20 February 2014 – The United Nations agency charged with ensuring the well-being of Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East is awaiting clearance to again resume distributing aid in a camp near Damascus, where just yesterday it had been able to reach civilians in desperate need. “There was no distribution of food or humanitarian assistance today in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, which is regrettable given the desperate humanitarian plight of the civilian population there, said Christopher Gunness, spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). However, a few critically sick people were evacuated in…
Author: UN News
20 February 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that water scarcity is one of the most urgent food security issues facing countries of the Near East and North Africa, with fresh water availability in the region expected to drop by 50 per cent by 2050. FAO’s warning comes as ministers of agriculture and national officials prepare to tackle the issue at a meeting of the organization’s highest regional governing body beginning next Monday. Among the issues on the agenda for the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa is a…
19 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the top United Nations envoy for Lebanon and the Security Council have condemned today’s double bombing in the area of Bir Hassan in the southern Beirut suburbs that killed and wounded a number of people. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban extended his condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Lebanon. “The Secretary-General notes the active efforts of the Lebanese army and security forces in working to detain terrorist suspects and prevent attacks, and calls for the perpetrators of this crime to be brought…
19 February 2014 – An estimated 240,000 Syrian remain trapped in areas under siege resulting in severe hardship, suffering and deaths of civilians, in clear breach of the obligations under international human rights and humanitarian laws, the United Nations today reported. The analysis, based on information collected between April 2013 and 20 January of this year by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), focuses on ongoing sieges imposed by Syrian Government forces and pro-Government militias, as well as by armed opposition groups, in particular, in the Governorates of Rural Damascus, Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Under…
19 February 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees expressed his “outrage and shock” today, strongly condemning a bomb attack that killed 18 people, including five children, near a school the agency operates in southern Syria. “I must express my revulsion at this wanton disregard for civilian life and international law,” Filippo Grandi, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said, deploring the deadly incident, which occurred Tuesday when an explosive struck near the Zeitoun school in Muzeirib, which is 11 km north-west of Dera’a in southern Syria. According…
19 February 2014 – Concerned by the escalating violence in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, top United Nations officials have urged all sides to exercise restraint and find a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis.According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 22 people were killed during violence clashes on Tuesday between riot police and protesters. This is the latest wave of violence to hit Kiev, which has been witnessing mass protests since late November. In yesterday’s events, protesters attempted in the morning to march on Parliament ahead of a crucial debate reinstating the…
14 February 2014 – The United Nations human rights office has expressed concerns about a bill allowing Turkey’s telecommunications authority (Turkish Telecommunications Directorate) the power to block websites without having to seek a court order and to penalize Internet providers if they fail to cooperate. Briefing journalists in Geneva, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the Office is concerned that the legislation “may lead to breaches of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to privacy.” Law 6518, which contains the amendments, was adopted by…
17 February 2014 – Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new study out today based on a project led by the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO). “We must learn from farmers’ experience. Pragmatic, field-based and farmer-centric education can and must play a key role in making agriculture stronger and more sustainable,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva in a press release. The study, published today by the London-based Royal Society, was conducted…
17 February 2014 – United Nations human rights experts today urged Kenya to repeal sections of its Marriage and Property Act which effectively strip women of marital property upon divorce or death of their spouse, unless they can prove they made a contribution to the acquisition of the property during their marriage. “It is expected that very few women will be able to demonstrate such a contribution under the new provisions, since few Kenyan women have land title deeds in their own names and even less hold deeds jointly with men,” warned independent expert Frances Raday, who currently heads the…
16 February 2014 – The United Nations and its partners in the Philippines are warning today that millions of people still require urgent assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, 100 days after Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, cut a swath of devastation across the archipelago. “The authorities, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, and the Filipino people should be commended for the pace of progress that we have seen in the first 100 days. But we cannot afford to be complacent,” said Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Philippines. In a news…
14 February 2014 – David Beckham, a United Nations Children’s Fund Goodwill Ambassador, today met with children in the storm-ravaged Philippine city of Tacloban as part of the UN agency’s relief efforts in the country. The football legend said he was “humbled” to see how people “are still so full of spirit despite the devastation they have suffered.” A father of four, Mr. Beckham joked around with the children, making Valentine’s Day cards with them inside a makeshift classroom, and playing with animal puppets. He headed and kicked around a ball before posing for pictures. The two-day visit was meant…
14 February 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the two Koreas to build on the momentum generated by their agreement to hold family reunions later this month to take further steps to foster confidence and trust. “Tension between the two Koreas has been high and inter-Korean relations have remained strained for far too long,” Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson on the agreement between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to hold the reunions from February 20-25 at Mount Kumgang in the DPRK as scheduled. “As such, this…
16 February 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned today’s terrorist attack on a bus in the southern Sinai town of Taba, which reportedly killed four people and wounded many others. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban condemned the deadly attack which reportedly killed four people including three tourists from the Republic of Korea, and wounded dozens of other people. “He conveys his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Governments of Egypt and the Republic of Korea. He calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice,”…
15 February 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has called on the Sudanese Government and the sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) to reach an accord on ending nearly three years of conflict in strife-torn South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as peace talks resumed in Ethiopia late last week. In a statement to the press issued yesterday evening, the Council welcomed resumption of negotiations on February 13 between the Sudanese Government and the SPLM-N in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the auspices of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), and the parties’ reported commitment to the talks. The Council underscored…
14 February 2014 – Warning that “dark clouds of mass atrocities” are looming over the Central African Republic (CAR), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for solidarity and concerted action by the United Nations and regional organizations to help the people of the strife-torn nation. “The United Nations and its regional partners face an urgent test,” Mr. Ban said, referring to the situation in Car in his remarks to the Security Council’s meeting on cooperation between the UN and regional organizations. “The dark clouds of mass atrocities and sectarian cleansing loom over the Central African Republic,” he added. “Public lynchings, mutilations,…
14 February 2014 – Great Lakes envoy Mary Robinson is in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, calling on authorities to fulfil their commitments to achieve lasting peace, as the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC is due to visit alleged massacre sites in the restive eastern part of the vast country. Mrs. Robinson, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region has been meeting the past two days with President Joseph Kabila and other Government officials in the DRC on implementation of national commitments to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework – signed by…
15 February 2014 – Calling an end to the latest round of United Nations-backed talks in Geneva on Syria’s civil war, Lakhdar Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people on Saturday for the lack of progress on halting the bloodshed in their country, and urged Government and opposition negotiators to go back to their bases and reflect on their responsibility and “on whether they want this process to continue or not.” “I am very, very sorry, and I apologize to the Syrian people that…we haven’t helped them very much,” said Mr. Brahimi, the United Nations/Arab League Joint Special Representative, telling a…
15 February 2014 – Warning that food and basic supplies are running dangerously low for thousands of Palestinians languishing in the besieged Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, the United Nations agency assisting Palestine refugees across the Middle East called Saturday for speedy access to the men, women and children whose lives hang in the balance. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was again today unable to deliver humanitarian aid to Yarmouk, said spokesperson Chris Gunness, who explained that UNRWA has not had access to the camp since fighting broke out late at night…
15 February 2014 – The United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Saturday’s announcement of the formation of a new Government in Lebanon, and congratulated Prime Minister Tamam Salam “on this important step”. In a statement issued by his Spokesperson in New York, the UN chief encouraged Lebanon’s political leaders to build on the constructive engagement which led to the formation of the new Government to ensure that the country’s forthcoming presidential election is successfully conducted within the timeframe set by law. “The Secretary-General pays tribute to outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his leadership,” said the statement,…
14 February 2014 – The United Nations human rights office today, deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Venezuela, including the death of at least three people during protests on Wednesday, called on all parties to engage in dialogue to peacefully resolve the crisis. Thousands of people in big cities throughout Venezuela reportedly participated in protests against the detention of student demonstrators earlier in the week, as well as against rising crime rates and increasing economic hardship in the country, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Yesterday, the Public Prosecutor reported that…