27 March 2014 – The crisis in Iraq’s Anbar province, where three months of fighting has displaced over 66,000 families, poses the most serious challenge to the Government’s efforts to maintain the stability and security needed to build a democratic State, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today. Nickolay Mladenov, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said in his briefing to the 15-member body that since the crisis began in late December, the Council of Representatives has witnessed boycotts by three of its largest blocs. This has resulted in the…
Author: UN News
26 March 2014 – The United Nations Security Council condemned the recent attack in Hadramawt, Yemen, in which 20 soldiers were killed, reaffirming that all acts of terrorism are criminal, and urging all UN Member States to cooperate fully with Yemeni authorities so that those responsible can be brought to Justice. “The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims and expressed their sympathy to all those injured in this heinous act, and to the people and Government of Yemen,” said Sylvie Lucas, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, which holds the Council’s presidency for the…
26 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of one of the five Iranian border guards who were abducted last month by a militant group and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Mr. Ban, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, sent his condolences to the family of the slain guard. “He expresses his solidarity with the Government and people of Iran, who are confronted with this appalling act amid the annual Nowruz celebrations held to commemorate in peace the start of a new year,” the spokesperson added. “He calls for the perpetrators to…
25 March 2014 – The international community has a duty to help end Syria’s tragic civil war, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized today at a meeting of Arab leaders in Kuwait, where he stressed that there is no military resolution to the conflict, which “can only be resolved through a political solution.” Mr. Ban, in a wide-ranging speech delivered by Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Special representative of the UN and the League of Arab States to the 25th Ordinary session of the League, thanked those countries hosting more than 2.5 million refugees for bearing the heavy cost of the deteriorating…
26 March 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saw first-hand the impacts of climate change during a visit today to Greenland, where the melting of ice sheets is accelerating. “I am just overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of this great land, with over 2 million square kilometres of ice cap and with such vast land covered with snow and ice – this is majestic,” Mr. Ban said at a joint press encounter with the Premier of Greenland, Aleqa Hammond, and the Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. “At the same time, I am deeply alarmed by fast-moving glaciers and by the…
25 March 2014 – The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today expressed concern at Turkey’s recent decision to block access to the social media platform Twitter, noting that it is – along with any decision to curb freedom of expression online – in contradiction with the country’s international human rights commitments. “As we stated on 14 February, we are concerned that legislative amendments adopted by the Turkish Parliament in the form of law no. 6518 allow Turkey’s telecommunications authority (Telecommunications Communication Directorate) to block websites without first seeking a court order,” stated OHCHR Spokesperson…
25 March 2014 – The United Nations has condemned today’s deadly attack on an office of the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul which comes less than two weeks before the holding of presidential and provincial council polls. “The IEC and its civilian workers are conducting a public service so that Afghans can vote. It is reprehensible that they have been deliberately targeted,” Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement. Civilians are said to be among those killed in today’s incident, for which the Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility. According to media reports,…
24 March 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today paid tribute to journalist Sardar Ahmad, one of several people killed during last week’s attack on the Serena Hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Mr. Ahmad, a senior reporter for Agence France Presse, died along with his wife and two of their three children when gunmen stormed the hotel during the Nowruz celebrations on Thursday. Nine people in total lost their lives. “I am deeply saddened by the news of this vicious attack and my heartfelt condolences go out to the families of…
21 March 2014 – The United Nations has strongly condemned last night’s deadly attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul that has reportedly left nine civilians dead and several more wounded – the latest violence to strike Afghanistan ahead of next month’s elections. Afghan women and children, as well as several foreign nationals, were among those slain in the attack on the hotel, for which the Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility. Yesterday’s attack combined with a suicide bombing of a market in Faryab province and an attack on a police station in the eastern city of Jalalabad bring to over…
25 March 2014 – With the humanitarian situation in sudan deteriorating and neighbouring South sudan “imploding,” United Nations relief officials today appealed to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries, both of which are in desperate need of assistance. John Ging, Operations Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), cited an urgent need to mobilize funding for the crisis in Sudan, where some 6.1 million people currently need assistance – a 40 per cent increase over this time last year. Malnutrition and food insecurity are escalating at an “alarming” rate, with some…