Americas

UNESCO denounces assassination of Colombian journalist

14 January 2005
Warning that democracy is under fire with the continued murder of journalists, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the assassination of a Colombian radio reporter who frequently denounced corruption and the influence of drug traffickers on local politics.

UN peacekeepers in Haiti face bullets and stones

13 January 2005
One civilian police officer from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has been injured by stone-throwers as he tried to rescue an alleged thief from a lynch mob and two other officers escaped to safety a day later after their vehicle came under fire.

Security Council plans trip to Haiti by end of May

12 January 2005
Expressing concern about the disarmament and security situations in Haiti, the United Nations Security Council today said it was planning a mission to the troubled Caribbean country in the next several months.

Haiti receives funds for elections in 2005, UN mission says

11 January 2005
A global agreement, initialled in the office of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, is bringing $41 million from abroad to Haiti for its elections later this year, according to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

UN, Guatemala sign agreement to open human rights office

11 January 2005
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Guatemala have agreed that a UN human rights office will be opened in the Central American country later this year to advise the government on strengthening civil liberties observance after decades of civil strife have left a legacy of social discrimination.

UN peacekeepers improve routes in Haitian capital

5 January 2005
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti has been emptying a city district of the burned tyres and stalled vehicles and repairing a section of railway as the troops do what they can to improve the lives of the people in the capital of the impoverished Caribbean nation.

UN-backed expedition to sail to Antarctica to gauge impact of global warming

4 January 2005
In a United Nations-backed project, a two-masted ship will set sail this month from the tip of South America for Antarctica to witness first-hand the impacts of global warming and environmental change on the world’s most southerly continent.

Identities of the dead should be preserved after disasters, UN health agency says

4 January 2005
Rejecting myths arising out of major historical plagues, relief workers coping with large numbers of people killed by natural disasters such as last week’s earthquake and tsunami in South Asia should make every effort to respect the traditions of the affected communities and preserve the individual identities of the dead, the United Nations health agency says.