27 March 2014 – The crisis in Iraq’s Anbar province, where three months of fighting has displaced over 66,000 families, poses the most serious challenge to the Government’s efforts to maintain the stability and security needed to build a democratic State, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today. Nickolay Mladenov, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said in his briefing to the 15-member body that since the crisis began in late December, the Council of Representatives has witnessed boycotts by three of its largest blocs. This has resulted in the…
Author: UN News
26 March 2014 – The United Nations Security Council condemned the recent attack in Hadramawt, Yemen, in which 20 soldiers were killed, reaffirming that all acts of terrorism are criminal, and urging all UN Member States to cooperate fully with Yemeni authorities so that those responsible can be brought to Justice. “The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims and expressed their sympathy to all those injured in this heinous act, and to the people and Government of Yemen,” said Sylvie Lucas, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, which holds the Council’s presidency for the…
26 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of one of the five Iranian border guards who were abducted last month by a militant group and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Mr. Ban, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, sent his condolences to the family of the slain guard. “He expresses his solidarity with the Government and people of Iran, who are confronted with this appalling act amid the annual Nowruz celebrations held to commemorate in peace the start of a new year,” the spokesperson added. “He calls for the perpetrators to…
25 March 2014 – The international community has a duty to help end Syria’s tragic civil war, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized today at a meeting of Arab leaders in Kuwait, where he stressed that there is no military resolution to the conflict, which “can only be resolved through a political solution.” Mr. Ban, in a wide-ranging speech delivered by Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special representative of the UN and the League of Arab States to the 25th Ordinary session of the League, thanked those countries hosting more than 2.5 million refugees for bearing the heavy cost of the deteriorating…
26 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saw first-hand the impacts of climate change during a visit today to Greenland, where the melting of ice sheets is accelerating. “I am just overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of this great land, with over 2 million square kilometres of ice cap and with such vast land covered with snow and ice – this is majestic,” Mr. Ban said at a joint press encounter with the Premier of Greenland, Aleqa Hammond, and the Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. “At the same time, I am deeply alarmed by fast-moving glaciers and by the…
25 March 2014 – The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today expressed concern at Turkey’s recent decision to block access to the social media platform Twitter, noting that it is – along with any decision to curb freedom of expression online – in contradiction with the country’s international human rights commitments. “As we stated on 14 February, we are concerned that legislative amendments adopted by the Turkish Parliament in the form of law no. 6518 allow Turkey’s telecommunications authority (Telecommunications Communication Directorate) to block websites without first seeking a court order,” stated OHCHR Spokesperson…
25 March 2014 – The United Nations has condemned today’s deadly attack on an office of the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul which comes less than two weeks before the holding of presidential and provincial council polls. “The IEC and its civilian workers are conducting a public service so that Afghans can vote. It is reprehensible that they have been deliberately targeted,” Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement. Civilians are said to be among those killed in today’s incident, for which the Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility. According to media reports,…
24 March 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today paid tribute to journalist Sardar Ahmad, one of several people killed during last week’s attack on the Serena Hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Mr. Ahmad, a senior reporter for Agence France Presse, died along with his wife and two of their three children when gunmen stormed the hotel during the Nowruz celebrations on Thursday. Nine people in total lost their lives. “I am deeply saddened by the news of this vicious attack and my heartfelt condolences go out to the families of…
21 March 2014 – The United Nations has strongly condemned last night’s deadly attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul that has reportedly left nine civilians dead and several more wounded – the latest violence to strike Afghanistan ahead of next month’s elections. Afghan women and children, as well as several foreign nationals, were among those slain in the attack on the hotel, for which the Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility. Yesterday’s attack combined with a suicide bombing of a market in Faryab province and an attack on a police station in the eastern city of Jalalabad bring to over…
25 March 2014 – With the humanitarian situation in sudan deteriorating and neighbouring South sudan “imploding,” United Nations relief officials today appealed to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries, both of which are in desperate need of assistance. John Ging, Operations Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), cited an urgent need to mobilize funding for the crisis in Sudan, where some 6.1 million people currently need assistance – a 40 per cent increase over this time last year. Malnutrition and food insecurity are escalating at an “alarming” rate, with some…
25 March 2014 – The United Nations human rights office said today it is deeply alarmed by the imposition of the death penalty against 529 people in Egypt on Monday after a “cursory” mass trial in which the majority of defendants were not present in court. “The astounding number of people sentenced to death in this case is unprecedented in recent history,” Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told a news conference in Geneva. “The mass imposition of the death penalty after a trial that was rife with procedural irregularities is in…
24 March 2014 – The top United Nations official in Somalia has condemned the brutal killing of eight local elders in the Bay region of Somalia, as well as the violence that erupted in the city of Baidoa between supporters of different state formation initiatives, and called on all parties to show restraint in order to de-escalate the tensions. “I condemn these cruel murders and express my heartfelt condolences to the families and communities of the elders” said Nicholas Kay, head of the UN assistance mission in the country (UNSOM) in a press release on the incidents that occurred over…
22 March 2014 – The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process on Saturday voiced grave concern at the Israeli Government’s reported plans to advance over 2,300 settlement units, many of them deep inside the West Bank. “This development is particularly unhelpful against the backdrop of a volatile situation on the ground and as US-led peace negotiations have reached a critical stage,” Robert Serry said in a statement issued in Jerusalem. He reiterated that settlements are illegal under international law and cannot be reconciled with Israel’s stated intention to pursue a two-State solution. Senior UN officials have…
21 March 2014 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today called for an assessment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the legal status of Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian Territory. “Special steps must be taken to ensure that the human rights of the Palestinian people are protected and the rule of law established in an occupation which has lasted now for more than 45 years,” said Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine, in a press release ahead of the presentation of his final report to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. Asking that…
21 March 2014 – The United Nations has drawn on the bustling energy of two of the world’s most fabled crossroads – New York City’s Times Square and Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing – to spotlight the ongoing struggle of besieged civilians trapped amid Syria’s civil war, launching a “flashmob” and simultaneously showing on the junctions’ mega-billboards the now-iconic photograph of thousands of people in a Damascus refugee camp waiting in line for food supplies. The massive international social media campaign led by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which ensures the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, culminated…
24 March 2014 – Following a recent agreement on an inter-Haitian dialogue, the long-troubled country is at a turning point where progress on peace, security and stability must be sustained through the consolidation of the democratic process, the rule of law, good governance and better support for the needs of the population, the top United Nations official in Haiti told the Security Council today. “Dialogue as means of agreement is a victory for Haiti,” said Sandra Honoré, head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), as she hailed as an “unprecedented step in Haitian political history,” the launch of…
24 March 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns today that despite notable recent economic progress, Africa remains the world’s most food insecure continent and calls on all African agriculture ministers to focus their investments and support efforts on smallholder farmers, including youth and women. Kicking off in Tunis today its 28th Regional Conference for Africa, FAO applauded the continent’s continuous growth since 1999, and called for providing an enabling environment to end hunger in the region by 2025. With an average annual GDP increase of 4.8 percent between 2000 and 2010 – up from 2.1…
24 March 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency said today it was shocked and saddened by the deaths of scores of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including children, who drowned when the boat carrying them back home from western Uganda capsized. The boat was one of two that left on Saturday morning from Uganda’s Hoima district on the eastern side of Lake Albert, which lies on the border between the two countries, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a news release. Based on information UNHCR has received so far from the authorities…
24 March 2014 – The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region is providing protection to thousands of people who sought refuge at its bases in Korma and Khor Abeche following violent attacks by armed assailants in the past several days. On Saturday, about 300 heavily armed men attacked a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, setting fire to dozens of shelters and stealing livestock belonging to the residents. The UN-AU mission (UNAMID) said in a news release that as a result of the incident, at least 2,000 IDPs sought refuge at its…
21 March 2014 – Despite some improvement in the security situation of the Central African Republic (CAR) – especially in the capital, Bangui – conditions remain grave for civilians and sexual violence continues to be used by all parties during attacks, particularly against women and children, a United Nations envoy discovered during a recent trip to the country. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, made her second official visit to Car from 17 to 19 March to take stock of the situation there. She met with State officials, civil society representatives and…