20 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has officially established the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response and has instructed the advance teams for the first-of-its-kind operation to head to its base in Accra, Ghana, by Monday, 22 September. Following the unanimous adoption yesterday of a key resolution by the 193-Member UN General Assembly, and after Thursday’s historic meeting of the Security Council, which declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a threat to peace and security, Mr. Ban announced that he has now established the UN emegerncy response mission, to be known as UNMEER. The Mission’s initial roll-out…
Author: UN News
18 September 2014 – On her first country visit as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, acclaimed British actor Emma Watson in Uruguay highlighted the need for women’s political participation as the country gears up for elections with a first-ever national quota law guaranteeing 30 per cent women’s representation. “Women must have a say in matters that affect their countries, communities and families. After all, they are half of the population, so women’s equal participation in decision-making is a question of justice and democracy,” Ms. Watson said yesterday in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. The meeting Ms. Watson attended was hosted by the…
19 September 2014 – As an Ebola outbreak of “unprecedented nature and scope” continues its spread through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the United Nations General Assembly today underlined it strong commitment to responding to the emergency in a timely, effective and coordinated manner and to support the affected countries in tackling the virus. “The time to act in a swift, coordinated and powerful manner is now,” General Assembly President Sam Kutesa told the 193-Member body ahead of a vote on a resolution. “Without quick and decisive action, the trail of devastation this outbreak leaves behind will reach far beyond…
19 September 2014 – The Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms yesterday’s attack by an explosive device on a road in Mali, in which five Chadian peacekeepers were killed and three other peacekeepers were severely injured. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA) peacekeepers were traveling on a road between Aguelhok and Tessalit when the explosion happened. In a statement issued by the 15-member Council, members expressed their condolences to the families of the peacekeepers, to the Government and people of Chad, and to MINUSMA. “The member of the Security Council commended the Chadian peacekeepers…
18 September 2014 – The Security Council, in its first emergency meeting on a public health crisis, today declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a threat to peace and security, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the United Nations will deploy a new emergency health mission to combat one of most horrific diseases on the planet that has shattered the lives of millions. “This international mission, to be known as the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, or UNMEER, will have five priorities: stopping the outbreak, treating the infected, ensuring essential services, preserving stability and preventing further outbreaks,”…
16 September 2014 – With the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire holding in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations has reached agreement with Israel and Palestinian Authority on a new reconstruction mechanism for the enclave as “an important step” in the right direction to kick start recovery and rehabilitation and give hope to the people there, a senior UN envoy announced today. That announcement was made today by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, as he briefed the Security Council on the situation in the region. “UNSCO (the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle…
17 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, together with the head of the United Nations health agency, will outline the international action plan to contain Ebola tomorrow when the Security Council convenes an emergency meeting on the outbreak. The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), in statements issued late Tuesday, both welcomed United States Government plans to ramp up its support to the global response to Ebola, saying the commitment exemplifies the kind of international effort required to intensify response activities. Mr Ban “called on the international community to be as bold and courageous in its response as…
17 September 2014 – A senior United Nations official today welcomed the opening of the Kismayo reconciliation conference in the southern Somali port town as a step towards strengthening the country and consolidating peace in the region. “I urge participants to create an environment that allows the conference to develop resolutions that are inclusive of all stakeholders – particularly women, youth and elders, regardless of social or economic status,” said the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Fatiha Serour in a news release. She added that this reconciliation process is “an avenue to develop a roadmap for the…
16 September 2014 – Alarming circumstances such as forced evictions, drought, conflict and lack of livelihood have forced over 130,000 people from their homes in Somalia so far this year, with the majority being internally displaced, warned the United Nations refugee agency today. “Insecurity was the main cause of internal displacement, with some 38,000 people fleeing their homes because of military conflict,” Babar Baloch, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told journalists in Geneva. According to Mr. Baloch, approximately 7,000 people have fled the ongoing military offensive in South Central Somalia in the past…
15 September 2014 – The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the Ebola outbreak that has gripped West Africa, the president of the 15-member body announced today. The outbreak, affecting Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, is unprecedented in scope – with more than 4,000 cases having been reported across the region and over 2,200 deaths. It has also dealt a major blow to the already fragile health care systems in West Africa. “The trend lines in this crisis are grave and without immediate international action we are facing the potential for a…