February 18, 2020 No comments
UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Syria’s war-battered north-west
INTERNATIONAL, 18 February 2020, Human Rights - Alarmed by the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in north-west Syria and the tragic suffering of civilians, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing fight that has displaced more than 900.000 civilians since early December. Mr. Guterres was joined in his call for an end to the hostilities by a host of other senior UN officials who earlier in the day expressed deep concern at the situation, particulalry that women and young children, many who have been displaced multiple times, are now dying in the freezing temperatures. “Hostilities are now approaching densely populated areas. People are on the move in freezing temperatures in search of safety which has become ever more difficult,” the Secretary-General said in a statement issued by his Spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric. Calling for an immediate ceasefire, the...
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February 18, 2020 No comments
Polio eradication a UN priority, says Guterres in Pakistan visit
INTERNATIONAL, 18 February 2020, Health - In one of the last bastions of polio on the planet, millions of children are being given a fighting chance against the paralyzing and potentially fatal disease. During his first official visit to Pakistan as UN Secretary-General, António Guterres stopped at a kindergarten in Lahore on Tuesday, as the country kicked off its initial nationwide polio campaign for the year. I commend the brave polio vaccine workers — mostly women — working to stamp out polio in Pakistan. Important gains have been made, but we need a concerted push to eradicate this awful disease. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination can protect a child for life, and the campaign this month aims to reach more than 39 million children. “Polio is one of the few diseases we can eradicate in...
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February 18, 2020 No comments
Pakistan-India crossing is a ‘Corridor of Hope’, UN chief says, wraps up visit with call for interfaith dialogue
INTERNATIONAL, 18 February 2020, Culture and Education - UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday said he had been moved by the show of religious unity he had witnessed in Pakistan after paying visits to a mosque, a Sikh temple and Kartarpur Corridor, the visa-free crossing which alls Sikhs to travel between nearby holy sites on each side of the India-Pakistan border. “This is a very emotional moment. It is wonderful to see interfaith dialogue” said the Secretary-General, on the last leg of his three-day visit to Pakistan, where, since Sunday, he has pressed for climate action, and praised Pakistan’s compassion for hosting Afghan refugees, as well as the South Asian country’s major contributions to UN peacekeeping. I was honoured to visit Pakistan’s newly opened Kartarpur Corridor...
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February 18, 2020 No comments
Hope for ‘long-elusive progress’ in negotiating peace in eastern Ukraine
INTERNATIONAL, 18 February 2020, Peace and Security - Marking the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Minsk II agreement, the UN political chief told the Security Council on Tuesday, that along with the Minsk Protocol and the Minsk memorandum, it remains “the only agreed framework” for a negotiated, peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, also recalled that the Secretary-General has consistently expressed the UN’s “strong backing” for the lead role of the Normandy Four, the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), and the OSCE to find a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and called for “a revitalization of these efforts”. Making progress Since her last update in mid-July, Ms. DiCarlo offered hope for “long-elusive progress” in implementing the Minsk provisions, including key security and...
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February 18, 2020 No comments
Guterres ‘deeply concerned’ over deadly assault in north-west Cameroon
INTERNATIONAL, 18 February 2020, Peace and Security - The United Nations Secretary-General has extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in an attack on a village in north-west Cameroon. Almost two dozen villagers, including 15 children, were found dead in the anglophone village of Ngarbuh after an incident on Friday, linked to separatist clashes that began in late 2017 on alleged discrimination against the francophone country’s English-speaking regions. While the opposition party are blaming the killings on the army, no one has claimed responsibility. In a statement issued on Monday, a UN spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply concerned” over reports about the killing of civilians, including children, in the attack on 14 February. The UN chief called on the Government to “conduct an investigation and...
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