5 August 2014 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it will convene a meeting of its emergency committee starting tomorrow to determine whether the current Ebola viral disease outbreak in West Africa is a public health emergency of international concern. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarevic told a press briefing at the United Nations Office in Geneva today that the sole subject of the two-day meeting of experts would be the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. It was the first time the emergency committee would discuss Ebola. “The idea is that the WHO Director-General is seeking an…
Author: UN News
4 August 2014 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South sudan today strongly condemned the killing of a humanitarian worker, as peace talks to end fighting in the world’s newest country resumed in Addis Ababa. “UNMISS is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Bunj, Maban County, Upper Nile State,” the UN peacekeeping mission said in a statement, noting that it has no military or police presence in the city. In addition to its own staff, the UN is protecting more than 125,000 Sudanese refugees there “threatened since they depend on relief and services provided by aid workers.”…
5 August 2014 – The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) expressed “extreme concern” today over reports that some 40 children from northern Iraq’s Yazidi minority group died as a result of the violence being carried out in the Sinjar region by militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other armed groups. “According to official reports received by UNICEF, these children from the Yazidi minority died as a direct consequence of violence, displacement and dehydration over the past two days,” Marzio Babille, a representative from UNICEF said in a statement today. Sinjar, a district of…
5 August 2014 – More people in besieged and difficult-to-reach areas of Syria are getting food due to a Security Council resolution approved last month that allows delivery trucks to more easily cross borders and conflict lines, the United Nations emergency food agency today confirmed. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it has made “significant progress” over the previous few weeks, reaching 3.7 million people in July. More than 300,000 of those people are in hard-to-reach areas, said spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs, a figure that is “twice the number of people reached using cross-line convoys in June.” In Moadamiyeh, rural…
5 August 2014 – Following the announcement yesterday of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to commence talks in Cairo for a durable peace. Both Israelis and Palestinians must address underlying issues that continue to cause outbreaks of conflict, said Mr. Ban in a statement issued by a spokesperson at UN Headquarters. He welcomed the proactive engagement of the Palestinian delegation under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, saying “such talks are the only way to sustainably stop the violence, which has cost far too many lives, and to change…
4 August 2014 – The United Nations health agency today appealed for urgently needed contributions to combat the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa, saying hundreds of doctors, nurses, health staff and materials are needed in the region “as fast as possible.” World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Gregory Hartl said that this week is all about putting into practice the emergency response agreed upon by the head of the UN health agency and the presidents of the three affected West African countries – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – in a meeting that lasted more than five hours last Friday.…
4 August 2014 – The Libyan parliament convened for the first time today, a move welcomed by the United Nations mission assisting the country which said it hopes that the politicians can lead the north African nation away from continuing bloody battles in Tripoli and Benghazi. “This step reflects the genuine will of the Libyan people to see that the democratic process and its outcomes are respected,” the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement referring to the seating of the 200-member Council of Representatives. It added that the convening of the Council “also reflects the people’s…
1 August 2014 – United Nations humanitarian staff working in crisis-torn Central African Republic (CAR) reported today that despite peace talks, civilians continue to be caught in crossfire in ongoing fighting. According to a UN spokesperson in New York, 26 civilians were killed earlier this week when clashes between armed groups resulted in an attack on the village of Batangafo in Ouham Prefecture. “Our humanitarian colleagues tells us that despite recent peace talks in Brazzaville, clashes between armed groups have continued, exacting a heavy toll on civilians,” Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. Even more alarming,…
1 August 2014 – United Nations officials have welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Court of Uganda to annul the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, hailing it as a victory for the rule of law and social justice. The law, which drew condemnation from the UN when it was promulgated in February, called for a 14-year jail term for a first conviction, and imprisonment for life for ‘aggravated homosexuality’. Challenged by 10 petitioners, including civil society, parliamentarians and academics, the law was annulled by the Court over a lack of quorum when the bill was passed. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to…
4 August 2014 – Amid a seven-hour ceasefire announced by Israel in Gaza, the United Nations and aid partners are restocking supplies in schools and other buildings being used as temporary shelters for the nearly 270,000 displaced people throughout the Gaza Strip. According to its spokesperson, the UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is using the time to resupply food, water and other “essentials of life” in the 90 UN shelters in the area. Israel said that it would allow a seven-hour “humanitarian window” starting at 10am local time. “These people are deeply traumatized and living in fear because…