SOMALIA: UN OFFICIAL WARNS FAMINE COULD SPREAD WITHOUT ADEQUATE RELIEF FUNDING

SOMALIA: UN OFFICIAL WARNS FAMINE COULD SPREAD WITHOUT ADEQUATE RELIEF FUNDING
New York, Aug 1 2011 4:10PM
The United Nations humanitarian chief warned today that the famine in Somalia could spread if the international community does not provide the funds required to respond to the hunger crisis, which, she said, had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

UN humanitarian agencies last month declared outright famine in two areas of southern Somalia.

"Unless we see a massive increase in response, the famine will spread to five or six more regions," Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters at UN Headquarters. "Tens of thousand of Somalis have already died and hundreds of thousands face starvation," she said.

She said the drought in the Horn of Africa, which has also ravaged large areas of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, leaving an estimated 12.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid, is the worst in 60 years.

Ms. Amos, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that early warning systems had predicted the drought last year following which humanitarian agencies appealed for $1.6 billion dollars.

"As of mid-year, around half of that money had been raised, and as of last week donors had committed more than $1 billion," said Ms. Amos.

"It is not enough," she added. "But neither was the crisis ignored as some have suggested. And even as we ask ourselves some important questions we can't allow those to distract from the task at hand. We need to deal with the here and now as well as with the longer term."

She said $1.4 billion is needed immediately to enable relief organisations to scale up response to the hunger crisis in the region. Ms. Amos urged traditional donors, who, she said, have already contributed generously, to provide additional resources, while appealing to corporations, foundations and private individuals to assist as well.

Ms. Amos said longer-term measures to make drought-prone areas of the Horn of Africa more resilient are already being implemented, citing Ethiopia's social welfare scheme known as the Productive Safety Nets Programme, and Kenya's employment plan that promotes natural resource management in arid and semi-arid areas.

She urged parties to Somalia's conflict to uphold international humanitarian law to enable aid workers to deliver assistance to those in need.

She said that the UN will support a plan by the African Union to hold a funding conference for the Horn of African hunger crisis later this month.

Aug 1 2011 4:10PM
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TOP UN ENVOY URGES RESTRAINT AFTER TWO PALESTINIANS KILLED IN ISRAELI OPERATION

TOP UN ENVOY URGES RESTRAINT AFTER TWO PALESTINIANS KILLED IN ISRAELI OPERATION
New York, Aug 1 2011 2:10PM
A senior United Nations envoy today called on Israeli authorities to exercise maximum restraint after two Palestinians were killed during a military operation in a West Bank refugee camp.

Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, voiced his deep concern at the deaths resulting from the operation conducted earlier today by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp near Ramallah.

Five Israeli soldiers were also injured in the operation, which the IDF carried out citing security reasons.

"The Special Coordinator calls upon the Israeli authorities to exercise maximum restraint and thoroughly investigate the incident. He also emphasizes the need for calm from all sides," said a <"http://www.unsco.org/Documents/Statements/SC/2008/Statement%20on%20the%20killing%20of%20two%20Palestinians%20in%20Qalandiya%20Refugee%20Camp%201%20August%202011.pdf">statement issued by his office.

Briefing the Security Council in New York last week, Mr. Serry had warned that the political process to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in "profound and persistent" deadlock, and called on the parties to work towards a two-State solution.

He added that efforts to find the necessary common ground for resumed negotiations have proven extremely difficult, given the differences and lack of trust between the parties.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since late September following Israel's refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Aug 1 2011 2:10PM
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ISRAEL’S RESTRICTIVE ZONING RULES FORCE PALESTINIANS OUT OF WEST BANK AREA – UN REPORT

ISRAEL'S RESTRICTIVE ZONING RULES FORCE PALESTINIANS OUT OF WEST BANK AREA – UN REPORT
New York, Aug 1 2011 1:10PM
Restrictive planning measures applied by Israeli authorities in the zone of the West Bank known as Area C are forcing Palestinian residents out of the area, mainly because the zoning rules make it virtually impossible for them to obtain building permits, according to a United Nations report released today.

The territory known as "Area C" represents over 60 per cent of the West Bank where Israel retains control over security, planning and building.

Other factors forcing Palestinians to abandon their homes in this area include the construction of the barrier and other movement restrictions, reduced income, home demolitions and difficult access to services such as schools and water, according to "<"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_area_c_report_august_2011_english.pdf">Displacement and Insecurity in Area C of the West Bank," which is prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"Irrespective of the motivation behind the various policies applied by Israel to Area C, their effect is to make development impossible for many Palestinian communities," <"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ochaopt_press_release_01_08_2011_english.pdf">said Ramesh Rajasingham, the Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory.

"Communities live in a state of pervasive insecurity and daily life has deteriorated to such an extent that some residents are forced to leave in order to meet their basic needs, feed their families or educate their children.

"This pattern of displacement, along with ongoing Israeli settlement activity, undermines the ability of Palestinian communities to maintain their presence in Area C and raises concerns about demographic shifts and changes to the ethnic make-up of Area C," said Mr. Rajasingham.

It is estimated that 150,000 Palestinians live in Area C, which has the most significant land reserves available for Palestinian development, as well as the bulk of Palestinian agricultural and grazing land.

Some 300,000 Israeli settlers live in approximately 135 Israeli settlements and 100 settlement outposts in Area C, with the settler population growing at a significantly faster pace than in Israel.

The report is based on field visits to a geographically diverse group of residents in Area C, representing sedentary villages, and Bedouin and other herding communities, as well as refugee and non-refugee populations.

OCHA called on the Israeli Government, among other measures, to end the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in occupied Palestinian territory, including immediately ceasing demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures, until Palestinians have access to a fair and non-discriminatory zoning and planning regime.

Aug 1 2011 1:10PM
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UN’S MESSAGE TO MOTHERS: BREASTFEEDING CAN SAVE YOUR BABY’S LIFE

UN'S MESSAGE TO MOTHERS: BREASTFEEDING CAN SAVE YOUR BABY'S LIFE
New York, Aug 1 2011 12:10PM
The United Nations and its partners are promoting the use of all possible means of communication, including social networking, blogs and even flash mobs, to get the message out on the benefits of breastfeeding beyond clinics and delivery rooms to the wider public.

Breastfeeding is directly linked to reducing the death toll of children under five, yet only 36 per cent of infants below the age of six months in developing countries are exclusively breastfed, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"With so much at stake, we need to do more to reach women with a simple, powerful message: Breastfeeding can save your baby's life," UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_59435.html">said on the occasion of <"http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/">World Breastfeeding Week, which is celebrated from 1 to 7 August.

"No other preventive intervention is more cost effective in reducing the number of children who die before reaching their fifth birthdays," he stated.

Among the benefits of breastfeeding, UNICEF pointed out that the practice could lead to a 13 per cent reduction in deaths of children under five if infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and continued to be breastfed up to one year.

"Breastfed is best fed, whether the baby is born in Uganda or England, China or Canada," said Mr. Lake.

However, while breastfeeding rates in the developing world are on the rise in two-thirds of countries with data, millions of infants are not benefiting from this life-saving practice.

Therefore, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners are using the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week to spur new and creative ways to raise awareness and reach a larger audience with the message of the benefits of breastfeeding.

The theme of this year's World Breastfeeding Week, which is an initiative of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, is "Talk to Me! Breastfeeding – a 3D Experience." It emphasizes the importance of communication at various levels and between various sectors to promote breastfeeding.

"Communication is key to attain progress," <"http://www.who.int/child_adolescent_health/news/archive/2011/29_07_2011/en/index.html">said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women's and Children's Health. "This year's theme for the World Breastfeeding Week highlights the opportunity of new communication technologies for making qualified support accessible to health care providers, mothers and families…

"Protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is important because, even though breastfeeding is natural, it is also a learned behaviour," added Dr. Bustreo.

Aug 1 2011 12:10PM
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UN INVESTIGATING EXCHANGE OF FIRE ALONG ISRAELI-LEBANESE BORDER

UN INVESTIGATING EXCHANGE OF FIRE ALONG ISRAELI-LEBANESE BORDER
New York, Aug 1 2011 10:10AM
The United Nations said it has opened an investigation into the exchange of fire that occurred early Monday morning between Lebanese and Israeli forces along their common border.

The incident between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) took place around 7 a.m. local time along the so-called Blue Line that separates the two countries, in the general area of Wazzani, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"UNIFIL peacekeepers immediately responded to the location in order to contain the situation and prevent any escalation," said Neeraj Singh, spokesperson for the mission.

"The firing has since ceased and the situation in the area is quiet. No casualties have been reported," he added.

UNIFIL Acting Force Commander Brigadier General Santi Bonfanti is in contact with the command of both the LAF and the IDF, urging restraint by both sides.

Respect for the Blue Line is one of the key provisions of Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the conflict that erupted in 2006 between Israel and the Lebanese group Hizbollah.
Aug 1 2011 10:10AM
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NEW REGULATIONS TO REDUCE MARINE POLLUTION IN ANTARCTIC ENTER INTO FORCE – UN

NEW REGULATIONS TO REDUCE MARINE POLLUTION IN ANTARCTIC ENTER INTO FORCE – UN
New York, Aug 1 2011 9:10AM
A ban on pollution from heavy grade fuel oils in the Antarctic region goes into effect today, the United Nations maritime agency reported.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that amendments to International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships (MARPOL) detailing specific densities of crude oil which should not be used in the Antarctic mean that ships plying that area with lower grade fuel will have to switch to a higher fuel while in the area.

MARPOL has 136 parties, representing 98 per cent of the world's shipping tonnage.

"This means, in effect, that ships trading to the area, whether passenger or cargo ships, would need to switch to a different fuel type when transiting the Antarctic area, defined as 'the sea area south of latitude 60 degrees south'," IMO stated in a press release.

IMO also said MARPOL will formally establish a North American Emission Control Area (ECA), in which emissions of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from ships will be subject to more stringent controls than the limits that apply globally. The ECA will take effect 12 months after the amendments enter into force on 1 August 2012.

There area currently two designated ECAs, both on sulphur oxides in the Baltic Sea area and the North Sea area.

Last month IMO adopted MARPOL amendments to designate certain waters adjacent to the coasts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as another ECA. The MARPOL amendments are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2013, with the new ECA taking effect 12 months later.
Aug 1 2011 9:10AM
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