18 May 2012 – Amid ongoing violence in parts of Syria, the presence of UN military observers on the ground has had an overall calming effect in their areas of deployment in the Middle Eastern country, the head of the UN observer force said today.

“We were very pleased to see and witness an immediate calming effect brought about by our arrival,” the head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) and Chief Military Observer, Major-General Robert Mood, told reporters in Damascus today. “This has been challenged by asymmetric incidents, sometimes intense, but [only] in some locations.”

“We are seeing in the areas where we are deployed that we have both a calming effect on the ground and we are seeing that we have a good dialogue and the dialogue is expanding both with the authorities and the opposition elements,” he added. “I think it is too early to say that it is a trend that we can be conclusive about – but I share the worries of everyone who is concerned that we are seeing more violence in the last days than we did in the previous days.”

The crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011 as a protest movement similar to those across the Middle East and North Africa, has claimed over 9,000 lives, mostly civilians, and displaced tens of thousands. It led to the Security Council authorizing UNSMIS, with up to 300 unarmed military observers for an initial period of 90 days. Spread out in various locations, the observers are tasked with monitoring the cessation of violence and supporting the full implementation of the six-point plan put forward by the Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan.

In his media encounter, Major-General Mood noted that violence is continuing as UNSMIS deploys, and “no volume of observers can achieve a progressive drop and a permanent end to the violence, if the commitment to give dialogue a chance is not genuine from all internal and external actors.”

“I am more convinced than ever that no amount of violence can resolve this crisis durably. The Mission plans to help bring [about] talks between parties on the ground on urgently needed stability,” Major-General Mood said, adding, “We must be given a real chance to do that from the fighting parties and their supporters.”

The UNSMIS chief said that the Mission is on its way to full deployment, with some 260 military observers on the ground, hailing from 60 UN Member States, and that he expected the Mission to be fully operational soon, in “record time.”

The Chief Military Observer underlined that the rapid deployment so far had been possible thanks to the cooperation of the Syrian Government, as well as the support of the countries that have contributed observers. He said their presence represents “a very powerful tool in the terms that it is the international community coming together on the ground because the Syrian people deserve a reduction of violence, deserve stability and deserve to have their aspirations served by a political process not by more violence.”

In relation to the possible involvement of third parties, such as the terrorist group al-Qaida, in the violence in Syria, the UNSMIS chief noted that there had been some “very worrying incidents,” such as deadly bomb attacks in Damascus on 10 May, which reportedly killed or wounded dozens.

“This is the kind of violence that is obviously impossible at this stage to decide where it came from, by whom,” he said. “I am concerned about [incidents] where explosive improvised devices are targeting innocent civilians, innocent people, because it is not going to help the situation. I have seen the reports that you refer to, if they are correct it is a worrying development.”

Speaking in Geneva today, the spokesperson for Joint Special Envoy Annan, Ahmad Fawzi, told reporters that Mr. Annan has mentioned the involvement of a “third element” in the violence, which has led to further concerns.

“We have not yet been able to ascertain who this element belongs to – who it is – and we are in the process of doing so,” Mr. Fawzi said. “And when we speak about ‘third actors’ on the ground, we mean there are the hallmarks of activities and incidents and explosions that appear to come from sources other than opposition or Government sources. This has yet to be verified.”

He noted that 10 May attacks in Damascus were first claimed by a jihadist group, and that same jihadist group denied a few days later that that claim was authentic. “So we have to be very, very careful who we apportion responsibility to,” he added.

Addressing a media conference at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky, said the Damascus attacks were clearly carried out by a group with organization and intent.

“Some of the attacks we’ve seen certainly bear some terrorist hallmarks with which we are familiar from elsewhere – there is a genuine concern, shared by the Secretary-General, that terrorist groups are already taking advantage of the continued violence and insecurity in Syria,” said Mr. Nesirky. “This means there is all the more reason for the violence to stop so the political process has a chance to begin.”

Mr. Annan’s six-point plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.

Kenya is experiencing a complex situation, where parts of the country, mainly in Nyanza, Rift Valley, Coast provinces and the Nairobi Metropolitan area have experienced flooding, following heavy rains that began mid April 2012 and the rains are still pounding in most of these places. Preliminary assessment reports by KRCS teams indicate that at least 16,119 households (HH), and some 96,714 people have been displaced majority being in Nyanza and the Rift Valley.

The total number of those affected is estimated at 280,670 (conservative). At least 66 people have lost their lives to reasons directly attributable to floods (drowning and road traffic accidents relating to vehicles being washed away). It is expected that the number of people displaced in Nyanza will increase, if rains continue in the Mount Elgon Region. This region is drained in Lake Victoria through River Nzoia, which causes serious flooding in Budalang’i and its environs.

KRCS has continued to collaborate with the Government line ministries and other stakeholders in both response and assessments and offering of other humanitarian interventions. According to the partners’ reports, the table here summarizes the current situation. In total at least 66 people have been reported dead, an estimated number of 16, 119HH displaced, thus translating to approximately 96, 714 people as displaced.

As the floods continue to ravage parts of the country, the Northern and North Eastern regions received depressed rainfall over the March-April-May Season. Reports from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and predictions from FEWSNET indicate that these rains recharged water reservoirs to up to 10% of expected levels. The communities in these areas, whose main source of livelihoods are livestock keeping (Nomadic pastoralism), are heavily dependent on these water resources and pasture regeneration to maintain their livelihoods.

The KMD forecasts that these regions will experience above normal temperatures for the period ending in September 2012 (when short rains are expected), and that the water resources and available pasture will be depleted as early as July 2012, which will cause migrations, as distances to water points increases. Migrations are likely to trigger conflicts over pasture and water.

The National Nutrition Technical Forum, also predicts a food insecurity crisis (IPC phase 3) in Wajir, Mandera, Moyale, Marsabit, Turkana, Tana River and Mwingi between April and June 2012. The forum also expects the severity and magnitude of malnutrition to remain above emergency levels in Mandera and Wajir counties, as these regions did not fully recover from the effects of drought experienced in 2011. (Global Acute Malnutrition rates were at 25.3% and 29.0% respectively, according to the Nutrition survey conducted in November and December 2011), and nutrition situation to deteriorate in Isiolo, Turkana North East, Garissa and Eastern Marsabit due to driving factors like insecurity, bad weather and food insecurity.

The report estimates that a total of 1,878,161 people will be malnourished including 1,483,660 children below the age of 5 years and 394, 501 pregnant and lactating women. The forum indicates that out of these, 361,596 women and children require urgent nutrition intervention. These include 58,399 children with severe acute malnutrition, 272,719 children with moderate acute malnutrition and 30,478 pregnant and lactating women in 23 counties. Of these counties, four are categorised to be crisis stage with GAM rates way above the emergency threshold. The counties include Mandera, Wajir Turkana and Garissa. Others are categorised as seriously stressed.

The KRCS in collaboration with some of its partners have been and will continue implementing interventions to bring assistance to families affected by floods in the sectors of search and rescue, shelter and relief, health and nutrition, water and sanitation and early recovery efforts.

As the world marked the International Day Against Homophobia Thursday, in Washington, U.S. activists and officials outlined efforts to protect an extremely vulnerable group - gay refugees in east Africa.

Kenya is host to more than 600,000 refugees, while there are an estimated 135,000 refugees in Uganda.

Both countries criminalize homosexuality. In Uganda, what are called "unnatural offenses" carry a risk of life in prison, with some lawmakers even advocating the death penalty. In Kenya, sex between men can lead to prison sentences of up to 14 years.

This makes it extremely difficult to protect gay refugees in both countries, according to Duncan Breen, with the U.S.-based group Human Rights First.

"Even the existence of these laws do contribute to higher rates of biased motivated violence because the legal framework then seems to instill amongst citizens the sense that actually they can commit biased motivated violence with impunity and so certainly it is important for these countries to reconsider these stances," said Breen.

Breen was the lead author of a Human Rights First report called "The Road to Safety, Strengthening Protection for LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya."

LGBTI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (between male and female).

The report details numerous recent attacks on LGBTI refugees in the two countries. It also says many of these refugees shy away from aid services due to fears of persecution from other refugees as well as aid workers.

One of the recommendations is for countries like the United States to establish temporary safe zones and help expedite resettlement procedures to a third country so targeted refugees can finally feel safe.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne Richard said the U.S. government is continually trying to improve procedures to help. "We have but one option. We must stand squarely on the side of the most vulnerable," she stated. "We must do what we can to provide them an environment where their safety and security is ensured and their rights and dignity upheld. That must be our priority."

She said efforts were being undertaken to better engage with governments, non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies to ensure gay refugees in east Africa are helped and not further victimized.

Larry Yungk, a resettlement officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said his agency was also evolving in how it deals with the complex issue of LGBTI refugees, with, for example, new guidebooks for its employees.

He said LGBTI refugees who survived camps in Kenya and Uganda, before making it to safety in other countries, should be encouraged to contribute ideas. "I think too often we speak on behalf of refugees without letting them come forward and tell us what might work. We have a lot of very talented refugees being resettled, people with good ideas, and I think trying to make sure that they are at the table as we work on these issues is vitally important," noted Yungk.

Activists and officials say local authorities have been a part of the problem, making it that much more difficult to resolve. In Uganda and Kenya, there have been many reports of police harassing gay refugees inside aid camps.

Research conducted by Human Rights First last year in Uganda indicates a Burundian transgender female refugee was continually arrested by police due to her sexual orientation and gender identity. In prison, the research indicates, she was then repeatedly raped.

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a commitment by G-8 nations, African countries and private sector partners to lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years through inclusive and sustained agricultural growth. It responds to strong African commitments to promote and protect food security and nutrition – articulated in multiple settings since 2003 and validated by tremendous progress made in Africa since 2009. The New Alliance builds upon and will continue the progress made by G-8 nations since 2009 at the L’Aquila Summit, and offers a broad, inclusive and innovative path to strengthen food security and nutrition.

The New Alliance supports the accelerated implementation of the African-developed and led agricultural plans (known as CAADPs), through assistance and by catalyzing private sector investment in African agriculture. It embraces the commitments made a L’Aquila and combines assistance with effective policies driven by African governments, increased private sector investment, new tools to scale innovation, and a focus on managing risk.

Initially launching in Tanzania, Ghana, and Ethiopia at the G-8 Camp David Summit, the New Alliance will expand rapidly to other African countries, including Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and other African nations that are participating in the Grow Africa Partnership. Over time, the New Alliance will expand to all African countries prepared to join.

Specific commitments in the New Alliance are from:

African leaders to refine policies in order to improve investment opportunities and accelerate the implementation of their country-led plans on food security; Private sector partners who have already committed more than $3 billion to increase investments; and, G-8 members who will support Africa’s potential for rapid and sustained agricultural growth with assistance and other development tools, and ensure accountability for the New Alliance.

THE NEW ALLIANCE IS ALREADY UNDERWAY

G-8 and African partners have designed country cooperation frameworks in Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania. More will follow across Africa. Over 45 multinational and African companies have committed to specific agricultural investments that total more than $3 billion and span all areas of the agricultural value chain, including irrigation, crop protection, financing and infrastructure.

G-8 members are following through on L’Aquila commitments and continuing to make a down-payment of over $3 billion to kick-start this new approach. G-8 members are also taking joint actions to bring agricultural innovations to scale, support effective finance, reduce risk for vulnerable communities and economies, improve nutrition and reduce child stunting—focusing, in particular on smallholder farmers especially women, including:

INNOVATION: G-8 members are supporting the launch of new partnerships to identify key productivity technologies, set 10-year adoption and yield improvement targets, and promote commercialization and adoption of key technologies, including improved seeds and post-harvest management systems.

FINANCE: G8 members are supporting the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), with a pledge target of $1.2 billion over three years in pledges from existing and new donors for the public and private sector windows. G-8 members are also and supporting the preparation and financing of bankable agricultural infrastructure projects including through a new Fast Track Facility for Agriculture Infrastructure.

RISK MANAGEMENT: G-8 members support national risk assessment to help African governments formulate strategies for managing risks to women and men smallholder farmers, such as drought.

NUTRITION: G-8 members will actively support the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and welcome the commitment of African partners to improve the nutritional well-being of their populations, especially during the critical 1,000 days window from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.

By Jared Ferrie

JUBA, May 18, 2012 (IPS) - In the wake of border tensions the United Nations is airlifting 12,000 southerners from a Sudanese frontier town into South Sudan. But they are returning home in the midst of an economic crisis that has the U.N. warning it may appeal for more funding to scale up humanitarian operations.

Justin Sana Gonugu said he spent 35 years in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. He decided to return to the south a year ago as South Sudan prepared for its independence on Jul. 9 but only made it as far as Kosti, a town along the Nile inside Sudan’s White Nile state. It lies about 270 kilometres from Khartoum and about 930 kilometres from Juba.

As Gonugu waited for transportation across the border, thousands more South Sudanese arrived during the following months and waited for their government and humanitarian agencies to bring them by barge down the Nile to Juba. But the barges were able to transport only a fraction of those arriving in Kosti, and thousands remained stranded as security deteriorated along the border.

Sudanese and South Sudanese forces have clashed intermittently since the south separated. But last month the countries almost went to war after South Sudan occupied the border area of Heglig, which is about 515 kilometres from Khartoum, which it said was being used by Sudan to launch cross border-attacks.

Although South Sudan claims the area as well, Heglig is administered by Sudan and oil fields there provide about half Sudan’s production. South Sudan withdrew on Apr. 20 after 10 days following a request from the U.N. Security Council. But Sudan continued to carry out bombing raids into South Sudanese territory and ground forces clashed.

Vincent Hourver, chief of mission for the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, said the worsening security situation convinced authorities that they needed to airlift the returnees rather than continue using barges. Over the next few weeks the airlift will bring 12,000 of those trapped in Kosti to Juba, increasing to 1,000 arrivals per day.

"I am very tired. It was a year without food, without visiting our people," said Gonugu after getting off one of the first flights on Wednesday, May 16. "I’m now very good, very good."

Gonugu is one of about 375,000 South Sudanese to have returned since October 2010, and there are half a million more still in the north. Many more are expected to return, especially as tensions between Sudan and South Sudan have mounted in the past few months, causing fears they may face abuses by the Sudanese authorities.

A massive influx of returnees will put further strain on the increasingly fragile humanitarian safety net in South Sudan. Agencies are warning that a worsening economic crisis is driving up food prices, which will leave more people than expected in need of food aid this year.

South Sudan decided in late January to halt oil production after accusing Sudan of stealing 815 million dollars worth of its crude. Sudan said it took the oil to make up for unpaid fees. The two countries have been embroiled in failed negotiations to agree on how much the landlocked South Sudan should pay to use pipelines and processing facilities in Sudan.

South Sudan said it shut down oil production as a last resort, but the decision cost the government 98 percent of its revenue. Without income from virtually its only export, South Sudan has been relying on its foreign exchange reserves to run the country.

But the lack of dollars coming into the economy has had predicable results as the South Sudanese pound has rapidly decreased in value. The official rate is 2.95 to the dollar, but it has plunged to five pounds to the dollar on the black market from 3.5 in January. The cost of food and other items has spiked and the country faces a fuel shortage.

Lise Grande, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, said the organisation had estimated that it needed 760 million dollars to cover humanitarian needs this year, of which it has received 32 percent. In the wake of South Sudan’s decision to halt oil production, U.N. agencies have been conducting a reassessment, which should be completed within days.

"We have every reason to expect that the amount of assistance that’s going to be required - if oil production doesn’t start - there’s going to have to be a bigger request from us," Grande said.

Before the shutdown, the U.N. World Food Programme intended to provide 2.7 million people with food assistance, while agencies estimated that about half the country’s 8.26 million people would face food insecurity. That number is likely to rise along with food costs, Grande said. She noted that prices of basic commodities in border communities have risen as much as 200 percent.

Areas close to the border that relied on traditional north-south trade routes have been particularly affected by tensions between Sudan and South Sudan, which brought the countries to the brink of all out war last month. Sudan put restrictions on cross border trade even before the south seceded, but last month Khartoum imposed a state of emergency in border areas, tightening trade even further.

The scarcity of fuel has also put pressure on aid organisations, said Helen McElhinney, a policy analyst with Oxfam International. The agency is delivering water and sanitation to 37,000 refugees in Jamam camp, near the border with Sudan.

"Since January, the price of petrol has soared more than 100 percent," she said. "Agencies will continue to meet humanitarian needs, but rising prices are making an already challenging response even more difficult."

The refugees in Jamam are from Blue Nile state where Khartoum is fighting insurgents in a campaign that has driven more than 100,000 residents across the border into South Sudan and Ethiopia. Refugees are also arriving in South Sudan from neighbouring Southern Kordofan state, where Khartoum is fighting the same rebels.

"Many are traumatised, and an increasing number of children are malnourished," said Grande. "Refugees tell us that they are coming to South Sudan because they are hungry."

On Tuesday, May 15, aid groups including International Rescue Committee and Refugees International released a joint statement warning that the humanitarian situation is likely to get even worse. The groups called for an end to the conflict in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, and urged South Sudan and Sudan to make a peace deal and repair their failing economies.

"A toxic combination of conflict, rising food and fuel prices, and severe cash shortages is having a devastating effect on the civilian population in both countries," said Jon Cunliffe, South Sudan Country Director for Save the Children.

(END)

This is a summary of what was said by the UNHCR spokesperson at today’s Palais des Nations press briefing in Geneva. Further information can be found on the UNHCR websites, www.unhcr.org and www.unhcr.fr, which should also be checked for regular media updates on non-briefing days.

A record number of African refugees and migrants are arriving in Yemen this year. More than 43,000 people reached Yemen’s shores in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in the first four months of 2012 alone. During the same period last year almost 30,000 people made the same perilous journey. In total, more than 103,000 people from the Horn of Africa arrived in Yemen in 2011 - a record number since UNHCR began compiling these statistics in 2006. Should the current trend continue, 2012 would sadly become another record year.

The striking increase in the overall number of the new arrivals in Yemen reflects the growing Ethiopian population on the move. Today, three out of four people making the crossing to Yemen are Ethiopian nationals. Four years ago, Somali refugees constituted three quarters of all arrivals in Yemen.

All those who decide to make the crossing expose themselves to extreme risks and dangers at every stage of their journey. They face shocking levels of abuse and violence by smugglers, as well as arbitrary arrests and detention, closed borders and forced returns, trafficking, lack of access to shelter, water, food or medical assistance. Most of these people board rickety boats on the beaches near the port towns of Obock in Djibouti or Bossaso in Somalia. Those who ultimately reach Yemen often arrive exhausted, dehydrated, malnourished and in a state of shock.

All Somali arrivals are automatically recognized as refugees in Yemen and thus have access to documentation and enjoy relatively unhindered freedom of movement. UNHCR maintains a well-established network of transit and reception centres along Yemen’s Gulf of Aden coastline, while along the hundreds of kilometres of Yemen’s Red Sea coast it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach new arrivals due to security constraints and limited access.

The situation is profoundly different and more difficult for Ethiopian nationals. Few Ethiopians decide to seek asylum upon arrival to Yemen. Many cite lack of prospects and dire economic situation compounded by drought as the key reasons for making the move. To avoid detention and deportation, they attempt to evade contact with the authorities. Insecurity in Yemen has also led to a proliferation in smuggling and trafficking activities. Once ashore in Yemen, they are picked up on the beaches by criminal groups involved in trafficking and smuggling of people to other Gulf states.

We note with concern that there are persistent reports of violence and abuse as many Ethiopians migrants fall victims to robberies, abuse and extortion. For Ethiopian nationals who do not fall under the protection of the Refugee Convention, there is virtually no protection space. They are extremely vulnerable and often become easy prey for traffickers and smugglers. There have also been increasing cases reported to UNHCR involving the trafficking and abuse of Somali refugees and other nationalities.

Meanwhile, Yemen is also coping with a significant internal displacement as tens of thousands of civilians flee tribal clashes in the north and fighting between government troops and militant groups in the south. There are currently 470,000 registered IDPs in Yemen and an additional 95,000 are estimated to have been displaced this year in the north and the south of the country.

This year, UNHCR is seeking US$60 million to address the protection and humanitarian needs of some 220,000 refugees and almost half a million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Yemen. So far we have received a third of required funds. We hope that both government and private donors will respond adequately and in timely manner, thus allowing UNHCR to meet the existing needs of refugees and IDPs in Yemen.

After three years of tentative peace in the restive Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), people are once again on the move. Violence has flared between a group of recidivist rebels and the national army, sending thousands fleeing to camps within the country and over the border to Rwanda and Uganda.

Full Report

COLOMBO, 17 May 2012 (IRIN) - Three years after the government of Sri Lanka declared an end to decades of civil conflict with separatist rebels, thousands of people are still missing, according to the UN and Sri Lankan activists.

The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) of the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 5,671 reported cases of wartime-related disappearance in Sri Lanka, not counting people who went missing in the final stages of fighting from 2008 to 2009.

Hostilities between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, who had been fighting for an independent Tamil state for nearly 30 years, ended on 18 May 2009.

"It's been almost three years. My son went missing on 14 May [2009] and I have not heard from him ever since. He was not a member of LTTE or [any] other group. He was just a normal Tamil civilian," said Aarati*, 56, a mother of three in the northern town of Kilinochchi, in the former war zone. Another son has been missing since 1993.

Ganeshan Thambiah from the town of Jaffna, also in the north, told IRIN he has lost hope. "My son has gone missing for three years. It hurts me a lot but he is probably dead."

Disappearances occurred on a "massive scale", especially between 2006 and 2009 during the last phase of the war, said Ruki Fernando from the Christian Alliance for Social Action, a local NGO. "At the end of the war, many who surrendered to the army disappeared, including a Catholic priest and several high-profile LTTE leaders."

Fernando includes journalists, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers among the missing, but says the real "tragedy" has been the reluctance of law enforcement authorities and state institutions to confront "this horrible crime, even when some leads are available".

In one alleged disappearance, Fernando said, law enforcement personnel and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka have been unable to get a statement from a government advisor six months after he indicated he had information about a missing journalist.

Successive governments resorted to abductions to deal with political dissenters, militants, and now criminals. "This indicates a reluctance to use the criminal justice system and [a] total breakdown of rule of law," he commented.

However, a high-ranking military officer who requested anonymity maintains that the state has not been involved in any alleged abductions, and that most of these allegations have been politically motivated. "There is a law in the country and we respect it. The army and government [are] clearly not behind any abductions, as claimed by various groups," he told IRIN.

But, three years on, the numbers of disappeared do not add up, said Jehan Perera, executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. He points to the discrepancy between the number of people who once lived in five districts in the north - collectively known as the Vanni, and most heavily affected by fighting - and the number there today.

"There needs to be a credible investigation into [these disappearances] to lay all doubts to rest. There needs to be involvement of independent groups in ascertaining the facts, or else the doubts will continue as to the fate of the missing persons," he said.

The government has faced mounting pressure to act on the recommendations of a commission appointed by the president in December 2011, one of which is the criminalization of enforced or voluntary disappearances.

Acknowledgement of the disappearances and legal remedies are "prerequisites for any successful, durable and all-inclusive reconciliation process," noted the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation.

Yet local activists say the disappearances have not stopped. "They still occur with sufficient regularity to make people feel that there is no clear break with the past, so there is still a dark cloud of fear in the country," said Perera.

"Many dissenting voices faced 'white van' abductions more recently, and the list is not short by any means," said Jayasuriya Chrishantha Weliamuna, a senior human rights lawyer in Colombo, the capital. He reported that two activists working against abductions, while organizing Human Rights Day events in Jaffna on 9 December 2011, had also been abducted.

Twenty-one disappearances have been reported to the government-appointed Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka from the beginning of the year to 18 April.

Perera said that with the state's "massive security network "and "top class intelligence system" there should be "no justification for even a single disappearance today".

*not her real name

contributor/pt/he[END]

HIGHLIGHTS

• UN Secretary-General issues report on children adn armed conflict.
• Mass displacement rises by 49% in April. Clashes along the Pacific Coast exacerbate vulnerabilities.
• Hostilities drop but impact on civilians remains dire.
• GoC sets conditions to strengthen risk management and risk reduction.

Evidence shows that almost one billion people globally suffer from food insecurity, and that around 171 million children under five years old suffer from stunted growth due to undernutrition. As the G8’s previous commitment to food security and nutrition expires this year, Concern Worldwide strongly believes that now is the time to take preventative and long-lasting action that can help to make undernutrition history.

From our experience of working in the world’s poorest countries, Concern recommends that G8 members support low-income countries to tackle food insecurity and undernutrition by taking a multi-pronged approach that includes:

■ Investment in smallholder farmers and support to alternative rural livelihoods

■ Establishment of hunger-sensitive safety nets and promotion of social protection systems

■ Scaling-up direct nutrition interventions and strengthening health systems

Specifically, this year at Camp David, Concern recommends five measures on food security and nutrition for G8 action.
As hosts of the 2012 and 2013 G8 summits, governments from the United States and United Kingdom have a particular responsibility in ensuring that the following recommendations are prioritized, and that G8 efforts across the two years are coordinated and complementary.

Aim to advance food security in region

17 May 2012, Rome - FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today proposed the creation of a Near Eastern Trust Fund to advance food security in the region.

Addressing the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, Graziano da Silva noted that FAO, at the request of African Member Countries, was helping draw up an African Food Security Trust Fund, in which civil society and the private sector were also due to participate.

"A similar effort could also exist in the Near East," he declared.

OECD has recently reported a fall in international development assistance because of the global recession and it is therefore important that countries, especially higher-income developing countries "commit to additional funding and sharing agricultural and rural development experiences among one another," Graziano da Silva noted.

Challenges

Among the Members covered by the FAO Regional Office for the Near East, three - Mauritania, Sudan and Yemen - were low-income countries the remainder were either high-income or middle income. Outside of the LDCs, less than five percent of the region's population was undernourished, but a number of other challenges needed to be confronted, he continued.

They included climate change and increasing water scarcity, building resilience among poor farmers and the need to shift to more sustainable production and consumption patterns to protect the environment.

Resilient systems

In order to meet such challenges "FAO's focus in the region is to assist Member Countries in building resilient agricultural, pastoralist and food systems. To do so we need to increase investments in climate-smart agriculture, sustainable production methods, link productive support with safety nets to boost local markets, as well as to improve the governance of water and other natural resources," Graziano da Silva declared.

Abstract : The current crisis in Mali was not unexpected, although most national and international players were eager to maintain an unrealistic view of political developments in this Sahelian country. This crisis reflects the decay of state institutions and practices: the Malian army collapsed and patronage does not mean democracy. Its crisis is built on four dynamics that have their own effects: the debatable implementation of previous peace settlements with the Tuareg insurgency; the growing economic importance of AQIM activities in the Sahelian region; the collapse of the Qaddafi regime in Libya; and the inability or unwillingness of Algeria to play the role of regional hegemon now that its rival (Libya) has stopped doing so.

While the Tuareg rebellion has been able to gain from the collapse of the Malian army in the north, it should be noted that the many armed groups have different agendas, and position themselves differently towards the local population and the Malian state. What is unclear is whether they will be able to co-exist on the same territory while trafficking and a protection economy are the only sustainable resources.

The jihadi aspect of some components of the insurgency has to be understood in context and should not be seen as erasing social and economic differences in a heterogeneous northern Mali. It proves the successful demonstration effect that small groups such as AQIM and Ansar ed-Din can have. It should also draw more attention to a regional context that could provide radicals with a wider audience and credibility by building opportunistic coalitions.

Safe Childbirth Checklist Program Aims to Prevent Maternal and Newborn Deaths in Low-Income Countries

Boston, MA - A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that a simple checklist-based childbirth safety program dramatically improved adherence to essential childbirth care practices at a pilot hospital in south India. Of 29 practices measured, 28 were improved after adoption of the checklist and overall adherence to essential practices was 150% better after the checklist was introduced.

“This is a significant step forward because it provides hope that use of this simple, low-cost tool can help birth attendants better adhere to universally accepted standards in childbirth care,” said senior author Atul Gawande, professor in health policy and management at HSPH, lead advisor for WHO Patient Safety’s childbirth and surgery safety programs, and a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.

The study appears in the May 16, 2012 online edition of PLoS ONE.

Nearly 300,000 maternal deaths, 3.1 million newborn deaths, and 1.2 million intrapartum-related stillbirths take place in low-income countries each year; the vast majority are preventable. From 2008 to 2010, HSPH and WHO developed the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist program to address the major causes of maternal and neonatal mortality. As part of its development, the checklist was field tested for usability in ten countries, mostly in Africa and south Asia.

The researchers conducted the study at a hospital in Karnataka, India. As part of the checklist-based program, local staff reviewed deficiencies in their current practices and undertook training on using the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist. The 29 items on the checklist address the major causes of maternal deaths (e.g. hemorrhage, infection, obstructed labor, and hypertensive disease), intrapartum-related stillbirths, and neonatal deaths (e.g. complications of premature birth, infection, and birth asphyxia).

Researchers observed the childbirth practices of health care workers during 499 birth events—the period from admission to discharge—prior to introducing the checklist to establish a baseline, and then compared the results with 795 birth events after implementing the checklist.

The results reveal that the number of essential practices performed by the hospital workers increased from an average of 10 of 29 at baseline to 25 of 29 after implementing the checklist. “The checklist program actively prompted health care workers to remember to complete proven practices such as handwashing, infection management, postpartum bleeding assessment, and breastfeeding within an hour after birth,” said Dr. Bhala Kodkany, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of JNMC Women’s and Children’s Health Research Unit in Karnataka, India, and a co-investigator.

Promoting institutional delivery in order to facilitate skilled care by trained birth attendants is a major global strategy to improve the safety of childbirth. This approach has resulted in increasing numbers of births taking place in already overburdened (and often under-resourced) facilities. Without low-cost, simple and effective methods to improve quality of care in these facilities, health outcomes are not improving at the rate they should be.

“The results of this study are the first evidence to suggest that the success we’ve seen with checklists in other health disciplines, for example in surgery, might also be applied to prevent avoidable childbirth-related deaths in low-income countries,” said Itziar Larizgoitia, coordinator in the Patient Safety Programme for WHO.

This study measured the way health workers care for women and newborns during childbirth, but was too small a study to measure the impact on complications or reducing deaths. The researchers are now conducting a large-scale trial in more than 100 hospitals in north India to determine if the checklist program can save the lives of women and newborns.

Support for the study was provided by WHO and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

“Improving Quality of Care for Maternal and Newborn Health: Prospective Pilot Study of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist Program,” Jonathan M. Spector, Priya Agrawal, Bhala Kodkany, Stuart Lipsitz, Angela Lashoher, Gerald Dziekan, Rajiv Bahl, Mario Merialdi, Matthews Mathai, Claire Lemer, Atul A. Gawande, PLoS One, online May 16, 2012

For more information:

Todd Datz 617.432.8413 tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

• Displaced families from Khyber Agency continue to arrive at Jalozai camp for humanitarian assistance. About 3,000 people are arriving at the camp daily.
• Shelter and food are the top needs of displaced families living outside the camp according to an April inter-agency assessment. Food distributions are scheduled to commence next week at two off-camp humanitarian hubs established in Nowshera District.

By Rupa Joshi

KATHMANDU, Nepal, 16 May 2012 – Participants from five countries and various ministries and international NGOs gathered in Nepal last week to learn about the ‘Schools as Zones of Peace’ (SZOP) programme.

The countries were either recovering from conflict or were currently enduring conflicts, intra-border, intra-ethnic or otherwise. Though the participants represented diverse cultures, races and languages, they found in the seminar that they were bound by the commonality of their experiences.

Each of the countries – Côte d’Ivoire, India, Liberia, Nepal and South Sudan – has hundreds of thousands of children out of school because of conflict, including some children have never been to a school at all. The intensity of violence varied from country to country, but its impact on the lives of the children, their survival, growth and learning, seemed universal.

Keeping schools open

Over 40 participants gathered in Kathmandu to learn from Nepal’s successful experience with SZOP in a three-day seminar organized by the governments of Nepal and Norway, Save the Children, and UNICEF.

“Nepal has taken many strides in trying to ensure that children and schools remain as zones of peace, and we are very glad and proud that through this south-south sharing we are able to showcase our experiences,” said Kishor Thapa, Nepal’s Secretary of Education.

The closures and strikes currently affecting Nepal offered participants an opportunity to witness first-hand the implementation of the SZOP Code of Conduct. A two-day strike by one political party was set to start the day after participants’ visited schools in Sindhupalchowk District.

“The child club members and the school management committee had been explaining to us about how the Code of Conduct had been implemented in their school,” said Shaheen Nilofer, Chief of UNICEF’s Chhattisgarh office in India. “We asked them whether the school would bow down to pressure from the political party to close the school. Then this young child chirped, ‘No question about it! Why don’t you drop by tomorrow to check whether we will be in school or not?’ We were all very impressed with their confidence and ownership.”

It was the community’s ownership of the campaign to keep any kind of conflict out of the school premises that impressed most of the participants.

“Community ownership is a big lesson that I am taking back with me to Liberia,” said Liberian Minister of Education Etmonia Tarpeh. “We came; we saw; we learned. We learned how we can make a difference. Now we will ensure that our plan of action will incorporate mechanisms to take peace initiatives beyond the school into the community just like Nepal has done.”

Bringing children back to the classroom

Participants also shared the projects they had undertaken to return students to school and restore normalcy in the lives of conflict-affected children. These ranged from the art-based therapy used in schools in conflict-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, India, to training child-friendly teachers in Liberia, to attracting students by building drinking water taps in schools in South Sudan.

The delegates also heard from representatives of Nepali media about their dual role in a country in transition. Aside from working as mainstream journalists, the media representatives also functioned as watchdogs ensuring the rights of citizens are protected.

“We have learned how important an ally the media can be to keep schools safe,” said Shadrack Chol Stephen from the Ministry of Education in South Sudan. “Back in our country, we will work out a mechanism such that the media not only help us while we roll out our own SZOP plan, but also watch out for possible triggers and thus reduce the risk of our schools being attacked.”

Education is key to peace

According to UNESCO, there are currently 67 million children out of school throughout the world, and over 40 per cent of them are in conflict-affected countries.

“When natural disasters hit countries already ravaged by conflict, the vulnerability of children is exacerbated,” said Brenda Haiplik, UNICEF Chief of Education in New York. “We have been stressing global replication and adaptation of SZOP because education is key to peace. But just improving the access and quality of education is not enough. Education has to be able to transform the lives of the children.”

The participants agreed that the key to this transformation comes also from being able to take peace beyond the classroom to the family and community.

“It is only when there is a peaceful atmosphere at home that classrooms can be peaceful too,” said Pongathie Abraham, Regional Director of the Ministry of Education from Côte d’Ivoire. “Children can bring the turmoil in their family and community to a classroom. That’s why it’s so important to have this wide network involving the community in the SZOP campaign.”

“It is because of this initiative – implemented through joint collaboration of Government, UN agencies, civil society and committed implementing partners at the central and local levels – that more than 1 million Nepali children in more than 4,000 schools directly benefited from schools being kept open more days as a result of fewer strikes and closures,” said UNICEF Representative in Nepal Hanaa Singer. “And as much as you can learn from us, we can learn from your experiences in promoting a culture of peace in a post-conflict context like ours.”

(New York, 16 May 2012) The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Catherine Bragg, completed a three-day visit to the occupied Palestinian territory today. During her mission, she visited several vulnerable Palestinian communities and witnessed first-hand the situation on the ground and the humanitarian impact of the occupation on freedom of movement and access to basic social services.

Visiting Susiya in the southern West Bank and neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem, ASG Bragg met vulnerable Palestinian communities who live in fear of their homes being demolished or of being forcibly displaced. “I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian impact of demolitions and displacement on Palestinian families. Such actions cause great human suffering, run counter to international law and must be brought to a halt.”

After a visit to a primary school under demolition order in Susiya, Ms. Bragg added: “Many Palestinian children cannot exercise their right to safe education because their schools are threatened with demolition. Children should not have to worry whether their school will still be standing tomorrow.”

In Hebron, Ms. Bragg visited the restricted H2 area of the city and met families who regularly face settler violence. On that occasion, she noted that it is imperative that the Israeli authorities take all necessary measures to protect civilians from such violence, including addressing the culture of impunity.

Ms. Bragg had hoped to meet Israeli officials to discuss ways of improving access to and protection of civilian communities. Unfortunately, the requested meetings were not confirmed.

Concluding her mission, ASG Bragg underscored: “The continued suffering and loss of dignity is unacceptable. Palestinian communities could support themselves if they had the freedom to do so. Urgent action is required to change current policies and practices on the ground and ensure the protection of the civilian population.”

For further information, please contact:
Amanda Pitt, OCHA New York, pitta@un.org, Tel. +1 212 963 4129, Cell +1 917 442 1810
OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Rainstorms have left 102 people dead and another 30 missing across China since late April, a national disaster relief agency said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, heavy rains accompanying thunder, hail and strong winds have hit a large portion of China and affected about 13 million people, including 820,000 who needed relief efforts, said a statement from the Office of the National Committee for Disaster Reduction.

Stormy weather struck 147 counties in 22 provincial divisions in China and triggered flooding and landslides. East China's Jiangxi province, central Hunan province and northwestern Gansu province were the worst hit, the statement said.

Economic losses are estimated at 16.88 billion yuan (2.68 billion U.S. dollars) with more than 143,000 houses badly damaged and 949,400 hectares of farmland affected.

The central government has sent several teams to affected provinces to help carry out relief work, the statement said.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs allocated 380 million yuan in relief funds to the three worst-hit provinces on Tuesday.

The money will be used to evacuate disaster-affected people, provide allowances for them, rebuild damaged houses and compensate the families of the dead, the ministry said.

Editor: Luan

Executive summary

This report captures highlights from four years of Save the Children’s co-leadership of the Education Cluster, both at global and country levels. We are the only non-governmental organisation (NGO) co-leading a global cluster and we believe that this unique arrangement strengthens the work of the Education Cluster.

Research and interviews with a wide range of Save the Children staff and partners have emphasised the positive benefits of Save the Children’s engagement, both for us as an organisation and for education in emergency actors more broadly.

That said, a number of challenges remain. Building on a recently renewed commitment from Save the Children’s leadership, this report sets out recommendations to improve the work of the cluster and ultimately strengthen our accountability to children and young people affected by natural disasters and conflict.

While recognising the contributions of all active members of the Education Cluster – not least UNICEF as partner co-lead agency – this publication focuses on Save the Children’s experiences of co-leadership.

CHIANG MAI, 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - A recent decision to undertake a national census could prove key to empowering Myanmar's more than 100 ethnic groups, provided it is inclusive and conducted to international standards.

"Potentially, the census would have a very positive affect on the ethnic areas and could serve to support claims for ethnic rights in education, language and culture that in some areas is repressed by the state and military," David Scott Mathieson, a senior researcher in the Asia division of Human Rights Watch (HRW), told IRIN.

The government lists 135 ethnic groups, comprising more than a third of Burma's 55 million inhabitants, which are grouped into eight national races: Burman, Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan.

The United Nations agreed on 30 April 2012 to assist the Burmese government in conducting its first census in 31 years. The project will start in April 2014, ahead of the next general election in 2015.

"It's incredibly important to have a census at this time, both to support the gradually expanding reforms and because there hasn't been a census since 1983," Mathieson said, noting that there had been severe limitations on gathering the data at the time, as ongoing armed conflict had excluded significant parts of the country.

Karen State in the east of the country is one such area, where the long-standing conflict between Karen forces and Burma's successive governments has hampered development for more than 60 years.

Healthcare and education standards in southeastern Myanmar are described as among the worst in Asia.

According to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), an umbrella group of NGOs working along the border, fighting has displaced more than 400,000 people.

Although the Karen National Union (KNU), which has been fighting for greater autonomy from the Burmese government for decades, is now in the initial steps of implementing a ceasefire, the census process could prove just as difficult to carry out.

"Right now, not many people in Karen state are aware of the proposed census, so the government will need to do a lot more to inform the communities about it," said Knaw Paw, spokesperson for the Karen Women's Organization.

"There is an urgent need to get accurate information out to international organizations and institutions, so that they are aware of the real situation on the ground in Karen State, where healthcare and education issues have been largely ignored by the Myanmar government," Knaw Paw said.

That will take careful planning, particularly as to how the survey is conducted. Za Uk Lin, of the Chin Human Rights Organization, expressed concern that the census methodology might be skewed. "There is a significant number of Chin who can no longer speak their ethnic language fluently, so they are often mistaken for or classified as Burman," Lin said.

According to the 1983 census, the majority Burman ethnic group accounted for 69 percent of the population.

Some 500,000 people live in Chin State, described by the United Nations as the poorest of Myanmar's 14 regions and states, with 73.3 percent of the population living below the poverty line and having limited access to healthcare and education. Another 100,000 Chin, having fled persecution, live across the border in neighbouring India's Mizoram State.

There is also the challenge of ensuring that everyone living in Myanmar, regardless of race, is covered, including the Rohingya, who are officially classified as "stateless". Activists say this ethnic, linguistic and religious (Muslim) minority, has long faced persecution.

"In Myanmar, the term 'Rohingya' is not recognized by the government and, therefore, it does not feature in the official list of 135 national races whose membership guarantees full citizenship," said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, an advocacy group for Rohingya. "[It is] shocking that Myanmar's government would only consider to include in this census people belonging to the 'national races'."

There are some 800,000 Rohingya living in northern Rakhine State, while 200,000 or more fled persecution and are now living in Bangladesh, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Another challenge, said HRW's Mathieson, are the "countless thousands of stateless hill-tribe people in Shan State and other border areas, plus thousands of civilians who have never been registered as Burmese citizens. [They have] no birth certificates, ID cards, or passports because they grew up in insurgent -controlled areas or refugee camps or migrant worker communities."

Such groups could strongly benefit from the upcoming census, as well as from the expected increase in international donor support, given the country's ongoing political reforms. How that aid is spent, and its effectiveness, will require better information on the ground.

"There is a dire need for the census to guide Myanmar's rural development and poverty reduction strategy, and 5-year national development plan. How can such plans be developed and monitored without accurate data on the number of people residing in the country, their age structure and sex, geographical locations, access to healthcare, water and sanitation?" said Mohamed Abdel-Ahad, country representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

In the two years leading up to the census, UNFPA will be assisting in surveyor training and drafting the forms that will be completed during the data collection exercise.

At the signing of the agreement to undertake the census, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "very encouraged by the government's strong commitment to the project", and urged donors to support it.

Myanmar's Vice-President, Sai Mauk Kham, said his government "will cooperate closely with UNFPA to oversee the quality of the census, so that the result will be accurate and up to international standards".

ss/ds/he [END]

CHF 122,954 has been allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Georgia Red Cross Society in delivering immediate assistance to some 400 households (1,800 people).
Unearmarked funds to repay DREF are encouraged.

Summary:

The central and eastern parts of Georgia were severely affected by rains on 12th and 13th May 2012. Multiple landslides followed the heavy rains, and at least 5 people were killed in the capital city of Tbilisi.
Over 3,200 families have been affected and out of them 1,400 have had their property badly damaged. Roads were washed away and draining canals got blocked. For the coming days, further rains are predicted. Mudslide and water flooded houses, agricultural lands, roads, bridges, drainage channels, water pipes and disrupted communication network. The affected areas have been disconnected from the water and gas system. The water has swept away the roads connecting the area leaving many houses cut off from the rest of the country. Houses and farmlands have been flooded, and cattle and poultry killed.
The Georgia Red Cross Society is aiming to assist the most vulnerable 400 families (1,800 people), who had their houses heavily flooded and their household items damaged. Relief items will include mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets and hygiene kits.
This operation is expected to be implemented over 3 months, and will therefore be completed by 15th August 2012; a Final Report will be made available three months after the end of the operation (by 15th November 2012).