September 25, 2018 No comments
Peacekeeping expectations ‘far outstrip resources’: UN chief
INTERNATIONAL, 25 September 2018, Peace and Security - “Expectations for peacekeeping have so far outstripped its resources,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told Heads of State and Government on Tuesday, as he opened a High-Level meeting marking the 70th anniversary of UN Peacekeeping operations, at UN Headquarters in New York. Mr. Guterres outlined the impetus for his launch of the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative in March this year, citing the tragically high numbers of peacekeeping fatalities he faced during his first months in office, and the recommendations of the subsequent report, “Improving Security of United Nations Peacekeepers.” Peacekeepers must navigate complex conflicts on the ground, stalled peace processes and a rise in transnational terrorism but, said Mr. Guterres, one overarching challenge they face is the gap between aspiration and reality. UN Peacekeeping A4P...
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September 25, 2018 No comments
South Sudan: amid security challenges, aid workers delivering ‘against the odds’
INTERNATIONAL, 25 September 2018, Humanitarian Aid - Mayen is South Sudanese. He was forced to flee his home when the conflict started in 2013. Five years later, his voice is resonating in one of the conference rooms of United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the margins of the 73rd General Assembly. In the video shown at the high-level event on South Sudan, Mayen is holding a book that he says was given to him by the UN. “It contains the rights of internally displaced persons, all those who had to flee from one city to another city. When I read this book, I realized that not even 10 per cent of my rights are met. So tell me, am I not a human being?...
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September 25, 2018 No comments
Afghanistan: Sunday airstrike killed 12 women and children from one family, UN mission reports
INTERNATIONAL, 25 September 2018, Peace and Security - Preliminary findings from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released on Tuesday, indicate that 12 women and children from a single family were killed in an airstrike that took place on Sunday, conducted by pro-Government forces. They were sheltering in a house belonging to the family in the village of Mullah Hafez, Jaghato district, Maidan Wardak, when it was destroyed by an aerial missile. “Ten of those killed were children whose ages ranged from six, to 15. Eight were girls”, said a statement from the Mission. “UNAMA is currently reviewing reports of civilian casualties from a number of alleged airstrikes in other parts of the country,” the statement continued. “UNAMA continues to work to verify whether Afghan or...
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September 25, 2018 No comments
‘Multilateralism is the only answer to the challenges we face,’ UN Assembly President tells world leaders
INTERNATIONAL, 25 September 2018, UN Affairs - With a call to multilateralism and shared work towards sustainable development and equality for all, María Fernanda Espinosa formally inaugurated the seventy-third general debate of the of the United Nations General Assembly. Ms Espinosa, the President of the General Assembly, affirmed on Tuesday that the contribution of the United Nations to humanity has been immense, citing the principles that govern the international coexistence emanated from the forum she leads. “The reality is that the work of the United Nations remains as relevant as it was 73 years ago. Multilateralism is the only possible answer to the global problems we face. Weakening or putting it in question only generates instability and bewilderment, distrust and polarization,” she said.
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September 25, 2018 No comments
Ebola-hit DRC faces ‘perfect storm’ as uptick in violence halts WHO operation
INTERNATIONAL, 25 September 2018, Health - A "perfect storm" of active conflict and traumatized communities in Ebola-affected areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could enable the deadly disease to spread, but there are “no plans” to pull UN workers out of the country despite concerns for their security, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. “We are now extremely concerned, that several factors may be coming together over the next weeks to months to create a potential perfect storm,” said Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “A perfect storm of active conflict, limiting our ability to access civilians, distress by segments of the community, already traumatized by decades of conflict and of murder.” The senior WHO...
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