UN Daily News
For updates and e-mail alerts, visit UN NEWS CENTRE at www.un.org/news UN Daily News Friday, 30 January 2015 Issue DH/6831 In the headlines: • At African Union Summit, Ban promises UN support • UN highlights power of social media in modern • UN relief agencies in Ukraine urge full access to • UN refugee agency commends Greece on asylum • African countries ‘backbone’ of UN, Ban tells • Ban voices optimism on Colombia peace as talks to build back Ebola-hit countries affected populations in country’s east Summit, says joint cooperation on all fronts vital diplomacy during day-long New York event reforms, urges more to be done scheduled to resume UN chief condemns deadly bomb attack on Shia mosque in southern Pakistan • UN appeals for funds as ongoing violence sends • Ban, Security Council condemn terrorist attacks in • After intense flooding, Malawi desperately needs • Scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict ‘far • South Sudan: UN warns surge in Sudanese • Egypt’s Sinai peninsula from being rooted out,’ Security Council told desperate Nigerians fleeing to Cameroon scale-up in international aid – UN experts refugees pushes camp capacity to limit At African Union Summit, Ban promises UN support to build back Ebola-hit countries 30 January - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today assured African leaders gathered for a summit in Addis Ababa of the support of the United Nations in helping the countries affected by Ebola “build back stronger than ever,” while the head of the UN development agency tasked with leading the Organization’s recovery efforts urged the world to stay the course in aiding hard-hit West Africa. “Ebola must be confronted as both a health crisis and a crisis that has stopped development in its tracks,” said UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark at a briefing she hosted in New York Thursday for UN Member States. “It is incumbent on us all to support the three countries make the serious development setbacks as short lived as possible.” A construction crew at work in Kankan, Guinea, as part of UNDP’s efforts to ensure early recovery from the Ebola outbreak. Photo: UNDP/Anne Kennedy Meanwhile, the Secretary-General, who had tasked UNDP with leading the initiatives of the UN system on Ebola-related recovery, addressed a roundtable on the Ebola outbreak on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit which opened today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Lauding the AU for being on the frontlines of the Ebola response, Mr. Ban told the participants that: “We are now at a critical stage. Some may even call it a turning point.” The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the number of new Ebola cases recorded last week in the three hardest-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone fell below 100 for the first time in seven months, as it announced that the battle against the deadly virus has shifted from slowing transmission to ending the epidemic. The UN chief today reminded the world that “Ebola will not be gone from any country, until is gone from every country,” For information media not an official record UN Daily News -2- 30 January 2015 and that “success in the affected countries will also mean repairing the damage caused by Ebola.” “Children need to go to school, farmers need to return to their fields, markets and businesses must reopen,” he added. Saying he was “greatly encouraged by the solidarity shown by Africa –its Governments, businesses and people,” Mr. Ban wished every success in the AU’s efforts to defeat Ebola and help the affected countries build back stronger than ever. “I assure you of the United Nations’ support,” he said. Meanwhile, the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) reported that the Director of Operations for Humanitarian Affairs, John Ging, visited Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to assess existing emergency coordination structure. There, he met with UNDP and UNMEER colleagues, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other response partners to discuss details of a potential intervention to enhance humanitarian response in the Ebola-hit countries. UNMEER also said efforts were underway to re-open schools in Liberia next week. “Preparation of school infection prevention and control kits to facilitate the safe reopening of more than 4,000 schools in Liberia began in advance of their opening scheduled for next week,” according to the Mission. UN relief agencies in Ukraine urge full access to affected populations in country’s east 30 January - The United Nations in Ukraine is alarmed over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the country, where heavy fighting has intensified in recent days, and is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow aid to reach civilians. The situation is especially precarious in Debaltseve, Horlivka, and other densely populated areas in the country’s restive east, where fighting has intensified between government forces and armed opposition groups. Even as global attention fades, the humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine is deteriorating. Photo: UNHCR According to the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, of the 300,000 original inhabitants of Debaltseve and Horlivka, some have managed to escape the violence, but many civilians remain stranded in these hard-to-reach areas. “The need for humanitarian assistance is real, it is urgent,” said UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator Neil Walker in a note from his office. Reports indicate that every day some 30 to 60 emergency cases are being referred to Horlivka hospital, where doctors are still performing some surgical operations but at reduced scale due to constant shelling, he said. “This makes it increasingly difficult to deliver essential life-saving assistance to the affected population and of course for civilians to find safety.” “Unfortunately we continue to receive credible reports indicating that military positions are dangerously close to densely populated areas and close to social premises, including hospitals, schools, orphanages, elderly homes: even one shell in these areas can cause huge damage and casualties among the civilian population,” Mr. Walker said. The Humanitarian Coordinator is urging an immediate humanitarian truce to enable civilians to leave if they want to, for humanitarians to assist to affected communities, and to allow safe evacuation of the injured and the peaceful civilian population. Indiscriminate shelling of civilians violates international humanitarian law and must stop, he emphasized. In late February 2014, the situation in Ukraine transcended what was initially seen as an internal Ukrainian political crisis into violent clashes in parts of the country, later reaching full- scale conflict in the east. Despite the Minsk cease-fire, the UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -3- 30 January 2015 situation in Ukraine has since continuously deteriorated, with serious consequences for the country's unity, territorial integrity and stability. African countries ‘backbone’ of UN, Ban tells Summit, says joint cooperation on all fronts vital 30 January - In Addis Ababa, senior UN officials pledge ongoing cooperation with Africa on all fronts vital Addressing the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the start of what he called a “crucial year for global action to secure our global future,” the United Nations Secretary-General today said he looked forward to African countries realizing their massive cultural, human and economic potential. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the 24th Summit of the African “African countries have been the backbone and leading Member States of the United Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. UN Nations since the day they achieved independence,” Mr. Ban said, noting their growth in Photo/Eskinder Debebe numbers from four States in 1945 to 54 in 2015. “In this critical year, we need Africa to help guide the way to a world of sustainability and dignity for all the people, where nobody will be left behind.” Throughout his speech, the Secretary-General stressed the centrality of Africa to the UN’s work and promised that the UN would stand with Africa as a partner and the “strongest supporter” of the continent’s efforts to achieve peace and security and all aspects of sustainable development. The President of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa (Uganda), also spotlighted the importance of the year ahead and specifically, his selection of the theme ‘Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda’ for his Presidency of the 69th Session. Having launched the negotiating process for the successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mr. Kutesa said the post-2015 agenda’ overarching objective would be poverty eradication. Adequate means of implementation – such as financing and technology development and transfer – and mobilisation of resources at the national level, through public and private channels, by attracting more foreign direct investment and by strengthening global partnerships, would be essential and he said he would convene a High-level Thematic Debate on “Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda” in New York on 9-10 February this year. The Secretary-General pointed to gains already made thanks to the MDGs and looked forward to adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, including a set of sustainable development targets, and to a meaningful, universal climate change agreement in Paris in December. “No continent has more at stake in these negotiations than Africa,” he stressed, underlining the importance of the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July. “Without resources, our commitments to sustainable development will amount to little more than fine words on paper.” Fulfilling the aspirations and wishes of the continent’s people required leaders to listen to their people. “People around the world have expressed their concern about leaders who refuse to leave office when their terms end,” he said. “I share those concerns. Undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes should never be used to cling to power.” Alongside that call, the Secretary-General highlighted the AU’s long history of supporting democratic transitions, saying that he hoped elections due to take place in African countries over the course of 2015 would be as peaceful and successful as those in Tunisia, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and others in 2014. He noted other positive developments from the previous year, including affirmation by the AU’s Human Rights Commission of the rights of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and the Cotonou Declaration on the UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -4- 30 January 2015 abolition of the death penalty in Africa. He was also pleased to welcome the AU Commission of Inquiry report on South Sudan and the final report of the Commission of Inquiry for the Central African Republic. The focus of the African Union’s “Agenda 2063” on gender equality and the empowerment of women was another positive step and he hoped for its formal adoption during the Summit. However, he called for even quicker action, urging African States to make a deep and lasting difference to the lives of women and girls by 2020. “We have much more work to do to unleash [their] tremendous potential,” emphasized the UN chief. “They need better access to secondary education, decent work and economic opportunities. They need more help to combat maternal mortality and poverty, and genital mutilation. They need more protection from the scourge of violence at the hands of men and boys.” The General Assembly President also took up the AU Summit’s “important and timely” focus on women’s empowerment and Africa’s development and said he would mark 20 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action by convening a High-level thematic debate on the subject on 5 March. The event aims “to galvanize political commitment and action towards achieving greater gender quality and women’s empowerment,” he said, citing equitable land distribution, property and inheritance rights, and access to credit and markets as critical steps for the empowerment of women. “In this new era of Africa’s progress, we must not shy away from taking bold decisions to empower women and girls,” he said. The Secretary-General pointed to the need for Africa’s development agenda to provide affordable, quality healthcare, a fact illustrated most clearly by the impact of the Ebola crisis. Having recently visited Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali, he praised the support, solidarity and generous contributions of African Governments and people to their efforts. “We are seeing clear signs of progress,” he said. “I urge the international community to commit more resources at this critical time.” Cooperation is also essential to the progress seen on the peace and security front, he said, pointing to several examples of combined operations, including the joint mission with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Burkina Faso, the partnership between the UN, the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) in Somalia, and continued collaboration between the UN and AU in Sudan and Libya. Peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Great Lakes region required joint decisive action, and it was time to redouble joint efforts towards peace and stability in South Sudan. He also welcomed the specific focus of the AU’s Peace and Security Council on the issue of Boko Haram in Nigeria. “The humanitarian consequences are enormous, with up to one million people forced from their homes,” he said. “This group continues to kill Christians and Muslims, kidnap women and children, and destroy churches and mosques. We will never forget the girls and boys kidnapped from Chibok last April, and I will never stop calling for their immediate and unconditional release.” As the UN reviewed its peace operations, including its peacekeeping missions and special political missions, he stressed that African troops remained vital to the UN’s peacekeeping capacity. In that field, as in others, cooperation with African mechanisms would again be essential and he welcomed progress on the African Standby Force and the African capacity for crisis response. Mr. Kutesa also called for strengthened cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations in Africa, pointing to the “tangible positive results” achieved so far. He said a thematic debate would be held in May on strengthening cooperation. He also took up the issue of the threat of terrorism and extremism, stating the need to address it by promoting dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News 30 January 2015 -5- “The recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Pakistan, France and elsewhere around the world are a stark reminder of the threat posed by groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda,” he said. “We need collective action to defeat them.” In addition, Mr. Kutesa said he was also prioritising reform of the Security Council to make it better reflect modern global realities. “Today, the Security Council is one of the most undemocratic organs of the United Nations,” he said. “My effort is to work towards text-based negotiations, within the Inter- Governmental process. The need for unity and cohesion of the African Group on this issue cannot be overemphasised.” The Secretary-General held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders attending the Summit, including Nkosazana DlaminiZuma Chairperson of the African Union Commission. They discussed UN-AU cooperation and committed their two organizations to deepening their strategic partnership. The Secretary-General commended Dr. Dlamini-Zuma for her leadership of the AU Commission and her continuous efforts in seeking additional resources to support the work of the AU. They exchanged views on the situations in a number of countries where the UN and AU are cooperating, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Great Lakes region, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and the Sahel. They also discussed the security threat posed by Boko Haram and the need to mobilize the international community even more on the regional response. In his other talks, the UN chief met with Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia; Aminu Wali, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria; Michel Kafondo, Transitional President of Burkina Faso; Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea; Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi, President of Tunisia; and Edgar Lungu, President of Zambia. Also on the margins of the Summit, the Secretary-General met with King Felipe VI of Spain. UN chief condemns deadly bomb attack on Shia mosque in southern Pakistan 30 January - Condemning the deadly bombing today of a Shia mosque in Sindh province in Pakistan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored this “vicious targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation,” and called on the Pakistan authorities to step up their efforts to protect religious minorities and combat terrorism. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban condemned the bombing of a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s Sindh province today, which reportedly killed at least 54 people gathered for prayer. A mosque in Pakistan. Photo: UNDP Pakistan (file) “The Secretary-General is appalled by such vicious targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation,” said the statement, in which he calls upon the authorities to redouble their efforts to protect religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan and to combat terrorism in all its forms. The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and his sympathies to the Government and people of Pakistan, the statement concludes. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -6- 30 January 2015 Ban, Security Council condemn terrorist attacks in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula 30 January - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council today condemned the terrorist attacks on towns in the northern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, which killed and injured dozens of Egyptian soldiers and people. “The Secretary-General condemns the terrorist attacks in North Sinai on 29 January, which killed dozens of people, including civilians, and injured scores of others,” said a statement issued through his spokesperson. Wide view of the Security Council Chamber. UN Photo/Loey Felipe (file) “He conveys his condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with the people of Egypt,” the statement added. According to media reports, four separate attacks on security outposts took place in North Sinai beginning Thursday evening and into the early morning hours on Friday. News agencies suggest that at least 30 people were killed. This is the second deadly attack to hit the area within the past few months. Mr. Ban and the members of the Security Council condemned the 24 October 2014 terrorist attacks against military checkpoints in Sheikh Zuweid and al-Arish in North Sinai, killing at least 31 members of the Egyptian security forces and injuring dozens more. Strongly condemning today’s terrorist attacks, the members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed. The Council, in a statement to the press, underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this terrorist attack to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Egyptian Government in this regard. Scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict ‘far from being rooted out,’ Security Council told 30 January - Despite some positive developments across the United Nations system, the task of protecting civilians has become more onerous as conflicts have become increasingly vicious, with the brutalization of women a deplorable persisting trend, a senior UN relief official said today, as she urged the Security Council to press all conflict parties to abide by their international obligations towards civilian protection. Briefing the Council’s open debate, which focused on the vulnerabilities of conflictaffected women and girls, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-Wha Kang said that from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, to the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine and many others, civilians caught up in armed conflict are being killed and maimed, fleeing their homes and fearing for their lives. Refugee children from the Central African Republic being tested for signs of malnutrition in an encampment on the banks of the Oubangi River in Equateur province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: UNHCR/B. Sokol “Now more than ever, the protection of civilians needs to be at the top of our priorities,” said Ms. Kang, explaining that at the start of 2014, humanitarian organizations appealed for aid to help 52 million people in urgent need of assistance and protection. By the end of the year, the number had gone up by almost 50 per cent to 76 million. Overwhelmingly, these people are civilians affected by conflict – and the majority are women and girls. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -7- 30 January 2015 Joined at the Council by Helen Durham, Director for International Law and Policy for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Iwad Elman, of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, Mr. Kang said that currently, the average length of conflict-related displacement is now 17 years. “One of the worst examples of this is Syria, where half of the population has been displaced…but the numbers are growing elsewhere, for example in Darfur, where 450,000 people were displaced last year, adding to the more than two million people already in internally displaced persons camps (IDP) camps,” she continued, stressing that while the Council has taken action to bolster civilian protection and recognized the specific needs of women and girls, more overall measures are required as “the scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict is far from being rooted out.” Spotlighting several troubling examples of the “consistent and persistent” brutalization women face, Ms. Kang said that as militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) have captured territory in Iraq and Syria, they have used and punished women to demonstrate their power. Women have been repeatedly raped, forced into marriage and sold into slavery. Nigerian women and girls have given harrowing accounts of their experiences at the hands of Boko Haram, she added. “Simply, crisis exacerbates gender inequalities. While entire communities suffer the impact of armed conflict, women and girls are often the first to lose their rights to education, to political participation and to livelihoods, among other rights being bluntly violated,” she continued, and such challenges are manifestations of deeper, systemic problems. “We need to better understand the social, economic and power dynamics which result in the continued enslavement of and use of violence against women, particularly in conflict situations. We must also make concerted efforts to expand women’s representation and participation in rule of law processes and protection mechanisms. Women must be included in the political leadership, security forces and accountability mechanisms in countries,” she said. To facilitate these efforts on the ground, 17 Women Protection Advisers have been deployed to six UN peacekeeping operations and embedded in the Offices of the Special Representatives. In South Sudan, the UN Mission regularly consults displaced women in the POC sites through consultation groups which have been formed. Those consultations help to ensure that prevention and protection strategies led by the mission take into account the perceptions and security needs of women. Yet much remained to be done, she said, and While the primary responsibility for protecting and assisting civilians affected by armed conflict lies with the parties to the conflict, many parties have demonstrated complete disregard for their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law. “In some cases, parties to conflict deliberately target civilians and use tactics designed to cause them the greatest harm possible,” noted Ms. Kang again drawing attention to Boko Haram, which she said had massacred hundreds of civilians and destroyed thousands of homes, schools and medical clinics in Nigeria during the past few weeks. This follows repeated incidents of kidnapping of hundreds of women and children. In Syria and Iraq, all parties have been targeting civilians based on ethnic and religious grounds. Despite this troubling context, she said, “International law is clear: parties to conflict are responsible for meeting the basic needs of persons under their control. Yet, time and again, we see parties to conflict violating these basic obligations with impunity, with grave consequences for civilians.” As such, conflict parties must be pressed to do more to comply with their legal obligations and ensure accountability whenever such obligations are violated. But the responsibility does not lie solely with the parties themselves. “This Council and the international community must take steps to tackle the impunity that continues to fuel many conflicts, as well as the endless flow of weapons and arms. There is nothing that emboldens violators more than knowing that they will not be brought to account for their crimes,” she declared, adding: “We also need to build up our collective capacity, to find political solutions to conflicts at an early stage, rather than struggling to cope with the consequences.” The efforts of humanitarian workers and peacekeepers are no substitute for timely and resolute political action to prevent and resolve conflict. And women must be full participants in the process, Ms. Kang stressed, as she urged stakeholders to be more attuned to the specific threats that civilians are facing and the risk of escalation of violence and violations, often manifested through heightened discrimination and repression of minorities, including against women and girls. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -8- 30 January 2015 “When we see early warning signs, we must be able to act quickly and effectively,” she concluded, drawing attention to the importance of the Secretary-General’s Human Rights Up Front initiative. UN highlights power of social media in modern diplomacy during day-long New York event 30 January - The United Nations is holding its first ever Social Media Day at its New York Headquarters today, in an event featuring social media professionals, digital diplomacy practitioners and academics who are sharing their experiences, discussing trends and proving insights into their work. United Nations Social Media Day, January 2015. Photo: Erin Moore The Acting Head of the UN Department of Public Information (DPI), Maher Nasser, opened proceedings earlier this morning and his address was followed by a keynote speech from Adam Snyder, a strategist at the private sector firm Burson-Marsteller, who helped produce a study spotlighting Twitter's impact on diplomacy. Mr. Snyder told the audience that Twitter is making diplomacy more real-time and he expanded on those comments later in an interview with the DPI. “You look at 10 years ago, if an ambassador comes out of a meeting and would say 'I just met with so and so and we were talking about this issue,' that would either be done in the form of a letter or a blog post or an article,” he said. “Now it can go out in real time.” After Mr. Snyder's speech, UN Ambassadors from Canada, Fiji and Pakistan described their lives “Tweeting from the Top” before representatives of Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr discussed how to make the most of social media platforms. UN refugee agency commends Greece on asylum reforms, urges more to be done 30 January - Greece has made progress in reforming its asylum system despite challenging economic and political circumstances, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed today, adding nonetheless that much more needed to be done to accommodate the influx of asylum-seekers and refugees. Asylum-seekers in a holding centre on Greece’s Samos Island. Photo: UNHCR/A. D’Amato According to a recent UNHCR report, Greece has seen, over the past year, “a dramatic increase” in refugee and migrant arrivals by sea, with some 43,500 people making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean – a 280 per cent increase from 2013. Most of the refugees, around 60 per cent, were from Syria, but there were also substantial numbers of Afghans, Somalis and Eritreans, the UN agency noted. Europe, facing conflicts to its south in Libya, east in Ukraine, and southeast in Syria and Iraq, is currently seeing the largest number of sea arrivals with 207,000 people crossing the Mediterranean to reach its shores – almost three times the previous known high of about 70,000, registered in 2011. Against this backdrop, the reforms to Greece’s asylum process have not eradicated all of the system’s problems as refugees and migrants continue to encounter difficulties in accessing the asylum procedure and face the risk of arbitrary detention, inadequate reception conditions, lack of identification and support for individuals with specific needs and push-backs of people at the border. “We continue to document accounts of informal returns at the Greek-Turkish land and sea borders,” UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said today at a press conference in Geneva, as he presented the report’s findings. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News -9- 30 January 2015 Greek authorities, on the other hand, also continue to struggle with a backlog of some 37,000 appeals generated under the old system which have prevented them from considering and processing new applications. At the same time, accommodation for asylum-seekers remains scarce and insufficient and integration prospects and related support for refugees are practically non-existent. In addition, although many of Greece’s migrants ultimately move on to other European States, UNHCR has also urged other nations within the European Union to refrain from returning those migrants to Greece, reiterating advice previously issued in 2008. “UNHCR is ready to continue working with the Greek authorities to address these challenges and encourages EU member states and institutions to continue to extend their support to Greece,” Mr. Spindler concluded. Ban voices optimism on Colombia peace as talks scheduled to resume 30 January - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced encouragement as Colombian stakeholders prepare to resume peace talks in Havana, Cuba, next week in an effort to end the country’s decades-long internal conflict. In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban said the year had “begun with optimism” about the prospects for reaching a Colombian peace agreement in 2015 and reiterated the United Nations’ full support to the process. Additionally, he welcomed “the importance attached by both parties to de-escalating the military confrontation.” According to Government estimates, some 600,000 people have died since the conflict between the country’s authorities and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) began in the 1960s. A woman tends her chicken farm in San Nicolas, Colombia. Photo: World Bank/Charlotte Kesl The two sides are working to end the long-running conflict through full implementation of the General Agreement for the End of the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace, signed two years ago. Last year, the parties reach an accord on dealing with illicit drugs in the country. This followed deal reached in 2013 on political participation and enhancing the role of women, which the Secretary-General also welcomed. “He is pleased to learn that the unilateral cease-fire initiated by the FARC-EP on 20 December 2014 has held and expresses the hope that this important gesture can be maintained,” today’s statement continued. “He commends the decision by President Juan Manuel Santos to begin discussions that could lead to a bilateral cease-fire. Both parties are encouraged to persist in their talks on the possible implementation of humanitarian measures to diminish the intensity of the conflict.” UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News - 10 - 30 January 2015 UN appeals for funds as ongoing violence sends desperate Nigerians fleeing to Cameroon 30 January - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for more funds to help address the recent exodus of refugees into Cameroon from Nigeria, saying that a risk in attacks on both sides of that border has made it increasingly risky for humanitarian agencies to operate there. Nigerian women forced to flee their homeland work together to build a shelter at the Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon. Photo: UNHCR/J.M. Awono The security situation in Central Africa has significantly deteriorated in the last month. Boko Haram attacked several cross-border villages in northern Cameroon, raising fears that the insurgent group is expanding its attacks. Following the spate of violence, Chad announced that it was sending soldiers to Cameroon to halt the attacks from spreading. At a press briefing in Geneva this afternoon, WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs said that despite the increasing insecurity, the agency is planning to assist 96,068 people in Cameroon, including Nigerian refugees, internally displaced person (IDPs) and vulnerable local populations. “New population movements into Cameroon from Nigeria have been reported in recent weeks in addition to increasing displacement of local population fleeing from border areas, where whole villages had been destroyed and services closed,” she said. “Movements have been hampered, which has had a direct impact on access to land, as well as on economic and market activities that depended on movements between towns and across the border. The planting season has also been disrupted. Local communities are affected and food insecurity was on the increase,” added Ms. Byrs. She specified that some 29,000 Nigerian refugees are currently being hosted in a refugee site in Minawao, Far North region in Cameroon. WFP has been providing food to those arriving to the camps. Many women and children arrive malnourished. The Programme is supporting health centres in affected areas to treat malnourished children between six months and five years and pregnant and nursing women. Some 365 refugee children and 100 pregnant and nursing women have received nutritional support so far. WFP has also initiated the first distribution of aid to some 20,000 IDPs in the three most affected departments of the Far North. Due to breaks in commodity supplies, a second round has not yet been realized. In Cameroon, she said, about 20,000 to 30,000 persons had been internally displaced by attacks in three divisions of the Far North region. There were around 36,400 Nigerian refugees in that region of Cameroon. Turning to funding, Ms. Byrs said WFP’s financial requirements for 2015 for the Cameroon Emergency Operation are estimated at $23 million, but the initiative is currently facing a shortfall of 65 percent or $15 million of total requirements. Visiting Africa this weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to address the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today to discuss the current crises in northern Nigeria and across the region. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News - 11 - 30 January 2015 After intense flooding, Malawi desperately needs scale-up in international aid – UN experts 30 January - The international community must rapidly respond to the devastating flooding affecting Malawi with critical humanitarian aid and appropriate funding, a group of United Nations human rights experts affirmed today, warning that the African country was facing “its worst flooding in living memory.” In a press release, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, and the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Léo Heller, encouraged the international community to do “everything possible to meet the current serious shortfall in funds and provision of essential aid,” especially as only a quarter of the urgently required $81 million of a Preliminary Response Plan had been received to date. Flood victims rush to a rescue boat of the Malawi Defence Force in Makalanga. Photo: UNDP/Arjan van de Merwe “The flooding has displaced large numbers of people and presents massive and complex challenges for Governments and their humanitarian allies in the short, medium and longer-term,” Mr. Beyani said. “Evacuation of affected populations should be undertaken where necessary to save lives, and an effective humanitarian response is essential to address the needs of internally displaced people and others affected,” he continued. “Helping people to return and reconstruct devastated homes - when circumstances allow - will be just one challenge among many to rebuild lives and livelihoods and should be part of a broader recovery plan.” Malawi is regularly hit by floods and droughts, requiring emergency responses of varying size each year. This year, flooding has caused displacement of over 170,000 people, while an estimated 116,000 households have lost their crops and livestock. In Nsanje district alone, 79 people are confirmed dead with another 153 people still missing. This year's rains have come ahead of their usual schedule, repeatedly bursting the banks along the Shire and Ruo rivers, and warnings of flash floods remain in place, with more rain forecast for the country's North. With 86 per cent of the population living in rural areas and engaged in farming and livestock rearing, long-term watershed management infrastructures are urgently needed so that even intense flooding is less damaging than this year. “The impact of flooding on food security poses immediate problems as well as potentially severe food shortages for months to come, as crops have been washed away and livestock lost,” warned Hilal Elver, who explained that the country's poor rural communities had “lost everything and require early assistance to prevent hunger and malnutrition.” According to an initial estimate, S3.4 million is needed to respond to urgent healthcare needs and prevent and control outbreaks of disease. UN expert, Léo Heller, pointed out that accessibility to clean water would be critical in the coming weeks and months in order to stave off the threat of disease. “Safe water, sanitation and hygiene must be provided urgently for the survival of those affected, prioritizing the most vulnerable groups, but also for the prevention of water-related diseases such as cholera and malaria,” he added. Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News - 12 - 30 January 2015 South Sudan: UN warns surge in Sudanese refugees pushes camp capacity to limit 30 January - Sudanese refugees continue to pour into South Sudan as they flee aerial bombardments and ground attacks in the war-torn Nuba Mountains in Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency said today, as it warned that many of the settlement camps are quickly reaching full capacity. Newly displaced civilians from Sudan's Nuba Mountains approach Yida in South Sudan. Photo: UNHCR/S. KuirChok With arrival rates exceeding 500 people per week, this represents an increase of more than 100 percent compared to the same period of 2013, William Spindler, spokesman at the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters at a Geneva press briefing. “Since 23 December last year, more than 3,000 refugees from South Kordofan and Blue Nile States have arrived at Yida border town, a spontaneous settlement in South Sudan's Unity State already sheltering some 80,000 Sudanese refugees,” he added. “If the current rate of arrivals continues, more than 15,000 refugees may arrive by June 2015 and UNHCR is concerned that current funding may be inadequate to meet the needs of additional refugees, exceeding the original planning figure of 25,000,” Mr. Spindler warned. He said that refugees, mainly from Um Dorrein, Heiban and Delami Counties have told UNHCR that they escaped widespread violence in Sudan's Nuba Mountains region. “Refugees have also cited the lack of livelihood opportunities and education in their areas of origin as reasons for leaving. The majority arrived in trucks while others came on foot. Nearly 70 percent of new arrivals are children, and an estimated 10 percent suffer from malnutrition and measles.” At the Yida transit centre managed by Africa Humanitarian Action and the International Red Cross, UNHCR and its partners provide initial reception and assistance to the new arrivals, including hot meals. Refugees are medically screened and receive a measles vaccination. UNHCR is also registering all new arrivals to ensure that refugees can be identified quickly and are able to access assistance. To date, more than 80 percent of new arrivals have been transported from Yida to Ajuong Thok, a camp established in March 2013 to ease overcrowding in the Yida settlement. But with 18,000 Sudanese refugees already living in Ajoung Thok, the camp has almost reached its full capacity of 25,000 people. There is an urgent need to improve current infrastructure as well as education and shelter. “We are working with the Government of South Sudan to identify a site to set up a new camp in Unity State in preparation for any more arrivals,” the UNHCR spokesman said. South Sudan is currently home to nearly 250,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan and more than 1.8 million internally displaced people. Also today, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, announced that he will visit South Sudan from 1 to 6 February to assess the human rights situation. During his trip, Mr. Simonovic will seek updates on progress in investigations of human rights violations committed since the resumption of fighting in December 2013 that have resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians and internal displacement of over a million people. He will also discuss ways to prevent future violations. The Assistance Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with a number of government officials as well as civil society actors UN News Centre • www.un.org/news UN Daily News - 13 - 30 January 2015 in Juba, South Sudan's capital. He is also scheduled to visit Bentiu, Malakal and Rumbek. This is Mr. Simonovic's second visit to South Sudan. He first visited in January 2014. The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)
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