UN Daily News 12 May 2016
UN Daily News 12 May 2016
UN Daily News 12 May 2016
www.un.org/news
UN Daily News
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Issue DH/7157
In the headlines:
Syria: first 10 days of May disappointing for
disaster UN
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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.
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
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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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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.
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.
I want to thank all of you for sharing your stories and experiences. I
commend you for your strength and resilience, Mr. Ban said.
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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.
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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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.
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
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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.
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.
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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.
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
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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)