7 April 2014 – Voicing concern that the Philippines’ post-typhoon reconstruction and recovery efforts could be undermined by its heavy debt load, a United Nations independent human rights expert today issued a strong call on international creditors to cancel the country’s debt and to provide unrestricted grant aid instead of new loans. “Grant aid, not new loans, is needed to overcome the impact of the tropical cyclone which struck the country five months ago,” said Cephas Lumina, the independent expert tasked with monitoring the effects of foreign debt on the enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural…
Author: UN News
7 April 2014 – United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the Afghan people for Saturday’s historic presidential and provincial elections, which marked “an important step forward” in the country’s path to democracy. “The millions of women and men who cast their ballots are a testament to the courage and the commitment of Afghans to exercise their rights and shape their future,” said the Secretary-General in a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, highlighting a “momentous achievement,” despite threats and intimidation. Noting the strong participation of women in the polls, as election workers, observers, candidates and, above all,…
7 April 2014 – An independent United Nations expert today sounded the alarm on the deteriorating human rights situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, adding that the evacuation of aid workers following recent attacks on the humanitarian community would have severe consequences for life-saving work in the area. “Recent developments in Rakhine state are the latest in a long history of discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya community which could amount to crimes against humanity,” said the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana. He warned in a news release that the evacuation of aid workers,…
5 April 2014 – As voters across Afghanistan braved inclement weather and security threats to cast their ballots in Saturday’s presidential and provincial council elections, the top United Nations official there congratulated them for participating in this “historic moment” for the country. “Today was a good day for the future of a stable and unified Afghanistan. Ordinary Afghans turned out to vote in remarkable numbers, defying Taliban attacks and threats,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš, said in a statement. “Often in long queues and bad weather, voters patiently waited to exercise their basic human right to vote.…
4 April 2014 – The United Nations expert on religious freedom called today on the Kazakhstan Government to halt the mandatory registration of religious communities, which notably affects small groups. During a visit to Kazakhstan – mandated by the UN Human Rights Council – Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief found religious pluralism to be a hallmark of the society “traceable far back in history and perhaps even pre-history.” “Some of the people I talked to during my visit invoked specifically nomadic traditions of hospitality and open-mindedness when explaining the accommodation of different religious communities in…
10 April 2014 – Racing against time and bad weather, prodding fickle donors and an indifferent general public, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is working on all fronts to support millions of desperate people in the Central African Republic (CAR) and to keep international attention focused on the escalating crisis. The conflict in the CAR, where a 2012 rebel-led coup has given way to vicious Muslim vs. Christian reprisal attacks and massive human rights violations, has all the grim hallmarks of the world’s other crisis hotspots – Syria, where what began as anti-Government protests has, over the past…
10 April 2014 – Together with Ministries of Health and other partners across seven countries in West Africa, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is using culturally-sensitive communication strategies to disseminate life-saving information in order to contain the often-fatal Ebola virus, through text-messaging, radio shows, TV programmes and door-to-door campaigns. “Most of the people in this part of the world had never heard of Ebola before,” said Dr. Guido Borghese, UNICEF’s Principal Advisor Child Survival and Development for West and Central Africa. “In this environment, unfounded fears and rumours spread quickly and widely. More than ever, it is crucial that…
10 April 2014 – The independent United Nations experts dealing with the rights of minorities and of indigenous peoples today voiced their concern about the eviction and demolition of houses of the Mbororo pastoralist community in Cameroon, and urged a solution to their plight. An estimated 300 people have reportedly been made homeless and evicted from their ancestral lands in the locality of Banjah, Bamenda. The location of the evictions is the scene of a long-term land dispute between the Mbororo community and the Catholic University in Bamenda. Mbororo pastoralist communities, who identify as indigenous minorities, account for some 12…
10 April 2014 – Deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and ongoing human rights abuses in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Security Council today approved the establishment of a nearly 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping operation to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access in the war-torn country. Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the Council authorized the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Car (MINUSCA) through 30 April 2015. The new mission will take over the responsibilities of the African-led International Support Mission, known as MISCA, and, as from 15 September 2014, will initially comprise up to…
10 April 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today called for urgent support for farmers and herders in sudan in order to help prevent a further worsening of the food security situation in the country. The agency said in a news release that some 3.3 million people are currently suffering from food insecurity with numbers likely to rise to 4 million in the coming months due to a combination of increased conflict and displacement in Darfur, refugee movement from neighbouring South Sudan, poor harvest and spiralling food prices. In some areas of Sudan, existing crisis levels…
9 April 2014 – The United Nations Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) said today that since the hostilities that erupted between the Government and opposition forces last December, an average of 75,000 civilians have found refuge from violence in UN bases across the country. In a news release, the Mission also notes that currently, some 67,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are seeking protection at 8 of its protection sites, notably in Juba and Malakal. The Mission notes that none of those sites were designed to host IDPs, let alone in such huge numbers, and “with space per person reaching less…
9 April 2014 – United Nations officials today called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to step up the fight against impunity for rape and sexual violence, which remain widespread and largely unpunished despite some progress in holding perpetrators accountable. “Despite an increase in the number of prosecutions of State agents for sexual violence in recent years, there is still a long way to go in the fight against impunity for sexual violence in the DRC,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. “I call on the Government to prioritize the fight against…
10 April 2014 – A group of independent United Nations human rights experts today voiced alarm at the denial of medical care to two political prisoners in Iran who are at risk of dying in detention due to worsening health conditions, and urged the authorities to provide them with treatment. The experts have made a number of urgent appeals to the Iranian Government about the denial of medical care and mistreatment of blogger Mohammad Reza Pourshajari and religious cleric Sayed Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi. However, a formal response from the Government to the most recent appeals is yet to be received,…
10 April 2014 – Speaking out strongly against yesterdays deadly car bomb attacks on a busy shopping street in the Syrian city of Homs, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator said such brutality serves to remind us again of the contempt the parties to this conflict show for human life. Brutal violence and indiscriminate attacks on ordinary people have been taking place for more than three years in Syria and no longer have the power to shock. But attacks on civilians are war crimes and may also amount to crimes against humanity, said Valerie Amos, who is also Under-Secretary-General for…
9 April 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) said today it managed to bring humanitarian aid to a besieged neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo, an area that had been cut off from assistance since last June. The “rare and risky” operation to deliver aid to Boustan al Qaser was carried out following agreement with the Syrian Government and the opposition, according to a news release issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Two trucks packed with blankets, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets and food were offloaded at the last…
9 April 2014 – The United Nations expert body monitoring civil and political rights found today that Lithuania violated the rights of its ex-president, Rolandas Paksas, by introducing a rule banning impeached officials from holding high office – just weeks after he had been removed from his post for abuse of power. The Geneva-based Committee, which monitors worldwide implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, considered a complaint brought by the former leader and found that Mr. Paksas could not have foreseen the ban, which was not in force when he was impeached. Lithuania should overturn his…
8 April 2014 – On International Roma Day, the United Nations independent expert on minority issues is calling on all European countries and institutions to fully include Roma people in their decision-making processes at all levels. “Europe cannot stand for exclusion,” said UN Special Rapporteur Rita Izsák, adding that with upcoming European Parliament and other national elections, now is the time to call on Governments and international organizations to step-up their efforts and attention to ensuring the full integration of their Roma populations, including in decision-making bodies at all levels. She went on to stress that political parties have a…
7 April 2014 – The crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) is devastating the economy and people’s ability to secure basic necessities, says a new joint United Nations assessment, which warns that as the violence continues and the rains set in, providing the type of broad action needed to halt the country’s downward spiral is becoming more difficult and expensive “with every passing day.” The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn that the country needs a “long and expensive” humanitarian operation over at least the next 18 months to stem the growing…
7 April 2014 – Commemorating “one of the darkest chapters in human history,” United Nations officials paid tribute this morning to the 800,000 men, women and children – overwhelmingly Tutsi, moderate Hutu and Twa – that were systematically killed 20 years ago in Rwanda, and urged the international community to work together and remain vigilant to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. “The blood spilled for 100 days. Twenty years later, the tears still flow,” said Ban Ki-Moon, in an address during a commemoration ceremony in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, at which the UN chief expressed his solidarity with…
7 April 2014 – Senior United Nations officials today voiced outrage at the killing of two consultants working for the world body’s arm dealing with drugs and crime who were shot by unknown gunmen in Somalia’s Puntland region. Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), strongly condemned the killing of his colleagues in the “cruel and senseless” attack at Galkayo Airport. “I hope the relevant authorities in Somalia will undertake every effort to ensure that their killers are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice,” he said in a statement. “I would also like…