The bloodbath of Syria should be our foremost priority, says the President of the General Assembly at the opening of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, the 25th of February.
The situation in Syria is at the top of the Human Rights Council’s agenda in this session which runs until the 22nd of March.
Beng Poblete-Enriquez reports.
Duration: 3’04”
In 2001, there was a feeling among the development community that there are certain countries in the world that are particularly vulnerable because of the severe development challenges they face – among them, a low level of per-capital income, economic difficulties and environmental threats.
A special office at the United Nations was created to give special attention to the constraints of these countries.
The People of Mali continue to suffer in the crisis that intensified last year when fighting broke out between Tuareg rebels and government forces.
The crisis took another turn when Islamist extremists occupied the northern section of the country.
French and government troops are pressing ahead with their operations to reclaim territory from the radical Islamists.
Derrick Mbatha reports
Duration: 3'25"
Scores of people living in a camp in the Somali capital of Mogadishu are to receive free medical care through mobile clinics.
Three thousand Somalis arrived in Karibu camp last year fleeing a severe drought as well as violence fostered by the activities of the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
The African Mission in Somalia, (AMISOM) and Hope for Life International (HILI) are behind the initiative that has made the health care possible.
Beng Poblete-Enriquez reports.
Duration: 1'49"
Source: UNifeed
As another sign of the return of normalcy in Somalia, the fire department in the country’s capital, Mogadishu, is resuming operations for the first time since 1991.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which helped government forces retake the city from the Al-Shabaab Islamist extremists, is assisting in training fire-fighters in the Horn of Africa country.
When the extremists controlled the city, they neglected basic services such as fire-fighting, healthcare and sanitation.
Derrick Mbatha reports
Duration: 3’02
Earlier this week, members of the Community Media Network in Tanzania-COMNETA rejoiced after their network received official registration from the Government of Tanzania.
The network comprises about 25 community radios operating in the most rural settings of Tanzania, home to over 44 million people and more than 126 ethnic groups.
A national state owned broadcaster exists around the country, but community radios are popular among villagers who now have their voices heard and issues discussed over the radio by people whom they know.
African leaders need to pay more attention to implementing policies to tackle growing challenges such as air pollution, vector borne diseases and chemical exposure.
That’s the conclusion of a new report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday.
Derrick Mbatha reports.
Duration: 3'27"
Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in Mali following a military coup in March last year and the occupation of the northern part of the country by armed rebels. Malians became refugees in neighbouring countries creating a humanitarian crisis.
In this report prepared by UNHCR’s Edith Champagne, she says Malians who fled Timbuktu, in particular the women and children, are suffering the brunt of the conflict and are trying to make ends meet in Mopti.
Duration: 2’13”
Liberia, with the help of the United Nations continues to rebuild after a civil war in the 1990’s which killed hundreds of thousands of people and led to complete breakdown in law and order.
As part of the rebuilding efforts, the Liberian government inaugurated the first justice and security hub in Gbarnga, Bong County.
With over $13 million provided by the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, the government plans to open five regional justice and security hubs so that citizens throughout the country can have access to justice.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun scaling up food distribution to reach 2.5 million Syrians by April.
The agency says that by the end of January, it had distributed food to approximately 1.2 million people in all governorates in Syria.
In order to address the growing needs throughout the country, the United Nations is expanding partnerships with national and international non-governmental organizations.
Derrick Mbatha reports.
Duration: 3'17"
