Unicef

UN this week
06/10/11

“Yemen: UNICEF chief calls for urgent protection of children in Yemen”
5 October 2011– The head of UNICEF today called for the urgent protection of children in Yemen who are being caught in the crossfire of the civil conflicts taking place. “The children of Yemen should be busy going back to school at this time of year. Instead, they face armed men rather than teachers,bullets instead of books,” UNICEF’s Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement. UNICEF not only calls for the urgent protection of children but of women as well. According to the agency, at least 94 children have been killed and 240 wounded since the clashes between security forces and protesters against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. At least two were killed just this week. Furthermore,this is not the only problem Yemen citizens are suffering; malnutrition rates are even higher, falling into emergency levels. UNICEF also added that this problem should be resolved given the uprising crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called numerous times on the Government and opposition groups in Yemen to engage with his special adviser, Jamal Benomar,to peacefully resolve the ongoing crisis in the country. Source: UN news center. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39946&Cr=yemen&Cr1=
“Haiti: UN voices hopes for greater reconstruction after approval of new premier”
5 October 2011– The United Nations today welcomed the Haitian Parliament’s approval of a new Prime Minister after months of postponement, voicing hope that theimpoverished country where there is a large peacekeeping force can now accelerate its reconstruction efforts. UN representatives urged Parliament to approve programmes so that major reconstruction efforts can be launched without further delay in Haiti, which has been torn by instability, afflicted by hurricanes, floods and landslides, and is still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake.Mr. Conille has served as chief of staff for former United States president Bill Clinton in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Haiti, and has worked for the UN since 1999, serving in Ethiopia, Haiti and most recently in Niger, where he was also the Representative of UN Development Programme (UNDP). UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos, who visited Haiti last week, warned that thehumanitarian crisis following the earthquake is not over. Source: UN news
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39939&Cr=haiti&Cr1=

“UN expert calls for added protection of civilians after suicide attack in Somalia”
5 October 2011 – A United Nations independent expert on human rights called today on the international community to deploy a supplementary force to protect Somalicivilians after yesterday’s deadly suicide bombing in Mogadishu that left at least 65 people dead and more than 150 others injured.Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Somalia for the UN Human Rights Council Shamsul Bari urged the international community “to step up and consider deploying an international protection force to complement the work of the African Union Mission in Somalia(AMISOM) to stabilize the capital and protect innocent civilians.”The most recent attack occurred when a truck carrying explosives was driven into a government ministry building. Many of the victims were students who were waiting to hear for their exam results and hoping for scholarships to Turkey or Sudan. Mr. Bari strongly condemned the attack and said one of the greatest tragedies of theprolonged crisis in Somalia has been that several generations have been deprived of education, recalling a similar attack in 2009 at a graduation ceremony. Source: UN news
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39949&Cr=somalia&Cr1=

UN atomic energy official involved in radiation contamination incident in Belgium
4 October 2011 –The United Nations atomic energy agency reported today...