27 December 2013 – Amid reports of bodies found on the streets of the Central African Republic (CAR) capital of Bangui, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is again appealing for an end to the inter-communal violence between Christians and Muslims, calling the continued fighting “appalling.” In a statement from his spokesperson late Thursday, Mr. Ban also paid homage to six peacekeepers from the African-led International Support Mission (MISCA) killed the day before. The UN Security Council authorized the force earlier this month to quell the spiralling violence. “He calls on all parties and citizens to cooperate with the African Union and French…
Author: UN News
26 December 2013 – As efforts intensify to bring the Syrian sides to a negotiating table in Switzerland, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his grave concern about the continued and indiscriminate use of heavy weapons and mortar shelling in the ongoing conflict, most recently in hard-hit Aleppo which has been the site of a “barrel bomb” campaign by Government forces. “Further escalation of violence will only serve the agendas of those who see military means as the only way forward, at the expense of the Syrian people who have suffered enough already,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a…
26 December 2013 – The United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees today condemned Israel’s latest demolitions in the West Bank which have displaced 68 people, including 32 children, in the depths of winter, saying it is violating international law and calling on it to abide by its obligations. “Because of these demolitions, which violate international law, these historically self-sufficient communities have been forced to endure the pitiless seasonal weather in inadequate housing, entirely dependent on international assistance,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said of the demolitions which took place on Christmas…
26 December 2013 – Independent United Nations human rights experts today voiced serious concern about recent lethal drone airstrikes, allegedly conducted by United States forces in Yemen, and stressed the need for accountability as a result of their use. According to local security officials, 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 injured when two separate wedding processions were hit on 12 December in Al-Baida Governorate. According to officials cited by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the victims had been mistakenly identified as members of Al-Qaida. “If armed drones are to be used, States must…
24 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern about the escalating violence in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and called for maximum restraint by all parties to prevent further bloodshed. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban condemned the killing of an Israeli civilian today as a result of cross-border fire from Gaza, and the bus bombing near Tel Aviv on Sunday. He also deplored the death of a young child in Gaza from Israeli retaliatory raids today as well as a number of Palestinian civilian casualties since Friday. “The Secretary-General rejects all actions targeting…
24 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his envoy for Yemen have welcomed an agreement, reached yesterday through the country’s ongoing National Dialogue Conference, on the structure of the State and the status of the southern region, which has experienced separatist movements. “The agreement paves the way for establishing a new unified state, on the basis of federalism and democracy, which upholds human rights, the rule of law, and equal citizenship through the creation of a new State structure and social contract,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said today in a statement. The agreement, according to the spokesperson, provides for the…
23 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that preparations for the long-awaited international conference aimed at achieving a political solution to the crisis in Syria are moving ahead, and stressed that negotiations are the only way to end the ongoing bloodshed. “We expect the Syrian Government and opposition to focus hard in the coming days on making their delegations as strong and representative as possible,” Mr. Ban told a news conference at UN Headquarters in New York. “Negotiations will be difficult, but without them, there is only bloodshed and despair on the horizon. I count on those with…
26 December 2013 – The United Nations has voiced “extreme concern” that recent violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) will cause a sharp increase in children suffering severe malnutrition, putting an already vulnerable population at further risk. Before violence erupted earlier this month in the capital, Bangui, almost 1,000 children were being treated for severe acute malnutrition there. Now, only eight out of 15 nutrition centres in the city are operating, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Roughly half of the children have now resumed treatment, which in itself is remarkable, considering the current situation, with children and…
26 December 2013 – United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday helped the national armed forces retake control over a town following an attack by a Ugandan rebel group that left dozens dead and displaced many more. In the early hours of Wednesday, the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu) attacked positions of the DRC national armed forces (FARDC) in the town of Kamango. The rebels captured the location after brief clashes, resulting in the killing of innocent people and massive displacement of civilian populations towards the Ugandan border, according to…
20 December 2013 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today called on the Government of Belize to adopt a comprehensive programme to protect and assist victims of trafficking and to ensure that the perpetrators of this scourge are punished. According to a news release issued by the UN human rights office (OHCHR), Belize is a country of destination, transit and, to a limited degree, of origin, where human trafficking disproportionately affects women who are mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation – particularly women from the neighbouring countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Wrapping up her official visit to…
26 December 2013 – The United Nations hopes to have peacekeeping reinforcements on the ground in strife-torn South Sudan within the next 48 hours, including both troops and critical assets such as helicopters, as it seeks to protect civilians in a conflict that is already estimated to have claimed well over 1,000 lives, the top UN official in the country said today. The UN is trying to put an “end to this nightmare and give peace a chance,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Hilde Johnson told a video news conference from Juba, South Sudan’s capital, noting that over 50,000 civilians…
20 December 2013 – Brazilian authorities need to give further priority to the poorest and most marginalized, to ensure that inequalities in the country are progressively eliminated and all receive access to sanitation and water, an independent United Nations human rights expert today urged. Wrapping up her first official mission to Brazil, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, said that Brazil was a “country of contrasts.” “I was shocked by the misery I saw and by the lack of access to sanitation and water by significant portions of the…
26 December 2013 – The United Nations human rights office today urged the Government of Thailand to drop criminal defamation charges against two journalists who wrote about the alleged involvement of the Thai Navy with human trafficking. “Criminal prosecution for defamation has a chilling effect on freedom of the press,” said Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “International standards are clear that imprisonment is never an appropriate penalty for defamation.” Editor Alan Morison and reporter Chutima Sidasathian, who write for Phuketwan, a small English-language newspaper based on one of the Thai…
26 December 2013 – An independent United Nations expert today urged the Somali Government to finalize and carry out a human rights roadmap endorsed by the cabinet in August. Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia Shamsul Bari said in a news release that the roadmap defines the Government’s responsibilities and sets goals to be achieved in a short period of time. “Finalizing it would demonstrate a sincere commitment by Government to rebuild the foundation and structures of human rights in Somalia,” he stated. Mr. Bari called on the country’s new Prime Minister, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, and…
25 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the deadly terrorist attack that took place on Tuesday on the police headquarters in Mansoura, Egypt, while also voicing concern at the deteriorating human rights and political climate in the country. The attack in Mansoura reportedly killed at least 15 people and wounded others. In a statement issued last night by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban stressed that no cause can justify such acts of terrorism and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. “The Secretary-General is also troubled by the deteriorating human rights situation and political climate,” the spokesperson…
25 December 2013 – In an appeal broadcast in South Sudan on Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his call on its leaders to settle their differences peacefully and pledged to help end the violence that has wracked the world’s youngest nation over the past 10 days. “I want to assure you that the United Nations stands with the people of South Sudan at this difficult time,” Mr. Ban said in his radio/video message. Escalating violence has led to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of at least 90,000 people in the country, which gained its independence two years ago after…
24 December 2013 – Two United Nations human rights experts today criticized the British Government’s decision to replace an independent judge-led inquiry into the United Kingdom’s involvement in torture and abuses of people detained overseas in counter-terrorism operations with a parliamentary inquiry. While welcoming publication of parts of the interim UK report by Sir Peter Gibson investigating British involvement in so-called extraordinary rendition operations by the United States in which suspects were interrogated in third countries, the experts voiced concern that the proposed official inquiry is to be entrusted to the Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). “The UK has,…
24 December 2013 – Despite remarkable strides in improving women’s lives, China is insufficiently implementing relevant laws against discrimination and more needs to be done to ensure their full participation in the economy and politics as well as equality in wages and recruitment, according to a United Nations working group. “A framework of law and policy has been put into place to eliminate discrimination against women,” Frances Raday, Chairperson of the UN Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice, said at the end of the Group’s first visit to the country. “But there remain persistent discriminatory…
23 December 2013 – A United Nations human rights body voiced grave concern today after a court in Russia ordered a non-governmental organization (NGO) that had provided the panel with information to register as a “foreign agent.” A court in St. Petersburg ruled earlier this month that the Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial was engaged in political activity and was therefore in breach of legislation which stipulates that politically active non-profit groups must register as “foreign agents” if they receive money from abroad. The UN Committee against Torture said in a news release it was disturbed that prosecutors, as part of their…
23 December 2013 – Thirty-six Asia-Pacific nations unanimously adopted a landmark declaration at a United Nations forum of ministers in Thailand, outlining the road map towards a regional economic community. The move, called an “historic and defining moment” in the history of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) by its head, brings partners closer to ensure that “this will truly be the Asia-Pacific century.” The ‘Bangkok Declaration on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific’ was adopted by top Government leaders, ministers and senior officials at a meeting organized by ESCAP…