This is the News in Brief from the United Nations
‘Where there is anti-Semitism, no one else is safe’: UN Chief tells Holocaust commemoration
UN chief António Guterres has warned that anti-Semitism is still strong, and is getting worse, in a speech delivered to commemorate the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance.
Mr. Guterres noted that anti-Semitic incidents in the US increased by 57 percent in 2017, that almost 30 percent of Jews in Europe reported being harassed simply for being Jewish just last year, and that neo-Nazi groups are proliferating.
The Secretary-General pointed out that anti-Semitism is not solely a problem for Jews, because where there is anti-Semitism, no one else is safe:
Across the world, we are seeing a disturbing rise in other forms of bigotry. Attacks on Muslims are on the rise, in some places far outpacing other forms of hatred. Rohingyas, Yazidis and many others have faced persecution simply for who they are. Intolerance today spreads at lightning speed across the Internet and social media. Perhaps most disturbingly, hate is moving into the mainstream – in liberal democracies and authoritarian systems alike.
Latin America must condemn violence against Venezuelan refugees and migrants: senior UN official
Meanwhile, Eduardo Stein, UN Special Representative for Venezualan refugees and migrants, has called on political and opinion leaders in Latin America to condemn the recent violence and threats against Venezualans forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in nearby countries.
In a statement issued on Monday, Mr. Stein also put the onus on the media, and users of social networks, to condemn all physical and verbal attacks against refugees, migrants and other foreign people.
Mr. Stein said that the reaction of countries in the region to the flow of refugees and migrants from Venezuela – one of the largest ever seen in Latin America – has been “exemplary,” characterised by affection, generosity and respect. He urged the region to “remain faithful to its tradition of solidarity.”
‘Preparedness is crucial’ in fight against Ebola: health workers vaccinated in South Sudan
As part of a strategy to prevent Ebola spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo (or DRC), to surrounding countries, the UN is supporting the vaccination of health workers in South Sudan, concentrating on high-risk areas near the border with the DRC, and the South Sudanese capital Juba.
The DRC is now experiencing its tenth outbreak of Ebola, which began in August of last year. So far, neighbouring countries have not reported any Ebola cases but, in a press release, the World Health Organization, or WHO, said that “preparedness is crucial.”
Vaccination is part of raft of measures taken to halt the spread of the disease, and the WHO has sent more than 30 staff members to South Sudan to support these activities, which include training local health workers to safely administer the vaccine and establishing screening points to detect infected people entering the country.
Similar moves have already taken place in Uganda, where front-line workers were vaccinated in November of last year.
Conor Lennon, UN News.
