31 March 2015 – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has today welcomed the ceasefire and the withdrawal of forces from the Sidra Oil Crescent area, a move which follows weeks of mediation efforts between parties. The talks took place between the Sunrise (Alshuruq) Operation and the Oil Installation Guard forces, “relying on the goodwill of the parties to end the conflict,” said a statement from UNSMIL today. “The Mission considers the withdrawal a significant first step in ending the fighting in the Oil Crescent area,” the note said, further inviting parties to a meeting soon to continue…
Author: UN News
30 March 2015 – As the Security Council met this morning to discuss threats to international peace and security caused by terrorism, top United Nations officials briefed the 15-member body on the impact of Boko Haram in Nigeria and beyond, warning of the group’s intensified violence and brutality. “Though weakened, the group continues to commit horrendous acts against civilians, including against women and children,” said Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA). “Boko Haram’s recent allegiance to the Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), whether for…
30 March 2015 – The crisis in Syria is getting much worse, characterized by shocking “levels of savagery,” the top United Nations relief official has warned, urging countries to pledge as generously as possible ahead of the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference kicking off tomorrow in Kuwait City. “While we are managing to get more aid in through cross-border operations, we are seeing a closing down of our ability to get aid across conflict lines inside Syria. The situation is very grave,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valery Amos said in an interview with UN Radio. As the Syrian conflict enters…
29 March 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Nabil El-Araby Secretary General of the League of Arab States pledged today continued cooperation between the two organizations and discussed strengthening international efforts on a range of issues as the League’s Summit continued in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. According to a readout of a meeting between the two leaders, the Secretaries-General reviewed the continued cooperation between the United Nations and League of Arab States and exchanged views on strengthening international efforts against counter-terrorism, and on Syria, Iraq, the Middle East Peace Process, Yemen and Libya. Mr. Ban and Mr. El-Araby agreed…
29 March 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people and Government of Nigeria on the largely peaceful and orderly conduct of yesterday’s presidential and parliamentary elections. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban condemnedthe attacks reportedly carried out by Boko Haram and others who attempted to disrupt the polling. “He is encouraged by the determination and resilience shown by the Nigerian people in pressing forward and exercising their civic duties in the face of unjustifiable violence.” The Secretary-General’s statement goes on to encourages all Nigerians to continue to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to…
28 March 2015 – The top United Nations official in Somalia has strongly condemned yesterday’s terrorist attack on a hotel in Mogadishu city that resulted in the death of many civilians, including the Somali Federal Government’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Ambassador Yusuf Bari-Bari. “I condemn yesterday’s terrorist attack in Mogadishu in the strongest terms and am appalled by the complete disregard for the lives of innocent civilians shown by the attackers,” said Nicholas Kay, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Mr. Kay went on to say that…
24 March 2015 – The issue of poverty continues to remain “under the radar” for many Chilean policy-makers despite the country’s impressive array of anti-poverty programmes, an independent United Nations human rights expert has warned. The Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, extolled the South American country as a model for the region in terms of “its commitment to human rights, its high economic growth rates, and it sustained social policy innovations.” But, he added in a news release, the country nevertheless continued to tolerate “very high levels” of poverty and inequality for a State belonging…
27 March 2015 – On the eve of presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Nigerians to exercise their civic responsibility by going to the polls to vote in large numbers. In a statement released by his spokesperson’s office, the UN chief commended progress made by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission in the preparation for the elections. “The Secretary-General welcomes the joint statement signed under the auspices of the National Peace Committee and issued yesterday by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, in which they renewed their pledge for peaceful…
25 March 2015 – The first case of Ebola in three weeks was found in Liberia, prompting heightened vigilance, while the United Nations health agency noted some improvements in Guinea, where the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Guinean Scouts held campfire sensitization sessions as part of its efforts to overcome community resistance to health interventions. “Investigations into the origin of the newly reported case in Liberia are ongoing,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update. “Heightened vigilance is being maintained throughout the country” along with efforts to reinforce surveillance networks and cross-border controls. The one new…
24 March 2015 – The United Nations Security Council has voiced its “profound disappointment” at the failure of all parties in South sudan to conclude an agreement that would bring the country closer to resolving its ongoing conflict and usher in a period of national unity and peace. In a presidential statement, the 15-member body underscored “the seriousness and urgency” of the situation on the ground in South sudan and reiterated its “strong condemnation” of the repeated violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, accepted and signed by both the Government and opposition forces last year. Moreover, the Council reiterated…
24 March 2015 – The United Nations refugee chief António Guterres began a two-day visit to Cameroon today to see the impact of the displacement crises in neighbouring Nigeria and Central African Republic (CAR), which have sent over hundreds of thousands fleeing for safety. “The High Commissioner will discuss both humanitarian crises with President Paul Biya and thank the Cameroonian Government and people for their generous open door policy and hospitality towards refugees,” Karin de Gruijl, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva. “They will also discuss the support that is needed to…
23 March 2015 – At the end of a four-day visit to Ebola-affected communities in Liberia, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador and actor Orlando Bloom praised the efforts of people there who have been combatting the deadly virus. “Everyone I met was determined to beat Ebola so that they can resume their normal lives,” said Mr. Bloom after meeting with religious and youth leaders in the capital, Monrovia. “Communities have been at the centre of the fight against Ebola and must continue to be supported because of their crucial role in getting to zero cases.” Mr. Bloom met…
23 March 2015 – Violations of human rights “fuel and shape the conflict” in the occupied Palestinian territories, a senior United Nations official reported to the Human Rights Council today. “Human rights violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are both cause and consequence of the military occupation and ongoing violence, in a bitter cyclical process with wider implications for peace and security in the region,” said Flavia Pansieri, the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ms. Pansieri presented a total of six documents to the Council, which is meeting in Geneva, including reports by the Secretary-General and…
23 March 2015 – An ongoing decline in overall elephant numbers remains likely as the poaching of African elephants continued to exceed population growth rates throughout 2014, a new United Nations-backed report warned today. “African elephant populations continue to face an immediate threat to their survival from high-levels of poaching for their ivory, especially in Central and West Africa where the situation appears to have deteriorated,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The latest figures released by CITES’ programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants,…
22 March 2015 – Yemen stands on the brink of civil war amid deepening political tensions and an uptick in sectarian violence, United Nations Special Adviser Jamal Benomar warned today as he explained that only through dialogue could the country achieve a peaceful political transition. Briefing the Security Council via video conference in a rare Sunday session, Mr. Benomar told the UN body that Yemen was on a “rapid downward spiral” as the conflict took on “worrying sectarian tones and deepening north-south divisions.” “Emotions are running extremely high and, unless solutions can be found, the country will fall into further…
18 March 2015 – The Government of Haiti has made progress towards the holding of elections critical for the country’s stability and development, the top United Nations official in the Caribbean nation told the Security Council today. Presenting the Secretary-General’s report on the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Sandra Honoré reported that the country had made “measurable gains towards the holding of long-overdue elections” by the end of 2015, despite the lingering “uncertainty” caused by the absence of a functioning Parliament. The first-round vote has been scheduled for 9 August, setting the stage for legislative, presidential and local elections…
20 March 2015 – Negotiations between Libyan parties are entering a “decisive round” as continued fighting and the menace of terrorism cast a sense of urgency to the United Nations-facilitated talks, a senior official for the Organization said today. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino Léon, warned that fighting and airstrikes in Libya and recent terrorist attacks elsewhere in the region had sounded “another alarm” regarding the delicate nature of the country’s peace-building process. Mr. Léon was speaking in Morocco, where stakeholders resumed the political dialogue aimed at reaching an agreement…
19 March 2015 – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the highest weekly number of Ebola cases in Guinea so far this year and noted that while transmission was confined to a narrow geographically contiguous arc straddling the capitals of Guinea and Sierra Leone, the population is highly mobile, thus creating a challenge “to prevent the seeding of new outbreaks.” In the latest update on Ebola reissued today, Liberia reported no new confirmed cases for the third consecutive week and Sierra Leone had the lowest weekly total recorded since June 2014. And to date, there have been…
19 March 2015 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is unified with a “clear, shared and celebrated” identity, the top United Nations envoy there told the Security Council today, as he briefed on the latest developments in the vast African nation. “It is no longer at war, neither in transition. It is a proud nation,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO). “When [the original mission in the country] MONUC arrived, some 15 years ago, the country was socially, economically and politically shattered. When MONUC arrived, the country…
17 March 2015 – The United Nations Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, welcomed the lifting of the house arrest of the country’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and other Cabinet members as a “good gesture that may restore the missing confidence in the current political negotiations.” “This step could help normalize the security and political situation in Yemen if complemented by the implementation of the remaining demands of the Security Council, and a genuine commitment to reaching a political solution to the current crisis,” Mr. Benomar said in a statement issued yesterday in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Mr. Benomar expressed…