The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UN

  • Drop death charges against six human rights activists, UN urges Sudan leader

    Human rights experts at the United Nations yesterday urged the Sudanese government to drop charges with death penalty against six human rights activists.

    Maina Kiai, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, said: “The charges brought against them appear to be directly linked to their work in the defence of human rights, while exercising their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.

    “This sentence is likely to have a chilling effect among activists and human rights defenders in Sudan.”

    The six individuals were affiliated with a Khartoum-based human rights organisation, Training and Human Development (TRACKS). They were detained for three months without facing trial. After that, the State Security Prosecution Office charged them with criminal conspiracy, undermining the constitutional system, waging war against the State, espionage, and terrorism.

    All the charges carry the death penalty.

    “The death penalty is an extreme form of punishment. lf used at all, it should only be imposed after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees as stipulated in international human rights law,” said Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. “I am seriously concerned that any trial of these six people would not uphold such principles.”

    The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has noted that for the past two years, the Sudan’s Intelligence and Security Service constantly targeted activists. They raid offices, confiscating documents, equipment, and passports.

    On several occasions, they also allegedly detained and tortured activists at the intelligence services office.

  • Boko Haram: Minister orders speedy completion of UN House

    The rehabilitation of the United Nations House in Abuja destroyed by Boko Haram in 2012 should be completed in time for its handover, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has directed.

    The minister gave the directive to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) when he paid an unscheduled visit to the House in the Central Business District, Abuja to ascertain the level of completion.

    The Minister said that the completion would allow the UN agencies presently staying at different locations in the FCT to return to base, thereby making their operation more efficient.

    It would be recalled that the UN House was bombed on August 26, 2012 by Boko Haram terrorists and the Nigerian government awarded contract for its rehabilitation on the 27th December, 2012 and the project is 80 per cent complete as at today.

    Bello stressed that the authorities of the FCDA should sit down with the contractors, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Nigeria to resolve all grey areas that would lead to the completion and early handover.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director cum Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister said:  “It is all our duty to see that all the United Nations agencies staying around Abuja are back here. And I think it will send a strong signal to those that bombed this place. Whatever they do to us, we will continue to be strong.”

    He used the opportunity to thank the UN for the support it has been giving to Nigeria; stating that such humanitarian gesture would always be appreciated.

    Taking the Minister round the site, the UN Resident Co-ordinator who is also UNICEF Country Representative, Jean Gough thanked the Minister for the special attention he has been giving to the rehabilitation works.

    The FCDA Executive Secretary, Mr. Adamu Ismaila and some officials of the FCT administration accompanied the Minister on the unscheduled visit.

     

  • UN group: green industrialisation vital for Africa’s growth

    The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) says green industrialisation is imperative for Africa’s economic development.

    UNECA Director for the Southern Africa sub-region, Said Adejumobi, stated this in Lusaka, following the release of the organisation’s 2016 Economic Report on Africa titled: “Greening Africa’s industrialisation.

    According to him, Africa needs to embrace green industrialisation if it is to experience sustained economic development.

    “Although we are the least contributor to global carbon emission, we have been one of the worst, if not the worst hit, in terms of its consequences.

    “The El-nino phenomenon which has caused drought and virtual food shortages in southern Africa compels us to think and act smartly,’’ he said.

    Adejumobi said this has challenged the continent to think proactively or being ahead of the game in addressing the challenges, the problem of global warming, climate and environmental degradation.

    He said green industrialisation would become good economics in the long-run because it would enhance efficiency and cheaper productivity.

    The director challenged Africa to embrace green industrialisation because it would position the continent on the cutting edge of science and technological innovation that may change the fortune and position of the continent in the global economy.

    “If Africa seizes the initiative and invest early in green technology and education and provide good incentives for private firms to adopt green technology, then Africa could have succeeded in promoting economic transformation and leap-flogging its development.

    He said the report has highlighted that Africa was poised for growth through green industrialisation, with case studies of projects in several countries.

    The countries include Kenya and Malawi, showing how countries could develop through green industrialisation.

    Adejumobi, however, identified lack of infrastructure conducive for greening Africa’s industrialisation process.

    He said it also acknowledges the willingness of African governments to transition from coal to greener pathways of development.

  • Government, UN, Sahara Group host workshop SDGs

    Government, UN, Sahara Group host workshop SDGs

    The Federal Government, United Nations and Sahara Group are set to host a private sector forum to create awareness on collaborations to support the development of a Universal Sustainable Development Agenda in Nigeria.
    The results of the workshop will inform a new UN global report on business and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being prepared by the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG-F).
    The workshop tagged: Business Contribution to a Universal Sustainable Development Agenda; holds on July 14, 2016 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
    Participants include: Heads of public sector parastatals, private sector organisations and multilateral agencies.
    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on SDGs, Princess Victoria Orelope-Adefulire, said the workshop would highlight how businesses can effectively contribute towards achieving the SDGs in Nigeria through mobilisation of financing for the United Nations SDG Fund initiative.
    Orelope-Adefulire said participants would exchange ideas on how to articulate a Universal Agenda in different private sector industries and contexts; incorporate and implement the SDGs into the core business activities and operations; and address challenges peculiar to Nigeria with regards to achieving the SDGs.
    The Nigerian President’s aide said the government was hopeful collaboration with the private sector will hasten the attainment of the SDGs and ultimately drive diversification of the Nigerian economy, wealth creation, revenue generation opportunities, improved child and maternal care as well as gender equality opportunities.
    “The desired aim would be to work closely with the private sector to develop initiatives that would address the peculiarities of nationalizing the SDGs in Nigeria in line with the Universality Agenda. Ultimately we hope to set a strong foundation for developing a framework for further discussions scheduled for the last quarter of the 2016,” she noted.
    According to Tonye Cole, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Sahara Group, achieving multi-sectoral collaboration in the private sector remained a critical requirement for driving the SDGs in Nigeria.
    Cole said it was imperative for the private sector in Nigeria to coalesce efforts geared towards the SDGs to enhance scale, impact and sustainability of the various initiatives across the nation. “Private businesses in Nigeria have really been doing a lot to promote the SDGs in Nigeria. However, when you consider the ground we need to cover, a collaborative approach becomes the only sustainable solution. We will be exploring this approach at the workshop and I am confident that the outcomes will launch us further in our quest for attaining the SDGs through shared ideas, resources and platforms.”
    He noted that Sahara, a leading African energy conglomerate, was eagerly looking forward to Nigeria’s private sector heeding the “clarion call” to spearhead a continent-wide movement to institutionalise and implement the SDGs in Africa through collaboration. “Having been a part of the maiden forum held last year in New York, I see this workshop as Nigeria’s best shot at sustainably attaining the SDGs within the prescribed timeline of the United Nations.”
    Director, SDG-F, Paloma Duran highlighted that for SDGs to be achieved by 2030 it is necessary to work differently. In particular, “businesses and private sector should be at the core of sustainable development efforts”. For doing so, “we need first to listen from businesses and learn how public and private sector can work better jointly for SDGs”.

  • UN, AU envoys say Somalia is on right path to stability

    Top UN and AU envoys in Somalia have lauded progress made so far since the country pulled itself out of a prolonged civil war.

    The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia, Francisco Madeira and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia Michael Keating also said separately the upcoming elections would help steer the country into prosperity.

    “I strongly believe that Somalia is on the right path to becoming a peaceful and stable nation, where citizens enjoy freedom and contribute to the nation’s prosperity,” Madeira said in a statement on Saturday as Somalia marked 56 years of independence.

    He said since the establishment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in 2007, a lot has been achieved with the help of Somalis who want to live in a peaceful and prosperous nation.

    “The joint operations conducted by AMISOM and Somali security forces, for example, have liberated large swathes of the country, which were hitherto under the control of terrorist militants Al-Shabaab,” Madeira said.

    He said AMISOM, the government and regional states were working closely to stabilise and restore the rule of law in these liberated areas.

    “To this end, AMISOM has so far trained thousands of police officers, who have since been deployed to various parts of the country to maintain law and order,” Madeira said.

    The envoy said this year’s independent celebration, which was marked on Friday, was special for Somalis as they not only remembered the enormous sacrifice made by their forefathers in the independence struggle against colonialism, but also the progress made so far since the country pulled itself out of a prolonged civil war.

    “I congratulate all Somalis who have continued to work tirelessly to make Somalia great. Those who have sacrificed their lives to ensure that the country is stabilized and that residents enjoy the peace they yearn for,” said Madeira.

    He lauded the Somali leadership for setting clear timeliness for the electoral process during the just concluded National Leadership Forum held in Baidoa.

    The electoral process agreed upon by the leadership will herald a new dawn in politics as the country moves towards universal suffrage and achieving gender parity in leadership.

    In his statement, UN envoy Keating praised the entrepreneurship and perseverance of the Somali people as their country emerges from decades of uncertainty and conflict.

    “The last 56 years have been turbulent for Somalis. Their extraordinary political journey continues. Unfortunately, insecurity remains a major problem. But Somalia continues to make remarkable progress in so many fields, political, security and economic, defying even many Somalis’ expectations,” Keating said.

    The UN envoy praised the work of Somalia’s security forces and AMISOM to counter the menace of violent extremism and underscored the crucial role they continue to play.

    “Strengthening the capability of Somali National Security Forces is essential, not only to partner with AMISOM but also as part of Somalia’s state building objectives,” he said.

    Keating said the last few years have seen the gradual emergence of a federal state, of national as well as regional institutional capacity, and of laws and plans that provided a basis for meeting Somalis’ expectations.

    “Progress is tangible, and confidence is growing. But it is still vulnerable,” said Keating, noting that the overwhelming majority of Somalis have rejected violence as a means of resolving differences, but that Al-Shabaab remains a threat, especially to civilians.

  • Children in Nigeria’s northeast may die of malnutrition – UN

    Tens of thousands of children in northeast Nigeria will die of malnutrition this year unless they receive treatment soon, the United Nations said on Friday after reaching areas of the country previously cut off from aid by Boko Haram violence.

    Over the last year Nigeria’s army, aided by troops from neighbouring countries, recaptured most of the territory that was lost to the militant group, which has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in the northeast.

    “Improving security has enabled humanitarians to access areas that were previously cut off,” Reuters quoted Munir Safieldin, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, as saying in a statement.

    “The conditions we are seeing there are devastating.”

    The conflict, which has killed more than 15,000 people and uprooted 2.4 million in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has also pushed food insecurity and malnutrition to emergency levels in northeast Nigeria, according to the Nigerian government.

    More than a half a million people need urgent food aid, as the violence has hit farming, disrupted markets and driven up food prices, several UN agencies said in a joint statement.

    Almost 250,000 children under the age of five in Borno State will suffer from malnutrition this year, said Jean Gough, Nigeria representative for the UN children’s agency UNICEF.

    “Unless we reach these children with treatment, one in five of them will die,” she said. “We cannot allow that to happen.”

  • UN names actress Anne Hathaway goodwill ambassador for women

    UN names actress Anne Hathaway goodwill ambassador for women

    Actress Anne Hathaway was appointed goodwill ambassador for women by the UN to spotlight the unequal distribution of work in the home as an obstacle to gender equality, the UN said on Thursday.

    Hathaway, who won an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables and is known for movies such as The Devil Wears Prada and Interstellar.

    She would work with the UN agency promoting women’s empowerment to help them achieve equality in the workplace and at home.

    “I feel honoured and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality.

    “Significant progress has already been made but it is time that we collectively intensify our efforts and ensure that true equality is finally realised,’’ Hathaway said.

    Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN’s executive director for women’s causes, welcomed the appointment noting that the agency was currently focusing on creating and fostering practical arrangements that could help women in their workplace, such as childcare and parental leave.

    “To make the case for how this will increase opportunities for women we needed an advocate who had the intellect and passion to tackle this complex issue.

    “Within moments of meeting Anne I realised that we had found our woman,’’ Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

  • Photos: UN envoy visits BringBackOurGirls campaigners

    Photos: UN envoy visits BringBackOurGirls campaigners

    L-R: U.N. Representative  to the United Nations Professor Samantha power standing addressing the Bring Back Our Girls at Fountain of unity Square Maitama while Dr. Oby Ezekwelisi and Chairman, Chibok  Community Mr. Hosea Samadowatch with interest. Photo By Femi OJO
    L-R: U.N. Representative  to the United Nations Professor Samantha Power standing addressing the Bring Back Our Girls at
    Fountain of unity Square Maitama while Dr. Oby Ezekwelisi and Chairman, Chibok  Community Mr. Hosea Samadowatch with interest. Photo

     

    L-R Mrs Aisha Ezekiel, U.N. Representative to the United Nations Professor Samantha Power and Dr Oby Ezekwesili during the visit to the Bring Back-Our Girls Campaingers at Fountain of Unity Square, Abuja. Photo FEMI OJO
    L-R Mrs Aisha Ezekiel, U.N. Representative to the United Nations Professor Samantha Power and Dr Oby Ezekwesili during the visit to the Bring Back-Our Girls Campaingers at Fountain of Unity Square, Abuja. Photo FEMI OJO

     

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  • UN seeks insurers role in climate change response

    UN seeks insurers role in climate change response

    The global insurance industry is a key actor in forging new instruments to anticipate and manage climate risks, and must continue to work with the United Nations (UN) to manage and reduce such risks, its Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has said.

    Speaking during a high-level meeting on resilience with insurance industry leaders and other stakeholders at the UN headquarters in New York, United States, at the weekend, he said:  “It is not enough to simply create new products to respond to climate catastrophes.

    “At some $25 trillion, you own some of the world’s largest investment portfolios. Your investment decisions are crucial f climate change will affect every aspect of our lives,” the Ki-moon said the insurance industry played a key role at the Climate Summit hosted two years ago and was instrumental in mobilising momentum for the Paris Agreement in December last year.

    “The world needs your leadership to meet the climate challenge,” he said in a statement at the weekend.

    Climate change “profoundly affects” the core business of the insurance industry because the industry will be faced with “mounting claims of a magnitude not yet seen” and also because the industry’s investment decisions can give rise to unexpected risks, Ki-moon said.

    “Conversely, if you invest wisely, you could reap new rewards – for both your own businesses and society at large,” the UN chief told the insurers.

    Recalling the ‘Anticipate, Absorb, and Reshape’ multi-stakeholder global initiative that he launched this past year to increase climate resilience, Ban stressed the importance of better anticipating and acting on climate hazards through early earning and early action, as well as reshaping development to reduce risks at both national and international levels.

    Among the actions that the insurance industry should take, he suggested, include “greening” its investment portfolios and, by 2020, measuring its carbon footprint. In addition, the industry should also ‘decarbonise’ its investments so as not to contribute to rising greenhouse emissions, the Secretary-General said.

    Ki-moon also challenged the industry to double investments in clean energy and work with the UN to ensure that early warning and early actions are made available to the most vulnerable countries by 2020, since more than one million people have already lost their lives to disasters in this century. In addition, he said that the world’s most vulnerable people should be provided with greater access to risk transfer mechanisms.

    “The poorest and most vulnerable people – those who have done least to cause climate change – need support to reduce their exposure to climate impact,” the UN scribe said.

    He challenged the insurance industry to develop auditable standards in the industry that incorporate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

    “It is no longer sufficient to work on voluntary principles and guidelines that do not affect vital decisions. It is no longer sufficient to think that human development is the responsibility of governments alone. We thought the same about climate change for years. We were wrong,” he said.

    Also attending the meeting were Robert Glasser, special representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Selwin Hart, director of the UN’s Climate Change Support Team; and Mike McGavick, chairperson of the Geneva Association.

  • Sudanese president pledges to step down in 2020

    Sudanese president pledges to step down in 2020

    Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has promised to step down in 2020 at the expiration of his tenure.

     

    Speaking to newsmen on Thursday, the 72-year-old said his job was “exhausting” and that “there will be a new president” in 2020, when his current mandate expires.

    Al-Bashir, who has been in power since 1989, won an election in April 2015.

     

    The president, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged human rights violations, challenged recent accusations that armed forces have bombed and torched villages in the Darfur region.

     

    He also denied UN estimates that over 2.5 million people have been displaced since 2003 in the nation’s ongoing conflict, including 100,000 since January, describing the figures as inflated.

    Al-Bashir said that UN peacekeepers and aid workers should leave the region.

     

    “As peace has returned to Darfur, I think that they have no role to undertake,’’ he said.

     

    The conflict in Darfur has been raging since 2003, with fighting between the Sudanese government and rebel groups accusing Khartoum of repressing the region’s non-Arab population.