UN – KMAUPDATES

Jul122020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Body of Uganda’s Permanent representative to the UN finally flown back to the country

AFRICA

Kampala, Uganda --- The body of Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr has been flown back, a month after he died in Geneva, Switzerland. Aparr who was Uganda’s Head of Mission and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations died on June 10. Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aparr’s body arrived in the country on Saturday morning and burial arrangements will be announced in the subsequent days. The ministry said his body was received by ministry senior officials and family members. It is still not clear what killed Ambassador Aparr, a career diplomat that represented the country at different forums for many years. His profile on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website indicates t...

Jul122020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Pompeo slams UN report on deadly US drone strike on Iranian

INTERNATIONAL

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized an independent U.N. human rights expert's report insisting a American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in January was a “watershed” event in the use of drones and amounted to a violation of international law. The report presented by Agnes Callamard to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Thursday chronicled events around the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the legal implications of his killing as part of a broader look on the use of drone strikes. Callamard, the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions who has been commissioned by the council, called the January strike in Iraq “the first known incident in which a state invokes self-defense as justification for an atta...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Government of Sweden boosts UNICEF lifesaving healthcare services during COVID-19 response

AFRICA

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 10, 2020 --The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received US$4.4 million (app. UGX 16 billion) from the Government of Sweden to support Uganda’s COVID-19 humanitarian response and efforts towards the continued delivery of essential health services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, newborns, young children, and adolescents. The new funding will target beneficiaries in the districts of Iganga, Isingiro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kasese, Mbale, Wakiso, Pakwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Madi-Okollo, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, and Adjumani from July 2020 to June 2021. UNICEF and partners continue to support the Government of Uganda in controlling, containing, and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. UNICEF is particularly focused on strengthening acce...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNHCR and WFP warn refugees in Africa face hunger and malnutrition as COVID-19 worsens food shortages

AFRICA

ROME, Italy, July 10, 2020 --UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that severe underfunding, conflict and disasters – as well as supply chain challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID19 - threaten to leave millions of refugees across Africa without food. “Millions of refugees throughout Africa are currently reliant on regular aid to meet their food needs,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Around half are children, who may develop life-long difficulties if deprived of food at vital stages in their development.” Unless urgent action is taken to address the situation, levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia are expected to rise. In refugee camps in Ethiopia, 62% of children are experiencing cr...

Jul92020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – South Sudan: UNHCR calls on South Sudan leaders to reinvigorate peace efforts on 9th anniversary of independence

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 9, 2020/ -- Nine years since South Sudan gained independence and became the world’s youngest nation, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is calling on the country’s leaders to reinvigorate efforts to establish lasting peace and bring an end to Africa’s largest displacement crisis. “It’s crucial that South Sudan continues on the road to lasting peace,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “After years of conflict, the South Sudanese people deserve the chance to return to their homes, to live in safety in their communities and to focus on building a bright and prosperous future.” Notable steps forward have been made and deserve recognition, including the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict signed in 2018, and the formation of a...

Jul92020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus: Increased trafficking in falsified medical products due to COVID-19: says United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) research

HEALTH

VIENNA, Austria, July 9, 2020/ -- The sudden increase in demand for medical products to address the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an expansion in the trafficking of substandard and falsified products, according to research published today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The virus has further highlighted the shortcomings in regulatory and legal frameworks aimed at preventing the manufacture and trafficking of such products, the “COVID-19-related Trafficking of Medical Products as a Threat to Public Health” research brief points out. “Health and lives are at risk with criminals exploiting the COVID-19 crisis to cash in on public anxiety and increased demand for PPE and medications,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. “Transnational organized crime groups...

Jul92020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: Speech by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Libya at the UN Security Council (Video conference)

AFRICA

BERLIN, Germany, July 9, 2020/ -- By Heiko Maas Mr Secretary-General,Colleagues,Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen, Six months have passed since the Berlin Conference on Libya. In those six months, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. While doctors and patients on all continents were fighting to save human lives, hospitals in Libya were being bombed. While the whole world closed its borders and went into lockdown, ships, planes and trucks with weapons and mercenaries kept arriving in Libyan cities. Ladies and gentlemen, It is time to stop this cynical absurdity! This is why we decided to invite all of you and all of the participants of the Berlin process here today to discuss and agree on the next steps: First: Foreign interference remains the main driver of the confli...

Jul52020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, UN High-Level Forum aims to chart pathways toward a sustainable recovery

CORONAVIRUS

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 5, 2020 -- Facing the devastating impacts of COVID-19, which is threatening decades of progress in improving people’s lives, countries are meeting at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development from 7 to 16 July to chart the best paths forward to a healthier, more equitable world. The virtual ten-day Forum convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) takes place as the global death toll from COVID-19 has passed 500,000, and more than ten million cases have been confirmed. Economies have collapsed, unemployment is skyrocketing, and health care systems are buckling under the increased strain of the virus. Bringing together over 1000 participants, including around 100 members of govern...

Jul42020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: On the one year anniversary of the bloody attack on the Tajoura Detention Centre, the UN renews its call for the closure of migration Detention Centres and accountability

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, libya

Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, with detained migrants and asylum seekers who are vulnerable and exposedTRIPOLI, Libya, July 3, 2020/ -- Today marks one year since the airstrike on the Tajoura Detention Centre which resulted in the killing of at least 52 migrants and the injury of 87 others in one of the deadliest incidents since the launch of the attack on Tripoli in April 2019.The attack on Tajoura, where migrants and refugees were trapped, and where some had been detained for up to two years without charge, underlines the urgent need to close down all migration Detention Centres in Libya and release migrants and asylum seekers, along with the provision of protection and assistance. This is particularly urgent as Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pan...

Jul42020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: United Nations in West and Central Africa concerned over increased vulnerabilities of migrants amid COVID-19

CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH

Over 30,000 migrants are currently stranded at borders and more than 2,000 are waiting to be assisted in overcrowded transit centers where they are at heightened risk of COVID-19 infectionDAKAR, Senegal, July 3, 2020/ -- The Regional United Nations Network on Migration together with the Regional UN-SDG COVID-19 Executive Committee in West and Central Africa are concerned with the wellbeing of millions of migrants across the region amid the COVID-19 crisis. While they face the same health threats from COVID-19 as any other human being, migrants may be exposed to a higher level of vulnerability linked to discrimination and exclusion in their living and working conditions or in their access to basic services including healthcare. Under these difficult circumstances, migrants may be at risk o...

Jul42020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: On the one year anniversary of the bloody attack on the Tajoura Detention Centre, the UN renews its call for the closure of migration Detention Centres and accountability

AFRICA

TRIPOLI, Libya, July 4, 2020 -- Yesterday marked one year since the airstrike on the Tajoura Detention Centre which resulted in the killing of at least 52 migrants and the injury of 87 others in one of the deadliest incidents since the launch of the attack on Tripoli in April 2019. The attack on Tajoura, where migrants and refugees were trapped, and where some had been detained for up to two years without charge, underlines the urgent need to close down all migration Detention Centres in Libya and release migrants and asylum seekers, along with the provision of protection and assistance. This is particularly urgent as Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, with detained migrants and asylum seekers who are vulnerable and exposed, given the poor sanitation, health an...

Jul42020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, UN High-Level Forum aims to chart pathways toward a sustainable recovery

CORONAVIRUS

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 4, 2020 -- Facing the devastating impacts of COVID-19, which is threatening decades of progress in improving people’s lives, countries are meeting at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development from 7 to 16 July to chart the best paths forward to a healthier, more equitable world. The virtual ten-day Forum convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) takes place as the global death toll from COVID-19 has passed 500,000, and more than ten million cases have been confirmed. Economies have collapsed, unemployment is skyrocketing, and health care systems are buckling under the increased strain of the virus. Bringing together over 1000 participants, including around 100 members of govern...

Jul32020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UN torture prevention body – COVID-19 shows need to strengthen national preventive mechanisms

CORONAVIRUS

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 3, 2020/ -- The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has called for the role of domestic monitoring bodies, officially known as National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs), to be strengthened, highlighting the importance of monitoring the conditions of people deprived of liberty in critical situations such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The SPT, which monitors places, including prisons and other confined institutions, where people are deprived of their liberty, has been unable to carry out its normal mandate given restrictions on international travel over coronavirus concerns. Instead, the Subcommittee has been remotely assisting local NPMs to help safeguard detainees from torture and other ill-treatment. During its last meeting, conducted online fro...

Jun292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Somalia: On World Refugee Day, UN calls for continued efforts to help refugees and displaced people in Somalia

AFRICA

MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 29, 2020/ -- Marking World Refugee Day, the United Nations in Somalia today called for continued efforts to alleviate the plight of refugees and displaced persons in Somalia. Despite significant efforts by the Somali authorities, there are still at least 2.6 million Somalis who are internally displaced, and the country hosts more than 30,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Ethiopia and Yemen. “I pay tribute to the resilience and courage of refugees and displaced persons, and all those fleeing conflict or persecution. I assure them that the United Nations is committed to their protection and to helping to rebuild their livelihoods. We also support the Somali government to uphold their right to asylum and protection. This has been made more challengin...

Jun292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: UNHCR Update Libya

CORONAVIRUS

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 29, 2020/ -- Highlights On 15 June, UNHCR and WFP launched a joint programme to provide emergency food aid to refugees and asylum-seekers living in the urban community in Tripoli. The project aims to scale up to reach 10,000 individuals this year. The partnership was launched in recognition of the severe socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya as well as the effects of the ongoing conflict. Download Report:https://bit.ly/3hNuBOk As World Refugee Day (20 June) draws near, UNHCR held several days of art workshops at a shelter in Misrata for 44 residents, including 15 children. The shelter houses persons of concern awaiting resettlement to third countries. UNHCR continues to provide assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Li...

Jun292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Gabon: UNICEF Gabon COVID-19 Situation Report

CORONAVIRUS

NEW YORK, United States of America, June 29, 2020/ -- Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs Up to 5087 COVID-19 cases were reported in Gabon as of June 24, showing a surge of new infections in all the Country’s provinces. Even though a slight decrease from 18% to 16% in the infection rate was documented during the reporting period, an uptick of active clusters nationwide infers that the pandemic is taking hold with no strong evidence of it substantially and rapidly abating. Over 30,000 tests were undertaken with an insufficient and uneven capacity as the bulk of the testing infrastructure is based in only three provinces. The death toll rose to 40 with a fatality rate as low as 1% whilst the recovery rate kept improving with 42%. For the disaggregated data men account for 59%, wome...

Jun292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Zimbabwe: COVID-19 Response – Weekly UN in Zimbabwe Update

CORONAVIRUS

HARARE, Zimbabwe, June 29, 2020/ -- The international Organization of Migration (IOM) is scaling up operation to respond to the new evolving COVID-19 pandemic challenge in Zimbabwe. Download Report:https://bit.ly/2BLXwSq As co-lead of the Point of Entry pillar, IOM is providing technical support to the government in the COVID-19 National response plan and strengthening national capacity in migration management, ensuring all returnees are screened, registered profiled and transported to the respective provincial quarantine facilities. So, far some 10.000 returnees have been supported to come home through the main border posts. There are currently 1,792 individuals quarantined in Government-operated centres. Government is operating 44 quarantine centres, while private quarantine...

Jun272020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Democratic Republic of the Congo: COVID-19 slows pace of reform, exacerbates fragile security situation

HEALTH

NEW YORK, United States of America, June 27, 2020/ -- The head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is asking the Security Council for its continued support as the mission adds the fight against COVID-19 to its to-do list, while also dealing with a fragile security situation in the east of the country. Leila Zerrougui made the request on Thursday as the 15-member organ ponders the longer-term future of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) – the biggest of all the 13 UN peacekeeping missions – after its current mandate runs out on 20 December. “The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced an additional layer of complexity and concern to the existing issues that we face in the country,” she said, presenting th...

Jun252020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNAIDS Executive Director sets out HIV/COVID-19 landscape at opening of Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) meeting

HEALTH

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 25, 2020/ -- The 46th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board commenced on 23 June 2020. Held for the first time as a virtual meeting, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will see three days of discussion and reflection on the HIV response, the interconnectedness between the twin pandemics of HIV and COVID-19 and the work of the Secretariat and the Joint Programme. In her opening address to the PCB meeting, Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, presented an overview of the HIV/COVID-19 landscape in mid-2020 and told the online audience that the HIV epidemic is still urgent, unfinished business. Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS “Even before COVID-19 we were not on track to meet our...

Jun252020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNHCR appeals for resettlement places as record forced displacement and protection needs outstrip solutions

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 25, 2020/ -- Over 1.4 million refugees currently residing in 62 host countries will be in need of resettlement next year according to latest estimates released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, at an annual resettlement forum yesterday. “With one per cent of humanity now displaced and the overwhelming majority hosted in developing regions facing their own challenges, protection needs are rising but there is a huge deficit in terms of solutions. We need countries to do more and help us find safe homes for those whose lives depend on it,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi who is attending the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR) this week. This year’s resettlement conference is co-hosted with the government of Ca...