HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
5 SEPTEMBER 2017
 
TWO U.N. PEACEKEEPERS DEAD IN MALI AFTER VEHICLE HITS EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

• Two peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in Mali died today after their vehicle hit an explosive device 15 km away from Aguelhok, in the Kidal region. Two other peacekeepers were severely injured and have been evacuated to receive medical care. The vehicle was part of a logistical convoy travelling in the direction of Tessalit.
• The UN Mission condemned these acts, which it said are aimed at paralysing its operations and the implementation of its mandate, and which impact civilians and UN personnel indiscriminately.
• The Mission extends its condolences to the Government and families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.

• Human rights abuses continue unabated in Yemen, where civilians are suffering as a result of an “entirely man-made catastrophe,” according to a new UN report.
• The publication was mandated by the Human Rights Council and covers violations and abuses of human rights and international law since September 2014.
• The report finds that, between March 2015 and September 2017, more than 5,100 civilians have been killed, more than 1,100 of them children, and more than 8,700 others injured. The UN Human Rights Office said that the figures are a conservative estimate.
• The publication says that coalition airstrikes were the leading cause of civilian and child casualties.
• High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said it was crucial for an independent, international investigation to be established, stressing that it would help to put parties to the conflict on notice that the international community is watching and determined to hold to account perpetrators of violations and abuses.
• He said that the reticence of the international community in demanding justice for the victims of the conflict in Yemen is shameful, and in many ways contributing to the continuing horror, and appealed to the parties to the conflict, those supporting them and those with influence over them to take immediate measures to ensure humanitarian relief for civilians and justice for the victims of violations.

• The UN Office in Colombia on Monday celebrated the announcement of the agreement reached between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) to implement a bilateral and temporary ceasefire. 
• In a press release, the office said the UN believes that the main objective of the agreement is to improve the humanitarian situation of the population, adding that this act is a concrete step towards the application of International Humanitarian Law and will help build confidence in the peace process.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said that it was gravely concerned about the continuing conflict in Myanmar and reports that civilians have died while trying to reach safety, with some 123,000 refugees having arrived in Bangladesh since violence broke out in northern Rakhine last month.
• UNHCR said the root causes of the recent surge in violence must be urgently addressed so that people are no longer compelled to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity.
• Those who have made it to Bangladesh are hungry, weak and sick and are scattered in different locations in the country’s south-east, and an unknown number could still be stranded at the border.
• UNHCR said that it recognizes the challenges that Bangladesh faces and continues to support efforts to ensure safe passage for people fleeing violence.
• With hundreds of new refugees arriving every day, Kutupalong and Nayapara camps are at breaking point. The new arrivals are hosted by refugee families and in refugee schools, community centres, madrassas and covered structures. We are running out of available space.
• UNHCR is working with the local authorities and its partners to deliver supplies including clothes, plastic sheets for shelter and sleeping mats.

• High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has expressed his serious concern over the arrest of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha, which appears to have been carried out with no respect for due process guarantees, including respect for his parliamentary immunity.
• He said he is also concerned that numerous public statements by the Prime Minister and high-ranking officials about Mr. Sokha’s supposed guilt breach the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial to which he is entitled under Cambodian and international human rights law.
• The High Commissioner added that Mr. Sokha’s arrest is all the more worrying as it takes place amid other recent measures by the Royal Government of Cambodia, including the closure of a foreign non-governmental organisation and the targeting of media companies.

• At the conclusion of a visit to Ethiopia, including to the drought-stricken Somali region, the heads of the UN food agencies made a joint call for greater investment in long-term activities that strengthen people’s resilience to drought and the impacts of climate shocks.
• José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), made their plea after they visited projects that treat dwindling herds to limit further livestock deaths and met drought-affected people receiving food rations.
• Back-to-back droughts have left at least 8.5 million people in Ethiopia in need of food aid.
• “It is essential to invest in preparedness and provide farmers and rural communities with knowledge and tools to safeguard themselves and their livelihoods. We’ve witnessed here that saving livelihoods means saving lives - it is people’s best defense against drought,” said Mr. Graziano da Silva.

• In Vienna, the Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour, spoke at the 5th thematic session of the intergovernmental process to adopt a Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, which focused on the smuggling of migrants and trafficking of people.
• Ms. Arbour stressed the need to understand trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants as two separate crimes, and emphasized that the prevention of these crimes goes beyond law enforcement and the dismantling of organized criminal networks engaged in smuggling for profit and trafficking.
• To effectively manage migration, she added, States will need to consider policies that will reduce recourse to irregular migration channels by increasing legal pathways for regular migration and offering credible alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection.

• The High Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda and UN-Habitat began today at UN Headquarters in New York.
• The two-day meeting will focus on best practices and success stories in relation to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. It will also address the measures contained in the Report of the Secretary General’s Independent Panel to Assess, Enhance Effectiveness of UN-Habitat after Adoption of New Urban Agenda, which was published at the beginning of August 2017.

• Today is the International Day of Charity.
• The Day was established with the objective of sensitizing and mobilizing people, non-governmental organizations and others around the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities. The date of 5 September was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the passing away of renowned nun and missionary Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work to overcome poverty.