un daily news 11 may 2016

8/17/2019 UN Daily News 11 May 2016

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Issue DH/7156 Wednesday, 11 May 2016

In the headlines:

• Security Council requests subsidiary body topropose global rame!or" on countering terroristpropaganda

• Senior UN oicial urges Sout# Sudan to implementpledges to address se$ual violence crimes

• %&overty and ear do not require a passport totravel' ( UN alliance !it# Nobel laureates

• )raq* UN envoy condemns %co!ardly' bomb attac"sin Sadr City and +aquba

• emen* UN-bro"ered peace tal"s continue inparallel meetings

• UN #uman rig#ts panel condemns civilian attac"s inSyria calls or accountability

• )n .adagascar, +an calls or end to corruption,reports on %alarming' cost o #unger

• Somalia* UN calls or urgent action to supportdroug#t-#it communities

e!urity "oun!il re#uests su$sidiary $ody to %ro%ose glo$al&ra'ewor( on !ountering terrorist %ro%aganda

11 May – Reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms andmanifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats tointernational peace and security, the United Nations Security Counciltoday requested its main counter-terrorism subsidiary body to presenta proposal by 3 !pril "#$ for a comprehensi%e internationalframe&or' on the matter(

)hrough a *residential Statement adopted during an open debate on

countering the narrati%es and ideologies of terrorism, the #+-

nation Council as'ed its Counter-)errorism Committee C)C to

underta'e the &or' and recommend guidelines and good practices toeffecti%ely counter the &ays the .slamic State in .raq and the /e%ant.S./01a2esh, !l-aida and associated indi%iduals and groups usetheir narrati%es to encourage and recruit others to commit terroristacts(

)he C)C &ould &or' closely &ith the Counter-)errorism Committee 45ecuti%e 1irectorate C)41, the Counter-

)errorism .mplementation )as' 6orce C).)6 and other rele%ant bodies, as &ell as interested 7ember States(

)he Council noted &ith concern that the .S./, !l-aida, and associated groups 8craft distorted narrati%es that are based onthe misinterpretation and misrepresentation of religion to 9ustify %iolence,: &hich are utili;ed to recruit supporters andforeign terrorist fighters, mobili;e resources, and garner support from sympathi;ers, in particular by e5ploiting informationand communications technologies, including through the .nternet and social media(

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson addresses the Security

Council open debate on “Threats to international peace and securitycaused by terrorist acts: Countering the narratives and ideologies of

terrorism! "# $hoto%&ic' (a)ornas

UN Daily News



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UN Ne!s Centre 0 !!!1un1org2ne!s

UN 3aily Ne!s 44 .ay /546

!lso in the statement, the Council emphasi;ed that terrorism cannot and should not be associated &ith any religion,nationality or ci%ili;ation, underscoring the importance of promoting tolerance and inter religious dialogue( .t also stressedthat terrorism can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensi%e approach in%ol%ing the acti%e participation andcollaboration of all States, international and regional organi;ations and ci%il society(

.n his opening remar's, 1eputy Secretary-<eneral =an 4liasson emphasi;ed that terrorist groups are e5ploiting religious beliefs in order to incite hatred and %iolence and to cause di%ision and polari;ation in our societies(

8)errorists and %iolent e5tremists blatantly challenge the %alues enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the Uni%ersal1eclaration of >uman Rights as &ell as our shared pursuit of peace, 9ustice and human dignity,: he said(

)errorist bombs not only de%astate human li%es but also target common %alues, he said, noting that the global communityhas a responsibility to shield people from harm and protect uni%ersal %alues from erosion(

86aith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and &orth of the human person, and the primacy of global solidarityrepresent the greatest force in our hands to counter terrorist narrati%es and ideologies,: 7r( 4liasson said(

?ith young people falling prey to terrorist narrati%es and ideologies, he called on Council 7embers and all 7ember States

to translate into practice its historic resolution ""+ of 1ecember "#+ that recogni;ed the %alue and role of young people

and young peacebuilders(

8?e must do more than repeat general statements about youth being the @leaders of the future,2: he said(

?ith superior communications s'ills, e5tensi%e social media net&or's and often more influential %oices than their elders,the current generation of youth can amplify messages of common humanity(

.ncitement and recruitment of terrorists as &ell as conditions conduci%e to terrorism ha%e been addressed in se%eral Security

Council resolutions, the <eneral !ssembly2s <lobal Counter-)errorism Strategy and the Secretary-<eneral2s *lan of!ction to *re%ent Aiolent 45tremism(

.t is necessary to counter and refute false and nefarious narrati%es( Such narrati%es must also be replaced &ith compelling

alternati%e %isions, bac'ed by tangible opportunities for meaningful and constructi%e engagement, he said(

Stressing that security and military responses are not enough, he said that the Secretary-<eneral2s action plan stronglyfocuses on pre%enti%e approaches and cautioned against the @us against them2 mentality pre%alent across the &orld today(

8.n a deeper sense, the best narrati%e to counter %iolent e5tremism may perhaps not be a narrati%e,: he said( 8)his &holediscussion is not about a story( .t is about action to build peace, de%elopment and human rights(:

7ohi 4l-1in !fifi, Secretary-<eneral of !l !;har .slamic Research !cademy, said the grim realities in the 7iddle 4ast hadsurpassed all limits of religion and morals, &ith crimes being perpetrated in the name of .slam( )he media had distorted thatnotion, he emphasi;ed, adding that, in reality, such crimes had no relation to religious or human traditions(

)he !cademy &or'ed to combat terrorist ideologies by pro%iding education through scholarships( .t hosted B, studentsfrom #3 countries, and placed an emphasis on the pluralism of religion( .t &as also &or'ing &ith communities in .raq,Syria and emen, besides partnering globally &ith member organi;ations to spread international peace(

No ‘silver bullet’ to stop terrorists using Internet

Ste%e Cro&n, Aice-*resident and 1eputy <eneral Counsel of 7icrosoft Corporation, said that, for the .nternet industry, thescale of the terrorist challenge is 8daunting(: .ndeed, as one &as terrorist propaganda site &as ta'en do&n, another seemedto spring up in its place(



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)here had been $,+ t&eets &ithin #+ minutes of the *aris attac's, and &ithin t&o &ee's, there had been # million .nternet%ie&s, many praising the attac's, he recalled( .n fact, another company in the technology sector had noted that its #(D billionusers submitted one million reports of ob9ectionable postings e%ery day across all content categories( 8.f there &ere anelegant solution, industry &ould ha%e adopted it,: he said, adding that there &as no 8sil%er bullet: to stop terrorists using the.nternet(

>e &ent on to emphasi;e that terrorist use of .nternet platforms &as a complicated topic( /i'e fire, gunpo&der and the

printing press, any technology could be used for either good or e%il( Since the .nternet industry &as built on the idea thatcommunications could unleash human potential, 7icrosoft2s mission &as to empo&er e%ery person on the planet(

Ether companies in the sector, including <oogle, 6aceboo' and )&itter, differed from each other and competed fiercely attimes, but they came together &hen .nternet platforms &ere abused, he said( *erhaps the best e5ample &as the unitydisplayed in combating child se5 abuse materials, he said( Similarly, the industry &as united in &or'ing to address terroristabuse of technology ser%ices(

1escribing public-pri%ate partnerships as the appropriate response, he stressed the need for the international community to&or' together in a coordinated and transparent &ay( >o&e%er, there &as no uni%ersally accepted definition of terrorism ore5tremism at the international or regional le%el, he pointed out( ?hile definitional lines &ere hard to dra&, the internationalcommunity could agree broadly on harmful actors, he said, emphasi;ing that dialogue and learning &as the path to success(

)he rule of la& and the promotion of human rights &ere critical for 7icrosoft, he stressed, pointing out that it published aglobal human rights statement in order to ensure the right approach to doing business(

!s actors &or'ed together across sectors, it &as essential that they ha%e an open discussion and e5plore ne& and impro%edmeans of addressing misuse of information and technology platforms( 8?e need to admit &hat &e do not 'no&,: he said,underscoring the need to focus on ta'ing action and learning from e5perience(

enior )* o&&i!ial urges outh udan to i'%le'ent %ledges toaddress se+ual iolen!e !ri'es

11 May – Concluding a four-day %isit to =uba, South Sudan, the

United Nations Special Representati%e on Se5ual Aiolence in Conflicthas urged high-le%el authorities of the )ransitional <o%ernment of

National Unity to implement commitments made to address se5ual%iolence crimes(

8Successful implementation of the *eace !greement &ill require thatse5ual %iolence crimes are monitored, trac'ed and reported, and areaddressed in all transitional 9ustice processes,: stressed the SpecialRepresentati%e, Fainab >a&a Gangura, in a press release(

)he Special Representati%e said the commitments are contained in a=oint CommuniquH that she and *resident Sal%a Iiir signed on ##

Ectober "#B, as &ell as in a Unilateral CommuniquH issued on #J1ecember "#B by current 6irst Aice-*resident Rie' 7achar(

.n their respecti%e communiquHs, the signatories had committed to immediately cease and pre%ent the commission of se5ual%iolence crimes, hold perpetrators accountable, impro%e ser%ices to sur%i%ors, and ensure that se5ual %iolence considerationsare included in the ongoing processes of security sector reform, as &ell as disarmament, demobili;ation and reintegration,7s( Gangura said(

8. commend the steps ta'en by both signatories to put in place arrangements to facilitate the implementation of thesecommitments, including the designation of >igh-/e%el 6ocal *oints, the creation of )echnical ?or'ing <roups and thede%elopment of .mplementation *lans, as &ell as the signing of underta'ings by +3 senior commanders of the S*/!-.E

"# Special Envoy on se*ual violence in conflict +ainab (angura ,left.

during a meeting /ith South Sudan0s 1irst 2ice-$resident &ie'

3achar $hoto: "#34SS



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KSudan *eople2s /iberation !rmy in EppositionL,: the Special Representati%e said(

1espite these commitments and the progress made to implement them, 7s( Gangura emphasi;ed that se5ual %iolence crimesha%e continued to be systematically committed in the conte5t of the conflict(

@@No&, more than e%er before, it is imperati%e for the authorities of the )ransitional <o%ernment of National Unity to ensureaccountability for these crimes,: she added(

1uring her %isit, the Special Representati%e engaged &ith the leadership of the S*/! and the South Sudanese National*olice Ser%ice SSN*S, &ho she said ha%e committed to ta'ing concrete and time-bound actions to address se5ual %iolence

in accordance &ith Security Council resolutions #MD "# and "#D "#3(

87y Effice &ill pursue its support to the S*/! and SSN*S in de%eloping !ction *lans, &hich &ill pro%ide a structured andcomprehensi%e frame&or' through &hich to address se5ual %iolence crimes,: 7s( Gangura said(

)he Special Representati%e, &ho %isited South Sudan at the in%itation of the <o%ernment, met &ith *resident Iiir, 6irstAice-*resident 7achar and other 'ey go%ernment officials( She also held meetings &ith &omen2s groups pro%iding ser%icesto sur%i%ors, the humanitarian community, and the diplomatic corps(

)his %isit follo&s 7s( Gangura2s pre%ious %isit in "#B, during &hich she met &ith sur%i%ors and sur%i%ors2 groups, andunderscored the urgent need for resources to support multi-sectoral ser%ices for sur%i%ors, &ho often suffer trauma,marginali;ation and stigmati;ation(

-oerty and &ear do not re#uire a %ass%ort to trael )*allian!e with *o$el laureates

11 May – )he United Nations2 agricultural agency has 9oined forces&ith a group of Nobel laureates to tac'le the problems of hunger and%iolence through a ne& alliance launched in Rome today(

86reeing the &orld from hunger and &ant is a fundamental

contribution to lasting peace,: said =osH <ra;iano da Sil%a, 1irector-

<eneral of the UN 6ood and !griculture Ergani;ation 6!E, at the

launch e%ent of the 6!E-Nobel *eace /aureates !lliance,

adding that in conflict situations, 8agriculture and food security gi%ene& life to affected homes and communities – they bring peopletogether and dri%e reco%ery(:

)he group of Nobel laureates – including Escar !rias Snche;,)a&a''ol Iarman, Getty ?illiams and 7uhammad unus – isrespecti%ely acclaimed for efforts to stop ci%il &ar, promote &omen2srights, pro%ide microcredit to the poor, and halt interreligious%iolence( )he group &ill ad%ise 6!E on &ays to strengthen the lin'

bet&een peace and food security in the agency2s ongoing &or' to promote sustainable de%elopment and resilience across the&orld(

6!E highlighted that rural areas and their populations continue to be the most affected in conflicts, as attac's on farmingcommunities undermine rural li%elihoods and displace people from their homes( )hat means assisting farmers is critical to

pre%ent &idespread displacement and set the foundations for rebuilding, 7r( <ra;iano da Sil%a stressed(

7uhammad unus, founder of <rameen Gan', placed support for rural entrepreneurship at the heart of solutions to hungerand instability as he highlighted the need to redesign e5isting institutions to a%oid the failings of the past(

156 Director-General Jos7 Gra8iano da Silva ,centre is tapping the

e*pertise and vision of a group of #obel laureates ,from left

Ta/a''ol 9arman. 6scar 5rias Snche8. (etty ;illiams and3uhammad <unus = to shape the agency0s /or' on peacebuildingand food security $hoto: 156%5lessia $ierdomenico



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8?e 'no& business as a &ay to ma'e money( Gut there can be another 'ind of business – a business to sol%e problems,: hesaid, stressing the need for building self-reliance and the benefits of using business as an engine for sol%ing social problems(

8Rural people can be as good an entrepreneur as anybody else – &e need financial institutions to support them,: 7r( unussaid, adding that this is necessary so that youth see a future in rural areas and become dri%ers for employment and economicde%elopment, rather than migrating to cities as 9ob see'ers(

8*o%erty and fear do not require a passport to tra%el,: said Escar !rias Snche;, former *resident of Costa Rica, dra&ingattention to ho& hunger and &ant for opportunity ha%e caused the largest migration crisis the &orld has seen in decades(

8)here is the %iolence that stri'es &ith &eapons and that &hich slo&ly creeps up,: he said, as he outlined the many &ays&ar affects farming communities and the en%ironment( 8/ac' of resilience and food security in many countries is nothing ifnot pure %iolence(:

Reminding the audience that the first poem e%er &ritten &as one of &ar, 7r( !rias Snche; stressed that the internationalcommunity faces a choice today(

8Nobody has yet &ritten the last poem – &e still ha%e in' in our quill,: he said( 8?e ha%e to decide &hether &e &ill depict ascene of a desert in &hich death has been cro&ned queen – or &e can decide to &rite &ater, bread, air and tree sap – &e ha%e

to decide if &e &ill &rite a last &ar poem or a poem of our peace and food security,: he said(

!long those lines, &omen2s rights acti%ist )a&a''ol Iarman called the failure to eradicate hunger human'ind2s greatestshame(

She noted that &hile the process of globali;ation currently transforming the planet has allo&ed some indi%iduals andcorporations to amass %ast fortunes, millions of people go hungry each day(

8)his equation needs to change,: she said( 8?hat &e need is a positi%e fair globali;ation &here all people share the benefits(:

1oing so &ill require moral commitment and honest political &ill, she noted(

8?hen you see a problem li'e hunger, there is no point in crying about it – the question is, &hat are you going to do aboutitO: as'ed .rish peace acti%ist Getty ?illiams( 8)ears &ithout action are &asted sentiment(:

8.f &e can ma'e this &or', it2s a big step for humanity,: she added, referring to the ne& alliance(

.n a %ideo message, former UN Secretary <eneral and Nobel /aureate Iofi !nnan underlined the &ays that hunger and

competition for agricultural resources can e5acerbate social tension, as he called for a more holistic &ay of thin'ing aboutfood security and peace(



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Ira#: )* enoy !onde'ns -!owardly $o'$ atta!(s in adr "ityand a#u$a

11 May – )he United Nations en%oy for .raq has strongly condemnedthe car bomb attac' that occurred earlier today in a busy mar'et inSadr City, claiming many li%es and lea%ing scores in9ured(

8)hese are co&ardly terrorist attac's on ci%ilians &ho ha%e donenothing but going about their normal daily li%es,: said =n IubiP,Special Representati%e of the UN Secretary-<eneral for .raq, in a

press release issued today by the UN !ssistance 7ission for .raqUN!7.(

)his latest attac' comes after a car bomb &as detonated on M 7ay

near a restaurant in Gaquba, &hich also left large numbers ofcasualties(

8Such acts of terrorist %iolence are certainly against all the principlesof decency and humanity, and as such must be strongly condemned,: 7r( IubiP stressed(

8. call on the authorities to do their utmost to quic'ly bring the perpetrators to 9ustice, and e5press my deepest condolencesto the families of those &ho lost their li%es and &ish the in9ured a speedy reco%ery,: he added(

The aftermath of a bombing attac' in 4ra> ,file photo $hoto: 4&4#

e'en: )*3$ro(ered %ea!e tal(s !ontinue in %arallel 'eetings

11 May – )he United Nations-facilitated emeni peace tal's

continued today in parallel meetings, &ith a committee ma'inghead&ay by e5ploring a proposal to release + per cent of all prisonersand detainees held by the parties before the month of Ramadan(

!ccording to the Effice of the Special 4n%oy of the Secretary-<eneralfor emen, the political committee discussed aspects of theresumption of State institutions and political process( )he partiesdiscussed the need to pro%ide an enabling political en%ironment(

.n the security committee, the parties began to present their %isions on&ithdra&als and the hando%er of &eapons, specifically mechanisms of&ithdra&al and assembling of forces(

)he prisoners and detainees committee considered a proposal torelease + per cent of all prisoners and detainees held by the parties

before the >oly month of Ramadan( )he discussion included a re%ie& of the necessary implementation mechanisms andselection criteria of initial releases( )he delegates agreed to de%elop proposals for upcoming meetings(

)he delegations reaffirmed that their discussions &ill be guided by the three reference pointsQ the <ulf Cooperation Council<CC .nitiati%e and .mplementation 7echanism, the National 1ialogue Eutcomes and the rele%ant UN Security Councilresolutions( )hey rene&ed their commitment to dialogue as the only means to put an end to the &ar and return to peacefuland orderly transition(

;?6 installing a ne/ /ater pump to solve the /ater shortageproblems in 5l-Tha/ra $ublic ?ospital in Sana0a. <emen $hoto:

;?6 <emen



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8. am pleased by the seriousness demonstrated by both parties,: the Special 4n%oy said, urging the media to a%oiddisseminating rumours that disrupt the peace process( 8?e are hopeful that this collaboration &ill lead to real peace and .call upon e%eryone to support emen during this critical phase(:

)he three committees &ill recon%ene tomorro& morning(

7ean&hile in Ne& or', StHphane 1u9arric, Spo'esperson for the Secretary-<eneral, said that &hile conflict continued in

some parts of emen, the cessation of hostilities &as largely holding in the past month(

)his pro%ided some opportunities for humanitarian partners to e5pand responses in certain areas, conduct assessments ordirectly monitor acti%ities that up to that point had been monitored remotely, 7r( 1u9arric said(

.n Sa2ada <o%ernorate, the UN Children2s 6und UN.C46 &as able to re-start the rehabilitation of a &ater facility in Iitafdistrict, ser%ing some #, people, &hich had been damaged by airstri'es( )he cessation also coincided &ith an ongoingfood distribution to about "$, people in the area(

4mergency clean &ater &as truc'ed to )ai; <o%ernorate, benefitting o%er B+, people, and three mobile health andnutrition teams &ere deployed in )ai; City, &here partners deli%ered medical supplies for o%er #3, people, thespo'esman said(

6rom #"-#+ 7ay, the UN2s Effice for the Coordination of >umanitarian !ffairs EC>!, the ?orld 6ood *rogramme?6* and the ?orld >ealth Ergani;ation ?>E &ill conduct a 9oint mission to Sanaa, to gauge the current humanitariansituation and the operational response(

)* hu'an rights %anel !onde'ns !iilian atta!(s in yria4 !alls&or a!!ounta$ility

11 May – Strongly condemning recent attac's on ci%ilians, hospitalsand clinics, and camps for internally displaced persons .1*s inSyria, a United Nations-mandated human rights inquiry today calledon all parties to cease the unla&ful attac's and return to a full

cessation of hostilities(

8)hese incidents demonstrate the undeniable fact that this conflict hasrepeatedly e5acted its hea%iest toll on ci%ilians,: said *aulo SHrgio

*inheiro, Chair of the .ndependent .nternational Commission of.nquiry on the Syrian !rab Republic, in a press release issued

today by the Effice of the UN >igh Commissioner for >uman RightsE>C>R(

8)his flagrant disregard for international humanitarian la& is not ne&, but rather is the continuation of a &ell-established trend of unla&fully

attac'ing medical sites and personnel, places of refuge, and infrastructure necessary for ci%ilian life,: he stressed(

Specifically, the Commission condemned in the strongest terms recent attac's on ci%ilians and ci%ilian infrastructure,notably on hospitals and clinics in !leppo city, and on a camp for internally displaced persons in .dlib(

8!erial bombardments, ground shelling and roc'et fire ha%e consistently been used in deliberate, indiscriminate anddisproportionate attac's on areas &here Syrians ci%ilians li%e and &here they struggle to sur%i%e,: the Commission said(

7oreo%er, the Commission emphasi;ed that since the attac's against !l-uds hospital in !leppo go%ernorate on "$ !pril,there ha%e been more than a half do;en attac's against other medical facilities in the area, all of &hich are specifically

protected sites under international humanitarian la&( Scores of ci%ilians and medical personnel ha%e been &ounded or 'illed

5 girl uprooted by the ongoing conflict in Syria sits outside a shelterfor displaced people in the city of 5leppo $hoto: "#4CE1



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in these attac's, and the attac' on + 7ay on the Iamounah camp for .1*s in Sarmada, .dlib, also reportedly 'illed andin9ured do;ens of ci%ilians(

.n recent &ee's, mar'ets, ba'eries and a &ater station ha%e also been aerially bombarded( ?ith the one supply route stillopen to opposition-controlled areas of !leppo city, the destruction of food, &ater and medical supplies raises gra%e concernsfor the ci%ilians &ithin, the Commission stressed(

8!t a time in &hich the cessation of hostilities agreement has increasingly deteriorated, it is paramount that all parties to theconflict and those States see'ing a peaceful resolution, demand ci%ilian protection measures be ta'en,: said theCommission, calling on all parties to cease the unla&ful attac's on ci%ilian areas, especially humanitarian locations andspecially protected sites under international humanitarian la&(

)he Commission said it has repeatedly noted that international humanitarian la&2s foundational principle of distinction –&hich underlies a number of &ar crimes – requires all parties to a conflict to distinguish bet&een la&ful and unla&fultargets( )he recent unla&ful attac's are %iolations of international humanitarian la&, and some are &ar crimes, theCommission said(

86ailure to respect the la&s of &ar must ha%e consequences for the perpetrators,: 7r( *inheiro stressed( 8!ccountabilitymust be part of the process of returning Syria to peace( Until the culture of impunity is uprooted, ci%ilians &ill continue to be

targeted, %ictimi;ed and brutally 'illed(:

)he Commission said it strongly supports all efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, including a return to a fullcessation of hostilities( .t added that it remains committed to fulfilling its mandate to in%estigate and document all %iolationsoccurring in the conte5t of the Syrian armed conflict, regardless of &ho commits them(

)he Commission &as established by the >uman Rights Council in !ugust "## to in%estigate and record all %iolations ofinternational human rights la& and allegations of crimes against humanity and &ar crimes( )he Commission is also tas'ed&ith identifying, &here possible, those responsible for these %iolations &ith a %ie& to ensuring that perpetrators are heldaccountable(

.n addition to 7r( *inheiro, the Commission consists of Iaren Ioning !buFayd, Special !d%iser on the Summit on!ddressing /arge 7o%ements of Refugees and 7igrants, and Carla del *onte and Aitit 7untarbhorn, &ho ser%e asCommissioners(

)he Commission &ill present an oral update to the >uman Rights Council in <ene%a during an interacti%e dialogue at its3"nd session in =une(



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In Madagas!ar, an !alls &or end to !orru%tion, re%orts on-alar'ing !ost o& hunger

11 May – 1uring his %isit to 7adagascar today, United NationsSecretary-<eneral Gan Ii-moon called on 7alagasy parliamentariansto end the corruption that has &ea'ened their society, &hile launchinga report on the cost of hunger in the island nation(

8our elections last year represented an important milestone that

ended fi%e years of political crisis,: 7r( Gan said in an address to the

9oint congress of both the Senate and the National !ssembly of7adagascar, a country &hich lies off the southeast coast of !frica(

)his is the third and last stop of the UN chief2s trip to the region

&hich began last Saturday, and included the Seychelles and7auritius(

87adagascar is at a crossroads( . see huge challenges and e%en greateropportunities,: he said, underlining the e5istence of &idespread po%erty, &ea' economic gro&th and high unemployment, as&ell as the country2s &ater &hich is reportedly 8among the &orst in the &orld(:

8)his *arliament has the democratic legitimacy to guide 7adagascar in meeting the challenges ahead( ou can end thecorruption that has &ea'ened 7alagasy society( ou can help fight the illegal traffic'ing of natural treasures( .n this &ay,you can be fully accountable to the %oters,: the Secretary-<eneral stressed(

Noting that military operations 8can ne%er e5cuse human rights %iolations – here or any&here,: the UN chief said there is no

place for torture in the modern &orld, including in 7adagascar 8. urge you to end all rights %iolations, including mobustice and e5tra9udicial 'illings,: he insisted, applauding the country for abolishing the death penalty(

)han'ing the acti%e net&or' of female *arliamentarians &ho champion the cause of nutrition, 7r( Gan recalled that

7adagascar is a member of his Scaling Up Nutrition 7o%ement(

8. commend your commitment to impro%ing nutrition( Nutrition is about more than feeding people( .t requires attention tohealth, agriculture, education, &omen2s empo&erment and &ater,: he said, declaring the launch of the UN report on the costof hunger in 7adagascar(

8.t paints an alarming picture( Nearly one out of t&o children here suffer from stunting( )his is a tragedy for indi%iduals anda disaster for de%elopment( Undernutrition costs more than a billion and a half dollars each year in 7adagascar( )hat is

almost #+ per cent of <1*( )he human toll is immeasurable,: he &arned(

/ater, at a press conference &ith 7alagasy *resident >ery Ra9aonarimampianina, 7r( Gan told reporters that the "3!genda for Sustainable 1e%elopment can help 7adagascar open a ne& future(

8. am pleased that it is &idely supported by the country2s officials and de%elopment partners( )he United Nations &ill do

e%erything possible to help this country reach the Sustainable 1e%elopment <oals here,: he said(

>e also commended 7adagascar for being among the more than #$+ countries that ha%e signed the *aris !greementon

climate change, and urged the *arliament to ratify it immediately(

Secretary-General (an 9i-moon addresses the )oint congress of boththe Senate and the #ational 5ssembly of 3adagascar "#$hoto%3ar' Garten



- 45 -UN 3aily Ne!s 44 .ay /546

T#e )* Daily *ews is prepared at UN =eadquarters in Ne! or" by t#e Ne!s Services Section

o t#e Ne!s and .edia 3ivision, 3epartment o &ublic )normation >3&)?

o'alia: )* !alls &or urgent a!tion to su%%ort drought3hit!o''unities

11 May – ! senior United Nations humanitarian official in Somaliatoday called for urgent action to support drought-stric'encommunities in *untland and Somaliland and a%ert a furtherdeterioration of the situation(

)he drought has impacted li%es and li%elihoods, compounding analready challenging humanitarian situation( .n some areas, D-J percent of herds ha%e been lost, &ith de%astating impact on families &hodepend on li%estoc' for income, food and status(

8. am deeply concerned about the de%astating effects of the persisting

drought on the communities in *untland and Somaliland,: said *eter

de Clercq, the >umanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, follo&ing hisrecent %isit to those areas( 8.f &e can %accinate li%estoc' and pro%idecash and inputs to agro-pastoralists no&, &e can mitigate the impact

of the current drought(:

Nearly 3J+, people in *untland and Somaliland facing acute food insecurity &hile an estimated #(3 million people are atris' of slipping into acute food insecurity if they do not recei%e assistance, according to the UN Effice for the Coordinationof >umanitarian !ffairs EC>!( E%erall, roughly #($ million, or 3$ per cent of the B(D million people there, need someform of humanitarian assistance(

4%en though recent rains ha%e brought an end to the drought in some areas, the crisis remains of serious concern gi%en thecumulati%e impact of up to four failed rainy seasons in some areas( .f the rains stop earlier than the end of 7ay or early=une, the situation could deteriorate rapidly and deeply, 7r( de Clercq said(

.n 7arch, the >umanitarian Coordinator launched a call for aid requesting T#+ million to boost the drought response(*riority is gi%en to putting cash in peoples poc'ets to enable reco%ery of li%elihoods for both pastoralists and agro-

pastoralists( !ssistance to pastoralists includes a broad spectrum of animal health support, such as %accinations and possiblerestoc'ing in the future( !gro-pastoralists are also pro%ided &ith seeds and tractor hours(

1uring his %isit, 7r( de Clercq met &ith representati%es of the go%ernment, donors, humanitarian partners and affectedcommunities to assess the impact the current drought and ongoing response by partners( )he %isit &as also part of aninitiati%e to find solutions for the #(# million Somalis in protracted displacement across the country(

4n Somaliland and $untland. close to t/o million people are affected

by the drought amid the El #i@o phenomenon ;1$%$etteri' ;iggers

un daily news 11 may 2016

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