11 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today the release of the 45 United Nations peacekeepers that had been forcibly taken on 28 August 2014 in the Golan and detained by armed elements. The world body had earlier announced today that the 45 Fijian peacekeepers were released and are in good condition. The peacekeepers, who serve with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), were detained two weeks ago by armed elements of the opposition in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah amid increased fighting in the area between Syrian Government forces and armed groups. The UN said in a note…
Author: UN News
10 September 2014 – The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today called for urgent international action and mobilization to support Iraq’s children and young people to get back to school. “The future of thousands of Iraqi children and adolescents – be they internally displaced or from host communities – is at stake, as they may be deprived of their right to education. It is time to stand up and act now: education cannot wait” said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova in a statement to the press. While schools in Iraq are due to reopen this…
10 September 2014 – The violence in Libya must stop, the United Nations envoy to that country today reiterated, calling for “meaningful, effective” dialogue to end what is among the worst fighting the country has seen since leader Muammar al-Qadhafi was ousted in 2011. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, held a series of discussions today in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with influential and political actors, according to the UN Support Mission (UNSMIL) which he heads. “The use of force to achieve political objectives is rejected,” he said on his first trip to the country since taking up the UN…
3 September 2014 – The head of the UN agency mandated to defend press freedom today expressed shock at the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff and called for the immediate release of all civilian hostages held by militant groups in Syria. “I condemn deeply the execution of Steven Sotloff,” said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova in a statement to the press in which she also expressed her heartfelt condolences to Mr. Sotloff’s family and friends. Mr. Sotloff, 31, was a freelance journalist who worked for a number of leading United States publications including Time magazine and World Affairs. He was…
2 September 2014 – Taking up her post today as head of the United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Løj acknowledged that while it was a “huge and difficult” challenge, the job was impossible to turn down because the country’s people had fought hard for their independence. “I strongly believe that your sons and daughters should be able to focus on realizing their potential and not worry about whether they will be killed tomorrow or whether they will go hungry to bed,” said Ms. Løj, who is also the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South sudan. Ms. Løj,…
1 September 2014 – United Nations officials today urged an immediate end to the acts of violence and abuses committed against civilians in Iraq, particularly against children and people from various ethnic and religious communities, as the Human Rights Council met to discuss the ongoing crisis. “The reports we have received reveal acts of inhumanity on an unimaginable scale,” Flavia Pansieri, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her opening remarks to the UN Human Rights Council’s special session on Iraq. During the session, the Council adopted a resolution requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human…
1 September 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday again called for the release of 44 Fijian peacekeepers seized in the Golan. The peacekeepers are serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), monitoring a ceasefire established in 1974 between Israel and Syria. “I again demand the immediate and unconditional release of these brave blue helmets who deployed to the region to bring stability for the sake of the people,” Mr. Ban told journalists in Apia, Samoa, where he is attending the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States. In a phone call yesterday, Mr. Ban spoke to Fijian…
31 August 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Sunday about the reported military takeover in the southern African nation of Lesotho, and called on all parties to resolve their differences peacefully. “He calls for respect for the constitutional order and democratic rule,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson. “He urges all parties to refrain from violence and work together towards a peaceful and lasting resolution of their differences.” The small, landlocked nation is surrounded on all sides by South Africa, which is where Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has reportedly fled after alleging that the army…
29 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six countries at risk for spread of the Ebola virus disease, adding that it is working with them to ensure that full surveillance, preparedness and response plans are in place. “The following countries share land borders or major transportation connections with the affected countries and are therefore at risk for spread of the Ebola outbreak: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal,” the agency said in the first in a series of regular updates on the Ebola response roadmap that was issued yesterday. “WHO and…
28 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a roadmap that aims to stop Ebola transmissions within six to nine months, but acknowledges the actual number of cases may be much higher than that currently reported and the total caseload could exceed 20,000 over the course of the emergency. Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Collaboration, told a news conference in Geneva: “What we are seeing today in contrast to previous Ebola outbreaks [are] multiple hotspots within these countries, not a single remote forested area, the kind of environments in…