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UN Daily News Tuesday, 6 September 2016

Issue DH/7236

In the headlines: • Despite high hopes, ‘responsibility to protect’ not

• In hard-hitting speech, UN human rights chief

• UN-backed report finds urgent need for greater

• New UN report finds that without obstacles

yet fully operationalized – UN deputy chief headway to achieve world education goals

• UNICEF deeply concerned about impact of unrest in southern Thai provinces on children

• UN Security Council condemns latest DPRK missile launches, notes ‘flagrant disregard’ for previous statements

warns against populists and demagogues

Occupied Palestinian Territory’s economy could easily double gross domestic product

• UN human rights office 'deeply worried' about situation in Cambodia

• UN Security Council concludes 'very positive' threeday visit to South Sudan

• Greek volunteers awarded top UN humanitarian

• Saudi Arabia: Ban, Deputy Crown Prince discuss

• Iraq: UN food relief agency’s supplies reach

• Annual meeting on UN-backed treaty aims to set

honour for efforts with migrants and refugees

Qayyarah’s 30,000 people under 2-year siege

Palestine refugees, Yemen and climate pact target date for cluster bomb abolition

More stories inside

Despite high hopes, ‘responsibility to protect’ not yet fully operationalized – UN deputy chief 6 September – The United Nations deputy chief said today that collective global action is needed to overcome barriers to implementation of States’ legal commitments to protect populations from atrocity crimes – the principle known as “responsibility to protect” or R2P. “We have seen concrete implementation plans to make the ‘responsibility to protect’ a living reality,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said at a UN General Assembly interactive dialogue on the subject. In his remarks to the gathering, Mr. Eliasson flagged that he had served as President of the General Assembly in 2005, when the R2P principle was adopted by Member States. “This commitment was a signature achievement for the United Nations,” he said.

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson addresses the General Assembly's informal interactive dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect. UN photo/Cia Pak

Much of it was already embedded in the international human rights obligations of States, he noted. But subsequent events, such as unconscionable brutality against civilians around the world, have underlined the need to articulate and affirm this important principle and place it more prominently on the international agenda.

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“Sadly, we have yet to fully operationalize the responsibility to protect principle, agreed with such high hopes and expectations in 2005,” he said, highlighting points from this year’s report of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon which will be critical to overcoming implementation barriers. First, the Deputy Secretary-General pointed out, prevention must be taken more seriously. “The call for prevention is not a rhetorical call; it is a call to action to all States, organizations and other stakeholders,” he said Effective prevention requires foresight and serious analysis as well as constant attention, support and political will, he said, noting that it means integrating a prevention agenda into national, regional and international frameworks for action. It also requires additional institutional capacity, he added. Second, the Deputy Secretary-General observed, there is a need to be more effective in preventing the recurrence of atrocity crimes. The international community must support national authorities in addressing root causes and build or strengthen the ways to counter atrocity crimes – such as by inter-communal dialogue, reform of the security sector, and mechanisms for reconciliation and transitional justice. “The time has now come to seriously counter and confront crisis and potential crisis situations,” he said. “There are millions of people looking to the UN for help in time of dire need, conflict and distress. In the name of humanity and in the spirit of the UN Charter, we must not fail them.” Also addressing today’s dialogue was the current President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, who recalled that, in a 2009 report, the Secretary-General proposed a strategy for the implementation of the responsibility to protect based on three equal, non-sequential, and mutually reinforcing pillars: the State’s responsibilities to protect; international assistance and capacity-building; and timely and decisive responses. Last year, the General Assembly’s informal interactive dialogue on the subject focused on an assessment of progress in the first decade of the R2P principle, he said at the meeting’s opening segment, noting that this year’s dialogue focuses on the obstacles to mobilizing collective action to prevent and respond to genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, and how such barriers might be overcome. The task of strengthening preventive strategies, providing timely and decisive response, preventing recurrence and renewing the institutional capacity to prevent and respond, is of the highest ambition, he said. “The plight of suffering populations and vulnerable communities requires no less,” he added.

UN-backed report finds urgent need for greater headway to achieve world education goals 6 September – There is an urgent need for greater headway in education without which, on current trends, the world will be half a century late for achieving the education-related goals contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to a new United Nations-backed independent report. “A fundamental change is needed in the way we think about education’s role in global development,” the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in a news release on the launch and findings of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, entitled ‘Education for People and Planet,’ which UNESCO commissioned. Children attend classes at a school in Gao, Mali. UN Photo/Marco Dormino

“Now, more than ever, education has a responsibility to be in gear with 21st century challenges and aspirations, and foster the right types UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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of values and skills that will lead to sustainable and inclusive growth, and peaceful living together,” Ms. Bokova added. On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September last year – officially came into force. Over the next fifteen years, with the aim of achieving the SDGs, countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind. In particular, Goal 4 of the SDGs is centred on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. According to the GEM Report, which tracks worldwide progress towards UN global education targets, currently, the world will not achieve universal primary education before 2042, universal lower secondary education before 2059 and universal upper secondary education before 2084. In relation to the environment, the GEM Report finds that education systems need to step up in this area. While in the majority of countries, education is the best indicator of climate change awareness, half of countries’ curricula worldwide do not explicitly mention climate change nor environmental sustainability in their content. For example, the report notes, in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, almost 40 per cent of 15-year-old students only have basic knowledge about environmental issues, according to the report. Also, despite being one of the regions most affected by the effects of environmental change, sub-Saharan Africa has far fewer mentions of sustainable development in its curricula in comparison with Latin America, Europe and North America. “If we want a greener planet, and sustainable futures for all, we must ask more from our education systems than just a transfer of knowledge,” the Director of the GEM Report, Aaron Benavot, said in the news release. “We need our schools, universities and lifelong learning programmes to focus on economic, environmental and social perspectives that help nurture empowered, critical, mindful and competent citizens.”

UNICEF deeply concerned about impact of unrest in southern Thai provinces on children 6 September – The top United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official in Thailand has expressed deep concerns over the continuing violence in the country’s restive southernmost provinces and its impact on children, including an explosion that killed a four-year-old girl and her father today. “[We are] shocked and saddened by this incident. Schools must be places of learning, discovery and recreation for children,” UNICEF’s Representative for Thailand, Thomas Davin, said in a statement.

Children play in the rubble of a school that was destroyed by arson in Yala. Photo: UNICEF/THLC2008-00017/Chumsak Kanoknan (Thailand, 2008)

“No children, nor any caretakers or education professionals should live or learn under fear of such attacks,” he added. “All schools must become safe heavens.”

According to media reports, a motorcycle bomb went off in front of an elementary school in Narathiwat province earlier on Tuesday, killing the young girl and her father, who had been dropping her off at the location. In addition to their deaths, the explosion injured at least 10 other people, including teachers, parents and police officers. In the statement, Ms. Davin also called upon all parties “to do everything in their power to ensure that children are protected and no more children fall victim of violence.”

UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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UN Security Council condemns latest DPRK missile launches, notes ‘flagrant disregard’ for previous statements 6 September – The United Nations Security Council today condemned the ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday, 5 September.

Wide view of the Security Council Chamber. UN Photo/Loey Felipe (file)

“The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension,” the 15-member Council said in a press statement, which noted that the launches were in “grave violation” of the country’s international obligations under various resolutions it has adopted.

In the statement, the Council members also expressed serious concern that the DPRK conducted the latest launches after a series of earlier ones – held intermittently on different occasions between 15 April and 22 August – in flagrant disregard of repeated Council statements. “The members of the Security Council reiterated that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions,” the Council noted. In the statement, the Council members said they further regretted that the DPRK is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while it citizens have great unmet needs. The Council also called upon all UN Member States to redouble their efforts to implement fully the measures it had imposed on the DPRK, particularly the comprehensive measures contained in resolution 2270, which among other points, expands arms embargo and non-proliferation measures, including small arms and light weapons, and enforces new cargo inspection and maritime procedures, including mandatory inspection on cargo destined to and originating from the DPRK. The Council also called on UN Member States to report as soon as possible on concrete measures they have taken in order to implement effectively the provisions of resolution 2270. The Council members stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond, and reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability there and in north-east Asia at large, while also expressing their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation.


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Greek volunteers awarded top UN humanitarian honour for efforts with migrants and refugees 6 September – A Greek human rights activist and a Greek volunteer rescue team – Efi Latsoudi and the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT) – have been jointly awarded this year’s Nansen Refugee Award for their efforts to aid refugees arriving in Greece during 2015. “Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict and persecution last year made the desperate bid to reach Europe in search of safety, many risking their lives in unseaworthy boats and dinghies, in a journey which all too often proved insurmountable,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a news release on the win. Efi Latsoudi, human rights activist behind PIKPA camp, and Hellenic Rescue Team leader Konstantinos Mitragas, in front of a vast pile of lifejackets in northern Lesvos, a haunting reminder of the dangers faced by refugees who arrived on Greek shores in 2015. Photo: UNHCR/Gordon Welters

“Both the Hellenic Rescue Team and Efi Latsoudi refused to stand by as they witnessed the dramatic humanitarian situation unfolding on their shores, and are fully deserving of the Nansen Refugee Award,” Mr. Grandi added. “Their efforts characterize the massive public response to the refugee and migrant emergency in Greece and across Europe, in which thousands of people stood in solidarity with those forced to flee, and the humanity and generosity of communities around the world who open their hearts and homes to refugees.” According to a news release from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since 2007, Greece has been challenged by the arrival of a large number of refugees and migrants, but in 2015 sea arrivals escalated to an emergency. On the island of Lesvos alone, numbers topped 500,000 last year. In October 2015, arrivals peaked at more than 10,000 per day, as conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq continued to uproot people from their homes. “For many refugees, the heroic humanitarian efforts of Greek volunteers in 2015 went well beyond pulling survivors from the seas, they helped them to take the first steps towards a normal life,” UNHCR noted in a news release. “During 2015 the HRT conducted round-the-clock operations to save refugees and migrants in distress at sea and Latsoudi showed compassion and care for the most vulnerable refugees arriving on the island of Lesvos through her work at PIKPA village,” the UN agency added. The Nansen Refugee Award recognises outstanding service to the cause of refugees and displaced people, and was first handed out in 1954 – Eleanor Roosevelt was its first recipient and other awardees since then include former refugee Hawa Aden Mohamed of Somalia and Sister Angélique Namaika of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is named after Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the first High Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations.


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Iraq: UN food relief agency’s supplies reach Qayyarah’s 30,000 people under 2-year siege 6 September – The United Nations food relief agency has delivered urgently-needed aid to more than 30,000 people in and around the northern Iraqi town of Qayyarah in the past week, reaching an area that has been under siege and inaccessible for more than two years. “The people of Qayyarah had been living under siege for two years and are suffering extreme hunger with scarce access to food supplies. Reaching them with life-saving food assistance is a very positive step forward,” the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s Country Director, Sally Haydock, said in a news release. With military action turning towards retaking Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the UN Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had warned that displacement may worsen “dramatically,” and announced preparations to ramp up operations and set up additional camps.

WFP distributes desperately needed food for more than 30,000 people in Qayyarah. Photo: Women Empowerment Organization (WEO)

Last week, WFP and its humanitarian partners assessed the humanitarian situation in Qayyarah, 60 kilometres south of the city of Mosul, and found that all of the people remaining in the town were in urgent need of food and other forms of humanitarian assistance. All of its shops were either destroyed or closed and food stocks were running dangerously low, with people surviving only on wheat from the recent harvest. According to WFP, black smoke rises from oil fields surrounding the town set ablaze during fighting in recent weeks. Safe drinking water, electricity and medical services remain nearly impossible to access. Through its local partners Muslim Aid and Women Empowerment Organization, the UN agency distributed emergency food rations containing ready-to-eat foods such as dates, beans and canned foods, to meet families’ immediate needs, as well as monthly food rations containing rice, lentils, wheat flour, bulgur wheat, beans and vegetable oil in the past week. These rations will provide enough food for more than 30,000 people for a full month. WFP also distributed food to almost 2,000 displaced people living in camps and with host families in areas surrounding Qayyarah. More than three million Iraqis have been displaced by conflict in Iraq since mid-June 2014. Over the last two years people from the Qayyarah area fled to camps in Erbil, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din, where they receive regular food assistance through WFP’s partners. WFP is scaling up its food assistance in Iraq to support newly displaced families from the Mosul area. To continue to assist displaced families in the country until the end of the year, WFP urgently requires $106 million.


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In hard-hitting speech, UN human rights chief warns against populists and demagogues 6 September – In a hard-hitting speech, the United Nations human rights chief has strongly warned against the impact that populists and demagogues are having on society, and called for more effort to safeguard human rights law. “Populists use half-truths and oversimplification – the two scalpels of the arch propagandist, and here the internet and social media are a perfect rail for them, by reducing thought into the smallest packages: sound-bites; tweets. Paint half a picture in the mind of an anxious individual, exposed as they may be to economic hardship and through the media to the horrors of terrorism. Prop this picture up by some half-truth here and there and allow the natural prejudice of people to fill in the rest. Add drama, emphasizing it’s all the fault of a clear-cut Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. UN Photo/Pierre Albouy group, so the speakers lobbing this verbal artillery, and their followers, can feel somehow blameless,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said in a speech delivered at a gala of the Peace, Justice and Security Foundation in The Hague yesterday. We hear of accelerating discrimination in workplaces. Children are being shamed and shunned for their ethnic and religious origins – whatever their passports, they are told they are not ‘really’ European, not ‘really’ French, or British, or Hungarian. “The formula is therefore simple: make people, already nervous, feel terrible, and then emphasize it’s all because of a group, lying within, foreign and menacing,” he added. “Then make your target audience feel good by offering up what is a fantasy to them, but a horrendous injustice to others. Inflame and quench, repeat many times over, until anxiety has been hardened into hatred.” In his remarks, the High Commissioner said he was particularly addressing Dutch politician Geert Wilders and others like him. According to media reports, ahead of the Netherlands’ parliamentary elections next year, Mr. Wilders has issued a set of proposals which include banning migrants from Islamic counties and closing mosques, Islamic schools and asylum centres, among other steps. “Geert Wilders released his grotesque eleven-point manifesto only days ago, and a month ago he spoke along similar lines in Cleveland, in the United States,” the UN official said. “And yet what Mr. Wilders shares in common with Mr. Trump, Mr. Orban, Mr. Zeman, Mr. Hofer, Mr. Fico, Madame Le Pen, Mr. Farage, he also shares with Da’esh [ISIL]. “All seek in varying degrees to recover a past, halcyon and so pure in form, where sunlit fields are settled by peoples united by ethnicity or religion – living peacefully in isolation, pilots of their fate, free of crime, foreign influence and war. A past that most certainly, in reality, did not exist anywhere, ever. Europe’s past, as we all know, was for centuries anything but that. The proposition of recovering a supposedly perfect past is fiction; its merchants are cheats. Clever cheats.” The High Commissioner noted that while he does not equate the actions of nationalist demagogues with those of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the latter’s mode of communication, use of half-truths and oversimplification, and the propaganda uses tactics similar to those of populists. “The humiliating racial and religious prejudice fanned by the likes of Mr. Wilders has become in some countries municipal or even national policy,” Mr. Ra'ad Al Hussein said. “We hear of accelerating discrimination in workplaces. Children are being shamed and shunned for their ethnic and religious origins – whatever their passports, they are told they are not ‘really’ European, not ‘really’ French, or British, or Hungarian. Entire communities are being smeared with suspicion of collusion with terrorists.” UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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The High Commissioner went on to call on the world to pull back from such a trajectory, flagging that while a decade ago Mr. Wilder’s recent comments would have created a world-wide furore, they were now met with little more than a shrug, and, outside the Netherlands, his words were barely noticed. “Are we going to continue to stand by and watch this banalization of bigotry, until it reaches its logical conclusion?” Mr. Ra'ad Al Hussein asked. “Ultimately, it is the law that will safeguard our societies – human rights law, binding law which is the distillation of human experience, of generations of human suffering, the screams of the victims of past crimes and hate. We must guard this law passionately, and be guided by it.”

New UN report finds that without obstacles Occupied Palestinian Territory’s economy could easily double gross domestic product 6 September – The economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory could easily produce twice the gross domestic product (GDP) it generates now, while unemployment and poverty could recede significantly, according a new United Nations report. “Surveying a number of studies, the report reveals the channels through which occupation deprives the Palestinian people of their human right to development and hollows out the Palestinian economy,” the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a news release on its 2016 report on its assistance to the Palestinian people. women walk near Israel's barrier near Ramallah in the “Chief among these are the confiscation of Palestinian land, water and Palestinian West Bank. Photo: IRIN/Shabtai Gold other natural resources; loss of policy space; restrictions on the movement of people and goods; destruction of assets and the productive base; expansion of Israeli settlements; fragmentation of domestic markets; separation from international markets and forced dependence on the Israeli economy,” it added.

According to the findings of the Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in 2015, Israel withheld Palestinian fiscal revenue for four months, donor aid declined and Israeli settlements continued to expand into the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while poverty and unemployment remained high. It also notes that the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be a captive market for exports from Israel, while occupation neutralized the potential development impact of donor aid, and genuine reconstruction had yet to take off in the Gaza Strip despite $3.5 billion in donor pledges. As well, Gaza’s socioeconomic conditions worsened and the infant mortality rate increased for the first time in 50 years. In its executive summary, the report goes on to note that occupation imposes a heavy cost on the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which might otherwise reach twice its current size. Yet, to date, attempts to estimate the economic cost of occupation remain partial and ad hoc. Also, there is a need to establish a systematic, comprehensive and sustainable framework within the United Nations system to report to the General Assembly, as it has requested in past resolutions. “The report concludes that examination of these costs and of other obstacles to trade and development is essential to place the Palestinian economy on the path to sustainable development and to achieve a just settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as lasting peace in the Middle East,” UNCTAD said, while also flagging that despite limited resources, it continues to deliver technical cooperation, training and advisory services to the Palestinian people. Impact of de-agriculturalization and de-industrialization The report’s findings include that a continuous process of de-agriculturalization and de-industrialization has deformed the structure of the Palestinian economy. From 1975-2014, the share of the tradable goods sector made up of agriculture and UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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industry in GDP dropped by half, from 37 per cent to 18 per cent, while its contribution to employment decreased from 47 per cent to 23 per cent. In January 2015 alone, 5,600 productive trees were vandalized, adding to the more than 2.5 million productive trees (including 800,000 olive trees) that have been uprooted since 1967, according to the UN agency. Furthermore, Palestinians are prohibited from maintaining or digging water wells, while Israel has been extracting much more water than the level stipulated by the 1995 Oslo Accords and confiscating 82 per cent of Palestinian groundwater. “The Palestinians are left with no choice but to import their own water from Israel to cover 50 per cent of their consumption,” UNCTAD noted in the news release. Slow reconstruction since the Israeli military operation in Gaza in 2014 has compounded the adverse trade and development impact of Israel’s prolonged occupation of the Palestinian territory, according to the UNCTAD report. “Following the economic decline of 2014, which was mainly the result of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory grew by 3.5 per cent in 2015,” UNCTAD said in the news release. “However, this was not sufficient to lift stagnant per capita income, which remains below its 2013 level.” “The report also attributes the economic weakness to a decline in foreign aid and Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenue during the first four months of 2015,” it said.

UN human rights office 'deeply worried' about situation in Cambodia 6 September – Expressing concern over recent incidents of intimidation of opposition politicians and their supporters, civil society, and peaceful demonstrators in Cambodia, the United Nations human rights arm has called on the authorities to create an environment that is conducive the enjoyment of human rights.

OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. Photo: UN Multimedia

“An increase in rhetoric by high-level army officials, who have vowed to defend the ruling party against political opposition, is deeply worrying,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said at a regular press briefing in Geneva today, referring to a strong show of force recently conducted by the country's armed forces at the headquarters of the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

“We remind the Government of its duty to take measures to ensure the safety of all Cambodians, particularly high profile political opponents,” she added. The UN Spokesperson also said that the Government has invoked concerns about public security to block peaceful protests and to arrest and charge demonstrators, and that, yesterday, the authorities set up roadblocks and mobilized troops in an attempt to block a CNRP event and arrested some 20 people in connection with two unrelated protests in the capital Phnom Penh. “We urge the Government to create an environment conducive to the enjoyment of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, which are particularly critical in a pre-electoral context,” added Ms. Shamdasani, referring to the local and national elections to be held in 2017 and 2018. Additionally, referring to a number of legal charges brought against CNRP's Acting President, Kem Sokha and 29 other members or supporters of the party, fourteen of them have been convicted and given heavy prison sentences, she urged the authorities to strictly adhere to international fair trial standards during the criminal proceedings, including ensuring transparency in the administration of justice. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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UN Security Council concludes 'very positive' three-day visit to South Sudan 5 September – The United Nations Security Council wrapped up a three-day visit to South Sudan today by reaffirming its support for peace in South Sudan and reiterated its calls to the government to fulfill commitments announced in a joint communique. “The fact that we are getting on the UN plane and going home, does not mean that we are going to forget about them,” United States Ambassador Samantha Power, the co-lead of the Council delegation, said at the conclusion of the visit. Ms. Power added that “what no one can endure is the legacy of having seen this beautiful newest country of the UN torn apart.” A United Nations Security Council delegation visits a 'protection of civilians' site in South Sudan on 3 September 2016. UN Photo/UNMISS

The visit followed the Council's recent renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which included the approval of a 4,000-strong regional protection force to aid with security in the capital, Juba. It also came before the UN Secretary-General has to provide his first report on the progress achieved in implementing the new mandate.

In early July, close to the fifth anniversary of the country's independence, the youngest nation was plunged into fresh violence due to clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA in Opposition, backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar. That led to deaths and injuries, including those of several UNMISS peacekeepers, also undermining the implementation of the peace agreement between the political rivals in August 2015, which formally ended their differences. Ms. Power said that some good commitments came out of the trip, with the Transitional Government of National Unity announcing its acceptance to the deployment of the regional protection force. A joint communique issued on Sunday indicates that the government is committed to remove impediments to the ability of UNMISS to implement its mandate. This would include reviewing procedures related to movement of UNMISS and streamlining bureaucratic processes. She noted that the call for peace must be felt in the hearts of the leadership. Ms. Power, however, cautioned that these commitments will be measured by the extent to which South Sudanese people feel safer than they are now. Senegalese Ambassador Fode Seck, the co-lead of the Council delegation, said this was “a very positive visit, both on the side of the government and on the side of the UN Security Council.” Remaining optimistic that the government would stick to its commitments, he stressed the need for the citizens to unite for nation-building. “This country is so blessed by nature and it can become the giant of Africa, feeding Africa, exporting and contributing to the continents development,” he added. “Let them believe in themselves, let them work with their government, let them forget about the tribal divide,” Mr. Seck said. The delegation held a series of high-level meetings with President Kiir and other Transitional Government members, civil society groups, faith-based organization and senior UN officials.


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The Council member states represented in the delegation include Angola, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Saudi Arabia: Ban, Deputy Crown Prince discuss Palestine refugees, Yemen and climate pact 5 September – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince, who is also Second Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, discussing the country's financial support for the UN Palestine refugees agency, the conflict in Yemen, protection of children, as well as the Paris Agreement on climate change. Meeting with Prince Mohamad Bin Salman Al Saud on the sideline of the G20 Summit in China, the Secretary-General thanked Saudi Arabia for its continuing financial support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), according to a readout issued by Mr. Ban's office. The UN chief emphasized the urgency to close the current funding gap affecting UNRWA's operations for Palestinian children and the most vulnerable, the readout said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince, Prince Mohamad Bin Salman Al Saud, who is also Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, on the sideline of the G20 Summit in China on 5 September 2016. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The Secretary-General reiterated that a negotiated political settlement in Yemen remained the only viable solution for the country and expressed his continuing concern at the conflict's impact on civilian lives. He reminded all parties of their obligation to respect international humanitarian law, the readout added. Regarding the Children and Armed Conflict report, the Secretary-General and the Deputy Crown Prince discussed the status of the ongoing review of measures to strengthen protection of children, the readout noted. Finally, the Secretary-General hoped that Saudi Arabia would ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible, the readout said.

Annual meeting on UN-backed treaty aims to set target date for cluster bomb abolition 5 September – An annual meeting of State Parties to the United Nations-backed pact banning cluster bombs opened in Geneva today, with a call to set a target date to achieve a world free of these explosive remnants of war that kill large numbers of civilians. "It is our hope that within the next couple of days the States Parties can adopt or come closer to adopting a target date for completion of cluster munitions clearance and stockpile destruction," said Henk Cor van der Kwast of the Netherlands, the President of the Sixth Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, in his opening remarks. The Sixth Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions opens in Geneva, on 5 September 2016. Photo/ISUCCM

Cluster munitions, or unexploded ordnance, kill and injure large numbers of civilians and cause long lasting socio-economic problems. The Convention, which prohibits all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of these devices, entered into force on 1 August 2010, just two years after it opened for signature in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. To date, 119 states have joined the Convention. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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“The Convention on Cluster Munitions is young but has achieved a great deal in this short period of time. Stigmatization of this weapon is growing; more and more States outside the Convention recognize its inhumane nature. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done for a universal adoption of the Convention,” said Mr. van der Kwast. The Convention on Cluster Munitions is young but has achieved a great deal in this short period of time At the First Review Conference of the Convention held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in September 2015, the State Parties adopted the Dubrovnik Action Plan, which lists concrete steps to implement the Convention in the period from 2015 to 2020. The Plan seeks to increase adherence to the treaty, assist State Parties to develop resourced plans for destroying stocks, clearing contaminated lands, providing risk-reduction education and strengthening national capacity for victim assistance, among other core work. “During these three days [5-7 September] we will pay great attention to the updates that will be presented by the States Parties as they review progress achieved over the past year and discuss challenges encountered in implementing the Convention,” said Mr. van der Kwast.

On World Day, UN chief says 'charity is one of best investments for common future' 5 September – “Charity is one of the best investments we can make in our common future,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, the International Day of Charity, noting that the world is now seeing the dramatic rise of philanthropy in developing countries. Every year, the Day serves as a call to every person to act with solidarity and compassion in the face of human suffering, he said in a message. But for this year's observance, the world has a new focus for volunteering and giving: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Mr. Ban said that this new universal framework, with 17 goals at its core, is the most comprehensive and ambitious anti-poverty, proplanet action plan ever adopted by world leaders, and “for it to work, we must unleash the full force of the human spirit.”

WFP distributing rations to residents of Homs, Syria in September 2012. Photo: WFP/Abeer Etefa

Global philanthropy continues to generate innovative approaches and provide much-needed resources. An important new dimension is the dramatic rise of philanthropy in the global South, which is leading new actors to become involved in addressing local and global challenges, he said. “I call on people everywhere to be part of our 15-year partnership for humanity, and to help make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for all,” the Secretary-General said. In recognition of the role of charity in alleviating humanitarian crises and human suffering within and among nations, as well as of the efforts of charitable organizations and individuals, including the work of Mother Teresa, the General Assembly of the United Nations designated 5 September, the anniversary of Mother Teresa's passing, as the International Day of Charity, in its resolution adopted in 2013.


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Calling for G20 support, Ban stresses importance of funding for 2030 Goals and climate action 5 September – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of financing and other support mechanisms in implementing the global goals for sustainable development and climate action, urging further efforts by G20 countries to fulfill their commitments. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a universal, integrated and transformative plan of action for peace and prosperity for all on a healthy planet,” Mr. Ban told a session on inclusive and interconnected development during the G20 Summit taking place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, center, and world leaders exchange greetings at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Referring to the 2030 Agenda's 17 global goals adopted by the UN General Assembly last September, he said that achieving them requires balanced, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, adopted in Ethiopia last year, provides a global framework for financing the 2030 Agenda implementation. It aligns all financing flows and policies with sustainable economic, social and environmental development, Mr. Ban added. “The G20 Action Plan to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda is testament to your commitment to achieving the

Sustainable Development Goals,” the UN chief said, acknowledging China's leadership for mainstreaming sustainable development in the work of G20. Mr. Ban also applauded the leaders of France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the Republic of Korea for initiating interministerial coordination mechanisms on implementation of the global goals, calling upon all G20 leaders to follow “these good examples.” “Implementing the 2030 Agenda will strengthen our collective ability to address short-term risks and build long-term resilience. This is why it is essential that sustainable development is fully integrated into a global macroeconomic policy framework,” Mr. Ban said. The G20 initiative on supporting industrialization in Africa and least developed countries will strengthen their inclusive growth and development potential, he said. The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) report provides a comprehensive framework in this regard. Increased investments in infrastructure and industry, access to finance, sharing and transfer of technologies, trade facilitation, capacity building and improving enabling environments can support the transformation needed, he added. The G20's financial support to the Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted last December in France, is crucial, the Secretary-General emphasized. “Now it is time to ensure we live up to our commitments on climate finance, including the commitment to provide $100 billion for the Green Climate Fund,” he said, describing this as “an important step” to support developing countries' efforts to implement the climate accord.


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South Sudan accepts deployment of 4,000-strong UN protection force 4 September – South Sudan's government has accepted the deployment of a 4,000-strong regional protection force recently mandated by the United Nations Security Council, in addition to the roughly 12,000 UN peacekeepers already serving in the African nation. The announcement was made today in a joint communique issued at the end of a meeting between President Salva Kiir and the Security council delegation. “To improve the security situation, the Transitional Government of National Unity gave its consent to the deployment as part of UNMISS [UN Mission in South Sudan] of the Regional Protection Force" in line with Security Council resolution 2304 (2016), according to the communique read by the country's Cabinet Affairs Minister, Martin Elia Lomoro.

US Ambassador Samantha Power speaks in South Sudan on 4 September 2016, after the UN Security Council delegation draws a consent from the Transitional Government of Nation Unity to deploy a 4,000-strong regional protection force to improve security in and around the capital, Juba. UN Photo/UNMISS

In early July, close to the fifth anniversary of the country's independence, the youngest nation was plunged into fresh violence due to clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Kiir, and the SPLA in Opposition, backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar. That led to deaths and injuries, including those of several UNMISS peacekeepers, also undermining the implementation of the peace agreement between the political rivals in August 2015, which formally ended their differences. The Council, as well as various senior UN officials, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, repeatedly spoke out against the violence, calling for calm and the safety of civilians. "The United Nations Security Council and the Transitional Government of National Unity agree to work in a fresh spirit of cooperation to advance the interests of the South Sudanese people, particularly their aspirations for justice, liberty and for prosperity. They agreed that the humanitarian and security needs of the people were paramount,” said the communique. The Security Council delegation is led by the Permanent Representatives of the Missions of Senegal and the United States, comprising representatives of all the other permanent and rotating member states of the 15-nation body. “UNMISS has an impartial mandate to protect civilians, no matter who they are or where they are,” said United States Ambassador Samantha Power, the co-leader of the Council delegation, noting that consultations are under way to decide the modalities of deployment of the regional protection force. According to the communique, the troop contributing countries, UNMISS and the Transitional Government have agreed to continue working on the modalities of deployment, and to build upon the consultations that have been taking place in recent months. The Council has, in its recent resolution, expressed grave alarm over the security situation and the ongoing violence in the country, as well as the dire humanitarian consequences for the people of the country. According to the Minister, the Transitional Government has committed to devising a plan on concrete steps to remove impediments to UNMISS' ability to implement its mandate. This plan is expected by end of September 2016, he said,, explaining that such steps would include a review of procedures related to movement of UNMISS and streamlining the UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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bureaucratic processes. UNMISS on the other hand has committed to inform the Government about the movements and of any other details. The communique further states that the Transitional Government has expressed its readiness to implement chapter 5 of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan, and would work with African Union in setting up the hybrid court for South Sudan.

UN Security Council urges Guinea-Bissau to find solution to political crisis 4 September – Expressing a serious concern over the ongoing political impasse in Guinea-Bissau, the United Nations Security Council today urged leaders in the West African country to find a solution to the crisis, and ensure a functioning government. A delay in the adoption of the government programme and budget amid the political wrangling has affected government services.

Headquarters of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, also known as UNIOGBIS. Photo: UNIOGBIS

In a press statement, the Security Council “urged national actors to abide by the Constitution and the rule of law, while striving to find a political solution to the crisis through good-faith dialogue” and also “urged the security forces of Guinea-Bissau to maintain their noninterference in the political situation, to continue the restraint shown in this regard, and maintain respect for civilian control.”

The 15-member body stressed the urgent need to ensure a functioning government and welcomed the ongoing dialogue among key national stakeholders, including between the Party for African Independence of Guinea and Cade Verde (PAIGC) and the Party for Social Renewal (PRS). The Council further urged them to work towards that end and underlined the importance of ensuring stability throughout the current parliamentary term. The release of the press statement followed a briefing on 30 August by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), Modibo Ibrahim Touré, who updated the Council members on the latest developments in the country. Recalling the decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 4 June 2016 to designate a presidential mission to Guinea-Bissau comprising the Heads of State of Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone, the Council reiterated its support for the decision and stressed the urgency of the deployment of such a mission. The Council further welcomed the renewal of the mandate of the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau bearing in mind its important role in maintaining stability in the country. The Council welcomed the joint efforts by international partners to enhance cooperation in support of the Government of Guinea-Bissau. The Council encouraged international partners, in particular the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS, European Union and the Community of Portuguese-language Speaking Countries, to continue working together towards the country's stabilization and the building of strong and credible institutions in accordance with the key structural reforms in the defence, security and justice sectors. In this regard, the Council acknowledged the role of the Peacebuilding Commission in enhancing these efforts to support the long-term peacebuilding, including institution-building, priorities of Guinea-Bissau.


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Gabon: Ban speaks with President and opposition leader; calls for end to violence 4 September – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon, and Jean Ping, presidential candidate of the Démocratie Nouvelle party, to help end violence that ensued the recent, closely-contested presidential election in the African country. Clashes have broken out between protesters and security forces after the 31 August release of official provisional results, which declared President Bongo the winner, reportedly by a margin of less than 6,000 votes. According to media reports, hundreds of people have been arrested and at least two people have been killed. According to a note issued by the office of Mr. Ban's spokesman, the Secretary-General, who is participating in the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, had separate phone calls with each of them today.

UN Photo/Staton Winter

The Secretary-General deplored the loss of life during the demonstrations in the aftermath of the presidential election, and expressed concern about the continuing inflammatory messages being disseminated, calling for an immediate end to all acts of violence in the country, the note states. While welcoming the release of the 27 opposition members who had been denied leaving Mr. Ping's campaign headquarters, Mr. Ban reiterated his call to President Bongo to impress upon the Government the need to show restraint, and urged Mr. Ping to issue a clear message to his followers calling on them to refrain from any acts of violence in the interest of the country and of national unity, the note says. The Secretary-General stressed the importance of employing exclusively peaceful and legal means to seek redress in all disputes related to the outcome of the presidential election, and has requested his Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, to continuously work with both sides to defuse tensions. In Hangzhou, the Secretary-General also met with Chad's President Idriss Déby Itno, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union (AU), welcoming the organization's engagement in facilitating a peaceful resolution of the current crisis in Gabon.


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UN report urges Somalia to ensure freedom of expression as it is critical to political transition 4 September – A United Nations report on freedom of expression in Somalia released today describes progress in state-building in Somalia, but shows the very challenging environment that continues to confront journalists, human rights defenders and political leaders, including numerous killings, arrests, intimidation and closure of critical media outlets. “The trend of arrest and detention of journalists and other media workers seems to indicate an intention to intimidate or harass journalists and media owners which inevitably leads to self-censorship or to media workers eventually leaving the profession,” says the report produced jointly by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Rights (OHCHR). Al-Shabaab has prohibited all media to operate in areas under its control but state actors are main perpetrators of violations against media workers and political activists, the report says “Somalia has made great progress in recent years, after decades of conflict and violence,” said Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia and head of UNSOM, Michael Keating, in an OHCHR news release. “But Somalis continue to suffer multiple human rights deficits. They need and deserve accountable institutions.” “Strong, independent and critical journalism is a vital element of any democratic State,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. “Attacks against individual journalists and media organizations have a deeply corrosive impact on democracy, with profoundly negative repercussions on freedom of expression and human rights in general.” The UN human rights chief urged the Somali authorities, both at the Federal and State levels, to take prompt action and ensure that all violations of the right to freedom of expression, including the various serious attacks perpetrated against media workers, are fully investigated, irrespective of the identity of the perpetrators. The report says that 2016 represents a “critical juncture in Somalia's political transition,” and highlights the encouraging progress towards more inclusive elections and accountable government since 2012, including the rebuilding of State institutions and the adoption of important new laws, including one on political parties and one on the creation of an independent National Human Rights Commission. The report, however, states that freedom of expression, which plays a central role in the building of democratic States, especially in times of political transformation, remains significantly limited, documenting 120 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention of media workers between January 2014 and July 2016. Despite the “vibrant media culture” in Somalia – which hosts more than 90 media outlets and scores of websites and blogs – numerous violations aimed at journalists and political leaders are documented, including killings, attacks, arbitrary arrests and detention, intimidation, harassment, closure of media outlets, confiscation of equipment and blocking of websites. 30 journalists killed between August 2012 and June 2016 The dangers facing media workers and public figures are illustrated by the killing, between August 2012 and June 2016, of a total of 30 journalists and 18 parliamentarians in Somalia. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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Al-Shabaab has prohibited all media to operate in areas under its control and has been targeting media workers across the country, the report says. But federal and state-level security forces, including the National Army, the Police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency, are main perpetrators of violations against media workers and political activists. Radio Shabelle has been particularly targeted, with five serious incidents between 2013 and 2015. The report states that the authorities have made very limited efforts to investigate and prosecute such violations. The report stresses, among other things, the need to strengthen the justice system to better protect freedom of expression. Since January 2015, only ten of the 48 journalists and media workers who have been arrested have been brought before a court, it states.

UN condemns bomb attack on night market in Philippines 4 September – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned Friday's bomb attack on a night market in Davao City in the Philippines that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens, his spokesman said today. “The Secretary-General stresses the need to ensure accountability and to bring to justice the perpetrators of these terrorist attacks,” the spokesman added in a statement. The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, and stands with the Government and people of the Philippines, the A member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at a spokesman said. checkpoint on the streets of Cotabato. Photo: Guy Oliver/IRIN Davao is located on the Southeast Asian country's Mindanao Island. UN Security Council joins condemnation A denouncement also came from the UN Security Council. In a press statement issued today, the 15-nation body “condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” at a night market. Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, the Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of the Philippines and all other relevant authorities in this regard. The Council also reiterated that “any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”


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Ahead of G20 opening, Ban stresses 'far-reaching' impacts of early climate action, urges unity on Global Goals 4 September – At a G20 summit in the southeastern city of Hangzhou in China, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the conference's focus on sustainable development and climate change, urging all countries to take early action on these. “For the first time in the history of the G20, the Hangzhou draft communiqué is now focusing on this Sustainable Development Action Agenda as one of their most important [aspects of] the outcome document,” the UN chief said at a press conference, ahead of the summit's opening. Leaders attending the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, pose for a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony on 4 September 2016. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

“Climate change and Sustainable Development Goals should go hand in hand. That is not my message – that is the message of all scientists, economists and all experts,” he added, stressing that “early action will bring more and more, and better and better results.”

Last September, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a new global framework to advance peace and prosperity for all people and for a healthy planet. “I urge all countries to align their national policies, socio-economic policies, programmes and investment behind these Sustainable Development Goals,” Mr. Ban said at today's press conference. The Paris Agreement, adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last December in France, calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The agreement will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification or acceptance with the Secretary-General. “This Summit has also witnessed major steps forward on climate change,” Mr. Ban said, commending the leaders of China and the United States for officially joining the Paris climate accord by depositing their legal documents with him yesterday. Legal processes must be concluded in parallel with a renewed commitment by all the countries to honour their pledges With the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters making this historic step, 26 parties to the Paris Agreement and 39% of global greenhouse emissions have been accounted for. Another 29 countries and 16 per cent more of global emissions will bring the convention into force. To the so-called climate change deniers or skeptics, he said, “the debate over the climate phenomenon is over, scientifically and environmentally: it is affecting our daily lives.” “In that regard, the actions taken by early 'ratifiers' like China and the United States – those are the two biggest emitters – are far-reaching, visionary. They are working for the people, they are working for planet earth,” he said. Mr. Ban said he was “happy to hear that the draft communiqué of this G20 Summit is also encouraging the speedy entry into force of this key international agreement and I would like to [urge] G20 members, once again, to lead by example on this defining issue of climate change,” drawing attention to a high-level ratification ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York he is convening on 21 September.


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Legal processes must be concluded in parallel with a renewed commitment by all the countries to honour their pledges, particularly the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Member States, in terms of financial and technical support, including through the Green Climate Fund to many vulnerable countries, developing countries so that they can adjust to climate change, Mr. Ban added. “Here in Hangzhou, I will engage G20 leaders across the breadth of the Summit's agenda,” he said, emphasizing that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals requires resolving urgent challenges, such as protracted conflicts in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Libya, Mali and many other places, extreme poverty and deepening inequalities, and the highest number of people displaced by conflict since the end of the Second World War.

In meeting with Turkey's President, UN chief stresses country's key role in fighting ISIL 3 September – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasizing the key role of Turkey in the fight against Da'esh (ISIL), Mr. Ban's office said. They both were visiting the southeastern city of Hangzhou in China to attend the G20 summit starting tomorrow. The Secretary-General reiterated the support and solidarity of the UN with the Government and people of Turkey, following the 15 July coup attempt, according to a readout issued by Mr. Ban's office. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey (May 2016). UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The Secretary-General “has been inspired by the strong commitment demonstrated by the Turkish people after these events, and stressed the importance to harness this energy and solidarity to build an even more solid foundation for future development and good governance in

the country,” the readout said. According to the readout, the Secretary-General and the President also discussed the situation in Syria, particularly in Aleppo, as well as the status of negotiations for a political solution to the conflict and the recent report of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism on chemical weapons attacks in the country. “The Secretary-General emphasized the key role of Turkey in the fight against Da'esh,” it said. On climate change, the Secretary-General noted the leading role Turkey had played during its presidency of the G20 last year in Antalya, and hoped Turkey will ratify the Paris Agreement before the end of the year, possibly during the High-level event he is convening on 21 September in New York, the readout stated.


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At South Sudan sites for displaced, UN Security Council hears 'desperate appeals' for regional protection force 3 September – On the second day of its visit to South Sudan, a delegation from the United Nations Security Council today met with displaced people living in camps, known as “protection of civilians” sites, seeing first-hand “the human consequences of the failure of political leaders to bring peace back to their country.” “We heard desperate appeals for the Regional Protection Force to be deployed quickly,” United States Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters, referring to the 4,000-strong force approved in a Security Council resolution that also renewed the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The Security Council delegation is led by the Permanent Representatives of the Missions of Senegal and the United States, and also comprises representatives of all the other permanent and rotating member states of the 15-member body.

A delegation from the United Nations Security Council visits a camp for the internally displaced persons in Juba, South Sudan on 3 September 2016. UN Photo

“We heard appeals for the peace agreement to be fully implemented, people in these camps feels as if the political agreement that was agreed to remains the last best hope for them and we heard appeals for the UN peacekeeping presence to be more active, to patrol, to offer the protection that people are afraid that security forces for the government don't offer at this time,” Ms. Power added. At the sites, she said, the delegation met many people who could recount bullets flying over their head in the crossfire of the crises that occurred about two months ago. In early July, close to the fifth anniversary of the country's independence, the youngest nation was plunged into violence due to clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA in Opposition, backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar. That led to deaths and injuries, including those of several UNMISS peacekeepers, also undermining the implementation of the peace agreement between President Kiir and Mr. Machar in August 2015, which formally ended their differences. The Council, as well as various senior UN officials, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, repeatedly spoke out over the violence, condemning it and calling for calm and the safety of civilians. “So this has been an extremely important visit, because it is our chance to see the human consequences of the failure of political leaders to bring peace back to their country,” the leader of the delegation said. Ms. Power also said that the delegation met with women who described huge surges in sexual violence against women who leave the camps to get firewood so that they can cook for their family and for their children. “As a mother I can imagine that choice, a choice in whether I cook for my kids or whether I risk sexual violence outside the camp. I know I will go and take that risk for my children, I think any mother would,” she said. And not one South Sudanese that the delegation spoke to wants to live in these 'Protection of Civilian' sites. Every single individual wants to go home. They are not going home because they want food or water but they are terrified. Many men described life at the sites as “a kind of prison.” “And they said that they want this prison sentence to end, and the only way it's going to end is if the UN force gets up to full strength, the regional protection force deploys and the peace agreement is implemented,” Ms. Power said. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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In historic ceremony, UN chief hails China, US for formally joining Paris climate agreement 3 September – Visiting the southeastern city of Hangzhou in China, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has commended the leaders of that country and the United States for formally joining the Paris Agreement on climate change today. “Now, by formally joining the Paris Agreement, you have added powerful momentum to the drive for the Agreement to enter into force this year,” the UN chief said in a ceremony, in which he received the legal instruments for joining the Paris Agreement from the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters. With China and the United States making this historic step, we now have 26 countries who have ratified and 39 per cent of global emissions accounted for, to be exact

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping and United States President Barack Obama at a climate pact ratification ceremony in Hangzhou, China, on 3 September 2016. China and the US deposited their legal instruments for formally joining the Paris Agreement. UN Photo/Eskinder

“With China and the United States making this historic step, we now have 26 countries who have ratified and 39 per cent of global emissions accounted for, to be exact,” he added. China and the US together account for nearly 38 per cent.

The Paris Agreement, adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last December in Paris, calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The agreement will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification or acceptance with the Secretary-General. In today's ceremony, which was also attended by China's President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama, Mr. Ban noted that “we need another 29 countries representing 16 per cent of global emissions to bring this Paris Agreement into force.” “I am hopeful and optimistic that we can do it before the end of this year and before my term as Secretary-General of the United Nations ends,” he added. The UN chief will convene a special event on 21 September at the UN Headquarters in New York for the deposit of instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement on climate change. The event will also provide an opportunity to other countries to publicly commit to the agreement before the end of 2016. “I urge all leaders, particularly G20 countries, to accelerate their domestic ratification processes so we can turn the aspirations of Paris into the transformative climate action the world so urgently needs,” Mr. Ban said. He is scheduled to attend the G20 summit in China tomorrow. With the Paris Agreement, the world has an equitable, durable yet flexible global framework for reducing emissions, strengthening climate resilience and providing support to developing countries to build low-carbon economies and adapt to inevitable climate impacts, the Secretary-General said. This global climate agreement will accelerate the growth of clean energy and help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and will strengthen international stability and security, save lives and improve human well-being, he added.


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“And now, with these two big countries joining the Paris Agreement, I am sure that we can really set a very ambitious dynamic step forward,” he concluded. In a statement, Mogens Lykketoft, the President of the UN General Assembly, said that he was “pleased to hear this very good news coming out of Hangzhou just before the opening of the G20 meeting.” China's own ambitious action plan is now rolling with announcement of guidelines for establishing a Green Financial System and a goal for green projects of $600 billion each year, he noted. “The China-US ratification and the great Chinese initiatives put useful pressure on those UN-members that have not yet ratified or made their own national action plans,” he said.

As peace talks stall, violence soars once again in Syria – new UN report warns 6 September – Although February’s ceasefire agreement created an all-too-brief respite in fighting, there has been a tragic increase in violence targeting Syrian civilians, crushing hopes of peace in the war-torn country, a group of United Nations experts warned today. In its latest report, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria notes how recent indiscriminate attacks on civilians, blockades of humanitarian convoys and crimes committed by all parties to the conflict, have left Syrians in a state of despair. A child standing in front of his ground-flattened school after a bombardment in Ainjara village in rural Aleppo, Syria. Photo: UNICEF/Khalil Alshawi

"The relentless attacks and sieges against civilians shows no signs of abating giving people little, if any, hope, of a lasting peace in the country," said Commission Chair Paulo Pinheiro in a news release on the report.

The Commission has been mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and record all violations of international law in Syria since March 2011. The report notes violence has reached unprecedented levels in Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, as parties wrestle for control its eastern part, and casualties have rapidly mounted at an alarming rate as civilians have been unable to flee from daily airstrikes. While some perish in the attacks, others later die from lack of life-saving medical services, as a consequence of the proGovernment forces’ bombardments that have destroyed over twenty hospitals and clinics in Aleppo governorate alone since the beginning of the year, the report says. UN Commission urges shared responsibility to end "disquieting" conflict in Syria. Credit: UN News Centre It adds that countless medical staff and first responders who provide vital services lost their lives in such attacks, further worsening a situation already desperately precarious before the current offensive, the reports notes. “The intensifying attacks on medical care – including maternity hospitals, paediatric units and emergency wards – are in flagrant disregard of the letter and the spirit of international humanitarian law,” said Mr. Pinheiro. “Such attacks seek to levy the suffering of civilians by belligerents in order to gain military advantage.”


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Civilians killed in attacks by both sides The report notes that as hostilities resumed in areas that had enjoyed relative peace for the first time in five years, so did aerial and shelling bombardments, primarily by pro-government forces. It also cites continued indiscriminate shelling of civilian-inhabited neighbourhoods, and hostage-taking for ransom by anti-government armed groups. Attacks by both sides have killed and maimed scores of civilians, many of them children. “Nearly 600,000 civilians in Damascus, Rif Damascus, Dayr Az-Zawr, Homs and Idlib governorates continue to suffer brutal conditions created by protracted sieges,” the report states. The report further notes that across the country, starvation through besiegement continues to be used as a tactic of war with devastating consequences, and that in Darayya, besieged by government security forces for almost four years, young children and elderly people are seen dying of starvation, with survivors subsisting on grass and unsafe drinking-water, a phenomenon also reported throughout other besieged areas. “Recent developments in Darayya, including the forcible displacement of the civilian population as part of political negotiations, contravene well-established principles of international law,” said Commissioner Vitit Muntarbhorn. The Commission believes that the Syrian conflict and the on-going violations will only come to an end with a return of the parties to the negotiation table. “It is imperative that the key parties negotiate an end to this conflict, while bearing in mind that any peace agreement must necessarily provide justice for the victims,” said Commissioner Carla Del Ponte.

UN and south-east Asian health officials re-affirm commitment to ending neglected tropical diseases 6 September – Health ministers in south-east Asia today reaffirmed their commitment to achieve the target of controlling, eliminating and eradicating neglected tropical diseases (NTDS), with the United Nations health agency voicing its support for their efforts. “Countries in the region have made commendable progress in tackling neglected tropical diseases in recent years… But efforts must be scaled-up against NTDs if we are to meet our targets,” the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for the South-East Asia Region, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, said in a WHO news release. Leprosy patients wait for a checkup at a local hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: IRIN/Naresh Newar

“Like any other disease elimination or eradication programme, as we move towards the last mile of elimination, new issues and challenges are emerging that need to be carefully addressed to keep the elimination process on track,” she added. “Key to achieving our goals is maintaining political commitment and resource allocation, strengthening surveillance, empowering and involving communities in elimination efforts, and maintaining a targeted approach.” WHO’s Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region is made up of 11 local member countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and TimorLeste – and had been holding its 69th regional meeting in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo today. Each country has at least one endemic NTD. According to the news release, the NTDs targeted for elimination in the region by 2020 include lymphatic filariasis, yaws, leprosy and schistosomiasis, while visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), is targeted for elimination by 2017.


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6 September 2016

In her remarks at the gathering, Dr. Khetrapal Singh expressed WHO’s ongoing support to the countries, pledged the Organization’s technical expertise in identifying barriers and finding innovative solutions, facilitating cross-border cooperation, and to work with partners to support countries’ efforts. The WHO official also stressed that the control, elimination and eradication of NTDs are an important part of realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attaining universal health coverage. She underscored that it was only by extending services to marginalized populations that countries could achieve elimination targets.

Manufacturing growth expected to remain low in 2016 – UN report 6 September – A new United Nations report has indicated that global manufacturing growth is expected to remain low in 2016 due to weakened financial support for productive activities. The quarterly World Manufacturing Production report, published by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has stated that with financial uncertainty still looming across Europe, foreign direct investment has not yet reached the 2007 pre-crisis level.

Manufacturing of plywood - one of the types of wood-based panels - in Hainan province, China. Photo: FAO/Arvydas Lebedys

According to a UNIDO news release issued yesterday, world manufacturing output is expected to increase by only 2.8 per cent in 2016. However, in contrast to recent years, there will be no breakout from the low-growth trap in 2016.

The agency also warned that lower industrial growth rates pose a challenge for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, as encapsulated by Goal 9, which also aims to significantly raise the share of manufacturing in the economies of developing countries. It further stated that that manufacturing production is likely to rise by only 1.3 per cent in industrialized countries and by 4.7 per cent in developing ones. In terms of growth rates for countries, the growth rate performance of China, the world’s largest manufacturer, is likely to further decline from last year’s 7.1 per cent to 6.5 per cent this year. Russia and the United States recorded marginal rises of 1.0 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively. Manufacturing output in Japan, however, fell by 1.8 per cent. India too suffered a sudden 0.7 per cent drop in growth figures. In contrast, other Asian countries largely maintained higher growth rates. Manufacturing output rose by 5.6 per cent in Indonesia, 3.9 per cent in Malaysia and 13.5 per cent in Viet Nam. Additionally, in Europe, the uncertainty following the Brexit affected the growth rate performance in manufacturing in the second quarter of 2016, below 1.0 per cent for the first time since 2013. Among Latin American economies, manufacturing output fell by 3.2 per cent in the second quarter, amid a continuing production decline in the region. The report further noted that, based on estimates from the limited available, manufacturing output rose by 2.5 per cent in Africa. South Africa, the continent’s largest manufacturer, significantly improved its growth performance to 3.3 per cent in the second quarter. Higher growth rates of 8.3 per cent and 7.6 per cent were achieved in Cameron and Senegal. In terms of growth estimates by manufacturing sectors, the report stated that the production of tobacco fell for the second consecutive quarter, declining by 2.6 per cent. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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It also stated that developing economies maintained higher growth in the production of textiles, chemical products and fabricated metal products, while the growth performance of industrialized economies was higher in the pharmaceutical industry and in production of motor vehicles.

Head of UN rural poverty agency wins inaugural Africa Food Prize, dedicates it to “millions of African women who silently toil to feed their families” 6 September – The head of the United Nations agency charged with eradicating rural poverty has been awarded the inaugural Africa Food Prize – and dedicated it to “the millions of African women who silently toil to feed their families.” “No nation has been able to transform itself without giving women the same rights and opportunities as men. Our hope for future generations rests with African women who bear and raise our young people who will shape the African continent in the years to come,” the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, added in an IFAD news release on his win. Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for According to its website, the Africa Food Prize was launched in April Dr. Agricultural Development (IFAD). Photo: IFAD/Abate Damte this year, in Ghana, and the $100,000 accolade recognizes outstanding individuals and institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa, from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives. It aims to put a spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans. The award succeeds the Yara Prize, which was first established by Yara International ASA in 2005.

A news release on the website noted that the Africa Food Prize Committee – chaired by Olusegun Obasanjo, a former President of Nigeria – selected Dr. Nwanze for his outstanding leadership and passionate advocacy in putting Africa's smallholder farmers at the centre of the global agricultural agenda. “Dr Nwanze is a model for how a great leader can make a difference in the lives of people on the ground," said Mr. Obasanjo in the news release. "Whether that leader is the head of a global institution, a head of state or a head of small organization, Dr. Nwanze's accomplishments on behalf of African farmers are a reminder of what's possible when you combine passion, good ideas, commitment, focus, hard work and dedication.” Alongside his “tireless advocacy,” the news release noted that Dr. Nwanze is credited with re-orienting IFAD's work to focus more on making small-scale farming a viable business, as well as expanding IFAD's presence in developing countries to increase the organization's effectiveness. “I know the difference it makes to see first-hand the value that one’s work is adding to someone’s life,” Dr. Nwanze said in the IFAD news release. “The idea behind opening more country offices is to bring IFAD closer to the people it serves, not only to motivate our own staff, but to more effectively work with rural communities, learning from them and adapting our investments to transform the environment in which they live and work.” The news release flagged that the Prize recognizes Dr. Nwanze for his individual leadership, but also for the results of successful efforts at IFAD in the years he has been at the helm of the UN agency. “IFAD… is not the same organization today that it was in 2009, when Nwanze took office as President,” according to the news release. “Despite a major global economic downturn, he succeeded in growing the Fund's overall resources, with significant increases in commitments from member states. As a result of this overall increase in IFAD's portfolio of loans and grants, its ongoing investments in Africa more than doubled – from $1.3 billion at the start of Dr. Nwanze's tenure to $2.7 billion in 2015 – benefiting more than 75 million rural people. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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Recent studies by IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation show that, where country offices are present, the IFADfunded programmes and projects are generally more efficient and effective, with stronger partnerships and policy advocacy.

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)