UN Chronicle
Vol. LII No. 4 2015 April 2016
http://unchronicle.un.org/
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Implementing the 2030 Agenda: The Challenge of Conflict
This issue looks at the link between conflict and the implementation and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. The articles examine, among other things, children and armed conflict, climate change, terrorism and food security.
The Sentinel
Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
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Week ending 2 April 2016
This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:
David R. Curry
Editor &
Founding Managing Director
GE2P2 – Center for Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.netpdf version: The Sentinel_ week ending 2 April 2016
blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries posted below.
EU Turkey Agreement
Editor’s Note:
We lead again this week with the “EU-Turkey Agreement” as it continues to generate serious concern, analysis, and action from agencies, NGOs and other actors in the European migrant-refugee crisis. Equally, we see it as establishing new and disconcerting precedents.
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UNHCR urges immediate safeguards to be in place before any returns begin under EU-Turkey deal
Briefing Notes, 1 April 2016
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 1 April 2016, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR is today urging parties to the recent EU-Turkey agreement on refugees and migrants to ensure all safeguards are in place before any returns begin. This is in light of continued serious gaps in both countries.
UNHCR does not object to returns of people without protection needs and who have not asked for asylum, providing that human rights are adhered to.
Across Greece, which has been compelled to host people because of closed borders elsewhere in Europe, numerous aspects of the systems for receiving and dealing with people who may need international protection are still either not working or absent. There are currently around 51,000 refugees and migrants in the country, 5000 on the islands and 46,000 on the mainland. Recent arrivals spiked on 29th March at 766 after several days of arrivals averaging about 300 people a day.
On Lesvos, conditions have been deteriorating at the Moria “hotspot” facility, which since 20 March has been used to detain people pending a decision on deportation. There are now some 2,300 people there. This is above its stated capacity of 2,000. People are sleeping in the open, and food supply is insufficient. Anxiety and frustration is widespread. Making matters worse, many families have become separated, with family members now scattered across Greece – and presenting an additional worry should returns begin.
On Samos, at the Vathy hotspot, reception conditions have also been worsening. Sanitation is poor, there is little help available for persons with special needs, and food distributions are chaotic. There are currently up to 1,700 people staying at the Vial hotspot on Chios, which has a maximum capacity of 1,100. We are very worried about the situation there. Rioting last night left three people with stab injuries.
In line with its global policy on promoting alternatives to detention, UNHCR has had to suspend services at all closed facilities, with the exception of protection monitoring and providing information on asylum procedures.
Stranded groups await relocation on the mainland
On the mainland, where people who arrived before 20 March are staying, the situation is equally difficult. Refugees and migrants are spread across some 30 sites, many awaiting the chance of relocation. Conditions at the port of Piraeus and around Eidomeni near the border with former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are dismal.
The risk of panic and injury in these sites and others is real in the current circumstances. There have been further incidents reported in local media of fighting this week.
Without urgent further EU support, the limited capacity of the Greek asylum service to register and process asylum claims will create problems. Limited hours of registration, daily ceilings on registrations, a lack of access to the Skype system for registration set up by the Asylum Services, are at present adding to the anxiety.
In Turkey, UNHCR has requested access to people returned from Greece, to ensure people can benefit from effective international protection and to prevent risk of refoulement.
UNHCR has set out the safeguards that would be required for safe readmission from Greece to Turkey, most recently in a paper of 23 March. http://www.refworld.org/docid/56f3ee3f4.html. [see below]
Sea arrivals down in Greece, up in Italy
Sea arrivals in Greece for the first three months of 2016 are at over 150,700 albeit with lower arrivals in March http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/country.php?id=83.
Sea arrivals on the other main Mediterranean route – from North Africa to Italy -stand at 18,784. This represents a more than 80 per cent increase over the same period in 2015 (10,165 people), with March arrivals showing a four-fold increase http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/country.php?id=105. These are predominantly Nigerians, Gambians, Senegalese, Malians and other West African nationals. So far UNHCR is not seeing big increases in Syrians, Afghans, and Iraqis using this route. On Thursday, a boat carrying 22 Syrian and Somali nationals was reported to have arrived at Otranto in South-eastern Italy, having travelled from Greece.
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Legal considerations on the return of asylum-seekers and refugees from Greece to Turkey as part of the EU-Turkey Cooperation in Tackling the Migration Crisis under the safe third country and first country of asylum concept
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
23 March 2016 :: 8 pages, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/56f3ee3f4.html
[accessed 1 April 2016]
[Excerpts: Introduction and Conclusion]
1. Introduction
This paper sets out the legal considerations, based on international and European refugee and human rights law1 relevant for the return and readmission of persons in need of international protection from Greece to Turkey under the (proposed) EU-Turkey cooperation, as discussed during European Council meetings with Turkey on 7 and 17-18 March 2016.
The EU-Turkey cooperation inter alia foresees the return to Turkey of asylum-seekers and refugees who have entered Greece via Turkey. According to the European Commission (EC), such returns will be in accordance with international and European law. It is stated that the legal bases for these returns are found in the EU recast Asylum Procedures Directive (APD),2 in particular in the concept of ‘first country of asylum’ and the concept of ‘safe third country’ through an admissibility procedure.
It is said that applications for international protection by ‘Syrians’3 can be declared inadmissible by Greece under Article 33(1) and (2)(b) of the APD because Turkey can be considered a first country of asylum for ‘Syrians’ pursuant to Article 35(b) APD. Applications for international protection by ‘non-Syrians’ may be declared inadmissible by Greece under Article 33(1) and (2)(c) APD because Turkey can be regarded as a safe third country pursuant to Article 38 APD…
…2.4. Conclusion
International refugee law and European asylum legislation foresee the possibility of returning persons seeking and/or in need of international protection to a safe third country on the basis of the ‘first country of asylum’ or ‘safe third country’ concept. Strict substantive criteria and procedural safeguards, which are set out in the EU recast Asylum Procedures Directive, regulate the application of these concepts. Further, under the EU Dublin Regulation another member state may be responsible for examining the asylum application in particular on the basis of family unity and the best interests of the child, precluding return to a safe third country.
Geneva conference on Syrian refugees ends with new pledges of places, recognition of challenges ahead
UNHCR Press Release, 30 March 2016
An international meeting in Geneva on the plight of Syrian refugees concluded today with new offers of resettlement places and other forms of humanitarian admission places by States, but also highlighting the challenges over the next three years in narrowing the gap between the number of places countries are willing to offer for Syrian refugees and the number UNHCR believes is urgently required.
In his closing remarks High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi spoke of the conference having achieved “a clear recognition of the need for solidarity and responsibility-sharing for refugees”. But he also reminded delegates of the wider global displacement context and the immense challenges ahead, including finding a political settlement for Syria, and dealing with ongoing displacement and secondary flows from conflicts elsewhere.
“I am under no illusion that we are appealing for this at a very difficult time, and within a troubling context…,” he said. “The solidarity required is a global one. The collective effort of many states, and many actors within states, is essential.”
Overall, he said, progress was seen on Wednesday in six areas:
:: Together, States pledged modest increases in the number of resettlement and humanitarian admission places, bringing the total to date to some 185,000. Several countries offered to significantly increase their global resettlement programmes further this year and in the coming years. In addition, the EU committed to resettle further refugees from Turkey.
:: A number of States affirmed their commitment to family reunification, including willingness to ease procedures.
:: Several Latin American and European countries announced new humanitarian visa programmes or the expansion of existing ones.
:: Thirteen states confirmed scholarships and student visas for Syrian refugees.
:: Speeding of admission processes for refugees through the removal or simplification of administrative barriers was mentioned by several States.
:: Important financial commitments in support of UNHCR’s resettlement programmes came from two countries. Several existing resettlement countries offered to share expertise with new resettlement ones.
UNHCR estimates that at least 10 per cent of the 4.8 million refugees in countries neighbouring Syria will need resettling or other humanitarian help to safely move elsewhere before the end of 2018. This includes people considered acutely vulnerable, such as survivors of torture, refugees with serious medical conditions or women left alone with several children to care for and without family support.
Wednesday’s Conference also looked at measures intended to complement existing resettlement or humanitarian admission such as humanitarian visas, private sponsorship, family reunification, scholarships, medical evacuation and labour mobility programmes – including through the involvement of the private sector. These mechanisms complement existing resettlement programmes and help to ensure that quotas are still available for refugees in need from elsewhere in the world.
The conference, chaired by UNHCR, is one of several key events in 2016 to do with Syria’s refugees. It follows February’s London Conference on Syria, which focused on the financial dimensions of the humanitarian challenge posed by the more than 13.5 million people in need inside Syria and the 4.8 million refugees in the surrounding region along with the needs of communities in countries hosting them. And it comes in the run up to September’s summit on refugees to be held at the General Assembly meeting.
Turkey: Illegal mass returns of Syrian refugees expose fatal flaws in EU-Turkey deal
1 April 2016, 00:01 UTC
Large-scale forced returns of refugees from Turkey to war-ravaged Syria expose the fatal flaws in a refugee deal signed between Turkey and the European Union earlier this month, Amnesty International revealed today.
New research carried out by the organization in Turkey’s southern border provinces suggests that Turkish authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children to Syria on a near-daily basis since mid-January. Over three days last week, Amnesty International researchers gathered multiple testimonies of large-scale returns from Hatay province, confirming a practice that is an open secret in the region.
All forced returns to Syria are illegal under Turkish, EU and international law.
“In their desperation to seal their borders, EU leaders have wilfully ignored the simplest of facts: Turkey is not a safe country for Syrian refugees and is getting less safe by the day,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia.
“The large-scale returns of Syrian refugees we have documented highlight the fatal flaws in the EU-Turkey deal. It is a deal that can only be implemented with the hardest of hearts and a blithe disregard for international law…
Agencies criticise rich countries’ failure to resettle more Syrians
Press Release
(31.03.2016)
Oxfam, Save the Children and Norwegian Refugee Council criticised the deeply disappointing outcome of the international pledging conference for resettlement of refugees fleeing the ongoing crisis in Syria.
All three agencies have been calling for rich countries to resettle or provide other forms of humanitarian admission to 10 per cent of the more than 4.8 million refugees registered in Syria’s neighbouring countries, by the end of 2016, as well as offer other safe and legal routes. However, today’s meeting offered to resettle only a tiny fraction of the most vulnerable people with a less ambitious timeline. The agencies said governments have shown a shocking lack of political and moral leadership.
Almost all states attending have failed to show the level of generosity required. A number of states have simply not been willing to make any new commitments despite the overwhelming need. Moreover, the few commitments made by EU Member States comes after the new EU-Turkey deal, where resettlement is being discussed as part of a migration management agreement that seeks to discourage hundreds of thousands of people from seeking a safe haven in Europe.
Andy Baker, head of Oxfam’s response to the Syria crisis, said: “Many rich countries seem more preoccupied with keeping Syrians out, or using them as bargaining chips in political deals, instead of offering the most vulnerable a safe haven. The Geneva meeting was an opportunity for them to show support to thousands of refugees who are in dire need of finding a safe home. In the end it delivered little”.
Save the Children’s Regional Advocacy Director, Misty Buswell, said: “nternational governments have once again denied children fleeing horrific violence a route to safety. Without legal routes, including resettlement for the most vulnerable, children will continue to be pushed into the hands of smugglers and traffickers. The answer to this crisis is not more barbed wire and detention centres, but wealthy countries accepting their fair share of the responsibility”.
Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General, Jan Egeland,said: “Europe gave birth to the Refugee Convention when our forefathers were displaced by war. Now Europe risks becoming the same convention’s burial agent. European and world leaders in 2016 prefer sealing borders and building open air prisons, instead of living up to their legal obligations to protect refugees and support safe routes for those seeking asylum. The collapse of international solidarity witnessed in Geneva undermines half a century of efforts to build international refugee law”.
AMMAN, March 27, 2016 – Aiming to create 100,000 new jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees in the next five years, the World Bank’s Board of Directors has agreed to offer Jordan US$100 million in financing at rates usually reserved for the poorest countries, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim announced today.
The World Bank’s Board extended the highly unusual financing offer because of the extraordinarily difficult situation facing both the refugees and their Jordanian hosts. A partnership among the Jordanian government, donor countries and development actors will use the financing to develop and strengthen existing special economic zones to attract international and domestic investments. Additional details of the job-creation plans will be announced in coming months.
The announcement was made during a joint visit by Kim and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The visit reaffirms the global commitment to help address the impact of the Syria crisis through immediate humanitarian assistance and long-term development support. The focus of the visit is to find innovative solutions that begin to address the severe economic and social stresses resulting from the influx of refugees, including shoring up basic services and creating job opportunities for Syrian refugees and Jordanians alike.
“The Jordanian government has done an exceptional job in helping to meet the challenges posed by the large flows of refugees,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, who was visiting Jordan for the second time in two years. “It is now up to the international community to do more to help Jordan – and provide it with the innovative financing it needs to continue hosting refugees. It’s also important for Jordan to enact necessary reforms that will attract investments needed for the economy to grow and provide shared prosperity for all Jordanians.”
The leaders of the two organizations met with King Abdullah II in the presence of Queen Rania. The World Bank confirmed its commitment to provide Jordan with additional concessional financing at zero interest rates to contribute to alleviating the country’s burden in managing the refugee crisis. The Bank committed to strengthening its work on governance and transparency issues, as well as bolstering human resources, in particular through improving quality and access in the education sector.
The Bank-UN delegation also met with Prime Minister Ensour and senior government officials. The visit included a trip to Zaatari camp where Jim Kim and Ban Ki-moon had an opportunity to witness the living conditions of the refugees and to listen to their personal stories and aspirations. In addition, they engaged in a conversation with students at Jordan University, to hear about challenges young people are facing and what they might need to overcome them.
The announcement came three days after Kim announced a separate $100 million financing to support education of Lebanese and Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon. The terms, approved by the World Bank’s Board of Directors, will be similar to those announced today for Jordan. In both cases, the Board broke new ground in giving a middle-income country financing at a rate reserved for the poorest countries.
NEW DELHI, March 30, 2016 – The Government of India and the World Bank today signed a US$1.5 billion loan agreement for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation Project to support the Government of India in its efforts to ensure that all citizens in the rural areas have access to improved sanitation with a focus on changing behaviour and eliminating the practice of open defecation by 2019.
The loan agreement for the project was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.
“The Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission is the country’s largest-ever drive to improve sanitation. The SBM aims to end open defecation and improve the management of liquid and solid wastes. The project will promote behaviour change among rural communities and help accelerate results in India’s states by giving performance-based incentives,” said Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
Specifically, this project will support the rural component, known as SBM – Gramin (SBM-G), over a five-year period using a new performance-based program which links funds directly to results, ensuring that benefits are delivered to the people in need – more than 60 percent of India’s population that resides in rural areas.
The SBM-G program focuses on ensuring usage of toilets along with their construction. States and their implementing agencies will be given incentives for meeting performance standards. Performance will be measured against the states’ ability to reduce open defecation, sustaining their open defecation free (ODF) status and improving solid and liquid waste management in rural areas. The financing mechanism promotes the leadership of the states, which will have flexibility in innovating and adopting their own delivery models.
“One in every ten deaths in India is linked to poor sanitation. And studies show that low-income households bear the maximum brunt of poor sanitation. This project, aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Initiative of the government, will result in significant health benefits for the poor and vulnerable, especially those living in rural areas,” said Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for India. “Incentivizing good performance by states and the focus on behavioural changes are two important components of this project,” he added.
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) will oversee and coordinate the project and support the participating states. Funds will also be used to develop the capacity of MDWS in program management, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.
The World Bank will also provide a parallel US$25 million technical assistance to build the capacity of select state governments in implementing community-led behavioural change programs targeting social norms to help ensure widespread usage of toilets by rural households…
Philanthropies Announce Program to Develop Scientific Talent Worldwide
March 29, 2016
Summary
HHMI, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announce the International Research Scholars Program which aims to support up to 50 outstanding early career scientists worldwide.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and partners, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, today announced an international program to select up to 50 outstanding early career scientists. The program’s aim is to help develop scientific talent worldwide.
The program represents a key piece in HHMI’s efforts to expand and enhance its support of international scientific research in the life sciences. “We are pleased to be joined in this initiative by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Gulbenkian Foundation,” said HHMI President Robert Tjian. “Each organization shares a commitment to building international scientific capacity by identifying and supporting outstanding early career scientists who have the potential to be scientific leaders.”
HHMI and its partners have committed a total of $37.4 million for the International Research Scholars Program and will award each scientist who is selected a total of $650,000 over five years. The competition is open to scientists who have trained in the U.S. or United Kingdom for at least one year. Additionally, eligible scientists must have run their own labs for less than seven years, and work in one of the eligible countries.
Countries that are not eligible for this competition include the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States), as well as countries identified by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as being subject to comprehensive country or territory-wide sanctions or where current OFAC regulations prohibit U.S. persons or entities from engaging in the funding arrangements contemplated by this grant program. For this program, such sanctioned countries or territories currently include Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and the Crimea region of Ukraine…
“Scientific innovation is the engine that underpins the discovery and development of new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics and other interventions needed to address global health inequities,” said Chris Wilson, senior advisor and former director of Discovery & Translational Sciences at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “International research scientists bring unique perspectives and novel approaches that can accelerate this process. Through this collaborative endeavor, the Gates Foundation, HHMI, the Wellcome Trust, and the Gulbenkian Foundation aim to identify and support the research undertaken by such scientists and to bring them into a community that fosters the careers of these promising individuals.”
Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: “This program brings together funding partners who recognise that investing in research is critical to improving health. Our message is as relevant in lower and middle income countries as it is in high income countries, and this program is one way that we can support world-class scientists wanting to return to non-G7 countries to shape excellent, locally driven health research.”…
United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
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1 April 2016
SC/12315
Security Council, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2279 (2016), Requests Options for United Nations Police Deployment to Monitor Security Situation in Burundi
Amid continuing violence and a persistent political impasse in Burundi, the Security Council requested today that the Secretary-General present options for the deployment of a United Nations police contribution to monitor the security situation, promote respect for human rights, and advance the rule of law in the country.
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1 April 2016
GA/11770
Calling Attention to Chronic Hunger, General Assembly Decides 2016-2025 Will Be Decade of Action on Nutrition
The General Assembly today appointed a new advisory body member and adopted a package of texts recommended by its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) and decided to proclaim 2016-2025 the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.
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31 March 2016
SG/SM/17643-AFR/3355-PKO/569
‘Shocked to the Core’ by Latest Abuse Allegations in Central African Republic, Secretary-General Pledges to Relentlessly Confront Scourge, Aid Victims
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30 March 2016
SC/12308
Despite ‘Glimmer of Hope’ for Aid Distribution in Syria, Sustained Access Still ‘a Long Way Off’, Humanitarian Chief Tells Security Council
After five years of senseless and brutal conflict, a much-needed glimmer of hope had presented itself in Syria, the United Nations humanitarian chief told the Security Council today, during a briefing in which he nevertheless stressed that the sustained, unconditional and unimpeded access required by humanitarian actors was still a long way off.
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30 March 2016
SG/SM/17635-REF/1227
Open Doors Wider, ‘We Must Do Much, Much More’, Secretary-General Tells High-Level Meeting on Global Responsibility for Syrian Refugees
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30 March 2016
SG/SM/17636
Amid Evolving Threats, World Faces Shared Challenge to Build Landscape of Peace, End Injustices, Secretary-General Says at Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture in Sweden
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Dag Hammarskjöld lecture on “Evolving Threats, Timeless Values: The United Nations in a Changing Global Landscape”, in Stockholm,
UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
Selected Press Releases
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Investigations under way into “sickening” allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by peace-keepers in CAR
GENEVA (31 March 2016) – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Thursday described the latest allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN and French soldiers, as well as by local armed groups, in the Kemo prefecture of the Central African Republic as “sickening,” and said that major efforts were already underway to investigate allegations uncovered by a series of UN teams sent to the region over the past two weeks.
“The UN investigation into these sickening allegations, which suggest sexual abuse and exploitation of a large number of women and girls, must leave no stone unturned,” Zeid said. “We are taking these allegations – some of which are particularly odious — extremely seriously. It is vital that the victims are protected and receive all necessary care.”
Most of the allegations relate to Burundian and Gabonese contingents present in the Kemo region between 2013 and 2015, as well as to the separate French Sangaris force stationed in the same region in the same period. Allegations of abuse in other parts of the country are also continuing to be investigated.
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Moldova: A time of challenges and opportunities, says senior Human Rights Official
31 March 2016
SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [to 2 April 2016]
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/virtual-library/press-release-archive/
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01 Apr 2016
Central African Republic: Statement attributable to Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
New York –I am outraged and profoundly saddened by the new allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by international peacekeeping troops in the Central African Republic.
My heart breaks further as the majority of victims appear to be children. Girls and boys were allegedly subjected to depraved acts of sexual violence committed by troops present in the country to protect them, as well as by armed groups operating in the area. The children of the Central African Republic have been deeply affected by the conflict. Now, the lives of many have been permanently damaged and they have to overcome the trauma of sexual violence.
The UN system on the ground is currently ensuring the protection and well-being of the children and we fully support their efforts. Providing assistance to the victims is at the top of our collective agenda and I call on Member States to support these efforts.
My office will continue to monitor on the ongoing investigations and to call for full accountability for perpetrators. There can be no immunity for such despicable acts. The UN has a responsibility to do its utmost to react to and prevent violations wherever possible, but Member States have ultimate control over the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators. Rape and sexual violence against children are crimes in every legal system. I add my voice to the Secretary-General’s in calling for swift and strong actions by the Governments concerned to hold those responsible to account and ensure the response is commensurate with the gravity of the crimes.
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27 Mar 2016
Sudan Signs Action Plan to Protect Children from Violations in Armed Conflict
Khartoum, Sudan– In an important milestone for the protection of children in Sudan, the Government signed an Action Plan with the United Nations to prevent the recruitment and use of children by Sudan Government Security Forces. The United Nations welcomes the Government’s commitment to protect children from violations in armed conflict.
“We will work to promote and protect children’s rights in areas of armed conflict and displacement. We are also committed to strengthen existing mechanisms that are included in the Child Act of 2010 and the Sudan Armed Forces law, ” said His Excellency Ibrahim Adam Ibrahim, State Minister of Social Welfare…
UN OCHA [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases
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01 Apr 2016
occupied Palestinian territory: UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities calls for respect for Palestinians’ Freedom of Movement
Jerusalem, 1 April 2016 Today, humanitarian and development actors, including UN agencies, are joining thousands of Palestinian and international runners in the annual Palestine Marathon, taking place in the city of Bethlehem in support of Palestinians’ right to liberty of movement.
31 Mar 2016
Libya: Humanitarian Partners in Libya are Ready to Scale Up Humanitarian Assistance [EN/AR]
31 Mar 2016
Somalia: Somalia: USD 105 million urgently needed to save lives in drought-affected areas
Nairobi, 31 March 2016 — Aid agencies in Somalia today launched a Call for Aid seeking USD 105 million to scale-up critical, life-saving assistance and build resilience for more than one million people in the drought-affected northern regions of the country. The severe drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, which is ravaging parts of Puntland and Somaliland, has compounded an already challenging humanitarian situation…
UNICEF [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_89711.html
Selected Press Releases
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Yemen’s children on the brink as country risks becoming a failed state
SANA’A/AMMAN, 29 March 2016 – A brutal conflict and a fast-deteriorating humanitarian situation are devastating the lives of millions of children in Yemen and have brought the country to the point of collapse. A UNICEF report “Children on the Brink” highlights the heavy toll that the violence in Yemen is having on children and the deterioration in an already precarious humanitarian situation.
UNICEF launches “Unfairy Tales” of refugee and migrant children
NEW YORK, 29 March 2016 — UNICEF today launched a series of animated films to help frame positive perceptions towards the tens of millions of children and young people on the move globally.
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40
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Press Releases
30 March 2016
Geneva conference on Syrian refugees ends with new pledges of places, recognition of challenges ahead
23 March 2016
UNHCR reaches embattled Taizz from Aden with life-saving aid
IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
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04/01/16
Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals in 2016: 169,846; Deaths: 620
Greece – At least 170,000 migrants and refugees have entered Europe along sea-borne routes through the first three months of 2016, according to calculations by IOM.
Japan Donates USD 4 Million to IOM Iraq to Help Displaced Iraqis, Syrians
04/01/16
Iraq – The Government of Japan is providing a total of USD 4 million to IOM Iraq to support internally displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees.
One Year into Yemen Conflict, IOM Aids Desperate Migrants, Civilians
03/29/16
Yemen – The escalation of the conflict in Yemen has led to a massive deterioration of the political, social, security and humanitarian situation in the country.
UN Women [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories
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Date: 29 March 2016
“Migrant rights must be respected, protected and fulfilled at every stage”—Lakshmi Puri
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri during the Thematic Workshop on Connectivity–Migration–Business at the Ninth Global Forum for Migration and Development in Bangkok, Thailand on 29 March, 2016.
WHO & Regional Offices [to 2 April 2016]
WHO calls for early diagnostic tests for lassa fever
01 April 2016 — Lassa fever has killed more than 160 people in West Africa, most of them in Nigeria, since November 2015. Many of these lives could have been saved if a rapid diagnostic test were available so that people could receive treatment early. Also around 80% of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms or they have symptoms that mimic other illnesses, such as malaria, making it difficult to treat them.
Highlights
General Assembly proclaims the Decade of Action on Nutrition
April 2016 — The United Nations General Assembly today agreed a resolution proclaiming the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025. The resolution aims to trigger intensified action to end hunger and eradicate malnutrition worldwide, and ensure universal access to healthier and more sustainable diets.
New positive case of Ebola virus disease confirmed in Liberia
April 2016 — Liberian health authorities convened an emergency meeting today with key partners to coordinate and plan a rapid response to the new positive case of Ebola virus disease.
The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) celebrates 90 years
April 2016 — On 1 April 1926, epidemiologists in the Health Office of the League of Nations, Geneva created the first WER. The publication’s mission was to provide the world with information about disease hazards that, at that time, mostly travelled by sea: plague, cholera, yellow fever, typhus and smallpox.
A global course for healthy ageing
April 2016 — A new supplemental issue of The Gerontologist contains 12 articles that expand upon the major themes of the landmark WHO World report on ageing and health released in late 2015.
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Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: 1 April 2016 – Microcephaly – France – Martinique
:: 29 March 2016 – Yellow Fever – China
:: 29 March 2016 – Zika virus infection – Dominica and Cuba
:: 29 March 2016 – Microcephaly – Panama
:: 29 March 2016 – Guillain-Barré syndrome – Panama
:: 29 March 2016 – Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Director General of WHO and Regional Director for Africa in Luanda to support response to the yellow fever epidemic
Luanda, 2 April 2016 – The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Margaret Chan, and the Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, will be in Luanda, from 2 to 5 April 2016, for a working visit. The visit aims to acquaint them with ongoing efforts to prevent and control the yellow fever epidemic which has gripped the country since December 2015, and to identify ways of further strengthening support to Angola. r
:: WHO coordinating vaccination of contacts to contain Ebola flare-up in Guinea – 01 April 2016
:: New positive case of Ebola virus disease confirmed in Liberia – 01 April 2016
:: Extraordinary Meeting of the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF) – 01 April 2016
WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Zika Virus Surveillance Intensifying in the Americas, but Burden of Disease Still Unclear (03/29/2016)
WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: WHO congratulates India for introduction of rotavirus vaccine in the routine immunization schedule
27 March 2016
WHO European Region EURO
No new relevant content identified.
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Health situation in Yemen critical as violent conflict enters second year
27 March 2016, Sana’a, Yemen – This week marks one year since the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, where the violence has had a devastating impact on millions of innocent civilians, causing immeasurable suffering. Since March 2015, more than 6200 people have been killed and 30 000 injured. More than 21 million people – 82% of the total population – are in need of humanitarian aid, including almost 2.5 million people who have been internally displaced. More than one third of people in need live in inaccessible or hard-to-reach areas.
WHO Western Pacific Region
:: Working together to eliminate schistosomiasis in the Mekong
MANILA, 30 March 2016 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with communities across the Western Pacific Region to improve water safety and prevent water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis. This story describes action in the Mekong region to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem. Schistosomiasis can cause not only anaemia and stunting but also death in severe cases
UNAIDS [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/
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01 April 201
UNAIDS announces lower price tag on investments needed to Fast-Track ending the AIDS epidemic
Projected price drops for life-saving HIV treatment and streamlined delivery are driving down costs—investment needs for 2020 are US$ 26 billion
GENEVA, 1 April 2016—Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, UNAIDS announced new investment needs to Fast-Track the AIDS response. The projected need of US$ 26.2 billion in 2020 is down from a previous estimate of US$ 30 billion. New findings suggest that the world can reach ambitious Fast-Track targets for preventing new HIV infections, AIDS-related deaths and discrimination with fewer resources.
“Under the Fast-Track approach the world is driving down costs quickly to close the gap between people who have services and people being left behind,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Urgently and fully funding and front-loading investments will save lives and lead us to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”
The new UNAIDS reference document entitled Fast-Track—update on investments needed in the AIDS response explains improvements to the investment model with critical new inputs from the revised 2015 World Health Organization guidelines on HIV treatment. The guidelines recommend HIV treatment for all people living with HIV to reduce illness and deaths, which will increase the total cost of treatment. The guidelines also recommend streamlining care and support services that will contribute to lower costs per patient per year compared to earlier guidelines while retaining quality standards…
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 2 April 2016]
http://www.unfpa.org/press/press-release
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30 March 2016
Press Release
A Year of Conflict in Yemen Puts the Lives of 3.4 Million Women of Reproductive Age at Risk
SANA’A, Yemen – A year of conflict in Yemen has led to 21.2 million people requiring some form of humanitarian assistance, with nearly half of them being women and girls.
GE2P2 Global :: Knowledge Sharing; Ideas; Operations 