November 20, 2018 No comments
UN chief advocates for a strengthening of peacekeeping in Africa
INTERNATIONAL, 20 November 2018, Peace and Security - Citing the “encouraging progress” achieved by United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa – which hosts half of all ongoing missions – UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday called the international community to strengthen cooperation and commitment to peacekeeping, during an open debate held at the Security Council. Currently, half of all peacekeeping missions – seven out of 14 – and four in five UN ‘blue helmets’ are based in Africa. In addition, African nations provide nearly half of peacekeepers deployed worldwide, including almost two thirds of all women peacekeepers, and the majority of UN police officers. “Peacekeeping in Africa continues to present some of our greatest challenges,” said Mr. Guterres. “United Nations missions are carrying out complex operations with multidimensional mandates...
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November 20, 2018 No comments
World Children’s Day: Millie Bobby Brown to #GoBlue as new UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
INTERNATIONAL, 20 November 2018, Women - On this World Children’s Day, when kids across the globe unite for their rights, Emmy-Nominated actress Millie Bobby Brown has been named the newest United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador. At 14 years old, this makes Ms. Brown UNICEF’s youngest person to ever take on the role. The British star of the Netflix series, Stranger Things, will use her global platform to help spotlight children’s rights and issues affecting youth, including lack of education, safe learning spaces, and the impacts of violence, bullying and poverty. “It’s a dream come true to become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” said Ms. Brown in a statement marking the Day. “It’s a huge honor to join such an impressive list of people who have supported UNICEF over the years. I...
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November 20, 2018 No comments
UN migration agency builds temporary safe havens to shelter Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
INTERNATIONAL, 20 November 2018, Migrants and Refugees - The United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday that it has upgraded structures in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps as temporary accommodations for emergency situations. Under the first phase of the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) project, which is supported by the European Union, 70 community buildings are available to temporarily shelter over 4,500 people. “IOM and partners have provided over 100,000 households with materials to help them upgrade their own shelters,” said Manuel Pereira, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar. “But,” he continued, “weather and environmental conditions in the camps mean tens of thousands of families live with the knowledge that their shelters could be damaged or destroyed at any time.” The improved structures will allow IOM shelter and site management...
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November 20, 2018 No comments
Refugee and migrant children losing over 1.8 million school days, every day – UN report
INTERNATIONAL, 20 November 2018, Migrants and Refugees - Migrant and refugee children to face incredible hardships attending schools and accessing education, a new United Nations report released on Tuesday has revealed, highlighting also structural weaknesses in national systems that can sometimes exclude children on the move. According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), factors such as non-certified schools, language different and limited resources are keeping refugee and migrant children away from learning and prospects for a better future. “The right of these children to quality education, even if increasingly recognized on paper, is challenged daily in classrooms and schoolyards and denied outright by a few governments,” said the UN agency in a news release, announcing its new Global Education Monitoring Report. “In the two...
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November 20, 2018 No comments
DR Congo violence puts Ebola humanitarian response at risk, UN food relief agency warns
INTERNATIONAL, 20 November 2018, Humanitarian Aid - A spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned any violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that could slow down the humanitarian response to the Ebola outbreak in the vast country’s north-east, following an attack on a UN base and nearby hotels housing UN staff, in the city of Beni on Friday. Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Herve Verhoosel urged all parties in DRC to respect international humanitarian law, adding that WFP cannot afford any disruption to its life-saving operations: “any setbacks due to insecurity threaten to slow down efforts to limit the spread of the virus. Therefore, we urge all parties to facilitate the life-saving work of our...
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