28 August 2014 – For the first time in six months, there has been some improvement recently on humanitarian access to Syria, but much more needs to be done by the parties to the conflict to ensure rapid and unhindered access to people in need, a senior United Nations relief official told the Security Council today. “The progress in access during the past month has shown that where there is political will, there is a way to improve the situation for millions of civilians in Syria. We must all redouble our efforts until we reach everyone in need with humanitarian…
Author: UN News
27 August 2014 – Food aid convoys from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have reached displaced Iraqis in Karbala, southwest of Baghdad, bringing the number of people receiving food assistance to over 700,000 people since the start of violence in mid-June. According to a press statement, this week alone 2,000 displaced families in Karbala received food assistance after WFP sent convoys from Erbil in the northern Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) area – using a corridor along the Iranian border. More convoys will depart daily from Erbil to Karbala until all 15,000 families registered there have received assistance. “The…
27 August 2014 – The Security Council has strongly condemned the downing yesterday of a United Nations helicopter in South sudan which resulted in the death of three Russian crew members and left a fourth severely injured, and called for a thorough investigation. The MI-8 helicopter contracted by the UN Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) was performing a cargo flight from Wau in Western Bahr El Ghazal state to Bentiu in Unity state when it crashed. The members of the Security Council extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew members and to the Government of Russia, and…
27 August 2014 – In recent days, armed battles, inflamed by airstrikes and fuelled by deep divisions among Libyan political factions have been “unprecedented in their gravity and very alarming,” the outgoing United Nations envoy to that country told the Security Council today. In his final address as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Tarek Mitri said that the Libyan people bear the brunt of the conflict. The number of people displaced is estimated to be over 100,000, with at least another 150,000 seeking refuge abroad. “There is a general deterioration of…
26 August 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the signing by the South Sudanese Government and the opposition of a plan to implement a seventh-month-old ceasefire deal between the two sides. “The Secretary-General welcomes the holding today of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State Summit on South Sudan,” said a statement attributed to the spokesperson for Mr. Ban. While praising the tireless efforts from IGAD Heads of States and their Special Envoys for a peaceful resolution to the South sudan crisis, Mr. Ban also reiterated in the statement the full support of the United…
25 August 2014 – The United Nations today cautioned against flight restrictions into and out of Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, saying such limitations were preventing the transport of critically-needed health workers and supplies, as well as contributing to economic and diplomatic isolation of the region. “The current limitations on flights into and out of these countries, and the restrictions placed on aircraft originating from these countries transiting through airports in neighbouring countries, though understandable, are not warranted,” said chief UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at the daily briefing at UN headquarters. “It is not an optimal measure for controlling the…
23 August 2014 – As part of the overall United Nations push to assist West Africa in battling the worst outbreak of Ebola in history, a cargo plane carrying 68 metric tonnes of supplies from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) landed today in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, bringing urgently needed items to shore up the country’s weakened healthcare system. In a press release UNICEF says that today’s shipment, from the agency’s global supply hub in Copenhagen, contained basic emergency items for front-line health workers to protect themselves and prevent the spread of infection. The items included 27 metric tonnes of…
22 August 2014 – Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Ebola who was appointed by the Secretary-General to establish how best the UN can support affected communities, was wrapping up the first leg of a visit to all Ebola-effected countries in West Africa. In the Liberian capital, Monrovia, this afternoon, he told reporters at the end of his two-day visit that more health workers will be brought to the country to deal with the outbreak, saying “The United Nations is looking at ways to radically scale up support to fight Ebola.” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, UN World Health…
18 August 2014 – As protests intensify over the killing of an American teenager in Missouri, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all parties to exercise restraint and for authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly. According to Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, the UN chief is aware that United States federal authorities have announced an investigation into the killing by police of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The Secretary-General hopes local and federal investigations will “shed full light on the killing and that justice will be done.” According to media reports, the unarmed black teen was shot by a white police…
21 August 2014 – The newly-appointed United Nations System Coordinator for Ebola today began his visit to countries affected by the deadly disease, as the head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) appealed for “massive, coordinated and targeted assistance” in the months ahead, saying “a humane world cannot let the people of West Africa suffer on such an extraordinary scale.” WHO also reported today that clinicians working in Liberia have informed the agency that two doctors and one nurse have now received the experimental Ebola therapy, ZMapp. The nurse and one of the doctors have shown a marked improvement,…