United Nations chief António Guterres and senior members of the UN, have embarked on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where civilians are facing insecurity and ongoing health crises, including a year-long Ebola epidemic which has claimed more than 2,000 lives.
The situation in Yemen is “very fragile”, the top United Nations humanitarian official there has warned, noting that as many as 13 people have been killed and at least 70 wounded over the past three days during clashes in two governorates.
Despite an agreement signed nearly a year ago on a halt to further escalation in Syria’s war-battered Idlib, “the bombing and fighting go on in plain sight, day in and day out”, the UN humanitarian chief told the Security Council on Thursday.
Every year on August 29, at the initiative of Kazakhstan, the UN and its Member States mark the International Day against Nuclear Tests. This year, the Day coincides with the 70th anniversary of the first atomic bomb test at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan. UN News travelled to the remote, eerily beautiful region, for this report.
Bogotá, 29 August 2019. The UN Verification Mission in Colombia strongly rejects and condemns the announcement by a small group of former FARC-EP combatants that they have taken up arms again.
The Mission highlights the firm commitment of the vast majority of men and women in the reintegration process who continue to comply with the Agreement and encourages them to persist in their commitment to peace.
...The legacy of nuclear testing is “nothing but destruction,” and in a world of rising tensions, “our collective security depends” on bringing a global treaty into force that bans nuclear explosions, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said.
A recap of Wednesday’s stories: Secretary-General António Guterres says ‘winds of hope are blowing ever stronger’ for Africa’s development; Swedish climate youth activist Greta Thunberg reaches New York by boat; Chief of UN Mission for Iraq warns on funding shortfalls; and in Canada, a new bill recognizes the rights of indigenous women.
Although Iraq is “hard at work building on progress made to date”, a top United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday that decades of trouble continue to impact the present, but cautioned “we have not seen the end of it yet”.
The recent developments in the Gugutiantkari area have raised tensions on the ground and have humanitarian consequences for the local people.
As with all such fencing, the newly erected structures hinder freedom of movement for people living there, prevent them from reaching their orchards and threaten access to irrigation water.
Our visit is part of the GID Co-Chairs' continual efforts to address the potential effects of this and other developments, ahead of the OSCE-EUMM-led Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting on Thursday 29 August.
We have been and will continue to be in contact with all relevant actors, drawing their attention to this and other pressing issues, and call on them to make full and responsible use of the existing mechanisms for communication to resolve the current and other concerns.
New York – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Adam Abdelmoula of Sudan (as well as a national of the United States) as his Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, where he will also serve as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). He will succeed George Conway of Canada who served as Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General,...
Despite ISIL’s territorial defeat in Syria, the terrorist group, also known as Da’esh “continues to aspire to global relevance”, the United Nations top counter-terrorism officials told the Security Council on Tuesday.
A recap of Tuesday's stories: UN envoy says tangible steps 'can, and must be taken' to reverse the 'negative trajectory' of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; child labour case in Nepal highlights 'widespread and systematic' abuse; some 40 people drowned off the coast of Libya in Mediterranean shipwreck; DR Congo's Goma passes key 21-day period free of Ebola transmission; and UN chief calls for global support in putting an end to nuclear weapons testing.
Tangible steps “can, and must, be taken” to urgently reverse the “negative trajectory” of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and revive the peace process, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council on Tuesday.
“Important developments” under way in Sudan since midsummer, including a pledge to end the country’s outstanding conflicts, and the establishment of a new transitional government, could serve to edge the country’s people closer to stability, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, briefing the UN Security Council on Monday.
A recap of Friday’s stories: Education under fire in Central and Western Africa; Sudan flash-floods wreak havoc; Ebola outbreak spreads, albeit with fewer transmissions; UN rights experts on South Sudan; and UN chief welcomes understanding between Rwanda and Uganda
A United Nations expert group looking at human rights in South Sudan said on Friday that it is “deeply concerned” that, although the overall armed conflict has waned, there has been little progress in adhering to the peace agreement that guided the country thus far.
Myanmar’s military must stop using sexual and gender-based violence to terrorize and punish ethnic minorities, according to a new report released on Thursday by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission.
Thursday’s Daily Brief: New international day honouring victims of religious-based violence; Kashmir shutdown must be reversed; Relentless sequence of disasters in Asia-Pacific; Giraffes fare well for protection, elephants not so much; UN chief condemns Burkina Faso violence
The recently constituted Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), which brings together the former Department of Political Affairs and the Peacebuilding Support Office, is funded primarily through the United Nations Regular Budget. The Department also relies on extra-budgetary resources, which help it respond flexibly and rapidly to increasing demand around the world for its expertise in conflict prevention, mediation and sustaining peace. Today, more than 45 per cent of DPPA’s work is funded through voluntary contributions.
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End the crackdown on freedom of expression, was the strong call to the Government by India from five United Nations independent rights expert on Thursday.
UN chief António Guterres called for an end to the persecution of religious groups on Thursday, the first ever International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion and Belief.
Today’s stories: aid money promised for Yemen fails to materialize, prospects of new Idlib conflict put millions at risk, new Sudanese transitional government welcomed by UN chief, insecurity threatens Somalia progress.
The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it is being forced to close down several humanitarian programmes in Yemen because money pledged by Member States to pay for them has “failed to materialize”.
The scars of terrorism “run deep”, and while they may fade with time, “they never disappear”, the United Nations chief said on Wednesday, in his message for the second International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
Despite “encouraging” developments, insecurity across Somalia remains a serious concern, James Swan, head of the UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), warned the Security Council, in his first briefing to the world body since taking office.
Briefing the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, Maria Luiza Viotti, said on Tuesday that “restraint and genuine dialogue are urgently needed”, in order to avoid a major confrontation, which would have disastrous consequences, even well beyond the region.
This Tuesday, we cover: new report on water quality worldwide; Yemen envoy briefs the Security Council on Aden; intensifying clashes in southern Libya; UNICEF appeals for increased aid for Venezuela youngsters; and UN negotiations continue over a new ocean protection agreement.
This Tuesday, we cover: new report on water quality worldwide; Yemen envoy briefs the Security Council on Aden; intensifying clashes in southern Libya; UNICEF appeals for increased aid for Venezuela youngsters; and UN negotiations continue over a new ocean protection agreement.
One month ago, the United Nations top Yemen envoy told the Security Council the country was facing “a crucial moment” in the course of its long and bloody conflict, and on Tuesday, he again urged members to acknowledge that recent infighting around the Government stronghold of Aden were “a clear sign” that the conflict must be brought to a swift, peaceful end.
