For updates and e-mail alerts, visit UN NEWS CENTRE at www.un.org/news UN Daily News Issue DH/7311 Wednesday, 21 December 2016 In the headlines: DR Congo: Ban urges political leaders to put country ahead of partisan considerations Civilians brave freezing temperatures as Aleppo evacuations resume UN Majority of trafficking victims are women and girls; one-third children new UN report Population growth in Occupied Palestinian Territory to drive demand for housing, services UN Gambian leaders must ensure peaceful transfer of power to President-elect, says Security Council UN chief hails peaceful and inclusive legislative elections in Côte d Ivoire Guinea-Bissau: Ban urges leaders to demonstrate goodwill to resolve political crisis DR Congo: Ban urges political leaders to put country ahead of partisan considerations Fires burn in the streets of Kinshasa during demonstrations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 19 and 20 December 2016. Photo: MONUSCO 21 December Calling on Congolese political leaders to place the interests of the country and its people above partisan considerations, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is keeping a close eye on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the mediation led by the Conférence épiscopale nationale des églises du Congo (CENCO) resumes. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban added that it is very important to eliminate tensions and create a safe environment for the completion of the CENCO-facilitated dialogue, followed by timely, credible and transparent elections. The Secretary-General deplores the reported loss of life in confrontations between the security forces and protesters, including in Kinshasa, the statement continued, stressing the need for the national security forces to exercise the utmost restraint in the maintenance of public order. The UN chief also called on the DRC authorities to investigate any acts of violence and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable. In addition, the Secretary-General in his statement encouraged the new government led by Prime Minister Samy Badibanga to take concrete steps, in line with the 18 October political agreement. He also urged all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint in their actions and statements, and discourage the use of violence among their supporters. For information media - not an official record
UN Daily News - 2-21 December 2016 Civilians brave freezing temperatures as Aleppo evacuations resume UN UN teams have been present at the Ramouseh Government checkpoint in Aleppo, Syria, to observe and monitor the evacuations from east Aleppo since 15 December 2016 and are still maintaining a presence. 21 December 2016. Photo: OCHA/MB 21 December With civilians in war-battered eastern Aleppo braving sub-zero temperatures, evacuations escorted by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) resumed today, as the agency estimates that more than 25,000 people have been evacuated from besieged neighbourhoods over the past five days, the United Nations said. Meanwhile in New York, the UN Security Council approved the delivery of humanitarian aid across borders and conflict lines in Syria for another year, adopting a resolution demanding that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, immediately comply with their obligations under international law. Unanimously adopting a news resolution, the 15-member Council decided to renew, until 10 January 2018, the decisions contained in paragraphs two and three of its resolution 2165 (2014), authorizing UN humanitarian agencies and their partners to cross conflict lines and establish a mechanism to monitor the loading of all humanitarian relief consignments. Providing an update of the situation on the ground, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General told reporters at the daily headquarters briefing that along with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and ICRC evacuations, at least 20 surge staff from Damascus had been deployed to Aleppo to support ongoing observations of evacuations and response activities in the city. UN teams have maintained a presence at the Ramouseh Government checkpoint in Aleppo to observe the evacuations from east Aleppo since 15 December, he said, adding that the ICRC estimates that more than 25,000 people have been evacuated from the besieged neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo over the past five days. Mr. Haq said that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 19 December, 301 wounded and sick people had been evacuated, including 93 patients in critical condition who have been transferred to Turkey; others were transferred to hospitals in Idlib and in rural western Aleppo. Protection of civilians leaving these areas remains the biggest concern. The process for evacuation was traumatic, with crowding and vulnerable people waiting for hours and exposed to sub-zero temperatures, he said, adding that all remaining civilians must be allowed to safely leave should they choose to do so. Access to people in need to provide them with life-saving humanitarian assistance is also urgently needed, added Mr. Haq.
UN Daily News - 3-21 December 2016 Majority of trafficking victims are women and girls; one-third children new UN report 21 December According to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the vast majority of all human trafficking victims some 71 per cent are women and girls and one third are children. Trafficking for sexual exploitation and for forced labour remain the most prominently detected forms, but victims are also being trafficked to be used as beggars, for forced or sham marriages, benefit fraud, or production of pornography, said UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov today. The 2016 UNODC Global Report disaggregates data on the basis of gender and found that women and girls are usually trafficked for marriage and sexual slavery. Men and boys, however, are trafficked into exploitative labour, including work in the mining sector, as porters, soldiers, and slaves. A girl waits with officers from the Haitian Police s Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM) in the city of Ouanaminthe, on the northeastern border with the Dominican Republic. BPM is a UNICEF partner in combating child trafficking. Photo: UNICEF/Marco Dormino Worldwide, 28 per cent of trafficking victims are children, but children account for 62 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 64 per cent in Central America and the Caribbean. Sixty nine countries detected trafficking victims from Sub-Saharan Africa between 2012 and 2014. Mr. Fedotov emphasized the link between armed groups and human trafficking, noting how armed groups often engage in trafficking in their territories of operation, coercing women and girls into marriages or sexual slavery, and pressing men and boys to act as forced labour or combatants. People escaping from war and persecution are particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking, he said. The urgency of their situation might lead them to make dangerous migration decisions. Earlier this year, UNODC appointed Nobel Peace Prize nominee Nadia Murad Basee Taha as its Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. Ms. Murad is a 23 year old Yazidi woman who survived capture and abuse by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da esh). UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised her courage and work as a voice for the voiceless. The report documents patterns among trafficking and regular migration flows that share the same destination country. It also identifies trends within countries, between neighbouring States, and across continents. Factors that tend to aggravate rates of trafficking include transnational organized crime in the country of origin and a victim s socio-economic profile. While 158 countries have criminalized human trafficking a huge improvement over the past 13 years Mr. Fedotov nonetheless warned that the rate of convictions remains far too low, and victims are not always receiving the protection and services countries are obliged to provide. He called for more resources to identify and assist trafficking victims and to improve the criminal justice responses to detect, investigate, and successfully prosecute cases. The UNODC releases a report on trafficking every two years. This September, during the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York, it emphasized that as more people become migrants and refugees, there is a greater risk for
UN Daily News - 4-21 December 2016 trafficking, and that states must respond accordingly. Population growth in Occupied Palestinian Territory to drive demand for housing, services UN Students attend classes at the Abu Tamam basic for girls in Gaza. Photo: UNICEF/Eyad El Baba 21 December The number of people living in Gaza is expected to more than double over the next 30 years, according to a report released this month by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which examines demographic changes and opportunities for development in the Gaza Strip and throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The report Palestine 2030 Demographic Change: Opportunities for Development, which notes that while it is clear that the decades-long occupation and dependence of foreign assistance have hampered growth, also demonstrates how population trends and dynamics play a powerful role in development and therefore must be factored into planning and policy decisions. Speaking with UN Radio, Anders Thomsen, UNFPA Representative to the State of Palestine about the current trends and the anticipated impacts said: If you had said twenty years ago, ten years ago, would Gaza be able to cope with a blockade, a very strict blockade for 10 years and three very harsh wars, would Gaza be able to cope with it the fact is, Gaza is coping with it and the people in Palestine are remarkably strong and resourceful. But at some point, something will have to give. Fertility rates are twice the rate of those in the more advanced areas in the region a trend that is expected to bring its population from the current 4.7 million to 6.9 by 2030 and to 9.5 million by 2050. The highest rate of growth is expected to occur in Gaza, where the report estimates a population of 1.85 million will reach 3.1 million by 2030 and 4.7 million by 2050. In addition to a growing population, the number of women entering the labour force has also been steadily rising, with nearly one third of Palestinian women now working. How do we create the enabling environment to have enough economic growth to ensure that this growing population can have economic opportunities? asked Mr. Thomsen. In consideration of the demographic trends, the report estimates that the number of jobs that will need to be created per year will increase from an annual 58,000 to 72,000 by 2030. It urges that job creation take into account not only new workers, but also those who are unemployed and under-employed. In 2015, the rate of unemployment was 26 per cent. The UN official said he believes that enough dialogue has been had and that the focus now needs to be on creating opportunities for people and goods to move freely and for trade to resume so that Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory can be fully integrated into the international economy. New and more strenuous demands are also expected to affect education, as there will be a 48 per cent increase in the number of people aged between four and 22 years old by 2050. Again, these demands will be seen most significantly in Gaza, where residents are already younger and fertility rates and other relevant indicators are expected to create a faster-growing population. The report estimates that educational enrolment rates in Gaza will surpass those in the West Bank between 2025 and 2030. I hope it will be a wakeup call. If people are taking these numbers and figures and projections seriously, they will see a different way of thinking today will be required to avoid a disastrous situation in 14 years, said Mr. Thomsen.
UN Daily News - 5-21 December 2016 Gambian leaders must ensure peaceful transfer of power to President-elect, says Security Council 21 December Welcoming the African Union s decision to recognize Adama Barrow as President-Elect of Gambia, the United Nations Security Council reiterated its call on outgoing President Yayha Jammeh to transfer power to the President-Elect in peaceful and orderly manner. Wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file) The Security Council reiterates its request to outgoing President Jammeh and the relevant Gambian Authorities to fully respect the results of the presidential election of 1 December 2016, to respect the will of the Gambian people and to carry out a peaceful and orderly transition process, and to transfer power to President-elect Adama Barrow by 19 January 2017 in accordance with the Gambian constitution, said a Presidential Statement read out at a formal meeting of the 15-member body today. [The Council] further welcomes the decision of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State to attend the 19 January inauguration of President-elect Barrow in Banjul (Gambia s capital), it added. In the statement, the Council also underlined the need to ensure the security of President-elect Barrow and that of all Gambians, and called on the country s defence and security forces to demonstrate maximum restraint and maintain an atmosphere of calm in Banjul. Further, commending ECOWAS efforts aimed at diffusing the situation in the west African country, the Council welcomed the appointment of Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria as the Mediator in Gambia and that of John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana as Co-chair. Last week, an ECOWAS/UN high level delegation, led by the President of the Liberia and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, visited Banjul and undertook discussions aimed at ensuring a peaceful and orderly transition. Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein have spoken out on the situation in Gambia, urging outgoing President Jammeh to respect the outcome of the results and to transfer power to the incoming President.
UN Daily News - 6-21 December 2016 UN chief hails peaceful and inclusive legislative elections in Côte d Ivoire 21 December United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has applauded the Government and the people of Côte d Ivoire for this Sunday s peaceful and inclusive legislative elections as well as the progress in the country since last year, his office said. [The Secretary-General] congratulates Ivorian political parties for their active participation in the elections and the Commission électorale indépendante for its efforts in ensuring the people's right to vote, read a statement issued by his spokesperson late yesterday. Vote counting at a polling station in Abidjan, after the presidential election on 25 October 2015 in Côte d Ivoire. Photo: UNOCI (file) He also appreciates the positive role of international and national electoral observation teams, as well as the engagement of Ivorian civil society, which enhanced the transparency and credibility of the elections, it added. Further in the statement, the UN chief commended the progress achieved by the west African country with the conclusion of a free and fair presidential election in October 2015 and the constitutional referendum in October this year. The successful conclusion of the legislative election confirms Côte d Ivoire s steady march towards lasting peace and stability, noted the statement. Mr. Ban also reiterated the commitment of the UN system, including the UN Operation in Côte d Ivoire (UNOCI), to continue supporting the country in sustaining the gains achieved in its consolidation of peace, stability and long-term prosperity. Guinea-Bissau: Ban urges leaders to demonstrate goodwill to resolve political crisis 21 December Expressing concern over the impact of a prolonged political and institutional crisis in Guinea-Bissau, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the country's leadership to work towards a long-lasting political solution to the crisis on the basis of a regional roadmap agreed in September this year. The Secretary-General shares the concern expressed by the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 17 December over the prolonged political and institutional crisis in Guinea-Bissau, which continues to negatively impact the people of the country, read a statement issued by Mr. Ban's office late yesterday. He calls on Guinea-Bissau's political leadership to demonstrate the requisite commitment and goodwill to reach a lasting political solution to the crisis in their country on the basis of the ECOWAS Roadmap and the Conakry Accord, it added. National Assembly building in Guinea-Bissau. Photo: Wikimedia
UN Daily News - 7-21 December 2016 According to the statement, the UN chief also took note of the ECOWAS Authority decision to proceed with the withdrawal of its mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB) in the first quarter of 2017. He expresses the hope that such withdrawal will be contingent on the preconditions stipulated in the ECOWAS Roadmap and adequate consultation with international partners, including the UN, the statement added. Mr. Ban also expressed his appreciation to the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, in particular the ECOWAS Mediator for Guinea-Bissau, President Alpha Condé of Guinea, and the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, for their continuing efforts aimed at ensuring the full implementation of the ECOWAS Roadmap and the Conakry Accord. 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)