Fwd: UN DAILY NEWS DIGEST - 5 December

UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
5 December, 2014
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WORLD MUST DO 'WHATEVER IT TAKES' TO ENSURE RECOVERY OF EBOLA-AFFECTED COUNTRIES – BAN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed today to members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) "to do whatever it takes" to help the West African countries hardest hit by Ebola grow back stronger and more resilient, while the head of the UN health agency noted that the "fear of Ebola is moving faster than the virus" itself.

"The international response to date has been unprecedented in its speed and generosity, but much more will be asked before this emergency is over," the Secretary-General told a special ECOSOC meeting at UN headquarters on "Ebola: A threat to sustainable development."

"Today, let us resolve to do whatever it takes to assist the Governments of the affected countries to recover stronger and more resilient from the Ebola crisis," Mr. Ban said.

ECOSOC President, Martin Sajdik, who convened the meeting, said Council members stand ready to help mobilize all partners, including a network of non-governmental organizations, to ensure that economic and social recovery efforts help stabilize the worst-affected countries and strengthen their preparedness to prevent future outbreaks.

"While the Security Council and the General Assembly are focused on mobilizing international support for stopping the outbreak in the short-term, the ECOSOC must begin to plan for a post-Ebola response that will ensure that the affected countries do not fall too far off track from progress already achieved towards the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals]," Mr. Sajdik said.

Mr. Ban, who opened the meeting, noted that the social and economic impact of the Ebola crisis in West Africa has been broad and deep and would long outlast the outbreak.

"Incomes are down. Prices have risen. Markets are bare. People are hungry," he said. "That is why it is imperative that while we work to end the Ebola outbreak, we must also begin to focus on recovery."

His Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, briefed on the current state of the epidemic based on his just concluded visit to Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone, which has now reached 17,517 cases with 6,187 deaths, according to WHO's most recent statistics.

In his remarks, Dr. Nabarro said: "Even as we fight Ebola, attention must be on helping the affected societies to build back better. This involves, for example, building local capacity of national health workers by integrating them in the response."

"The Ebola outbreak has crippled the health sector in the three worst affected countries. There was already a shortage of health workers," the UN envoy noted in those remarks. "For example, Sierra Leone had only two doctors for every 100,000 people – approximately 120 doctors for six million people before the Ebola outbreak began."

The Director-General of UN World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan noted by video-link from Geneva that the "fear of Ebola is moving faster than the virus."

"This is the largest, longest, most severe, and most complex Ebola epidemic," Dr. Chan said, noting that what began as a health crisis has become a humanitarian crisis, with social, economic, and security implications.

The President of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, noted that the UN children's agency (UNICEF) estimates show that at least 7,500 children have lost one or two parents to Ebola, while schools have remained closed indefinitely, leaving an estimated five million children out of school.

Also addressing the special meeting were Government representatives from Guinea, Sierra Leone.

Dr. Paul Farmer, who is Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Community-based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti, served as moderator and took part in an interactive dialogue portion of the meeting, flagged the importance of finding a way to link development with capacity building in the affected countries. For example, Dr. Farmer said, training infectious disease doctors would contribute to the health infrastructure in the long-term.

The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), meanwhile, reported today that Guinea-Bissau had announced that it would reopen the country's official border crossings with Guinea within five days.

Guinea-Bissau had closed the border in August 2014 in an effort to prevent cross-border transmission of Ebola, according to UNMEER, and explained that a recent summit of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had recommended the reopening of borders with the most affected countries to accelerate response efforts and avoid stigmatization of their populations.

WHO today made available in a Q and A format a snapshot of the current state of clinical trials and evaluations of potential vaccines and therapies for Ebola.

The UN health agency also said it will be bringing to Geneva next week health and finance ministers, non-state actors, donors and international technical agencies with the aim of laying the foundation for stronger health systems in the medium- to long-term in the Ebola-affected countries.


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UN CHIEF SCORES GOAL FOR PEACE IN FOOTBALL GAME TO MARK 'CHRISTMAS TRUCE' OF 1914

As part of commemorations of the centenary of the First World War, the United Nations Secretary-General today addressed an event at Headquarters dedicated to the 'Christmas Truce' of 1914, when a series of spontaneous ceasefires briefly held, during which soldiers on opposing sides exchanged gifts, sang carols and played an iconic game of football.

"To this day, the events of Christmas 1914 give us hope that enmities can be forgotten, and that former enemies – such as the United Kingdom and Germany – can become great allies," Mr. Ban said. "As we reflect on the lessons of one of the deadliest conflicts in history, let us also remember some of the most glorious examples of man's humanity to man."

The occasion recalled "quite extraordinary and un-choreographed events" when some 100,000 troops were involved in unofficial truces all along the Western Front, and featured readings from letters recording the events of 1914, carol singing and a football penalty shoot-out between the Permanent Representatives of Germany and the United Kingdom, which the Secretary-General refereed.

The Secretary-General described how the carnage of the First World War led to the birth of the League of Nations, one of the first comprehensive attempts by the international community to create a multilateral body dedicated to maintaining the peace.
"Tragically, the world found itself at war again. The United Nations rose from the ashes and next year will celebrate its 70th anniversary," he said.

The result of the penalty shoot-out between the two delegations was a 2-2 tie.


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INDIAN OCEAN: UN WARNS OF UPTICK IN CLANDESTINE MIGRATION DESPITE 'HORRIFIC' DANGERS

More people are risking their lives to cross the Indian Ocean on smuggler's boats despite the great risks involved, including the prospect of "horrific violence," the United Nations refugee agency warned today.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, William Spindler, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters that an estimated 54,000 people had undertaken irregular maritime journeys in the Southeast Asian region of the Indian Ocean, including some 53,000 people leaving from the Bay of Bengal towards Thailand and Malaysia.

According to UNHCR, in fact, an estimated total of 120,000 people are believed to have embarked on these clandestine journeys across the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of 2012, with payments ranging from $1,600 to $2,400 per passenger. As a result of the frequency and cost of the journey, smugglers have managed to generate nearly $250 million in revenue in the last three years alone.

"The outflow from the Bay of Bengal tended to peak in October, when calmer waters followed the end of the rainy season," Mr. Spindler explained. "Departures this October surged more than in previous years."

The spokesperson added that some 21,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis had set sail since then – a 37 per cent increase over the same period last year. About 10 per cent were believed to be women while approximately a third of arrivals interviewed by UNHCR in Thailand and Malaysia were minors under the age of 18.

Mr. Spindler suggested that the uptick in numbers were caused by current conditions in Myanmar where ethnic tensions and conflict could be driving Rohingya, an ethnic minority group, to leave the country.

Meanwhile, he continued, the majority of people who made the crossings were initially charged very little by the smugglers who, upon arrival at their destination, would then hold them against their will until the families paid money for their release. In many cases, the migrants are held in dire conditions, suffering beatings, torture and rape. Once the migrants are released, they still face potential detention from the local authorities, clandestine living within the host country, or even deportation to their country of origin.

"It is a very concerning situation," Mr. Spindler said.


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UN REPORT URGES MORE FUNDS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, WARNS ON TEMPERATURE RISE

Despite public funding of climate change adaptation measures reaching as high as $26 billion in 2012-2013, a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report predicts a significant funding gap after 2020 unless new and additional finance for adaptation is made available.

The first UNEP Adaptation Gap Report finds that even if global greenhouse gas emissions are cut to the level required to keep temperature rise below 2°C, the cost of climate change adaptation in developing countries is likely to reach two to three times the previous estimates of $70-100 billion per year by 2050.

"Debating the economics of our response to climate change must become more honest," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner in a press release on the challenges ahead, released as the first week of UN climate talks in Lima, Peru wrap up. That conference is set to conclude its work on 12 December.

"As world leaders meet in Lima to take the critical next step in realizing a global agreement on climate change, this report underlines the importance of including comprehensive adaptation plans in the agreement."

The report assesses global adaptation gaps in finance, technology and knowledge, and lays out a framework for future work to better define and bridge those gaps. It calls for further action to cut emissions to prevent adaptation costs from soaring as wider and more-expensive action is needed to protect communities from the intensifying impacts of climate change.

"The impacts of climate change are already beginning to be factored into the budgets of national and local authorities," Mr. Steiner added, stressing the particular need to address the implications of climate change on least developed countries.

He called on Governments to address the gaps in funding, technology and knowledge in future planning and budgeting and said the report was a "powerful reminder" that the potential cost of inaction carries a real price tag.

To keep temperature rise within the necessary limits, UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2014 found that global carbon neutrality should be attained by mid-to-late century. Business as usual could lead to a rise far beyond the safe limits, potentially the spending needed for adaptation in the worst-case figures.

The report expands on the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, which estimated the cost of climate change adaptation in developing countries at $70-100 billion per year by 2050. The new report estimates the figure for 2050 as high as $250-500 billion per year, based on the assumption that emissions are cut to the targets required to limit global temperature rises.


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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN CHIEF SAYS SECURITY FRAGILE, CALLS FOR VOTE BY AUGUST 2015

The United Nations Secretary-General met today with the Head of State of the Transition of the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, noting that the security situation in the country remained fragile, and agreeing on the need for urgent progress to establish an inclusive political process.

Mr. Ban expressed appreciation for the announcement, with the support of the international community, to convene the Bangui Forum as early as possible next year, and to complete the election process before August 2015. He urged Ms Samba-Panza to continue showing leadership to ensure a successful, inclusive, transparent transition was completed in a timely manner.

Meanwhile, the UN Senior Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic (CAR), Claire Bourgeois, recalled that one year ago, a cycle of violence reached Bangui triggering the displacement of half a million people, accompanied by the massacre of innocent civilians, leaving deep wounds in the communities that still have difficulties in living side by side today.

"More attention needs to be given to CAR in order to find appropriate and immediate solutions to the complexity of the current humanitarian crisis which stemmed from a persisting political, developmental and humanitarian crisis spanning over many years," she said, underscoring that despite the progress achieved so far, she strongly condemned the upsurge in violence that occurred yesterday, causing more bereavement to the population in Bambari.

In addition, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that the CAR faced one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than 187,000 refugees having fled to neighbouring countries over the last year, bringing the total number of refugees and internally displaced people over 850,000, about a fifth of the country's entire population.

"Some 430,000 people remain displaced, half a million less than at the end of December 2013," UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler, briefing reporters in Geneva earlier today. He stressed that the improvement did not mean an end to the crisis.

"The security situation in the country remains volatile, with sporadic incidents of violence as witnessed in October, when clashes broke out between militias and international forces," he said, warning: "It is at risk of becoming overshadowed by other pressing crises if more support is not provided."

UNHCR and its partners presented a Regional Refugee Response Plan in 2014 that included financial requirements of $209 million. The response is currently funded at only 51 per cent and Mr. Spindler urged donors and the international community "to provide continued support and hope to the beleaguered citizens of the Central African Republic."

"The one-year anniversary of the conflict marks one year that children have been out of school, a year of learning lost, and a year of their lives scarred and shattered," said Sarah Crowe of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Nearly two years of violence in the Central African Republic has affected more than two million children and plunged the country's formal education system into a state of crisis. Many school buildings had been damaged, looted or taken over for other purposes."

UNICEF launched a campaign in November that aimed to help return hundreds of thousands of children to school after the deterioration in the security situation forced many teachers and students to flee.

The "Back to School" initiative aimed to help a total of 662,000 children to resume their studies, and UNICEF is delivering "school in a box" kits that contain essential equipment, such as exercise books and pencils, and school backpacks, to enable children to resume their educations. Currently, 300,000 children were reported back in school, a significant step that has had "a ripple effect throughout the whole community and lent a sense of momentum and optimism."


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UN RELIEF AGENCIES PREPARE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AS TYPHOON APPROACHES PHILIPPINES

More than 30 million people risk feeling the brunt of Typhoon Hagupit as it barrels down on the Philippines, United Nations emergency and humanitarian officials warned today as they outlined the Organization-wide preparations being made before the massive storm makes landfall this weekend.

At a press briefing in Geneva, Denis McClean, a spokesperson for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), said the Category 5 typhoon has triggered one of the largest peace time evacuations in Philippines history, noting that the extent of the evacuation "appeared to rival" the one million people evacuated last year when Cyclone Phailin threatened India's coastline.

As a result, he said, schools and local Government offices had been closed and evacuation centres were filling up as people were rapidly moving out of danger zones. While around 10 million residents of the Philippines are at risk of flooding, storm surges and strong winds, "more than 30 million people could feel the impact," he added.

Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as "Ruby," has stirred unease among many Filipinos following the devastation wrought by the last super storm to hit the archipelago – Typhoon Haiyan.

Haiyan is the biggest typhoon recorded in almost a century, and according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as it slammed into the Philippines in the early hours of 8 November 2013, it killed thousands and affected nearly 9.8 million people, displaced some 4 million people and destroyed 500,000 homes.

The storm also devastated the country's infrastructure, hospitals, schools and public services, causing $12 billion in estimated damages while also laying waste to the agricultural sector.

One-point-one million tonnes of crops suffered severe damage within hours of the super storm's landfall. Coconut farmers, for instance, lost some 44 million trees to the storm dealing a debilitating blow to their livelihoods; coconut trees take six to eight years to become productive again. At the same time, nearly two-third of fishing communities lost their productive assets.

Mr. McClean explained that lessons learned from Typhoon Haiyan were being applied as local Governments were taking the lead in disseminating early warnings and ensuring that the public was fully aware of the threats posed to their safety.

At the same time, Corinne Momal-Vanian, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), said the agency was closely monitoring the typhoon's trajectory and had food stocks available and staff on standby.

Ms. Momal-Vanian noted that the WFP had already 260 metric tonnes of high-energy biscuits, almost 4,000 metric tonnes of rice and over 130 metric tonnes of ready-to-use supplementary food – enough to provide emergency assistance to 1.8 million people during an initial two-week period.

According to the latest forecasts prepared by the UN's World Meteorological Agency (WMO), Typhoon Hagupit appears to be heading to the country's north, which may spare the densely populated regions of the central Philippines. Nonetheless, Hagupit remains "a very strong storm" with 50 metre per second wind speeds and 70 metre per second wind gusts.

Christiane Berthiaume, speaking on behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said a worst-case disaster scenario would see up to 32 million people affected by the storm and that the IOM had been assisting authorities with evacuations – particularly in areas where those displaced by Haiyan continue to live in tents.


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ERIC GARNER, MICHAEL BROWN CASES SPARK 'LEGITIMATE CONCERNS' ABOUT US POLICING – UN EXPERTS

Grand jury verdicts in the United States which resulted in the decisions to not bring to trial the cases of two unarmed African-American men killed by police forces have sparked "legitimate concerns" regarding policing practices across the country, a group of United Nations human rights experts said today.

Michael Brown, an African-American teenager from Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, an African-American man from New York City, were both killed in separate incidents by white police officers after they had reportedly surrendered. Their deaths, and the grand jury decisions which followed them, have set off a wave of protests across the US against what many perceive to be a broader pattern of lethal police brutality directed at minorities, say the UN rights experts.

"There are numerous complaints stating that African-Americans are disproportionally affected by such practices of racial profiling and the use of disproportionate and often lethal force," the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, Mutuma Ruteere, said in a news release.

"African-Americans are 10 times more likely to be pulled over by police officers for minor traffic offences than white persons. Such practices must be eradicated."

The UN experts welcomed US President Barack Obama's proposed measures to address what has been described as "consistent allegations of inappropriate policing practices" through trust-building initiatives between police forces and the communities they are assigned to protect. But, the experts cautioned, such measures should also "recognize the need for training and to ensure that minorities are recruited into the police in which they are under-represented."

"The Michael Brown and Eric Garner's cases have added to our existing concerns over the longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices," added human rights expert Mireille Fanon Mendes France, who currently heads the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.

"We urge a comprehensive examination of all laws that could have discriminatory impact on African-Americans to ensure that such laws are in full compliance with the country's international legal obligations and relevant international standards."

The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák, meanwhile, expressed concern over the grand jury decision to avoid a trial process which, she said, would have ensured that justice take its proper course, particularly in light of the apparent conflicting evidence that exists relating to both incidents.

"The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when the victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities," Ms. Izsák explained.

Demonstrations in opposition to the grand jury decision on Eric Garner's death spilled into their second consecutive night last night as protestors fanned out across New York, targeting the city's most well-known locations, including Brooklyn Bridge and the ferry terminal to Staten Island, where Mr. Garner Lived. While the New York protests have been largely peaceful, according to media reports, confrontations between demonstrators and police in Ferguson have led to eruptions of violence including looting and the burning of cars.

Both the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, and the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, urged protestors and police to allow for peaceful demonstrations and refrain from fuelling further violence.

The Rapporteurs' concerns follow a statement made by the UN human rights chief last week in which he expressed deep concern about the "disproportionate number of young African-Americans who die in encounters with police officers, as well as the disproportionate number of African Americans in US prisons and the disproportionate number of African-Americans on Death Row."

"It is clear that, at least among some sectors of the population, there is a deep and festering lack of confidence in the fairness of the justice and law enforcement systems," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.


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HALF A MILLION DISPLACED IN EASTERN UKRAINE AS WINTER LOOMS, WARNS UN REFUGEE AGENCY

The fighting in eastern Ukraine this year has internally displaced over half a million people leaving them vulnerable to the harsh winter months ahead, the United Nations Refugee (UNHCR) warned today as aid workers race against the clock to distribute essential cold-weather supplies.

In a Geneva briefing today, UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said that the fighting has also forced over two hundred thousand Ukrainians to flee to Russia and other neighbouring countries.

Applications for asylum by Ukrainian citizens have also risen in the European Union (EU) this year, Spindler told journalists.

As of the end of October, 8,936 Ukrainians had asked for international protection in the EU, a tenfold increase from the 885 asylum applications for the whole of 2013. The EU country receiving the largest number of Ukrainian asylum seekers so far this year was Poland (1,826) followed by Germany (1,622), France (1,076) and Sweden (840).

"The number of Ukrainians fleeing abroad could be considerable higher than the number of asylum seekers, however, as many Ukrainians prefer to apply for other forms of legal stay such as temporary or permanent residence permits in other countries," Mr. Spindler said.

So far this year, more than 317,000 Ukrainians have applied for such permits in Russia (222,000), Belarus (60,000), Poland (23,000) and other neighbouring countries.

In Ukraine, most internally displaced people (IDP) remain in regions close to the conflict, including the eastern city of Kharkiv and government-controlled territories in Donetsk and Luhansk as well as in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) are children (27 per cent), elderly or disabled people (21 per cent) and women (65 per cent of the adult displaced population).

Meanwhile, Mr. Spindler noted that the Ukraine government last month adopted a resolution which provides for the transfer of state-run institutions and social payments from the regions not currently under government control to government-controlled areas.

"UNHCR is concerned that this provision will have unintended negative effects such as increasing internal displacement, as people are forced to move from areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government in order to receive their pensions and social benefits, while causing serious hardship to those unable or unwilling to leave their homes," he said.

"Although UNHCR has no first-hand information about conditions in areas not under government control, there are strong indications that the civilian population in these areas is facing considerable hardship. We are seriously concerned about a deepening humanitarian crisis in these areas," he added.

With the onset of winter, UNHCR continues to work to improve the conditions of some of the most vulnerable displaced people, he said. The Agency is extending its one-time cash assistance programmes for vulnerable IDP families to 11 other regions.

Since needs are greatest near the conflict areas, UNHCR and its partner, People in Need, are planning to repair and make ready for the winter a further 12 collective centres in the northern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. This brings the total number of premises under different stages of refurbishment to 47.

In Russia, UNHCR undertook monitoring missions in late October to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, and to Irkutsk in eastern Siberia, to observe how Ukrainians were being integrated in these areas.

The majority of the refugees and people with temporary asylum status stay mostly in Temporary Accommodation Centres (TACs) which have been set up in the dormitories of colleges and universities, children's holiday camps and sanatoria.

"While the TACs that the UNHCR teams visited were well equipped for winter conditions and had adequate schooling and medical facilities, UNHCR has received information that reception conditions for other refugees are less satisfactory. Ukrainian refugees also report restrictions to moving to other cities," Spindler said.


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DR CONGO: UN REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED AT SUDDEN CLOSURE OF DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP

The United Nations refugee agency voiced concern today over the sudden closure of a camp for internally displaced people, or IDPs, located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), exposing some 2,000 to potential lawlessness, banditry and sexual violence against women perpetrated by militia groups still operating in the area.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on 2 December, local authorities shuttered the Kiwanja IDP camp in the DRC's North Kivu Province, ordering 2,300 residents to leave their makeshift shelters and return to their homes. The shelters were then immediately destroyed.

"Many of the IDPs did not have home to go back to and were worried that they will not be safe in their villages," William Spindler, a UNHCR spokesperson, told journalists at a press briefing in Geneva. "In addition, many IDPs had planted crops and would like to harvest those before leaving."

While UNHCR acknowledged that a steady improvement of the security situation in the area had prompted many IDPs to voluntarily return to their homes, it called on the DRC Government and local authorities to ensure that all IDP relocations and returns were "voluntary and in compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law."

For those IDPs unable or unwilling to return to their villages of origin, UNHCR recommended that additional measures be implemented to help them access livelihood opportunities in their locations of displacement.

Nonetheless, UNHCR's Karin de Gruijl, who also spoke at the briefing, added that despite the improved security situation and the fact that most combatants associated with the 23 March Movement (M23) – the group which had previously terrorized the region – had been brought under control, many other militia groups continued to roam the countryside threatening civilians.

The UN agency estimates that, to date, a total of 890,000 people remain displaced throughout North Kivu Province, including 212,054 IDPs living at 60 sites.


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'DARK DAY FOR JUSTICE' SAYS ICC PROSECUTOR, DROPPING CHARGES AGAINST KENYAN PRESIDENT

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced Friday that she has decided to drop the charges against the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, two days after the judges refused to postpone the trial as she had requested.

"I am withdrawing the charges against Mr. Kenyatta because I do not believe that it is possible at this time, for me to fully investigate and prosecute the crimes charged in this case," said Ms. Fatou Bensouda in a statement released in the Hague today.

"The withdrawal of the charges does not mean that the case has been permanently terminated. Mr. Kenyatta has not been acquitted, and the case can be re-opened, or brought in a different form, if new evidence establishing the crimes and his responsibility for them is discovered," she added.

"This is a painful moment for the men, women and children who have suffered tremendously from the horrors of the post-election violence, and who have waited, patiently, for almost seven years to see justice done," Ms. Bensouda said.

She added that she based her decision on the specific facts of this case, not on any other consideration and stressed that as Prosecutor, her actions and decisions have "always been guided by the law and the evidence."

There were, however, "severe challenges" to the Prosecutor's Office and her investigation.

"Several people who may have provided important evidence regarding Mr. Kenyatta's actions have died, while others were too terrified to testify," Ms. Bensouda said.

On Wednesday, a Trial Chamber of the ICC rejected the request of the Prosecutor to adjourn the case. The Chamber ordered the Prosecution to file, within one week, a notice to withdrawn charges until at least the level of evidence had improved to a degree that would warrant a trial.

Mr. Kenyatta faced five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts) for allegations that he helped incite violence following Kenya's December 2007 presidential election.

The charges against him had been confirmed January 23, 2012 and the case was referred to trial before the Trial Chamber.

Ms. Bensouda said that Mr. Kenyatta's Government had failed to fully cooperate with the investigation and in providing the most relevant documentary evidence regarding the post-election violence.

"Ultimately, the hurdles we have encountered in attempting to secure the cooperation required for this investigation have in large part, collectively and cumulatively, delayed and frustrated the course of justice for the victims in this case," said the Prosecutor.

"Today is a dark day for international criminal justice. Be that as it may, it is my firm belief that today's decision is not the last word on justice and accountability for the crimes that were inflicted on the people of Kenya in 2007 and 2008; crimes that are still crying out for justice," she said.


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'TURNING BLIND EYE NOT A SOLUTION' TO MEDITERRANEAN MIGRANT CRISIS – UN RIGHTS EXPERT

The rise of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Mediterranean Sea in the last few months has resulted in a global crisis that calls for a global humanitarian response, a United Nations human rights expert urged today.

"This requires a new and concerted strategic approach by European States and the international community," said François Crépeau, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, at the end of his follow-up official visit to Italy.

According to the statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Mr. Crépeau was in the country to assess new developments since his first visit in 2012.

Mr. Crépeau, who praised Italy's extraordinary efforts through its Mare Nostrum operation, urged the European Union and the wider international community "to consider immediate options, such as supporting Italy in a robust search and rescue operations and, together with other global North States, providing a significant resettlement program for refugees."

The operation, established by the Italian Government in 2013, aims to tackle the dramatic increase of migratory flows during the second half of the year and consequent tragic ship wreckages off the island of Lampedusa.

"In 2014, Italy has saved the lives of over 150,000 people who attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea, the lives of children, men and women – sometimes pregnant. Without such an extraordinary effort, these people would be dead," he noted.

"However, Italy's operation to save lives has had to withstand criticism and lack of financial or human assistance from other European States."

"The Italian Government has been bold in its response to this humanitarian crisis, because not only have they been in the business of saving lives, but they have also had to do it alone and weather the storm of internal dissent which was sceptical about devoting 9 million Euros a month to the search and rescue operation at a time of high unemployment and economic crisis," he said.

The Special Rapporteur noted that migrants and asylum seekers are fleeing conflict, violence and poor governance in search of a better life for themselves and their families. "More people are arriving at Europe's borders because they rather risk their own death at sea or that of their children than to stay in their own country or in countries of transit," he said.

Italy's Mare Nostrum operation is coming to an end because of lack of funds and support from other countries in Europe. It will be replaced by EU Frontex operation Triton, which will be limited to defending Italy's maritime border.

"The fear is that, next summer, without an operation like Mare Nostrum, thousands of people will die. Turning a blind eye isn't a solution: people will continue to cross and, because of Europe's inaction, to die," he warned.

"Europe should actively support search and rescue operations, offer facilitated family reunification within Europe and share the number of asylum claims among all European States," he stated.

Mr. Crépeau also urged Italy to provide increased protection to unaccompanied minors through improved best interest of the child determination procedures, and facilitate access to justice, by simplifying judicial procedures and providing low-cost quality legal representation.

The Special Rapporteur stressed the need to bring to justice unscrupulous smugglers for the suffering they inflict on migrants and asylum seekers, but warned that "Europe will find it difficult to defeat resourceful and adaptable smuggling rings, unless it destroys their business model, which was created when barriers and prohibitions were erected and which thrives at evading restrictive migration policies of many EU Member States."

"If Europe is to witness a significant reduction of human suffering at borders, it must bank on regulated openness and mobility. Otherwise the number of migrants risking their lives on unseaworthy vessels over perilous sea routes can only increase," the expert said.

During his four-day follow-up visit, Mr. Crépeau met with Government officials responsible for border management, international organisations, civil society organisations and migrant organisations, to discuss the complex management of the common European border in Italy.

A follow-up country mission report and a thematic report on EU border management will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2015.

"No matter which way we look at it, the situation comes down to one thing: migrants are human beings and, just like the rest of us, they too have rights. They too have the right to live and thrive," Mr. Crépeau underscored.


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'HUMANE IMPULSE TO ASSIST' LEADS TO ENRICHED LIFE, UN CHIEF SAYS ON GLOBAL VOLUNTEER DAY

Volunteers are people who act with a spirit of giving, selflessly serving their communities all the while inspiring others to follow by example, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said today as the world body marked International Volunteer Day, and paid special tribute to those who have made a difference.

"The humane impulse to assist and empower others that motivates volunteers rebounds back to them in the form of an enriched life," the UN chief explained in a message marking the Day, annually celebrated on 5 December.

"An ambulance rushes a wounded child to a hospital. A hungry family receives a warm meal. A battered woman finds free shelter. In scenes of human suffering around the world, hope comes thanks to volunteers who give their time, skills and resources to others in need," Mr. Ban added.

Volunteers "offer life skills while expanding their own know-how; they empower communities while earning a sense of personal fulfilment at having made a difference in our world."

This year's International Volunteer Day takes on special significance as the UN prepares to shape a new vision for sustainable development and a new universal climate agreement, both to be adopted next year.

People in more than 80 countries will celebrate the Day by taking action to improve their communities. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, global citizens will organize parades, sports festivals, group clean-ups, blood donations, rallies, social media campaigns, exhibitions, fundraisers, and other events to inspire change.

There are currently more than 6,300 UN Volunteers (UNV) and 11,000 UN Online Volunteers who "helped millions of people to make change happen by giving them a voice in sustainable development and peace efforts across the globe," Mr. Ban said.

"I also pay special tribute to the many volunteers responding to the Ebola crisis. UN volunteers and their counterparts are helping to address the outbreak through prevention, awareness-raising and treatment activities," the Secretary-General said.

Volunteers' assistance is particularly important as "we battle misconceptions about the disease and strive to show compassion for all those who are affected."

In his message on the Day, Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme, Richard Dictus, said people's engagement makes change happen locally, national and globally. "Through volunteering, people can participate in peacebuilding, sustainable development and peacekeeping processes.

"All over the world, peace and development efforts become more effective when the fully engage people irrespective of their background, race, gender or age. Participation through voluntarism is also a way to empower people in marginalized groups by providing them with an opportunity to act," he said.

Finally, Mr. Dictus expressed his sincere gratitude to all the volunteers making a change in the ongoing development and peace processes around the world, declaring: "We, together, make change happen through volunteering."

Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said in her statement volunteerism also acts as a catalyst for civic engagement and social inclusion.

"At UNDP, we see the vital role which volunteerism plays in promoting development and peace around the world, She said, adding that in 2014, UN Volunteers, assigned as health and social workers, lawyers, teachers, climate change analysts, and other specialists, collaborated with UNDP on more than 1,300 projects.

"From Ebola prevention campaigns in West Africa to the recent work on election arrangements in Afghanistan, UNV and UNDP are working together for development results," said Miss Clark.

The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 17 December 1985. Since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day.

UN Volunteer (UNV) has called on people to volunteer full-time, part-time or even online. When people contribute their time, skills, and knowledge by volunteering, the combined efforts can be a significant force for achieving peace and development, the agency said.

This year's Day specifically highlights the contribution of volunteers in engaging people from the grass-roots in decision-making processes, ultimately creating space for participation that leads to stronger governance, social cohesion, peace and sustainable development.


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WAGE GROWTH STAGNANT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, SLOW WORLDWIDE – UN LABOUR AGENCY

A modest and slowing growth in global wages was driven almost entirely by emerging G20 economies, according to the latest International Labour Organization's (ILO) global wage report, which was released today.

According to the Global Wage Report 2014/15, wage growth around the world dropped 0.2 per cent to 2.0 per cent in 2013, and has yet to catch up to the pre-financial crisis rates of about 3.0 per cent. In developed countries, wage growth is almost stagnant for the second year in a row, with a 0.2 per cent growth in wages in 2013 compared to a 0.1 per cent growth the year before.

"Wage growth has slowed to almost zero for the developed economies as a group in the last two years, with actual declines in wages in some," said Sandra Polaski, the ILO's Deputy Director-General for Policy. "This has weighed on overall economic performance, leading to sluggish household demand in most of these economies and the increasing risk of deflation in the Eurozone," she added.

In developing countries, major differences between regions were recorded, with 6.0 per cent growth in Asia and 5.8 per cent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia but only 0.8 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean. Incomplete data for Africa shows wage growth there reaching only 0.9 per cent.

The long-standing trend of labour productivity outstripping wage growth in developed economies continued, with the growing gap translating into a declining share of GDP going to workers and their households while an increasing share goes to the owners of capital, especially in developed economies.

The report analyzes wage inequality and its effects on income inequality, noting a mixture of recent trends, but concluding that in a majority of countries where inequality has increased, such as in the United States or in Spain, changes in wages and employment have been the dominant force.

"In many countries, inequality starts in the labour market, and particularly in the distribution of wages and employment," said Rosalia Vazquez-Alvarez, econometrician and wage specialist at the ILO, also an author of the report.

Where inequality has been reduced, as in Brazil, Argentina and the Russian Federation, wages and increased employment have been the driving force.

Another contribution to inequality was wage gaps that stemmed from discrimination. For groups like women, migrants and workers in the informal economy, gaps exist that are not associated with observable characteristics, like education or experience, which normally explain wage differences between individuals.

"Because overall inequality is driven significantly by wage inequality, labour market policies are needed to address it," said Ms. Polaski, adding that fiscal redistribution mechanisms, including taxes and social protection policies, while part of the solution could not bear the full burden of addressing inequality.

"A comprehensive strategy will include minimum wage policies, strengthened collective bargaining, elimination of discrimination against vulnerable groups, as well as progressive taxation polices and adequate social protection systems," she said.

The report also called for coordinated strategies at the international level, urging States not to try to increase exports by repressing wages or reducing social benefits, as they could feed a serious contraction of output and trade.


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SPOTLIGHTING HUMANITY'S 'SILENT ALLY,' UN LAUNCHES 2015 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOILS

Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and even medicine said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today as it kicked off 2015 the International Year of Soils on the first-ever World Soil Day.

Soils are also essential to our ecosystems, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts, and yet we are not paying enough attention to this important "silent ally," the UN agency explained.

The International Year of Soils kicks off today at events in Rome, New York and Santiago de Chile, in an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource.

"Today, we have more than 805 million people facing hunger and malnutrition. Population growth will require an approximately increase of 60 per cent in food production," FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva warned today.

"Unfortunately, 33 per cent of our global soil resources are under degradation and human pressures on soils are reaching critical limits, reducing and sometimes eliminating essential soil functions," he added. The UN General Assembly declared 5 December World Soil Dayin December 2013. The Day and Year kicks off today with events in Rome, New York and Santiago de Chile, in an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource.

"I invite all of us to take an active role in promoting the cause of soils during 2015 as it is an important year for paving the road towards a real sustainable development for all and by all," Mr. Graziano da Silva said.
 
FAO estimates that a third of all soils are degraded, due to erosion, compaction, soil sealing, salinization, soil organic matter and nutrient depletion, acidification, pollution and other processes caused by unsustainable land management practices.

Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person will in 2050 be only one-fourth of the level in 1960.

It can take up to 1,000 years to form one centimetre of soil, and with 33 per cent of all global soil resources degraded and human pressures increasing, critical limits are being reached that make stewardship an urgent matter, Mr. Graziano da Silva said.

Calling soils a "nearly forgotten resource," he urged investment in sustainable soil management, saying that would be cheaper than restoration and "is needed for the achievement of food security and nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation and overall sustainable development."

Echoing that call, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that without healthy soils, "life on Earth would be unsustainable." Indeed, soils are the foundation of agriculture. They provide vital ecosystem services and the basis for food, feed, fuel, fibre and medical products important for human well-being.

"Soil is also the largest pool of organic carbon, which is essential for mitigating and adapting to climate change. In an era of water scarcity, soils are fundamental for its appropriate storage and distribution," said Mr. Ban, urging all States to pledge to do more to protect this important yet forgotten resource. "A healthy life is not possible without healthy soils," he declared.

According to FAO, at least a quarter of the world's biodiversity lives underground, where, for example, the earthworm is a giant alongside tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Such organisms, including plant roots, act as the primary agents driving nutrient cycling and help plants by improving nutrient intake, in turn supporting above-ground biodiversity as well.

Better management can assure that those usually unnoticed organisms boost soil's ability to absorb carbon and mitigate desertification, so that even more carbon can be sequestered – helping offset agriculture's own emissions of greenhouse gases.

Marking the Year, FAO has implemented more than 120 soil-related projects around the world and produced together with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Soil Map. Among the most urgent priorities is to update, standardize and render accessible the world's knowledge of soil types and distribution.

Currently, data on soils is very often outdated, limited in coverage, and fragmented in nature. One of FAO's priorities is to establish a global soil information system that could assist with reliable data decision-making regarding soil management.


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