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August 19
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reports to the General Assembly on his visit to Pakistan. He will underscore the urgent needs on the ground in Pakistan and will push for nations to contribute funding and humanitarian assistance as quickly as possible.
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August 15, 2010 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to a group of women in Sultan Colony, an encampment of people displaced by Pakistan's potent monsoon floods, in Punjab Province, near the city of Multan. UN Photo/Evan Schneider |
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In Pakistan, UN chief urges rapid assistance for flood-stricken communities
UN warns of waterborne disease risk among flood-affected Pakistanis
Waterborne diseases continue to pose great risk to millions of people affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan, the United Nations has warned, after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to the country, described the "heart-wrenching" suffering he witnessed among flood survivors.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's helicopter flies over monsoon flood waters in Punjab Province, near the city of Multan, Pakistan on Sunday, August 15. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
| Mr. Ban visited Pakistan at the weekend to demonstrate the support of the UN and the international community in the wake of what has been described at the country's worst disaster in living memory, having claimed more than 1,200 lives and leaving at least 2 million homeless.
"I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past I have visited the scenes of many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this," the Secretary-General told reporters. "The scale of this disaster is so large so many people, in so many places, in so much need."
The government estimated that 20 million people have been affected by the floods. The UN and its partners plan to assist at least 8 million people who are in urgent need of life-saving shelter, food, clean water, and health care. Based on a preliminary assessment of immediate needs, UN and non-UN humanitarian agencies have already requested $459.7 million through the Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan, which was launched last week.
Donors have so far contributed or promised $125 million, or 27 percent of the requested amount, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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Darfur: Abducted UN-African Union blue helmets released, unharmed
Two Jordanian police advisers serving with the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, who were abducted on Saturday, were freed today in the south of the war-ravaged Sudanese region.
The two officers had been walking to a transport dispatch point 100 meters from their residence in the Almatar area of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, when they were seized by unidentified armed men.
August 17, 2010: UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) Mohamed B. Yonis welcomes two UNAMID peacekeepers from Jordan, who were were released today following four days in captivity. The DJSR (second from left) was joined by UNAMID Acting Chief of Security Francis Sikaonga (far left) and UNAMID Acting Police Commissioner Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi (fourth from left). UNAMID Photo: Olivier Chassot
| After being released in the city of Kass today, they were immediately transported to the hospital of the mission, known as UNAMID, in Nyala, where they underwent a medical examination. The police advisers appeared to be unharmed and in good health.
"We are thankful to have our colleagues back with us," said Mohamed B. Yonis, UNAMID's Deputy Joint Special Representative. "They appear to be in good spirits and I commend the courage they have shown during this ordeal."
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks against UNAMID personnel in recent months, including the ambush last month of peacekeepers on patrol in West Darfur that resulted in injuries to seven blue helmets, as well as another ambush in June in the same region that killed three soldiers and seriously wounded a fourth.
Yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his continued concern over the string of incidents that have contributed to the deterioration of the situation in Darfur, where nearly seven years of fighting has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.
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Efforts to reach direct talks between Israelis, Palestinians nearing turning point
Efforts to promote direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are nearing a turning point, a senior United Nations official said today, underlining that success hinges on continued regional and international support.
Since May, seven round of proximity, or indirect, talks have been held between the two sides to identify areas of mutual areas, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told the Security Council.
Currently, the parties are holding internal discussions on whether to enter direct talks.
"We urge them to be forthcoming in their deliberations and are hopeful that both sides will seize the opportunity and engage in a path of decisive progress towards a sustainable, mutually-acceptable two-state solution, within a realistic timeframe," the UN official said.
He voiced appreciation for the United States' mediation, especially the "tireless" efforts of United States Senator George Mitchell, who held talks separately last week with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Fernandez-Taranco also noted the involvement of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who continues to be in contact with Mr. Mitchell and has spoken directly to Palestinian, Israeli and Arab leaders to encourage progress in the peace process.
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Week in Pictures
UN Launches International Youth Year:
"Dialogue and Mutual Understanding"
August 12, 2010 - Young people attend the launch of the 2010 International Year of Youth on the theme "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding", inside the General Assembly Hall, at UN headquarters in New York. International Youth Day is celebrated annually on August 12. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras
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Darfur IDP Camp Emptying Out
August 11, 2010 - A woman walks through Kalma Camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), frequently patrolled by the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), near Nyala in the Darfur region of Sudan. Following deadly protests in which many IDPs took part, large areas of the camp have become deserted, with many camp residents (approximately 450 to 500 households) moving into villages around Nyala. A UN inter-agency mission recommended immediate humanitarian intervention to those villages, due to dire conditions in sanitation, health and education. UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran
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