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Tag: Ban Ki-moon

  • Lift humanity, work for the common good, Ki-moon urges Trump

    Secretary -of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon has congratulated United States presidential –elect, Donald Trump on his election as forty-fifth President of the United States of America.

    Ki-moon in a statement issued in New York  noted that in the aftermath of a hard-fought and often divisive campaign, it is worth recalling and reaffirming that the unity in diversity of the United States is one of the country’s greatest strengths.

    He therefore encouraged all Americans to stay true to that spirit.

    “ Today’s global challenges demand concerted global action and joint solutions.  As a founding member of the United Nations and permanent member of the Security Council, the United States is an essential actor across the international agenda.  People everywhere look to the United States to use its remarkable power to help lift humanity up and to work for the common good.

    “The United Nations will count on the new Administration to strengthen the bonds of international cooperation as we strive together to uphold shared ideals, combat climate change, advance human rights, promote mutual understanding and implement the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve lives of peace, prosperity and dignity for all.

    “Now more than ever, we must mobilize around the principles and common values of the United Nations Charter,” the UN Secretary General stated.

    He also expressed my appreciation to the defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a lifetime commitment to peace, the advancement of women and the well-being of children.

    “She has been a powerful global symbol of women’s empowerment, and I have no doubt that she will continue to contribute to our work across the world.”

  • Chibok girls: Buhari asks UN to serve as negotiator

    Chibok girls: Buhari asks UN to serve as negotiator

    President Muhammadu Buhari has told the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, that Nigeria would welcome intermediaries from the global body as part of his administration’s commitment to swapping the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok with Boko Haram fighters in custody.

    Speaking during a bilateral meeting with the UN scribe at the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York, President Buhari said the Nigerian government was willing to bend over backwards, to get the Chibok girls released from captivity.

    He said: “The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,”

    “The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters. Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits, to step in.”

    The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also reiterated that the teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam, nor any other religion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.

    “The fact that they kill men, women, children, and other people wantonly, and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great) shows that they do not know that Allah at all. If they did, they would not shed innocent blood,” President Buhari said.

    He thanked Ban Ki-moon for the moral and material support given to Nigeria, which has enabled the country surmount many of the challenges facing her.

    In his response, the UN Secretary General congratulated President Buhari on the anti-corruption war, declaring: “You are highly respected by world leaders, including myself. Your persona has given your country a positive image.”

    He said the UN recognized the achievements of the Buhari administration against Boko Haram, urging that human rights be upheld always, to prevent a repeat of the scenario being witnessed in Syria.

    Ban Ki-moon also thanked the Nigerian leader for his commitment to issues on climate change, adding that the government should “own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” for the good of its citizens.

  • Ozone Layer: UN Scribe calls for healthier environment

    Ozone Layer: UN Scribe calls for healthier environment

    The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has called for a safer, healthier, more prosperous and resilient world for all people while protecting the planet.

    The Secretary-general made this call in his speech at the occasion commemorating the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed Sept. 16 as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

    The theme of this year’s celebration is “Ozone and climate: Restored by a world united.”

    NAN also reports that the ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.

    “By working together, we can build a safer, healthier, more prosperous and resilient world for all people while protecting our planet, our only home”, Ban said.

    He said the total production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in EEA member countries has decreased significantly since the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 – nowadays it is practically zero.

    “Globally, the implementation of the Montreal Protocol has led to a decrease in the atmospheric burden of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) in the lower atmosphere and in the stratosphere, he added.

    Meanwhile, an environmental expert, Mr Taiwo Adewole, has called on Nigerians to take issues of depletion of ozone layer seriously and take precaution and act fast.

    Adewole told NAN in Lagos that Nigeria should tap into joining the force to protect the ozone layer by ending the use of agent and substances that affects the ozone layer

    “In Nigeria we can tap into this by joining the call for the protection of the ozone layer by phasing out of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions that have not only helped protect the ozone layer

    “If the government can join hand with experts among others to support the campaign, it will protect human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth.

    “The theme for this year’s International Ozone Day recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol towards the restoration of the ozone layer,” he said.

  • ‘AIDS campaign threatened by funding, leadership’

    Global progress fighting AIDS could be lost because prevention programmes are suffering from a lack of leadership, accountability and funding, the United Nations chief warned on Friday.

    Headway in tackling the epidemic has been “inspiring,” with a 42 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths since a peak in 2004, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said in a report.

    The progress has caused life expectancy in countries most affected by HIV to rise sharply, he added.

    But those gains could be lost without more and better investment in the next five years, Ban warned.

    “If we accept the status quo unchanged, the epidemic will rebound in several low- and middle-income countries,” Reuters quoted the UN chief as saying in a statement.

    A commitment to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 was included in the Sustainable Development Goals, an ambitious plan to end poverty and inequality which was adopted by UN member states in September.

    Over the next four years, an estimated $26.2 billion will be needed to achieve that 2030 target, the report said.

    Citing gains, it said antiretroviral therapy had been made available to 15 million people in the last 15 years.

  • Ban Ki-Moon to address ICCA congress

    Ban Ki-Moon to address ICCA congress

    The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon will address the 23rd International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress to be held in Mauritius from May 8 to 11.

    Themed: “International Arbitration and the Rule of Law: Contribution and Conformity”, discussion of cutting-edge issues in international arbitration of relevance to hundreds of seasoned practitioners and young professionals from around the globe would be offered. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei will also address the congress.

    The ICCA Congress is the pre-eminent event for international arbitration professionals. It typically draws over 1000 attendees and brings arbitrators, counsel, corporate counsel and government representatives from around the world together, giving delegates access to key decision – makers and thought leaders in the field. This is the first ICCA Congress to be held in Africa.

    “Africa’s first ICCA congress will address questions of fundamental importance to international arbitration,” said ICCA Executive Director, Ms Lise Bosman. “Now is the time for this Congress, as the practice of arbitration grows strength in one of the most rapidly advancing economic regions of the world.”

  • Bashua leads UN’s investigation of South Sudan attack

    Bashua leads UN’s investigation of South Sudan attack

    United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has appointed Nigeria’s Abiodun Oluremi Bashua to lead the Special Investigation into the attack against the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) protection of civilians site in Malakal, South Sudan.

    According to a statement from the UN Secretariat, the Special Investigation will undertake a detailed examination of the circumstances which led to the incident from 17 to 18 February in which at least 25 civilians in the site were killed and an additional 144 were injured.

    This investigation will complement the United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry announced on 11 March which is conducting an in-depth investigation into the overall response of UNMISS to the incident.

    Bashua recently concluded his assignment as the Deputy Joint Special Representative of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, during which time he also served as the Acting Joint Special Representative in 2014 and 2015.

    He has extensive experience in several United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa, having served at senior levels in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

    Bashua was also  Secretary to the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

     

  • Six minors, five women impregnated by UN peacekeepers

    Six minors, five women impregnated by UN peacekeepers

    Six minors were among 11 victims of alleged sexual abuse by Tanzanian United Nations {UN} peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that resulted in pregnancies, a UN spokesman has said.

    The allegations from the DRC came to light during the weekend as the UN had been embroiled in numerous reports of sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeepers over the last year.

    The sexual abuse and exploitation mainly involved troops in the Central African Republic.

    Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, confirmed the allegation.

    “We can confirm that out of the 11 allegedly abused women, six were minors.

    “Seven of the alleged victims have already given birth and four women are still pregnant,’’ Haq said.

    He said that Tanzania, which had the primary responsibility to respond to the allegations as the troop-contributing country, had appointed a team of investigators that would travel to DRC “in the coming days”.

  • Ban Ki-moon celebrates Africans

    Ban Ki-moon celebrates Africans

    The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on everyone to work together for equal opportunity, justice and sustainable development for people of African descent.

    According to the Secretary General, Africa’s influence and legacy are plain to see in the vibrant music, bold art, rich foods and inspiring literature that infuse modern culture.

    Delivering the Secretary General’s message on the 2016 International Day of remembrance of the victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Lagos, the Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Mr Ronald Kayanja noted that the theme of this year’s observance was “Remember Slavery: Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and its Roots”.

    He stressed that the contributions that the people of the African Diaspora have made to medicine, science, government and general leadership in society are perhaps less recognized.

    The activities marking the day, held at Southfield Academy, Bariga Lagos, included a screening of the film, ‘Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess’; Poster Exhibition on ‘Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers’; briefing and quiz on the ‘The Ark of Return’; and a WebEx interlink with students in Accra-Ghana and Nairobi-Kenya.

    While curating the poster exhibits, the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, urged the students to learn from the resilience and determination of Africans who were taken to India as slaves

    According to him many of them went on to become Generals, Rulers, and leading professionals while their women became queens in India.

    Recalling lessons learnt from the exhibition, 17-year old Chisom Maduba of Southfield Academy Lagos, recounts: “We should not deny our roots. We should be proud of our African heritage” while 15-year old Emmanuel Udeaja, acknowledged that he had learnt to say ‘No’ to any form of slavery, racism and human trafficking, adding that the film taught him courage and morals.

    Earlier, the Proprietress and Administrator of Southfield Academy, Mrs Chioma Dawodu acknowledged the impact of UNIC’s educational programmes and urged the students to seize the opportunity to learn about Slavery and the TransAtlantic Slave Trade which, according to her, would help them in recognising those situations that could lead to modern day slavery.

    In his remarks, the Executive Director of African Anti-Salvery Coalition, Mr Olufemi Philips, urged everyone to stand firm for freedom and do what is right at all cost just like Queen Nanny.

     

  • Ban Ki-moon condemns Borno suicide attack

    Ban Ki-moon condemns Borno suicide attack

    The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has on Thursday condemned the double suicide attacks on 16 March in Maiduguri in Borno State by suspected Boko Haram elements, which left 20 people dead and many injured.

    The Secretary-General, who extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wished those injured in the attack a speedy recovery.

    Ki-moon also reiterated the UN’s support to the Nigerian Government in its fight against terrorism, which should be grounded in international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.

  • UN remember Nazi Holocaust victims, survivors

    UN remember Nazi Holocaust victims, survivors

    The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday remembered victims of the World War l and ll between 1933 and 1945 and the courage of the survivors.

    The UN through its Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos, educated attendees on the need to avoid the repeat of the Holocaust that claimed the lives of over six million Jews, who were systematically rounded up and exterminated.

    To this effect, UNIC on Tuesday organised a lecture for students, Non-Governmental Organisations and screened the documentary of the film: “The Path to Nazi Genocide” and Poster exhibitions as part of efforts to prevent a reoccurrence.

    History records that the Nazi (German National Socialism) also murdered Sinti and Roma, Political prisoners, homosexuals, persons with disabilities, Jehovah witnesses and Soviet prisoners of war.

    In his message, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon described the Holocaust as a colossal crime adding that no one can deny that it happened.

    United Nations Information Officer, Oluseyi Soremekun taking Students through the photo exhibition on the Nazi Holocaust
    United Nations Information Officer, Oluseyi Soremekun conducting Students through the photos exhibition on the Nazi Holocaust.

    “By remembering the victims and honouring the courage of the survivors, and those who assisted and liberated them, we annually renew our resolve to prevent such atrocities and reject the hateful mentality that allows that,” Ki-Moon said.

    Delivered by UNIC Lagos Director, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, the message emphasised the need to educate the younger generation on the cause of such atrocities being undue discrimination among human being who consider fellow humans inferior to them and by implications, have no right to life, social interactions etcetera.

    “The principles remain essential today. People worldwide, including millions fleeing was, persecution and deprivation, continue to suffer discrimination and attacks. We have a duty to remember the past and to help those who need is now.

    “For more than a decade, the Holocaust and the United Nations outreach programme has worked to educate young people about the Holocaust.

    “Many partners, including Holocaust survivors, continue to contribute to this essential work.

    “The memory of the Holocaust is a powerful reminder of what can happen when we stop seeing our common humanity.

    “On this day of the Holocaust remembrance, I urge everyone to denounce political and religious ideologies that set people against people.

    Let us all speak or against anti-Semitism and attacks against religious, ethnics or other groups.

    “Let us create a world where dignity is respected diversity is celebrated and peace is permanent,” he maintained.

    Schools present include Falomo Junior and Senior High School, Ireti Senior and Junior Grammar School, Holy Child’s College, all in Ikoyi, Lagos as well as Southfield College, Bariga, Lagos mainland.

    Also at the lecture were representatives of different NGOs and partners of UNIC Lagos.

    They are: Ms Edna Dafe from Women’s Board, Ms Nnena Ukoha of All Nigerian United Nations Students Association (ANUNSA), Mr Niyi Adekunle from Yes I Believe.

    Others are Ms Mary Nwadike – Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) and Mr Ganiu Owolabi.

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