un daily news - 23 february 2016

8/20/2019 UN Daily News - 23 February 2016

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www.un.org/news Issue DH/7101 Tuesday, 23 February 2016

In the headlines

• Displaced people need to be given opportunity torebuild t eir lives, !an says at camp in DR Congo

• !ay o" !engal #t ree times more deadly$ t an%editerranean "or migrants and re"ugees & UN

• UN adviser calls "or ne' mobile-industrypartners ip to ac ieve sustainable development

• !urundi( !an 'elcomes promise o" #inclusivedialogue,$ release o" detainees

• Fi)i receives relie" supplies in 'a*e o" CycloneWinston as UN bac*s up +overnment response

• UN peacebuilding body ig lig ts need to addressroot causes o" con"lict "or sustainable peace

• UN re"ugee agency calls on Nigeria to eed 'is eso" internally displaced

• %ore investment needed in developing "emale-controlled . prevention options & UN agency

• Uganda( UN concerned over arrests o" oppositionleaders, use o" "orce since elections

• UN rig ts c ie" 'elcomes US /resident$s plan toclose +uant0namo detention "acility

• 1"g anistan( UN calls on all parties to respectprotected status o" medical "acilities and personnel

• Europe$s restrictive measures place addedards ips on re"ugees and asylum-see*ers & UN

Dis!la"ed !eo!le need to be gi#en o!!ortunity to rebuild theirli#es, $an says at "a%! in D& 'ongo

23 February - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his call forsupport from Member States to resolve such global humanitarian issues as the refugee andmigrant crisis and ensuring human dignity for all, during a visit to a site hosting internallydisplaced persons !"#s$ in North Kivu, the "emocratic %epublic of the &ongo "%&$'

()e have to give hope to *+ young people, said Mr' Ban on the first stop of his t.o-dayvisit' (#articularly, .e have to do much more to bring all these children bac/ to school0 .ehave to do much more to protect human dignity and human rights of .omen and girls tosave them, to protect them from se1ual violence'

2e said he plans to meet .ith #resident 3oseph Kabila and other senior &ongoleseGovernment officials to discuss all these matters tomorro.'

4oday, he spo/e .ith some .omen in the !"# camp in Mungote, describing the e1perience as (very humbling' 5sSecretary-General, (! .ill do my best efforts, .or/ing together .ith the United Nations Member States, he said'

2e said his visit to !"# camps, meeting so many people, particularly young people, reminded him of .hen he .as si1 yearsold in %epublic of Korea in 6789' ()hen the Korean )ar bro/e out, it .as a deadly horrible .ar' 4here .ere millions of

people /illed and tens of millions had been separated, displaced' ! .as one of them' ! had to flee, he said, adding that theUnited Nations had been a (beacon of hope then and had rescued his country (from the brin/ of collapse'

No. the United Nations are doing the same, despite a lac/ of resources, to protect the rights of :9 million !"#s and refugeesaround the .orld, the highest number since the end of the .ar'

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visitingan IDP camp in Kitchanga, orth Kivu,Democratic !epublic o" the #ong $D!#%&' Photo()s*in+er Debebe

UN Daily News


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UN Ne's Centre 3 '''4un4org5ne's

UN Daily Ne's 26 February 2789

4o that end, he .ill convene the first-ever )orld 2umanitarian Summit in !stanbul, 4ur/ey, in May, as .ell as a summit onglobal migration and refugee issues in September' ()e need support from the Member States as the UN cannot do it alone,he said' (No country can resolve all these issues alone'

%esponding to a ;uestion about authorities .anting to close some !"# camps in North Kivu, he said he told the Governornot to close them' 4he authorities seem to be lac/ing resources, but the UN .ill .or/ together .ith the local and centralGovernments' (!t is important to provide life-saving assistance to those people .ho need daily humanitarian assistance, he

said'


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Some DH9 people are believed to have died in the Bay of Bengal and the 5ndaman Sea during the year, the report says0 notfrom dro.ning but from mistreatment and disease brought about by smugglers .ho abused and in many cases /illed

passengers .ith impunity' 4he toll also includes those /illed in a fight over diminishing supplies on a boat that had been prevented from landing on t.o occasions' Some of these deaths could have been prevented .ith prompt disembar/ation'

Root Causes Must Be Addressed

UN2&% believes that unless the root causes of displacement are addressed, people .ill continue ris/ing their lives onsmugglers boats to see/ safety and stability else.here'

Mr' Needham said that there are a number of processes in motion to address this issue'

4here remains an urgent need for affected States to ta/e concrete action to coordinate procedures for rescue at sea, predictable places to disembar/ passengers safely, as .ell as ade;uate reception and screening systems on arrival' #eople.ho fled their homes and cannot return due to an absence of protection should be granted temporary refuge and have accessto basic rights and services .hile longer-term solutions are sought'

4o minimi=e deaths at sea, safe and legal channels including labour migration and family reunification programs must beopened up for people leaving difficult conditions at home'

UN2&% hopes that labour migration arrangements could also be put in place for the %ohingya already in labour-importingcountries, enabling them to contribute to the economies of their host and home countries'

Ne1t month s Bali #rocess Ministerial Meeting .ill be a timely opportunity to ma/e progress on these issues, Mr' Needhamsaid'

5 lifting of e1isting restrictions on freedom of movement and access to services throughout %a/hine state in Myanmar.ould allo. thousands of people to live more normal lives and be less li/ely to ris/ dangerous sea Fourneys, he said'

UN2&% is also .atching .ith interest the Bangladesh Government s plans to list hundreds of thousands of undocumented%ohingya in southeastern Bangladesh, and the agency hopes that the e1ercise .ill result in improved documentation andaccess to services'

Nearly 6H9,999 %ohingya and Bangladeshis are estimated to have made the dangerous Fourney from the Bay of Bengal since?96?'

- ad#iser "alls (or new %obile industry !artnershi! to a"hie#esustainable de#elo!%ent

23 February - 4he United Nations adviser on the ne. 68-year development agenda hasurged the mobile industry to .or/ together and develop policy frame.or/s and technicalstandards that .ould ensure no one is left behind'

Spea/ing at the Mobile )orld Summit in Barcelona yesterday, "avid Nabarro, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon s advisor on the ?9D9 5genda for Sustainable "evelopment, calledon the mobile industry to (.or/ .ith Governments and the international community toe1pand connectivity, lo.er barriers to access and ensure that tools and applications aredeveloped .ith vulnerable communities in mind'

2e also urged all attendees to .or/ together to close the digital and gender divide and tocollaborate to enable the responsible use of data for humanitarian and development

purposes, .hile protecting individual privacy'

' Special +viser Davi+ abarro $onscreen% promote+ the SustainableDevelopment Goals at the orl+ obileSummit in Barcelona& ' Photo( noush1atevossian


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4he summit brought more than @99 business leaders, government officials and board members of mobile operators andvendors to e1plore the socio-economic impact of mobile technologies on individuals, businesses and governments aroundthe .orld' !t focused on actions all sta/eholders could ta/e to collectively address the challenge of connecting the billions ofcurrently unconnected individuals to deliver a range of life-enhancing and life-changing services'

Mobile phone technology has already transformed societies around the globe, even in the poorest countries and communities by creating Fobs, spurring financial independence, improving education and promoting better health' By ?9?9,

appro1imately D'I billion men and .omen across the developing .orld .ill be connected to the internet via mobile, but @9 per cent of that population .ill still lac/ access'

(4he digital divide remains a ya.ning gulf that leaves the poor, those living in rural areas, and a disproportionate number of.omen E stranded on the .rong side, "r' Nabarro said'

(Mobiles do not merely contribute to development - they are an important dimension of development, he added'

2e also noted the Sustainable "evelopment Goals S"Gs$ included a gender e;uality goal .hich calls for .omen s use oftechnology to achieve .omen s empo.erment and advance gender e;uality' )omen still lag behind in access to mobiletechnology and the internet and especially in their sophistication of use of these tools'

4he United Nations Global #ulse initiative has demonstrated ho. the data produced by mobile phones can be used to mapand curb the spread of hunger and disease, inform crisis response and understand the impacts of climate change' 5ccordingto the initiative, real-time information to stay ahead of emerging ris/s, respond more effectively to crises, and /eep progresson trac/ is critical to the achievement of the S"Gs'

"r' Nabarro is .or/ing .ith Member States and other relevant sta/eholders to galvani=e action on implementation of the5genda' 4he ?9D9 5genda .as unanimously adopted by .orld leaders at a historic UN summit last September and integratethe three dimensions of sustainable development economic gro.th, social inclusion and environmental protection'

$urundi $an wel"o%es !ro%ise o( )in"lusi#e dialogue,* releaseo( detainees

23 February - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has .elcomed the decisiontoday by the #resident of Burundi to .ithdra. some media bans, cancel arrest .arrants andrelease detainees as good.ill gestures to try to end months of violence in the crisis-torncountry'

Spea/ing at a press conference in Burundi, Mr' Ban said that #resident #ierre N/urun=i=atold him this morning that, among other measures, he .ill release a list of 6,?99 detainees'

(4his is an encouraging step, the UN chief said, emphasi=ing that he .ould e1pect thatadditional measures should be ta/en'

Mr' Ban said that at his invitation yesterday evening, representatives of the political actors,

from both the Government ruling party and opposition party, sat do.n together to discussBurundi s future, and promised to engage in inclusive dialogue'

(Nothing prevents them from continuing on this course, the Secretary-General stressed, adding that #resident N/urun=i=aalso confirmed that he .ill be engaging in an inclusive dialogue'

Noting that he .as last in Burundi in 3une ?969, only .ee/s before the general elections, Mr' Ban said that at the time, hespo/e about the peace dividends of the 5rusha #eace and %econciliation 5greement and the Global &easefire 5greement,.hich put the country on a path to economic recovery and national reconciliation'

(4he effort that ended the civil .ar hinged on the .illingness of former battlefield enemies to sit at the same table and

Secretary-General Ban a++resses thepress in Burun+i a"ter meeting ithPresi+ent Pierre *urun4i4a $le"t%& /e isalso meeting ith other actors in supporto" ' e""orts to resolve the country5spolitical crisis& Photo. ' DP( u+e!ossignol


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become partners in Burundi s common future, the UN chief said'

Mr' Ban also underscored that it is necessary to shift from a focus on crisis response to a culture of early action E .hat hecalled a (preventive diplomacy'

(4hat is one of the main reasons ! am in Burundi today and it is one of the main calls to action .hen ! am convening .orldleaders at the )orld 2umanitarian Summit in !stanbul in May ?96:, he said'

Mr' Ban added that his Special 5dviser on Jemen, 3amal Benomar, has deployed his team in Burundi and is .or/ing .iththe Government to support a (credible and inclusive political dialogue and advise the authorities on addressing securityconcerns'

(! have full confidence and trust in Mr' Benomar and ! hope that the Government of Burundi .ill .or/ closely .ith him,Mr' Ban said'

(Burundi s political leaders must be .illing to summon the courage and confidence that .ill ma/e a credible political process possible and ensure that the people of this beautiful nation can once again live in peace and enFoy human rights, theUN chief concluded'

Burundi .as thro.n into crisis this past 5pril .hen #resident N/urun=i=a decided to run for a controversial third term thathe .ent on to .in in 3uly' 4o date, it has been reported that more than @99 people have been /illed, more than ?@9,999 havefled the nation, and thousands more have been arrested and possibly subFected to human rights violations'

Fi i re"ei#es relie( su!!lies in wa e o( 'y"lone inston as -ba" s u! o#ern%ent res!onse

23 February - 4he United Nations has begun its .or/ of providing international assistanceto the #acific islands of >iFi, hit by a po.erful tropical cyclone that left at least ?I peopledead and some 6@,999 people sheltering in evacuation centres'

5ccording to the UN iFi s e1isting operational structure to allo. for a coordinated and effectiveresponse'

!t has been agreed that iFi s National "isaster Management s first priority is to ensure the protection and.ellbeing of the most vulnerable, including children, pregnant .omen and ne. mothers, said UN!&C> #acific "eputy

' I#)F sta"" an+ volunteers pac*S/ *its $ ater, sanitation an+

hygiene *its% an+ school supplies at' I#)F5s arehouse in Suva, Fi6i, "or+istribution to victims o" #ategory 71ropical #yclone inston& Photo.' I#)F(8oseph /ing


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%epresentative !sabelle 5ustin'

She also said that agency is .or/ing around the cloc/ preparing supplies for transport and distribution through theGovernment of >iFi, .hich is providing e1tremely strong leadership on this response'

&hildren, families and communities across >iFi .ill re;uire e1tensive support to meet gro.ing and urgent needs around.ater, sanitation and hygiene, including the provision of .ater containers, purification tablets, soap and temporary sanitation

facilities'

4he )orld 2ealth iFi' 5t least D:@ d.ellings have been destroyed, and:8 schools have been damaged or destroyed' Schools have been closed for the .ee/ and the Government has indicated thatrestoring education is its top priority for the response over the coming days'

4he Government has declared a D9-day (state of natural disaster, and launched an appeal for public donations to assistvictims of the cyclone'

- !ea"ebuilding body highlights need to address root "auseso( "on(li"t (or sustainable !ea"e

23 February - 4he head of the United Nations advisory body tas/ed .ith ma/ingrecommendations on post-conflict recovery, reconstruction and development stressed todaythat building lasting peace re;uires predictable, sustained and ade;uate efforts andfinancing to help stop violence and address the root causes of conflict'

Spea/ing today in an open debate of the Security &ouncil on #ost-&onflict #eacebuildingrevie. of the peacebuilding architecture at UN 2ead;uarters in Ne. Jor/, MachariaKamau, chairman of the UN #eacebuilding &ommission #B&$ and #ermanent%epresentative of Kenya to the United Nations, underscored that investments in the

prevention of outbrea/, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict are considerablyless e1pensive and sustainable than merely reacting to crises'

(4he #eacebuilding &ommission, in its advisory role to the &ouncil, stands ready to serveas a bridge bet.een Security &ouncil and other principal intergovernmental organs, .ith a vie. to strengthen thecollaboration and enhance the impact of their collective .or/ of peacebuilding in the .orld, he said'

Noting that the role of the #eacebuilding >und in providing financing to countries on their re;uest has evidently beenimportant, but remains limited in its impact, Mr' Kamau stressed that the >und clearly needs to be enhanced'

&alling on UN Member States, including non-traditional donors and other partners, to consider ma/ing or increasing theirmulti-year commitments to pooled funds, in support of sustainable peace, Mr' Kamau said all financing-related proposals,including those aimed at appropriately resourcing peacebuilding programmes during transitions, need to be comprehensivelyconsidered by Member States during the current revie.'

()e need to address the predictability and sustainability of financing, he said' ()e must consider all the viable optionsavailable to ma1imi=e the potential and the predictability of the #eacebuilding >und, he added'

5lso spea/ing at today s debate .as


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recovery'

(Sustaining peace encompasses the activities aimed at preventing the outburst, resurgence and continuation of conflict, hesaid'

4he single-most important outcome of the peacebuilding revie. process should endorse a corresponding change in the .aythe UN system is set up to respond to conflict, Mr' S/oog said'

(4he &ommission is ;uite a uni;ue structure at the UN, and also a fle1ible body' ! believe there are inherent opportunitiesfor the &ommission to /eep evolving and to adopt ne. approaches, and thereby come closer to fulfilling its original visionof bridging the gap bet.een crisis response and long-term development and sustainable peace, he emphasi=ed'

!f the UN is serious about sustaining peace, Mr' S/oog continued, it has to ensure that there are resources to bac/ up priorities'

( ery simply put, .e need to .al/ the tal/, he said' (!t is a tragic irony that .hile resources available for peace/eeping andhumanitarian response amount to billions of dollars, conflict prevention initiatives E .hich could save so many lives andsignificantly lessen the need for peace/eeping in the first place E has to scramble for a fraction of those amounts'

!n addition, Mr' S/oog stressed that it is also necessary to create stronger partnerships .ith regional actors, and strengthentheir capacity, since they are often first responders to conflict' By partnering .ith regional and sub-regional organi=ations,the UN response .ill be better informed by local perspectives and able to bring such understandings and approaches to

peacebuilding to the fore'

5long those lines, Gert %osenthal, chair of the advisory group of e1perts on the revie. of the UN peacebuildingarchitecture, stressed that it is necessary to rethin/ .hat is meant by (peacebuilding' !n fact, he said, the term is al.ays

preceded by the adFective (post conflict on the agenda item of the &ouncil'

#roposing the term (sustainable peace as preferable and as the needed evolution in mindset, Mr' %osenthal stressed that theUN as a .hole must put a much greater accent on preventive measures'

(!n fact, much of the present peacebuilding efforts do aim to address root causes, in the broader conte1t of pre-empting lapseor relapse into violent conflict, he noted' But, he added, (the determination in ?998 .as to ensure that such efforts becomecentral, but .e found that regrettably this has not been the case'

4he #eacebuilding &ommission is an intergovernmental body that .as established in "ecember ?998 by the UN General5ssembly and Security &ouncil'


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- re(ugee agen"y "alls on igeria to heed wishes o( internallydis!la"ed

23 February - 4he Nigerian authorities should heed the concerns of internally displaced people !"#$ in the north-east of the country, the United Nations refugee agency s top protection official said follo.ing his visit to Borno, the north-eastern state hardest hit by theBo/o 2aram insurgency'

()e all need to listen to the !"#s, their aspirations and sense of dignity and safety .henorgani=ing their returns to areas ta/en bac/ by the Government but still considered ris/y,

ol/er 4Or/, 5ssistant 2igh &ommissioner for #rotection at the ar North %egion before .rapping up his regional visit on )ednesday'

' ssistant /igh #ommissioner "orProtection 0ol*er 1;r* tal*s to +isplace+

igerian chil+ren in al*ohi hostcommunity,


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+ore in#est%ent needed in de#elo!ing (e%ale "ontrolled HI4!re#ention o!tions - agen"y

23 February - 4he 3oint United Nations #rogramme on 2! P5!"S UN5!"S$ today.elcomed the (encouraging results of t.o studies from 5frica in .hich .omen modestly

reduced their ris/ of infection by inserting a vaginal ring coated .ith the antiretroviral drugdapivirine once a month'

5ccording to these t.o clinical trials, a vaginal ring, inspired by those used forcontraception or hormone treatments, reduce by D9 per cent on average the ris/ of 2!infection in .omen' !t contains the e1perimental antiviral dapivirine, a microbicide thatgradually diffuses'

(4he results are encouraging and sho. the urgent need to e1pand investment in research and development for female-controlled methods of 2! prevention, UN5!"S said in a press release'

4he agency also noted that these are the first results to sho. that a sustained release mechanism for antiretroviral medicineis feasible, safe and partially effective in preventing 2! infection in .omen' >ollo.-up studies are necessary to build .aysto optimi=e on the results, UN5!"S added'

()omen urgently need better options for 2! prevention, particularly options that allo. them more control, said the"eputy C1ecutive "irector of UN5!"S, Aui= Aoures' (4he path to an effective microbicide has been a long one' 4heimportant results of these t.o studies ta/e us one step closer to.ards an 2! prevention product that could protect millionsof .omen .orld.ide, he e1plained'

4he t.o studies, presented on ?? >ebruary at the 5nnual &onference on %etroviruses and "&$ head;uarters in

Kampala, .ith tear gas and life ammunition reportedly used, as .ell as by .orrying information of Fournalists beingharassed and intimidated by security forces'

()e remind the Government of Uganda of its obligations under international human rights la. not to unduly restrict

mar*etplace in Kampala, 'gan+a&Photo. orl+ Ban*( rne /oel


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freedom of e1pression and peaceful assembly, said Ms' #ouilly'

(Aa. enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, .hen that is not possible, restrict it to the minimum e1tentnecessary' 5nyone .ho is arrested shall be informed of the reasons for the arrest and shall be promptly informed of anycharges against him or her, she added'

4he >"& s leader, Ki==a Besigye, .ho .as arrested and released on three different occasions this past .ee/, .as placed

under house arrest on Saturday .ithout charge or Fudicial order' Jesterday morning, he .as ta/en to a police station in Nagalaama, a to.n located some D9 /ilometres from the capital city of Kampala, after he tried to leave his home, theor.ard party, has been under house arrest since Saturday, .hile 5bed B.ani/a, #resident of the #eople s "evelopment#arty, .as reportedly intercepted by police on >riday at Mutu/ula, close to the border .ith 4an=ania, as he .as attemptingto leave the country .ith his family' Kampala s Aord Mayor, Crias Au/.ago, .as also arrested on Saturday, as he .astal/ing to the press about Mr Besigye s arrest'

- rights "hie( wel"o%es -5 resident*s !lan to "loseuant na%o detention (a"ility

23 February - 4he United Nations human rights chief today .elcomed United States#resident Barac/


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8(ghanistan - "alls on all !arties to res!e"t !rote"ted statuso( %edi"al (a"ilities and !ersonnel

23 February - >ollo.ing t.o incidents in the past .ee/ that put access to health care in

5fghanistan under attac/, the United Nations mission in the country has urged all parties torefrain from targeting hospitals and to ta/e all feasible precautions to prevent casualtiesamong their patients and personnel'

(Medical facilities, medical personnel, and those .ho are receiving treatment, for disease orconflict-related inFuries, must never be placed at ris/, let alone subFect to attac/, said Mar/Bo.den, the UN s 2umanitarian &oordinator and the Secretary-General s "eputy Special%epresentative for 5fghanistan, in a press release'

(4he .or/ that humanitarian and medical personnel carry out must not be restricted, and all parties to the conflict mustabstain from actions that may place these persons or facilities at ris/, he added'

4he UN 5ssistance Mission in 5fghanistan UN5M5$ noted that on ?? >ebruary, in the Sia Gird "istrict of #ar.an#rovince, a suicide attac/er targeting 5fghan security forces detonated an improvised e1plosive device in pro1imity to theentrance of the district health clinic, /illing seven civilians and inFuring seven others, including three boys'

ebruary, the 5fghan Ministry of !nterior Special >orces and the international military conducted a Foint operation inthe 4angi Sayedan area of "aimirdad "istrict of )arda/ #rovince and entered a Government health clinic funded by theS.edish &ommittee for 5fghanistan' 5fter the manager of the facility .as tied up and other medical personnel forced .ithhim into a room, t.o patients and a 68-year-old boy on visit .ere ta/en to a nearby shop and summarily e1ecuted'

UN5M5 reminded all parties to the conflict in 5fghanistan of their obligation to respect the provision of health care, notharm medical personnel and patients, and ensure that the protected status of medical facilities is respected'

4he Mission also said that the ?968 5nnual %eport on the #rotection of &ivilians in 5rmed &onflict, .hich it issued earlierthis month .ith the


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9uro!e*s restri"ti#e %easures !la"e added hardshi!s onre(ugees and asylu% see ers -

23 February - 4he United Nations refugee agency said today it is concerned by recent

restrictive practices adopted in a number of Curopean countries that are placing additionalundue hardships on refugees and asylum-see/ers across Curope, creating chaos at several border points, and putting particular pressure on Greece as it struggles to deal .ith largernumbers of people in need of accommodation and services'

!n a press release, the


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T e - Daily ews is prepared at UN ead?uarters in Ne' @or* by t e Ne's Services Section

admission, family reunifications and studentP.or/ visas'

un daily news - 23 february 2016

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