Международный Комитет Красного Креста закрывает офисы на Северном Кавказе

Вчера, 15:05


© РИА Новости / Сергей Аверин

МОСКВА, 27 дек - РИА Новости. Международный Комитет Красного Креста (МККК) закрывает офисы на Северном Кавказе в связи с изменением ситуации в регионе, пришло время для завершения программы оказания помощи, говорится в официальном комментарии организации, полученном РИА Новости.

"Мы окончательно завершаем наши программы помощи, которые в совсем небольшом объеме еще оставались на Северном Кавказе и, соответственно, закрываем свои офисы в Грозном и Нальчике. Ситуация на Северном Кавказе, конечно, изменилась. Как и во всех остальных контекстах, в которых мы работаем в мире, мы ориентируемся на потребности наших получателей и обстановку на местах. Пришло время завершения программ помощи. Мы начали постепенно и планомерно сокращать свои программы и присутствие в регионе с 2013 года", - говорится в комментарии.

МККК сообщил, что проинформировал о предстоящем завершении программ представителей местных властей, своих партнеров из местных отделений Российского Красного Креста и тех получателей помощи, с которыми они работали.

"Мы работали в регионе более 20 лет. Сотням тысяч человек была предоставлена помощь, которую мы оказывали в тесном партнерстве с местными властями и партнерами из Российского Красного Креста. Мы выражаем им благодарность за поддержку, которую мы получали от них в течение всех лет работы в регионе", - отмечается в комментарии.



На настоящий момент в офисах МККК в Нальчике и Грозном работают 42 сотрудника. По данным комитета, офисы будут закрыты к 31 декабря.

МККК начал свою работу на Северном Кавказе в 1992 году для оказания помощи перемещенным лицам из Северной Осетии. Позже помощь стали получать люди, пострадавшие в результате конфликтов в Северной Осетии и Республике Чечня. В это время МККК открыл офисы в Чечне, Ингушетии, Дагестане, Северной Осетии и Кабардино-Балкарии. По данным комитета, за 26 лет работы в регионе МККК оказал помощь более 2 миллионам человек.




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UN News 2018 Recap: In Case You Missed It

UN News 2018 Recap: In Case You Missed It


UN Photo


From left: UN flag at the Headquarters, in New York; the Deputy Secretary-General holds a copy of the UNCTAD SDG report; UN peacekeepers in the field; Secretary-General with women members of his Senior Management Team.


14 December 2018


UN Affairs


At UN News, 2018 kicked off with UNICEF’s “challenge” to all nations to make sure more newborns survive their first days of life by ensuring they are protected from treatable diseases as well as having access to proven, low-cost health solutions in their first months.


Since 1 January, UN News has covered everything that happens in and around the United Nations, bringing you stories about the impact of decisions made at UN Headquarters, in New York; our Offices at Geneva; Nairobi, and beyond; through to the lifesaving work of our peacekeeping missions and humanitarian operations around the globe.


We even went beyond the stratosphere, to cover the work the UN is doing to ensure that outer space is a resource for all humankind, and our coverage continues, every day.


In this special edition of ‘In Case You Missed It’, or #ICYMI, check out our multimedia coverage, with the top five most read, heard and watched news stories across our platforms.


For full coverage through the year, click here. And from all of us here, have a happy and successful 2019.



STORIES

1. ‘Direct existential threat’ of climate change nears point of no return





UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe


Secretary-General António Guterres delivers a major speech on climate change at the UN Headquarters in New York. 10 September 2018.


10 September 2018 – The world risks crossing the point of no return on climate change, with disastrous consequences for people across the planet and the natural systems that sustain them, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for more leadership and greater ambition for climate action, to reverse course. Read more…

2. Myanmar military leaders must face genocide charges

3. The Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors: Keeping the memory alive

4. UN mourns death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, ‘a guiding force for good’

5. Four countries on track to graduate from UN list of least developed countries

VIDEO

1. Governments adopt UN global migration pact to help ‘prevent suffering and chaos’

10 December 2018 – The Global Compact for Migration was adopted on Monday by leading representatives from 164 Governments at an international conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, in an historic move described by UN Chief António Guterres as the creation of a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos.” Watch here…

2. ‘Defend the people, not the States’, says outgoing UN human rights chief

3. Mali: In Mopti, UN chief finds ‘a determination to fight for peace’

4. Babies born of rape, the legacy of Rohingya abuse in Myanmar

5. From low-earth orbit, ‘envoys’ of humanity join UN space forum

AUDIO

1. ‘Free, informed consent’ of Indigenous Peoples over land-use, is key

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Tadodaho Sid Hill, Chief of the Onondaga Nation, delivers a ceremonial welcome to participants at the opening of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

27 April 2018 – The “free, informed consent” of Indigenous Peoples over how their historic territory is used, is a key demand arising from the latest UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which ended on Friday. That’s according to the chairperson of the Forum, Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, who is a medical doctor from Mali, who told UN News how the two-week event had gone. Listen here…

2. Digital innovation powering efforts to end refugee hunger

3. It’s ‘high time’ tech community tackled digital challenge together, says expert

4. UN provides a ‘glimmer of hope’ for Israel Palestine conflict: Daniel Barenboim

5. World-beating athlete Paula Radcliffe, sets pace in global push for clean air

RELATED STORIES

On International Day, UN chief Guterres calls on all to stand in solidarity with detained staff

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USEFUL LINKS

• 📰 Top five most read stories
• 📹 Top five most watched videos
• 🔊 Top five most played 

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UN calls for ‘peaceful, credible and inclusive’ election in Bangladesh

World Bank/Scott Wallace

A young Bangladeshi truck driver.


27 December 2018

Peace and Security

In the run-up to Sunday’s general elections in Bangladesh, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for “an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion” to allow a “peaceful, credible and inclusive poll.”

“All Bangladeshi citizens, including minorities and women, must feel safe and confident in exercising their right to vote,” Mr. Guterres said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling Awami League Party is seeking a third consecutive term, while her main rival for the top job, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who leads the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), remains in jail on corruption charges which she says were politically motivated.


According to news reports, political clashes have already left two campaign workers dead and dozens more injured.


“Civil society and electoral observers should be fully supported to play their role in the process,” stressed the UN chief.


While the BNP boycotted the 2014 election, it has said that it will participate this year in what will be the country’s 11th National Parliamentary Election.


The Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s continued commitment “to support a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh.”



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UN Security Council urges continuous dialogue, transparency in DR Congo

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

A wide view of the Security Council. (File photo)

22 December 2018
Peace and Security


The United Nations Security Council has called for continuous dialogue and transparency with all political stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the postponement of presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections, until 30 December.


The polls, previously scheduled for Sunday, 23 December, were delayed by the country’s National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI).

Taking note of the CENI decision, the 15-member Council “expressed hope that this delay will permit the creation of favourable conditions for the Congolese people to express themselves freely” on the revised date.

They urged “continuous dialogue and transparency” with all political stakeholders during this period in order to ensure trust is maintained until the elections are held.

The members of the Security Council also called on all parties to engage peacefully and constructively in the electoral process to ensure transparent, peaceful and credible elections that will result in a transfer of power in accordance with the Congolese Constitution and the 31 December 2016 Agreement.

In the statement, the Council members also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, including the Russian pilots, following the crash of a CENI-chartered airplane during electoral preparation operations.

They further expressed their support to CENI’s efforts to ensure all logistical preparations are made on time for the election date and reiterated the readiness of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, to provide support if requested.




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‘Continue working together’ UN chief urges DR Congo, as country heads to polls

UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

UN peacekeepers on patrol near Beni. (file photo)

28 December 2018

Peace and Security

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all those playing an active political role in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to “continue working together” to ensure free and fair elections, as the country heads to polls this Sunday.


In a statement, the Secretary-General also encouraged all Congolese citizens to seize “this historic opportunity” to participate in the consolidation of the country’s democratic institutions.


Mr. Guterres also reminded those with a stake in the outcome of their “critical role” in preventing electoral violence, by refraining from any form of provocation and showing maximum restraint in what they say and do.


He also urged everyone to protect and ensure safe access to health facilities in Ebola affected areas, amid serious concerns, expressed by the UN health agency, that recent violence in the country’s east could reverse important gains made against the disease and increase transmission.


In a separate statement, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the UN World Health Organization, said that the agency was doing “doing everything possible” to assist those affected by the deadly Ebola virus disease in eastern DRC despite deteriorating security situation in the region.


Protests have erupted in three key towns – Beni, Butembo and Yumbi – following the Government’s decision to postpone elections there, amid fears of Ebola transmission, and an uptick in violence by armed groups.


In Beni, protests at Government buildings spilled into an Ebola transit centre, causing panic among both those seeking services as well as health workers.


Mr. Tedros said that it would be a “tragedy” for the local population, if the disease were to come back, as they have “already suffered too much.”


“Working side by side” with DRC health authorities and partners, the priority is to end the Ebola outbreak, he added, noting “we cannot afford to take a step back at this critical point in the response.”
I ‘understand’ health concerns – UN mission head


Meanwhile, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, Leila Zerrougui, voiced regret over the postponement of elections in Beni, Butembo and Yumbi, on account of the Ebola outbreak.


“I was informed that there was a [health] concern with the hundreds of people passing by and touching a screen…I understand this concern,” Ms. Zerrougui told the UN mission’s radio station, Radio Okapi.


“Personally, I regret that the people of Beni [and] Butembo, who have suffered much for years…cannot vote,” she added.


To mitigate the threat of Ebola transmission during the elections, the UN mission – known by its French acronym, MONUSCO – is working to place hand-washing and cleaning facilities at the entrance to polling stations, to help allay fears.



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Шойгу прогнозирует нарастание конфликтного потенциала в Арктике

Москва. 31 августа. ИНТЕРФАКС-АВН - Арктика стала объектом территориальных, ресурсных и военно-стратегических интересов ряда государств, что может привести к усилению конфликтного потенциала в регионе, заявил министр обороны РФ Сергей Шойгу на заседании коллегии Минобороны РФ в пятницу.

Он подчеркнул, что "защита национальных интересов России в Арктическом регионе и его активное развитие остаются приоритетами деятельности Вооружённых сил". "Сегодня Арктика превратилась в объект территориальных, ресурсных и военно-стратегических интересов ряда государств. Это может привести к нарастанию конфликтного потенциала в данном регионе", - сказал С.Шойгу. 

По его словам, "настоящее время в северных широтах находятся ледоколы не только России, но и Южной Кореи, Швеции, Германии, США и Китая". 

С.Шойгу заявил, что для адекватного реагирования на существующие и прогнозируемые угрозы Северный флот продолжает реализацию комплексного плана Минобороны по развитию возможностей группировок сил и войск в Арктике на период до 2020 года. 

"Этой весной в его состав приняты ледокол "Илья Муромец" и морское судно тылового обеспечения "Эльбрус", летом - фрегат "Адмирал Флота Советского Союза Горшков" и большой десантный корабль "Иван Грен". Завершаются государственные испытания морского танкера "Академик Пашин", - сказал министр обороны РФ. 

Он также сообщил, что в Арктике возобновили полёты противолодочные самолёты Ту-142 Северного флота (СФ). 

"Возобновлены трансарктические полёты в высоких широтах противолодочных самолётов Ту-142", - сказал С.Шойгу. 

Глава Минобороны РФ отметил, что на СФ личный состав продолжает осваивать подводные лодки с крылатыми и баллистическими ракетами "Ясень" и "Борей". 

"В настоящее время в акватории Северного морского пути выполняет поставленные задачи отряд боевых кораблей и судов обеспечения", - сказал С.Шойгу. 

Говоря о деятельности СФ, министр напомнил, что в мае ракетный подводный крейсер стратегического назначения "Юрий Долгорукий" успешно произвёл залповую стрельбу четырьмя баллистическими ракетами "Булава". 

Кроме того, он сообщил, что до конца нынешнего года СФ получит 416 единиц вооружения и военной техники, в том числе пять боевых кораблей и катеров.

"Всего до конца года на флот поступит 416 единиц современного вооружения и военной техники, в том числе пять боевых кораблей и катеров, пять судов обеспечения, 15 единиц авиационной техники, а также 62 радиолокационных и зенитно-ракетных комплекса. В результате доля современного вооружения и военной техники на Северном флоте составит 56,7%", - сказал министр.

http://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=0&nid=489578

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Российско-турецкие переговоры на высоком уровне по Сирии пройдут в Москве

29.12.2018   00:00:00

Москва. 29 декабря. ИНТЕРФАКС - Текущую ситуацию в Сирии в свете заявлений США о выводе войск из этой страны обсудят главы МИД и Минобороны России и Турции в субботу в Москве.

Проведение соответствующей встречи анонсировал в пятницу спецпредставитель президента РФ по Ближнему Востоку и странам Африки, замглавы МИД РФ Михаил Богданов.
"Будут министры обороны, министры иностранных дел и представители других ведомств, в частности, представители президентов, которые занимаются сирийской проблемой", - сказал он.

Со своей стороны глава МИД РФ Сергей Лавров пояснил, что в Москве хотели бы обсудить с представителями Турции ситуацию в Сирии после объявления США о выводе оттуда своих войск.

"Мы с нашими турецкими коллегами обсудим эту ситуацию, которая складывается в связи с объявлением американцами о выводе своих вооруженных сил из Сирии, в Москве, когда прибудут министр иностранных дел и министр обороны Турции. Мы вам потом расскажем, о чем мы поговорили", - заявил он журналистам.

В свою очередь пресс-секретарь президента РФ Дмитрий Песков заявил журналистам, что Владимир Путин не планирует принимать членов турецкой делегации.

"Нет, президент - нет. Там будут помощники президентов участвовать", - сказал Д.Песков журналистам в минувшую пятницу.

Отвечая на уточняющий вопрос, будут ли участвовать в переговорах помощник президента РФ Юрий Ушаков и спецпредставитель президента РФ Александр Лаврентьев, Д.Песков сказал: "Я сейчас не буду анонсировать, но помощники президентов будут участвовать".

"Там будет Ушаков", - добавил пресс-секретарь президента.

На просьбу прокомментировать призывы курдов к сирийскому правительству занять территории на востоке страны, пресс-секретарь президента сказал: "Давайте не будем предвосхищать. Завтра будет встреча на высоком уровне. Состоится проговор всех этих тем".

"Эти контакты как раз и будут осуществляться с тем, чтобы внести полную ясность и синхронизировать действия и понимание по дальнейшему развитию ситуации в Сирии", - заявил Д.Песков, отвечая на вопрос, как в Кремле относятся к планам Анкары провести операцию на востоке Сирии.

Он призвал дождаться окончания завтрашней встречи, отказавшись давать оценку заявлениям как турецкой, так и курдской сторон.

Ранее президент Турции Реджеп Тайип Эрдоган сообщил, что в состав направляющейся в РФ турецкой делегации войдут, помимо главы МИД Мевлюта Чавушоглу, министр обороны Хулуси Акар, глава разведки Турции, спецпредставитель президента и турецкой посол в РФ. По его словам, участники встречи "всесторонне" обсудят сирийский вопрос.



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Правительство Японии приняло новую программу обороны страны

2018-12-19 04:03:02丨Russian.News.Cn


Токио, 18 декабря /Синьхуа/ -- Японское правительство провело сегодня заседание кабинета министров, в ходе которого была принята новая Программа обороны Японии и дополняющий ее Промежуточный план подготовки сил обороны Японии, содержание которых предусматривает значительные структурные преобразования сил самообороны, реконструкцию существующих военных кораблей и превращение их в авианосцы, масштабные закупки новой военной техники и многое другое.


Это стало очередным после 2013 года шагом правительства Синдзо Абэ по пересмотру военной программы Японии.


Новая программа провозглашает, что "стремительно растет серьезность и неопределенность" в деле обеспечения безопасности рубежей Японии. Силы самообороны Японии должны усилить свою обороноспособность в таких новых областях, как военно-космическая и информационная сфера, создать структуры, способные вести боевые действия за пределами страны. Программа предусматривает реконструкцию вертолетоносцев класса "Идзумо" и превращение их в авианосцы, способные нести палубные истребители.


В свою очередь, в плане подготовки сил обороны Японии предлагается внедрение в ближайшие пять лет наземных противоракетных комплексов "Иджис" /Aegis/, а также беспилотных подводных аппаратов и целого ряда другой техники. Для реконструируемого авианесущего флота планом предусмотрено использование в качестве палубной авиации малозаметных истребителей с коротким взлетом и вертикальной посадкой F-35B. В течение следующих пяти лет оборонный бюджет страны составит 27,47 трлн иен /243 млрд долларов США/. Японские СМИ уже назвали эту сумму рекордной для военного бюджета.


Программа обороны Японии определяет основные принципы политики обеспечения безопасности государства в среднесрочной и долгосрочной перспективе, а Промежуточный план подготовки сил обороны -- конкретные шаги по внедрению техники, формированию вооруженных сил и другие аспекты военной деятельности на ближайшие пять лет.


Ранее изменения в японскую программу обороны могли вноситься раз в 10 лет и реже, однако в последние годы процесс обновления программы заметно ускорился, одновременно и более значимыми стали изменения, уводящие военную политику страны все дальше от исключительно оборонительного характера.



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Respond to ‘legitimate grievances’ of Sudanese people, UN human rights experts urge, following protests

United Nations

The flag of the Republic of the Sudan (centre) flying at UN headquarters in New York.


28 December 2018

Human Rights


The excessive use of force during large-scale demonstrations against food and fuel shortages in Sudan is alarming, and an infringement on the right of peaceful assembly, said UN independent experts on Friday.


The two human rights experts highlighted reports of escalating violence on the part of Sudan’s security forces, which media reports say has led to the deaths of at least 19 demonstrators in the past nine days, and the use of tear gas on Friday against protesters near the capital, Khartoum.

“The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is an inherent element of democracies,” said Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, the Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and association.


I strongly urge the Sudanese security forces to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid the escalation of violence and take immediate measures to protect the right to life of the - UN expert, Aristide Nonosi

He expressed deep concern over reports that government security forces were using live ammunition during the protests. “The Government should respond to legitimate grievances of the Sudanese people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Aristide Nononsi, the UN Independent Expert on the human rights situation there, said that the use of lethal force was unacceptable when controlling demonstrations.

“Dissent must be tolerated and not restrained with excessive force which can lead to loss of life” he spelled out. “I strongly urge the Sudanese security forces to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid the escalation of violence and take immediate measures to protect the right to life of the demonstrators.”

The experts also voiced concerned over reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions of an unidentified number of protesters, including students and political activists.

“We call on the Sudanese authorities to release those detainees,” they asserted. “We also urge the authorities to carry out independent and thorough investigations and to ensure that security forces handle protests in line with the country’s international human rights obligations.”

The rights experts reminded the Government that in May 2016 it had pledged to foster an environment that supports inclusive dialogue, and legal reforms which would promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. “The events of recent days do not demonstrate this commitment,” they stressed.

The experts underscored their readiness to cooperate with the Sudanese authorities to work towards a State where human rights are central, and the rule of law is upheld.

According to news reports, some protesters have been calling for an end to President Omar al-Bashir's 27-year rule, pointing out that in 2018, some goods have more than doubled in cost, while inflation has risen to nearly 70 per cent amid sharp falls in the value of the Sudanese pound.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. They are not paid for their work.

Secretary-General António Guterres, who is also following the developments with concern, appealed "for calm and restraint" and called on the authorities "to conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths and violence."

The UN chief extended his condolences to all those who have lost loved ones, and emphasized the need to safeguard freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.



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THE COMMITTEES: From the colonies to the space race - past, present, future converge in Fourth Committee

NASA/Johnson

A Zinnia plant pillow floats in zero-gravity, on board the International Space Station. The football pitch sized space platform was built through combined efforts European countries, represented by the European Space Agency; the US Space Agency, NASA; Japanese space agency, JAXA; Canadian space agency, CSA; and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.


28 December 2018

UN Affairs


A timeline that stretches from the colonial past, through the present, and into the future for the final frontier in space, defines one of the United Nations General Assembly’s most versatile Main Committees – the Fourth Committee.


In this feature series on the work of the General Assembly – the UN body which comprises representatives from all 193 Member States – UN News takes an in depth look into the Fourth Committee.

While its official UN name sketches out its historic role, the agenda before the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, spells out the very diverse range of issues that it covers today.

Initially mandated to address decolonization in the post-World War Two era, the Fourth Committee took on “Special Political” responsibilities in the 1990’s, following the independence of most colonies and all the territories which began under the administration of the UN Trusteeship Council was complete.

That list of territories included Western Samoa, Tanganyika, Rwanda-Urundi, and what was then Togoland, which was split between British and French administration.

The Special Political remit, substantially broadened the scope of the Committee to include international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, the comprehensive review of UN peacekeeping operations, as well as UN special political missions – which do not have uniformed peacekeepers on the ground. The committee even has the job of looking at ways to “revitalize” the work of the General Assembly.

The original decolonization role continues alongside the newer responsibilities, clearly indicating the Committee’s commitment to seeing the world’s remaining colonial territories liberated.

UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata

At this meeting in November, 1978, the Fourth Committee discussed the matter of the Rhodesian Internal Settlement; the Oil Embargo against South Africa, and adopted drafts on Southern Rhodesia.
Officials

The Fourth Committee started its work on 4 October, following the conclusion of the annual high-level general debate of the General Assembly.

At its first meeting, the body elected Ambassador Dee‑Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., the Permanent Representative of Liberia, as the Chair, and Faisal Nasser M. Alhakbani (Saudi Arabia), Dániel Goldea (Hungary), and Michael O’Toole (Ireland), as Vice-Chairs.

Luis Mauricio Arancibia Fernández (Bolivia) was elected the Rapporteur, tasked with preparing the report of the Committee.

In its meetings, the Committee was supported by the Fourth Committee secretariat, led by Secretary Sangeeta Sharma.

Lesser known fact: Fourth comes after First

It’s counter-intuitive, but in many UN documents, the Fourth Committee is listed after the First Committee.

Historically, an unnumbered “Special Political Committee” used to be listed right after the First Committee, which deals with issues related to disarmament and international security. In 1993, the General Assembly decided to merge the “Special Political Committee” with the then Fourth Committee, with its focus on trusteeship and decolonization.

This merger created what is now known as the “Special Political and Decolonization Committee,” officially listed in the second place of the Main Committees, after the First.

UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist

Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah of Liberia, Chair of the Fourth Committee, convenes a discussion during a formal meeting in October, 2018.

What was on the agenda this year?

One of the key items on the agenda – decolonization – dates back to the scramble by European powers to carve out empires in the Americas, Africa and Asia. While most of the former European possessions are now independent UN Member States, some territories remain classified by the UN as ‘Non-Self-Governing Territories.’

The list of these territories is not universally endorsed, and this year, the Committee discussed the status of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the US Virgin Islands and Western Sahara. Details can be found here.

The Committee also looked into economic and other activities in Non-Self-Governing Territories, study and training facilities for people living there, and the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

UN Photo/Manuel Elias
A delegate casts their vote on a report of the Fourth Committee, at a plenary meeting of the General Assembly.

Alongside, the Committee also debated assistance to Palestine refugees, and their properties and revenues; Israeli settlements and activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), adopting nine texts, which were forwarded to the General Assembly for its consideration. More details here and here.

Concerning, UNRWA, the Assembly voiced “deep concern” over the agency’s critical financial situation, caused by structural underfunding as well as rising needs and expenditures resulting from deteriorating socioeconomic and humanitarian conditions.

In addition, the Committee also looked into the peaceful uses of outer space, recommending that States which have not yet become parties to the international treaties governing the uses of outer space ratify or accede to those instruments and incorporate them into national legislation, as well as urging States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to help prevent an arms race in outer space.

The recommendations, made by the Fourth Committee, in form of draft resolutions and decisions, were tabled before the General Assembly for its consideration. On 7 December, the Assembly adopted 36 resolutions and 4 decisions, which began life in the Committee.

UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist

A stack of documents during a meeting of the Fourth Committee in 2018.
Find resources, navigating the UN system, to reach Fourth Committee resources

The Fourth Committee, like other Main Committees, uses UN PaperSmart, the Organization’s online platform providing delegates access to core documents. For delegates, Committee information, speaker lists, requests (and other resources) are available through the e-deleGATE portal.

On the UN Official Document System, Fourth Committee documents are numbered using the pattern “A/C.4/<session number>/<document number>.” For example, the document A/C.4/73/1, contains the agenda items allocated to the Committee. All official documents are issued in the six main languages.

Official and open meetings of the Committee are carried live in UN Web TV.

Additional information can be found at the Committee’s website, https://www.un.org/en/ga/fourth/



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Children suffering ‘atrocities’ as number of countries in conflict hits new peak: UNICEF

© UNICEF/Thomas Nybo

6 year old Rohingya refugee, Yasin, rests after arriving at a registration center for newly arrived Rohingya Refugees in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on 6 February 2018. His father says that they fled to Bangladesh after soldiers in Myanmar came to their house and beat his son when he was unable to tell them of his whereabouts.

28 December 2018

Human Rights

The world “has failed” to sufficiently protect children caught up in conflict and millions more are at risk of harm, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)revealed on Friday, adding that national leaders need to hold perpetrators of violence more accountable.


The agency’s Director of Emergency Programmes, Manuel Fontaine, said that “children living in conflict zones around the world have continued to suffer through extreme levels of violence over the past 12 months, and the world has continued to fail them.”


Today, more countries are involved in conflict than at any other time in the past three decades.

Parties to conflicts “have been committing atrocities with near-total impunity, and it is only getting worse,” he added. “Much more can and must be done to protect and assist children.”


A closer examination shows grave human rights abuses in countries at war; including using children as human shields, and recruiting them to fight – two of the six grave violations identified and condemned by the Security Council in 2005.


Rape, forced marriage and abduction have become “standard tactics” in Syria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Myanmar, UNICEF has said; while the killing and maiming of children due to conflict has continued unabated. 

The numbers

Five thousand children in Afghanistan were either killed or maimed within the first three-quarters of 2018. Children there make up 89 percent of civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war, such as unexploded shells, mortars or grenades. 

Violent uprisings this year in Cameroon’s north-west and south-west areas, have often targeted schools, students and teachers. Eighty people were abducted from one school alone in November, and 93 villages to date have been destroyed due to conflict. 

Two out of three children in the Central African Republic need humanitarian assistance; many have been displaced, separated from their parents, and live in a state of chronic malnutrition. 

Rohingya refugees in Myanmar – including many children - face widespread restrictions to their movement, hampering access to health and education services in central Rakhine State. 

In Somalia, more than 1,800 children were recruited by parties to the conflict within the first nine months of the year. The number abducted were 1,278. 

A crumbling education system in Eastern Ukraine has forced 700,000 boys and girls to learn in dangerous and fragile conditions; sitting in classrooms pock-marked with bullet holes and playing in schoolyards with unexploded ordnance.


UNICEF published these findings along with other statistics demonstrating how conflict is depleting children’s livelihoods and the possibility of a prosperous future.



Helping increase protection


Warring parties must immediately abide by international law to end violations against children, UNICEF has urged, in a plea to end this “moral crisis of our age.”


“Children living through conflict are among the least likely to be guaranteed their rights. Attacks on children must end,” Mr. Fontaine said, reminding the international community that 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes the rights of children to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.


UNICEF is working to deliver lifesaving aid to the world’s most vulnerable children; including health, education and protection services, and water, nutrition and sanitation supplies.


With the agency’s help:

833 children recruited into armed forces in Nigeria were released in October. 

6,000 separated or unaccompanied children in South Sudan have been reunited with their families since conflict broke out five years ago. 

Thousands of Rohingya refugee children have received psychosocial support and mental health.
And in Iraq, 

UNICEF is working to develop services for women and children affected by gender-based violence.


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Yemen: Committee brings warring parties to the table in Hudaydah, builds on ceasefire

UN Photo

Handshake between the heads of the two respective delegations to the Redeployment Coordination Committee meeting in Hudaydah City, Yemen. 28 December 2018.


28 December 2018

Peace and Security


Yemen’s warring parties have begun the process this week of implementing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement across the key rebel-held port city of Hudaydah, raising hopes that groundbreaking consultations convened by the UN in Sweden can lead to a lasting peace through further talks next year.


The UN-brokered body made up of both Government and Houthi opposition representatives is known officially as the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), chaired by retired Dutch General, Patrick Cammaert, with the support of UN personnel.

The three-day meeting of the RCC followed on from the formal start of the ceasefire on 25 December.

On Wednesday, both Houthi rebels and Government coalition personnel, worked to clear minefields to create a safe passage across a frontline for Government representatives to attend the meeting on rebel-controlled territory, during which General Cammaert commended the parties for their demonstration of goodwill to implement the Stockholm agreement.

The first phase of putting the agreement into action is based on three priority areas: maintaining the ceasfire, confidence-building measures to deliver humanitarian assistance, and redeployment of fighters.

Both parties have acknowledged this as an historic moment, and each have reiterated their commitment to implementing the Stockholm ceasefire, said the UN on Thursday.

The UN’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said that the cooperation shown so far, sends a “massive signal” that positive change is possible, adding that if the peace plan can evolve and progress smoothly, “the people of Yemen will notice a new prospect for the future.”

The parties are set to present detailed plans for full redeployment to Mr. Cammaert in the next committee meeting, programed for 1 January in Hudaydah. In the meantime, each have agreed to begin opening humanitarian corridors as part of confidence-building measures, starting with the key coastal road between rebel-held capital Sana’a, and Hudaydah.

More routes are scheduled to be cleared, and a humanitarian convoy is scheduled to move from the port city along the Hudaydah-Sana’a road on Saturday.

Fighting in and around Hudaydah for control of the key port intensified in recent months, which has severely narrowed the flow of essential resources and lifesaving aid, and exacerbated the threat of famine.

The Yemen war intensified in early 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition joined the Government fight against Houthi rebels, instituting an aerial bombing campaign.

An added consequence unleashed by the conflict has been the lack of pay for civil servants in rebel-held Hudaydah, which the Yemeni government has agreed to pay, backdated to the beginning of this month.

President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi announced the decision on Thursday, marking a shift after more than two years during which the government was unable to pay salaries, according to news reports, causing the Yemeni riyal to fall heavily against the US dollar, and leaving many citizens unable to afford basic necessities like food and water.




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В ОБСЕ приветствуют договоренность о новогоднем перемирии в Донбассе

28.12.2018   1:31:02


Киев. 28 декабря. ИНТЕРФАКС-УКРАИНА - Спецпредставитель ОБСЕ в Трехсторонней контактной группе (ТКГ) Мартин Сайдик и глава Специальной мониторинговой миссии (СММ) ОБСЕ в Украине Ертурул Апакан положительно оценили договоренность о возобновлении перемирия на востоке Украины, сообщила пресс-служба СММ ОБСЕ.

Согласно сообщению, М.Сайдик и Е.Апакан приветствовали обновление сторонами обязательств по соблюдению режима прекращения огня по случаю новогодних и рождественских праздников.

М.Сайдик заявил, что возобновление обязательств, которое вступит в силу в 00:01 (по восточноевропейскому времени) 29 декабря, требует принятия сторонами конкретных мероприятий.

"Для содержательного, устойчивого и длительного прекращения огня нужно, чтобы были отданы приказы прекратить огонь, поддерживалась дисциплина, а также обеспечивался надежный и беспрепятственный доступ СММ ОБСЕ по всей Украине, как это предусмотрено мандатом Миссии. Обещания, данные людям на востоке Украины, должны выполняться", - заявил он.

Е.Апакан отметил, что возобновление обязательств по соблюдению режима прекращения огня четко призвано минимизировать угрозы для гражданского населения.

"Это время - время надежды и исцеления; время, когда семьи собираются, когда люди по-новому осознают и ценят дар жизни. Они хотят и заслуживают мира", - добавил глава СММ ОБСЕ.


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THE COMMITTEES: General Assembly Third Committee ‘anchored’ in human rights protection

UN Photo/Marco Dormino

A Human Rights Officer interviews a displaced witness in Menaka, in northern Mali. In May 2018, a delegation led by Human Rights Officers travelled to Menaka to investigate the recent armed attacks in the settlements of Aklaz and Awakassa.


26 December 2018

Human Rights


From drugs control, to indigenous people’s rights and counter-terrorism, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee is officially known as the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, with the full array of complex issues and challenges to mull over that its title would imply. Here’s the latest in our series of explainers on how the ideas and pledges of world leaders each September, are turned into action by Member States in the weeks after they go home.


This year’s busy session homed in on the advancement of women; promotion of fundamental freedoms through elimination of racism and discrimination; and also addressed social development questions related to youth, aging, and persons with disabilities.

Guiding all these discussions, is no small task, and for this year’s 73rd General Assembly session, that has been the task of Committee Chair Mahmoud Saikal, who also serves as Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

In an interview with UN News, he explained how discussions had begun in October to shape the substance of detailed dialogue in November, over the priority issues.
Resolutions are key

Mr. Saikal pointed out that a good 50 percent of this work is anchored in human rights, explaining that “what are most important ultimately that comes from the Third Committee are the resolutions.”

A lesser-known but historic contribution made by the Committee was its instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 70 years ago – an milestone that was celebrated at length this month.

In all, 81 meetings were held to discuss the draft of the document, before it was adopted as a resolution, now the most translated text in the world. If you want to get a sense of what it must have been like back in 1948, here’s one of the original Committee documents from that era.

What emerged from the many drafts and sit-downs by Committee members, working with the UN Commission on Human Rights, and the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was a milestone document which recognizes the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people, as “a foundation of freedom, peace and justice in the world.”
Supporting the world’s new refugee pact

Today, one of the Committee’s many emphases in the realm of human rights has to do with refugees. Just this year, the Committee had a hand in ramping up support for people fleeing their home countries, and those that take them in, through the Global Compact on Refugees.

UN News/Grece Kaneiya

Mr. Saikal described the non-binding agreement, affirmed by the General Assembly on 17 December of this year, as “going beyond the traditional way of handling the refugee crisis” as it works to appeal to non-state actors, the private sector, and civil society, to place an emphasis “on addressing the root causes of the conflict. We cannot be divorced of that.”

Mr. Saikal, who fled persecution from Afghanistan himself, aged 19, explained that having lived the experience of the nearly 70 million refugees around the world has shaped his ability to fulfill his duties on the Committee: “I’ve been through it myself. What was important for me was the motivation to stand on my own feet.”

“I’m going to use my own brain, my own skills,” he told himself. “I’m not going to allow people to treat me as a refugee.” He then resolved to give back by championing refugees during his diplomatic career, seeking to empower them.

Under his leadership, Afghanistan has secured it first-ever seat on the Human Rights Council, and now looking forward, the Third Committee chair says his ties with home, and his UN experience, continues to drive his hopes for the future.

Countering terror, a top priority

A top priority is to see the implementation of counterterrorism resolutions, going beyond ink on paper, and seeing evidence of change “when it comes to movement on the ground, movement of terrorists, financing of terrorists, and arming of terrorists,” he said.

A host of issues will be up for discussion in the upcoming year: Violence against women, protection of the rights of children, crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control revitalization. Topics will be, as usual, prioritized depending on the substance of reports from the field, which bring “the flesh and blood” to the committee's work.

The United Nations at large, “is one of the biggest achievements of mankind,” Mr. Saikal said, however the challenge remains to make it more relevant to the lives of people who truly need the organization’s support.

The best evidence of this is implementation. “There needs to be follow-up,” he told UN News.

“I’m keen to see what we do this year. Where will it go when it comes to the lives of people around the world? It's always in the back of my mind as we give hours, days, and weeks in the service of human rights.”




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Newly displaced fleeing attacks in northeast Nigeria, top 2,000

UNICEF/Gilbertson VII Photo

Children from displaced families collect water at a tap in Maiduguri, Borno state, north-east Nigeria. Humanitarian crisis in the region has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and dependent on humanitarian assistance.


27 December 2018

Humanitarian Aid


After fleeing terrorist attacks, as well as clashes between Government forces and militia, more than 2,000 newly displaced Nigerians have arrived in an already over-stretched camp known as Teacher’s Village, in Maiduguri, the capital of the country’s Borno State.


The UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, reported on Thursday that escalating attacks by non-State armed groups in northeast Nigeria are triggering these new displacements, especially across Borno.

According to news reports, the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA officially registered over 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in just 24 hours.

OCHA says that humanitarian organizations are supporting the Government-led response in providing life-saving assistance, including food, shelter and healthcare.

Moreover, hundreds fleeing conflict have also arrived in Borno State’s overloaded Monguno reception centre where humanitarian organizations are providing shelters, relief kits, and water and sanitation.

At present, more than seven million people in northeast Nigeria require humanitarian assistance and protection, including 1.8 million IDPs.

The 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria sought funding of $1.05 billion to assist 6.2 million people, and was 66 per cent funded.




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‘Repeated attacks’ could close down key hospital in eastern Libya, says WHO

UNSMIL/Iason Athanasiadis

Early morning view over the city of Benghazi, Libya.

27 December 2018

Peace and Security

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly condemned an armed attack in Al Jala Hospital in Libya’s second-largest city of Benghazi, which took place on Tuesday, warning that further assaults could shutter the key facility.


Although nobody was reportedly killed, WHO said that there had been panic among patients and health workers inside the hospital, and damage to building infrastructure. According to local news reports, unidentified armed assailants entered the building and stormed into the intensive care section, damaging some equipment in an exchange of gunfire. They left without causing any injuries.


The trauma hospital is already struggling with resources and suffering from a lack of medical supplies. The attack marks the latest incident in a wave of attacks by armed groups in the country’s eastern pocket in recent months, prompting the volatile city to remain on a state of high alert.


In November, fighting between armed militia resulted in damage to a hospital for Women and Childbirth in the capital, Tripoli. A doctor was shot, and the incident led to a three-day halt to non-emergency medical services.


The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) responded in a statement stressing that the national health system “is already under-resourced and overstretched, these attacks are costing lives of innocent patients and staff alike.”
Attacks only ‘add to the suffering’ of Libyan people


Echoing the warning, WHO said on Thursday in response to the Benghazi attack against the Al Jala facility that “repeated attacks will lead to closure of this important hospital, add to the suffering of Libyan people, and further deprive the already limited access they have to medical care.


The UN global health agency urged all parties to observe international humanitarian law and respect the safety and neutrality of health workers and the facilities in which they operate.


Such tragedies should be avoided “by taking all necessary precautionary measures”, declared WHO, “and perpetrators must be brought to justice.”


According to latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Benghazi hosts the largest number of internally-displaced people of anywhere in the country, with 26,800 living in and around the city. 189,000 returnees have also made their way back to the city and surrounding areas, since the overthrow of former ruler Muammar Al Gadaffi, in 2011. Since then, the country has been wracked by division and economic crisis.



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Представители Украины и республик Донбасса не договорились о новогоднем перемирии на заседании в Минске

19 декабря 2018, 18:15


В этом минском отеле проходят встречи Трехсторонней контактной группы по Донбассу.© Фото facebook.com/belarusmfa


Представители Украины на переговорах в Минске отказались обсуждать возможность объявления в Донбассе перемирия с 22 декабря по случаю новогодних праздников.

Об этом по итогам заседания подгруппы по безопасности Трехсторонней контактной группы (ТКГ) заявил представитель самопровозглашенной Луганской народной республики в подгруппе Роман Иванов. По его словам, которые приводит «Луганский информационный центр», «украинская сторона отказалась обсуждать новогоднее перемирие в рамках работы группы».

В то же время представитель Киева в гуманитарной подгруппе ТКГ Ирина Геращенко сообщила на своей странице в Facebook, что с инициативой о перемирии в Минске выступили украинская сторона и ОБСЕ. По ее словам, окончательно дата начала перемирия должна быть определена 27 декабря во время скайп-конференции подгруппы по безопасности.

На предыдущем заседании ТКГ 4 декабря, напоминает «Интерфакс», спецпредставитель ОБСЕ Мартин Сайдик заявил, что вскоре начнется подготовка сторон к новогоднему перемирию. По итогам сегодняшнего заседания министр иностранных дел самопровозглашенной Донецкой народной республики Наталья Никонорова сообщила журналистам, что в целом ДНР и ЛНР поддерживают предложенный ОБСЕ проект совместного заявления ТКГ о перемирии.

В прошлом году новогоднее перемирие в Донбассе было объявлено с 23 декабря. Всего с начала войны в 2014 году стороны провозглашали перемирие 24 раза, последнее — с 29 августа 2018 года в связи с началом нового учебного года. Однако ни одна из договоренностей не соблюдалась сторонами конфликта в полной мере.



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Afghanistan: UN ‘unequivocally condemns’ attack in Kabul

UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

A busy roundabout in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan; the UN has welcomed a ceasefire for the Eid holiday.

26 December 2018

Peace and Security

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, known by its acronym UNAMA, condemned an attack on a government compound in the country’s heavily populated capital city of Kabul on Monday night, which news reports say left more than 40 dead.


“These attacks cause untold human suffering to Afghan families,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA said on Tuesday.


Dozens were reportedly injured during the attack on a government ministry building that trapped hundreds of employees.


According to news reports, the incident started with a suicide car bomb blast near the building's entrance, before gunmen stormed inside. While it is not yet known who carried out the attack, similar assaults have been waged by both the so-called ISIL, or Da'esh terrorist group, and Taliban fighters.


“The United Nations unequivocally condemns them, as there is no justification whatsoever for such attacks,” stressed Mr. Yamamoto.


The UN maintained that those who have organized and enabled such attacks must be brought to justice and held accountable, and also called again on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians from harm.


The Organization continues to stand in solidarity with all Afghans and remains committed to an Afghan-led peace process to end the ongoing war and enable the government to allocate more resources to protect all its citizens from such atrocities.


On behalf of the UN in Afghanistan, Mr. Yamamoto expressed his deep condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Terrorism: 'Criminal and unjustifiable'


While expressing their sympathy and concern, the Security Council issued a statement underlining that the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors “of these reprehensible acts of terrorism” needed to be held accountable and brought to justice.


They also urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Afghan Government and all other relevant authorities to this end.


“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” said the statement.


Moreover, they reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.


The Council also reaffirmed the need for all States to combat “by all means,” in accordance with the UN Charter and other obligations under international law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.



https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1029331
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