18 March 2015 – Nigeria has made “noteworthy” progress in the preparations for the upcoming elections, the top United Nations political official said today, as he wrapped up a visit to the country, whose citizens will head to the polls beginning on 28 March. Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Abuja, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman lauded the efforts of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards and the testing of card readers, despite a tight schedule and logistical challenges. “We believe that that these efforts should help to build confidence…
Author: UN News
The Bardo Museum in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, undergoing restoration and renovation in June 2010. Photo: World Bank/Dana Smillie 18 March 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned in the strongest terms today’s attack against the Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital and deplored the loss of life. “He conveys his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this deplorable act,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. According to media reports, 19 people, including 17 foreign tourists, have been killed in the gun attack on the museum, located in central Tunis. Mr. Ban expressed his solidarity with…
14 March 2015 – As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, it is shameful that even the basic demand for full humanitarian access has not been met, Oscar-winning actress and United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) Special Envoy, Angelina Jolie said today. “It is deeply alarming that the international response so clearly falls short of what is needed to end the conflict in Syria,” Ms. Jolie emphasised in a statement. According to the UN, over 220,000 Syrians have been killed, and almost half of the country’s men, women and children have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict…
13 March 2015 – The United Nations mission in Haiti welcomed today the formal proposal of a calendar for elections that have been delayed since 2011 and are scheduled to take place this year and looked forward to its prompt publication. The mission, known as MINUSTAH, commended the Electoral Council for its extensive and all-inclusive consultations with political actors and its transparent approach. “These elections are of fundamental importance for Haiti and include all local and municipal seats that have been delayed since 2011,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York. The UN and Haiti’s international partners are…
13 March 2015 – Meetings in Morocco arranged by the United Nations that brought together participants in the Libyan political dialogue have concluded today, having covered substantive and procedural issues on the way forward. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has proposed resuming the political dialogue next Thursday, 19 March, in Morocco, with the time between to allow for more consultations and further work on the draft documents that were presented in the earlier discussions. “This is a dialogue, whose purpose is to reach a solution and to reach a solution because Libya cannot wait anymore,” the Special Representative…
12 March 2015 – The effects of Ebola, which has infected nearly 24,000 people and killed nearly 10,000, mainly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, extend beyond the people who suffer from the virus and even beyond the borders of the worst-affected countries, says a new United Nations report released today. Even in West African nations that experienced low or zero incidence of Ebola, the effects of the outbreak have been powerful because of the strong ties between the countries of the region, according to the report, which was produced by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). “The consequences of Ebola…
11 March 2015 – Wrapping up a three-day visit to Syria, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations agency mandated to assist Palestinian refugees across the Middle East requested more support for work being carried out across the country, stressing that in Yarmouk “safe, uninterrupted, substantial humanitarian distributions must become the norm.” As well as advocating for expanded humanitarian access, Pierre Krähenbühl, who heads the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), used the visit to stress solidarity with Palestine refugees and the Agency’s staff, who have endured extreme suffering during four years of conflict.…
11 March 2015 – Several Libyan political parties and personalities concluded a two-day meeting today in Algiers, during which United Nations envoy Bernardino León reiterated the resolve of the world body to continue the dialogue until it reaches positive outcomes. Participants were briefed by Mr. León, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), who provided an overview of the progress and the challenges facing the Libyan political dialogue process. Mr. Leon noted the wide support among the different Libyan stakeholders and the public, together with neighbouring States and the international community at large.…
11 March 2015 – The United Nations human rights chief today urged the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to ensure justice for victims of serious human rights abuses that occurred prior to and during the 2011 conflict in the country. The call by High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein comes in the wake of the guilty verdicts against numerous supporters of former President Laurent Gbagbo charged with offences against the state and its institutions. “Victims of gross human rights violations, some of which may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, have yet to see justice almost four…
10 March 2015 – Condemning the “reprehensible” attacks on civilians and United Nations peacekeepers and facilities in Mali, UN independent expert Suliman Baldo today expressed deep concern that massive violations of the most basic rights continue to plague populations in areas affected by fighting. In a press release at the end of is his fourth visit to the country – from 1 to 10 March and including stops in Gao and Kidal – Mr. Baldo, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, noted the fragility of the cessation of hostility agreement signed in Algiers on February 19,…
9 March 2015 – Libyan stakeholders must seize the momentum generated by the on-going political dialogue and bring an end to the country’s instability and insecurity, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said today amid continuing fighting in the North African nation. In a statement released earlier this afternoon, UNSMIL confirmed that Libyan parties involved in the UN-facilitated process had concluded the latest round of three-day talks in Skhirat, Morocco, on 7 March in an effort to address the formation of a government of national unity. At the same time, noted the Mission, efforts to depart from the…
8 March 2015 – The United Nations today condemned in the strongest terms the attack in mali that killed two Malian children and a Chadian peacekeeper with the UN Mission in the country (MINUSMA) and injured 11 peacekeepers and three civilians. Both the Secretary-General and the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, as well as to the Governments and people of mali and Chad, and to MINUSMA. “The killing of UN peacekeepers and civilian Malians is intolerable and a breach of international humanitarian law,” said a statement released by the…
7 March 2015 – and bulldozing of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation also stated her outrage at the latest attack. “The destruction of Hatra marks a turning point in the appalling strategy of cultural cleansing underway in Iraq,” said Irina Bokova in a statement released jointly with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Director General, Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri. “With this latest act of barbarism against Hatra, Daesh [ISIL] shows the contempt in which it holds the history and heritage of Arab people, which had been…
7 March 2015 – The Secretary-General has strongly condemned the deadly attack that took place today in Bamako, Mali, which resulted in the deaths of five civilians and many injuries. Among the dead were two international experts working for the United Nations, Mr. Ban said in a statement released this evening and Mr. Ban joined members of the Security Council in expressing their deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous act and to the Governments of Mali, Belgium, and France. Both Mr. Ban and the Security Council called on the Government of mali to swiftly investigate…
7 March 2015 – The United Nations Security Council has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that took place today in Bamako, Mali, which killed five civilians and caused many injuries. Among the dead were personnel of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in mali (MINUSMA) and the European Union and members of the Council expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous act and to the Governments of Mali, Belgium, and France. Members called on the Government of mali “to swiftly investigate this attack…
4 March 2015 – In eradicating sexual violence related to Colombia’s internal armed conflict, the main challenge now is translating resolve into tangible solutions in communities where the crime continues to occur, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence said at the conclusion of her trip to the Latin American country. “There is a direct correlation between poverty, access to justice, and sexual violence,” Zainab Hawa Bangura said in a statement issued yesterday, emphasizing the need to protect poor and uneducated women and girls who are especially vulnerable. She summarized initiatives undertaken to address conflict-related sexual violence…
6 March 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed profound disappointment after the unsuccessful conclusion of peace talks in South sudan and the failure of President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar to display statesmanship and reach a power-sharing deal. The security situation in the world’s youngest country has deteriorated steadily over the past year since political in-fighting between the two leaders erupted in December 2013. The hostilities subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict that has sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to bases around the country managed by the UN Missions (UNMISS). Peace talks were being conducted under…
5 March 2015 – Having determined that the situation in Libya remains a threat to international peace and security and acting under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council adopted unanimously today a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The Council agreed that the Mission will remain under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and will remain in full accordance with the principles of Libyan national ownership. Under paragraph 6 of Council resolution 2144 (2014) the Mission’s mandate is to support Libyan Government efforts to ensure the transition to…
5 March 2015 – The living conditions of nearly 2 million Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip have been undermined by the enduring blockade against the enclave, the United Nations humanitarian office reported today. The longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza have led to steadily deteriorating living standards for Gaza’s 1.8 million people since the imposition of the Israeli blockade in June 2007. “These restrictions have reduced access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupted family life, and undermined the people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future,” the UN Office for the…
5 March 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that it will begin conducting Ebola vaccination trials in Guinea this week, which if found effective, could be the “game-changer to finally end the epidemic” that has affected nearly 24,000 people, mostly in West Africa. “We have worked hard to reach this point,” WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, said in Geneva. “There has been massive mobilization on the part of the affected countries and all partners to accelerate the development and availability of proven interventions,” she continued. “If a vaccine is found effective, it will be the first preventive…