19 May 2014 – With ballot counting underway in Guinea Bissau’s presidential run-off, the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the successful conclusion of the second round of voting and urged the political parties to peacefully address any grievances arising from the elections through the appropriate channels. In a statement read out to the press by Ambassador Oh Joon of the Republic of Korea, which holds the Council’s presidency for May, the 15-members called on all parties to respect “the democratic will of the people.” They “call upon the security services to respect the constitutional order”…
Author: UN News
19 May 2014 – The United Nations mission in Libya today voiced deep concern over the recent violence in the country, and called on all sides to address differences through political means and on authorities to quickly address the lawlessness. According to media reports, fierce fighting swept across the capital, Tripoli, on Sunday, after armed men stormed the country’s interim parliament. The violence is reported to be some of the worst since the 2011 uprising that ousted former leader Muammar al-Qadhafi. In a news release, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its deep concern over “the various acts…
22 May 2014 – Despite repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in Syria, the Security Council was unable today to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the war-torn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent members Russia and China. The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the Court the mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has witnessed the deaths of over 100,000…
21 May 2014 – UN human rights experts today appealed to Iranian authorities to halt the scheduled execution of two members of Iran’s Ahwazi Arab minority after their death sentences were reportedly upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court. Ali Chebeishat and Sayed Khaled Mousavi, who were arrested in November 2012 and sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh (enmity against God) by a Revolutionary Court in September 2013, according to the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “The accused were convicted either primarily or solely on the basis of a televised ‘confession’ which appeared on Iranian State…
21 May 2014 – The United Nations and Iran have agreed on additional practical measures aimed at allaying concerns about the country’s nuclear programme, which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions. The five additional measures agreed yesterday by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran are to be implemented by Tehran by 25 August 2014. They include exchange of information with the Vienna-based Agency, including on allegations related to the conduct of large-scale high explosives experimentation in Iran. Among the new measures, Iran also agreed to arrange…
21 May 2014 – The United Nations human rights chief today condemned the “flagrant disregard” for international human rights and humanitarian law – both by the Syrian Government and by some armed groups – that has led to tremendous suffering for civilians in Aleppo. “The people of Aleppo have been living in terrifying conditions, with intensified shelling and aerial attacks over the past six months, including through the rampant use of barrel bombs,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a news release. “Adding to this tremendous hardship, the essential infrastructure of these communities, including their water systems,…
20 May 2014 – Briefing the Security Council today on what he called an “impasse” in talks between Israelis and Palestinians, a top United Nations political official said it was critical to restart negotiations, but just as important for the parties to consider paths to progress, before talks resume. “We cannot rush the parties back to the table without the proper parameters in place,” Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the 15-member body. “The current pause in the talks allows for both parties to consider their next steps, developing on the intensive engagement by the [United States] over…
20 May 2014 – The health department of the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees across the Middle East today reported that more than half of its health centres in Syria are destroyed or non-functional, even as life expectancy is on the rise for Palestinians in the region with a growing ageing population suffering from sedentary lifestyles. In its annual health report, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said there has been “remarkable progress” in reducing deaths and disease such as tuberculosis, pregnancy-related deaths and infant deaths from measles and meningitis. “Life expectancy…
19 May 2014 – Amid a “dire” situation in the Yarmouk refugee camp where thousands of civilians have been and hiding from snipers and often eating weeds to survive, the United Nations agency that administers aid to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East has confirmed that 120 students were allowed to do what anywhere else would generate few headlines – take school exams. Images from the camp show teenage girls and boys carrying bags, heading towards separate white UN buses. Once they re-emerge on the other side of Yarmouk, many are embraced by relatives who have not seen them for…
19 May 2014 – Welcoming the announcement of the initial results of Iraq’s Council of Representatives election, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today looked forward to the final tally and subsequent timely formation of a new government. “The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of the preliminary results of the Council of Representatives election in Iraq of 30 April 2014,” says a statement issued by the UN chief’s spokesperson on the results, which were released in Iraq earlier today. “He looks forward to the certification of the final results after all procedures have been completed, including the adjudication of possible appeals,” it…
17 May 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has today welcomed the agreement reached between Colombia’s Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) on dealing with illicit drugs in the country. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban welcomed the agreement reached yesterday by the negotiating parties in Havana, Cuba, which, according to media reports, would see the two sides working together to combat drug trafficking. Reports also suggest the deal calls for FARC to also cooperate with the Government to assist farmers in growing crops other than coca, the plant used…
18 May 2014 – With malnutrition and conflict stalking the youngest and most vulnerable citizens of South Sudan, the United Nations warned today that hundreds of thousands of children in the country’s most crisis-torn areas are at imminent risk of death and disease, including the threat of cholera. “The dream of a safe and peaceful South sudan is becoming a living nightmare for its children,” said Yoka Brandt, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) said in a press release ahead of the UN-backed Oslo Humanitarian Pledging Conference, set to convene in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday.…
18 May 2014 – A special United Nations defensive military force recommended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to protect UN staff and facilities in Mogadishu, was deployed today to shore up the world body’s operations in long-troubled Somalia. According to a press release from the UN Assistance Mission, (UNSOM), Nicholas Kay, Mission chief and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, presided over the formal inauguration of the first-ever United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU) for Mogadishu. The UNGU is made up of 410 troops provided by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). The Guard Unit, led by a Ugandan Commander, falls…
17 May 2014 – On the eve of run-off presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged voters to show the same sense of civic duty exhibited during the first round of the polls “by turning out in large numbers and in a peaceful manner.” “The Secretary-General continues to follow closely the situation on the eve of the 18 May, run off election…which is expected to bring the transition period to an end,” said a statement issued last evening by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York. “He commends all national stakeholders for their efforts to ensure a…
16 May 2014 – The United Nations and the European Union have forged an agreement today to fund the restoration of cultural heritage in Timbuktu that was destroyed by extremists after fighting broke out in 2012 between Malian Government forces and Tuareg rebels. With 500,000 euros provided by the European Union, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will coordinate the reconstruction of destroyed mausoleums, the rehabilitation of mosques and private libraries, as well as ancient manuscript conservation projects. Local personnel will also be trained to ensure lasting preservation. Timbuktu was an economic, intellectual and spiritual capital and a…
16 May 2014 – As fighting worsens in northern Central African Republic, United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners are working to protect displaced people and children, and to support conflict-hit farmers, it was announced today. More than 23,000 people were displaced in the Kaga Bandoror area as of 2 May, a figure nearly double from the level a month earlier, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards confirmed. Briefing journalists in Geneva, Mr. Edwards said the “most of the displaced are Christians, mainly women and children. Many of the men are hiding due to fear of attacks by armed groups.”…
16 May 2014 – The United Nations human rights office today voiced deep concern about the situation of Meriam Ibrahim, the pregnant Christian Sudanese woman who was sentenced to 100 lashes and to death by a Sudanese court for apostasy and adultery. On 11 May, Sudan’s Criminal Court supported the charges of apostasy and adultery against Ms. Ibrahim, nullified her marriage with a Christian man and gave her three days to ‘declare her return to Islam’, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Following her refusal yesterday to renounce her Christian faith, the 27-year-old was…
15 May 2014 – In the wake of the second wave of mass death sentences handed down in Egypt last month, a group of African and United Nations human rights experts today called on authorities to bring the country’s legal system into compliance with international and regional standards. “Following the two mass trials, Egypt’s legal system is in critical need of being reformed, in line with international and regional standards,” stressed the nine UN experts, together with the Chairperson of the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings in Africa. “A failure to do so is…
15 May 2014 – The United Nations is committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to ensure the release of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants, the world body’s newly-appointed envoy to the country said today, as he announced that the UN has initiated preparation of a “support package” that will include assistance for affected families and the girls after their release. “I wish to reiterate the United Nations’ solidarity with the abducted schoolgirls and their families, the people and Government of Nigeria,” declared Said Djinnit, wrapping up his first visit to the country after being tapped by UN Secretary-General Ban…
15 May 2014 – The barbaric murder of a woman with albinism in Tanzania has prompted the United Nations human rights chief to call for greater protection for this “exceptionally vulnerable” community. According to police reports, 40-year-old Munghu Lugata was brutally murdered Monday night at her home in Mwachalala, a village in the country’s northwest. Her attackers chopped off her left leg above the knee, two of her fingers and the upper part of her left thumb, apparently while she was still alive. Two local witchdoctors were arrested the following day. Such attacks, which are often motivated by the use…