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UN Daily News
Thursday, 12 May 2016

Issue DH/7157

In the headlines:
Syria: first 10 days of May disappointing for

FEATURE: New amendment on safeguarding

humanitarian work UN advisor

nuclear facilities comes into force, strengthening a

weak link in nuclear security

UN calls for closer cooperation with African

Yemens food situation on verge of humanitarian

organizations for sustaining peace

disaster UN

Weak world economic growth lingers, with only

Closely following events in Brazil, Ban calls for

modest improvement seen UN

New UN-backed report cites climate change among

factors fuelling internal displacement

In Portugal, Ban urges end of horrible war in Syria

in meeting with Syrian students

UN health agency warns of rise in urban air

pollution, with poorest cities most at risk

calm and dialogue among all sectors of society

Cambodia: UN experts urge end to attacks against

civil society, human rights defenders

Iraq: UN Security Council strongly condemns

terrorist attacks in Baghdad

Top UN and African Union officials condemn deadly

violence at camp for displaced in North Darfur

More stories inside

Syria: first 10 days of May disappointing for humanitarian

work UN advisor
12 May The first 10 days of May have been disappointing for aid
work in Syria as the breakdown of a truce made aid deliveries
dangerous and difficult to plan, the United Nations-appointed
humanitarian adviser said today.
The breakdown of the cessation of hostilities was a catastrophe for
humanitarian work, Jan Egeland, Special Advisor to the UN Special
Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, told reporters in Geneva, where
the intra-Syrian talks, comprising political and humanitarian task
forces, had been under way.
Mr. Egeland said that March had been a good month that had seen
very few people displaced and very few relief workers attacked and
bombed. April, however, had been terrible, with colleagues killed
in many places and medical workers hardest-hit. Of late, the situation
has varied from place to place, changing constantly. It is very, very difficult for us to plan anything for the coming days,
he said.

Humanitarian aid being unloaded in East Ghouta, Syria. Photo:

OCHA

For information media not an official record

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Humanitarian convoys have permissions to reach only less than half of the 905,000 people they hoped to serve this month.
There has not been a greenlight to go to all of the locations in Aleppo, where people are bleeding and are in great need.
The good news is that today, the first humanitarian assessment mission on its way to Darayya, which is probably the place in
Syria where the greatest unmet needs exist, he said.
Similar assessment missions or assistance missions are planned in the coming days to all of the remaining besieged areas yet
to be reached, including Duma, Erbin, Zamalka and Zabadin, In the next 10-day period, all of these could be covered, he
said.
He said that these assessment missions are the first step, but there is no guarantee that aid delivery will commence.
Mine action assessment has been undertaken for the first time within Syria although mine clearance has not been allowed, he
said, adding that he believes that it would be allowed soon.
He said he was heartened by the Russian-United States statement that says that access will be granted to all of the besieged
areas and all of the medical supplies that had been taken off will be allowed.
Speaking ahead of his advisor, Mr. de Mistura explained that the cessation of hostilities will be among the main subjects of
the next International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting to be held in Vienna. The ISSG, which along with Russia and
the US, comprises the UN, the Arab League, the European Union and 16 countries, has been seeking a path forward to end
the Syrian crisis for the past several months.

UN calls for closer cooperation with African organizations for

sustaining peace
12 May Stronger partnerships between the United Nations and
African regional and sub-regional organizations are necessary to
sustain the momentum for peacebuilding in Africa and prevent a lapse
into violent conflict, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said
today, calling for greater efforts to reinforce initiatives and define the
parameters of cooperation.
Todays global realities the changing nature of violent conflicts,
the deepening refugee crisis and rising violent extremism underline
the necessity to focus on preventing crises and addressing root
causes, Mr. Eliasson said at the opening of a high-level meeting
on sustaining peace in Africa at UN Headquarters in New York.
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson addresses high-level meeting
on peace in Africa at UN Headquarters in New York. UN
Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The meeting also featured a thematic discussion on the topic that was
co-moderated by Maged Abdelaziz, UN Under-Secretary-General and
Special Adviser on Africa, and Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant

Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

Continuing his remarks, Mr. Eliasson said: Formulating global responses from purely security and humanitarian
perspectives is insufficient. We must avoid vicious cycles of military response and continued conflict and suffering.
The Deputy Secretary-General noted the timeliness of the meeting which was jointly organized by the UN Office of the
Special Adviser on Africa, the Peacebuilding Support Office and the African Union (AU) under the theme Sustaining
Peace: Mechanisms, partnerships and the future of peacebuilding in Africa following the adoption on 27 April of
substantially identical resolutions by the Security Council and the General Assembly on the review of the UN Peacebuilding
Architecture.

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These ground-breaking texts place sustaining peace at the core of national, regional and international peacebuilding and
conflict prevention, he said.
Mr. Eliasson highlighted that through the two resolutions, Member States had stressed the importance of stronger
partnerships, especially with regional and sub-regional organizations.
Emphasizing that the AU is a vital strategic partner of the UN, the Deputy Secretary-General noted that over the past
decade, the UNs partnership with the AU and the continents sub-regional organizations had grown significantly.
This meeting is an opportunity to take further steps together to prevent the lapse and relapse into violent conflict, he
stressed, adding that peacebuilding in Africa has been a top priority for the UN.
Citing Guinea-Bissau, Burundi and Somalia as examples of cooperation between the UN and AU, Mr. Eliasson also noted
that the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions encourage regular exchanges of views, joint initiatives and
information-sharing between the UN peacebuilding family and regional and sub-regional organizations, not least the AU
Commission.
We should institutionalize such interactions, with a renewed focus on sustaining peace, he said.
As we develop our responses along those lines, we must recognize that sustaining peace is a core task derived from the UN
Charter. It sets the direction for all UN activities, from conflict prevention and peacekeeping to work on human rights,
reconstruction and development, he added.
Mr. Eliasson said that such work requires a shared responsibility and commitment between the UN and its Member States
including on financing.
Given the serious funding shortfall of Peacebuilding Fund, I appeal to you to provide predictable and sustainable
financing, he stressed.
The Deputy Secretary-General also stressed the need to strengthen the links between peacebuilding efforts and the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development .
The 2030 Agenda has a great potential to address the various factors which drive violent conflicts, including socioeconomic and gender inequalities, lack of jobs, poor natural resource management, climate change, as well as corruption and
the absence of the rule of law and well-functioning institutions, he said.

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Weak world economic growth lingers, with only modest

improvement seen UN
12 May With little prospects for a turnaround in 2016, growth in the
world economy remains weak, posing a challenge to the
implementation of development targets, a new United Nations report
released today has found.
According to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects
as of mid-2016 report, launched today at UN Headquarters in New
York by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, world
gross product will grow by just 2.4 per cent in 2016, the same pace as
in 2015, marking a downward revision of 0.5 percentage points from
UN forecasts released in December 2015.
The report underscores the need for a more balanced policy mix to
rejuvenate global growth and create an enabling environment to
achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Lenni
Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in a
said.

Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic

Development speaks at the launch of the World Economic Situation
and Prospects as of mid-2016 report at UN Headquarters. UN
Photo/Loey Felipe

Specifically, the report found that persistent weakness in aggregate demand in developed economies remains a drag on
global growth, while low commodity prices, mounting fiscal and current account imbalances and policy tightening have
further dampened prospects for many commodity-exporting economies in Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) and Latin America and the Caribbean. This has been compounded by severe weather-related shocks, political
challenges and large capital outflows in many developing regions.
The report further highlights the prolonged economic downturns in Brazil and the Russian Federation, with significant
regional spillovers.
In the Russian Federation, gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to contract by 1.9 per cent in 2016, due to fiscal
tightening, further declines in private consumption and investment, and continuing international sanctions. In Brazil, a
contraction of 3.4 per cent is projected, reflecting a deepening political crisis, rising inflation, a surging fiscal deficit and
high interest rates, DESA said.
In the least developed countries, GDP growth is forecast to reach just 4.8 per cent in 2016 and 5.5 per cent in 2017, well
below the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of at least seven per cent GDP growth. This may put at risk
much-needed public spending on education, health and climate change adaptation, as well as progress in poverty reduction,
DESA said.
The Department highlighted that in per capita terms, the slowdown in GDP growth in many developing regions is
particularly stark. In Africa, GDP per capita growth is expected to average just 0.4 per cent during 2015-2017.
On the positive side, global energy-related carbon emissions remained flat in 2015, suggesting a potential delinking of
economic growth and carbon emissions growth, as highlighted in World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016,
released in January.
In addition, investments in renewable energy sources reached a new record in 2015, mainly due to increased commitments
and policy support in many developing countries, DESA said.
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Global growth is projected to rise marginally to just 2.8 per cent in 2017, remaining well below pre-crisis trends.
The protracted period of slow productivity growth and feeble investment weigh on the longer-term potential of the global
economy, DESA said.
The report warns that downside risks to the global economy remain elevated. Large developing economies remain prone to
capital flow volatility and exchange rate pressures, which may intensify in response to a widening divergence in global
interest rates, while a further deterioration of commodity prices could exacerbate debt-service burdens of certain
commodity-dependent economies.
Greater policy coordination among countries can mitigate the negative spillover effects of policy misalignment and contain
financial market volatility, the report also noted.
Looking ahead, the report advocates that governments should fully and effectively utilize available fiscal space, while
broadening the tax base, strengthening tax administration and increasing compliances in many developing and transition
economies, DESA noted.

New UN-backed report cites climate change among factors

fuelling internal displacement
12 May Disasters associated with slow processes of environmental
change drought, sea level rise and desertification demonstrate
again the growing importance of climate change as a driver of disaster
risk, as senior United Nations official said today on the heels of the
release of a global report which revealed that more than 19 million
people in 2015 were forced from their homes by natural hazards.

The coastal city of Zamboanga in the Philippines is vulnerable to

climate related hazards. Displaced people sheltering in tents near the
coast are more at risk of other natural hazards if they stay longer in
the area. Photo: OCHA

Internal displacement is a reliable barometer of the scale of

humanitarian needs around the globe and last year there were 27.8
million displacements associated with conflict, violence and disasters
in 127 countries including 19.2 million forced by natural hazards,
said the head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert
Glasser, today citing new figures in the Global Report on Internal
Displacement.

Mr. Glasser said underscored that the figure goes to the heart of the
humanitarian crisis now facing the world and which will be discussed at the World Humanitarian Summit, to be
convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 10 days from now.
The majority of displacement caused by natural hazards was caused by extreme weather events during a year which saw a
record number of droughts, widespread flooding and 90 major tropical storms, he continued, noting that much of this was
fuelled by a very strong El Nio occurring in the context of increasing climate change.
Weather-related hazards resulted in 14.7 million displacements, Mr. Glasser added, saying that the Internal Displacement
Monitoring Centre is to be congratulated for attempting to capture this important data.
Our concern must be to develop better capacity to manage disaster risk at local level to avoid displacement on this scale
and that means improving early warnings, providing low cost housing in safe locations and doing all we can to reduce the
numbers of people affected by disasters as agreed by UN Member States when they adopted the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction last year, he underscored.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is the global plan for reducing disaster risk and disaster losses
adopted by UN Member States at a World Conference in Sendai, Japan, last year. It sets targets for reducing disaster related

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mortality, numbers of people affected, damage to critical infrastructure and economic losses.
The Global Report on Internal Displacement was produced by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

In Portugal, Ban urges end of horrible war in Syria in meeting

with Syrian students
12 May As part of his visit to Lisbon, Portugal, United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with a group of Syrian
students, commending them for their strength and resilience and
stressing that the only sustainable solution to the education crisis in
Syria is ending the horrible war.
I am greatly saddened and appalled by all that we see in Syria the
tremendous loss of life, the massive destruction and displacement,
said Mr. Ban, adding that the UN is doing everything in its power
to end the fighting.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek (centre),

meeting with Syrian students in Lisbon, Portugal. UN Photo/Mark
Garten

I want to thank all of you for sharing your stories and experiences. I
commend you for your strength and resilience, Mr. Ban said.

I know that the global response often focuses on immediate needs

and yet a growing number of Syrian students are unable to pursue their dreams and aspirations of higher education, he
added.
The Secretary-General underscored that of the many Syrian students who are now refugees, only a small percentage
continues their education in exile. Recalling that his own school was destroyed when he was a child, the Secretary-General
acknowledged that the war is taking a severe toll on education throughout Syria.
Education is vital for the future of individuals, and for the future of a country, he stressed. It unleashes innovation and
entrepreneurial skills that are important for economic activity and job creation, all critical for stability during times of
reconstruction and for longer-term sustainable development.
Mr. Ban said he was encouraged that the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul later this month would provide an
opportunity to highlight the importance of education in emergency situations.
In addition, he said that the high-level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, to be held on 19
September, would also provide an opportunity to agree on equitable responsibility-sharing by Member States in responding
to the refugee crisis created by wars.
This should include discussing the creation of more legal pathways, such as scholarship visas, which will allow young
people to escape persecution and wars and continue their education, Mr. Ban said.
The only sustainable solution to the education crisis in Syria is ending this horrible war. Until then, we must do all we can
to provide young people with the educational opportunities that they and their countries need, the Secretary-General said.
I have no doubt that the expertise, skills and knowledge you will gain in Portugal will contribute one day to rebuild Syria,
he added.
During the meeting, the Secretary-General thanked the chairman of the Global Platform for Syrian Students, Former
President of Portugal Jorge Sampaio, for his leadership and long-time commitment to build bridges of understanding and
inclusion among communities around the world.

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The non-profit organization was founded in 2013 with the support of the Council of Europe, the League of Arab States, the
International Organization for Migration and the Institute of International Education.
The Secretary-General gathered with the students following a meeting with Augusto Santos Silva, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Portugal, in which they discussed the current political situation in Guinea-Bissau, as well as Mozambique and
Brazil.
Mr. Ban is also scheduled to meet today with the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa.

UN health agency warns of rise in urban air pollution, with

poorest cities most at risk
12 May More than 80 per cent of people living in urban areas that
monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed
guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), with
populations in low-income cities the most at risk for respiratory
diseases and other long-term health problems.
Some 98 per cent of cities in low- and middle-income countries with
more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality limits,
according to the latest global urban ambient air pollution
database presented today by the agency. In high-income countries,
however, that percentage drops to 56 per cent.
Air pollution in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: World Bank/Kim Eun Yeul

Air pollution is a major cause of disease and death. It is good news

that more cities are stepping up to monitor air quality, so when they

take actions to improve it they have a benchmark,

said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant-Director General for Family, Women's and Children's Health. When dirty air blankets
our cities the most vulnerable urban populations the youngest, oldest and poorest are the most impacted.
In the past two years, the database which now covers 3,000 cities in 103 countries has nearly doubled, with more cities
measuring air pollution levels and recognizing the associated health impacts. As urban air quality declines, the risk of stroke,
heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increases for the people who live in
them, WHO stressed.
Global urban air pollution trends
During the five-year period from 2008 to 2013, WHO compared 795 cities in 67 countries for levels of small and fine
particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5 particles smaller than 10 or 2.5 microns). This included pollutants such as sulfates,
nitrates and black carbon, which penetrate deep into the lungs and into the cardiovascular system, posing the greatest risks to
human health. Data were then analyzed to develop regional trends.
Among the key trends from the period include that global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 per cent, despite
improvements in some regions, according to the agency.
In general, urban air pollution levels were lowest in high-income countries, with lower levels most prevalent in Europe, the
Americas and the Western Pacific region.
The highest urban air pollution levels were experienced in low- and middle-income countries in WHO's Eastern
Mediterranean and South-East Asia regions, with annual mean levels often exceeding five to ten times the limits set by the
agency, followed by low-income cities in the Western Pacific region.

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In the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia regions and in low-income countries in the Western Pacific region, levels
of urban air pollution increased by more than five per cent in more than two thirds of the cities.
WHO noted that urban air pollution data remain sparse in the African region, although the available data revealed particulate
matter levels above the median. The database now contains particulate matter measurements for more than twice as many
cities than previous versions.
Reducing the toll on human health
Ambient air pollution, made of high concentrations of small and fine particulate matter, is the greatest environmental risk to
health causing more than three million premature deaths worldwide every year, WHO said.
Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health, said Maria Neira, WHO
Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. At the same time, awareness is
rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality. When air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascularrelated illnesses decrease.
Most sources of urban outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals and demand action by cities, as well
as national and international policymakers to promote cleaner transport, more efficient energy production and waste
management, WHO said.
More than half of the monitored cities in high-income countries and more than one third in low- and middle-income
countries reduced their air pollution levels by more than 5 per cent in five years.
Levels for available mega-cities of more than 14 million habitants for the last available year in the period 20112015. Graphic: WHO
Reducing industrial smokestack emissions, increasing use of renewable power sources such as solar and wind, and
prioritizing rapid transit, walking and cycling networks in cities are among the available and affordable strategies, the
agency noted.
It is crucial for city and national governments to make urban air quality a health and development priority, said WHO's
Carlos Dora.
When air quality improves, health costs from air pollution-related diseases shrink, worker productivity expands and life
expectancy grows. Reducing air pollution also brings an added climate bonus, which can become a part of countries'
commitments to the climate treaty, he added, referring to the Paris Agreement on climate change
WHO's air quality guidelines provide global guidance on thresholds and limits for key air pollutants that pose health risks.
The guidelines indicate that by reducing particulate matter pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per cubic metre, air
pollution-related deaths could be reduced by about 15 per cent.
From 23 to 28 May, at the next session of the World Health Assembly WHO's decision-making body Member States
will discuss a road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution.

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FEATURE: New amendment on safeguarding nuclear facilities

comes into force, strengthening a weak link in nuclear security
12 May After nearly two decades, the Amendment to the United
Nations backed Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear
Material (CPPNM) entered into force on 8 May strengthening
nuclear security and reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism
worldwide.
At an event marking the historic milestone, Yukiya Amano, Director
General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), said: The entry
into force of the Amendment demonstrates the determination of the
international community to act together to strengthen nuclear security
globally.
On 8 April, the ratification of Panama brought the number of CPPNM
Hungary completed the transfer of its high enriched uranium (HEU) adherences to 102, the threshold necessary to kick the agreement into
research reactor fuel to Russia. Photo: Sandor Tozser/IAEA
effect in 30 days. The bolstered Convention, described by Mr.
Amano as the single most important step which the world can take to
strengthen nuclear security, will, among other things, reduce the risk of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and make
it more difficult to smuggle nuclear material.
As the only international legally-binding undertaking on the physical protection of nuclear material, the 1979 Convention
established measures to prevent, detect and punish offenses.
The Amendment broadens the CPPNM by protecting nuclear facilities and material in domestic use, storage and transport. It
also expands on identified offences, such as nuclear material theft, as well as introduces new ones, including nuclear
material smuggling and nuclear facility sabotage.
Our collective efforts have now paid off. The world will be a safer place as a result, Mr. Amano said.
Some nations advocated for the Amendment to come into effect. In 2012, Nigeria hosted a regional workshop to promote
the Amendments entry into force in Africa. On this important breakthrough, Abel Ayoko, Nigerias Permanent
Representative to the IAEA underscored The weak link in nuclear security has now been finally strengthened.
Other countries had already made domestic legislative changes. Spain, which ratified the Amendment in 2007, updated its
regulations for the physical protection of nuclear material and facilities in 2011 and 2015. Gonzalo de Salazar, Spains
IAEA Ambassador, pointed out that Spain has experienced remarkable progress in terms of the integration of the
stipulations of the Convention into its national legal system.
Now that the Amendment has entered into force, new international notification and cooperation requirements will become
fully operational, including enhanced information sharing between States in locating and recovering stolen material.
Mr. Amano previously announced that before the IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security is convened, from 5
to 9 December, it would hold a meeting of the States Parties to facilitate early and effective implementation of the updated
CPPNM.

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Several States had already begun supporting others. Since October 2011, Canadas Global Partnership Programme had
provided $720,000 towards six regional workshops as well as follow-up assistance to help other countries implement the
Amendment. Ch van Haastrecht, Charg daffaires at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the International Organisations
in Vienna stressed, Canada welcomes working with the IAEA to help other countries in implementing the Amendment in
light of the entry into force.
To date, 50 Parties to the CPPNM have yet to adhere to the Amendment, making the next goal to achieve universal
application.
Mr. Amano urged their ratifications so as soon as possible, saying Universal implementation of the amended Convention
will help to ensure that nuclear material throughout the world is properly protected against malicious acts by terrorists.
To this end, Mr. Amano announced that he would periodically host meetings to improve mechanisms for sharing
information, while also protecting confidentiality.
As depositary for the Convention, the Amendment requires the IAEA Director General to convene a conference of States
Parties to review its implementation and adequacy five years after it enters into force.

Yemens food situation on verge of humanitarian disaster UN

12 May The food security and nutrition situation in Yemen will turn
into a humanitarian disaster unless urgent funding is accessible for the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to deliver timely aid in the
April/May cereal and vegetable planting season and the summer
fishing season, and vaccinate livestock before winter, the United
Nations agency has warned.

Yemen has one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world,
with around half of all children under five stunted too short for
their age as a result of malnutrition. Photo: WFP/Ammar Bamatraf

Around 14.4 million people over half of Yemen's population

urgently need food security and livelihood assistance, FAO reported
earlier this week. The volume of food required in Yemen is far greater
than humanitarian actors can provide. Agriculture must be an integral
part of the humanitarian response to prevent Yemen's dire food
security situation from worsening.

Increasing households' resilience to food security threats will

contribute to saving many lives. Emergency agricultural interventions
are critical to preserving household. Food production and income generation are especially vital in hard-to-reach areas
where aid access is limited.
The factors negatively affecting the food security include a reported desert locust outbreak, which threatens the livelihoods
of more than 100,000 farmers, beekeepers and herders in five governorates, and the April flooding, which put 49,000 people
in need of urgent assistance, the FAO said.

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Closely following events in Brazil, Ban calls for calm and

dialogue among all sectors of society
12 May According to a United Nations spokesperson, SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon has been following closely recent events in
Brazil, after the countrys Senate voted overnight to suspend President
Dilma Rousseff.
The Secretary-General calls for calm and dialogue among all sectors
of society. He trusts that the countrys authorities will honour Brazils
democratic processes, adhering to the rule of law and the
Constitution, Stphane Dujarric told reporters at the top of the
regular daily briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
He added that Mr. Ban is grateful for the important contributions of
Brazil to the work of the United Nations.

President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

Cambodia: UN experts urge end to attacks against civil society,

human rights defenders
12 May United Nations human rights experts today called on the
Government of Cambodia to stop a clampdown on civil society,
human rights defenders, parliamentarians and UN personnel, and
instead protect civil society and respect fundamental freedoms in the
country.
The escalation of criminal charges, questioning, court proceedings
and public statements against them must cease, the experts said in a
joint statement. We urge the Cambodian authorities to ensure a safe
and enabling environment for human rights defenders and civil
society, which play a critical role in holding the Government to
account and bringing benefits of human rights to the whole of
Cambodian society.

Street scene in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Photo: World

Bank

The experts are Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of

human rights defenders; David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; Maina Kiai, Special
Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Rhona Smith, Special Rapporteur on
Cambodia.
Their appeal comes as the courts investigate an alleged extra-marital affair of an opposition parliamentarian, as well as the
related allegations of bribery brought against staff members of a prominent human rights organization known as ADHOC.
An anti-terrorism department inexplicably initiated these charges, and then anti-corruption unit further pursued the case after
ADHOC had provided legal and material support.
We are also troubled by the actions taken by Cambodian authorities to deter and disperse peaceful demonstrations and
arrest individuals protesting what they see as Governments mounting persecution of civil society and unjustified restrictions
of fundamental freedoms in the country, they stressed.
Accusatory statements by senior Government officials towards the participants of the so-called Black Monday campaign
and labelling peaceful protesters as rebel groups are highly regrettable, the experts noted, stressing that such actions are

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clearly inconsistent with Cambodias obligation under international human rights law to respect the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and association.
Members of ADHOC have been accused of bribery for providing legal and financial support to a young woman at the centre
of the extra-marital affair scandal. The authorities claim that the non-governmental organization (NGO) bribed her to deny
the affair.
ADHOC members maintain that the support was part of their regular human rights work and given at the individuals
request for sustenance and transport to government offices for questioning. The staff members face five to ten years in
prison, if convicted.
The investigators relentless quest for a confession by the young woman, their subsequent outright reliance on it to initiate
the other bribery cases against defenders, as well as public statements by senior State officials portraying the accused as
guilty, generally suggest that this entire episode is nothing more than a politically-motivated persecution of civil society. It
also raises serious questions about woefully flawed due process, the experts said.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report
back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff,
nor are they paid for their work.

Iraq: UN Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attacks

in Baghdad
12 May The United Nations Security Council today condemned in
the strongest terms the three terrorist attacks that occurred yesterday
in Baghdad, which resulted in at least 93 deaths and many more
injuries.
In a press statement, the members of the Council lamented that the
latest victims of the attacks for which the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) has claimed responsibility are a sad
addition to the thousands of Iraqi civilians killed this year.

Wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/Loey Felipe (file)

Condemning all attacks perpetrated by ISIL against the people of Iraq

in an attempt to destabilize the country and region, the members of the
Council reiterated their commitment to Iraqs independence,
sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity, as well as to its

security.
Welcoming the efforts of the Government of Iraq and its partners to counter ISIL and return stability to the country, the
Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of
terrorism to justice, urging all States to actively cooperate with the Iraqi authorities in this regard.
The Council also stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist
organizations and individual terrorists in accordance with resolutions 2199 (2015) and 2253 (2015).
In addition, the Council reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable, regardless
of its motivation and wherever, whenever and by whomsoever it is committed, and should not be associated with any
religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.
In that regard, the Council reaffirmed the need for all States to combat, by all means, threats to international peace and
security caused by terrorist acts.

UN News Centre www.un.org/news

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12 May 2016

The members of the Council also expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the
people and Government of Iraq, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Top UN and African Union officials condemn deadly violence at

camp for displaced in North Darfur
12 May The Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, Ban Ki-moon, have jointly condemn Mondays attacks by
armed groups on an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp and the
shooting at a nearby market in Sortoni, North Darfur.
The attacks resulted in the killing of five people, including two
children and the wounding of several individuals, including a
peacekeeper from Ethiopia serving with the African Union-United
Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), said a statement
issued by Mr. Bans spokesperson in New York.
Internally Displaced Persons in Sortoni, North Darfur. Photo:
UNAMID

The two officials expressed their serious concern over the recent
escalation of tensions between nomadic and IDP communities in the
area, and called on them to refrain from acts of violence and resolve

their disputes through dialogue.

They urge the Sudanese authorities to investigate and promptly bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, said the
statement.
Underscoring that the continued implementation of UNAMID's mandate is imperative to maintain security and protect
civilians across Darfur, including those displaced as a result of the most recent fighting in Jebel Marra between the Sudanese
Government and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid, the two urged all conflict parties to resume negotiations without
further delay, under the auspices of the AU High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and South Sudan (AUHIP), with a
view to achieving a comprehensive political solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict.

New hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

announced by UN health agency
12 May New recommendations from the United Nations health
agency aim to speed up detection and improve treatment outcomes for
multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) through use of a novel
rapid diagnostic test and a shorter, cheaper treatment regimen.
This is a critical step forward in tackling the MDR-TB public health
crisis, said Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the World Health
Organization (WHO) Global TB Programme, in a news release.
The new WHO recommendations offer hope to hundreds of
thousands of MDR-TB patients who can now benefit from a test that
quickly identifies eligibility for the shorter regimen, and then
complete treatment in half the time and at nearly half the cost, he
added.
Shorter treatment with better outcomes
At less than $1000 per patient, the new treatment regimen can be
UN News Centre www.un.org/news

A state-of-the-art GeneXpert machine installed with support from a

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grant, now
allows medical staff at Pollsmoor Prison, South Africa, to test inmates
identified as likely to have been exposed to TB. Photo: The Global
Fund/John Rae

UN Daily News

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12 May 2016

completed in 9 to 12 months. Not only is it less expensive than current regimens, but WHO says it is also expected to
improve outcomes and potentially decrease deaths due to better adherence to treatment.
According to the health agency, the conventional treatment regimens, which take 18 to 24 months to complete, yield low
cure rates: just 50 per cent on average globally. This is largely because patients find it very hard to keep taking second-line
drugs, which can be quite toxic, for prolonged periods of time. They therefore often interrupt treatment or are lost to followup in health services.
The shorter regimen is recommended for patients diagnosed with uncomplicated MDR-TB, for example those individuals
whose MDR-TB is not resistant to the most important drugs used to treat MDR-TB (fluoroquinolones and injectables),
known as second-line drugs. It is also recommended for individuals who have not yet been treated with second line drugs.
WHOs recommendations on the shorter regimens are based on initial programmatic studies involving 1200 patients with
uncomplicated MDR-TB in 10 countries. The agency is urging researchers to complete ongoing randomised controlled
clinical trials in order to strengthen the evidence base for use of this regimen.
Rapid diagnostic test to identify second-line drug resistance
The most reliable way to rule out resistance to second-line drugs is a newly recommended diagnostic test for use in national
TB reference laboratories. The novel diagnostic test called MTBDRsl is a DNA-based test that identifies genetic
mutations in MDR-TB strains, making them resistant to fluoroquinolones and injectable second-line TB drugs.
This test yields results in just 24 to 48 hours, down from the three months or longer currently required. The much faster
turnaround time means that MDR-TB patients with additional resistance are not only diagnosed more quickly, but can
quickly be placed on appropriate second-line regimens. WHO reports that fewer than 20 per cent of the estimated 480 000
MDR-TB patients globally are currently being properly treated.
The MTBDRsl test is also a critical prerequisite for identifying MDR-TB patients who are eligible for the newly
recommended shorter regimen, while avoiding placing patients who have resistance to second-line drugs on this regimen
(which could fuel the development of extensively drug-resistant TB or XDR-TB).
We hope that the faster diagnosis and shorter treatment will accelerate the much-needed global MDR-TB response, said
Dr. Karin Weyer, Coordinator of Laboratories, Diagnostics and Drug Resistance at the WHO Global TB Programme.
Anticipated cost-savings from the roll out of this regimen could be re-invested in MDR-TB services to enable more patients
to be tested and retained on treatment.
WHO reported it is working closely with technical and funding partners to ensure adequate resources and support for the
uptake of the rapid test and shorter, cheaper regimen in countries.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section
of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)