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UN Daily News
Issue DH/6804
Friday, 19 December 2014
In the headlines:
• Ban visits Ebola-hit West Africa, says zero cases
• Central African Republic: Security Council appeals
• North Pole: Santa swamped by millions of letters
• Cambodia: ‘Substantial grounds’ to believe
“must be everyone’s goal”
• Adopting resolution, Security Council urges fight
against nexus of transnational crime, terrorism
• ‘Suffering an enormous human cost’, civilian
casualties up nearly 20 per cent in 2014 ¬– UN
• South Sudan: UN probe uncovers targeting of
to armed groups to lay down arms
Montagnards may be in danger, UN warns
• ‘Extremely serious’ situation for over a million
children in crisis-torn eastern Ukraine – UN
• DR Congo: Amid spike in violence, UN refugee
agency concerned about humanitarian situation
civilians, abductions, sexual violence
Ban visits Ebola-hit West Africa, says zero cases “must be
everyone’s goal”
19 December - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that there is
reason to be “cautiously optimistic” about defeating the Ebola crisis in West Africa, as he
made a series of visits to countries most-affected by the unprecedented outbreak, which has
sickened some 18,000 people and killed close to 7,000 others throughout the region.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon shakes
hand with Rebecca Johnson, an Ebola
surviving nurse. UN Photo/Martine
Perret
During a meeting in Monrovia with Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, to discuss
UN support for the country to contain the spread of Ebola, Mr. Ban praised Liberia’s
achievements to date, stressing the importance of remaining vigilant in the fight against the
disease.
“Now is not the time to ease our efforts. We have witnessed how just one case can trigger
an epidemic,” he said. “We have a long way to go. Zero cases – in Liberia and this entire region – must be everyone’s goal.”
Despite his call for caution, he also noted the slowing spread of the virus, paying tribute to the dedication and commitment
of Liberians, which was vital in ensuring that the response strategy was working.
“More people are gaining access to treatment. More contacts are being traced. Burials are becoming safer. Communities are
mobilizing to protect themselves,” he said.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General visited an Ebola treatment centre in neighbouring Sierra Leone and he again praised
the response to the outbreak, singling out Ebola fighters for special acclaim.
“You are heroes,” he told the workers, “You have shown the most noble face of humankind. You have come to the aid of
family members, friends, fellow citizens – anyone caught in the grip of the vicious Ebola virus.”
He noted the heavy toll that the disease took from caregivers, saluting their courage and offering condolences to the families
For information media not an official record
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19 December 2014
and friends of all who have died in responding to the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Mali, including
the renowned doctor, Victor Willoughby, a renowned doctor from Sierra Leone who died yesterday.
“The survivors among you have been to hell and back – and know intimately what it is like to be on the receiving end of
treatment from women and men in protective gear,” he said. “All of you have helped to save many lives. Thanks to you,
even many who did not survive were at least able to retain their dignity through their final moments.”
During both events, the Secretary-General underlined the global nature of the crisis and the strong commitment of the entire
international community and the UN to tackling Ebola. In Monrovia, he described how the international response would
adapt as the nature of the outbreak evolved.
“We need more robust contact tracing. We need greater preparedness at the district level. And the promising results that
Liberia has experienced must be shared regionally to avoid the risk of re-transmission,” he said stressing the need to respond
to the long-term socio-economic impacts by working on recovery at the same time as trying to stop transmissions.
“We must scale up our efforts to re-establish basic social services, strengthen health services, support economic activity and
build up the country’s resilience. We are ready to help the Liberian Government and people to build your society, more
resilient and stronger,” he said.
He concluded by emphasizing that the elections to be held in Liberia tomorrow offered the country a chance to show how
far it had come after 10 years of hard-won peace and stability.
“This election will give Liberia and its people an opportunity to show the world how far it has come,” he said. “I urge all
Liberians to do their part in ensuring that these elections are peaceful and objective; at the same time, to follow public health
guidelines against Ebola to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
In other news, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported on ongoing efforts to tame the outbreak along the front
lines of the current “hotspot”, the Western Area of Sierra Leone .The Government, WHO and partners, are sending in a
massive surge of staff and resources to this area to intensify efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
The emphasis of the so-called Western Are Surge operation is on convincing people to take personal responsibility for
bringing this epidemic to an end – to put community before self. Ordinary people can save lives by calling the hotline to
report possible Ebola cases or request a respectful burial.
The response targets Freetown and neighbouring areas to break chains of transmission by increasing the number of beds to
ensure patients with clinical symptoms of Ebola are isolated and receive appropriate treatment.
“We are ready to give support to the teams who are investigating the cases. This includes providing hands-on support when
they have challenges and difficult issues to solve,” says Dr Fikru Abebe, WHO epidemiologist involved in providing
support to the teams on the ground.
North Pole: Santa swamped by millions of letters
19 December - With Christmas less than a week away, Santa and his helpers have been
busy receiving stacks of letters from children around the world, according to the United
Nations postal agency, which estimates the total this year will climb above 7 million.
A Bolivian UN peacekeeper dressed like
Santa Claus distributes biscuits during an
animation performed by Bolivian UN
peacekeepers. UN Photo/Marco Dormino
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) released data this week showing that Posts in countries
around the world have been going the extra mile as 25 December approaches, making sure
that mail addressed to Santa Claus and other popular holiday figures – from the Three Wise
Men and Saint Nicholas to Ded Moroz – gets the attention it deserves.
Although the global total of letters handled by elves in Santa’s mail room remains stable,
Canadian and French Posts saw record numbers of letters processed last year, with the high
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19 December 2014
volumes projected to repeat in 2014, according to UPU, which is a specialized agency of the UN.
Canadian elves replied to letters written in more than 30 languages, including Braille, many of which were addressed to
Santa using his own special postal code: H0H 0H0.
In Portugal, Santa Claus (Pai Natal) is making sure some 2,000 disadvantaged children see their Christmas wishes come
true. Their letters are published on a dedicated website and available at post offices across the country. Anyone can sponsor
a letter and offer a child the gift they wished for. Correios delivers these packages free of charge, on behalf of Pai Natal, of
course.
“Toys still dominate the Christmas wishes, but requests for clothes, pets or even brothers and sisters are increasing,” says
Isabel Tavares of Correios Portugal.
A similar pattern was identified in Sweden, where Santa’s post office received about 22,000 letters last year.
“Santa receives letters from kids all over the world, many from Asia. They often send wishes for good fortune and good
health rather than toys. The latter are more common for the European kids,” says Maria Ibsen of Swedish Post.
On the other side of the Atlantic, 20 post offices across the US are participating in the “Letters to Santa” programme. In
New York City, where about 500,000 letters are processed each year, the program is nicknamed ‘Operation Santa’.
Because Santa is a universal superstar, he has addresses in many parts of the world. Posts often use this time of the year to
teach children about the importance of properly addressing letters to their favourite holiday figure.
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has its headquarters in Berne, Switzerland’s capital. It is the world’s
second oldest intergovernmental organization and has been a United Nations specialized agency since 1948.
Adopting resolution, Security Council urges fight against nexus
of transnational crime, terrorism
19 December - Amid a proliferation of well-funded and well-organized transnational
criminal activities in Africa, the Middle East and beyond, the United Nations Security
Council today adopted a resolution spotlighting its concern over the ties between crossborder crime and terrorism and called on UN Member States to ramp up efforts in
combatting the two activities.
Transnational Organized Crime in
Eastern Africa: A Threat Assessment.
Credit: UNODC
In today’s unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member Council said it is “gravely
concerned” by the financing obtained by terrorist groups through illicit activities – such as
the trafficking of drugs, people, arms and artefacts – and reaffirmed the international
community’s need to supress the monetary lifeline which keeps the terrorist threats active.
Delivering his remarks to the Council, Jeffrey Feltman, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said that the
world had been reminded yet again this week “why we must not tire in our efforts to counter terrorism, following the
despicable attack on a school in Pakistan by the Taliban.”
He emphasized that the need for urgent action to address terrorism and its transnational linkages is regrettably well
illustrated, for example by the intensification of Boko Haram activities across the Lake Chad Basin region of Central Africa.
In the Secretary-General's recent visits to Africa, he was constantly reminded that terrorism and cross-border crime cannot
be addressed separately, Mr. Feltman told the Council.
“Efforts to combat terrorism will not bear fruit unless we combine law enforcement actions with measures to strengthen
good governance, rule of law and human rights,” he said, stressing that “we will not uproot the ideologies that lead to
violence if we do not win over hearts and minds.”
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19 December 2014
Also addressing the Council, Ambassador Tete Antonio, the representative of the African Union to the UN, acknowledged
that cross-border criminal activities in Africa contributed to the onset of conflicts and further complicated management and
resolution efforts. Vast swathes of ungoverned territory – in northern Mali and across the Sahel belt as well as in Central
Africa and in Somalia – provide criminal and terrorist groups with a “deadly convergence” point where they could thrive
undisturbed.
In the Sahel – a vast expanse of territory stretching from Mauritania to Eritrea, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan – the Ambassador explained that drug and arms trafficking, human smuggling, kidnapping-forransom, and illicit proliferation of arms and money laundering had become “intimately intertwined” with the financing of
terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
In addition, he said, kidnapping-for-ransom in the Sahel had become “an integral financing model” for the spread of terrorist
activities in Africa and globally.
At the same time, a limited government presence in northern Mali had spawned an environment conducive for cross-border
trafficking whereas in Central Africa, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a known militant group accused of numerous
human rights violations, fuelled its operations through the poaching of elephants and illegal trade in ivory.
“The African Union has not remained idle in the face of these threats,” Mr. Antonio told the delegates. Nonetheless, he
remarked, greater efforts should be made to encourage collaboration between neighbouring states sharing such threats along
their borders and strengthen early warning mechanisms to clamp down on any potential situations of conflict that could be
exploited by terrorist groups.
Recognizing the nexus of criminal and terrorist activities, the new Security Council resolution stressed the need for Member
States “to work collectively to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” and called upon the
international community to strengthen border management.
The text also stressed the importance of strengthening trans-regional and international cooperation on a basis of “a common
and shared responsibility to counter the world drug problem and related criminal activities,” adding its encouragement for
Member States to block and prevent terrorist groups from benefitting from transnational organized crime.
“The porous African borders have long served to bring communities together, facilitate trade, and have contributed to the
prosperity and the enriching diversity of our people. But porous need not translate into threats and risks of crime and
terrorism,” Mr. Antonio continued.
“There is therefore a need for innovative, collaborative and inclusive approaches that are led by the concerned states, based
on confidence and transparency among them, and without hindrances nor restrictions on legal cross-border flows of people
and trade.”
‘Suffering an enormous human cost’, civilian casualties up
nearly 20 per cent in 2014 ¬– UN
19 December - Civilian casualties in Afghanistan increased by nearly 20 per cent in 2014
compared to the previous year and are expected to rise to a figure over 10,000 by end of
December – for the first time since the UN mission in the country began keeping record in
2008.
IDPs fleeing Orakzai Agency near the
Pakistan-Afghan border. Photo:
IRIN/Abdul Majeed Goraya
“Men, women and children are suffering an enormous human cost as the transition evolves
in Afghanistan,” Georgette Gagnon, the Director of Human Rights at the UN Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in New York today as she briefed journalists at UN
Headquarters.
UNAMA documented from 1 January 2014 to the end of November 9,617 civilian
casualties which includes 3,188 civilian deaths and 6,429 civilian injuries.
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19 December 2014
“Why do we document injuries? Because they devastate families, communities and individuals, leaving many with very
serious physical disabilities and affecting family livelihoods and futures,” Ms. Gagnon said.
Compared to 2013 child casualties jumped 33 per cent and women civilian casualties increased 14 per cent. What’s different
in 2014 is that the majority of civilian casualties have been caused in ground engagements and fighting between Afghan
forces and insurgents, followed by deaths and injuries caused from improvised explosive devices.
“As with previous years, 75 per cent of civilian casualties we attribute to the insurgents, the Taliban, the Haqqani network
and other insurgent groups; 12 per cent to pro-Government forces, 11 per cent to ground engagements where the party that
caused the civilian casualties cannot be determined and the remainder to unexploded ordinates that are left after ground
engagements,” Ms. Gagnon said.
UNAMA continues to advocate and lobby all parties particularly “anti-government elements” to do much more to abide by
their legal obligation under international law and under Afghan law to reduce civilian casualties and to not attack civilians
either deliberately or indiscriminately.
“Civilian casualties are particularly tragic and a prominent part, even benchmark, of the horror and the violence that
ordinary Afghans face,” said the Head of UNAMA, Nicholas Haysom who joined Ms. Gagnon at the briefing.
He stressed that the scale of the problems that Afghanistan faces in 2015 requires a “level of common purpose and unity”
without which the embattled nation will simply not be able to meet its challenges.
Insecurity has surged in the country in recent months but other challenges persist. For instance, Afghanistan will be going
into 2015 carrying quite significant amount of debt. The country must look for additional resources to implement its
ambitious reform programme which demonstrates a thorough commitment to tackle corruption and establish governance
through-out much of the country and embark on a much more in-depth programme of delivering services to the people.
“The failure to properly tackle this ongoing liquidity crisis is something that will be an exercise for the Government and
international donors in the next few months,” he said.
Mr. Haysom briefed the Security Council yesterday on the situation in Afghanistan. He said compared to the last Council
meeting on the matter, there has been a significant improvement in the Central Asian nation.
For instance, Afghanistan is no longer “locked at an electoral impasse that threatened to divide the country at best and at
worst to reopen a pattern of cycles of violence”. Winners have been announced in both provincial council elections and
presidential council elections, and UNAMA expressed support for the Afghanistan’s Government of National Unity.
Additionally, the BSA (Bilateral Security Agreement) signed back in September paves the way for the deployment of the
NATO resolute support mission. Afghan’s President Ashraf Ghani and its Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah have
conducted an extensive tour of the region in which they have been able to present a carefully thought-out and bold
programme for reform.
This has impressed international delegates to illicit a very firm affirmation of support for Afghanistan in the foreseeable
future, he added. The Government has also managed to engage with the region to secure support both in regard to its
economic integration and connectivity with the region and its security challenges.
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South Sudan: UN probe uncovers targeting of civilians,
abductions, sexual violence
19 December - In a report issued today, the Human Rights Division of the United Nations
Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said there is reason to believe that at least 11
civilians were killed and several other serious rights abuses were committed during an
attack by opposition forces on Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, in October this year.
Internally displaced people queue up at a
food distribution center in Juba, South
Sudan. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine
Investigations into the incident are ongoing but the report offers preliminary findings on
allegations that the attack on Bentiu was accompanied by the deliberate targeting of
civilians by armed elements and that women were abducted by opposition forces and
subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.
“Reports of such gross human rights abuses are all too common in the current conflict and
involve all sides,” stated the report. According to its preliminary findings, “(opposition) forces committed gross human
rights abuses and serious violations of international humanitarian law which may amount to war crimes.”
UNMISS human rights officers conducted 21 interviews with victims, witnesses and other sources in the aftermath of the 29
October attack, visiting the incident sites and retracing the alleged sequence of events.
Multiple testimonies received by the investigators alleged that civilians sheltering in a Catholic church were beaten with
sticks before eight male civilians were shot and killed and two wounded. Several witnesses also reported that two women
and a six-month-old baby were killed in their homes by opposition forces near a Catholic church in the Dere neighbourhood
of Bentiu.
During their visit to the sites, human rights officers observed graves where victims were allegedly buried, as well as
unburied bodies. Officers also compiled a list of 14 names of women who were allegedly kidnapped by opposition forces
during the brief occupation.
State officials allege that at least 20 women were abducted and reportedly forced to carry wounded opposition fighters. One
witness reported that the women were beaten and stripped naked for being in Bentiu town instead of being in the UNMISS
protection of civilians site, while there were several reports of women being sexually assaulted and forced to have sex with
opposition fighters.
When investigators visited local authorities associated with the opposition in Nhialdiu on 24 November, they denied
accusations that opposition forces targeted or kidnapped any civilians and suggested that the civilians may have died when
caught in crossfire. They added that women seen leaving Bentiu had accompanied opposition forces of their own free will
“This report is a timely reminder of the fighting that has continued in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states in spite of the
Cessation of Hostilities Agreement that both warring parties signed nearly a year ago,” said Ellen Margrethe Løj, the Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan. “I strongly condemn the targeting of unarmed civilians in the
ongoing fighting and call on both parties to exercise restraint and respect the rights of non-combatants.”
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19 December 2014
Central African Republic: Security Council appeals to armed
groups to lay down arms
19 December - The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the recent
resurgence of violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) and reiterated its appeal to
all parties to the conflict to “immediately and permanently” lay down their arms, release all
children from their ranks, and embark upon the path of dialogue as the only viable means
towards achieving lasting peace.
MINUSCA, the UN Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in the
Central African Republic (CAR), on
patrol in the capital Bangui. UN
Photo/Catianne Tijerina
In a statement presented by Moussa Faki Mahamat, Minister for Foreign Affairs and
African Integration of Chad, which holds the body’s December presidency, the Council
condemned “the continuous cycle of provocations and reprisals by armed groups, both
inside and outside of Bangui; the threats of violence, human rights violations and abuses
and international humanitarian law violations committed by armed elements”.
The 15-member Council also reiterated its grave concern at the threat to peace and security arising from the illicit transfer,
destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. It also underlined that attacks targeting
peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.
It urgently appealed to the international community to mobilize additional resources, noting that a total amount of $321
million is still required to cover the needs identified within the framework of the 2014 CAR Strategic Response Plan and
Regional Refugee Response Plan, to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
The Council stressed that the restoration of lasting peace and stability in the CAR is contingent upon economic recovery,
with concrete prospects for youth employment. In this context, the Security Council welcomed employment generating
projects.
Council Members reiterated the important role of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR
(MINUSCA) in providing support for security sector reform and commended the work of the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General Babacar Gaye.
In that regard, the Council urged the Secretariat and MINUSCA to accelerate the deployments of its civilian, police and
military capabilities in CAR, in order to reach its full operational capacity as soon as possible.
The Council also took note of the final communiqué of the High-level meeting on the Central African Republic (CAR) held
under the auspices of the Secretary-General in New York on 26 September 2014 as well as conclusions of the 6th meeting of
the International Contact Group on the CAR held in Bangui on 11 November 2014.
Transitional Authorities must take concrete action, with the full, effective and equal participation of women, towards an
inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue and reconciliation process, the Council reiterated, urging Transitional
Authorities to accelerate inclusive preparations for the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation scheduled for January
2015.
Members also urged all actors of the electoral process, including the Transitional Authorities and the National Elections
Authority (NEA), to accelerate preparations in order to hold free and fair presidential and legislative elections that allow for
the full and equal participation of women, internally displaced persons, and CAR refugees, no later than August 2015.
Meanwhile, signatories to the Brazzaville Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities of 23 July 2014 must fully implement its
provisions, in particular articles 4 and 8, the Council reiterated, calling on the International Mediation, led by President
Denis Sassou N’Guesso, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the African Union (AU), and the
UN to facilitate the early conclusion of an agreement on the disarmament of the armed groups.
Affirming that those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable, the Council
noted the opening by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 24 September 2014 of an investigation on
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19 December 2014
alleged crimes committed since 2012 and welcomed the ongoing cooperation by the CAR Transitional Authorities in this
regard.
It also welcomed the signing on 7 August 2014 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Urgent Temporary
Measures, which describes, in particular, the establishment of a national Special Criminal Court in charge of investigating
and prosecuting the serious crimes committed in CAR and called for the immediate implementation of this MoU.
Members reiterated its appreciation to neighbouring countries for hosting approximately 420,000 CAR refugees and called
on Transitional Authorities, humanitarian personnel and all relevant actors to establish favourable conditions for the
voluntary and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees
The international community must continue to support Central African Republic and provide urgent financial contributions
to support national dialogue and reconciliation as well as the restoration of the judicial and penal chains in order to fight
against impunity, the Council stated.
Cambodia: ‘Substantial grounds’ to believe Montagnards may
be in danger, UN warns
19 December - The United Nations agencies responsible for human rights and refugees are
voicing concern today over the health and well-being of 13 Vietnamese Montagnards who
have been hiding in the Cambodian jungle for more than seven weeks with no access to
assistance or protection.
Montagnard refugees in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia. Photo: UNHCR/A. Wahjanto
Briefing the press in Geneva, UN officials from the agencies said that the Montagnards are
believed to be in north-eastern Cambodia’s Ratanakiri Province. Faced with an “extremely
precarious” situation, they are reportedly suffering from various physical ailments,
including dengue fever and malaria.
They fear arrest and deportation and therefore are afraid to venture out. The Montagnards told local sources that they fled
religious persecution in Viet Nam and wish to seek asylum.
In Bangkok this morning, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a joint press release appealing to the Cambodian authorities to take urgent
action to ensure that the Montagnard group is escorted to Phnom Penh and given access to the asylum procedure in line with
the 1951 Refugee Convention and Cambodia’s sub-decree on refugees and asylum seekers.
A team from Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, UNHCR and OHCHR travelled to Ratanakiri last week to engage with the
local authorities and to locate and talk to the Montagnards.
It was agreed that if the group indicated that they wished to apply for asylum, they would be brought to Phnom Penh to
enable them to do so. Despite clear instruction by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng to cooperate
with the joint team, local authorities in Ratanakiri refused to allow the team to meet with the group or to transport them to
the capital.
Meanwhile, this morning, provincial authorities prevented UN access to the ethnic Jarai villages in the area.
“Between 10:00 and 11:00 local time the joint UN/Ministry of Interior team was stopped at a road block as attempted to
enter the area where the Montagnards are believed to be hiding. The team contacted the Governor, but he did not intervene
to facilitate their entry,” the release said.
In the meantime, UN officials were informed that provincial police have continued to search for the individuals, possibly
with a view to returning them to Viet Nam.
“We believe there are substantial grounds for believing that the Montagnards may be in danger of being subjected to human
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19 December 2014
rights violations if they are returned to their country of origin, Viet Nam,” the statement said.
‘Extremely serious’ situation for over a million children in
crisis-torn eastern Ukraine – UN
19 December - In eastern Ukraine, the situation remains ‘extremely serious’ for more than
1.7 million children affected by the escalating crisis, the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) warned today as it appealed for funds to continue its humanitarian response in
the country.
Mariya with with her two children Liliya
and Alina. Photo: UNICEF/NYHQ20143166/Zmey
“Since March 2014, more than one million people have been displaced from the conflictaffected areas, including nearly 530,000 people within Ukraine, of who at least 130,000 are
children,”
Kristen Elsby, UNICEF’s communication director for Central and Eastern Europe and
Central Asia said today in a Geneva press briefing.
She explained displaced Ukrainian children are faced with hardships and extremely limited opportunities when trying to
enrol in schools located in their host communities. “Parents are not registering their children in new schools, as they expect
either further displacement or intend to return home.”
Ms. Elsby said UNICEF needs $32.4 million to address the urgent needs of some 600,000 children and their families.
Specifically the money will provide 225,000 affected school-aged children with school supplies; 100,000 children with
support to reduce heightened levels of stress; polio vaccines at the Government’s request; and 250,000 children and women
with safe water and hygiene supplies.
Thus far, UNICEF has received $9.4 million in funding and pledges.
Having just returned from Kharkiv, Ms. Elsby described the scene on the ground, where she said some 500 people arrive
daily from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. While some people are settling in in Kharkiv, others continue on to Kiev.
On certain days, Ms. Elsby explained, as many as 5,000 people arrive in the city. UNICEF along with its partners is helping
prepare refugees and the displaced for cold winter months ahead. However, the Fund does not have access to areas of
ongoing fighting and therefore any civilians who are trapped there.
According to UNICEF, the conflict in Ukraine has left 147 schools closed in part of Donetsk Oblast, where fighting
continues, and disrupted the education of some 50,000 children since 1 September alone. In government-controlled areas,
187 educational institutions had been damaged or destroyed.
At least 44 children have been killed in Ukraine in 2014.
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19 December 2014
DR Congo: Amid spike in violence, UN refugee agency
concerned about humanitarian situation
19 December - Continuing violence and multiple attacks in the eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) have sown widespread fear and sparked displacement of
thousands of people, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported today, amid
appeals for humanitarian access to help those in distress.
Displaced people in North Kivu. Many
parts of the province have been relatively
quiet in the past two years, but UNHCR is
concerned about violence in the Beni
region. Photo: UNHCR/B. Sokol
In a press briefing earlier today in Geneva, Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the agency,
cited “credible reports” that at least 256 people, including children, have been massacred in
North Kivu province in ongoing machete and axe attacks since October, with new attacks
perpetrated by armed groups reported every week.
“The survivors and the displaced live in a desperate situation and in constant fear. They
remain at risk of new attacks and have had no respite for the past three months,” Mr.
Edwards told reporters. “They have little protection against violence and have received hardly any assistance.”
The bulk of the killings have occurred in and around the town of Beni, in the DRC’s North Kivu province. A recent attack
on villages near Oicha, to the west of Beni, resulted in 52 people being “slaughtered,” he said, while a week later 19 more
people were killed nearby.
In addition, the violence has caused a spike in displacement. The UNHCR spokesperson pointed out that some 88,000
people had been displace and forced to live in schools and churches, or with host families.
“We are concerned that this situation could result in rising levels of malnutrition and eventually in famine if the situation is
not immediately addressed,” Mr. Edwards continued, adding that the UN refugee agency required “safe access” to the
affected areas in order to provide the traumatized populations with humanitarian assistance.
According to UNHCR, people in the region are in dire need of basic aid items, clean drinking water and access to health
services and schools, particularly as the region is highly vulnerable to outbreaks of malaria and typhus.
The agency called on the DRC Government to protect the civilian population in Beni and its surrounding areas while also
urging the UN peacekeeping mission to increase its capacity to protect civilians.
The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section
of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)