UN Gazeti
Wednesday 06 August 2008
Issue No. 27
UN Observances
| 9 August |
International day of World’s Indigenous People |
| 12 August |
International Youth Day
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| 8 September |
International Literacy Day |
UN IN KENYA
UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR MAKES RETURN VISIT TO SOMALI REFUGEES IN KENYA
Fulfilling a promise he made to Somali refugees last year, Jesús Vázquez made a return visit to a camp in Kenya in his first field mission since being named a Goodwill Ambassador last month for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Mr. Vázquez, a well-known Spanish television presenter, was warmly greeted by residents of Ifo camp with songs and dances in north-eastern Kenya, near its border with Somalia. UNHCR and its partners are helping more than 200,000 refugees in the area, most of whom have fled Somalia’s devastating civil war.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
UN IN AFRICA
HUMAN RIGHTS OUTLOOK IN TOGO IS IMPROVING, UN AND AFRICAN EXPERTS SAY
The prospects for protecting and promoting human rights in Togo are improving, but defenders of rights still face serious obstacles to carrying out their work, experts with the United Nations and African Union (AU) have said after visiting the West African country.
Margaret Sekaggya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and Reine Alapini-Gansou, the AU Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders in Africa issued a joint statement on Monday that voiced optimism after a week-long visit and offered preliminary recommendations.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
UN HELPING TO PUT SHOES ON RWANDAN REFUGEES’ FEET
A United Nations-backed campaign is helping to put shoes on the feet of over 4,000 Rwandan refugees.
A Canadian non-profit organization called Sole Responsibility has collected over 4,000 pairs of shoes in collaboration with schools and running clubs, and shipping costs are covered by cash donations. The Ottawa-based group focuses on providing footwear to displaced people worldwide.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
ATTACK ON CONVOY LEAVES SIX CIVILIANS DEAD, UN-AU MISSION REPORTS
A civilian convoy with seven vehicles was attacked on Monday, leaving six dead and 28 wounded, the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reported yesterday.
According to UNAMID the seven Sudanese civilian vehicles were travelling from Nyala to El Fasher in North Darfur when they were ambushed by unknown men on camels, suspected to be Janjaweed militia.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
TOP UN OFFICIAL IN DR CONGO IN PUSH TO IMPROVE PEACEKEEPER CONDUCT
The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday pledged to intensify his efforts to ensure that peacekeepers operating in the African country observe the UN Code of Conduct.
Alan Doss, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the DRC and the head of the peacekeeping mission known as MONUC, said he is seeking the advice of an soon-to-be established independent, high-level panel of experts on how MONUC can further strengthen its efforts to prevent misconduct by its personnel.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
SENIOR UN OFFICIAL DEPARTS FOR TALKS ON ZIMBABWE’S POLITICAL CRISIS
A senior United Nations political official is heading to South Africa on Monday for talks on the mediation process to resolve the political crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios is going to Pretoria in his capacity as the UN’s high-level representative to the Reference Group, which was set up by South African President Thabo Mbeki to support the mediation effort to end the ongoing dispute between President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, who heads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
JOINT UN-AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR MOURNS LOSS OF NIGERIAN OFFICER
The military chief of the United Nations-African Union (AU) mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Monday paid a condolence visit to members of the Nigerian company operating in Foro Baranga in West Darfur state following the loss of their commanding officer three weeks ago.
Major Shehu Gada was shot dead on 16 July while on an administrative patrol.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
UN AROUND THE WORLD
UN AGENCY SAYS 2.5 MILLION IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE FOOD AID
Around 2.5 million people in rural Nepal are in immediate need of food assistance and an additional 3.9 million are at risk of becoming food insecure because of rising prices, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said in a report released yesterday.
An additional 500,000 people in urban areas are also at risk, the agency said, with the country as a whole facing low economic growth, high unemployment and rising prices, all of which pose a serious threat to the ongoing peace process.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
NEW UN-BACKED REPORT SUGGESTS HOW TO BOOST CITIES’ RESILIENCY TO CLIMATE CHANGE
With eight of the world’s 10 most populous cities situated near rivers or seas and already being exposed to such hazards as flooding, earthquakes and typhoons, a United Nations-backed report released yesterday offers suggestions on how to enhance resiliency to threats emanating from climate change.
“Climate Resilient Cities” – jointly produced by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) – serves as a primer for East Asia and the Pacific to curb vulnerability to climate change and bolstering disaster risk management.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
EMINENT IRISH JURIST APPOINTED UN’S FIRST FEMALE LEGAL CHIEF
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Patricia O’Brien of Ireland as the new United Nations legal chief, making her the first woman in the Organization’s history to hold that post.
Since 2003, Ms. O’Brien has been serving as Legal Adviser to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland, during which time she provided counsel on legal issues arising in Irish foreign policy, particularly public international law, human rights law and European
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
AFGHAN LAWYERS GROUP MAJOR STRIDE FOR YOUNG DEMOCRACY, SAYS UN AGENCY
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has welcomed the newly-established Afghan Independent Bar Association, which it called an important step in promoting justice and due process in the fledgling democracy.
Christina Gynna Oguz, UNODC Representative in Afghanistan, congratulated the authorities, in particular the Ministry of Justice, and the Afghan people for taking a major stride towards “promoting meaningful access to legal representation and justice for all persons regardless of their ethnic, economic or social condition.”
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
MARKING HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY, BAN SEES HOPE FOR NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE
Commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the first-ever atomic bomb attack, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed optimism for a world free of nuclear weapons.
“From sadness and grief can emerge new hope for progress in our common journey to a new age of peace and security,” he said in a message to the Peace Memorial Ceremony delivered by Sergio Duarte, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. “I see many grounds for such hope.”
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
STIGMA THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN BATTLE AGAINST AIDS, BAN SAYS
Prejudice against people living with HIV/AIDS makes them afraid to speak out and allows the disease to make its deadly impact around the globe, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday.
“Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is the main reason too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment,” Mr. Ban writes in an op-ed article in The Washington Times.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
BELGIUM JOINS TREATY ON INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS – UN COMMISSION
Belgium has become the 28th country to accede to a treaty covering the transnational sale of goods, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) announced yesterday.
The Convention on the Limitation Period in the International Sale of Goods, which was originally adopted in 1974, will enter into force for Belgium on 1 March 2009 after it deposited its instrument of accession.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
UN HAILS CANADA’S DECISION TO PROVIDE ESCORTS FOR FOOD SHIPS HEADING TO SOMALIA
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday welcomed Canada’s decision to deploy a frigate to Somalia to protect the agency’s food ships against pirates, who have launched over two dozen attacks so far this year off the East African country’s coast.
“WFP is grateful for Canada’s leadership in protecting our maritime lifeline from piracy – this is a critical moment when more food is needed for a growing number of hungry,” said WFP Country Director Peter Goossens.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT KEY TO ACHIEVING DEVELOPMENT TARGETS, UN FORUM TOLD
Women’s empowerment is critical for countries in Asia and the Pacific to advance towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, all by 2015, according to participants at a United Nations forum held in the Thai capital.
“Where’s the Power in Women’s Empowerment?” – organized by the Bangkok-based UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) – examined issues related to women’s empowerment and the achievement of the gender-related MDGs, as well as power relations and violence against women.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
WITH OLYMPICS SET TO START, UN TO ISSUE SIX ‘SPORT FOR PEACE’ STAMPS
The United Nations Postal Administration announced yesterday that it will issue six commemorative “Peace for Sport” stamps this Friday to coincide with the start of the Beijing Olympics.
“The Olympic Games have always brought people together in peace to respect universal moral principles,” the agency said in a press release.
For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/news
For more information on the United Nations and its activities, please visit the main U.N. website at www.un.org or the U.N. Kenya website at www.un-kenya.org
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