UN Interviews

Peacekeepers with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) are aiming to reach more vulnerable civilians in more remote parts of the country.

It’s part of a more “nimble and proactive” approach that’s being spearheaded by UNMISS chief, David Shearer.

On Wednesday he was in Akobo, near the Ethiopian border, where around 71,000 displaced people are living after fleeing fighting between government and opposition forces.

When it comes to growing their businesses, women entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities, not “waiting for handouts,” according to an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Adot Killmeyer-Oleche, chief of UNIDO’s Institute for Capacity Development, was speaking after a panel discussion on women in industry held in Bahrain on Wednesday as part of the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum.

South Sudanese civilians will only “feel ownership” of their country when fundamental freedoms and rights are respected by all, and for all.

That’s the essence of a new campaign aimed at internally-displaced people sheltering in Protection-of-Civilian, or PoC, sites around the country, run by the UN Mission, UNMISS.

Refugees, migrants and others are being treated almost as sub-human in some circumstances, according to independent rights expert Agnes Callamard, who delivered her report to the General Assembly a few days ago.

The Special Rapporteur passionately described situations in which there appears to be “complete indifference” to the rights of refugees, saying they are being treated sometimes “not quite as human”.

She has led human rights investigations in more than 30 countries and advised multilateral organizations and governments around the world on the issue.

When threatened by the effects of climate change, humans can quickly move from one location to another, but animals are slower to adapt.

That’s according to Bradnee Chambers, who oversees a UN environmental treaty known as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, known as CMS.

Migratory species include birds, whales and lions, and representatives from 125 countries have gathered in Manila this week for a CMS meeting looking at emerging problems facing wildlife.

Urban demand could be “a lever” for industrialization across Africa.

That’s according to Giovanie Biha, Deputy Executive Secretary at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), which has launched a report on industrial development on the continent.

With an increasing fraction of the population living in cities, Africa faces growing challenges in terms of services and infrastructure.

Ms Biha spoke with Priscilla Lecomte about how this rapid urbanization could be beneficial, and propel economic growth.

There’s never been a time when the pollinating power of the lowly honey bee has been more important to the planet than now.

That’s the view of some diplomats at UN Headquarters in New York who are making the case for giving bees their own official international day.

Ambassador Darja Bavdaz Kuret of Slovenia, argues that we need bees to cope with many of the global challenges laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals, such as hunger and biodiversity.

Yet, she says they are under threat like never before, due to climate change and pesticides.

Rapid urbanization in Africa is creating opportunities to strengthen rural economies, as demand for food rises in cities and towns.

That’s according to a major new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), published on Monday, which argues that a “sweeping transformation” is needed to unlock the potential of the countryside and stop the depopulation of rural areas.

On-going violence both against civilians and aid workers trying to protect them, has left the Central African Republic (CAR) “on the brink of a humanitarian crisis”.

That’s the view of Joseph Iganji, who heads the UN Humanitarian Affairs office (OCHA) in the capital, Bangui.

Around 23,000 civilians have fled into the bush in western areas of the country, and the instability and violence has led to the temporary suspension of all relief activities.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is facing a multifaceted array of problems that do not have a single clear solution.

That’s the view of Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, head of the UN Stabilization Mission there (MINUSCA), who took part in a dialogue in New York this week about continuing violence in CAR.

Rebel groups which control large areas of the country have displaced more than half a million people and left hundreds dead.