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UN Daily News
Issue DH/7108

Thursday, 3 March 2016

In the headlines:
Yemen: UN humanitarian chief urges civilian

Marking World Wildlife Day, UN calls for global

In Burkina Faso, UN chief praises country's hard-

UN human rights experts urge US to increase

protection, access to all parts of country

won gains to consolidate democracy and

development

Governments must commit to eliminating

homelessness by 2030, UN rights expert urges

Ukraine: growing despair among over three million

actions to save planets most iconic species

efforts to address water contamination

Darfur: top UN and African Union officials call for

free movement of peacekeepers and aid workers

Overall global food prices steady in February UN

civilians in conflict zone UN report

Yemen: UN humanitarian chief urges civilian protection, access

to all parts of country
3 March - Protecting civilians amid the unabated conflict in Yemen is the most pressing
concern today, the top United Nations relief official told the Security Council, calling on
the international community to impress upon the actors their obligations to guard civilians
and to facilitate unconditional and sustained access to all parts of the country.

Faj Attan, a neighbourhood of Yemens

capital, Sanaa, is regularly hit by
airstrikes. Most of the population has left.
Photo: OCHA/Charlotte Cans

All parties in this conflict have an obligation under international humanitarian law to take
every measure to ensure civilians and civilian objects are protected, UN Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien told
the 15-member body by teleconference this morning.

He called it unacceptable that health facilities were being hit, referring to an attack on 24
February when Coalition air strikes reportedly destroyed a health centre in Bidbadah district of Marib Governorate, and 1
March airstrikes that reportedly landed within 20 meters of a hospital in Sa'ada.
It is critical that the parties make guarantees that these locations will be protected, Mr. O'Brien added, including as
protected places sites such as hospitals, schools and homes, which he said continue to be hit by all parties.
Since the start of the conflict, more than 2,000 children have been killed or injured in the fighting, Mr. O'Brien said.
In the past week, for example, six children were among the 30 or so people killed in an apparent air strike on a busy market
in Nahem district of Sana'a Governorate. An additional 40 people were injured. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is
among those who have called for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident on 27 February.

For information media not an official record

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3 March 2016

Challenges to aid delivery

Such attacks have contributed to a security situation across much of the country which is rapidly deteriorating, said Mr.
O'Brien, citing an absence of political negotiations to end the conflict. He cited regular attacks by parties including Al
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the so-called Aden and Abyan branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levans (ISIL) and
local militants, against segments of the Yemeni Government.
Intense fighting in parts of the country is restricting the UN's ability to deliver assistance, the senior UN official warned,
highlighting also the impediments caused by a proliferation of checkpoints and communication gaps in command and
control lines within armed groups.
Agreements and guarantees reached at the national level [are] not necessarily communicated downstream to the individuals
at checkpoints, he said. Despite permission to move trucks are often held up and sometimes delayed for days or even
weeks, he added.
Bureaucratic requirements imposed by Houthi authorities also delay and impede the delivery of aid, he noted. Of particular
concern is a delay since October 2015 for a UN agency Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment that is due to be
done over three months by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Despite the challenges, UN agencies and partners remain committed to expanding its overall response to 13.4 million people
throughout Yemen. To achieve this, the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for this year has appealed for $1.8 billion.

Protecting civilian infrastructure

In his briefing today, Mr. O'Brien also called on all parties to ensure protection of civilian infrastructure, including shipping
ports and associated equipment.
In recent months, there has been a significant increase in fuel and other life-saving imports through Yemeni ports: It is
critical that every effort be made by all Member States directly concerned to encourage, and not hinder, that trend.
The Coalition and the United Nations are due to finalize this week the nominations for the UN Verification and Inspection
Mechanism (UNVIM), instituted at the request of the Government of Yemen. The Mechanism is intended to expedite
legitimate commercial imports of fuel, and other critical commodities, such as food and medicines.
Mr. O'Brien's briefing comes just weeks after UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged the Council and the
wider international community to support the effort to secure a cessation of hostilities and open a new round of talks that
could open the way to ending the year-long conflict between various factions.
Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed also briefed the Council today. He spoke by teleconference in the closed consultation session that
followed the open meeting.

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3 March 2016

In Burkina Faso, UN chief praises country's hard-won gains to

consolidate democracy and development
3 March - Burkina Faso is making a solid comeback, United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon said today in the country's capital, Ouagadougou, where he praised the
Burkinabe Government and people for their perseverance during a series of tests in recent
years, and who with UN support, are firmly on a path to consolidated democratic gains and
ensure sustainable development.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (shaking

hands) arrives at Ouagadougou
International Airport where he was met
by Foreign Minister Alpha Barry of
Burkina Faso. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

"I just talked with President [Roch Marc Christian] Kabor. I gave him my admiration for
the courage of the people of Burkina Faso, who have gone through very painful moments
from the insurrection of October 2014, the coup of September 2015 and the deadly attacks
of 15 January, said Mr. Ban at a joint press conference with the Burkinabe leader.

Assuring the President that the United Nations remained committed to the country, Mr. Ban
said the Organization is proud of its partnership with Burkina Faso and the United Nations will support the National
Development Plan the Government would present in a few weeks.
The stakes are high: the country is on the path of prosperity and long-term reforms, including that of the security sector,
he stressed.
The UN chief also welcomed the willingness of Burkina Faso to align its national actions with the aims of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and, particularly the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.
"The World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul in May, will be another opportunity to promote international
solidarity. It will help to mobilize assistance to the most vulnerable populations of this region and the rest of the world, and
can allow us to move from the era of aid delivery to that of the late needs," Mr. Ban explained.
He went on to welcome the active role played by Burkina Faso in the Sahel region, particularly in the context of the UN
Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Secretary-general said he was deeply concerned about the terrorist attacks in the region
and noted that the response to terrorism must be comprehensive and conducted in strict compliance with human rights and
international humanitarian law.
"The President and I both believe that while addressing security issues, the Sahel countries need to focus on the root causes
of instability: poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, discrimination and impunity, Mr. Ban underscored, adding that he
would continue to call on the wider international community to keep up its support to the Sahel region.
During his trip to Burkina Faso, which began Wednesday, the Secretary General also visited a paediatric unit of nutritional
recovery in Shifra Medical Center.
He welcomed the efforts of the Burkinabe authorities to reduce malnutrition as part of the 'Scaling Up Nutrition' initiative.
"The number of children suffering from acute malnutrition which benefit from treatment has tripled [rising] from 40,000 in
2011 to 120,000 last year. Thousands of lives are being saved each year. This avoids the terrible human suffering and ensure
the future of this great country," he noted.

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3 March 2016

Governments must commit to eliminating homelessness by

2030, UN rights expert urges
3 March - Homelessness is found in every country in the world and is spreading with
impunity, a United Nations human rights expert today warned, calling on governments to
recognize homelessness as a human rights crisis and commit to its eradication by 2030, in
line with the new UN Sustainable Development Goals.

UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran

Presenting her report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN Special
Rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha said that homelessness is found
throughout the world, in all countries regardless of the level of development of their
economic and governance systems.

Widespread homelessness is evidence of the failure of States to protect and ensure the human rights of the most vulnerable
populations, Ms. Farha said, pointing to the social stigma, discrimination, violence and criminalization experienced by
people who are homeless.
She blamed persistent inequality, unfair distribution of land and property and poverty occurring on a global scale, among
the factors for homelessness, saying that State acquiescence to real estate speculation and unregulated markets is the result
of treating housing as a commodity rather than as a human right.
Addressing the Council, Ms. Farha urged the need for fighting the invisibility of the issue through national strategies
anchored in human rights and rights to adequate housing.
We have been silent and have failed to tackle one of the most pervasive violations of human rights, but our lack of action
can make us complicit, she underscored.
The Special Rapporteur called on governments to commit to destroying homelessness by 2030, the deadline for the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seek to eliminate poverty, hunger and a raft of social ills.
She noted that this year could be a catalyst for the discussion on homelessness as the global community also prepares for
Habitat III, the upcoming UN world conference on housing and sustainable urban development.
The UN Special Rapporteurs work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

Ukraine: growing despair among over three million civilians in

conflict zone UN report
3 March - Despite a decrease in the number of civilian casualties in the east of Ukraine
over the past few months, a new United Nations report shows that the conflict is severely
impacting on the daily life of civilians, with a growing sense of despair and isolation
affecting those living in the conflict zone, especially in the areas controlled by the armed
groups.

Children sit and lie on the floor while

other children walk nearby, in a
kindergarten in the city of Debaltseve,
Donetsk Oblast (province), Ukraine.
Photo: UNICEF/Aleksey Filippov

There is a terrible sensation of physical, political, social and economic isolation and
abandonment among the huge number of people more than three million in all who are
struggling to eke out a living in the conflict zone. They are in urgent need of greater
protection and support, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al
Hussein, in a news release.

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3 March 2016

Daily struggle for survival

The latest in a series of reports on Ukraine by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which
covers the period from 16 November 2015 to 15 February 2016, places particular focus on the daily struggle for survival by
people living around the contact line, which separates the self-proclaimed Donetsk peoples republic and Luhansk
peoples republic from the rest of Ukraine.
According to OHCHR, many homes have been damaged and looted. Local administrations are not functioning, and access to
basic public services is, at best, limited. Water and food are expensive and difficult to acquire. Freedom of movement is
severely hampered by check points with, at times, hundreds of vehicles waiting to cross the contact line and passengers
forced to spend the night in freezing temperatures.
Residents of territories under the control of armed groups are particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses, the report says,
describing how they live in an environment characterized by the growth of parallel governance structures, a complete
absence of rule of law, reports of arbitrary detention, torture and incommunicado detention, and no access to real redress
mechanisms.
I am particularly concerned by the lack of space left for civil society, the vulnerability to abuse of people deprived of their
liberty, and the complete absence of due process and rule of law in territories under the control of the armed groups, Mr.
Zeid said.
The report describes how a recent wave of arrests in the self-proclaimed Donetsk peoples republic has had a further
chilling effect on the ability of people to exercise their already heavily circumscribed rights to the freedom of expression,
religion, peaceful assembly and association.

Allegations of violations perpetrated with impunity

During the reporting period, UN human rights monitors also documented allegations of violations perpetrated with impunity
by Ukrainian law enforcement officialsmainly elements of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)including enforced
disappearances, arbitrary and incommunicado detention, and torture and ill-treatment.
I urge the Ukrainian authorities to ensure prompt and impartial investigation into each and every reported human rights
violation, Mr. Zeid stated. Accountability is critical to bring justice for victims, curtail impunity, and foster long-lasting
peace, and it is also important as a deterrent to further violations by State authorities. Each violation that goes uninvestigated and unpunished saps the States moral and legal authority.
The High Commissioner also called on the Government of Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk peoples republic and
Luhansk peoples republic to take action to clarify the fate of missing persons and to prevent other people from going
missing. The clarification of the fate of the missing should be a key priority of any peace negotiations, he stressed.
Meanwhile, the human rights situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea remains very difficult, according to the
report, with Crimean Tatar demonstrators facing prosecution and others being arrested for alleged membership in terrorist
organizations. Last month, the prosecutor of Crimea filed a request with its supreme court to designate the Mejlis, the selfgoverning body of the Crimean Tatars, as an extremist organization and to ban its activities. OHCHR qualified this as a
significant and worrying development.

Ceasefire remains tenuous

The UN report also shows that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine remains tenuous, with reported violations to it, the continued
occurrences of indiscriminate shelling and the presence of anti-personnel mines and remnants of war. During the reporting
period, 78 conflict-related civilian casualties were recorded in eastern Ukraine, bringing the estimated casualty figures since
the beginning of the conflict to more than 30,000 people, including at least 9,160 killed and 21,000 injured (figures include
civilians as well as Ukrainian armed forces, and members of armed groups).
The implementation of the Minsk Agreements is the only viable strategy for achieving a peaceful solution in certain areas
of eastern Ukraine controlled by armed groups, which, in turn, is key for resolving the human rights crisis in Ukraine. This
includes the restoration of effective control by the Government of Ukraine over the border with the Russian Federation and
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3 March 2016

the withdrawal of foreign fighters, mercenaries and military equipment, the High Commissioner stressed.

Marking World Wildlife Day, UN calls for global actions to save

planets most iconic species
3 March - Time is running out to end wildlife poaching that threatens some of the
worlds most iconic species, such as elephants, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today
as the United Nations marked World Wildlife Day.

African elephants are listed as vulnerable

by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the
animals are poached for their ivory tusks.
Photo: UNEP GRID Arendal/Peter
Prokosch

Urging global efforts to protect this essential natural heritage for the current and future
generations, much more needs to be done by key actors on all continents and across sectors,
he said in a message, stressing that the future of wildlife is in our hands, echoing the
theme of this years World Day.
For too long, the world has been witness to heart-breaking images of the mass slaughter of
elephants for their tusks, he said.

According to the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the killing of African elephants and trafficking in their ivory remain alarmingly
high. Asian elephants are also subject to growing levels of poaching. An estimate shows that about 100,000 elephants were
slaughtered for their ivory between 2010 and 2012.
Under the theme, The future of wildlife is in our hands, African and Asian elephants are a main focus of the 2016 Day.
Countries around the world are encouraged to highlight species of wild animals and plants from their own countries,
adapting the global theme to suit.
Mr. Ban said that last year, UN Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including specific
targets to end poaching. The UN General Assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution to limit illicit trafficking in
wildlife.
To combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, it is essential to address both the demand and supply of illegal
wildlife products through agreed goals and targets and international instruments, such as the CITES, he added.
In his message, John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, noted that the current wildlife crisis is not a natural
phenomenon, such as a drought, a flood or a cyclone. It is the direct result of peoples actions, he declared.
Across every continent, he noted, governments and citizens are tackling both demand and supply, making wildlife crime
much riskier and far less profitable. We are beginning to turn the tide on wildlife trafficking, he said, adding, however,
that much still remains to be done, and a collective success will rely upon the individual actions taken by each.
UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said that the disappearance of individual species
threatens biodiversity, and by extension, the life support systems on the planet. The Day is a call to become more informed
and more involved in stopping this crime against nature, communities and future generations, he said.
Braulio F. de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said wildlife is also the basis of
biodiversity. Biodiversity in the wild is just as important to human wellbeing as biodiversity in plants and animals used for
human consumption. Wildlife is incremental to forestry, fishery and tourism livelihoods around the world. Quite simply,
biodiversity keep ecosystems functional providing the ecosystem services to allow people to survive, get enough food, and
make a living.
The conservation and sustainable use of wildlife is therefore a critical component of sustainable development, and should
be part of a comprehensive approach to achieving poverty eradication, food security and sustainable livelihoods, he said.

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3 March 2016

UN human rights experts urge US to increase efforts to address

water contamination
3 March - The situation of lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, is fundamentally
about human rights, a group of United Nations experts today said, urging the United States
to protect the rights of children and others who are most at risk from pollution and toxic
chemicals.
No parent should have to endure the mental torment that will haunt parents in Flint, and no
child should be denied the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and
mental health, said the experts, whose expertise include hazardous wastes, health, water Photo: UNICEF/UKLA2013-00961/Karin
Schermbrucker
and sanitation, indigenous peoples, minorities, and racism.
The experts commended US President Barack Obama for declaring a Federal state of emergency to accelerate the
distribution of bottled water and filters in flint, but said that much more must be done to protect those who live in
vulnerable situations and to restore a safe permanent water supply.
These steps include ratification by the US Government of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, without reservation, among others.
The majority of the population in Flint is predominantly African-American, and many residents live below the poverty line.
This has drawn international attention to the toxic threats faced by children, particularly minority and poor communities
across the country.
The experts noted that lead is only one of many toxic chemicals to which residents in those communities are often
disproportionately exposed.
Citing a recent study which reportedly shows that minorities across the US comprise nearly half the population living near
potential sources of toxic emissions, the experts said that some 1.6 million children under the age of five live in hazardous
areas where their bodies are particularly vulnerable to adverse health impacts of toxic chemical exposure.
Nearly twice as many African-American children across the country have high levels of lead in their blood as compared
with white children, 5.6 per cent versus 2.4 per cent, respectively.
The UN Special Rapporteurs work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
The group that made todays appeal includes:

Baskut Tuncak, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management
and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes;
Lo Heller, Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation;
Dainius Puras, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of
physical and mental health;
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples;
Rita Izsk-Ndiaye, Special Rapporteur on minority issues;
Mutuma Ruteere, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance;
and the Working Group of experts on people of African descent.

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Darfur: top UN and African Union officials call for free

movement of peacekeepers and aid workers
3 March - Expressing deep concern about the upsurge in fighting between the Sudanese
Government forces and a rebel group in Darfur, United Nations Secretary-General ban Kimoon today called for freedom of movement for UN peacekeepers and humanitarian actors
in their continued efforts to protect and support the affected civilians.

Children in Jawa village, in East Jebel

Marra (South Darfur). Photo:
UNAMID/Albert Gonzlez Farran

There is no military solution to the conflict in Darfur, and [we] call on all parties to engage
in earnest in negotiations for a cessation of hostilities leading to a peaceful settlement of the
conflict, Mr. Ban said in a joint statement with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of
the African Union (AU) Commission.

The upsurge in fighting between the Government of Sudan forces and the Sudan Liberation
Army/Abdul Wahid, in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur is taking a toll on civilians.
Since the outbreak of violence six weeks ago, over 90,000 civilians have been displaced in North Darfur, in addition to 2.6
million already displaced by the conflict. There are also unconfirmed reports of significant numbers of displaced people in
Central Darfur which humanitarian organisations have been unable to verify due to access restrictions.
Mr. Ban and Ms. Dlamini-Zuma called on the Government to fully cooperate with the UN-AU Mission in Darfur
(UNAMID) to facilitate its freedom of movement, as well as that of the humanitarian actors in their continued efforts to
protect and provide assistance to the civilian population affected by the fighting.
They also reiterated their support to the AU High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and South Sudan, as well as to
UNAMID, in their relentless efforts to facilitate the peace process.

Overall global food prices steady in February UN

3 March - Overall food prices stayed put on the month in February, as falling sugar and
dairy prices offset a spike in vegetable oil prices, according to the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
FAO's Food Price Index, a trade-weighted index tracking international market prices of
major cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 150.2 points for the month,
virtually unchanged from a revised 150.0 points in January, according to a news release
from the agency. It was down 14.5 percent from a year ago.
Vegetable oil prices rose 8.0 percent from the previous month, with palm oil prices jumping
13 per cent on reports of falling inventories and a poor production outlook in the near
future. Soy oil prices also firmed as a result.

A farmer in the Democratic Republic of

Congo weeds his rice field. Photo:
FAO/Olivier Asselin.

Sugar prices declined 6.2 percent from January due to strong global inventories and improved crop conditions in Brazil, the
world's largest producer and exporter while dairy prices fell 2.1 percent on the month amid sluggish imports, especially by
China.
Prices of the world's staple grains were broadly stable. Cereal prices inched down only around half a percentage point from
the previous month. It plunged 13.7 per cent from a year earlier. Wheat prices fell 1.5 percent, maize prices slipped only
slightly, while rice prices ascended modestly.
Meat prices rose slightly on supply constraints for beef from Australia and the United States as well as support for private
storage of pig meat in the European Union. Poultry prices fell, reflecting lower feed costs.

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Strong wheat harvests seen in China and South Asia for 2016
FAO also issued its first forecast for the world's 2016 wheat harvest, projecting 723 million tonnes of total production, about
10 million tonnes below last year's record output.
China and Pakistan are expected to sustain near-record wheat harvests, and India's output is anticipated to recover, although
FAO's latest Cereal Supply and Demand Brief forecasts a 1.4 percent drop worldwide in 2016, due mainly to dry weather
leading to reduced winter plantings in Russia and Ukraine.

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)