Archive for February 14th, 2015

  |  
14/02/2015

'It's a crime': Corruption

Human Wrongs Watch

Corruption is the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development around the world. But it does not just steal money from where it is needed the most; it leads to weak governance, which in turn fuels organized criminal groups and promotes crimes such as human trafficking, arms and migrant smuggling, counterfeiting and the trade in endangered species, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported* on 12 February 2015.

Source: UNODC

Source: UNODC

In the run up to the 13th United Nations Crime Congress being held in April, different crimes are being highlighted, showing their impact on development and how vital it is to tackle them to achieve sustainable development.

In February 2015 the focus is on corruption, outlining the scale of the problem and telling its transnational story.

It stifles economic growth, undermines the rule of law, and squanders talent and precious resources. Where corruption is rife, companies are reluctant to invest as the costs of doing business are significantly higher. Ultimately, corruption prevents people, countries and businesses from fulfilling their potential.

read more »

Posted in Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

14/02/2015

Boko Haram Attacks Spill Over Chad, Cameroon and Niger

Human Wrongs Watch

As the continuing violence in north-east Nigeria spills across the country’s borders and into neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on 13 February 2015 sounded the alarm for the tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) currently in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Refugees from Nigeria queue to get water at the Minawao camp in Cameroon. UNHCR has registered over 40,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon’s Far North region to date, and 32,000 of them have moved to Minawao. Photo: UNHCR/D. Mbaiorem

“We are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation, as several thousand people are at present without any assistance,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said in a press release.

“We are working with authorities to securely deploy aid workers as soon as possible and at the same time we are preparing for rapid evaluation and response assessments.”*

read more »

Posted in Africa, The Peoples, War Lords | Leave a Comment »

14/02/2015

Yemen: 900,000 Children Malnourished

Human Wrongs Watch

Geneva — The political and economic crisis engulfing Yemen is having a dangerous impact on the country’s youths, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on , 13 February 2015 said as it warned that increasing numbers of children are suffering from malnourishment while fewer are attending school.

Children sit in a UNICEF-supported centre for vulnerable children, in the conflict-affected Hajjah Governorate, Yemen. Photo: UNICEF/Brent Stirton

Phoning in to a press briefing in Geneva, UNICEF representative in Yemen Julien Harneis said that the situation in the country had become “particularly worrying” with around 900,000 Yemeni children currently malnourished, out of whom some 210,000 were suffering from severe acute malnutrition.*

Although UNICEF had previously managed to help temper outbreaks of malnourishment, Mr. Harneis added that the UN agency was facing an uphill economic challenge due to a $60 million funding gap.

read more »

Posted in Asia, Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 1 Comment »

  |