28 February 2014 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today called on authorities in Guinea-Bissau to address the critical needs of the poorest and most marginalized members of society as she wrapped up her first official visit to the West African nation. “The people of Guinea-Bissau cannot wait any longer for state policies to become effective,” said Magdalena Sepúlveda, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, adding that authorities must act with the vision to ensure a better life for current and future generations. “Guinea-Bissau has an opportunity to progress, but it must agree on a…
Author: UN News
27 February 2014 – The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are prioritizing shelter and livelihoods projects in the typhoon-devastated parts of the Philippines, while continuing to provide the most vulnerable people with life-saving assistance and protection services. “The Government, the United Nations and NGO [non-governmental organizations] partners must now continue to work together to do more so that the most vulnerable people are included in the recovery,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos told journalists in the capital, Manila, wrapping up a two-day visit to the country. Around 100 days have passed since super Typhoon Haiyan tore across central…
26 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the political parties in Thailand to respect human rights and the rule of law, and to work together towards resolving the politically-motivated confrontations which are becoming more deadly. In a statement from his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he was “increasingly concerned” about the three-month political struggle. The Thai protesters are reportedly seeking to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration and implement anti-corruption reforms. Children were reportedly among the casualties at this weekend’s demonstrations. Mr. Ban condemned that violence. “The Secretary-General believes strongly that there should be no place…
25 February 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency today confirmed that it assisting the Government of Pakistan to issue new refugee cards to more than 1.6 million Afghan refugees in the country, certifying that they are legally in the country and should be allow access to social services and basic rights. The refugee card “protects against risks such as extortion, arbitrary arrest and detention as well as deportation under Pakistan’s Foreigner’s Act,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva. Under the two-phase process, current card holders of the so-called proof-of-registration (PoR) cards will get a replacement card valid…
27 February 2014 – The United Nations Security Council said it is “appalled” by today’s terrorist attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for which the Islamic insurgent group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility and which has killed at least 12 people and wounded several others. “The members of the Security Council condemned the attack in the strongest terms,” the 15-member body added in a statement issued to the press. Today’s suicide bombing near the country’s intelligence headquarters is the latest in a wave of attacks to hit the Horn of Africa nation in recent weeks. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for many…
27 February 2014 – The establishment of a special Tribunal to prosecute crimes of slavery in Mauritania bring the country one step closer to effectively ending the practice of slavery, an independent United Nations expert said, calling on the Government to deploy all necessary efforts to making this a reality. Wrapping up an official visit to the country, Gulnara Shahinian, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, urged authorities to take more vigorous measures to fully implement the laws and policies. “The adoption of the road map for the implementation of my previous recommendations is a clear sign…
27 February 2014 – Ahead of the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today honoured the launch of “Kwibuka 20,” a series of events commemorating the tragedy, and urged the international community to do more to fully internalize and implement the lessons learned from the killings of 800,000 people in 1994. “We must speak out forcefully whenever communities are threatened by mass atrocities or their precursors,” Mr. Ban said in New York ahead of the official observance of the Day on 7 April. He described the collective failure to prevent atrocities in Syria over the past…
27 February 2014 – The top United Nations humanitarian official in South sudan described as “shocking” what he saw during a visit to a teaching hospital in the town of Malakal, where he encountered nothing but dead bodies. “Last week it was a functioning centre to treat the sick; now it’s an empty, silent shell,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer tweeted after visiting the hospital with a delegation that included representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), adding “nothing left except dead bodies.” Malakal itself looked and felt deserted, added Mr. Lanzer, who also serves as Deputy Special Representative of…
27 February 2014 – The United Nations human rights office said today that the publication by a Ugandan newspaper of the names and photos of people it claims are homosexual violates basic rights to privacy and dignity, and called on media outlets to refrain from actions that fuel hatred and violence. A Ugandan tabloid on Tuesday named the country’s “200 top homosexuals,” a day after President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law, criminalizing and imposing life imprisonment for homosexuality, same-sex marriage and “aggravated homosexuality.” “The publication by a newspaper in Uganda of the names and photos of people…
26 February 2014 – The United Nations Security Council urged Guinea-Bissau and the international community to redouble efforts aimed at preparing for the long delayed elections which have been postponed yet again, and reiterated that they are willing to use targeted sanctions against civilian and military individuals who undermine efforts to restore the constitutional order. In a statement to the press after its discussions, the 15-member Council expressed concern at the continuing delays in the legislative and presidential elections, which have recently been postponed to 13 April from 16 March, according to a decree signed by interim President Manuel Serifo…
26 February 2014 – As mali emerges from a 2012 crisis that nearly split the country in half, members of the United Nations Security Council who led the 15-member body’s recent visit to the country emphasized today that any sustainable solution – on the security, political and development fronts – must be agreed and led by Malians themselves. Reporting to the wider Council, Ambassador Gerard Araud, of France, said that one of the most salient lessons the diplomats learned during their 1 to 3 visit to the slowly recovering West African nation was the fact that any lasting political solution…
26 February 2014 – The United Nations development agency today launched an initiative to promote peace-building and social cohesion among the Central African Republic’s (CAR) strife-riven communities, while also urging donors to fill a $22 million gap to ensure the project fulfills its objectives. “The program aims to help rebuild the social fabric in the Central African Republic, by reducing vulnerabilities in the social, economic and security spheres,” said Kaarina Immonen, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in the capital, Bangui, which has been the scene of inter-communal clashes in recent months, and where the plan was launched. “It…
26 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have strongly condemned the brutal slaying on Tuesday of dozens of students at a college in north-eastern Nigeria and voiced the hope that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice. According to UNICEF, some 45 children – between the ages of 13 and 17 – were killed in the attack by unidentified gunmen on the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe state. The region has been prone to attacks by Islamic militants who have in the past targeted civilians, including students and worshippers,…
25 February 2014 – A United Nations envoy dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with senior Ukrainian officials in the capital, Kiev, and pledged the world body’s commitment to assist the country as it seeks to emerge from the current crisis. Robert Serry “delivered important messages from the Secretary-General, including that the United Nations stands in solidarity with all citizens of Ukraine,” UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York. The Secretary-General sent Robert Serry to Kiev as his Senior Advisor to assure all citizens of Ukraine of the UN’s support and also convey that he expects all…
24 February 2014 – “Substantive discussions” started today in the resumed talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, a United Nations spokesperson confirmed, following a meeting today between Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Kudret Özersay. “They completed their exchange of views on process and started substantive discussions on issues connected to different chapters,” said the spokesperson for the Secretary General’s Good Offices Mission in Cyprus. The meeting at the UN Protected Area in the capital, Nicosia, comes more than a week after Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader…
24 February 2014 – Amid the rapidly unfolding events in Ukraine, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an inclusive political process to enable the country to emerge from its current crisis, one which reflects the aspirations of its people and preserves its unity and territorial integrity. “He reiterates his call for non-violence and urges all Ukrainians to express their differences peacefully and through dialogue, and to seek a durable solution through compromise,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. “He has remained in continual contact with key actors on how to support a peaceful way forward for Ukraine at this…
24 February 2014 – Security in Europe cannot be taken for granted, as illustrated by the political crisis and recent escalation of violence in Ukraine, the head of the world’s largest regional security grouping said today, as he outlined areas for closer cooperation between the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations. “These developments have revealed the need to foster dialogue, re-establish trust, and rebuild bridges both within Ukraine and across the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region,” said Didier Burkhalter, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and President of the Swiss Confederation. In his briefing to the Security…
25 February 2014 – Breaking through clouds of smoke, a United Nations helicopter flying a team of scientists over eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) dipped near the mouth of Nyamuragira, one of Africa’s most active yet least studied volcanoes, which threatens to potentially turn Goma into Pompeii. The expedition, conducted earlier this month, is a different facet of “civilian protection” for the UN Mission in the country, known by its French acronym MONUSCO. It aims to understand if the increasing plume of the volcano is also related to an increase of available volumes of magma at the surface.…
25 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Ugandan authorities to revise or repeal the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, one day after he said it violates basic human rights and endangers lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the country. “The Secretary-General reiterates that everyone is entitled to enjoy the same basic rights and live a life of worth and dignity without discrimination,” his spokesperson said, adding that this concept is embedded in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Ugandan Constitution. President Yoweri Museveni yesterday signed into law the bill which calls for a…
25 February 2014 – The United Nations in Libya said ongoing violence there is a violation of human dignity and urged authorities to end instability in the country which runs counter to the values of rule of law and respect for human rights to which Libyans aspire. The UN Mission in the country (UNSMIL) said it has “deep concerns about the continued violence, including assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks in the East and other Libyan areas.” Judges, members of the security forces, activists, civilians and Arab and foreign nationals have all been targeted, as have polling centres and buildings housing…