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Tag: UN

  • UN to relocate humanitarian coordination centre to Maiduguri

    UN to relocate humanitarian coordination centre to Maiduguri

    The United Nations humanitarian coordination centre is to be moved from Abuja to Maiduguri to enable it respond effectively to the humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

    UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms Fatma Samoura, on an  assessment visit to Borno State yesterday said the relocation would also enable UN officials  have direct access to affected areas.

    “In the weeks to come, seasoned and top-notch staff we will be deployed to really cater for the needs of the IDPs and the host communities,” Samoura told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    “This is in order to scale-up support and enhance coordination of our humanitarian response in the light of the significant challenge that the crisis presents.

    “This will also ensure that they are closer to the IDPs, emergency management bodies and the state authorities,” Samoura said.

    She described the situations at the IDPs camps as ‘appalling’, noting that the UN would scale-up efforts towards ensuring that the affected persons got first hand attention.

    According to her, the situation in Maiduguri is critical; there is the need for all development and humanitarian actors to scale-up their support to complement efforts of the Borno State Government.

    She said nearly 15 million civilians had been affected by the insurgency, resulting in over 2.2 million people being displaced with Borno most affected with two million IDPs.

    Samoura, who is also the UN Development Programme Resident Representative, said close to two million people were still residing in host communities and their coping mechanisms had begun to be eroded.

    She said: “We know that the ongoing insurgency puts the lives and livelihoods of civilians at risk; these people are in urgent need of support to rebuild their lives.”

     

    “The UN stands shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Nigeria to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors, especially vulnerable women and girls.”

    She called for enhanced presence of NGOs to help with the provision of food supplies, primary healthcare as well as shelters, water and sanitation.

    She explained that within the region, close to four million people are food insecure; 2.5 million are malnourished, while 3.6 million have no access to safe drinking water.

    “Close to two million have no access to adequate sanitation; more than 3.5 million are in urgent need of healthcare and over two million are still living in makeshift shelters.

    “As the insurgency continues to affect remote communities in North East of Nigeria, thousands of civilians are stranded in areas hard to reach by humanitarian actors and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” she said.

    Samoura said she was exploring ways of working with the Federal and State authorities to ensure that those in dire need were reached.

     

  • Libya air raids possible if UN talks fail – Italy

    Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Wednesday, said the protracted failure to install a national unity government in Libya might push the international community to bomb Islamic State strongholds in the country.

    In December 2015, Libyan lawmakers signed a UN-brokered peace agreement, including a unity government, aimed at ending years of instability in the oil-rich country.
    However several politicians and militias have rejected the deal.

    Gentiloni said his country supported the efforts of the national unity government of Fayez Serraj to take up office in Tripoli, but said this must happen within a reasonable amount of time.

    “Otherwise we risk that the approach will prevail of those who argue that stabilising Libya is a pipe-dream and that therefore we need to launch massive air raids against jihadist positions,’’ he added.

    Europe and the U.S. have been concerned for months about the expansion of the IS terrorist group in Libya, which has been in chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed ouster of long-time dictator Moamer Gaddafi.

    Italy, a former colonial power in Libya and the biggest buyer of its oil and gas, has a strong interest in pacifying the North African country – and also in stemming the flow of migrants that cross over from there to its shores.

    However, Gentiloni said a military only response to the Libyan crisis risks being counterproductive, pushing 200,000 local militias to join forces with 5,000 IS jihadists against a common Western enemy.

    .A report said that Italy remained opposed to deploying ground troops, but may cave in to pressure from the U.S. and offer small special units and fighter jets for possible operations in Libya.

    It added that the U.S. President Barack Obama may discuss Libya with European allies on the margins of Friday’s Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

     

  • UN to help Nigeria recover stolen funds

    UN to help Nigeria recover stolen funds

    United Nations (UN) has vowed to continue to work in partnership with the National Assembly, Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption and Civil society leaders among others in the process of recovering stolen public funds and enhance transparency.

    The Newly appointed United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), Resident Representative, Ms. Fatima Samoura revealed this yesterday in Abuja at a media breakfast meeting.

    She said within the year: “We shall support the civil society organizations with grants, towards improving the quality of their engagement in the anti-corruption process in the country and in enhancing the transparency of public institutions. This would enhance the success of the on-going war against corruption, increase the rate of recovery of stolen public resources and enhance transparency.”

    Fighting corruption, Ms. Samoura said requires strong government wiliness adding that corruption has a lot to do with weak institutions.

    Speaking on how to also ensure peace in the country especially in the northern part with the Boko Haram insurgence, she said the UN and its agencies in partnership with the Federal Government and the Northern Governors are currently reviewing and finalizing a Recovery and Peace-Building Assessment (RPBA) report on the situation in the region.

    Her words: “We will continue working closely with civil society leaders in partnering with the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption and in working closely with Anti-Corruption Agencies towards entrenching a culture of integrity in Nigeria.  We will continue engaging with and supporting the National Assembly and other stakeholders because we believe the fight against corruption requires the involvement of everyone.

    “Fighting corruption requires strong government wiliness. And I know that UN administration has taken very strong step in fighting corruption. The second problem is the wiliness to track all the funds that has been stolen, hence a constant dialogue with those countries. Now we are living in a global world.

    “I am sure you are aware of the moneys that have been recovered from Switzerland and other countries that need to be reinvested in the development programme. Corruption has very much to do with weak institutions. If we can work together in not only making the fight a priority at all level of the state including the Local Government Areas (LGAs), and making sure that every money that leaves the country is accounted for we will make a big difference.

    “And I would say that Nigeria with its booming economy has really been penalized in terms of addressing inequalities because of corruption and I know that this nation has made it imperative to consolidate the gain after the democratic elections. We are all responsible one way or the other of how our country’s institution is governed. It is up to us also to make sure that we fight corruption and UNDP will give support.

    “This remains a critical area for us at UNDP and the UN at large. We will continue to provide support to the government in responding to emerging challenges; – we are redoubling our efforts and investing more in promoting peace because, as the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said, “there can be no development without peace, no peace without development, and none of these without respect for human rights.”

    We have already commenced the implementation of two projects which contributes to structural conflict prevention in the North East. These are on ‘Livelihood Support and Social Cohesion’ and the ‘De-Radicalization, Counter-Terrorism and Migration’ Projects.

    “The UN efforts are directed at supporting and promoting peace building, conflict prevention and social cohesion. All this is packaged in the framework of a National Infrastructure for Peace in Nigeria. We want to use this framework to harness efforts at Federal, State, and Local Government areas, bringing together the relevant stakeholders. We will keep providing support towards enhancing our early warning and response mechanisms and programmes, and expand channels for dialogue aimed at peaceful co-existence.

    “The UN, through its agencies (particularly the UNDP, the UN Women), in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (formerly of the Presidency and now hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and other development partners, have been working in this area and a draft National Peace Policy was produced. It is my wish that this policy will be approved by the relevant bodies so that we can rally support its implementation. I will like to emphasize the need for coordination amongst the various institutions and partners involved in one aspect of peace building and human security in order to maximize efforts and minimize duplication of resources.

    “The UN, EU and WB in partnership with the Federal Government and the North-East State Governments (Governors) are currently reviewing and finalizing a Recovery and Peace-Building Assessment (RPBA) report on the situation in the region. It is my wish that this joint exercise will continue to cement our partnerships and complementarily in accompanying Nigeria on its path to recovery, peace and development.”

    Ms. Fatima Samoura is also the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

     

  • UN urges countries to open borders to refugees

    UN urges countries to open borders to refugees

    The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki Moon, has advised European countries against increasing borders in Balkan and Austria to migrants and refugees moving toward Europe.

    Ban said in statement issued by his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, that it was imperative for all European countries to keep their frontiers open to the migrants and refugees.

    “UN secretary-general has voiced concern about increasing border restrictions in the Balkans and Austria for migrants and refugees streaming toward Europe

    “All countries should keep their borders open, and act in a spirit of responsibility sharing and solidarity, including through expanding legal pathways to access asylum,’’ it said.

    According to the statement, Turkey is currently hosting more than 2.6 million refugees and asylum seekers.

    It also said that seven European states have restored border controls within the Schengen passport-free zone, while others had said that they would unilaterally tighten border controls.

    The statement said that the restrictions were not in line with the UN 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

    It said that there were also currently restrictions of refugees in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia.

  • UN records 411 human rights violations in DR Congo

    UN records 411 human rights violations in DR Congo

    The UN Joint Human Rights Office said that it documented at least 411 cases of human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in January.

    The agency in a statement in Kinshasa said that the figure represented an increase compared with the figure of the previous month when 347 violations were documented.

    “The most affected provinces were those in the eastern part of the country such as North Kivu, Ituri and Haut Uele provinces,” the report stated.

    According to the report, state officials such as police, the army, intelligence services and other administrative authorities were responsible for 274 violations that affected 468 victims.

    It stated that fighters of armed groups were responsible for 137 violations of human rights which left at least 265 victims.

    The UN agency welcomed the imprisonment of 14 soldiers and six police officers last month, who engaged in acts that constitute violation of human rights.

    It, however, expressed concern over the significant increase in the number of prison escapes, which rose to 119 people last month, and which occurred with complicity from prison guards.

  • Riders for health

    Riders for health


    There is no denial that the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and many other non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as various parastatals have engaged in endless struggles to provide health care for mothers and children across less privileged communities in Africa.

    Interestingly, the more these health organisations make efforts, the less it seems they are doing greatly in reducing maternal and child mortality, thus, the need for ‘Riders for Health’.

    According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports in 2014, Nigeria loses about 2, 300 of her under‐five year old children per day, which is approximately 839,500 children in a year.

    The same report has it that 145 pregnant women reportedly die either at child birth or after child birth per day. And this amounts to 52, 925 women per year.

    Given this statistics, Nigeria ‐ like many other African countries – ranks high as one of the countries with large contribution to the under‐five and maternal mortality rates in the world.

    Worthy of mention here is the fact that many of these deaths could be prevented if aid gets to those who need them, regardless of their locations – rural or urban settlement.

    It is largely true that the coverage and quality of health care service delivered to communities that are at the outskirts or in far rural areas has continued to fail both women and children in Nigeria. Thus, the need to introduce a project called: ‘Riders for Health’.

    ‘Riders for Health’ is an international social enterprise that strives to manage and maintain vehicles for health‐focused partners in sub‐Saharan Africa with the view of delivering health care services to communities far from cities.

    The expertise to be put in place by this project in transport management will enable health workers deliver vital health care to rural communities on a reliable and cost‐effective basis.

    The need for Riders for health became pertinent considering the challenges faced by health care givers in reaching communities that are far removed from urban settlements.

    What this means is that, not only that those members of communities that are far from cities often struggle in vain to get health care, even health care workers likewise struggle in a bid to save affected Riders for Health employs the use of every form of motor‐vehicles to deliver health care facilities as well as move health care givers to concerned communities.

    Among the motor‐vehicles that would be employed by this project include motorcycles, ambulances and other four‐wheel vehicles used in the delivery of health care in seven countries across Africa.

    These countries include Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and The Gambia.

    The project is in collaboration with ministries of health, international and African NGOs, private‐sector organisations, local community‐based organisations and religious groups, to improve access to health care,

    Furthermore, it is important to note here that the project has the capacity to take care of an estimated 14 million people across the seven African countries mentioned above.

    For example, one single motor‐vehicle plus one rider has the capacity to cover 56.7 kilometers and beyond within a month covering a total of 5.1 million people.

    At the core of this community‐focused project is both training and preventive vehicle maintenance. The essence for running reliable vehicle fleets cannot be separated from the need to ensure that the chain in health care delivery is never broken by failing vehicles thereby increasing health workers’

    The same way, prevention is better than cure in human health, so is maintenance better than repair for automobiles, hence the need for constant maintenance, which is also cheaper to keep a vehicle running efficiently over time than to repair it when it breaks down completely.

    The programmes have been designed to provide training and employment opportunities to build local  a project focusing on human health, the service of highly skilled technicians becomes vital to regularly travel to service vehicles in the communities in which health workers serve.

    In addition to training health workers to drive safely in the difficult terrain, there would also be training for them on how to carry out daily checks on their vehicles.

    It worthy of note to mention that majority of the population of sub‐Saharan Africans live in rural areas where the best roads are little more than dirt tracks.

    Public transport is infrequent and delivering health care on foot or by bicycle between sparse villages is an exhausting and ineffective task.

    Simply put, without reliable transportation system, the millions of pounds invested in vaccines, drugs, bed‐nets, condoms and to train health professionals every year will be wasted because they will fail to get to where they are needed on time.

    There is therefore every reason for this project to achieve the set goal in order to have a safe and healthy world.

  • Abuja hosts Africa dialogue on UN Habitat III Feb 21

    The need to address the housing challenge faced by the continent will be the focal point in Abuja next week, as leaders in the continent converge to chart a way forward to address this menace.

    Besides, it will also afford the continent the opportunity  to take a concerted position ahead of the United Nations (UN) Habitat III conference scheduled  for Quito, Ecuador in October.

    The meeting, which will be hosted by the  Power, Works and Housing  Mr. Babatunde Fashola, from Monday, February 21 to Friday, February 26 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

    President Muhammadu Buhari will lead deliberations that will chart a sustainable path for Africa’s urban future, as Ministers for Housing and Urban Development on the continent gather in the Federal Capital Territory, for the Africa Regional Preparatory Conference, ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III).

  • Boko Haram: UN released $58m to assist IDPs in 2015

    Boko Haram: UN released $58m to assist IDPs in 2015

    The United Nations (UN) released $58 million  to assist 2.4 million persons affected by Boko Haram-related violence in 2015, it was learnt yesterday.

    This was contained in a document made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja by Ms Kate Pond, Public Information in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

    It said the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated the amount from March 2015 to Feb. 4, 2016.

    “Since 2015, the Emergency Relief Coordinator has released more than $58 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for life-saving assistance in response to Boko Haram-related violence.

    “About $27.2 million was allocated in March 2015 to assist more than 1.6 million internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees and host communities from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

    “Additional $31 million was provided in late 2015 and early 2016 for live-saving humanitarian response for more than 700,000 affected people in the Lake Chad Basin region,” it said.

    The document explained that with the support of CERF’s rapid response funds, humanitarian partners had been providing assistance and protection for the most vulnerable people.

    “About $13.5 million was provided to assist 350,000 displaced persons, who fled from border areas and vulnerable host communities in Niger.

    “Also, $20 million was spent to assist over 1.6 million internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities in Nigeria.

    “About $10.5 million was released to assist over 187,000 vulnerable internally displaced, returnees, refugees and third country nationals in Chad.

    “It included host community members in Chad in need of protection, health, nutrition and food assistance, as well as Non-Food Items (NFIs), shelter and education.

    “About $14.1 million was provided to assist the over 248,000 newly displaced, vulnerable host community members, and women and children at risk of abuse and forced recruitment by Boko Haram in Cameroon,” it added.

     

  • Boko Haram: FG, World Bank, others end mission to Northeast

    The Federal Government, the World Bank, European Union, and the United Nations have concluded a two-week recovery and assessment mission in the Northeast region ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency.

    The mission was part of ongoing Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) programme initiated by the global agencies.

    Led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Dr. Mariam Masha, the recovery and assessment team visited Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno and Yobe States.

    A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said during the visits, the team actively engaged with state governors, decision-makers as well as top government functionaries, civil society organizations, private sector players, traditional rulers, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), emergency management agencies, humanitarian and relief agencies and other active partners in the recovery efforts in the affected states.

    The statement said: “In the course of the tour in the affected areas, the team of officials visited several camps and resettlement centres for the IDPs in the different states as well as insurgency –ravaged public institutions like hospitals, markets and military formations.

    “The team also gained first hand knowledge of human and physical conditions in the camps and resettlement centres affording them the opportunity to empathize with the people and also reassured them of the commitment of the Buhari administration towards addressing their challenges.

    “In furtherance of the importance of the recovery and assessment mission, the team’s top level engagements with relevant stakeholders centred on sector recovery and needs assessment strategy in the three major components of Infrastructure and social services, peace building, stability and social cohesion as well as the economic recovery of the affected people in the six states.”

  • Suspected militants attack UN base in Mali

    Suspected Islamist militants attacked a UN peacekeepers’ base in the northern Mali town of Kidal on Friday, killing several people and wounding others, an official has said.

    Spokesman for the separatist Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), Radouane Aly, told Reuters that there was gunfire and mortar fire against the MINUSMA (UN peacemaking mission) camp.

    “It is an attack by the Islamists, apparently involving a suicide car bomb,” Aly said.

    A UN spokesman said that there were some dead and wounded persons in the attack, which began at 6.45 a.m.

    He said that there had been eight mortar shells as well as gunfire.

    Another UN source, who was at the base but declined to be identified, said that two people had been killed.

    The base forms part of an attempt by the MINUSMA mission to keep the peace in Mali in the wake of a takeover of the north by Islamists in 2012.

    The take-over attempt was thwarted by a French-led intervention squad that forced the militants out of key towns.

    The UN mission has not stopped the violence, however, and Islamist militants have expanded their attacks in recent months into other parts of Mali and beyond.

    These included attack on a hotel in Mali’s capital in November, 2015, in which 20 people died, and one in Burkina Faso’s capital in January in which 30 were killed.