16 January 2014 – Joint police and military patrols and the use of metal detectors are among the security steps being taken by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to protect some 65,000 displaced civilians seeking refuge on its bases and in the surrounding community. “An array of security measures have been put in place,” the Mission today confirmed in a news release. It noted that UN Police Commissioner Fred Yiga is meeting regularly with South Sudan’s Police Inspector General and with the Central Equatoria Police Commissioner to address all security concerns. Weapon searches are being undertaken…
Author: UN News
15 January 2014 – Twenty years after the Rwanda genocide, where “the consequences of failing to heed the warning signs were monumentally horrifying,” the world must respond early to the risk of mass atrocities amid mounting religious and ethnic polarization and demonization, a United Nations special event warned today. “We must never forget the collective failure to prevent the Rwandan genocide,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told participants at UN Headquarters in New York. “Repeating the phrase ‘never again’ is in itself a sign of continued failure.” The event, formally called “Understanding early warning of mass atrocities twenty years after the…
15 January 2014 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke out about a new anti-homosexuality law in Nigeria, saying he feared it may fuel prejudice and violence, as he voiced the strong hope that the constitutionality of the legislation can be reviewed. The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, signed into law earlier this month, introduces a wide range of offences, including 14-year jail terms for same-sex couples who live together or attempt to solemnize their union with a ceremony. The law has already drawn strong opposition from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, the Joint UN Programme on…
15 January 2014 – The United Nations human rights chief today urged African leaders attending a high-level meeting in Angola on the strife-torn Great Lakes Region to ensure that persons suspected of serious human rights violations do not continue to jump borders to escape justice. The meeting represents “an unprecedented opportunity for member States to advance the fight against impunity in this violence-stricken region,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said of the Fifth Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). Noting that the goal of the Summit…
15 January 2014 – As the conflict escalates in South Sudan, where fighting has now driven more than 400,000 people from their homes and left twice as many in dire need of aid, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned anti- and pro-Government forces for stealing food and vehicles used by the humanitarian community, reiterating that the United Nations will continue to actively protect civilians applying strict impartiality. In a statement issued last night, his spokesperson said Mr. Ban is “alarmed by the rising number of fatalities resulting from the continuing fighting in South Sudan”. He also noted reports received on…
14 January 2014 – The United Nations in South Sudan is assisting hundreds of students to complete their primary education this week by sitting for final exams that were disrupted when fighting broke out between anti- and pro-Government forces. More than 400 people, ranging in age from 14 years up, have begun taking their Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) at the UN compound in the capital Juba. The week-long exams, scheduled for 16 December last year, started yesterday. UN and partner organizations have been working in support of community elders and teachers to prepare the students to take those exams,…
14 January 2014 – With Egyptians casting their votes in a referendum on a new constitution, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on them to express their differences without violence and ensure that the next phase of their country’s transition is carried out peacefully. Mr. Ban “stresses the importance of respect for freedom of assembly and expression, as well as commitment to non-violence,” his spokesperson said in a statement. “The Secretary-General encourages all Egyptians to ensure that the next phase of the transition is conducted in an inclusive, peaceful, and transparent manner.” Egypt has been undergoing a democratic transition since the…
14 January 2014 – The United Nations today reported a new rebel attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the region continues to suffer from deadly violence even after the defeat of a major dissident group, the M23, over a month ago. In the latest violence, Mayi Mayi Sheka fighters attacked Pinga, in North Kivu province, but left after a 30-minute gun fight with the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC (MONUSCO) reported. Around 1,000 civilians sought refuge during the confrontation near the UN Mission’s base in Pinga, but only 90…
13 January 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today denounced the murder of television journalist Zakir Ali in Pakistan’s Sindh province and urged the authorities to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. “It is important that no effort be spared in seeking out those responsible for this crime. Attacks on journalists and media workers represent a serious attack on citizens’ right to be kept informed,” said Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “Press freedom and freedom of expression hinge on journalists’ ability to…
12 January 2014 – United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos sounded the alarm today on behalf of more than 9 million desperate Syrians – particularly people trapped in areas cut off from aid by months of fighting between Government and rebel forces – and called on the world to also do more for those that have been displaced by violence or otherwise impacted by the ongoing crisis. Ms. Amos issued her call to action, spotlighting the dire humanitarian situation affecting 9.3 million Syrians, as she wrapped up a visit to the war-torn country’s capital, Damascus, today. The top UN…
11 January 2014 – Saddened by the death of Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the late statesman’s political courage and determination, and urged the country to build on Mr. Sharon’s legacy of pragmatism to press ahead with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban offered his condolences to the late leader’s bereaved family and to the Government and people of Israel. Mr. Sharon, 85, became incapacitated by a severe stroke in 2006. He passed away earlier today at a hospital near Tel…
12 January 2014 – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said today that as it continues to gain access to besieged areas, the number of people killed in the current round of fighting in the world’s youngest country “must be much higher” than the 1,000 figure given earlier in the conflict, which erupted nearly a month ago and continues to grind on. In a news release from Juba, UNMISS notes fresh media reports, including in the New York Times, estimating that up to 10,000 people may have been killed since the conflict started on 15 December 2013, after…
11 January 2014 – Following the resignation of the Central African Republic’s two interim leaders, the top United Nations official in the crisis-riven country called for calm today, urging the authorities to mobilze around the speedy election of new transitional leadership. In a statement issued by his office in Bagui, Babacar Gaye, Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office for the Central African Republic (BINUCA), took note of the resignation yesterday of President Michel Djotodia and Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye. “He calls on members of the National Transitional Council (CNT) to mobilize around the urgent election of…
10 January 2014 – Strongly deploring recent clashes in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq’s Anbar province, the United Nations Security Council today condemned the attacks being carried out by Al-Qaida-linked militants and recognized the “great courage” shown by the Iraqi security forces and local leaders to counter the threat posed by the terrorist group. In a statement read out during a formal meeting by Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Permanent Representative of Jordan, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency for the month, the 15-nation body deplored the recent surge in violence in Anbar province, where, for the…
10 January 2014 – With the Security Council renewing its call on all parties in strife-torn South Sudan to end the violence, protect civilians and ease access for relief workers, the wider United Nations organization today continued its efforts help alleviate the “extremely volatile” situation by moving to reinforce peacekeepers and scale up its humanitarian response. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he would dispatch Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, to the country this weekend to look into cases of rights violations believed to have been committed by both sides in the conflict which has displaced more than 230,000…
10 January 2014 – The United Nations refugee agency today warned that Israel could be breaking international law by limiting the rights of asylum-seekers with a new amendment to the country’s anti-infiltration law. Of particular concern to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a provision in the new Amendment requiring asylum-seekers to reside in a so-called open residence facility. “Since the facility was housing people who cannot be returned to their countries of origin for reasons of non-refoulement, the organization is concerned that this facility could, in effect, result in indefinite detention, with no release grounds,” UNHCR spokesperson…
9 January 2014 – With the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria “getting more difficult every day”, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is urging the international community to continue supporting the wide-scale relief effort underway, and calling for increased access so aid workers can deliver basic supplies to families trapped in areas of heavy fighting. Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director, wrapped up a visit to Syria today after high-level talks with Government officials. She said that as the three-year conflict grinds on, the humanitarian situatioIt is essential that the international community continues to support the provision…
10 January 2014 – A United Nations-led campaign against the tsetse fly, which transmits a disease that devastates livestock, in the Niayes area near Senegal’s capital, Dakar, has made giant strides towards eradicating the pest’s population. Through broad cooperation between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the project is taking a leading role via using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a method of pest control using area-wide mass releases of sterile insects to reduce reproduction in a field population of the same species, to tackle the tsetse fly and reduce disease, according…
8 January 2014 – Despite a delay in eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons material, the United Nations Security Council expects that there will be no delay beyond the end-of-June deadline for the total removal of all such materials, the head of the group charged with the effort said after briefing the 15-member body today. The removal of the most critical material for destruction only began yesterday, a week after the deadline for its completion set by an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States under which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of…
10 January 2014 – Facing worsening refugee crises in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, the United Nations today appealed for $99 million in additional funding to aid 1.3 million people for the next 100 days, less than three weeks after launching an initial $360-million appeal. “In the situations of both South Sudan and CAR, we are extremely concerned about the safety of refugees and displaced people, particularly with access being affected by the fighting and insecurity,” UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva. “Today’s appeals reflect the worsening situations in both…