Statement on the Recent Development in the Syrian Conflict
WFUNA – 20 May 2013
The Executive Committee of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), elected by non-partisan civil society organizations in over 100 countries, continues to be gravely concerned over the recent developments in the Syrian conflict and expresses deep solidarity with the people of Syria who are confronting serious atrocities.
Ban concerned about provocations after latest DPR Korea missile test
UN News Centre – 19 May 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his concern about provocations and tensions on the Korean Peninsula following reports that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched short-range guided missiles into the sea on Saturday.
Number of Syrian refugees tops 1.5 million mark with many more expected
UNHCR – 17 May 2013
The UN refugee agency announced on Friday that the number of Syrian civilians who have fled their country to escape conflict has passed the 1.5 million mark. "The Syrian conflict continues to have a devastating impact on the lives of those who are forced to flee," added UNHCR spokesman Dan McNorton in Geneva.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis could threaten political gains, warns UN relief official
UN News Centre – 16 May 2013
Yemen is facing a worsening humanitarian situation which could destabilize the country’s gains on the political front, a senior United Nations relief official warned today, noting that half of the country’s 24 million people are in need of assistance.
South Sudan: UN reinforces peacekeeping presence in Pibor town amid violence
UN News Centre – 16 May 2013
Additional United Nations peacekeepers are on alert to protect civilians in the town of Pibor in South Sudan’s Jonglei state where the situation remains tense amid recent violence, looting and displacement, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson today said.
Ban welcomes release of peacekeepers detained in Golan, appreciates assistance of Qatar, others
UN News Centre – 12 May 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the safe release of the four United Nations peacekeepers captured last week while on patrol in the Golan Heights.
Security Council: Counter-terrorism committees focus on Mali, the Sahel and Somalia
UN News Centre – 10 May 2013
The United Nations counter-terrorism panel dealing with Al-Qaida strengthened its work and cooperation with related UN bodies to more urgently address the evolving threats posed by the network in Mali, the Sahel and Somalia, the chairmen of the group today told the UN Security Council.
Syria: UN agencies assist thousands displaced by recent deadly violence in Baniyas area
UN News Centre – 10 May 2013
United Nations agencies today said they have begun distribution of emergency assistance to thousands of Syrians who were recently displaced by alleged massacres in Baniyas and its surrounding areas.
Ban recommends adjustment in UN mission in Guinea-Bissau to help restore order, stability
UN News Centre – 09 May 2013
The mandate of the United Nations political mission in Guinea-Bissau should be adjusted to support a two-phase process towards full restoration of constitutional order and medium-term stability in the country, which last year faced a military coup, according to a report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented to the Security Council today.
Facing meningitis outbreak, UN and South Sudan announce vaccination campaign in Upper Nile
UN News Centre – 09 May 2013
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and South Sudan today announced they will carry out a vaccination campaign to address a meningitis outbreak in the Upper Nile state that has killed three people.
Syria: Ban and Special Representative welcome US-Russia accord to spur political solution
UN News Centre – 08 May 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, today welcomed the statements by Russia and the United States that they would work together to achieve a political solution to end a conflict that has claimed more than 70,000 lives over the past two years.
UN report confirms nearly 200 women and girls raped by Congolese troops, rebels
UN News Centre – 08 May 2013
Congolese armed forces, known by the French acronym FARDC, raped more than 102 women and 33 girls, some as young as six years old, as they fled the advance M23 rebels in country’s restive eastern region in November 2012, according to a joint UN report released today.
High-level event to map future of human security approach
UN Trust Fund for Human Security – 08 May 2013
Today (Wednesday 8 May), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and other dignitaries will take part in an event that will chart a future course for human security, an approach that integrates peace and security, development, and human rights. Far away from the event, communities in dozens of countries around the world can attest to the value of this approach.
South Sudan: UN official urges key role for women in drafting new constitution
UN News Centre – 07 May 2013
Women must play a greater role in South Sudan’s political life, from drawing up the country’s constitution to translating it into law, a United Nations official has urged, as the African nation prepares to draft its first legal framework.
Security Council condemns Abyei killing of tribal chief, UN peacekeeper
UN News Centre – 06 May 2013
The Security Council has strongly condemned the attack on a United Nations convoy in Abyei, during which a top tribal chief and a peacekeeper from the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) were killed amid growing ethnic tensions.
Syria: UN human rights Inquiry has ‘no conclusive findings’ on use of chemical weapons
UN News Centre – 06 May 2013
With its investigation continuing into violations of human rights in Syria, an independent United Nations panel today said it has “no conclusive findings” regarding the use of chemical weapons by any of the parties to the conflict in the country.
UN official alarmed over rising violence in Central African Republic nature reserve
UN News Centre – 06 May 2013
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has expressed deep concern over the rise of poaching, armed violence and destruction in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) Dzanga-Sanga National Park, which is on the agency’s World Heritage List.
Ban ‘strongly condemns’ killings of top tribal chief, UN peacekeeper in Abyei
UN News Centre – 05 May 2013
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for calm in Abyei, an area contested by Sudan and South Sudan, following the killing of a top tribal chief and a UN peacekeeper from the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), as tensions in the area reportedly remain high today.
UN chief calls for maximum calm and restraint after reported Israeli air strikes in Syria
UN News Centre – 05 May 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is gravely concerned about reports of air strikes in Syria by the Israeli Air Force, according to a statement from his spokesperson, which stressed that the United Nations does not have details of the reported incidents nor is in a position to independently verify that they took place.
IAEA Regional Workshop Details Support for Pacific Islands States
IAEA – 03 May 2013
At a three-day IAEA Regional Workshop for Pacific Islands States, held in Nadi, Fiji, from 29 April to 1 May 2013, 30 participants from 12 countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu), in addition to an observer from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, met to learn more about the IAEA's support to States in the region, as well as to identify areas of possible cooperation in the future and help to establish channels of communication with the IAEA.