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UN Daily News
Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Issue DH/7101

In the headlines:
Displaced people need to be given opportunity to

UN refugee agency calls on Nigeria to heed wishes

Bay of Bengal three times more deadly than

More investment needed in developing female-

UN adviser calls for new mobile-industry

Uganda: UN concerned over arrests of opposition

rebuild their lives, Ban says at camp in DR Congo

Mediterranean for migrants and refugees UN
partnership to achieve sustainable development

Burundi: Ban welcomes promise of inclusive

dialogue, release of detainees

of internally displaced

controlled HIV prevention options UN agency

leaders, use of force since elections

UN rights chief welcomes US Presidents plan to

close Guantnamo detention facility

Fiji receives relief supplies in wake of Cyclone

Afghanistan: UN calls on all parties to respect

UN peacebuilding body highlights need to address

Europes restrictive measures place added

Winston as UN backs up Government response

root causes of conflict for sustainable peace

protected status of medical facilities and personnel

hardships on refugees and asylum-seekers UN

Displaced people need to be given opportunity to rebuild their

lives, Ban says at camp in DR Congo
23 February - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his call for
support from Member States to resolve such global humanitarian issues as the refugee and
migrant crisis and ensuring human dignity for all, during a visit to a site hosting internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
We have to give hope to [] young people, said Mr. Ban on the first stop of his two-day
visit. Particularly, we have to do much more to bring all these children back to school; we
have to do much more to protect human dignity and human rights of women and girls to
save them, to protect them from sexual violence.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visiting

an IDP camp in Kitchanga, North Kivu,
Democratic Republic of the Cong (DRC).
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

He said he plans to meet with President Joseph Kabila and other senior Congolese
Government officials to discuss all these matters tomorrow.
Today, he spoke with some women in the IDP camp in Mungote, describing the experience as very humbling. As
Secretary-General, I will do my best efforts, working together with the United Nations Member States, he said.
He said his visit to IDP camps, meeting so many people, particularly young people, reminded him of when he was six years
old in Republic of Korea in 1950. When the Korean War broke out, it was a deadly horrible war. There were millions of
people killed and tens of millions had been separated, displaced. I was one of them. I had to flee, he said, adding that the
United Nations had been a beacon of hope then and had rescued his country from the brink of collapse.
Now the United Nations are doing the same, despite a lack of resources, to protect the rights of 60 million IDPs and refugees
around the world, the highest number since the end of the war.

For information media not an official record

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23 February 2016

To that end, he will convene the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in May, as well as a summit on
global migration and refugee issues in September. We need support from the Member States as the UN cannot do it alone,
he said. No country can resolve all these issues alone.
Responding to a question about authorities wanting to close some IDP camps in North Kivu, he said he told the Governor
not to close them. The authorities seem to be lacking resources, but the UN will work together with the local and central
Governments. It is important to provide life-saving assistance to those people who need daily humanitarian assistance, he
said.
On a question on efforts to improve security in the areas of origin of IDPs, he said people should be protected from violence,
particularly women and girls. But there are clearly limits for peacekeepers to do it all. That is why the UN Organization
Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, the Armed Forces of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, known by the French acronym FARDC, and the national police are working very closely.
The protection of civilians is the number one priority for UN peacekeepers, he said.
On 24 February, Mr. Ban will be in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, for the opening session of the Great Lakes Private Sector
Investment Conference. He is also expected to meet with President Kabila, as well as several Government officials, and
political and civil society representatives.
On 25 February, the Secretary-General will leave Kinshasa for Juba, South Sudan, where he is expected to meet with
President Salva Kiir and visit a Protection of Civilians site that is run by the UN mission th

Bay of Bengal three times more deadly than Mediterranean for

migrants and refugees UN
23 February - Refugees and migrants crossing the seas of Southeast Asia died at a rate
three times higher than those in the Mediterranean last year, a new United Nations report
has found, highlighting the urgency of greater life-saving cooperation among the affected
States.

Fishermen manoeuvre a boat in a

waterway near Sittwe in Myanmar.
People risking their lives to leave
Myanmar and cross the Bay of Bengal
board boats in locations like this. Photo:
UNHCR/V. Tan

The report, Mixed Maritime Movements in South-East Asia, from the Office of the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), states that those movements had been three
times more deadly than in the Mediterranean last year, due largely to mistreatment by
smugglers and disease on the boats.
Refugees and migrants often employ the same routes, modes of transport, and networks,
and their movements are commonly referred to as mixed movements.

Across the region, an estimated 33,600 refugees and migrants of various nationalities had taken to smugglers boats,
including 32,600 in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, where the bulk of the passengers had been Rohingya and
Bangladeshi, according to the report, which was
summarized for the press by UNHCR spokesperson Andreas Needham and the regular bi-weekly briefing in Geneva today.
The first half of 2015 had seen the highest-ever estimated departures 31,000 while the number was 1,600 in the second
half. The full-year departures were just over half of the record-setting previous year. This decrease can be attributed to a
number of factors, including the discovery of mass graves along the Thailand-Malaysia land border with the remains of over
200 presumed earlier arrivals, government crackdowns on smuggling networks and scrutiny of traditional departure and
arrival points.
But the 2015 fatality rate had still been three times higher in those waters than in the Mediterranean Sea, the report
highlights. Some of the tales recorded in the report described harrowing experiences: death by starvation, people thrown
overboard alive, and suffering from various debilitating diseases.
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23 February 2016

Some 370 people are believed to have died in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea during the year, the report says; not
from drowning but from mistreatment and disease brought about by smugglers who abused and in many cases killed
passengers with impunity. The toll also includes those killed in a fight over diminishing supplies on a boat that had been
prevented from landing on two occasions. Some of these deaths could have been prevented with prompt disembarkation.

Root Causes Must Be Addressed

UNHCR believes that unless the root causes of displacement are addressed, people will continue risking their lives on
smugglers boats to seek safety and stability elsewhere.
Mr. Needham said that there are a number of processes in motion to address this issue.
There remains an urgent need for affected States to take concrete action to coordinate procedures for rescue at sea,
predictable places to disembark passengers safely, as well as adequate reception and screening systems on arrival. People
who fled their homes and cannot return due to an absence of protection should be granted temporary refuge and have access
to basic rights and services while longer-term solutions are sought.
To minimize deaths at sea, safe and legal channels including labour migration and family reunification programs must be
opened up for people leaving difficult conditions at home.
UNHCR hopes that labour migration arrangements could also be put in place for the Rohingya already in labour-importing
countries, enabling them to contribute to the economies of their host and home countries.
Next months Bali Process Ministerial Meeting will be a timely opportunity to make progress on these issues, Mr. Needham
said.
A lifting of existing restrictions on freedom of movement and access to services throughout Rakhine state in Myanmar
would allow thousands of people to live more normal lives and be less likely to risk dangerous sea journeys, he said.
UNHCR is also watching with interest the Bangladesh Governments plans to list hundreds of thousands of undocumented
Rohingya in southeastern Bangladesh, and the agency hopes that the exercise will result in improved documentation and
access to services.
Nearly 170,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis are estimated to have made the dangerous journey from the Bay of Bengal since
2012.

UN adviser calls for new mobile-industry partnership to achieve

sustainable development
23 February - The United Nations adviser on the new 15-year development agenda has
urged the mobile industry to work together and develop policy frameworks and technical
standards that would ensure no one is left behind.

UN Special Adviser David Nabarro (on

screen) promoted the Sustainable
Development Goals at the World Mobile
Summit in Barcelona. UN Photo/Anoush
Tatevossian

Speaking at the Mobile World Summit in Barcelona yesterday, David Nabarro, SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moons advisor on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, called
on the mobile industry to work with Governments and the international community to
expand connectivity, lower barriers to access and ensure that tools and applications are
developed with vulnerable communities in mind.

He also urged all attendees to work together to close the digital and gender divide and to
collaborate to enable the responsible use of data for humanitarian and development
purposes, while protecting individual privacy.

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23 February 2016

The summit brought more than 400 business leaders, government officials and board members of mobile operators and
vendors to explore the socio-economic impact of mobile technologies on individuals, businesses and governments around
the world. It focused on actions all stakeholders could take to collectively address the challenge of connecting the billions of
currently unconnected individuals to deliver a range of life-enhancing and life-changing services.
Mobile phone technology has already transformed societies around the globe, even in the poorest countries and communities
by creating jobs, spurring financial independence, improving education and promoting better health. By 2020,
approximately 3.8 billion men and women across the developing world will be connected to the internet via mobile, but 40
per cent of that population will still lack access.
The digital divide remains a yawning gulf that leaves the poor, those living in rural areas, and a disproportionate number of
women stranded on the wrong side, Dr. Nabarro said.
Mobiles do not merely contribute to development - they are an important dimension of development, he added.
He also noted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included a gender equality goal which calls for womens use of
technology to achieve womens empowerment and advance gender equality. Women still lag behind in access to mobile
technology and the internet and especially in their sophistication of use of these tools.
The United Nations Global Pulse initiative has demonstrated how the data produced by mobile phones can be used to map
and curb the spread of hunger and disease, inform crisis response and understand the impacts of climate change. According
to the initiative, real-time information to stay ahead of emerging risks, respond more effectively to crises, and keep progress
on track is critical to the achievement of the SDGs.
Dr. Nabarro is working with Member States and other relevant stakeholders to galvanize action on implementation of the
Agenda. The 2030 Agenda was unanimously adopted by world leaders at a historic UN summit last September and integrate
the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

Burundi: Ban welcomes promise of inclusive dialogue, release

of detainees
23 February - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the decision
today by the President of Burundi to withdraw some media bans, cancel arrest warrants and
release detainees as goodwill gestures to try to end months of violence in the crisis-torn
country.
Speaking at a press conference in Burundi, Mr. Ban said that President Pierre Nkurunziza
told him this morning that, among other measures, he will release a list of 1,200 detainees.
Secretary-General Ban addresses the
press in Burundi after meeting with
President Pierre Nkurunziza (left). He is
also meeting with other actors in support
of UN efforts to resolve the countrys
political crisis. Photo: UNDP/Aude
Rossignol

This is an encouraging step, the UN chief said, emphasizing that he would expect that
additional measures should be taken.

Mr. Ban said that at his invitation yesterday evening, representatives of the political actors,
from both the Government ruling party and opposition party, sat down together to discuss
Burundis future, and promised to engage in inclusive dialogue.
Nothing prevents them from continuing on this course, the Secretary-General stressed, adding that President Nkurunziza
also confirmed that he will be engaging in an inclusive dialogue.
Noting that he was last in Burundi in June 2010, only weeks before the general elections, Mr. Ban said that at the time, he
spoke about the peace dividends of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and the Global Ceasefire Agreement,
which put the country on a path to economic recovery and national reconciliation.
The effort that ended the civil war hinged on the willingness of former battlefield enemies to sit at the same table and
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23 February 2016

become partners in Burundis common future, the UN chief said.

Mr. Ban also underscored that it is necessary to shift from a focus on crisis response to a culture of early action what he
called a preventive diplomacy.
That is one of the main reasons I am in Burundi today and it is one of the main calls to action when I am convening world
leaders at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016, he said.
Mr. Ban added that his Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has deployed his team in Burundi and is working with
the Government to support a credible and inclusive political dialogue and advise the authorities on addressing security
concerns.
I have full confidence and trust in Mr. Benomar and I hope that the Government of Burundi will work closely with him,
Mr. Ban said.
Burundis political leaders must be willing to summon the courage and confidence that will make a credible political
process possible and ensure that the people of this beautiful nation can once again live in peace and enjoy human rights, the
UN chief concluded.
Burundi was thrown into crisis this past April when President Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term that
he went on to win in July. To date, it has been reported that more than 400 people have been killed, more than 240,000 have
fled the nation, and thousands more have been arrested and possibly subjected to human rights violations.

Fiji receives relief supplies in wake of Cyclone Winston as UN

backs up Government response
23 February - The United Nations has begun its work of providing international assistance
to the Pacific islands of Fiji, hit by a powerful tropical cyclone that left at least 28 people
dead and some 14,000 people sheltering in evacuation centres.

UNICEF staff and volunteers pack

WASH kits (water, sanitation and
hygiene kits) and school supplies at
UNICEFs warehouse in Suva, Fiji, for
distribution to victims of Category 5
Tropical Cyclone Winston. Photo:
UNICEF/Joseph Hing

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN
Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT) and new partners arriving in Fiji are requested to work
through Fijis existing operational structure to allow for a coordinated and effective
response.
It has been agreed that OCHA will be the conduit for communications between Fijis
National Disaster Management Office and international humanitarian partners regarding
offers of assistance.

Relief supplies and assessment teams have now arrived on Koro Island, where whole villages have been destroyed, OCHAs
situation report says.
New Zealand has offered aid exceeding $2 million (NZD). Its 13-strong response team aboard a plane carrying 12 tonnes of
supplies, requested by the Fiji Government, including water containers, tarpaulins, generators, chainsaws and tool kits
arrived at Nausori airport in the capital city of Suva on Monday.
Australia will also be supplying military helicopters to assist with aerial surveillance, as well as air transport of relief
supplies for 1500 families, as part of a $5 million (AUD) assistance package.
The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has agreed to assist with the rollout of child friendly spaces in evacuation centres.
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster such as a cyclone, UNICEFs first priority is to ensure the protection and
wellbeing of the most vulnerable, including children, pregnant women and new mothers, said UNICEF Pacific Deputy

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23 February 2016

Representative Isabelle Austin.

She also said that agency is working around the clock preparing supplies for transport and distribution through the
Government of Fiji, which is providing extremely strong leadership on this response.
Children, families and communities across Fiji will require extensive support to meet growing and urgent needs around
water, sanitation and hygiene, including the provision of water containers, purification tablets, soap and temporary sanitation
facilities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has received a request for 36 000 water purifying tablets, while the UN Entity for
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and UNICEF have been asked to co-lead the national
safety and protection cluster.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston cut a path of destruction across the country on 20-21 February.
Almost 14,000 people are sheltering in 274 evacuation centres around Fiji. At least 364 dwellings have been destroyed, and
65 schools have been damaged or destroyed. Schools have been closed for the week and the Government has indicated that
restoring education is its top priority for the response over the coming days.
The Government has declared a 30-day state of natural disaster, and launched an appeal for public donations to assist
victims of the cyclone.

UN peacebuilding body highlights need to address root causes

of conflict for sustainable peace
23 February - The head of the United Nations advisory body tasked with making
recommendations on post-conflict recovery, reconstruction and development stressed today
that building lasting peace requires predictable, sustained and adequate efforts and
financing to help stop violence and address the root causes of conflict.
Speaking today in an open debate of the Security Council on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding:
review of the peacebuilding architecture at UN Headquarters in New York, Macharia
Kamau, chairman of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and Permanent
Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, underscored that investments in the
prevention of outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict are considerably
less expensive and sustainable than merely reacting to crises.

Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission

Macharia Kamau addresses the Security
Council debate on Post-conflict
peacebuilding: review of the
peacebuilding architecture. UN
Photo/Rick Bajornas

The Peacebuilding Commission, in its advisory role to the Council, stands ready to serve
as a bridge between Security Council and other principal intergovernmental organs, with a view to strengthen the
collaboration and enhance the impact of their collective work of peacebuilding in the world, he said.
Noting that the role of the Peacebuilding Fund in providing financing to countries on their request has evidently been
important, but remains limited in its impact, Mr. Kamau stressed that the Fund clearly needs to be enhanced.
Calling on UN Member States, including non-traditional donors and other partners, to consider making or increasing their
multi-year commitments to pooled funds, in support of sustainable peace, Mr. Kamau said all financing-related proposals,
including those aimed at appropriately resourcing peacebuilding programmes during transitions, need to be comprehensively
considered by Member States during the current review.
We need to address the predictability and sustainability of financing, he said. We must consider all the viable options
available to maximize the potential and the predictability of the Peacebuilding Fund, he added.
Also speaking at todays debate was Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and former
chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, who emphasized that peacebuilding can no longer be confined to post-conflict
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recovery.
Sustaining peace encompasses the activities aimed at preventing the outburst, resurgence and continuation of conflict, he
said.
The single-most important outcome of the peacebuilding review process should endorse a corresponding change in the way
the UN system is set up to respond to conflict, Mr. Skoog said.
The Commission is quite a unique structure at the UN, and also a flexible body. I believe there are inherent opportunities
for the Commission to keep evolving and to adopt new approaches, and thereby come closer to fulfilling its original vision
of bridging the gap between crisis response and long-term development and sustainable peace, he emphasized.
If the UN is serious about sustaining peace, Mr. Skoog continued, it has to ensure that there are resources to back up
priorities.
Very simply put, we need to walk the talk, he said. It is a tragic irony that while resources available for peacekeeping and
humanitarian response amount to billions of dollars, conflict prevention initiatives which could save so many lives and
significantly lessen the need for peacekeeping in the first place has to scramble for a fraction of those amounts.
In addition, Mr. Skoog stressed that it is also necessary to create stronger partnerships with regional actors, and strengthen
their capacity, since they are often first responders to conflict. By partnering with regional and sub-regional organizations,
the UN response will be better informed by local perspectives and able to bring such understandings and approaches to
peacebuilding to the fore.
Along those lines, Gert Rosenthal, chair of the advisory group of experts on the review of the UN peacebuilding
architecture, stressed that it is necessary to rethink what is meant by peacebuilding. In fact, he said, the term is always
preceded by the adjective post conflict on the agenda item of the Council.
Proposing the term sustainable peace as preferable and as the needed evolution in mindset, Mr. Rosenthal stressed that the
UN as a whole must put a much greater accent on preventive measures.
In fact, much of the present peacebuilding efforts do aim to address root causes, in the broader context of pre-empting lapse
or relapse into violent conflict, he noted. But, he added, the determination in 2005 was to ensure that such efforts become
central, but we found that regrettably this has not been the case.
The Peacebuilding Commission is an intergovernmental body that was established in December 2005 by the UN General
Assembly and Security Council.

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UN refugee agency calls on Nigeria to heed wishes of internally

displaced
23 February - The Nigerian authorities should heed the concerns of internally displaced
people (IDP) in the north-east of the country, the United Nations refugee agencys top
protection official said following his visit to Borno, the north-eastern state hardest hit by the
Boko Haram insurgency.
We all need to listen to the IDPs, their aspirations and sense of dignity and safety when
organizing their returns to areas taken back by the Government but still considered risky,
Volker Trk, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said during a visit to Maiduguri, capital of Borno,
over the weekend.

UN Assistant High Commissioner for

Protection Volker Trk talks to displaced
Nigerian children in Malkohi host
community, Yola, Nigeria. Photo:
UNHCR/G. Osodi

The insurgency has affected about five million people, including more than 2.2 million
Nigerians who are internally displaced and almost 180,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries.
Earlier this month, suicide bombers killed more than 50 people and injured dozens in attacks on a site holding some 50,000
IDPs at Dikwa in Borno. Many of the IDPs in Borno come from towns and villages that have been practically razed over the
past two years, lacking infrastructure, basic services and security.
Mr. Trk arrived in Nigeria Thursday last week to review the refugee agencys emergency operations in the northeast. He
has also met Nigerias Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja and Government partners to discuss the challenges and areas
of cooperation.
During these meetings, he urged the Government to take advantage of UNHCRs experience in voluntary repatriation and
work closely to ensure the welfare of people of concern while offering to help neighbouring countries organize voluntary
repatriation where and when the conditions were right.
While encouraging Government institutions and civil society organizations to lead the response to forced displacement, he
said: UNHCR, as part of the international community, will continue to support local initiatives.
Mr. Trk also met IDPs in Borno and Yola states, listening to harrowing tales of violence and destruction and the continuing
suffering and challenges facing people unable to return home.

On Same Footing with Syria

The needs are great and increasing in Borno, including Maiduguris 17 organized and 13 informal IDP camps hosting some
125,000 people. Alhadji Usman Didda Shua, a senior local government official, said that Borno, where social and health
infrastructures are virtually non-existent, should be treated on the same footing with Syria.
In Borno alone, 16 out of 38 hospitals have been destroyed or looted, and 214 primary health care centres shut. Bama, the
second largest city in Borno until 2014 with a population of 600,000, lies in ruins and is deserted. State authorities say it will
require millions of dollars to reconstruct.
Hapsatu Amadu, a 47-year-old community leader in Malkohi on the outskirts of Yola told him they needed clothing, food
and shelter. We are exposed to the vagaries of the weather in these grass thatched huts, she explained.
In each crisis, there is an opportunity, which we need to seize, hopefully in the form of a new social contract, Mr. Trk
concluded.
He will next visit Cameroon to discuss the situation of Nigerian refugees there and to visit the Minawao refugee camp in the
Far North Region before wrapping up his regional visit on Wednesday.
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More investment needed in developing female-controlled HIV

prevention options UN agency
23 February - The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today
welcomed the encouraging results of two studies from Africa in which women modestly
reduced their risk of infection by inserting a vaginal ring coated with the antiretroviral drug
dapivirine once a month.
According to these two clinical trials, a vaginal ring, inspired by those used for
contraception or hormone treatments, reduce by 30 per cent on average the risk of HIV
infection in women. It contains the experimental antiviral dapivirine, a microbicide that
gradually diffuses.

Photo: UNAIDS

The results are encouraging and show the urgent need to expand investment in research and development for femalecontrolled methods of HIV prevention, UNAIDS said in a press release.
The agency also noted that these are the first results to show that a sustained release mechanism for antiretroviral medicine
is feasible, safe and partially effective in preventing HIV infection in women. Follow-up studies are necessary to build ways
to optimize on the results, UNAIDS added.
Women urgently need better options for HIV prevention, particularly options that allow them more control, said the
Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Luiz Loures. The path to an effective microbicide has been a long one. The
important results of these two studies take us one step closer towards an HIV prevention product that could protect millions
of women worldwide, he explained.
The two studies, presented on 22 February at the Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in
Boston, the United States, were carried out in four African countries and have involved more than 4,500 women.
Another important finding from both studies was that there was little protection against HIV for women aged 21 years and
below, with better protection for women 22 years and above. At least part of this difference was explained by better
adherence in the older age group.
Young women in sub-Saharan Africa remain the most affected by HIV. Approximately 79 per cent of all women living with
HIV (aged 15 and over) live in that region.

Uganda: UN concerned over arrests of opposition leaders, use

of force since elections
23 February - The United Nations human rights office expressed concern today over the
tense post-election situation in Uganda, following reports that at least two people have
been killed and an unknown number of people injured, heavy military and police forces
deployed in the streets of Kampala, and the arrests of four opposition leaders since
Thursdays elections.
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson Ccile
Pouilly told the regular news briefing in Geneva today that the Office is also concerned
A marketplace in Kampala, Uganda.
Photo: World Bank/Arne Hoel
about the intimidating display of force used this past Friday by Ugandan police and
military forces to evacuate the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) headquarters in
Kampala, with tear gas and life ammunition reportedly used, as well as by worrying information of journalists being
harassed and intimidated by security forces.
We remind the Government of Uganda of its obligations under international human rights law not to unduly restrict
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freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, said Ms. Pouilly.

Law enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, when that is not possible, restrict it to the minimum extent
necessary. Anyone who is arrested shall be informed of the reasons for the arrest and shall be promptly informed of any
charges against him or her, she added.
The FDCs leader, Kizza Besigye, who was arrested and released on three different occasions this past week, was placed
under house arrest on Saturday without charge or judicial order. Yesterday morning, he was taken to a police station in
Nagalaama, a town located some 30 kilometres from the capital city of Kampala, after he tried to leave his home, the
OHCHR spokesperson said.
Two other presidential candidates have also been reportedly arrested over the past few days. Amama Mbabazi, from the Go
Forward party, has been under house arrest since Saturday, while Abed Bwanika, President of the Peoples Development
Party, was reportedly intercepted by police on Friday at Mutukula, close to the border with Tanzania, as he was attempting
to leave the country with his family. Kampalas Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, was also arrested on Saturday, as he was
talking to the press about Mr Besigyes arrest.

UN rights chief welcomes US Presidents plan to close

Guantnamo detention facility
23 February - The United Nations human rights chief today welcomed United States
President Barack Obamas plan to close the Guantnamo Bay detention facility in Cuba,
expressing hope that no further obstacles are placed in the way of its implementation.
The Guantnamo regime has been a serious blot on the human rights record, and reputation,
of the United States for the past 14 years, High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid
Raad Al Hussein said in a statement.
Mr. Obama presented the plan to the Congress today. According to media reports, the plan
seeks the transfer of between 30 and 60 detainees to US soil, and suggests several possible
locations in South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado. The rest of the 91 detainees at the prison
could be sent to other countries.

The UN High Commissioner for Human

Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. UN
Photo/Rick Bajornas

Noting that it has been cited by many repressive Governments as justification for their own actions, Mr. Zeid stressed that it
is vital that the implementation of the plan results in no one remaining in indefinite detention without charge or trial.
All Guantnamo detainees should either be transferred to regular detention centres in the US mainland or other countries
where fair trials before civilian courts and due process guarantees can be provided in accordance with international norms
and standards, he said. If there is insufficient evidence to charge them with any crime, they must be released to their home
country or to a third country if they risk persecution at home, he added.

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Afghanistan: UN calls on all parties to respect protected status

of medical facilities and personnel
23 February - Following two incidents in the past week that put access to health care in
Afghanistan under attack, the United Nations mission in the country has urged all parties to
refrain from targeting hospitals and to take all feasible precautions to prevent casualties
among their patients and personnel.
Medical facilities, medical personnel, and those who are receiving treatment, for disease or
conflict-related injuries, must never be placed at risk, let alone subject to attack, said Mark
Bowden, the UNs Humanitarian Coordinator and the Secretary-Generals Deputy Special A doctor immunizes an Afghan woman
against tetanus. Photo: WHO/Chris Black
Representative for Afghanistan, in a press release.
The work that humanitarian and medical personnel carry out must not be restricted, and all parties to the conflict must
abstain from actions that may place these persons or facilities at risk, he added.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) noted that on 22 February, in the Sia Gird District of Parwan
Province, a suicide attacker targeting Afghan security forces detonated an improvised explosive device in proximity to the
entrance of the district health clinic, killing seven civilians and injuring seven others, including three boys.
On 18 February, the Afghan Ministry of Interior Special Forces and the international military conducted a joint operation in
the Tangi Sayedan area of Daimirdad District of Wardak Province and entered a Government health clinic funded by the
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. After the manager of the facility was tied up and other medical personnel forced with
him into a room, two patients and a 15-year-old boy on visit were taken to a nearby shop and summarily executed.
UNAMA reminded all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan of their obligation to respect the provision of health care, not
harm medical personnel and patients, and ensure that the protected status of medical facilities is respected.
The Mission also said that the 2015 Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, which it issued earlier
this month with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (OHCHR), documented an increase in the number of
conflict-related incidents deliberately targeting hospitals, clinics and health personnel.
UNAMA reiterated that intentional attacks on or in the vicinity of education facilities and hospitals, or on their personnel,
committed as part of the ongoing conflict, constitute violations and abuses of international human rights law and breaches of
international humanitarian law, and also violate Afghanistans constitution.

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23 February 2016

Europes restrictive measures place added hardships on

refugees and asylum-seekers UN
23 February - The United Nations refugee agency said today it is concerned by recent
restrictive practices adopted in a number of European countries that are placing additional
undue hardships on refugees and asylum-seekers across Europe, creating chaos at several
border points, and putting particular pressure on Greece as it struggles to deal with larger
numbers of people in need of accommodation and services.
In a press release, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said
In November 2015, refugees and migrants that the newest restrictive measures put in place by several European countries risk
protest border restrictions near the Greek violating European Union (EU) law and undermine efforts for a comprehensive and
town of Idomeni, close to the border with
coordinated approach to deal with the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe.
the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. Photo: UNICEF/Ashley
Gilbertson VII

On 17 February, Austria announced it would place a daily limit of 3,200 people to enter its
territory and only accept 80 new asylum applications per day. Slovenia announced a similar
cap to restrict movements across its borders.
In addition, on 18 February, the heads of police services of Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia announced an agreement to jointly profile and register refugees and asylum-seekers at the border
between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece, as well as take a number of additional actions to manage
the situation.
While coordinated action can help the management of the mixed migration movement, the statement has been interpreted
differently by countries, resulting in increased protection risks for refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly those with
specific needs, such as unaccompanied and separated children, the UNHCR noted in its statement.
The risks include lack of proper registration in line with EU and international standards, the selection of people on the basis
of nationality and other criteria rather than protection needs, and the heightened likelihood of pushbacks and people being
stranded in the open.
Such practices also undermine the conclusions reached by the European Council last week recalling that to enter the EU
without adequate travel documentation, people need to apply for asylum when reaching an EU country, UNHCR said.
The practices have already resulted in a build-up of refugees and asylum-seekers and migrants in Greece and in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where nearly 700 people, mostly Afghan nationals, have been barred from accessing
admission into Serbia.
In order to support a joint approach and to allay fears and potential chaos, States need to inform refugees and asylumseekers of their procedures, including clear details on the criteria for access to admission, asylum or return, in line with
applicable laws, the UN agency said.
Some States are shifting problems onward rather than trying to genuinely share responsibility and show solidarity with one
another and with those in need of protection, UNHCR said. A comprehensive, coordinated strategy built on shared
responsibility, solidarity and trust among all European States working together is the only way to approach the current
emergency.
UNHCR added that it is making good progress in providing accommodation for 20,000 asylum-seekers in Greece, and will
continue to provide support to States to help manage the situation humanely and in line with international standards.
The agency also urges the creation and expansion of credible alternative pathways for refugees to reach safety in Europe and
elsewhere in order to ensure that movements are manageable and safe, such as enhanced resettlement, humanitarian
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23 February 2016

admission, family reunifications and student/work visas.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section
of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)