--
AT SPECIAL EVENT TO MARK INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN URGES BETTER HEALTHCARE FOR WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Indigenous peoples must not be left out of the global community's unfolding sustainable development agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed today as he marked the 2015 edition of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples with a focus on their lagging access to health care services around the world.
"They count among the world's most vulnerable and marginalized people. Yet their history, traditions, languages and knowledge are part of the very bedrock of human heritage," the Secretary-General declared in remarks delivered at an event held at a special UN Headquarters in New York. The event was also expected to hear remarks from Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Megan Davis, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
"Indigenous peoples can teach the world about sustainable lifestyles and living in harmony with nature," he added.
The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is commemorated annually on 9 August in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982.
This year, the Day's theme focuses the spotlight on promoting the health and well-being of the world's indigenous peoples through the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which will be launched in September. The new agenda expands on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had a target date of 2015, and contains 17 sustainable development goals.
Today's event also saw the launch of the UN's latest State of the World's Indigenous Peoples State of the World's Indigenous Peoples report which examines the major challenges indigenous peoples face in terms of adequate access to and utilization of quality health care services.
According to the UN, there are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries around the world who constitute 15 per cent of the world's poor and about one third of the world's 900 million extremely poor rural people. Practicing unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live.
At the same time, the unique placement of indigenous peoples in society puts them at a disadvantage when seeking access to healthcare while also rendering them more susceptible to specific forms of illness.
The UN chief noted, in fact, that indigenous peoples regularly encounter inadequate sanitation and housing, lack of prenatal care and widespread violence against women as well as enduring high rates of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse, youth suicide and infant mortality.
In Australia, he warned, many Aboriginal communities have a diabetes rate six times higher than the general population. Meanwhile, in Rwanda, Twa households remain seven times more likely to have poor sanitation and twice as likely to lack safe drinking water. Similarly, in Viet Nam, more than 60 per cent of childbirths among ethnic minorities take place without prenatal care while for the majority population, the figure hovers closer to 30 per cent.
"These statistics are unacceptable," concluded Mr. Ban. "They must be urgently addressed as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As we launch the 2030 Agenda with its 17 sustainable development goals, in September, we must ensure that the targets are met for all."
In her remarks, Ms. Davis said the active and ongoing involvement of indigenous peoples in the development, implementation, and management and monitoring of policies, services and programs affecting the well-being of their communities is essential.
"Only by acknowledging the interrelationship between health and the social determinants of health, such as poverty, illiteracy, marginalization, the impact of extractive industries, environmental degradation, and the lack of self-determination, will any new human development goals be truly achievable amongst indigenous peoples," she said.
The current MDGs have, Ms. Davis continued, failed to identify the relationship (or access) to customary land as an indicator of well-being. Similarly, mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse and suicide will not be completely addressed so long as the harms of colonization and the status of indigenous peoples are not acknowledged.
"Thus, on the eve of the adoption of a new development agenda, new indicators of indigenous peoples' health and well-being must be defined in consultation with indigenous peoples. Similarly, States should seriously engage in the disaggregation of data in order to better inform the effectiveness of their health policies and plans for indigenous peoples," she said.
* * *
IN VIDEO CALL, UN CHIEF SAYS EDUCATION REMAINS 'PASSPORT TO DIGNITY' FOR GAZA'S CHILDREN
Access to education can provide Gaza's children with a "passport to dignity" and help break the cycle of poverty and violence that has afflicted the troubled enclave for decades, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
In a video chat conducted this morning, the Secretary-General told three Gazan children that despite the many obstacles and difficulties in their daily lives, they remained committed to education and were, as a result, "an inspiration" to all.
The children – Rua'a Naser Abdullah Qdeih, Mahmoud Abu A'amera and Bayyan Haniyya – are students of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school system, which currently operates 700 schools in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria but is also facing its most severe financial crisis ever.
"It is common sense to invest millions in education instead of billions in weapons," said Mr. Ban, who explained that he had been urging world leaders to ramp up material support for UNRWA.
"The cost of education is low," he added. "The price of inaction is too high."
As things currently stand, UNRWA has enough money to only maintain its services essential to protect public health including immunizations for children, primary health care, relief and sanitation and some emergency programmes through to the end of 2015. The funding is insufficient to guarantee the stable provision of its education services from September onwards.
Bayyan Haniyya, a ten-year-old Palestine refugee girl from Beach camp, called on the UN chief to help defend her right to education despite the dwindling resources.
"I want to become a doctor so I can help my people and serve my nation," she told Mr. Ban. "I appeal to you to as much as possible to help Palestinian refugee children go back to school and achieve their potential."
The funding shortfall affecting UNRWA's education services comes amid a range of wider challenges facing the UN's efforts to stabilize the enclave, including an ongoing Israeli blockade and stalled reconstruction efforts following the 2014 conflict between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israeli forces.
At the same time, Gaza is home to the highest unemployment in the world, with more than 60 per cent of young people not working. Moreover, food insecurity affects 73 per cent of the population. An estimated 80 per cent of the population relies on humanitarian aid, mainly food assistance.
In addition, electricity is available only eight to 12 hours a day, also affecting water supply which covers a fraction of daily needs. Up to 90 million litres of partially-treated sewage are being discharged into the Mediterranean Sea every day due to electricity and fuel shortages. Finally, maternal mortality rates are estimated to have nearly doubled in the last 12 months.
During his video call, Mr. Ban reiterated that education remains key to development and peace in Gaza and across the Middle East, particularly during a time in which extremists are aggressively recruiting young people throughout the region.
"Education is a passport to dignity, prosperity and security," he stated. "By supporting UNRWA, we support education, a better future and a life of dignity for all."
* * *
IRAQ: UN AGENCY FORCED TO CUT CRITICAL FOOD AID AMID FUNDING SHORTFALL
A severe funding shortfall in Iraq is pushing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut the amount of aid it delivers to nearly one million displaced people in the war-torn country, the Organization has confirmed.
"Unfortunately, lack of funds and the rise in the number of displaced Iraqis forces us to reduce the size of the food rations we provide to tens of thousands of families living outside camps," Jane Pearce, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Iraq, said in a press release issued earlier today.
The WFP said it had begun to prioritise available funds for internally displaced people, otherwise known as IDPs, in April once resourcing difficulties became evident. People previously receiving food vouchers had the voucher value reduced to $16 from $26 while the UN agency also halved the size of family food parcels it distributes monthly. Today, the food parcels cover 40 percent of a household's daily needs instead of 80 per cent.
The overall reductions will now coerce many families to supplement their assistance with store-bought food products. However, according to the WFP's vulnerability assessments, two in five internally displaced households (40 per cent) do not have enough food or money to shop.
The reduction in food assistance comes, in fact, at a critical time for those displaced by the conflict and amid funding shortfalls across the UN system.
According to the Organization, almost three million Iraqis have fled their homes and continue to move across the country, exacerbating a dwindling humanitarian system. Meanwhile, just last week, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) revealed it had been forced to suspend 84 per cent of frontline programmes in 10 governorates in Iraq in July due to insufficient funding, leaving almost three million people without access to urgently-needed healthcare services.
"We recognize families living outside camps are living in tough conditions, but we had to make this difficult decision to stretch our help for the most vulnerable until we receive more funds," Ms. Pearce concluded.
* * *
ISRAELI SETTLEMENT EXPANSION 'ROOT CAUSE' OF GROWING VIOLENCE IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – UN EXPERTS
A United Nations human rights committee has completed its annual evaluation of the situation affecting millions of people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has cited Israel's policy of settlement expansion as a primary driver of the escalating violence in the area.
In a press release issued today to mark the end of its five-day fact-finding visit to Amman, Jordan, the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, said that a series of meetings with civil society groups and Palestinian officials had revealed that the "root cause" of the escalating violence in the Territories is "the continuing policy of settlement expansion and the climate of impunity relating to the activities of the settlers."
Indeed, over the past weeks, tensions in the Territories between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have been further enflamed following a series of deadly incidents between the two groups. Most recently, in the village of Duma, an 18-month-old Palestinian baby died following the fire-bombing of the house by Israeli settlers. The father of the baby, who had sustained serious injuries in the attack, subsequently died on 8 August.
In addition to the violence, the Committee – represented by Amrith Rohan Perera, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York; Ramlan bin Ibrahim, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN in New York; and Aboubacar Sadikh Barry, Minister Counselor, Permanent Mission of Senegal to the UN in Geneva – was also briefed "extensively" on what it described as "increasing human rights violations" on women and children through the repeated use of night raids and police dogs by Israeli authorities. The UN experts were told that many women were subjected to "humiliating treatment in the presence of their families" during these operations.
The situation regarding the pace of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip was also brought to the UN Committee's attention by civil society representatives who lamented the slow pace of developments following the destruction of the enclave during last summer's war.
In fact, after more than a year, not a single housing unit completely destroyed during the conflict, last summer, has been fully reconstructed. According to the UN, some 100,000 people remain internally displaced as a result of the widespread structural devastation across the Strip and continue to be hosted in temporary accommodation or in make-shift shelters. Close to a 120,000 people are still waiting to be reconnected to the city water supply. Work has yet to begin on a number of key health facilities.
At the same time, the experts addressed the persistent funding shortfall affecting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which is currently facing its most severe financial crisis ever. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and financial support has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees and deepening poverty.
The Committee said it shared the view that unless UNRWA is sufficiently funded, its role in the Occupied Territories would be "seriously undermined," and urged the international community to ensure timely and adequate funding to sustain UNRWA activities.
As things currently stand, UNRWA has enough money to maintain its services essential to protect public health which include immunizations for children, primary health care, relief and sanitation and some emergency programmes through to the end of 2015, but the funding is insufficient to guarantee the stable provision of its education services from September onwards.
* * *
UN CHIEF VOICES CONCERN OVER TENSIONS ON KOREAN PENINSULA
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over reports that the Korean People's Army has placed new land mines in the southern half of the Demilitarized Zone in the Korean Peninsula, a spokesperson for the Organization has confirmed.
In a note to correspondents issued this afternoon, the UN Spokesperson's Office noted that the Secretary-General urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fully adhere to the obligations under the Armistice Agreement and engage in dialogue on this incident.
The newly-placed land mines reportedly injured two soldiers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on 4 August.
Mr. Ban's spokesperson added that the Secretary-General urged the tensions on the Korean Peninsula to be alleviated.
The UN chief has repeatedly emphasized that dialogue is the only way to resolve outstanding issues related to the peninsula. In mid-May, Mr. Ban affirmed that he remained deeply engaged on the Korean Peninsula because it is "a dangerous international flashpoint," and that he will do "everything possible" in his capacity as the top UN official to promote peace and confidence-building between the two Koreas.
* * *
BAN CONDEMNS SERIES OF TERRORIST ATTACKS IN TURKEY
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today's series of terrorist attacks in Turkey, including on the security forces, both in Istanbul and in the south-east provinces, as well as on the United States Consulate in Istanbul.
"[The Secretary-General] is greatly concerned by the violence," said a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson in New York.
According to news reports, the attack on the US Consulate follows the overnight bombing of an Istanbul police station and further unrest in other parts of the country.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest sympathies with the victims of today's acts, as well as with the Government and people of Turkey," the statement said, adding that the UN chief hopes the perpetrators of the attacks will be swiftly brought to justice.
* * *
UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES MAURITANIA TO REPEAL BILL THREATENING CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS
A United Nations human rights expert today called upon the Mauritanian Parliament to reject a draft law on civil society associations that, without public consultations, was approved last month by the Council of Ministers.
"While I support Mauritania's efforts to reform and improve laws that govern the work of civil society, I am concerned that the bill, as it stands, threatens the exercise of fundamental freedoms in the country, in particular the right to freedom of association," said Maina Kiai, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association.
"The Mauritanian Government should view civil society as a key partner in the process of reform," he stated.
Mr. Kiai further voiced concern that, out of line with international standards, there had been no civil society consultation prior to the recently amended draft law on associations, foundations and networks of associations. "Legislation that enshrines mandatory procedures for the 'prior authorization' of associations instead of a simple process of 'prior notification' risks hindering the work of civil society in Mauritania," he underscored.
"A prior notification process that automatically attributes an association the legal personality to function is in greater conformity with international human rights law and should be adopted by all States, including Mauritania," Mr. Kiai asserted, noting that the right to freedom of association equally protects associations that are not registered.
The Special Rapporteur also warned that, if adopted, the law would provide strict punishments for vaguely worded provisions and would limit the scope of an association to the field of development work.
Mr. Kiai urged Mauritania to align its legislation with the best practices emanating from international human rights norms and standards, before its November 2015 examination by the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.
"I stand ready to offer technical assistance to both the Government and legislators in this endeavour," the rights expert added.
Mr. Kiai's appeal has been endorsed by two other independent UN Special Rapporteurs, namely David Kaye, on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom or opinion and expression, and Michel Forst, on the situation of human rights defenders.
* * *
__________________________________________________________________
UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
10 August, 2015
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
10 August, 2015
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AT SPECIAL EVENT TO MARK INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN URGES BETTER HEALTHCARE FOR WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Indigenous peoples must not be left out of the global community's unfolding sustainable development agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed today as he marked the 2015 edition of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples with a focus on their lagging access to health care services around the world.
"They count among the world's most vulnerable and marginalized people. Yet their history, traditions, languages and knowledge are part of the very bedrock of human heritage," the Secretary-General declared in remarks delivered at an event held at a special UN Headquarters in New York. The event was also expected to hear remarks from Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Megan Davis, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
"Indigenous peoples can teach the world about sustainable lifestyles and living in harmony with nature," he added.
The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is commemorated annually on 9 August in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982.
This year, the Day's theme focuses the spotlight on promoting the health and well-being of the world's indigenous peoples through the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which will be launched in September. The new agenda expands on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had a target date of 2015, and contains 17 sustainable development goals.
Today's event also saw the launch of the UN's latest State of the World's Indigenous Peoples State of the World's Indigenous Peoples report which examines the major challenges indigenous peoples face in terms of adequate access to and utilization of quality health care services.
According to the UN, there are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries around the world who constitute 15 per cent of the world's poor and about one third of the world's 900 million extremely poor rural people. Practicing unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live.
At the same time, the unique placement of indigenous peoples in society puts them at a disadvantage when seeking access to healthcare while also rendering them more susceptible to specific forms of illness.
The UN chief noted, in fact, that indigenous peoples regularly encounter inadequate sanitation and housing, lack of prenatal care and widespread violence against women as well as enduring high rates of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse, youth suicide and infant mortality.
In Australia, he warned, many Aboriginal communities have a diabetes rate six times higher than the general population. Meanwhile, in Rwanda, Twa households remain seven times more likely to have poor sanitation and twice as likely to lack safe drinking water. Similarly, in Viet Nam, more than 60 per cent of childbirths among ethnic minorities take place without prenatal care while for the majority population, the figure hovers closer to 30 per cent.
"These statistics are unacceptable," concluded Mr. Ban. "They must be urgently addressed as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As we launch the 2030 Agenda with its 17 sustainable development goals, in September, we must ensure that the targets are met for all."
In her remarks, Ms. Davis said the active and ongoing involvement of indigenous peoples in the development, implementation, and management and monitoring of policies, services and programs affecting the well-being of their communities is essential.
"Only by acknowledging the interrelationship between health and the social determinants of health, such as poverty, illiteracy, marginalization, the impact of extractive industries, environmental degradation, and the lack of self-determination, will any new human development goals be truly achievable amongst indigenous peoples," she said.
The current MDGs have, Ms. Davis continued, failed to identify the relationship (or access) to customary land as an indicator of well-being. Similarly, mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse and suicide will not be completely addressed so long as the harms of colonization and the status of indigenous peoples are not acknowledged.
"Thus, on the eve of the adoption of a new development agenda, new indicators of indigenous peoples' health and well-being must be defined in consultation with indigenous peoples. Similarly, States should seriously engage in the disaggregation of data in order to better inform the effectiveness of their health policies and plans for indigenous peoples," she said.
* * *
IN VIDEO CALL, UN CHIEF SAYS EDUCATION REMAINS 'PASSPORT TO DIGNITY' FOR GAZA'S CHILDREN
Access to education can provide Gaza's children with a "passport to dignity" and help break the cycle of poverty and violence that has afflicted the troubled enclave for decades, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
In a video chat conducted this morning, the Secretary-General told three Gazan children that despite the many obstacles and difficulties in their daily lives, they remained committed to education and were, as a result, "an inspiration" to all.
The children – Rua'a Naser Abdullah Qdeih, Mahmoud Abu A'amera and Bayyan Haniyya – are students of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school system, which currently operates 700 schools in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria but is also facing its most severe financial crisis ever.
"It is common sense to invest millions in education instead of billions in weapons," said Mr. Ban, who explained that he had been urging world leaders to ramp up material support for UNRWA.
"The cost of education is low," he added. "The price of inaction is too high."
As things currently stand, UNRWA has enough money to only maintain its services essential to protect public health including immunizations for children, primary health care, relief and sanitation and some emergency programmes through to the end of 2015. The funding is insufficient to guarantee the stable provision of its education services from September onwards.
Bayyan Haniyya, a ten-year-old Palestine refugee girl from Beach camp, called on the UN chief to help defend her right to education despite the dwindling resources.
"I want to become a doctor so I can help my people and serve my nation," she told Mr. Ban. "I appeal to you to as much as possible to help Palestinian refugee children go back to school and achieve their potential."
The funding shortfall affecting UNRWA's education services comes amid a range of wider challenges facing the UN's efforts to stabilize the enclave, including an ongoing Israeli blockade and stalled reconstruction efforts following the 2014 conflict between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israeli forces.
At the same time, Gaza is home to the highest unemployment in the world, with more than 60 per cent of young people not working. Moreover, food insecurity affects 73 per cent of the population. An estimated 80 per cent of the population relies on humanitarian aid, mainly food assistance.
In addition, electricity is available only eight to 12 hours a day, also affecting water supply which covers a fraction of daily needs. Up to 90 million litres of partially-treated sewage are being discharged into the Mediterranean Sea every day due to electricity and fuel shortages. Finally, maternal mortality rates are estimated to have nearly doubled in the last 12 months.
During his video call, Mr. Ban reiterated that education remains key to development and peace in Gaza and across the Middle East, particularly during a time in which extremists are aggressively recruiting young people throughout the region.
"Education is a passport to dignity, prosperity and security," he stated. "By supporting UNRWA, we support education, a better future and a life of dignity for all."
* * *
IRAQ: UN AGENCY FORCED TO CUT CRITICAL FOOD AID AMID FUNDING SHORTFALL
A severe funding shortfall in Iraq is pushing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut the amount of aid it delivers to nearly one million displaced people in the war-torn country, the Organization has confirmed.
"Unfortunately, lack of funds and the rise in the number of displaced Iraqis forces us to reduce the size of the food rations we provide to tens of thousands of families living outside camps," Jane Pearce, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Iraq, said in a press release issued earlier today.
The WFP said it had begun to prioritise available funds for internally displaced people, otherwise known as IDPs, in April once resourcing difficulties became evident. People previously receiving food vouchers had the voucher value reduced to $16 from $26 while the UN agency also halved the size of family food parcels it distributes monthly. Today, the food parcels cover 40 percent of a household's daily needs instead of 80 per cent.
The overall reductions will now coerce many families to supplement their assistance with store-bought food products. However, according to the WFP's vulnerability assessments, two in five internally displaced households (40 per cent) do not have enough food or money to shop.
The reduction in food assistance comes, in fact, at a critical time for those displaced by the conflict and amid funding shortfalls across the UN system.
According to the Organization, almost three million Iraqis have fled their homes and continue to move across the country, exacerbating a dwindling humanitarian system. Meanwhile, just last week, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) revealed it had been forced to suspend 84 per cent of frontline programmes in 10 governorates in Iraq in July due to insufficient funding, leaving almost three million people without access to urgently-needed healthcare services.
"We recognize families living outside camps are living in tough conditions, but we had to make this difficult decision to stretch our help for the most vulnerable until we receive more funds," Ms. Pearce concluded.
* * *
ISRAELI SETTLEMENT EXPANSION 'ROOT CAUSE' OF GROWING VIOLENCE IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – UN EXPERTS
A United Nations human rights committee has completed its annual evaluation of the situation affecting millions of people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has cited Israel's policy of settlement expansion as a primary driver of the escalating violence in the area.
In a press release issued today to mark the end of its five-day fact-finding visit to Amman, Jordan, the UN Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, said that a series of meetings with civil society groups and Palestinian officials had revealed that the "root cause" of the escalating violence in the Territories is "the continuing policy of settlement expansion and the climate of impunity relating to the activities of the settlers."
Indeed, over the past weeks, tensions in the Territories between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have been further enflamed following a series of deadly incidents between the two groups. Most recently, in the village of Duma, an 18-month-old Palestinian baby died following the fire-bombing of the house by Israeli settlers. The father of the baby, who had sustained serious injuries in the attack, subsequently died on 8 August.
In addition to the violence, the Committee – represented by Amrith Rohan Perera, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York; Ramlan bin Ibrahim, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN in New York; and Aboubacar Sadikh Barry, Minister Counselor, Permanent Mission of Senegal to the UN in Geneva – was also briefed "extensively" on what it described as "increasing human rights violations" on women and children through the repeated use of night raids and police dogs by Israeli authorities. The UN experts were told that many women were subjected to "humiliating treatment in the presence of their families" during these operations.
The situation regarding the pace of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip was also brought to the UN Committee's attention by civil society representatives who lamented the slow pace of developments following the destruction of the enclave during last summer's war.
In fact, after more than a year, not a single housing unit completely destroyed during the conflict, last summer, has been fully reconstructed. According to the UN, some 100,000 people remain internally displaced as a result of the widespread structural devastation across the Strip and continue to be hosted in temporary accommodation or in make-shift shelters. Close to a 120,000 people are still waiting to be reconnected to the city water supply. Work has yet to begin on a number of key health facilities.
At the same time, the experts addressed the persistent funding shortfall affecting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which is currently facing its most severe financial crisis ever. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and financial support has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees and deepening poverty.
The Committee said it shared the view that unless UNRWA is sufficiently funded, its role in the Occupied Territories would be "seriously undermined," and urged the international community to ensure timely and adequate funding to sustain UNRWA activities.
As things currently stand, UNRWA has enough money to maintain its services essential to protect public health which include immunizations for children, primary health care, relief and sanitation and some emergency programmes through to the end of 2015, but the funding is insufficient to guarantee the stable provision of its education services from September onwards.
* * *
UN CHIEF VOICES CONCERN OVER TENSIONS ON KOREAN PENINSULA
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over reports that the Korean People's Army has placed new land mines in the southern half of the Demilitarized Zone in the Korean Peninsula, a spokesperson for the Organization has confirmed.
In a note to correspondents issued this afternoon, the UN Spokesperson's Office noted that the Secretary-General urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fully adhere to the obligations under the Armistice Agreement and engage in dialogue on this incident.
The newly-placed land mines reportedly injured two soldiers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on 4 August.
Mr. Ban's spokesperson added that the Secretary-General urged the tensions on the Korean Peninsula to be alleviated.
The UN chief has repeatedly emphasized that dialogue is the only way to resolve outstanding issues related to the peninsula. In mid-May, Mr. Ban affirmed that he remained deeply engaged on the Korean Peninsula because it is "a dangerous international flashpoint," and that he will do "everything possible" in his capacity as the top UN official to promote peace and confidence-building between the two Koreas.
* * *
BAN CONDEMNS SERIES OF TERRORIST ATTACKS IN TURKEY
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today's series of terrorist attacks in Turkey, including on the security forces, both in Istanbul and in the south-east provinces, as well as on the United States Consulate in Istanbul.
"[The Secretary-General] is greatly concerned by the violence," said a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson in New York.
According to news reports, the attack on the US Consulate follows the overnight bombing of an Istanbul police station and further unrest in other parts of the country.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest sympathies with the victims of today's acts, as well as with the Government and people of Turkey," the statement said, adding that the UN chief hopes the perpetrators of the attacks will be swiftly brought to justice.
* * *
UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES MAURITANIA TO REPEAL BILL THREATENING CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS
A United Nations human rights expert today called upon the Mauritanian Parliament to reject a draft law on civil society associations that, without public consultations, was approved last month by the Council of Ministers.
"While I support Mauritania's efforts to reform and improve laws that govern the work of civil society, I am concerned that the bill, as it stands, threatens the exercise of fundamental freedoms in the country, in particular the right to freedom of association," said Maina Kiai, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association.
"The Mauritanian Government should view civil society as a key partner in the process of reform," he stated.
Mr. Kiai further voiced concern that, out of line with international standards, there had been no civil society consultation prior to the recently amended draft law on associations, foundations and networks of associations. "Legislation that enshrines mandatory procedures for the 'prior authorization' of associations instead of a simple process of 'prior notification' risks hindering the work of civil society in Mauritania," he underscored.
"A prior notification process that automatically attributes an association the legal personality to function is in greater conformity with international human rights law and should be adopted by all States, including Mauritania," Mr. Kiai asserted, noting that the right to freedom of association equally protects associations that are not registered.
The Special Rapporteur also warned that, if adopted, the law would provide strict punishments for vaguely worded provisions and would limit the scope of an association to the field of development work.
Mr. Kiai urged Mauritania to align its legislation with the best practices emanating from international human rights norms and standards, before its November 2015 examination by the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.
"I stand ready to offer technical assistance to both the Government and legislators in this endeavour," the rights expert added.
Mr. Kiai's appeal has been endorsed by two other independent UN Special Rapporteurs, namely David Kaye, on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom or opinion and expression, and Michel Forst, on the situation of human rights defenders.
* * *
__________________________________________________________________
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The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
I have loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore I die in exile.
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
When the white man came we had the land and they had the bibles; now they have the land and we have the bibles.
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Find Friends in Africa:
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