April 21, 2018 No comments
‘We need accountability’ to end the crime of chemical weapons use in Syria, says Guterres
INTERNATIONAL, 21 April 2018 - The members of the United Nations Security Council need to find a way to unite and punish anyone found to have used chemical weapons in Syria, in line with international law. That was the message on Saturday from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaking to reporters in Sweden, where he is hosting a retreat for Council members in the home which belonged to his predecessor in the 1950s, Dag Hammarskjöld; an inspirational leader of the world body, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in what is now Zambia, in 1961. Following the recent alleged use of chemical weapons in the formerly-besieged Syrian city of Douma, and previous instances verified by the UN since the brutal conflict began, Mr. Guterres said that a way had...
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April 21, 2018 No comments
“Path is open” to peaceful denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: UN chief
INTERNATIONAL, 21 April 2018 - Following the leader of North Korea’s announcement that nuclear and missile tests are to end, the UN chief António Guterres said on Saturday that the “path is open for the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”. Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), otherwise known as North Korea, said earlier in the day - according to news reports - that after conducting a total of six nuclear tests since 2006, further missile tests as part of the country’s nuclear weapons programme, were no longer needed. In a statement released by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Mr Guterres welcomed the decision, describing it as “a positive step forward” which would contribute to building trust between DPRK and its southern...
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April 20, 2018 No comments
Health experts at UN meeting press for action to address ‘double burden’ of malnutrition in Africa
INTERNATIONAL, 20 April 2018 - Africa’s attempts to achieve health for all by 2030 could be threatened unless the continent address the twin challenges of undernutrition and obesity, experts attending a United Nations meeting in Nairobi this week have warned. Undernutrition occurs when people do not get enough to eat, resulting in conditions such as wasting, which is when a child becomes dangerously thin. On the other hand, people who are obese have body fat levels that may impair their health. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa calls these two issues “the double burden of malnutrition.” Together with diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, they are leading to “catastrophic costs” for citizens, communities and national health care systems across the continent. A 2016 study...
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April 20, 2018 No comments
Do not send refugees back to the violence they fled from, UN agency urges Cameroon
INTERNATIONAL, 20 April 2018 - Despite warnings, Nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers who fled Boko Haram violence continue to be returned from Cameroon, the United Nations refugee agency has said, underscoring the need to accord international protection to those in need. “We appeal once again to the authorities in Cameroon to refrain from further forced returns and to ensure protection to those fleeing insecurity and persecution in Nigeria, in accordance with Cameroon’s national and international obligations,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement. Since the beginning of 2018, 385 Nigerians refugees and asylum-seekers have been forcibly returned from Cameroon – the majority of them last month, including 160 on 10 April and a further 118 a week later. In total, the UN...
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April 20, 2018 No comments
‘Save peace while it lasts,’ says General Assembly President, ahead of UN summit on sustaining peace
INTERNATIONAL, 20 April 2018 - The world needs a new approach to peace, which is why the United Nations General Assembly will hold a major meeting next week to discuss ways to foster peace by focusing on conflict prevention, mediation, dialogue and diplomacy, the 193-member body’s President has said. “By preventing conflict, we save human lives and we also save billions of dollars,” said Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák, in a recent interview with UN News. “Therefore, we have to focus on prevention of conflicts rather than consequences of conflicts. We have to save peace while it lasts, not to deal with the situation once peace is lost.” “There is no development, there is not protection of human rights if there is no peace,” Mr....
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