UN Daily News - 12 February 2016

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Issue DH/7094 Friday, 12 February 2016

In the headlines:

• Syria: UN-backed task force seeks aid access tobesieged areas 'without delay'

• Ahead of elections in Central African Republic, UNurges focus on children's needs

• Marking World Radio Day, UN officials urge use ofradio as 'lifeline' in human progress

• Europe's restrictive measures draw UN concern asrefugee and migrant influx continues

• 'Rise to the challenges' to shape a common future,UN chief tells McGill students

• Mali: UN condems attack against Mission base thatkills five peacekeepers

• 'Child soldiers are boys and girls we collectivelyfailed to protect' – UN envoy

• El Niño set to have a devastating impact onsouthern Africa's harvests and food security

• 'Status quo' not sustainable, UN and Middle Eastpartners warn

• FEATURE: Hailed as ‘role models,’ all-female Indianpolice unit departs UN mission in Liberia

• Ban sends Security Council first report of joint UNbody probing chemical weapons in Syria

Syria: UN-backed task force seeks aid access to besieged areas'without delay'

12 February - Following agreement late yesterday by diplomats meeting in Munich as partof the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to work with Syrian parties to implement anationwide cessation of hostilities, a United Nations-backed task force met today onquickly delivering aid to besieged towns and war-weary civilians in hard to reach areasacross the country.

The task force held its initial meeting at the UN headquarters in Geneva less than 24 hoursafter it was by the ISSG, the group that has been working since November to secure a

broader ceasefire and Syrian political negotiations and is comprised of the Arab League, theEuropean Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries, including the United States andRussia. Late yesterday, it agreed on two key steps forward: a cessation of hostilities in Syriaand establishing a humanitarian task force.

According to the ISSG agreement, “to accelerate the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, sustained delivery of assistanceshall begin this week” in seven besieged areas inside Syria, including the town of Madaya, which drew worldwide attentionrecently after UN and Red Cross relief workers reported people starving to death or being killed trying to flee.

Today, chairing the regular bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, Ahmed Fawzi, interim Director of the UN InformationService in the Swiss city, said the first meeting of the task force on humanitarian access in Syria would take place today andwould include the ISSG co-Chairs, relevant UN entities, and members of the ISSG with influence on the parties to theconflict.

The UN system, particularly the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), would be organizing and the

A boy drinks the remaining water in his

errycan while waiting with other

children in a queue for safe water in the

town of Douma in the East Ghouta area

of Rural Damascus, Syria. Photo:

UNICEF/Bassam Khabieh

UN Daily News


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UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

UN Daily News 12 February 2016

meeting, and representatives of the UN system in Damascus would participate through video-conference, he explained.

“The UN system has been geared to deliver this aid all along, especially to besieged areas, and that's precisely what's goingto be discussed today: how to start, and when to start,” said Mr. Fawzi, responding to questions, adding: “We hope to start asearly as tomorrow, immediately after the meeting, decisions will be taken to roll the aid in, especially to besieged areas thatneed it.”

Later in the day, a statement issued by a spokesperson for Steffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, said themeeting had been chaired by his Senior Advisor Jan Egeland. The purpose of this initial meeting was to agree on how thetask force and its members could ensure that immediate access is granted to the civilian populations in besieged and hard toreach areas in line with the agreement reached by the ISSG at Munich.

The statement said that in order to accelerate the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, sustained delivery of assistance isexpected to begin this week to besieged areas where civilians are in desperate need of assistance. Humanitarian access tothese most urgent areas will be a first step toward full, sustained, and unimpeded access throughout the country.

“Once we get clearance by concerned parties, the UN and its humanitarian partners will be able to reach the civilians in need within the coming days,” Mr. de Mistura said. “Next week, we plan to have a second meeting of this task force, in order toassess the progress made, and maintain the pressure for incremental and unimpeded aid deliveries,” he explained.

According to the statement, Mr. Egeland, who is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council and formerlyhead of UN OCHA, said that humanitarian actors had already submitted requests for access to the parties surrounding

besieged areas. “We expect to get such access without delay. Finally, the civilians who have been deprived of their basicright of humanitarian access for so long, will have hope,” he added. “Let us not fail them.”

Separately, Stephen O'Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator,statement welcomed news that the members of the ISSG agreed to a cessation of hostilities in Syria and he urged the partiesto the conflict to ensure full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, including to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, inaccordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

“The people of Syria – in Aleppo, Madaya, Foah and Kefraya, Deir ez-Zor and elsewhere – need an end to the brutalviolence and bombing, the sieges, denial of free movement, food and medical care,” he said, emphasizing that the United

Nations and its partners need safe, sustained access for humanitarian workers throughout the country.

He went on to stress that the UN remains committed and ready to deliver aid and protection for civilians in desperate need,whoever and wherever they are. “Above all we need to see meaningful action on the ground, so that Syrians and theirneighbours can start to rebuild their lives and their country,” he concluded.

Ahead of elections in Central African Republic, UN urges focuson children's needs

12 February - As voters in the Central African Republic (CAR) prepare for the secondround of presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, the United Nations Children's

Fund (UNICEF) is urging the candidates to make strong commitments to invest in thesurvival, education and protection of children to ensure lasting peace in the country.

“The only way for the next President of the Central African Republic to break the cycle ofviolence for good will be to invest in children,” said Mohamed Malick Fall, UNICEFRepresentative in CAR, in a press release today.

“Children will not vote this Sunday, their voices will not be reflected in the ballots, but themost serious political mistake would be to ignore those who will determine if the futureholds a lasting peace in Central African Republic,” he added.

In Banguis PK5 Muslim enclave, a little

girl sits in a classroom in Koudougou

elementary school. As most

schoolteachers are afraid to go into the

enclave, the school has not been

functioning properly for two years.

Photo: UNICEF/UN08040/Le Du


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Mr. Fall recalled that in March 2015, a Children's Forum took place in Bangui with UNICEF support. Children from aroundthe country came together to discuss their hopes for the future, with peace and security ranking foremost among their mainconcerns.

“We are hopeful that the final stage of the electoral process will confirm the country's return to peace,” Mr. Fall said.“Children have paid the highest price in this conflict, and we will need to mobilize all of our energy and resources to ensurethat the return of peace enables young people to flourish in the best interests of the country and its development.”

Almost three years into a civil war and sectarian violence, the main childhood indicators in the CAR include an under-fivemortality rate that is eighth-highest in the world, according to the UNICEF Representative. In addition, 41 per cent ofchildren under five are chronically malnourished, one third of school-age children do not go to school, and between 6,000and 10,000 children have been recruited by armed groups during the crisis.

Mr. Fall added that UNICEF has launched an appeal for $55.6 million dollars in 2016 to meet the humanitarian needs forchildren in the CAR.

Marking World Radio Day, UN officials urge use of radio as'lifeline' in human progress

12 February - The international community should strive to find ways for radio to do evenmore to help people during responses to the increasing number of emergencies and disastersfacing the world, top United Nations officials said today, ahead of World Radio Day,celebrated each year on 13 February.

“In times of crisis and emergency, radio can be a lifeline,” said UN Secretary-General BanKi-moon in a statement on the Day.

“For people in shattered societies, or caught in catastrophe, or desperately seeking news,radio brings lifesaving information,” he added.

Noting that radio can help in emergency response operations, assist with rebuilding and

give voice to local people and communities, Mr. Ban called on the internationallycommunity to use the time in the lead-up to the World Humanitarian Summit in May to ensure that radio continues toimprove in helping people in emergencies.

“On this World Radio Day, let us resolve to prove that radio saves lives,” the UN chief said. “This year, as we start carryingout the Sustainable Development Goals, let us resolve to use radio for human progress.”

In another message for the Day, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO), emphasized that radio has demonstrated its power in situations of immediate post-disaster, butalso in times of preparedness and recovery.

“Amidst the ruins and in the face of an emergency, the radio is often the first medium for survival,” Ms. Bokova said. “Its

durability is an incomparable advantage, often enabling it to resist shocks and retransmit messages of protection and prevention to as many people as possible, better and faster than other media, saving lives.”

Specifically, radio airs tsunami alerts in Japan and Chile, and messages on how to avoid Ebola transmission in Liberia orZika contagion in Brazil. The medium, which is accessible and offers real-time coverage and reporting, has the capacity toinvolve the audience and plays a pivotal role in preventing and mitigating disasters and the associated human costs, Ms.Bokova stressed.

In 2011, the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed 13 February as World Radio Day, the day UN Radio was establishedin 1946. Radio is the most prevalent mass medium, with the ability to reach up to 95 per cent of the world's population.

In Pachong, journalists from Radio

Miraya, jointly funded by the United

Nations Mission in Sudan and Fondation

Hirondelle, hold village debates and host

live broadcasts with voters during the

registration period. UN Photo/Tim

McKulka


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As a result, World Radio Day, which this year coincides with the 70th anniversary of UN Radio, aims to celebrate radio as amedium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radioalike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.

Europe's restrictive measures draw UN concern as refugee andmigrant influx continues

12 February - With the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe showing nosigns of easing in 2016, the United Nations refugee agency today reiterated its concern overincreasing restrictive measures on the part of European Member States, stressing thatgreater support mechanisms must be urgently implemented to protect the fundamentalhuman rights of the more than 2,000 people who continue risking their lives every day toreach Europe.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva earlier today, Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson forthe Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), underscored that despiterougher seas, harsh winter weather and numerous hardships endured upon arrival, morethan 80,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe by boat during the first six weeks of2016, with more than 400 dying in their attempt. Comparably, large numbers began

arriving in Europe only by July 2015.

In the month of January alone, nearly 58 per cent of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe were women and children, andone in three people arriving to Greece were children, as compared with one in 10 in September 2015. More than 91 per centof those arriving in Greece came from the world's top 10 refugee-producing countries, including Syria, Afghanistan andIraq, UNHCR said.

In response to the situation, Ms. Fleming expressed hope that European Union Member States will implement at a faster pace all EU-wide measures agreed upon in 2015, including the implementation of hotspots and the relocation process for160,000 people already in Greece and Italy.

She also expressed regret that despite repeated calls by UNHCR to expand legal pathways to allow refugees to access

asylum, many European Member States are in fact reducing the available legal avenues, suggesting that some countries are prioritizing keeping refugees and migrants out over finding realistic solutions.

Ms. Fleming noted that in Denmark, restrictive measures on family reunification were imposed in January, with refugeesnow only able to apply for their family to join them after three years, instead of one. Other countries are contemplatingsimilar or even more restrictive legislation, she said, stressing that the issue cannot simply be shifted from one country toanother.

Recognizing that some European countries are facing challenges due to significant arrivals of asylum-seekers, refugees andmigrants, as well as the fact that States have a sovereign right to manage their borders, the spokesperson reiterated that suchactions must be done in accordance with national, European Union and international law, she concluded.

Quick and thorough support mechanisms will be crucial for integrating people in countries receiving the highest number ofrefugees, including Germany and Sweden, to help dispel the fear and xenophobia and reinstate the common European principles of dignity, solidarity and human rights that the European Union was founded upon.

Asylum-seekers from Syria, including

children, arrive on the shores of the island

of Lesbos, in the North Aegean region of

Greece. Photo: UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi


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'Rise to the challenges' to shape a common future, UN chieftells McGill students

12 February - Humanitarian action must address the concerns of young people, whoshould be mobilized and empowered to effect lasting change, United Nations Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon told students at McGill University in Montreal earlier today, as partof a three-day visit to Canada.

Speaking to political science, law and international students at an event on “Threats andOpportunities: The power of young people to shape a new future,” the UN chief stressedthat young people are at the nexus of the world's greatest hopes as well as worst problems.

“You are not here at McGill just for yourselves, but for our common future,” Mr. Ban said.

“I call on you to give back as a global citizen. Rise to the challenges of your generation,” he added.

Noting that among the best advice he ever received was the essence of how to balance idealism and realism, the UN chief

recalled that in the late 1950s, his middle school principal told him: “Keep your head above the clouds and your feet firmly planted on the ground – then advance step by step.”

That has been his approach at the United Nations, he said, where the international community defends “high ideals againsttough realities.”

Turning to the issues of unemployment, climate change, armed conflict and humanitarian crises, Mr. Ban pointed to the fourglobal responses on the part of the UN and its partners – namely, the

Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris climate change agreement, the Security Council resolution on youth and theWorld Humanitarian Summit.

Encouraging students to help turn those ideals into actions, Mr. Ban stressed the necessity of investing in youth, andworking with them for a new future.

“We have to put young people in influential positions,” he said, referencing his 2013 appointment of the first-ever Envoy onYouth at the UN, Ahmad Alhendawi, when he was 28 years old.

Turning to sustainable development, the Secretary-General said that young people can hold their governments accountableand, as consumers, innovators and voters, can continue to lead on climate action.

“You can invest in green solutions, invent new technologies, and elect leaders who are committed to climate action,” hestressed. “You can be the entrepreneurs who do more than fill jobs – because you create them.”

Yesterday, Mr. Ban met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, himself a McGill alumnus.

In Canada, Secretary-General Ban Ki-

moon shakes hands with students at

McGill University, where he delivered a

lecture. UN Photo/Evan Schneider


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Mali: UN condems attack against Mission base that kills fivepeacekeepers

12 February - Top United Nations officials have condemned the attack this morningagainst a UN camp in Kidal, in the north-eastern region of the country, which killed at least

five peacekeepers and wounded 30 others.

In a statement attributable to the spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Mali, theSecretary-General underscored that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers constitute warcrimes under international law, and called for the perpetrators of the attack to be brought to

justice.

According to reports, at 7 a.m. this morning, the UN Multidimensional IntegratedStabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in the northern region of the country wasthe target of a “complex attack.”

“The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against MINUSMA will not weaken the determination of the United Nations

to support the Malian Government, the parties to the peace agreement, and the people of Mali, in their efforts to achievelasting peace and stability,” the spokesperson said.

The Secretary-General also conveyed his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and to the Governments of thoseconcerned, and expressed profound sympathy and support to those wounded, with wishes for a speedy recovery.

Earlier today, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Mali said he was “outraged” by the attack.

“My duty, on behalf of the Secretary-General, is to express our outrage over this hateful and irresponsible act occurring aweek after the local arrangements between the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) and Platform, and 48 hoursafter my visit to Kidal,” said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Mali in a

press release.

Also expressing deep condolences to the families of the victims, Mr. Annadif emphasized that the “serious act” reflects “thedisarray of the enemies of peace,” since it comes at a time when the implementation of the peace agreement increasingly

becomes a reality in Mali.

This past June, a peace agreement was signed by the CMA, following its signature in May 2015 by the Government and athird party, the Platform coalition of armed groups.

The Government of Mali, with the support of MINUSMA as well as UN agencies and programmes, has been seeking torestore stability and rebuild following a series of setbacks since early 2012, including a military coup d’état, and renewedfighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels.

Senegalese police officers serving with the

UN Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in Mali

(MINUSMA), patrol the streets of the city

of Gao, in Mali. UN Photo/Marco

Dormino


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'Child soldiers are boys and girls we collectively failed toprotect' – UN envoy

12 February - An upsurge in global conflicts and brutal war tactics continues to makechildren extremely vulnerable to recruitment and use by armed groups, the United Nations

warned today, appealing to the international community to take greater responsibility forthe boys and girls used as child soldiers or risk failing to protect them.

“It is now our common responsibility to ask for urgent action to end grave violationsagainst children and to dedicate the necessary attention and resources to reach ourobjective,” said Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General forChildren and Armed Conflict, in a press release marking the International Day against theUse of Child Soldiers, observed every 12 February since 2002.

“I invite everyone to start thinking about child soldiers as boys and girls we collectivelyfailed to protect,” she added.

According to the UN, tens of thousands of boys and girls are associated with armed forces and groups in conflicts in morethan 20 countries around the world. In the most recent annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armedconflict, 56 of the 57 parties to conflict identified for grave violations against children are named because they are recruitingand using child soldiers.

Ms. Zerrougui underscored that children are sent to the frontlines as combatants, but many are also used in functions that puttheir lives in danger, such as cooks, porters, spies and informants. During their association with armed groups or forces,children are exposed to high levels of violence. Moreover, when they are captured or arrested for alleged association witharmed groups, too often children are not treated primarily as victims and denied the protection guaranteed by internationalnorms and standards of juvenile justice.

“We still face huge challenges to protect children in times of war, but our work and advocacy has led to an emergingconsensus among the world's nations that boys and girls do not belong in national security forces in conflict or in any armed

group,” said Ms. Zerrougui.

In 1996, the Special Representative's mandate was created following the realization that children were the primary victimsof armed conflict. Twenty years later, Ms. Zerrougui said the international community's engagement has resulted in a strongframework and concrete tools to engage with parties to conflict and address the violations committed against children duringconflict.

In 2014, the campaign Children, Not Soldiers was launched by the Special Representative and the UN Children's Fund(UNICEF) to support the remaining eight states – Afghanistan, Chad, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen – identified by the Secretary-General for the recruitment of children in their security forces.

So far, Chad has put in place all the measures required to prevent the recruitment of children and was removed from the

Secretary-General's list. This year, work continues to support the seven remaining countries to put in place the requiredmeasures to protect boys and girls from recruitment and use, the Special Representative said.

According to the press release, children in Iraq and Syria remain vulnerable to recruitment because of the proliferation ofarmed groups and advances by ISIL, whereas in South Sudan, children continue to suffer the consequences of a brutalconflict and high levels of recruitment and use are being seen.

In Yemen, the recruitment and use of children by all parties to the conflict has become widespread since the escalation ofconflict in March 2015, the Special Representative said.

In March 2015, a boy holds his

registration number following a ceremony

formalizing his release from the South

Sudan Democratic Army (SSDA) Cobra

Faction, in Lekuangole village, in Jonglei

State. UNICEF/UNI181538/McKeever


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El Niño set to have a devastating impact on southern Africa'sharvests and food security

12 February - Over the coming year, humanitarian partners should prepare for foodinsecurity levels and food insecure population numbers in southern Africa to be at their

highest levels since the 2002-2003 food crisis, the United Nations agriculture agencywarned today, citing an 'intense' drought as the main cause.

Southern Africa is currently in the grip of a drought that has expanded and strengthenedsince the earliest stages of the 2015-2016 agricultural season, driven by one of the strongestEl Niño events of the last 50 years, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) saidtoday in a joint statement with the World Food Programme (WFP), Famine Early WarningSystems Network (FEWS NET), and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre(JRC).

Across large swathes of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, and Madagascar, the currentrainfall season has so far been the driest in the last 35 years. Agricultural areas in northern Namibia and southern Angolahave also experienced high levels of water deficit.

Much of the southern African sub-region has consequently experienced significant delays in planting and very poorconditions for early crop development and pasture re-growth. In many areas, planting has not been possible due to 30 to 50day delays in the onset of seasonal rains resulting in widespread crop failure, according to the agencies.

Although there has been some relief since mid-January in certain areas, the agencies warn that the window of opportunityfor the successful planting of crops under rain-fed conditions is nearly closed. Even assuming normal rainfall for theremainder of the season, cropwater balance models indicate poor performance of maize over a widespread area.

Seasonal forecasts from a variety of sources are unanimous in predicting a continuation of below-average rainfall andabove-average temperatures across most of the region for the remainder of the growing season, says the statement.

The combination of a poor 2014-2015 season, an extremely dry early season (October to December) and forecasts forcontinuing hot and drier-than-average conditions through mid-2016, suggest a scenario of extensive, regional-scale cropfailure.

Drought emergencies have been declared in most of South Africa's provinces as well as in Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Waterauthorities in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa and Namibia are limiting water usage because of low water levels. Poweroutages have been occurring in Zambia and Zimbabwe as water levels at the Kariba Dam have become much lower thanusual.

While it is too early to provide detailed estimates of the population likely to be food-insecure in 2016-2017, FAO and its partners say it is expected that the population in need of emergency food assistance and livelihood recovery support willincrease significantly. Additional assistance will be required to help food-insecure households manage an extended 2016

lean season.

In the short term, the agencies recommend: continued close monitoring of the season to inform decision-making on programming and targeting; immediate additional assistance to help currently food-insecure households; updating ofcontingency plans, intensification of advocacy and resource mobilization to address the impact of an extended post-2016harvest lean season; and increased awareness-raising of the need for a regional approach to address the effects of droughtthat are becoming more frequent and intense.

In Malawi, a woman picks up her

monthly ration of supercereal. Photo:

WFP/Gregory Barrow


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'Status quo' not sustainable, UN and Middle East partners warn

12 February - Condemning all acts of terror and urging restraint amid continuing violenceagainst civilians, the United Nations and its Middle East Quartet partners today called on all

parties to actively take steps to de-escalate current tensions between Israelis andPalestinians.

“The Quartet expressed its serious concern that current trends on the ground – includingcontinued acts of violence against civilians, ongoing settlement activity, and the high rate of demolitions of Palestinian structures – are dangerously imperilling the viability of a two-state solution,” according to a statement issued in Munich, Germany.

“The Quartet reiterated that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcomeof a negotiated solution,” said the statement, which was issued following a meeting ofrepresentatives of the diplomatic grouping – European Union High Representative forCommon Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Russian Foreign Minister

Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, represented by DeputySecretary-General Jan Eliasson.

According to today's statement, “the Quartet reiterated that the status quo is not sustainable and that significant steps,consistent with the transition contemplated by prior agreements, are urgently needed to stabilize the situation and to reversenegative trends on the ground.” Continued absence of such steps “was leading to further deterioration, to the detriment of

both Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement said.

It added that: “The Quartet will remain engaged with the parties in order to explore concrete actions that both sides can taketo demonstrate their genuine commitment to pursuing a negotiated two-state solution.”

Meanwhile, in Geneva, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), CécilePouilly, expressed concerns over recent developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. OHCHR hadreceived “worrying news” that the Al-Qassam Brigades had executed one of their members, Mahmoud Eshtaiwi, in Gaza, on

7 February, which “may amount to an extra-judicial killing and “an arbitrary deprivation of life,” she said in a press briefingnote.

OHCHR called on the Palestinian authorities, including authorities in Gaza, to quickly launch an independent and credibleinvestigation.

The UN human rights office also remained deeply concerned about the situation of Mohammed al-Qiq, who had been onhunger strike for 80 days to protest against his administrative detention in Israel, the Spokesperson continued. His conditionwas reported to be critical and OHCHR once again called for “all persons in administrative detention in Israel to be eithercharged with a criminal offense or released immediately,” she added.

In the town of Beit Hanoun in northern

Gaza, a Palestinian woman prepares food

for her family inside her bombed out

house, damaged in the 2014 hostilities.

Her house suffers from waters leaks and

is engulfed in freezing winds as a result of

the latest winter storm (January 2016).

UNICEF/UN08528/El Baba


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FEATURE: Hailed as ‘role models,’ all-female Indian police unitdeparts UN mission in Liberia

12 February - “We see you as family,” Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf recentlytold the women of the all-female Indian police unit serving in her country under the United

Nations flag.

“If I had my will, I would have recommended for another unit of the United NationsMission in Liberia (UNMIL) to leave, so that the Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU) wouldcontinue its stay in the country for the time being,” she said, speaking to a large crowd attheir recent farewell ceremony, organized to coincide with India’s Republic Day.

Since 2007, there have been nine rotations of all-female police units from India, whose primary responsibilities have been to provide 24-hour guard duty and public ordermanagement and to conduct night patrols in and around the capital, Monrovia, whileassisting to build the capacity of local security institutions.

On Sunday, 125 women and supporting personnel that constitute the unit will pack their bags and return home to all cornersof India following their one-year rotation in the post-conflict nation. Since the civil war ended in 2003, UNMIL has beensupporting Liberia to rebuild its institutions so it can maintain stability without its presence.

When the local women see the female peacekeepers, they get inspired by them.

“When the local women see the female peacekeepers, they get inspired by them – [they see] ladies can perform the samerole as male counterparts,” Colonel Madhubala Bala, the contingent’s commander, told the UN News Centre in an interview.

And the proof is in the numbers. Liberian women now make up 17 per cent of the country’s security sector, as compared to6 per cent nine years ago before the arrival and influence of the all-female Indian contingent.

“They’ve served as role models for the local girls, and the effect on Liberian women was very significant,” added theColonel.

In a statement issued today in New York ahead of this weekend’s departure, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute tothe FPU’s “unwavering performance, professionalism and discipline,” and commended its contributions in creating anenvironment for the Government of Liberia to assume fully its security responsibilities by 30 June 2016.

“Through their work, they managed criminality, deterred sexual and gender-based violence and helped rebuild safety andconfidence among the population,” said the statement, in which Mr. Ban also underscored that the conduct of the FPUserved as an example of how the deployment of more female uniformed personnel can help the UN in its efforts to combatsexual exploitation and abuse.

“The Secretary-General thanks all the women who served in the FPU for inspiring all Liberians, as well as current andfuture generations of female police officers, and becoming role models for gender equality,” the statement added.

According to the UN, India has been an unequivocal supporter of women in peace and security worldwide. It is currently thefourth largest police-contributing country with 1,009 police officers worldwide, and the third largest contributor of female

police officers with 115, just behind Bangladesh and Nepal.

“You have certain professions that are seen to be traditional masculine jobs,” explained Clare Hutchinson, a gender adviserfor the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

“What we’re doing with the military and the police is breaking down the perception that this is a male domain and that

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (left) with

members of the all-female Indian Formed

Police Unit serving with the UN Mission

in Liberia. Photo: Emmanuel

Tobey/UNMIL


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women can’t be involved. We know that the obstacles aren’t that it’s too dangerous or that they don’t want to travel or leavetheir children. Those aren’t the most prevailing obstacles; it’s mainly that they’re not aware of opportunities.”

Ms. Hutchinson emphasized that to increase the presence of women in peace operations, the UN relies on its Member Statesto recruit them at the country level first. To support the effort, the Organization has helped train over 555 female policeofficers in five countries, leading to 174 additional women being deployed last year.

They’ve served as role models for the local girls, and the effect on Liberian women was very significant.

“What comes out as very striking to me when you talk to women in the services, the first thing they say is that they’re a police officer, not a woman. So they’re not women police officers, they’re police officers who are women. And I think that’svery important for us to remember,” she noted.

Inspector Sangmitrai Kittappan, 40, was encouraged to join the Indian police force by her family – especially her father andhusband, who is also a police officer. She has served two one-year rotations in Liberia, returning in February 2015 for thesecond time because Ebola had ravaged the country and she wanted to help.

“Female infanticide was [practiced] in our society. That’s why my father always told me ‘one day you will play a big role inthe world, you will be an example to the female community,’” she said.

“Girls talk with us freely, there’re always asking if it’s hard to live away from our families for a long time,” she added. “Itell them I love my country and I want to sacrifice my life for my nation.”

Meanwhile, Inspector Santha Bhargavi, 49, shared that she especially enjoyed helping to restore calm during riots, evenwhen the situation sometimes grew violent. “It was a very big moment for us,” she said. “We controlled the situation, we arewell trained. It is a pride for any woman to serve in such a mission.”

The Indian contingent is not just controlling crowds; the women have earned the respect of Liberians thanks to theirengagement within the community on many levels. For example, they gave map reading lessons to their peers in theLiberian National Police. More broadly, they taught Liberian women self-defence skills, conducted classes on sexualviolence and HIV/AIDS, and provided medical services. Some got involved with a local orphanage and school in Congo

Town.

“It was a challenging job 24 hours a day,” said 31-year-old Sub-Inspector Subashini Mahunta. “It was a big responsibility to protect the people, save strangers, and bring safety and comfort to the people. Being a police officer is a very respectablething.”

This message was recently echoed by many UN officials, who in light of the contingent’s imminent departure, have been praising the women’s important contribution to the nation.

“The all-female Indian FPU played an outstanding role in Liberia since 2007 and put the soul of Security Council resolution1325 into operational action and visibility,” said UN Police Adviser Stefan Feller, referring to the UN document adopted in2000 that urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all peace andsecurity efforts.

“These courageous women patrolled Monrovian streets at night together with their Liberian counterparts, maintained calmduring the Ebola crisis and devoted time and resources above and beyond the call of duty to protect the communities. Thelegacy these peacekeepers leave behind is the next generation of female Liberian leaders, already serving in the national

police today.”

Ten years ago, there were 16,000 UN uniformed personnel in Liberia. By the end of June, there will be 1,240 military and606 police. “The all-female Indian FPU will not be replaced, but its legacy will continue in Liberia and throughout

peacekeeping,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIL, Farid Zarif.


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The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section

f th N d M di Di i i D t t f P bli I f ti (DPI)

“By having served with distinction, they have earned the deep respect of the Liberian people, and have also madethemselves, their families and their nation very proud of their sacrifice and service,” he added.

Ban sends Security Council first report of joint UN body probingchemical weapons in Syria

12 February - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has today submitted the Security Councilfirst report of the joint body set up between the United Nations and the Organisation for theProhibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the use of chemical weapons inSyria.

According to a note issued by the Office of Mr. Ban's Spokesperson, the report provides anoverview of the work of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) to date, the sources ofinformation available to the Mechanism and the methodology behind their investigation.

The Secretary-General appreciates the professional, independent, objective and impartialwork that is being carried out, says the note, which adds that the Security Council isexpected to consider the report on 22 February.

The Mechanism reviewed the incidents where the OPCW Fact-Finding Missions determined that chemicals were used orlikely used as weapons in Syria, and identified potential cases for further investigation.

The next phase of the work of the Mechanism will include: the detailed analysis of all information obtained, including fromMember States and other sources; the finalization of the list of cases for investigation on the basis of all informationobtained; and the conduct of the investigation, including field visits as necessary, in order to identify the individuals,entities, groups or governments who were perpetrators, organizers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals asweapons.

According to the note, this stage will continue until sufficient information and evidence is gathered to allow the Mechanismto report its findings to the Security Council.

The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation to the leadership panel and the staff of the Mechanism, as well as theOPCW and the Office for Disarmament Affairs for their continued support to the Mechanism, as well as to Member Statesfor their assistance to the Mechanism and financial support to its Trust Fund.

Full cooperation from the Syrian Government and all parties in Syria remains essential in the discharge of the Mechanism'smandate, the note concludes.

The joint body, established by the Security Council in August 2015 for a period of one year with a possibility of futureextension, is tasked with identifying “individuals, entities, groups, or governments involved in the use of chemicals asweapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical,” in Syria, according to the Council, which reiterated that thoseresponsible must be held accountable.

The US Vessel Cape Ray, on which all 581

metric tonnes of a precursor chemical for

sarin gas were removed from Syria and

safely destroyed as the ship sailed in

international waters in 2014. Photo: US

Dept. of Transportation

UN Daily News - 12 February 2016

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