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UN Daily News
Thursday, 5 May 2016

Issue DH/7152

In the headlines:
Syria: UN relief chief calls for probe into air strikes

Palm oil pushes global food prices up in April;

At World Humanitarian Summit, leaders must take

Hand-washing entrance door for reducing health-

At climate summit in Washington, UN officials call

Challenges to peace accord cast shadow on Bosnia

that left dozens dead in Idleb

bold decisions for real change UN

to take action to the next level

On International Day, UN spotlights role of

midwives in achieving development targets

cereal production outlook improves UN

care infections UN

and Herzegovinas progress, Security Council told

Humanitarian operations to support Palestinian

refugees continue near Syrian capital UN agency

Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continuing amid

worrying breaches of the cessation of hostilities

Ban appoints Malian national as Special

Representative for UN Guinea-Bissau office

Syria: UN relief chief calls for probe into air strikes that left
dozens dead in Idleb
5 May The top United Nations humanitarian official has called for
an immediate, impartial and independent investigation into the air
strikes in that today left dozes of civilians dead and injured in the
northern Syrian governorate of Idleb, which, if found to be deliberate,
could amount to a war crime.
Horrified and sickened by the news of civilians killed by airstrikes
that hit two settlements where displaced people had sought sanctuary,
Stephen OBrien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs,
said: All parties to this appalling conflict should understand that
they will one day be held accountable for violations of international
humanitarian and human rights law.
UN vehicles, carrying a humanitarian aid team, pass a destroyed
overbridge on their way to Idleb City, capital of Idleb Governorate,
Syria, in October 2013. Photo: UNICEF/Mougabe Koslengar (file)

He said that initial reports indicate that at least 30 people were killed,
and over 80 injured, among them many women and children, while
dozens of tents were destroyed or badly damaged.

With modern technology, there is little room for error

Modern military technology means that there is little room for error, he said, noting that if this obscene attack is found
to be a deliberate targeting of a civilian structure, it could amount to a war crime.
Continued fighting and airstrikes mean that vulnerable, frightened children, women and men have nowhere safe to go.

For information media not an official record

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5 May 2016

Already this year, thousands of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes, seeking safety from bombs, shelling and other
violence, while millions are still trapped without access to food or medical care, he added.
International humanitarian law clearly sets out the responsibilities of warring parties to protect civilians and to take every
possible measure to avoid places where civilians are living and where they are being looked after by humanitarians, he said.
Mr. OBriens call for accountability and action to alleviate civilian suffering in war-torn Syria follows his briefing
yesterday to the UN Security Council where he expressed similar outrage at air strikes on nearby Aleppo, saying there can
be no explanation of excuse [] for waging war on civilians.
My question to you [] is again: how many more deaths, how much more suffering can we tolerate before there is a
collective push towards an end to this senseless and shameful crisis affecting Syrians, their neighbours and many more
people beyond? he asked the Council.

At World Humanitarian Summit, leaders must take bold

decisions for real change UN
5 May As world leaders prepare to gather for a first-ever World
Humanitarian Summit in Turkey later this month, the United Nations
humanitarian coordinators for the Middle East and North Africa today
called on the international community to assume its responsibility in
finding solutions to end the widespread conflict and humanitarian
crises in the region.

A bicycle, damaged by fire, sits on a third-floor balcony of a destroyed

building, in the north-western city of Misrata, Libya. Photo:
UNICEF/Giovanni Diffidenti

Millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa are enduring
intolerable human suffering. Widespread violence, conflict and
extremism in Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Yemen are creating
immense humanitarian needs, with the impact felt beyond these
countries borders, the humanitarian coordinators said in a collective
press release.

The call to action was issued by: Lise Grande, Humanitarian

Coordinator for Iraq; Edward Kallon, Humanitarian Coordinator for
Jordan; Philippe Lazzarini, Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon; Ali Al Zatari, Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya;
Robert Piper, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Yacoub El Hillo, Humanitarian Coordinator
for Syria; Kevin Kennedy, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis; and Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian
Coordinator for Yemen.
The officials underscored that 55 million people in the region currently need humanitarian assistance to ensure their basic
survival.
In other words, millions of girls, boys, women and men do not know where their next meal will come from, the
coordinators emphasized.
They lack access to essential health care, whether to give birth safely, receive treatment for chronic illnesses or protect
children from preventable diseases. They are unable to access safe water and ensure basic hygiene. Those displaced from
their homes lack adequate shelter, sometimes forced to sleep out in the open, they added.
Moreover, the officials stressed, millions of families do not sleep at night worrying about where the next bomb or mortar
might fall and whether their loved ones will be caught in the cross-fire between warring parties or bear the brunt of extreme
violence.
We have a shared responsibility to end this tragedy and preserve peoples basic dignity. Our humanity demands no less,
they said.
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The officials said that in the lead-up to the World Humanitarian Summit, they consulted and listened to thousands of
voices in the region.
Their feelings and demands were clear: outrage at the staggering level of human casualties and suffering being witnessed
and felt on a daily basis; disbelief in the lack of accountability for clear violations of international humanitarian and human
rights law; disappointment in the humanitarian system for failing to support and strengthen local response capacity; and
conviction that humanitarian aid cannot be a substitute for political action that addresses the root causes of peoples
suffering, the humanitarian coordinators said.
Calling on global leaders to attend the Summit and make it a success, the coordinators emphasized that actions should
include listening to the voices of the region and taking the bold decisions that will effect change.
Leaders must assume their responsibility to find political solutions to end bloodshed, and prevent further suffering. States
and other actors need to respect the rules of war and hold accountable those who do not, they stressed.
In addition, the humanitarian community also has the responsibility to empower and protect the most vulnerable and treat all
people with dignity, the coordinators said.
We accept the challenge of working differently so as to end the need for aid and handouts, build resilience and enhance the
role and capacity of local responders, they said.
As time ticks towards the Summit, it runs out every day for millions of affected people in the region. They have no choice.
We do: humanity, they added.

At climate summit in Washington, UN officials call to take

action to the next level
5 May Recalling that just two weeks ago, 175 countries came to the
United Nations to sign the historic Paris Agreement on climate
change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said it is time to take
climate action to the next level.
We need to accelerate the speed, scope and scale of our response,
locally and globally, Mr. Ban told participants of the Climate
Action Summit 2016 in Washington D.C, a two-day meeting that
started today and aims to strengthen the multi-stakeholder approach to
climate implementation.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the Climate Action
Summit 2016 in Washington D.C. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

In particular, it is expected to deepen and expand the action coalitions

of government, business, finance, philanthropy, civil society and
academic leaders launched at the Secretary-Generals

Climate Summit 2014 in New York.

I have been looking forward to this event because it is about solutions innovation and imagination; collaboration and
partnerships between the public and private sectors. Today as never before, the stars are aligning in favour of climate action.
Everywhere I look, I see signs of hope, he said.
Noting that the current Summit would focus on six, high-value areas of multi-stakeholder partnership: sustainable energy;
sustainable land-use; cities; transport; and tools for decision-making, the UN chief underscored that strong partnership
would be needed at all levels to tackle those challenges.
No sector of society and no nation can succeed alone. I encourage you to collaborate. Innovate. Invest. Together we can
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5 May 2016

build the world we want, he said.

The signing of the Paris Agreement on 22 April received overwhelming support from all regions of the world; never
before had so many countries signed an international accord in one day.
Adopted in Paris by the 196 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference
known as COP21 last December, the Agreements objective is to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees
Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. It will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per
cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.
Two of the worlds largest emitters China and the United States have pledged their continued commitment and
collaboration, Mr. Ban stressed, noting that leaders must turn the promise of Paris into action and implementation as
soon as possible.
The UN chief also announced that in September, on the margins of the G20 meeting, he intends to co-convene a meeting in
China similar to this one to further solidify coalitions.
Also speaking at the event, the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim said there is no time waste.
Political agreements are critical but they are just the beginning. We must regain the sense of urgency we all felt on the eve
of COP21. Inaction means we will not meet our targets set in Paris, and the global temperature will soar above 2 degrees
Celsius. That would spell disaster for us, for our children, and for the planet, he warned.
Mr. Kim highlighted the World Bank Groups Climate Action Plan, developed soon after the Paris agreement, which
aims to increase its support in a range of areas from water to crowded cities and from forests to agriculture.
One part of our plan is to help countries put a price on carbon, which will create incentives for investments in renewable
energy and in energy efficiency, he explained. In many parts of the world, we have seen the price of renewables like solar
and wind falling fast so fast that they are now competitive with fossil fuels. Private sector investments are pouring in. But
we need to expand these breakthroughs and help countries establish the right policies that will drive down the cost of
renewable energy even further.
Over the course of two days, the Summit is expected to drive high-level engagement with global luminaries addressing
plenary sessions on how to deliver on climate commitments and embed the transformation agenda across the globe in
government, key sectors and among the general population.

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5 May 2016

On International Day, UN spotlights role of midwives in

achieving development targets
5 May Every year, some 300,000 women still die during pregnancy
and childbirth and almost three million babies do not survive their
first four weeks of life, yet a majority of these deaths could be averted
by trained midwives, the United Nations said today as it marked the
International Day of the Midwife with a call for strengthened skills
and investments in midwifery.
Midwives are our heroes and the backbone of sexual and
reproductive health. Let us support them and the women and
newborns at the heart of their care, said Babatunde Osotimehin,
Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
In Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Selina Akter, second year midwifery
student, plays the role of a mother as students practice postnatal care
at the Dinajpur nursing institute. Photo: Nicolas Axelrod/Ruom for
UNFPA

Saluting the contribution of midwives to saving the lives of women,

adolescent girls and newborns, sometimes under very difficult
circumstances, the Executive Director emphasized that midwives are
essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs).
Well-trained and supported midwives working in communities are uniquely positioned to provide the compassionate,
respectful and culturally sensitive care a woman needs during pregnancy and childbirth, Mr. Osotimehin said.
Midwifery is equally important for newborns during the critical first month of life, and is a significant contribution to
sexual and reproductive health in general, he added.
The International Day of the Midwife is observed around the world on 5 May. This year's theme is Women and
Newborns: The Heart of Midwifery.
The UNFPA Executive Director noted that while in the past 25 years, the world has almost halved maternal deaths, the vast
majority of these largely preventable deaths take place in developing and crisis-affected countries.
If deployed in larger numbers, trained midwives could avert approximately two thirds of these deaths. Significant
investments in midwifery are essential if the world is to achieve its ambitious goals of reducing maternal and newborn
deaths, Mr. Osotimehin said.
For its part, UNFPA is helping to train and support thousands of midwives in more than 100 countries. The Executive
Director highlighted a recent survey estimating that in 57 of these countries, the agency has trained 66,000 midwives over
the past seven years.
These critical health-care providers can help more than 11 million women to give birth safely each year, but much more
needs to be done, the Executive Director said.
On this International Day of the Midwife, we at UNFPA renew our commitment to working with global partners and
countries to strengthen midwifery skills and capacities. We call on countries to acclaim and reward midwives who are
working in challenging and hard-to-reach areas, where their services are most needed. We also urge countries to invest in
quality training, good working conditions, decent salaries, adequate workforce policies and possibilities for professional
growth, he added.

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Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continuing amid worrying

breaches of the cessation of hostilities
5 May In his latest update on the Yemeni peace talks currently
under way in Kuwait, the UN envoy for the conflict-torn country
confirmed they are continuing despite a number of breaches of the
cessation of hostilities yesterday, which he described as worrying.
The peace talks are continuing, we are determined to reach an
agreement and this commitment will not wane over time, the UN
Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, told reporters
at a press conference in Kuwait, the host country for the talks.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General

for Yemen. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferr

We agreed with the two delegations that the De-escalation and

Coordination Committee (DCC) would investigate clashes on the
ground and would provide us with detailed reports with the aim of
protecting the ongoing peace talks from daily developments on the
ground, he added.

Highlighting the strong link between the security situation in Yemen and the political process, Mr. Cheikh Ahmed
underscored that the occasional tension on the ground should not obstruct the peace talks.
We hope that the positive atmosphere in the talks will also be reflected in the security situation. As I have always said, the
only way to resolve the conflict in Yemen is through the conclusion of a political settlement, he noted.
There were a number of breaches of the cessation of hostilities yesterday and this is worrying. We are carefully followingup on the issue with the parties with the support of the international community, he said.
In order to move the talks forward, the delegates met today in three working groups. These groups began consultations on
political and security issues, in addition to issues related to prisoners and detainees.
The parties reiterated their support to the DCC and the Local De-escalation Committees which are playing an important
role in halting hostilities in their respective governorates. The UN stressed the importance of strengthening the operational
role of the Local De-escalation Committees in the country and especially in Taiz. The success of those Committees in Taiz
would serve as model for the country and will help ensure constant and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, the envoy
explained.
UN reports indicate that the cessation of hostilities has increased the ability of humanitarian agencies to conduct their
activities and to deliver aid effectively. In the governorate of Taiz for example, drinking water was distributed and a number
of health working groups were established to follow-up on medical cases and to provide medical services.
In the governorates of Hajjah and Al-Jawf, a number of emergency child protection campaigns were launched. In addition,
work has started on training volunteers and specialists to provide psychological support, and around nine million internally
displaced persons have been provided with food aid.
There is no doubt the level of humanitarian need far exceeds what has been provided, but it is important to recognize that
more help is getting through. We hope that the humanitarian agencies will be able to make further progress in the coming
days. We call on all parties to facilitate the operations of these agencies in all governorates, said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

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Underlining that the participation of Yemeni women is a vital part of advancing the peace talks, the UN official announced
that seven women leaders arrived in Kuwait last night. They are expected to meet with a range of interlocutors to urge them
to reach a comprehensive political settlement.
The women aim to deliver measured and comprehensive messages to the two delegations and the international
community, he noted. There is no doubt that their role will remain vital and their arguments central to all of our efforts
and in the upcoming reconstruction phase.

Palm oil pushes global food prices up in April; cereal production

outlook improves UN
5 May Global prices of key staple food commodities rose in April,
marking a third consecutive monthly increase after four years of
decline, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
said today.
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 151.8 points in April, a 0.7
per cent increase from March. That is about 10 per cent below its level
of a year ago and more than a third off its 2011 highs.

Ahmed Farah Mohamed, chief of Berititir village in Somalia, grows

sorghum. Photo: FAO/Frank Nyakairu

The gradual increase is far from even across the board. Aprils
increase was driven by palm oil prices and, in a minor key, cereals,
while sugar prices tapered down after a strong increase in March.

The trade-weighted index tracks international market prices for five

key commodity groups: major cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat and
sugar. Its decline over the past year reflects ample food supplies, a slowing global economy and a stronger US dollar.
Vegetable oil prices rose 4.1 per cent, due largely to a grim 2016 production outlook for palm oil coupled with a growing
worldwide demand.
Cereal prices rose 1.5 per cent on the month, due primarily to international maize quotations, themselves influenced by a
weaker US dollar and spillover from the oilseeds complex. However, rice prices declined marginally, while wheat markets
posted limited gains amid expectations of large supplies in the new season for the crop.
Dairy prices dropped 2.2 per cent as stocks of butter and cheese in major exporters continued to grow.
Meat prices rose 0.8 per cent, pushed up by strengthening United States demand for Australian beef.
Sugar prices, meanwhile, dropped 1.7 per cent in April after a dramatic 17 per cent increase the previous month. While
concerns about global sugar production remain, Brazil by far the main exporter has had its second-highest crop ever and
the country's use of sugarcane for ethanol is expected to decline.
Sugar and vegetable oils are the only sub-indexes currently at levels higher than those of April 2015.
Outlook for cereals output improves
FAO raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2016 slightly to nearly 2,526 million tonnes, virtually the same as in
2015 and potentially on course to be the second-largest global harvest ever, according to FAOs Cereal Supply and Demand
Brief, also released today.
The larger figure results almost entirely from improved prospects for wheat production, as winter weather conditions have
been favourable for prospective yields in the European Union, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. At 717 million tonnes,
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the 2016 wheat output forecast remains 16 million tonnes short of last years record.
FAOs new production forecast for global coarse grains - including barley, maize, millet, oats, rye and sorghum stands at
1,314 million tonnes, about one per cent below the 2015 output.
FAO left unchanged its worldwide rice production forecast at 495 million tonnes, about one percent higher than the previous
year, although the full impact of the El Nio weather phenomenon will not be clear for a few more months.

Hand-washing entrance door for reducing health-care

infections UN
5 May Hand hygiene is the entrance door for reducing health careassociated infections and increasing patient safety, the United Nations
World Health Organization (WHO) underscored today as it marked
global Hand Hygiene Day.

WHO Saves Lives: Clean Your Hands is an annual initiative to

support health-care workers to improve hand hygiene, thereby
supporting the prevention of often life-threatening infections
associated with health care.
The campaign aims to galvanize action at the point of care, as well as
to demonstrate the worlds commitment to this area of health care.
Sustaining the efforts to improve patient safety requires dedicated
action and innovation, both of which are now more crucial than ever,
WHO said.

Sierra Leone celebrates World Hand Hygiene Day as an important

action to block the spread of disease in health facilities. Photo: WHO
Sierra Leone

The campaign, which was launched in 2009, asks health facilities and other leaders to show their commitment for and take
action on improving hand hygiene in health care.
This years focus hand hygiene supports safe surgical care stresses hand hygiene as part of an infection prevention and
control programme in all settings that support surgery, prevent patient infection and reduce an avoidable burden on health
systems, WHO said.
As of the end of April, a total of 18,739 hospitals and health-care facilities in 176 countries have registered their
commitment to hand hygiene as part of the campaign, WHO said.

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Challenges to peace accord cast shadow on Bosnia and

Herzegovinas progress, Security Council told
5 May The readiness of some political actors in Bosnia and
Herzegovina to question and challenge the 1995 peace accord,
including new attempts to undermine the sovereignty and authority of
the State and its institutions, continues to cast a shadow over positive
efforts to advance economic and social reforms, the United Nations
Security Council was told today.

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Valentin Inzko

addresses the Security Council. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Questioning and challenging the fundamentals of the peace

agreement is not a formula for success, Valentin Inzko, the High
Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the Council, citing
the continued policy by representatives of the ruling party in the
Republika Srpska (RS), in particular, its President, to advocate for the
secession of that entity from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I remain concerned that this party's official platform includes a threat

to organize an independence referendum in 2018 if certain conditions are not met, he said, reiterating that the peace
agreement does not grant the entities the right to secede, and any attempt to change the peace agreement requires the
agreement of all the parties.
Sharply divergent reactions to the recent UN tribunals guilty verdict against former Bosnian Serb leader over the 1995
massacre in Srebrenica highlighted the need for greater efforts towards reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said.
In our countries it would be unthinkable to glorify individuals convicted of committing mass atrocities
He said he was deeply shocked by the high-profile opening by the current Republika Srpska President of a dormitory
named after Mr. Karadzic, only two days before his first instance conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
In our countries it would be unthinkable to glorify individuals convicted of committing mass atrocities, he said. With this
act, the RS President sent an insidious message to those affected by the horror and trauma of wartime ethnic cleansing, and
put himself outside the standards and morality of the civilized world.
Processions organized in March in Srebrenica and other municipalities to celebrate the acquittal of Serbian politician
Vojislav eelj on war crimes charges raised fear among Bosniak returnees who are still trying to come to terms with the
crimes of the past, he added.
Other direct challenges to the peace agreement included the RS government concluding in December that the entitys
institutions would cease cooperating with SIPA, a state-level police agency, over a legally authorized raid on a police station
in the RS as part of a war crimes investigation.
While the RS authorities eventually resumed operational cooperation under a signed agreement, this apparent interference of
politics into police work is unacceptable, he said.
On the positive side, the country submitted its membership application with the European Union. Associated with this, the
authorities also took steps to implement reform, including the adoption of new labour legislation in both entities, RS and the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although the RS has still not officially withdrawn the referendum, it does appear to have been put aside.

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Another positive factor has been the regional situation. The Serbian Prime Ministers high-profile commitment of notable
donor funds to Srebrenica had done much to foster reconciliation; and the convening of the first joint session of the Council
of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of Serbia in November was a positive step forward. A similar
joint session with the Croatian government has been announced.
With these mixed developments on the ground over the last six months, it remains unclear at what point we can say Bosnia
and Herzegovina is irreversibly on course for Euro-Atlantic integration, he said.
On the security front, he said that a terrorism-inspired act carried out by a single attacker in Sarajevo on 18 November killed
two soldiers of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Another concern is the participation of some citizens of
Bosnia and Herzegovina in foreign conflicts, some of whom have returned and could present a threat for the future stability
of the country.
Given the complex environment, he said, the presence of the EUFOR, or European Union Force, in Bosnia and Herzegovina
with an executive mandate remains of vital importance, enabling his office and others in the international community to
fulfil respective mandates as well as reassuring citizens from all ethnic groups throughout the country of a safe and secure
environment.
On the next local elections to be held on 2 October, it is not only essential that these local elections are held to the highest
standards, but now critical that local elections be held in Mostar, he said. At the moment, that will not be the case because
the parties continue to fail to implement the 2010 ruling of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Concluding his remarks on a positive note, he reported that a few days ago, several local associations agreed to create a
single karate association for the whole country. This small step required 20 years of efforts. And the day after tomorrow, the
Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka, demolished in the war, will be reopened - an event of wider significance for reconciliation
and tolerance in the region, he said.

Humanitarian operations to support Palestinian refugees

continue near Syrian capital UN agency
5 May Following intense fighting between armed groups inside
Yarmouk camp, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that it has been able to
continue its humanitarian operations in Yalda, near Damascus, since
Monday.
UNRWA has provided vital commodities and essential services to
Palestine refugees and other vulnerable civilians from Yarmouk,
Yalda, Babilla and Beit Saham, the agencys spokesperson, Chris
Gunness, indicated.
The conditions for safe, orderly distribution and services were
maintained and civilians residing in Yarmouk were able to access
Yalda, receive much needed assistance, and to return to their homes,
he added.

UNRWA humanitarian operations in Yalda, Syria, in May 2016.

Photo: UNRWA

From 7 April until 2 May, intense clashes between extremist armed groups inside Yarmouk had interrupted the agency's
humanitarian operations. During this time, people were trapped in their homes, hunkered down to avoid being hit by bullets
and shrapnel, with little or no food and water.
Thanks to renewed access, yesterday UNRWA was provided 1,200 civilian families with 35 kilos of food parcels including
rice, sugar, pulses, pasta, oil, tomato paste, tea, salt, jam, powder milk and canned fish. The same families also received
hygiene kits.

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In addition, the UN agency made available to civilians the services of its mobile medical team composed of two medical
officers, two nurses and one assistant pharmacist. The staff treated 259 civilians in need of primary health care including 61
children, 112 women and 86 men.
UNRWA is encouraged by a third successful day of vital humanitarian operations and expects to continue aid distribution
and humanitarian services in Yalda as long as conditions remain safe and the required authorizations are granted, said Mr.
Gunness.
It is vital that all concerned actors ensure the long-term continuation of the conditions which enabled the success of
UNRWA's missions so far. UNRWA stands ready to sustain for the long term delivery of its humanitarian assistance and
services for the benefit of Palestine refugees and other vulnerable civilians in the Yarmouk-Yalda area, he noted.
UNRWA has led humanitarian assistance efforts in the Yarmouk-Yalda area since January 2014. In spite of immense and
complex obstacles, including frequent interruptions, the agency has established a record of persistent advocacy and effective
humanitarian action in the area.

Ban appoints Malian national as Special Representative for UN

Guinea-Bissau office
5 May United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today
announced the appointment of Modibo Tour of Mali as his new
Special Representative for Guinea-Bissau and Head of the UN
Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).
Mr. Tour replaces Miguel Trovoada of So Tome and Principe, who
completed his assignment on 30 April 2016.

Headquarters of the United Nations Integrated Peace-Building Office

in Guinea-Bissau, also known as UNIOGBIS. Photo: UNIOGBIS

He served as Special Adviser to the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes
Region from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, he was the United Nations
Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident
Representative ad interim of the UN Development Programme
(UNDP) in Kenya in 2013.

Mr. Tour worked in 2012 as the Deputy Special Representative of

the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in the Central African Republic, and
served as UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Chad and
Ethiopia.
He has held high-level positions in the African Development Bank and served as Minister of New Technologies,
Telecommunications and Post Office in Mali.

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)