Civilians brave freezing temperatures as Aleppo evacuations resume – UN
New York, Dec 22 (Just Earth News): With civilians in war-battered eastern Aleppo braving sub-zero temperatures, evacuations escorted by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) resumed on Wednesday, as the agency estimates that more than 25,000 people have been evacuated from besieged neighbourhoods over the past five days, the United Nations said.
DR Congo: Ban urges political leaders to put country ahead of partisan considerations
New York, Dec 22 (Just Earth News): Calling on Congolese political leaders to place the interests of the country and its people above partisan considerations, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that he is keeping a close eye on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the mediation led by the Conférence épiscopale nationale des églises du Congo (CENCO) resumes.
Guinea-Bissau: Ban urges leaders to demonstrate goodwill to resolve political crisis
New York, Dec 22 (Just Earth News): Expressing concern over the impact of a prolonged political and institutional crisis in Guinea-Bissau, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the country's leadership to work towards a long-lasting political solution to the crisis on the basis of a regional roadmap agreed in September this year.
DR Congo: Ban condemns killing of UN peacekeeper
New York, Dec 20 (Just Earth News): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of a peacekeeper from South Africa deployed with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in North Kivu earlier on Monday.
Act now to halt South Sudan’s ‘trajectory towards mass atrocities,’ Ban urges Security Council
New York, Dec 20 (Just Earth News):Amid growing tensions and increasing despair among South Sudan’s population, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday warned that the international community’s failure to act now could put the country on a trajectory towards mass atrocities.
Ban commends West African countries’ firm decision to stand by Gambian President-elect
New York, Dec 20 (Just Earth News):United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday commended decisions by a bloc of West African countries to take all necessary actions to enforce the outcome of the presidential election in Gambia, guarantee the protection of President-elect Adama Barrow, and attend the new leader’s inauguration ceremony on 19 January 2017.
UN condemns assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey
New York, Dec 20 (Just Earth News):Strongly condemning the assassination on Monday of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council emphasized that there is no justification for targeting diplomatic personnel and civilians.
'Every migrant is a human being with human rights,' says UN chief on International Day
New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News): Despite appearances and media spin, "migration does not have to be chaotic or seem like an invasion," and as yet another turbulent year for millions of people on the move comes to an end, the United Nations is marking International Migrants Day with a worldwide call for more cooperation and a resolute rejection of intolerance and policies driven by xenophobic rhetoric.
Political accord's slow implementation has not brought peace and stability Libyans deserve – Ban
New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News): Marking the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended all Libyans who engaged in the “milestone†process, but cautioned that while much progress has been made, “the road to peace is long†and the Libyan people have not yet achieved the stability and security they deserve.
Ban condemns deadly attack on military post in northern Burkina Faso
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News):United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today's attack against a military post in Nassoumbou, province of Soum in the north of Burkina Faso, in which Burkinabè soldiers were killed and injured.
Possibility of genocide in South Sudan is ‘all too real,’ Ban warns in opinion piece
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News):Given the scale of the disaster in South Sudan, the United Nations Security Council, regional organizations and the international community must step up to their responsibility to the help the country’s people, who have suffered through three years of bloody conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Fridayin an opinion piece published by Newsweek.
Israelis and Palestinians must ‘rebuild trust in each other,’ Ban tells Security Council
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News):While the international community must spare no effort revive waning support for the long-sought two-state solution for Middle East peace, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the United Nations Security Council on Fridaythat “ultimately, it is up to the Israelis and the Palestinians to make peace,†and called on the two sides to “rebuild trust in each other.â€
‘Aleppo now synonym for hell,’ Ban warns in final press conference as UN chief
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News):In his last press conference as United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on Fridaydelivered stark warnings on two issues at the forefront of international concern: that “the carnage in Syria remains a gaping hole in the global conscience;†and that South Sudan faces a risk of genocide as the country leaders have “squandered a peace agreement.â€
Gambia: UN chief 'dismayed' at military takeover of electoral commission
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): Expressing dismay at the takeover of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) premises by the military in Gambia, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the security forces to immediately vacate the Commission and to refrain from any further acts that could jeopardise efforts towards the peaceful transfer of power.
New York, Dec 14 (Just Earth News): At a high-level pledging conference in New York today on the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the UN is seeking at Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s request, an unprecedented $1 billion by 2018 – a stark increase since its 2005 establishment.