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UN Daily News
Friday, 20 May 2016

Issue DH/7163

In the headlines:
Ban urges UN system to bolster support for

indigenous peoples, as annual forum concludes

With hottest April on record, streak of aboveaverage global temperatures continues UN

Refugee children are five times more likely to be

out of school than others UN report

Zika on doorstep of Africa, UN health agency

warns after virus confirmed in Cabo Verde

Afghan Cyclists Bring Message of Peace to UN

Headquarters

UN chief saddened by EgyptAir flight crash

spokesman

FEATURE: Between protracted and emergency

crises a case study of the humanitarian funding

conundrum in Sudan

On Day of Vesak, UN chief says Buddhism can help

enlighten world about pressing issues

UN rights office appalled by Irans sentencing of

anti-death penalty campaigner

Ecuador: month after quake, humanitarian needs

acute; many without roof over heads UN

UN rights office urges Mexican authorities to

pursue investigation into extrajudicial killings

UN conference spotlights role of tourism in fighting

poverty and building peace

Ban urges UN system to bolster support for indigenous peoples,

as annual forum concludes
20 May Much has been achieved to improve the rights of indigenous
peoples, but conflicts on their lands and territories, and the lack of
inclusion of their voices in peace processes, remain a challenge, the
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today at the
closing of a two-week forum.
I call on all Member States, on indigenous peoples and the entire UN
system to work together to address these and other serious concerns,
said Mr. Ban in his last speech to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues.
The Forums 15th session opened at UN Headquarters in New York
on 9 May.

A view of participants in the General Assembly Hall during the

opening ceremony of the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

He recalled that in September 2007, Member States adopted the UN

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and in 2014, the UN
convened the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
Stressing that indigenous peoples are firmly on the UN agenda, and they were fully engaged in negotiations for the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, it is now crucial that they also participate
in and contribute to implementation and follow-up.

For information media not an official record

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20 May 2016

Mr. Ban urged indigenous peoples to remain engaged and actively participate in the process initiated by the President of the
General Assembly to enable their representation in meetings of relevant UN bodies.
He pledged that UN will continue to integrate the rights of indigenous peoples into international human rights and
development agendas, promote the integration of their rights in policies and programmes at all levels, and, with their help,
ensure that the vision of the Declaration becomes a reality.

With hottest April on record, streak of above-average global

temperatures continues UN
20 May Global temperature records were broken yet again in April
for the 12th consecutive month, the longest such streak since global
record-taking began in 1880, the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) reported today.
Overall, 13 out of the 15 highest monthly temperature departures in
the record have all occurred since February 2015, with the combined
average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for April
2016 measured at 1.10 degrees Celsius above the 20th century
average of 13.7 degrees Celsius the highest temperature departure
since in the 137-year record of the United States National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, WMO said in a press release.
Children in Haiti cooling off. Photo: UN/MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi

Another month, another record, said WMO Secretary-General

Petteri Taalas. The extraordinary heat that was recorded in 2015 pales by comparison to 2016. It is a combined effect of
climate change and El Nio.
Mr. Taalas underscored that while El Nio is fading fast and will probably give way later this year to La Nia, any cooling
effect from La Nia will be temporary and will not be enough to rein in the global warming from greenhouse gases.
The rapid implementation of the Paris Climate Change agreement is taking on the utmost urgency, if the ambitious 1.5-2.0
degree Celsius targets would be reached, he stressed.
He said that for the first time ever, carbon dioxide concentrations in the southern hemisphere have joined those in the
northern hemisphere and passed the 400 parts per million (ppm) level, noting that they are likely to stay there.
This is more than just a symbolic threshold. At the current rate of increase in CO2 levels, we are on track to reach the 2
degrees Celsius temperature limit within the next two generations, he said.
Measurements at Cape Grim on Tasmanias northwest coast reached the 400 ppm milestone on 10 May and at Casey Station
in Antarctica on 14 May, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Bureau of
Meteorology of Australia. The stations form part of WMOs Global Atmosphere Watch network, which spans 100 countries,
including stations high in the Alps, Andes and Himalayas, as well as the Arctic and Antarctic.
CO2 concentrations over the southern hemisphere are trailing those in the planets northern half, where 400 ppm level was
breached in 2014-15, WMO said.
The agency also noted that human activity has increased the direct warming effect of CO2 in the atmosphere by 50 per cent
above pre-industrial levels during the past 25 years, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administrations 10th Annual Greenhouse Gas Index.
According to the Administrations monthly temperature report, much of Russia and Alaska witnessed temperatures of at
least 3.0 degrees Celsius or greater above average. South America, Africa and Asia (with an exceptional heatwave in
Southeast Asia) also had record high average temperatures.
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The globally averaged sea surface temperature for April was 0.80 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century monthly average
the highest on record WMO said.
According to data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analyzed by the
Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during April was 890,000 square miles below the
1981-2010 average. This was the smallest April Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in the 50-year period of record,
WMO noted.

Refugee children are five times more likely to be out of school

than others UN report
20 May Just 50 per cent of refugee children are in primary school
and 25 per cent of refugee adolescents are in secondary school, a new
policy paper released today by two United Nations agencies has
found.
Refugee children, like children everywhere, have the right to
education. It is fundamental that children who have been uprooted by
war and violence are not left behind even further, stressed Filippo
Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in a
press release issued by his Office. We urge donors and development
organizations to support efforts to include refugee children and youth
in national education systems, he added.
Children outside refugee tents on 8 March 2016, in Idomeni, Greece.
Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev

The No More Excuses paper was jointly released by UNHCR and the
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Global Education Monitoring Report ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, which is set to start on
23 May.
The paper calls for countries and their humanitarian and development partners to urgently ensure that children and
adolescents who are forcibly displaced are included in national education plans, and to collect better data to monitor their
education status and progress.
There are unprecedented numbers of forcibly displaced populations, putting huge pressure on education systems. But for
these children and youth education is especially important: by simply being in school, they are better protected from
trafficking, illegal adoption, child marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour, said Irina Bokova, Director-General of
UNESCO.
Specifically, the paper reveals that behind the global average number of refugee children out of school, there are significant
differences among countries. Primary enrolment rates average 80 per cent in selected refugee sites in Egypt, Iran and
Yemen, but only 40 per cent in Pakistan and 50 per cent in Ethiopia.
Access to secondary education is even more limited for refugees in many countries. In Bangladesh, Kenya and Pakistan, less
than 5 per cent of adolescents 12 to 17 years old were enrolled in secondary education. Enrolment in early childhood
education also remains very limited in some countries, reaching only 7 per cent in Turkey in 2015, according to the policy
paper.
Aaron Benavot, Director of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, underscored that collecting information on
moving populations is challenging, and sometimes impossible.
What little we know is mostly about those living in camps, yet more than half of the world's refugees reside in urban areas,
where even less is known. We need to know who they are, what they've been through and whether we're effectively
responding to their needs, he said.

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Based on available data concerning displaced persons outside refugee camps, the paper shows that only 53 per cent of
school-age Syrian refugees in Jordan and 30 per cent in Turkey are enrolled in school.
The agencies noted that reliable data on internally displaced people are even more limited, but reports indicate that their
displacement is putting huge strains on already weak education systems.
In Nigeria, for instance, children displaced because of attacks by Boko Haram did not have access to any form of education
in 19 out of 42 camps, according to data from June 2015. In Iraq, only 32 per cent of internally displaced children and
adolescents in 2015 had access to any form of education. In Yemen, only one third of school-age internally displaced
children in Lahj governorate were enrolled in school.
Those already marginalized, notably girls, are often the worst affected among refugees, the report found. In Kakuma Camp
in Kenya, in 2015, only 38 per cent of primary school students were girls. In Pakistan, where child marriage and teenage
pregnancy are often cited among refugee girls, dropout rates for refugee girls were as high as 90 per cent.
Girls and women make up 70 per cent of the world's internally displaced population and are left the furthest behind in
education. In Iraq's Najaf governorate, 81 per cent of girls 15 to 17 years old were out of school, compared with 69 per cent
of boys of the same age. In urban areas in Afghanistan, only 1 per cent of internally displaced women were found to be
literate, compared with 20 per cent of internally displaced men.
The paper advocates for four main policy directions for governments and their partners to tackle the diverse neglected needs
of internally displaced persons and refugees: enshrine forcibly displaced people's rights to education in national laws and
policy; include displaced children and youth in national education systems; enable accelerated and flexible education
options to meet diverse needs; and ensure an adequate supply of trained and motivated teachers.

Zika on doorstep of Africa, UN health agency warns after virus

confirmed in Cabo Verde
20 May The United Nations health agency today confirmed that the
Zika virus strain circulating in Cabo Verde, an island nation off the
northwest coast of Africa, is the same as the one responsible for the
outbreaks linked to neurological disorders and microcephaly in South
America.
The virus was most likely imported from Brazil, according to a press
release issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Magalhes Research Center in

Pernambuco, Brazil, performs tests to diagnose the presence of Zika
virus in blood samples of pregnant women with rash and itching.
Photo: WHO/PAHO

As of 8 May 2016, there have been 7,557 suspected cases of Zika in

Cabo Verde. Three cases of microcephaly have been reported from
Cabo Verde with one case by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) after being sent to the United States. So far, no case
of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has been reported in Cabo Verde.

The findings are of concern because it is further proof that the

outbreak is spreading beyond South America and is on the doorstep of Africa, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional
Director for Africa.
This information will help African countries to re-evaluate their level of risk and adapt and increase their levels of
preparedness.
WHO warned that as a first step, these countries should heighten risk communication to pregnant women to raise awareness
of complications and promote protection steps to avoid mosquito bites as well as sexual transmission. In addition, countries
should increase their surveillance for Zika transmission and congenital malformations, such as microcephaly, as well as
Guillain-Barr syndrome.
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WHO will continue to review existing risk assessments, increase surveillance, and assess laboratory testing capacity and
support community engagement and risk communications in priority countries through its Zika Virus Disease Incident
Management System launched in February in the capital city of Brazzaville, the Republic of the Congo, and at its Geneva
headquarters.
In addition, WHO and its partners will support the countries in the African region to step up preparedness efforts for early
detection, confirmation and management of potential complications related to Zika infection. The response will build on
investments in strengthened systems made in West Africa during the Ebola emergency.

Afghan Cyclists Bring Message of Peace to UN Headquarters

20 May On a round-the-world trip to promote peace that included
cycling 7,000 miles from Istanbul, an Afghan father and son arrived
Friday morning at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the
final destination of the first leg of this epic journey.
Calling their mission, which has so far crossed three continents, a
journey of peace and solidarity, Nader Shah Nangarhari and his son
Firoz Khan began their journey in July 2015.
They met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, presenting him with
a traditional Afghan Chapa coat.
Nader Shah Nangarhari (left) and his son Firoz Khan Photo:
UN/Lucas Millard

You have been sending out a strong message to many people around
the world with your bicycling [...] Its a very powerful message [...] I
really appreciate it, Mr. Ban told the cyclists.

The pair said they hope that their journey will promote the importance of harmony in their homeland.
"We the people of Afghanistan are tired from war, said 18-year-old Firoz Khan.
We just want peace, education and unity in Afghanistan.

UN chief saddened by EgyptAir flight crash spokesman

20 May United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is deeply
saddened by the crash of EgyptAirs flight MS804 yesterday, his
spokesman said today in a statement.
According to preliminary reports, 66 people were on board the Paristo-Cairo flight crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
He sends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and
to the governments and peoples affected by this tragedy, said the
statement.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard (file)

UN News Centre www.un.org/news

The Secretary-General is grateful to those who have joined the

recovery operations for their quick response, the statement added.

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FEATURE: Between protracted and emergency crises a case

study of the humanitarian funding conundrum in Sudan
20 May One of the expected outcomes of the first World
Humanitarian Summit (WHS), which will take place next week in
Istanbul, Turkey, is a commitment from the international community
to dedicate more resources to prevent and reduce human suffering.
Given, however, the unparalleled extent and frequency of
humanitarian emergencies in the world today, the necessity to attend
to peoples most urgent needs tends to draw resources away from
preventive and resilience-building actions.

Women carry empty bags as they line up to receive food at the

Tawilla site for newly arrived IDPs from the Jebel Marra. 22
February 2016. Photo: OCHA

Prioritizing humanitarian needs in a context of limited resources is a

task handled regularly by Bavo Christiaens, a 40-year-old Belgian
national working at the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan.

Mr. Christiaens, as Head of Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilisation, manages OCHAs Sudan Humanitarian
Fund (SHF), which oversees the allocation of funding to UN agencies as well as to national and international nongovernmental organization (NGOs) in the country. In 2015, thanks to generous donor contributions, the SHF allocated over
$50 million for humanitarian action in Sudan.
A huge advantage of being an in-country fund like SHF, is that we can support front-line responders, those working on
the ground, day in and day out, to help people in need. We are one of the few funding mechanisms to be able to support
national NGOs, Mr. Christiaens said of the pooled fund, which allocated 15 per cent of its resources in 2015 directly to
NGOs.
One of the main priorities for OCHA Sudan relates to the countrys significant number of internally displaced persons
(IDPs), caused by years of armed conflict, mainly in the Darfur region. According to the Government of Sudan and the
United Nations, there are currently 2.2 million IDPs in need across the country, including two million in Darfur. In addition,
4.6 million people are estimated to be food insecure in Sudan, and over 40 per cent of these are IDPs.
Thousands of people have been displaced for over a decade, but there are also new crises that force other people to flee
their homes, said Mr. Christiaens, adding that, since the beginning of the year, Sudan has witnessed significant
displacement from the Jebel Marra, a mountainous region in Darfur.
The Sudan Humanitarian Fund is currently focusing on the humanitarian needs of those people who have recently been
displaced from the Jebel Marra, explained Mr. Christiaens, who said that, in dealing with this emergency situation, SHF
has had to redefine some of its geographic priorities.
The Outreach Therapeutic Program Mobile Clinic is a nutrition project dedicated to children of IDPs in the the state of
Khartoum, an area that used to be considered as a humanitarian priority by SHF, but was deprioritized this year following
the Jebel Marra crisis and other more urgent needs.
Run by the national NGO Almanar (Lighthouse in English), the clinic was founded in 2013 in Jabarona, an open area on
the outskirts of the capital that has been hosting IDPs for more than two decades.
They started coming in the late 1980s. And they continue to come. Theres donor fatigue because the people have been

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there for a long time, but many keep coming every day, said Dr. Nadia Ali Eltoum, the Executive Director of Almanar,
who runs the clinic.
According to her, the Jabarona open area currently hosts 15,000 IDPs from Darfur, and South Kordofan, West Kordofan,
and Blue Nile states, as well as from rural areas affected by climate change. An additional 60,000 have established
themselves around the area, she said, including some 6,000 South Sudanese.
There is very high poverty in the area. The market prices are very high. Hygiene conditions for IDPs are bad, and there are
virtually no water, electricity, sanitation or health services, described Dr. Nadia.
The Almanar mobile clinic is dedicated to Jabaronas children under five who are suffering from malnutrition. According to
the Sudanese Government and the United Nations, two million children suffer from global acute malnutrition, of which
560,000 have severe acute malnutrition.
The clinic relies on the help of volunteers from the IDP community itself, known as community health promoters, who are
selected and trained by Almanar to identify malnourished children.
These volunteers are accepted by the community. They know the traditions and the language, and can communicate easily
with community members, explained Dr. Nadia, adding that the majority of them are young women.
Each community health promoter is responsible for monitoring about 20 houses in the Jabarona open area and periodically
visits them to see if children are showing any sign of malnutrition.
If a child is malnourished, he or she is referred to Almanar by the community health promoters and treated at the clinic. If
the child has other medical complications in addition to malnutrition, he or she is sent to the nearest hospital for medical
support, explained Dr. Nadia.
According to Dr. Nadia, from April 2015 to March 2016, over 3,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and
over 7,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition were treated at the clinic, which also develops preventive
measures, including raising the awareness of best practices for nutrition, breast-feeding and treatment of HIV and other
diseases among IDP mothers.
In its first year, the clinic was funded by the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF).
We wrote a proposal. We approached UNICEF. And then once we received the funds, we started treating the children, Dr.
Nadia explained.
In 2015, the clinic was mainly funded by the SHF, which considered Khartoum state to be a humanitarian priority for IDPs
and refugees. But as a result of the Jebel Marra crisis this year the situation has changed.
After this month, there is no guarantee for anything. We wont receive any funding because Khartoum state is not a priority
anymore for SHF because of new emergencies, said Dr. Nadia.
Mr. Christiaens is well aware of the difficulties that come with having to redefine the funding priorities of SHF on a yearly
basis.
SHF planning is done on an annual basis, he explained, adding that multi-year programming would allow SHF to provide
more stable support to and invest more in early-recovery, resilience-building and durable solutions, as well as to ensure
that new crises do not take away funds from longer-term responses.
One of the core aims of the upcoming WHS is to secure commitment to more resources for resilience- and capacity-building
projects as a way to prevent or reduce human suffering in case of conflicts and natural disasters. The WHS will also call for
increased investment in people, local actors and national systems.

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But if you have a multi-year approach, you also need to have a more stable and better funding outlook than what we have
today, he said, adding that it would require expanding the pool of donors from which SHFs resources are drawn. This
would also allow the fund to depend less on a small number of donors.
On the other hand, a multi-year approach would also require efforts from the humanitarian community, he added. If you
ask donors for multiyear funding, the humanitarian community has to be more transparent on costs, methodologies and riskbased approaches, Mr. Christiaens said.
These are global humanitarian issues that Mr. Christiaens hopes will be addressed at the World Humanitarian Summit,
starting with raising awareness of the danger of letting longstanding, protracted crises, as in Jabarona, slip off donors
agendas in the face of new emergency crises, as in Jebel Marra.
There can be both. There should be both. But we are a bit limited resource-wise on the longer-term programming, he said.
Everybody is dealing with finite resources, but there needs to be an understanding that the resources in general have to
increase and that non-traditional donors should join new initiatives to fund responses to humanitarian crises.

On Day of Vesak, UN chief says Buddhism can help enlighten

world about pressing issues
20 May Observing the Day of Vesak, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon highlighted how the teachings of Buddhism can
help the international community tackle pressing challenges, including
mass population movements, violent conflicts, atrocious human rights
abuses and hateful rhetoric aimed at dividing communities.
The fundamental equality of all people, the imperative to seek
justice, and the interdependence of life and the environment are more
than abstract concepts for scholars to debate; they are living
guidelines for Buddhists and others navigating the path to a better
future, he said.
Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most
sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It was on the
Outside a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. Photo: IRIN
Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that
the Buddha was born. It was also on the Day of Vesak that the
Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away.
The General Assembly, by its resolution 54/115 of 1999, recognized the the International Day to acknowledge the
contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and
continues to make to the spirituality of humanity.
Citing the story of Srimala, a woman who pledged to help all those suffering from injustice, illness, poverty or disaster, Mr.
Ban said that this spirit of solidarity can animate global efforts to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
carry out the Paris Agreement on climate change, and promote human rights while advancing human dignity worldwide.
The actions of Srimala also illustrate the primary role that women can play in advocating for peace, justice and human
rights. Gender equality and the empowerment of women remain urgent priorities that will drive progress across the
international agenda.
In just a few days, the UN will convene the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, where leaders will join activists and
other partners to address the needs of millions of vulnerable people in crisis.
Buddhists and individuals of all faiths who are concerned about the future of humanity can help advance the Summits aims
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to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians in conflict, and improve the global response to emergencies, Mr. Ban said.
On this Day of Vesak, let us pledge to reach out to bridge differences, foster a sense of belonging, and show compassion on
a global scale for the sake of our common future, he said.

UN rights office appalled by Irans sentencing of anti-death

penalty campaigner
20 May The United Nations human rights arm today denounced
Irans sentencing of an already-imprisoned human right defender,
Nargis Mohammadi, to 16 years in prison, calling for the immediate
release of her and all those detained for merely exercising their human
rights.
We are appalled by the sentencing of a prominent Iranian anti-death
penalty campaigner [] in charges that stem from her courageous
human rights work, said spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani of the
Geneva-based Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR).
Urban cityscape, Iran. Photo: World Bank/Curt Carnemark

Her sentencing is illustrative of an increasingly low tolerance for

human rights advocacy in Iran, she added.

Ms. Mohammadi is already in Evin Prison in Tehran, serving out a prison sentence for breaching the countrys sweeping
national security laws. The human rights defender is believed to have serious medical conditions and has reportedly not been
granted adequate access to the specialised medical care she needs.
The UN human rights office and other human rights mechanisms have long urged the Iranian authorities to release Ms.
Mohammadi, but to no avail, the spokesperson said.

Ecuador: month after quake, humanitarian needs acute; many

without roof over heads UN
20 May One month after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that claimed
the lives of over 650 people in north-western Ecuador, humanitarian
needs remain acute there, as 73,000 people have been displaced,
15,000 people have lost their identity documents, and 17,000 refugees
and asylum-seekers, mostly from Colombia, who lived in the stricken
areas were also affected, the United Nations refugee agency said
today.

On 5 May 2016, two women and a young girl walk past a building
destroyed by the earthquake in Nuevo Pedernales, Manabi, Ecuador.
Photo: UNICEF/UN018950/Arcos

Rubbing salt into the wound, two aftershocks of 6.7 and 6.8
magnitude, which occurred on Wednesday, caused one death and
injured some 90 people, spreading damage across the provinces of
Manab and Esmeraldas, said spokesperson William Spindler of the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to official figures, some 73,000 people have been displaced

as a result of the earthquake and are now living in organized shelters
and camps, with host families, or in spontaneous sites. Over 30,000 people are currently staying in collective centres, where
protection mechanisms and community-based strategies need to be strengthened to minimize risks of violence and abuse,
especially for women, girls and boys, and reduce increasing anxiety among the displaced.

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Thousands of people are also being hosted by vulnerable families whose resources are already overstretched, thereby
increasing the risk of tensions among the population. In addition, around 15,000 people have lost their identity documents,
making it difficult for them to access basic services and social programs, Mr. Spindler said.
Over the past month, UNHCR chartered two airlifts to provide immediate assistance to the most affected communities,
including 900 tents, 50,000 sleeping mats, 7,000 kitchen sets and 18,000 mosquito nets.
We are also supporting the Governments efforts to reissue documents to those who have lost their identification, asylum
and refugee documents, as well as property and land titles, the spokesperson said.
UNHCR is also leading the protection response in Quito, the capital, and in Manta, Pedernales and Muisne, and working
closely with local authorities to coordinate activities relating to child protection and fighting sexual and gender-based
violence.
The disaster has added challenges to the local integration process for some 17,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mostly
from Colombia, who lived in the quake-hit areas.
UNHCR called on donors to urgently fund the Flash Appeal of US$73 million, which was launched on 20 April, to respond
to the life-saving, protection and self-reliance needs of 350,000 people. The appeal is currently funded at only 15 per cent,
he said.

UN rights office urges Mexican authorities to pursue

investigation into extrajudicial killings
20 May The United Nations human rights office today reiterated a
call for the Government of Mexico to ensure a prompt and thorough
investigation into a series of alleged summary executions and human
rights violations committed by authorities almost two years ago.

OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. Photo: UN Multimedia

The incident occurred on 30 June 2014, in an operation by military

forces during which 22 people were killed, of whom at least 12 may
have been summarily executed, at a warehouse in Tlatlaya in Mexico
State, according to the National Human Rights Commission of
Mexico. Seven military personnel were arrested in connection with
the case, but in October 2015, a judge dropped charges against four of
them and this past week, a court freed the other three, deciding that
there was insufficient evidence against them.

In a briefing to reporters in Geneva today, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR), expressed deep concern that the case remains mired in impunity and victims continue to be
denied their rights to justice and the truth.
Investigations must be extended to examine all those who may be responsible, including higher-level military officers who
may hold command responsibility, as well as those who may have tampered with or ordered the commission of acts to
tamper with the crime scene, she said.
Other allegations of human rights violations related to the Tlatlaya case, including arbitrary detention and torture of
witnesses, should also be thoroughly investigated, she added.
The spokesperson also recalled that during a visit to Mexico in October 2015, High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein
said the Tlatlaya case would be closely watched as a test of the authorities' commitment to fighting impunity, after an
amended military code placed the military under the jurisdiction of civilian courts for crimes committed against civilians.
We fully respect the independence of the judiciary and take note of the statement by the Attorney-General's office that it
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would continue to provide supporting evidence to 'prevent the crimes committed [] in Tlatlaya [] from remaining in
impunity'. We call on the Mexican authorities to ensure a thorough, effective, impartial, independent and prompt
investigation into this emblematic case, the spokesperson said, urging the prosecution and judicial authorities to comply
with the highest human rights norms and standards in its investigations and the conduct of trials.
Ms. Shamdasani appealed to the authorities to urgently implement the recommendation made by the High Commissioner in
October to establish an adequately resourced national autonomous forensic institution, given the importance of forensic
evidence in the case.
This would no doubt reinforce investigations in this and other cases, said the spokesperson, adding that OHCHR stands
ready to advise the relevant authorities in Mexico as well as to support and assist the victims and their representatives.

UN conference spotlights role of tourism in fighting poverty and

building peace
20 May Tourism plays a crucial role in lifting people out of poverty
and building peace, participants from more than 100 countries
gathered at a United Nations conference in Beijing, China, this week
have said, calling for greater efforts to step up international
cooperation in that regard.

Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Taleb Rifai addresses the First World Conference on Tourism for
Development being held in Beijing, China, 18-21 May 2016. Photo:
UNWTO

Tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors, with

significant global reach, and as such can make an important
contribution to the achievement of the [Sustainable Development
Goals] SDGs, particularly in the areas of job creation, sustainable
consumption and production and the preservation of natural resources,
as stated in Goal 8, Goal 12 and Goal 14 of the SDGs, said Taleb
Rifai, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) in a press release.

The First World Conference on Tourism for Development which has

gathered more than 1,000 participants is being held from 18 to 21 May under the theme of Tourism for Peace and
Development.
In a message delivered to the conference by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: When tourism is well-managed, it has tremendous capacity to create decent jobs,
provide opportunities for inclusion and education, and contribute to preserving cultural heritage and the environment.
As part of the conference, a high-level segment on Sustainable Development through Tourism analysed how to advance
the contribution of tourism to the 17 SDGs, including the sector's ability to create jobs, promote local culture and be an
agent of change towards more sustainable consumption and production practices, UNWTO said.
During this session, participants called for an integrated approach to tourism development that can contribute effectively to
the SDGs. Issues discussed included effective resource management, the role of the private sector and the need for the SDGs
to be understood by all citizens, policy makers, and the business community, UNWTO said.
Participants in the 'Tourism for Poverty Reduction' high-level session discussed how Governments, the international
community, the private sector and academia can collaborate to enhance tourism's contribution to poverty reduction, as well
as how to better integrate marginalized and disadvantaged groups, particularly youth and women, into the global tourism
value chain.

UN News Centre www.un.org/news

UN Daily News

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20 May 2016

Another high-level session, on 'Tourism for Peace,' focused on the links between tourism and the building blocks of peace,
including social justice, human rights, economic equity, sustainable development, democracy and non-violence. That session
also explored how to make the sector more peace-sensitive, and outlined opportunities and the way forward in that regard.
The conference was jointly organized by UNWTO and the Government of China.

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)