5 March 2014 – The Security Council today extended for another 13 months the mandate of the panel of experts dealing with United Nations sanctions imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) for testing nuclear arms. Sanctions were first imposed on DPRK by the Council following nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, including a ban on the import of nuclear and missile technology. The sanctions were further tightened in January 2013 after the country reportedly launched a long-range Unha-3 rocket from its west coast, and then again in March 2013 after another nuclear test. The Council created the…
Author: UN News
6 March 2014 – Concerned by gunfire near its compound in Juba, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South sudan (UNMISS) has called on all parties to respect the work and inviolability of UN premises, which are protecting some 43,000 civilians in its sites in the capital. Juba is “tense” with some shots fired in the vicinity of the UN House, a UN spokesperson told journalist in New York citing the latest information from UNMISS. “Firing also occurred close to the UN House yesterday evening. However, the situation within the compound is calm,” the spokesperson said, adding that at least…
6 March 2014 – Farmers in south-central Somalia – the country’s “grain basket,” which has been severely affected by conflict and drought in recent years – are for the first time growing and selling grain for other Somalis as part of a United Nations-supported initiative. “This initiative shows that Somali farmers are not helpless. With minimal assistance including agricultural inputs, tools, technical skills in storage, grading and marketing, they can make a great difference,” said Luca Alinovi, outgoing representative in Somalia for the UN Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO), one of the two UN agencies backing the project. UN World…
6 March 2014 – Top United Nations officials today underscored the need for urgent action to confront the myriad challenges facing the Central African Republic (CAR), as the Security Council considered Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s proposals for deploying a peacekeeping mission that will be tasked, first and foremost, with protecting civilians in the strife-torn nation. “The situation in Car remains extremely grave and urgent action by all – including by this Council – is required to prevent further bloodshed,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos told the 15-member body. Ms. Amos, who recently visited the country, reported that the crisis that…
5 March 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously agreed to extend a partial weapons ban on Somalia for eight months amid reports that Al-Shabaab and other armed groups are able to divert arms and ammunition intended for Government forces. “All Member States are required to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons and military equipment to designated individuals and entities, which includes Al-Shabaab,” the Council wrote in the resolution. The text, which extends the ban through 25 October, cites reports by the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG)…
5 March 2014 – Widespread attacks and sieges on civilian areas in Syria by pro-Government forces are leading to mass casualties, malnutrition and starvation, says a United Nations-appointed human rights panel, which also cited inaction by the Security Council as an enabler for the escalating violence. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, found that fighting around Yarmouk camp and other areas in Reef Damascus must cease immediately for the supply of humanitarian assistance to reach affected civilians. For the first time, noted a news release on the report, the…
5 March 2014 – A recent acceleration of efforts by Syria and the submission of a revised timeline for removing toxic agents bode well for meeting the 30 June 2014 deadline for destroying the country’s chemical weapons programme, the official charged with overseeing the venture said today after briefing the United Nations Security Council on progress to date. On Tuesday the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations verified that two more consignments of chemicals left the port of Latakia, including a quantity of mustard gas – a Priority 1 chemical…
5 March 2014 – A United Nations committee on Palestinian rights today called on the Security Council to act quickly to address “alarming” developments in East Jerusalem, including increasing incursions by Israeli extremists and political leaders on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Bureau of the General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in a statement issued in New York, said such incidents provoke Palestinian and other Muslim worshippers and often lead to clashes, in which Palestinian civilians are injured, tear-gassed and detained. In another “worrying” development, the Israeli Parliament recently began a debate…
5 March 2014 – The United Nations has confirmed that Senior Advisor Robert Serry is in good shape physically after being threatened today during his visit to Crimea, Ukraine, by armed men who ordered him to leave the region. “He was met outside the main naval headquarters by a number of unidentified men who were saying that he should leave Crimea and go to the airport,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters in New York, as he briefed via telephone from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Mr. Serry apparently returned to his vehicle, and when the car could not drive away,…
4 March 2014 – As the situation in Ukraine remains in flux, senior United Nations officials in the region and elsewhere in Europe continue to push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressing the need for calm and international unity in the pursuit of peace. Mr. Ban, who is on an official visit to Geneva, met today with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Foreign Minister of Germany. According to the UN chief’s spokesman, the two officials discussed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine and facilitate dialogue for a peaceful resolution. This meeting, in which…
3 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine during a meeting in Geneva today, while deputy United Nations chief Jan Eliasson arrived in Kiev for consultations and the Security Council met in New York to consider the latest developments. Mr. Ban and Mr. Lavrov discussed the importance of de-escalating the situation by engaging in constructive and meaningful dialogue, according to a readout provided by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson. The meeting, which took place on the margins of the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council, comes amiI have repeatedly…
3 March 2014 – The world’s only multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations today decided to renew an informal working group aimed at reinvigorating discussions which have stalled since the 1990s, a step that the President of the United Nations General Assembly termed “crucial,” as he urged members to follow up with real progress. Addressing the first part of the 2014 session of the UN Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, John Ashe reminded participants “to stay focused on the bigger picture, overcome your differences and live up to your responsibilities.” Today the CD decided to reestablish an informal working group…
3 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the “crucial” role of United Nations peacekeepers over the past 50 years in preventing a recurrence of fighting between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in Cyprus, and hoped both sides will continue to strive for a settlement that will unite the Mediterranean island. The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was established by the Security Council on 4 March 1964 to contribute to a return to normal conditions following violence and bloodshed between the two communities on the island. “Over the past 50 years, UNFICYP has played a crucial role…
2 March 2014 – The United Nations announced on Sunday that Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson is heading to Ukraine amid the ongoing crisis in the country to get an understanding of the situation on the ground. “Following the Security Council’s consultations and given the developments on the ground in Ukraine, the Secretary-General is dispatching Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson to the country this evening,” a spokesperson for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement . “While in Ukraine, the Deputy Secretary-General will be personally apprised of the facts on the ground and will subsequently brief the Secretary-General on the next…
5 March 2014 – The United Nations today launched a new phase of support in Sierra Leone with the transitioning of its political mission to a more development-focused UN presence, a sign of the West African nation’s sustained recovery from a brutal civil war and an example to follow for countries still grappling with conflict. “Sierra Leone represents one of the world’s most successful cases of post-conflict recovery, peacekeeping and peacebuilding,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at a press conference alongside Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma in Freetown. “Here we have seen great strides towards peace, stability and long-term development,”…
5 March 2014 – The top United Nations humanitarian official in South sudan is sounding the alarm about the dire situation in the country, warning that the world’s youngest nation could collapse by year’s end if urgent action is not taken to help see its people through the current crisis. “People are crying out for help,” Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer said in an interview with the UN News Centre. “We’re at a really desperate moment in South Sudan.” Less than three years after South sudan gained independence from Sudan, the fledgling nation has been wracked by a conflict that has…
4 March 2014 – Outbreaks of fresh fighting in South sudan is likely to displace tens of thousands of additional people and is hampering efforts to help children in need, warns the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “We are working to stave off disaster,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes. “People are continuing to flee their homes in the face of fierce fighting and terrible violence.” Nearly 900,000 people – half of them children – have already been forced from their homes as a result of the recent conflict in South Sudan, which achieved its independence in July…
4 March 2014 – How countries plan, build and manage their cities today will determine the outcome of global efforts to achieve a sustainable future, a panel of United Nations and civil society experts said today, calling on the international community to “get cities right” so the impacts of rapid urbanization can be better managed and sustainable development for all can be achieved. “We need a platform for profound debate about the challenges we have in front of us,” said Joan Clos, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), previewing The City We Need, a document outlining the…
4 March 2014 – Concerned about the escalation of acts of terrorism in north-eastern Nigeria, including along the border with Cameroon, the head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) today strongly condemned the latest wave of “unspeakable” violence in the region and demanded an end to attacks targeting innocent civilians. “This unprecedented cycle of violence must stop. The people of Nigeria deserve to live in peace and security,” declared Said Djinnit in a statement issued by UNOWA, in which he deplored the killing over the weekend of some 80 people by unidentified armed groups in Maiduguri, Mainok…
4 March 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency today appealed for increased support to meet the needs of people fleeing the crises in the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, especially those who have arrived in Chad, Cameroon and Ethiopia. “We are appealing to our partners and the Governments in these countries to help speed support to these populations – which although still relatively small in number are nonetheless in urgent need of assistance,” said Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She told a news conference in Geneva that the crises in South…