29 April 2014 – In the wake of Israel’s decision to break off talks with the Palestinians after a Fatah-Hamas unity deal, and amid a “volatile” situation on the ground with negative trends in the West Bank and a fragile calm in Gaza, a United Nations envoy today challenged the parties to use this “moment of truth” to reflect on the hard choices required to keep peace from slipping further away. “Inaction could see this turn into a crisis. That is why joint reflection is in order on how the current impasse came about and ways to overcome it,” Robert…
Author: UN News
29 April 2014 – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today strongly condemned the imposition of the death penalty on hundreds of people in Egypt, after mass trials that she said clearly breached international human rights law. “It is outrageous that for the second time in two months, the Sixth Chamber of the Criminal Court in Al-Minya has imposed the death sentence on huge groups of defendants after perfunctory trials,” High Commissioner Navi Pillay said in remarks read out by her spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani in Geneva. According to information received, some of the 683 defendants sentenced yesterday were…
29 April 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has highlighted the importance of Wednesday’s national elections for peace and stability in Iraq and called for creating the necessary conditions to enable all citizens to participate in the polls. Tomorrow Iraqis will cast their ballots for the Council of Representatives, or legislature, in what will be the country’s third national election under the 2005 Constitution. On the same day, voters in the Kurdistan Region will also choose their Governorate Council representatives. “These elections mark an important milestone in Iraq’s democratic transition and can contribute to greater peace and stability in the country,”…
28 April 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced alarmed at the news that another preliminary mass death sentence has been handed down in Egypt, where more than 680 people were reportedly on trial, a topic he will raise later this week in a meeting with the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nabil Fahmy. Today’s legal decision follows the 24 March conviction of 529 defendants on various charges, including membership of an unlawful organisation (the Muslim Brotherhood), incitement to violence, vandalism, unlawful gathering and the killing of one police officer. All the charges relate to events in August…
28 April 2014 – Honduras must immediately adopt measures to effectively protect children, without discrimination, from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation, an independent United Nations human rights expert has urged. Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said that since her first official visit to the country two years ago, the number of complaints related to sexual exploitation and abuse, early pregnancy, sale, trafficking and child labour have increased. “Many children are at risk of falling victim [to] exploitation and abuse because the same risk factors that I…
25 April 2014 – The tide has turned on malaria, with mortality rates for children in Africa down by half, but a stronger surveillance system is urgently needed to prevent new outbreaks and resurgences, United Nations officials today warned, marking the sixth annual World Malaria Day. “We must stay focused until the job is done,” said Ray Chambers, UN Special Envoy for Malaria. “The world has an ethical obligation to continue to protect the hundreds of millions of children who have slept safely under a bed net and who have had access to treatment.” Child deaths from malaria declined from…
25 April 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed Laurence D. Wohlers of the United States as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-Genera for the newly-created United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCa). Mr. Wohlers has extensive experience in international affairs, specializing in conflict management, governance and cross-cultural communication, and most recently, he served as the US Ambassador to the Central African Republic (CAR) from 2010 to 2013. He has served in numerous diplomatic postings across Africa, Asia and Europe, as well as in Washington D.C., including as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the…
24 April 2014 – Stepped-up rebel attacks, clashes fuelled by local political rivalries, and mass displacement sparked by the abuses of a pro-Government militia have again left long-troubled Darfur at a crossroads, said the United Nations peacekeeping chief today, appealing to the Security Council and its African Union (AU) counterpart for political support to move the warring factions towards lasting peace. “Once again, Darfur finds itself at a crossroads. Since the beginning of 2014, new dynamics have emerged, with considerable impact on the civilian population,” said Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, as he briefed the Council on the…
24 April 2014 – The United Nations Mission in South sudan has strongly condemned today’s attack on a convoy of barges delivering urgently needed food and fuel supplies to its base in Malakal in Upper Nile state. The four barges were traveling on the Nile River near the town of Tonga when they came under small arms fire this morning, according to a news release issued by the Mission (UNMISS). Rocket-propelled grenades were later fired at the convoy. Four crew members and UNMISS peacekeepers were wounded during the incident. The Mission has not yet established the identity of the assailants.…
24 April 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today congratulated the people and Government of Algeria on the peaceful holding of recent presidential elections and encouraged them to work together to strengthen the democratic process in the country. Incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika reportedly won last week’s poll, garnering over 80 per cent of the votes cast in the North African nation. Mr. Ban, who has closely followed the elections, had deployed – at the request of the Government – a three-member panel of experts to the country to follow the electoral process and keep him abreast of the latest developments. “The Secretary-General…
23 April 2014 – The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will provide technical and logistical support for upcoming elections, the top UN official in the country today confirmed, stressing that the planning for the polls must be well organized and well-funded. During a visit at the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Special Representative of the Secretary-General Martin Kobler also stressed the need for elections to be properly funded and planned. “First, [regarding] technical assistance, the 2011 errors shall be avoided,” Mr. Kobler told CENI representative Reverend Apollinaire Malumalu. The November 2011 presidential and parliamentary…
23 April 2014 – One year after the global garment industry’s worst industrial accident, the fund chaired by the United Nations to compensate victims of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza factory collapse has begun issuing its initial round of payments, as efforts to address the root causes of the disaster continue. The Coordination Committee, chaired by the International Labour Organization (ILO), yesterday paid 50,000 BDT (Bangladeshi Taka) – about $645 – to each victim and the families of those who died in the 24 April tragedy, when the factory collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital, killing more than 1,000 mostly…
23 April 2014 – The top United Nations envoy in Somalia today called on the country’s international partners to boost support to aid peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts there, while reaffirming that the world body has no plans to withdraw amid attacks by Al-Shabaab militants. “It’s a moment of great new opportunities but also some significant new challenges, and I think it’s important that the international community and partners maintain their interest in Somalia and increase, if at all possible, some of the resources,” Nicholas Kay told reporters in New York. Mr. Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the…
23 April 2014 – Calling for continued cooperation with regional organizations to support Mali’s steady efforts towards peace and stability through inclusive talks, a senior United Nations official today told the Security Council that despite progress, the security situation in the country’s restive north remains “very fragile” with increased activity by terrorist groups. “The window of opportunity to consolidate and sustain peace and stability in mali stands wide open, but may also close unless sustained commitment by all stakeholders is upheld, with the support of the international community,” Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bert Koenders told the 15-member Council. The…
23 April 2014 – Warning today that the surging violence in South sudan is clear evidence that the United Nations can no longer operate in “business-as-usual” mode in the county, the Organization’s peacekeeping chief declared that the fighting must stop immediately; the Government has a duty to protect civilians; and the warring parties should negotiate a genuine ceasefire that will be respected by all sides. “We are not and cannot be in a business as usual format. The cycle of violence…must stop immediately,” Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, said this evening, speaking informally to reporters following a two-hour…
24 April 2014 – The reconciliation deal reached by rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas will be implemented on the basis of previous commitments such as the recognition of Israel and non-violence, a senior United Nations envoy was told today. The deal, which will reportedly lead to the formation of a unity government in the coming weeks, was among the developments discussed during a meeting between Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. During their meeting, Mr. Serry was assured that this agreement “will be implemented under the…
24 April 2014 – More than 90 per cent of Syria’s chemical weapons material has been removed and destroyed in country, the head of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations today confirmed. The Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission, Sigrid Kaag, welcomed in a statement “significant progress” over the last three weeks and thanked States for their “steadfast support” in pushing operations to 92.5 per cent. “I strongly encourage the Syrian authorities to conclude the removal operations as part of their efforts to achieve the 30 June 2014 deadline,” she…
24 April 2014 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged the Government of Bahrain to stop the harassment and persecution of a Shi’a Muslim leader who was reportedly forced to leave the country following threats from State security agents to arrest him and his son. Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said he received reliable information that Hussain Mirza Abdelbaqi Najati was forced to leave for Lebanon on 23 April after being exposed to “enormous pressure and harassment” by Bahrain authorities. “Targeting the most senior and influential Shi’a religious figure in…
24 April 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today urged respect for professional and citizen journalists after three media workers from a Lebanese television station were killed while reporting on clashes south of Damascus in Syria. “I condemn the killing of Hamza Al-Hajj Hassan, Mohamed Muntich and Halim Alouh,” the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in news release. “There can be no justification for the targeting of media workers, the eyes and ears of civil society, whose work is essential in any attempt to…
23 April 2014 – Calling urgently on Syrian authorities and the opposition to allow aid access, end siege warfare and halt the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, the top United Nations humanitarian officials today also issued a strong challenge to “those with the responsibility, power and influence” to find the courage to re-energize a thus-far failed diplomatic push to end the brutal three-year conflict. “If the civilians of Syria have not given up, how can the world give up on its efforts to save them – and save Syria?” said a joint statement by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos; Anthony…