General News

Sixty blue helmets were killed in attacks in 2017; nearly double the figure for the past two years.

That’s according to senior UN official Atul Khare, who reported that overall, 123 personnel died while serving at peacekeeping missions this year.

The Under-Secretary-General for Field Support underlined that action is being taken to improve security conditions in the field.

Alban Mendes de Leon asked him about some of the major developments in peacekeeping over the past 12 months and what to expect in 2018.

Duration: 5’03”

Three months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria delivered a major blow to the island of Dominica, life is resuming on the Caribbean island.

Schools are open, and food and water needs have been met. But only 10 per cent of the homes have electricity and the two main job areas — agriculture and tourism — have been badly hit.

Veronique Durroux speaks by phone to Luca Renda, UN Development Programme (UNDP) team leader and head of UN crisis management on Dominica, about the situation and UN efforts to help.

Duration: 6’41”

Although a UN court has charged more than 160 people for war crimes committed during the Balkan wars, that number is still “very little” considering the thousands of violations that still need to be investigated.

That’s the assessment of Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which closes its doors this month after nearly 25 years of service.

A refugee story with a happy ending, with news that a Syrian former champion wrestler has opened a sports centre in Egypt offering hope to others displaced from the war-torn country.

Amir Awad, the 18-time Syrian National wrestling champion did it rather than risk his family’s life by smuggling them to Europe.

The exchange of more than 300 prisoners by warring parties in Ukraine has been welcomed as a positive step after years of conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

After successfully coordinating the operation this week, ICRC reported that it was the largest transfer of detainees since fighting erupted in 2014 between government forces and separatists in the east of the country bordering Russia.

On 22 December, tropical storm Tembin,  known locally as “Vinta”, made landfall in southern Philippines and traversed a path of destruction as it swept through the region.

Worst hit are the northern parts of Mindanao where over 150,000 people have been displaced due to landslides and flash floods. Over 150 people have died and many more are missing.

Humanitarian assessments are ongoing and search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors amid the devastation.

An estimated 1.8 billion tourists are expected to be on the move by 2030 and this could be a “disaster” or a long-lasting “opportunity” for the planet.

That’s according to Taleb Rifai, head of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Speaking in Geneva earlier this month, he said that new data showed people made more than 1.1 billion international trips in the first 10 months of 2017 – a 7 per cent increase on the same period in 2016.

The international community is being urged to continue supporting efforts to restore and rebuild Somalia.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi made the appeal during a visit to the country this week.

Decades of political instability coupled with armed violence, poverty, drought and other natural hazards, have displaced scores of Somalis: either within the country or across the border.

But, as Dianne Penn reports, many are returning home.

Duration: 2’04”

Syria topped the agenda in the Security Council on Tuesday, where ambassadors heard briefings from the UN officials overseeing the political and humanitarian response to the ongoing conflict.

The Council also adopted a resolution to extend humanitarian aid to millions affected by the fighting.

Dianne Penn reports.

Duration: 2'20"

There is a “growing risk” that Israel and Palestine will increasingly go their own way and abandon the so-called two-State solution which envisages both countries living side by side in peace.

That’s according to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, briefing the Security Council on Monday.

Matt Wells reports.

Duration: 2’50”