed at preventing famine and upholding human rights in the world’s newest country which has been ravaged by months of fighting. “These generous pledges will, once paid, translate into life-saving relief to the most vulnerable people in South sudan and to those who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries,” said Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who co-chaired the conference with Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende. “The…
20 May 2014 – Reaffirming the United Nations unwavering support for girls’ education in Nigeria, the Organization’s top women’s rights official has just wrapped up a “solidarity mission” during which she visited an all-girls college near Abuja similar to the school in the country’s restive northeast, where militants kidnapped more than 200 students in mid-April. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, joined a delegation that visited the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) in the town of Abaji, near the Nigerian capital, from 17-18 May. Her visit came in the wake of Boko Haram militants’ brazen abduction of more than…
20 May 2014 – Ahead of simultaneous presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in Malawi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all candidates political parties, and State institutions to ensure that the polls are peaceful and inclusive. “The Secretary-General takes note of Malawi’s first tripartite elections, to be held on 20 May 2014,” said a statement issued late yesterday by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York, which added an appeal to the candidates, parties and State institutions to adhere to the Lilongwe Peace Declaration of 10 May to ensure that the elections are free from violence. “The Secretary-General is…