22 April 2014 – Recent fighting between Government forces and Kachin rebels in Myanmar, and the resulting displacement of thousands of people, has significantly increased the risks to young people, including possible recruitment, limited access to basic services and the threat of landmines, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today. An estimated 1,000 children are among those forced to leave their temporary homes amid the fighting between the Myanmar National Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in areas of southern Kachin state, UNICEF noted in a news release. “The fighting and the associated displacement of families has increased…
Author: UN News
22 April 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom has denounced the killing of journalist Rubylita Garcia and called on authorities in the Philippines to investigate the case. “It is essential that the authorities of the Philippines do all they can to identify and bring to trial those responsible for this cowardly crime,” said Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “Murderers cannot be allowed to set limits to journalists’ freedom of expression or on citizens’ rights to information,” she added in a news release. Ms. Garcia,…
21 April 2014 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed today that two of its national staff who were abducted last Thursday in the Pakistani port city of Karachi are now safe and well. “The whole UN family in Pakistan welcomes their safe return,” the world body said in a statement. The two staff went missing on the evening of 17 April. When no contact with the staff members was possible, local police were alerted. The police led the investigation, in close contact with UNICEF and the staff members’ families. “Our colleagues are safe and well, and are being…
21 April 2014 – With the results still being counted from Afghanistan’s recent presidential election, the top United Nations official in the country today urged efforts to ensure that women remain meaningfully engaged in the political process and improve political life there.Speaking after a meeting with female parliamentarians in the capital Kabul, Jan Kubiš, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA), congratulated Afghan women on their participation in the elections – as voters, electoral workers, observers and candidates.“Women’s participation in national decision-making not only strengthens the representative nature of government institutions but is central…
22 April 2014 – Confirming that children were killed in South sudan during recent brutal attacks on displaced civilians or as a result of being recruited by armed groups, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today that the surging violence is exacerbating an already “very dangerous” malnutrition crisis. The children were among the dozens of internally displaced persons (IDPs) attacked by gunmen on 17 April while sheltering at a UN site in the central South Sudanese town of Bor, capital of strife-torn Jonglei state, UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva. “The exact numbers are currently being verified,”…
22 April 2014 – Following the murder earlier today of Somali parliamentarian Abdiaziz Isaaq Mursal – the second lawmaker to be killed in less than 48 hours in Mogadishu – the top United Nations official in the country strongly condemned the incident and pledged the world body’s resolve in standing by the Somali people as they worked to build a stable, peaceful country. A member of Somalia’s Federal Parliament, Mr. Mursal was shot dead by unknown gunmen, according to a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), which notes that the fresh violence in Mogadishu also included…
16 April 2014 – A United Nations human rights panel said today that Argentine authorities failed to ensure that a prisoner with disabilities was able to use prison facilities and services on an equal basis with other detainees, and urged them to take steps to rectify the situation. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities added that Argentina is obliged to take action to prevent similar violations, including making sufficient and reasonable adjustments when requested, to ensure persons with disabilities can access prison facilities and health care. The views of the 18-member body which monitors implementation of…
16 April 2014 – As the FIFA World Cup in Brazil draws closer, the United Nations agency leading the response to the AIDS epidemic today named the country’s football star David Luiz as a Goodwill Ambassador to raise awareness about HIV and drive young people to help end discrimination and commit to prevention. “I want to use this position to spread the word about how to overcome AIDS around the world,” said Mr. Luiz, who plays in the Premier League team Chelsea, and who will be the vice-captain of the national Brazilian football team in the sporting event that starts…
21 April 2014 – Opposition forces in South sudan killed “hundreds of South Sudanese and foreign civilians” after determining their ethnicity or nationality when they captured Bentiu last week, the United Nations confirmed today, calling for an immediate stop to the targeting of “innocent, unarmed” civilians. The United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) strongly condemned the killings, which reportedly included attacks on a hospital, mosque and church, and a UN World Food Programme (WFP) compound. “These atrocities must be fully investigated and the perpetrators and their commanders shall be held accountable,” said the Officer in Charge of UNMISS, Raisedon…
21 April 2014 – The top United Nations envoy in Somalia today condemned the murder of parliamentarian Isaak Mohamed Rino and called for the perpetrators of the attack to be brought to justice. Mr. Rino was killed this morning in the capital, Mogadishu, when an improvised explosive device planted in his vehicle detonated, according to a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Another member of parliament, Mohamed Ali, and several civilians were reported to have been injured in the incident. “I condemn this murder in the strongest terms. There must be a full investigation of this…
18 April 2014 – The Security Council on Friday voiced its outrage at the recent attacks by armed groups in South sudan that have purposefully targeted civilians as well as the United Nations peacekeeping mission sites and personnel. The 15-member body highlighted in particular the 17 April attack against the compound of the UN Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, that resulted in scores of dead and injured, including those seeking the UN’s shelter and protection, as well as the 14 April attacks in Bentiu and Unity state. “The members of the Security Council…
19 April 2014 – Syria has, as of 19 April, removed or destroyed in-country approximately 80 per cent of its chemical weapons material, the head of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations announced today. Sigrid Kaag, Special Coordinator of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission, said in a statement that further engagement is expected to sustain momentum and to complete removal operations during the next days. This will contribute to meeting the deadlines set by the OPCW Executive Council, including the 30 June 2014 target date for completing the destruction of Syria’s…
17 April 2014 – On his first official visit to the Gaza Strip, the new head of the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees across the Middle East underscored the need to lift the seven-year Israeli blockade and end the “illegal collective punishment” unleashed on the population there. “Nothing prepares you for Gaza; no amount of UN humanitarian reports, no amount of newspaper articles, no amount of human rights investigations. None of these can adequately convey what the people here are going through; the profound sense of isolation and the sheer scale and depth of the suffering,” said Pierre Krähenbühl.…
17 April 2014 – Regretting the abrupt halt in talks between the Syrian authorities and the negotiating committee representing civilians and fighters trapped in the Old City of Homs, United Nations-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi today urged all the parties to return to the negotiating table and complete the deal that had been on the verge of being signed. “It is a matter of deep regret that negotiations were brutally stopped and violence is now rife again when a comprehensive agreement seemed close at hand,” Mr. Brahimi, Joint Special representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, said…
17 April 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he was encouraged by the initial round of diplomatic negotiations on the crisis in Ukraine held in Geneva, but stressed that all sides need to follow up words with deeds as the situation remains ‘extremely volatile.’ According to press reports, Ukraine and Russia, backed by representatives of United States and the European Union, agreed today to a series of steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine that reportedly include demobilizing militias and vacating seized Government buildings. In a statement from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he was “encouraged” that…
16 April 2014 – The ongoing unrest in eastern Ukraine, if not addressed as a matter of priority, risks seriously destabilizing the rest of the country, a senior United Nations human rights official warned the Security Council today, as he also urged steps to counter misinformation and bring to an end all incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence. “At the outset, I wish to emphasize the strong inter-linkages between chronic human rights violations in Ukraine, the Maidan protests and the current situation in the east,” said Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, as he briefed the Council on his…
16 April 2014 – Violence against women remains a pervasive challenge in the United Kingdom and a more comprehensive and targeted response is needed to address the scourge, an independent United Nations human rights expert said today after a two-week mission to the country. Special Rapporteur Rashida Manjoo noted that the UK has made the issue of violence against women a priority and there have been “many positive developments,” including a 2010 strategy to address the problem. “But a more comprehensive and targeted response to address acts of violence against women and girls is needed,” stated Ms. Manjoo, who has…
15 April 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency applauded today the “significant efforts” made recently by the Bulgarian authorities and their partners to improve living conditions for asylum seekers in the country. While planning to lift its January call to temporarily suspend the transfer of refugees from European countries back to Bulgaria (under the Dublin Regulation), the UN Office of the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) stresses that “serious gaps” in the system remain, and warns against transferring individuals or groups considered most vulnerable. In the past three months, UNHCR noted improved conditions particularly in the Harmanli centre, a…
15 April 2014 – While corruption and widespread inequality were among the root causes of the massive street protests that erupted last year in Ukraine, the fear-mongering and incitement to hatred that have followed must be urgently countered to avoid further escalation of tensions in the country, states a United Nations human rights report issued today. “Facts on the ground need to be established to help reduce the risk of radically different narratives being exploited for political ends. People need a reliable point of view to counter what has been widespread misinformation and also speech that aims to incite hatred…
13 April 2014 – In the wake of the violent clashes that have swept eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours as pro- and anti-Government demonstrators have faced off in the region, a senior United Nations political official warned the Security Council this evening that the crisis will only deepen unless intensive efforts are made by all sides to de-escalate the situation. “Once again, the situation in Ukraine has seriously deteriorated…and as of now, [the country] teeters on the brink,” UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said as he briefed an emergency meeting of the Council on the…