25 February 2014 – As the violence across the Central African Republic (CAR) continues unabated, United Nations agencies are sounding the alarm about the plight of civilians at risk inside the country and are now also warning that the crisis threatens to engulf the region, with thousands of people fleeing the fighting to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Since December 2012, violence and instability have displaced more than 700,000 people inside Car and forced over 288,000 to flee to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that neighbouring…
Author: UN News
24 February 2014 – Côte d’Ivoire must adopt urgent reforms before the presidential elections scheduled for October, a United Nations independent expert today warned following an official visit to the country. Doudou Diène, who is charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on the situation of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire, urged the authorities there to accelerate the resolution of substantive issues, including the reform of the Independent Electoral Commission and the updating of the electoral list. The expert, who during a 13-day visit to the country met with officials, civil society and members of…
24 February 2014 – The South Sudanese city of Malakal is looted and burned, with more than 100 bodies scattered along the route, United Nations peacekeepers in the country reported today. UNMISS, the UN Mission, conducted multiple patrols over the weekend to the capital of the Upper Nile state where the situation is said to be “tense.” According to information from a UN spokesperson in New York, the Mission visited various civilian sites in the town, including churches and a hospital. “At the Malakal Teaching Hospital, the patrol observed approximately 100 patients, most of whom were wounded or sick,” the…
24 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay have spoken out against the anti-homosexuality law signed into force today in Uganda, saying it violates basic human rights and endangers lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the country. The law criminalizes and imposes life imprisonment for homosexuality, same-sex marriage and “aggravated homosexuality,” according to a news release issued by the High Commissioner’s Office (OHCHR). “Disapproval of homosexuality by some can never justify violating the fundamental human rights of others,” Ms. Pillay said. “This law will institutionalize discrimination and is likely…
25 February 2014 – As the conflict that has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the Syrian people prepares to enter its fourth year, United Nations officials today stressed the need for a political solution to end the crisis, as well as greater efforts to protect civilians and ensure they receive the assistance they desperately need. “We are in a race against time. More people are slipping out of our reach as the conflict intensifies and armed groups fragment and more battle lines are drawn,” said Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang. “We desperately need a…
25 February 2014 – The Middle East peace process is nearing a defining moment, the top United Nations political chief today told the Security Council today urging Governments to back the peace agenda and to raise awareness of the benefits of peace among their constituents. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the 15-member Council that direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, which resumed in August of last year following efforts by United States Secretary of State John Kerry, have opened “a credible political horizon for achieving the two-state solution.” He urged that they continue to be supported…
25 February 2014 – Inclusive economic integration in the Arab region would create six million new jobs by 2020 and increase regional gross domestic product by three per cent, the United Nations today reported arguing for a unified model like that of the European Union or other regional economic blocs. The argument is part of a report launched today by Rima Khalaf, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia (ESCWA), entitled, Arab Integration: A 21st Century Development Imperative. Cultivating a dynamic economic environment “would guarantee economic and social gains and ensure their place among the regional…
24 February 2014 – Moved by the dire plight of more than 5 million war-traumatized Syrian children – both inside and outside the country – United Nations agencies and their partners today joined forces to urge the world to demand an end to the “relentless horror and suffering” those children face before an entire generation is lost. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mercy Corps, Save the Children and World Vision have issued an impassioned appeal to engage at least 1 million voices of support before the war in Syria reaches the end of…
24 February 2014 – A senior United Nations official said today he was shocked by what he saw during a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, and underscored the need for full and unhindered access to all conflict-affected communities in the country. “I am deeply disturbed and shaken by what I observed today,” said Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). “The Palestine refugees with whom I spoke were traumatized by what they have lived through, and many were in evident need of immediate support, particularly…
23 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an immediate end to escalating violence in Thailand, and urged authorities to bring those responsible to justice. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban condemned the aggression, which included armed attacks this weekend against anti-Government protesters. At least two children where killed in the attacks. “The Secretary-General believes strongly that there should be no place for violence by any side in resolving political differences and disputes,” his spokesperson stressed, adding that Mr. Ban is ready to assist in any way possible. The top…
22 February 2014 – Ahead of Afghanistan’s national elections, the top United Nations official in the country is calling on Afghan authorities and independent electoral bodies to ensure the polls are credible, while also urging the Taliban to stop attempts to disrupt the electoral process.p> “My message [to the Taliban] directly or indirectly, allow the people to vote. This is their right. These are your people. This is your country as well,” the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ján Kubiš, said in an interview with Tolo TV. “My second appeal, allow also those, not only those that will vote, but the…
23 February 2014 – The next wave of investment and innovation in Africa will be driven by the need for new energy resources, wealth generation and job creation, the head of the United Nations environment agency told regional leaders, making a case for the need to place value on natural resources. “As the continent undergoes such unprecedented development, wealth accounting and the valuation of ecosystem services are critical to Africa’s future growth,” Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, told the high-level African ministerial conference on green economy in Oran, Algeria. Natural accounting and valuation in not a…
22 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has again taken to the airwaves to deliver a personal appeal to the people of strife-riven Central African Republic (CAR) to lay down their weapons, come together, and end the spiralling bloodshed and inter-communal violence that has plagued the country for months on end. “You are not alone. Many countries are working for peace,” the Secretary-General says in a video and audio message, informing the war-weary people of the Car that he has appealed to the international community to do much more: to provide more troops and police to protect people;…
21 February 2014 – The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today expressed concern after a political rally in South Kivu turned violent, leaving dozens of people injured, including several who have detailed their stories to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. “Such events appeal to everyone’s conscience,” said Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN mission, known by the French acronym MONUSCO. “I wish to remind the shared responsibility of political actors as well as administrative and security officials,” he added. “Preserving peace and security for all…
21 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Representative in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, joined members of the Security Council in strong condemnation of the attack against the compound of the President of Somalia in the capital, Mogadishu, and urged the authorities and people to fight against extremism. In a statement from his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban paid tribute to the Somali National Forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for their “efficient and professional response” in repelling the attackers from the palace, known as Villa Somalia. The UN chief also reached out…
21 February 2014 – A new United Nations report released today outlines the human rights abuses committed by both sides in the conflict that erupted in South sudan at the end of last year, including rapes, mass killings and torture, and warned that civilians in the world’s youngest nation are continuing to be targeted. “It is clear that civilians bore the brunt of much of the fighting and that gross violations of human rights were committed,” states the interim report prepared by the UN Mission in South sudan (UNMISS) for the Security Council. The report provides an initial account of…
21 February 2014 – Almost 20,000 people from the Central African Republic (CAR) have crossed into Cameroon since the beginning of February to escape the ongoing violence in their homeland, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. This is up from 4,764 Car refugees in the first week of this month, and it brings to 35,142 the total number of Car refugees who have fled to Cameroon since March 2013, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The conflict in CAR erupted when mainly Muslim Séléka rebels launched attacks in December 2012 and has taken on increasingly sectarian…
22 February 2014 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously approved a resolution to boost humanitarian aid access in Syria, a move Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said can ease some civilian suffering, if it is implemented quickly and in good faith. Through Resolution 2139 (2014), the Council demanded “that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders”. The 15-member Council also called for an immediate end to all forms of violence in the country and strongly condemned the…
21 February 2014 – The United Nations human rights office today urged the Iranian Government to immediately halt executions, after voicing deep concern about reports that 80, and possibly up to 95, people have been put to death in the country since the beginning of this year. “We regret that the new Government has not changed its approach to the death penalty and continues to impose capital punishment for a wide range of offences,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva. “We urge the Government to immediately halt executions…
21 February 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency is urging countries to offer increased resettlement or other forms of admission, including scholarships, for an additional 100,000 Syrian refugees in 2015 and 2016. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had earlier called on States to provide such solutions for 30,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees by the end of 2014. To date, 20 countries have offered more than 18,800 places towards this goal. The agency remains confident that the 30,000 goal will be met by the end of the year through a significant number of submissions to the…