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UN Daily News
Friday, 29 April 2016

Issue DH/7148

In the headlines:
In Geneva, Ban welcomes first-ever Olympic

El Salvador: UN expert calls on Government to

Ethiopia: UN agency calls for urgent funding for

We have come too far to go back, says Ban on

In Malawi, people with albinism face total

Mozambique: UN reports worrying information

In recorded vote, Security Council approves one

refugee team to compete in Games

farmers ahead of cropping season
extinction UN rights expert

'Monstrous disregard' for civilians, says UN rights

chief, as hospitals bombed in Syria

protect victims of contemporary slavery

Day of Remembrance for chemical warfare victims

about human rights violations

year extension of UN mission in Western Sahara

Ban welcomes appointment of transitional unity

Government in South Sudan

In Geneva, Ban welcomes first-ever Olympic refugee team to

compete in Games
29 April During a visit to Geneva today, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon welcomed the first-ever Olympic refugee team
to compete in the international event, and received the Olympic Cup
Award on behalf of the UN.
This year, the International Olympic Committee has taken the
extraordinary step of including a refugee team, Mr. Ban announced
at an event in Geneva entitled Celebrating the Olympic Spirit ahead
of the Rio games which begin in August.
For the first time in history, talented athletes who have been forced
to flee their homes will get a chance to chase gold. Their fellow
refugees will see outstanding contenders who give hope to all. And
the world will see refugees the way they deserve to be seen: as
talented, strong and inspiring people, he declared.

Thomas Bach (right), President of the International Olympic

Committee (IOC), presents Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on
behalf of the UN, with the Olympic Cup Award during in the Olympic
Flame Ceremony at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UN Photo/JeanMarc Ferr

Win or lose, the UN chief said, these athletes are champions of the
spirit, and called on the world to find lasting solutions to support the refugee crisis.
Refugees want homes, not tents. They want a flag that waves for their rights. And they deserve a world that gives them
more than assistance; they deserve a world that is at peace. Let us all be on the team of refugees until there is no need for a
refugee team at all, he said.

For information media not an official record

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The UN chief reminded those attending the event about the World Humanitarian Summit organized by the UN next
month in Istanbul, Turkey. It will be followed in September by a meeting of the General Assembly on addressing large
movements of migrants and refugees. He called on leaders and people to make the most of these global opportunities for
progress.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ban received the Olympic Cup Award on behalf of the United Nations. This is the second time the
Organization received this distinction; the first time was 17 years ago.
I sincerely thank you for this powerful recognition of the talented, dedicated and selfless women and men of our
Organization. They work around the world and they work around the clock for a better future of all the people. I accept this
on their behalf with deep gratitude, Mr. Ban told IOC President Thomas Bach.
My Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr. Wilfried Lemke, has made dedicated efforts to advance
the goals of the United Nations through sport, Mr. Ban underlined. I thank all the United Nations bodies that are
leveraging the power of sport. We are collaborating with athletes to inspire children. We are making the Games more green.
We are joining forces to use this massive, global celebration of the human spirit as a reminder of our common humanity.
On a personal note, the UN chief said seeing this flame brings him back to when he carried the torch in the relay to the
London Olympics in 2012 and the Sochi Olympics in 2014. I admit I even trained before I carried the torch because I did
not want to run out of breath with such a critical mission! he exclaimed.
It was an electrifying experience. The crowds were cheering. The helicopters were flying overheard. There was noise but
passion and cheer. I carried the torch, like so many others, for the dream of the Olympic Truce, he added.

Ethiopia: UN agency calls for urgent funding for farmers ahead

of cropping season
29 April With just six weeks left before the start of the main
cropping season in Ethiopia, the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) called today for urgent funding to help farmers
sow their fields and prevent drought-hit areas of the country from
falling deeper into hunger and food insecurity.
If seeds are not delivered in time, help will be too late to secure a
decent harvest from the imminent meher season, which produces 85
per cent of the nations food supply, the UN agency said in a press
release.
The meher season will be critical to improving families food
security and self-sufficiency in 2016. Seed distributions allowing
farmers to plant crops and produce food must be a humanitarian
priority, said FAOs country representative, Amadou Allahoury
Diallo.

For most vulnerable households in Ethiopia, the meher season is the

best chance of growing food to bring them through the year. Photo:
FAO/Tamiru Legesse

He noted that while the food security situation is worsening, the overall funding response to the crisis has so far been
disappointing, with just 15 per cent of FAOs 2016 appeal for Ethiopia covered.
Some $10 million is needed by FAO within the next two weeks to distribute seeds to Ethiopian families at risk of hunger
and losing their livelihoods, the representative said.
About 10.2 million people in Ethiopia are food insecure following successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths
caused by the El Nio-induced drought since early 2015. With this years delayed and erratic spring rains, the situation may
become worse in the most affected areas, particularly in the north, the representative said.
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FAO said it is working closely with Ethiopias Government, which has already dedicated considerable resources to the El
Nio response.
Underserved districts
The agency underscored that nearly one third of the districts in the country some 224 are now severely food insecure, 20
per cent more than than just three months ago.
The agency noted that recent estimates by Ethiopias Bureau of Agriculture indicate that some 1.7 million farming families
are seed insecure, meaning they do not have the inputs required to plant in the meher season. The season starts as early as
mid-June for some crops, with planting ongoing until August for others.
More than 90 districts are currently not receiving any kind of emergency seed support or are insufficiently covered,
according to FAO Surge Response Team Leader Pierre Vauthier.
Its these forgotten districts that FAO is targeting but without immediate funding support, some 150,000 households will
miss their best chance of growing food to bring them through the year, he said.
Depleted seed reserves
For many households, seed reserves are extremely depleted following unsuccessful planting and re-planting in 2015, while
families in the most affected areas have been forced to consume their seeds as food.
As a result of the poor 2015 harvest, farmers incomes have been reduced and purchasing power constrained, further
limiting their ability to buy the seeds and inputs they need to produce staple crops like maize, sorghum, teff, wheat, and root
crops.
FAO said that because the spring rains were initially erratic and delayed, even those farmers who had seeds may not have
planted enough to meet their households needs, especially in the north.
A good meher season will improve food availability nationwide and enhance access to food and reduce reliance on external
humanitarian assistance in the medium term, FAO said.

In Malawi, people with albinism face total extinction UN

rights expert
29 April A United Nations human rights expert today warned that
the atrocities faced by persons with albinism in Malawi render them
an endangered people group facing a risk of systemic extinction over
time if nothing is done.
Persons with albinism, and parents of children with albinism,
constantly live in fear of attack, said Ikponwosa Ero, the UN
Independent Expert on the rights of persons with albinism, at the end
of her first official visit to Malawi.
Many do not sleep peacefully and have deliberately restricted their
movement to the necessary minimum, she added. The frequent
Independent Expert on Albinism Ikponwosa Ero. Photo:
involvement of close relatives in cases of attacks is highly disturbing,
OHCHR/Christine Wambaa
and persons with albinism are unable to trust even those who are
supposed to care for and protect them. Consequently, persons with
albinism in the current context of attacks are locked in a spiral of fear and poverty.

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A crisis disturbing in its proportions

Ms. Ero described the situation as an emergency, a crisis disturbing in its proportions. According to the police, 65 cases
have been recorded since late 2014, and at least two further critical incidents reportedly occurred during her visit.
Given the relatively small population size of people with albinism in Malawi reported to be a little less than 10,000
attacks against a few of them constitutes a danger to all of them, she stressed.
It is clear that an urgent and coordinated response from the Government, civil society and development partners working in
strong partnership with each other is required, she noted while stressing the principle of nothing about us without us,
which includes the involvement of organizations of persons with albinism at every step, where the process cannot be led
directly by them.
Government Response Plan welcomed, but resources needed
Ms. Ero welcomed the launching of the Governments Response Plan of 2015 and commended its content. However, she
noted, the absence of resources attached to this plan has drastically delayed its implementation and such an emergency
situation needs an emergency response.
Court sentences as handed down to convicted criminals do not always reflect the gravity of the crime, she said. As
pointed out by various stakeholders during my visit, stealing a cow may attract a higher penalty.
The early return of suspects to their communities whether due to the use of bail, fines or low judicial sentences
increases the fear in which persons with albinism live, sends a message of impunity to affected communities and increases
the risks of mob killings, she added.
The expert recommended training for police, prosecutors and magistrates to increase knowledge of the current legislative
framework applicable to these cases, cooperation between the police and the Department of Public Prosecutions, as well as
adequate resources for the newly appointed special prosecutor.
Ms. Ero pointed out that, although the amendment of relevant legislation is required, more immediate measures are also
necessary such as a judicial direction that cases be handled only by professional magistrates and through the ongoing
revision of the Sentencing Guidelines.
She also commended the protection measures adopted by community police and some traditional authorities as well as the
support provided by communities to their members with albinism. The quick intervention of neighbours during attacks has
in various cases led to the rescue of persons with albinism and to the arrest of perpetrators, she said.
Indispensable need to address root causes
Addressing the root causes of attacks, in particular why they are happening, is indispensable to eradicating them. It is
worrying to note that witchcraft beliefs and practices are widespread in Malawi, although often a taboo topic, Ms. Ero
stated.
Malawians have been taken by surprise by the recent increase of attacks against persons with albinism, she concluded.
Yet, discrimination against persons with albinism has a long history in the country and is well rooted in beliefs as well as
harmful traditional and cultural practices, including that persons with albinism do not die but simply disappear, and the
practice of infanticide at birth on the pretext that the baby was stillborn.
The Independent Expert will produce a full report and recommendations to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in
March 2017.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report
back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff,
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29 April 2016

nor are they paid for their work.

'Monstrous disregard' for civilians, says UN rights chief, as

hospitals bombed in Syria
29 April The United Nations human rights chief today said that the
latest reports of civilian deaths and injuries in Syria, including
bombings of marketplaces and medical facilities, reveal a monstrous
disregard for civilian lives by all parties to the conflict, calling for
urgent action by all relevant actors to resolve to help the people of
Syria.
Reports are coming in from Aleppo, Homs, Damascus and Rural
Damascus, Idleb and Deir ez-Zour of mounting civilian casualties,
said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al
Hussein in a statement released by his Office (OHCHR).
A family flees an active conflict neighbourhood in eastern Ghouta,
Syria, using a cart to carry their belongings. Photo: UNICEF/Amer Al
Shami

In Idleb last week, on 19 April, bombs were reportedly dropped in a

vegetable market in Maarat al-Nu'man, the busiest area in town,
during the busiest part of the day, killing at least 44 people and
destroying dozens of shops. In the town of Kafr Nabel, bombs were
again dropped on a market in the busiest area of the town, narrowly missing an after-school centre containing 50 children
aged 6 to 10, he added.
In addition, the High Commissioner said that in the opposition-controlled part of Aleppo over the past few days, proGovernment aircraft have destroyed a key hospital and other medical facilities, reportedly killing a number of medical
personnel, including the only remaining paediatrician in the area, as well as many patients.
In the Government-controlled part of Aleppo, another hospital was struck and many civilians were killed in attacks launched
in a number of neighbourhoods.
In short, the violence is soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities. There are deeply disturbing
reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation, Mr. Zeid said.
The High Commissioner said OHCHR has over the years documented numerous attacks on hospitals and other medical
facilities as well numerous strikes on marketplaces during busy shopping times which, depending on the circumstances,
may amount to war crimes.
In any case, these indicate a serious, alarming disregard for one of the cornerstones of international humanitarian law: the
duty to protect civilians, he said.
Civilians also remain trapped in besieged villages, towns and cities across Syria, including the town of Fu'a and Kefraya,
outside the city of Aleppo. Many innocent civilians are at risk of starvation and have no access to adequate medical care, the
High Commissioner said.
The inhabitants of these towns remain at grave risk of revenge attacks by opposition groups, should truce agreements
collapse, he said.
While information is much more difficult to gather from ISIL-occupied areas, the High Commissioner expressed deep
concern at the numerous allegations of civilian casualties due to air strikes.
Urgent action is needed by all relevant actors to ensure the protection of civilians and their right to life, and to fight the
impunity that has done so much to encourage the multitude of horrendous breaches of international humanitarian law and
international human rights law that have taken place in Syria over the past five years, Mr. Zeid stressed.
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In the context of such an abysmal situation, the persistent failure of the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to
the International Criminal Court is an example of the most shameful form of realpolitik, the High Commissioner said.
In the minds of many, the world's great powers have in effect become accomplices to the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands
of human beings, and the displacement of millions. There is currently no disincentive for any of the many war criminals in
Syria to stop contributing to the wild spiral of killing and destruction that has engulfed the country, he added.
The High Commissioner also urged the international community to address the terrible suffering of the Syrian people with
the resolve that has been so absent for so long.
The cessation of hostilities and the Geneva talks were the only game in town, and if they are abandoned now, I dread to
think how much more horror we will see in Syria, he concluded.

Ban welcomes appointment of transitional unity Government in

South Sudan
29 April United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed
the appointment by South Sudan President Salva Kiir of the ministers
of the Transitional Government of National Unity, urging the parties
to complete the establishment of all transition institutions.
In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, the UN chief said he
is pleased to note that President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek
Machar have achieved this important milestone of the peace process
and urges them to swiftly complete the establishment of all
institutions of transition. He also urges the parties to cease
immediately all hostilities.
From left: Riek MacharFirst Vice-President of South Sudan;
The Secretary-General also commended the Joint Monitoring and
President Salva Kiir; and James Wani Igga, Second Vice-President,
Evaluation Commission (JMEC) chair, President Festus Mogae, and after the swearing in of a new Transitional Government of National
Unity. UN Photo/Isaac Billy
the African Union High Representative, President Alpha Omar
Konare, for steering the peace process forward, and reiterated the
commitment of the UN to support all South Sudanese in restoring peace, stability and prosperity in the country.

He calls on the larger international community to remain actively engaged in the peace process and provide the necessary
support to the full and timely implementation of the Peace Agreement, the statement said.

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29 April 2016

El Salvador: UN expert calls on Government to protect victims

of contemporary slavery
29 April A United Nations human rights expert today called on the
Government of El Salvador to develop and implement a wide range of
initiatives to protect the victims of contemporary forms of slavery,
such as forced labour and domestic servitude.
All measures should include children forced do hazardous work,
children forced to conduct illicit activities for gangs and girls and
women forced into sexual slavery by gang members,

said Urmila Bhoola, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms

of slavery at the end of her first official visit to the country.
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Urmila
Bhoola. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferr

These forms of slavery are both a cause and consequence of poverty,

social exclusion, internal and external displacement of communities,
as well as crime, Ms. Bhoola said, stressing that protecting the
human rights of victims of slavery is of paramount importance as they are often the most vulnerable and discriminated
against with women and children invariably being amongst the most severely affected.
The Special Rapporteur noted that a comprehensive legal framework exists in the country that penalizes slavery and slaverylike practices, and praised the positive progress made by stakeholders.
Such progress was most clearly noted in the reductions in the number of children engaged in the worst forms of child
labour and their reintegration into schools, she said. However, prevention and protection of victims through robust and
effective law enforcement remains a key challenge.
During her visit, the Special Rapporteur identified a number of issues of concern in the current context of escalating gangrelated violence. She was deeply shocked to hear of the forced recruitment of children as young as 9 years old into such
gangs, as well as coercion of girls, adolescents and women into participating in sexual activity with gang members,
including as so-called brides of gang members forced to conduct conjugal visits with them in prison.
Such activities prima facie constitute contemporary forms of slavery and are prohibited in international human rights law,
Ms. Bhoola noted. As such the Government is obligated to take measures to eliminate these practices, prosecute
perpetrators and provide effective access to justice and redress to victims whose rights have been violated.
Protection and prevention measures are necessary as an immediate solution to address the high incidence of these crimes
and the violence that occurs when victims refuse to comply with demands made by the gangs, she added.
In this context, the Special Rapporteur noted that the Government has developed a comprehensive plan to address the high
levels of criminal violence that occur as a result of gang-related activity, and commended the El Salvador Seguro plan that
has the support of all key stakeholders.
I strongly urge the Government to play close attention to avoiding any criminalization of victims, particularly children and
women, who have been subjected to slavery-like practices that force them into criminal behaviour, she stated.
The expert also expressed concern about other forms of contemporary forms of slavery and slavery-like practices in El
Salvador, including continuing child labour in hazardous and dangerous work, forced labour conditions for workers in a
number of sectors, including those producing garments in factories known as maquilas, home-based embroiderers, and
those working in private security services, children being forced to beg or perform in the streets, and situations of domestic
servitude.
Ms. Bhoola visited San Salvador and labour sites and communities in Usulutn, Puerto El Flor and Puerto Parada, where she
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met with a broad range of national and local government officials.

She also met with the Human Rights Ombudsman, a range of coordination bodies, representatives from the legislature, the
Supreme Court, UN agencies, NGOs working on issues relating to her mandate, trade unions, private-sector representatives,
and individuals affected by slavery-like conditions of work.
The independent expert will present a report containing her conclusions and recommendations to the UN Human Rights
Council in September 2016.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report
back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff,
nor are they paid for their work.

We have come too far to go back, says Ban on Day of

Remembrance for chemical warfare victims
29 April United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
marked the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical
Warfare with a call for reflection on the terrible toll of chemical
weapons and for taking stock of efforts to chart a course to a world
free from the menace of such weapons.
Sadly, instead of being consigned to history, chemical weapons have
re-emerged as a tool of war. We have witnessed new allegations of
their use and have seen painful new evidence of the suffering they
inflict upon their victims, the Secretary-General said in this years
message. This cannot and should not become the new normal. We
have come too far to go back.
The annual Day of Remembrance is observed on 29 April the
date in 1997 on which the Chemical Weapons Convention entered
into force.

A monument in Halabja, Kurdish Iraq, in memory of the victims

Saddam Husseins notorious 1988 poison gas attack against local
Kurds. UN Photo/Bikem Ekberzade

In his message, the Secretary-General noted that in the past year, two new States Parties had joined the Convention,
bringing the total to 192, while the destruction of the worlds declared chemical agents has risen to 90 per cent.
He also noted that the UN has created a Joint Investigative Mechanism with the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons to help ensure that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic are
held accountable.
On this Remembrance Day, let us renew our efforts to rid the world of these and all other weapons of mass destruction,
the UN chief said. Only by working together, can we realize a world free of chemical weapons.

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Mozambique: UN reports worrying information about human

rights violations
29 April The United Nations human rights office said today it has
received worrying information about ongoing armed clashes in
Mozambique between national security forces and members of
Renamo, the former rebel group which became the main opposition
party at the end of the 16-year civil war in 1992.
Human rights violations including cases of enforced disappearances
and summary executions have also been reported, Rupert Colville,
spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told
reporters at a press conference in Geneva.
Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR). UN Photo

Rising tensions

Tensions have reportedly been rising in Mozambique over the past

few months, after Renamo rejected the outcome of the 2014
legislative elections and announced its intention to seize power in six of the country's 11 provinces. Military operations by
the army against Renamo have mainly affected Tete Province, but clashes seem to be spreading to other provinces, including
Sofala, Zambezia, Nampula and Manica. According to the UN refugee agency, some 10,000 people have left the country
since December 2015.
Security forces have been accused of summary executions, looting, destruction of property, rape, ill-treatment, and other
human rights violations. According to reliable sources, at least 14 local Renamo officials have been killed or abducted by
unidentified individuals or groups since the beginning of the year. On 20 January, there was an assassination attempt on the
Renamo Secretary General and MP Manual Bissopo, Mr. Colville said.
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), attacks against police and military
forces have also been attributed to Renamo. They are reported to have committed human rights abuses and violations against
civilians perceived to be associated with the ruling party, Frelimo, or to be cooperating with security forces. They have also
been accused of carrying out sniper attacks on some roads, which have resulted in a number of casualties, including
civilians.
The lack of accountability for past human rights abuses and violations seems to be a key component of the deteriorating
situation. We are particularly concerned about the killing on 1 April of Public Prosecutor Marcelino Vilankulo, and about
the lack of progress in the investigation into the March 2015 murder of Gilles Cistac, a law professor who had denounced
electoral fraud, the spokesperson noted.
Human rights defenders harassed and threatened
On a separate note, we are also alarmed by recent reports that human rights defenders calling for public demonstrations in
favour of accountability and transparency in the management of public resources have been harassed and threatened, Mr.
Colville said.
He added that the announcement by the Head of the Police on 25 April that any public protest will be repressed raises
serious concerns.
Ahead of demonstrations called for today, tomorrow and next week, we urge the Government to fulfil its obligation to
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guarantee that all citizens may exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. We also
call on law enforcement officials to show utmost restraint when maintaining public order and to comply at all times with
international human rights obligations and international standards on policing, the spokesperson stressed.

In recorded vote, Security Council approves one year extension

of UN mission in Western Sahara
29 April The Security Council today, by recorded vote, adopted a
resolution extending for one year the United Nations Mission for the
Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), emphasizing the
urgent need for the mission to return to full functionality.
Calling upon all parties to cooperate fully with the MINURSOs
operations, the Council, by a vote of 10 in favour to two against
(Venezuela and Uruguay), with three abstentions (Angola, New
Zealand and Russia), extended the missions mandate until 30 April
2017.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) greets peacekeepers on 5

March 2016 during a military ceremony at the United Nations
Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Bir
Lahlou site. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

The colonial administration of Western Sahara by Spain ended in

1976. Fighting later broke out between Morocco and the Polisario
Front. A ceasefire was signed in September 1991. MINURSO was
deployed that year to monitor a ceasefire between the Government of
Morocco and the Polisario Front and organizing, if the parties agree, a

referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.

In the current text, the Council calls upon the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General
without preconditions and in good faith, taking into account the efforts made since 2006 and subsequent developments, with
a view to achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination
of the people of Western Sahara, in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles of the UN Charter.
The Councils action follows its consideration of the Secretary-Generals latest report, which notes that without a suitable
and fully staffed international civilian component, the mission cannot fulfil a core component of its functions and will thus
fail to meet the Councils expectations. It warns that the inability of the mission to execute its mandated tasks would entail,
in the short- to middle-term, significant implications for the stability of the region as well as for the credibility of the
Council and peacekeeping operations and political missions globally.
Regretting that MINURSOs ability to fully carry out its mandate has been affected as the majority of its civilian
component, including political personnel, cannot perform their duties, the Council, in its resolution, requested a briefing
from the Secretary-General within 90 days on whether the mission has returned to full functionality and expressed its
intention, if MINURSO has not achieved full functionality, to consider how best to facilitate achievement of this goal.
Further by the resolution, Council members expressed their "firm support for the determined efforts of the Secretary-General
and his Personal Envoy [for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross] for a solution is found to the question Western Sahara.
The Council also urged Member States to make voluntary contributions to fund confidence-building measures agreed by the
parties, including those allowing separated members of the same family to visit, and food programmes to ensure that the
humanitarian needs of refugees are adequately addressed.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section
of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)