PRAY FOR CHILDREN to stop being used in combat in Somalia, Nigeria and Syria. Some 7,000 have been drawn into frontline fighting roles around the world. They also continue to be abducted, to be used in hostilities or for sexual violence

Some 933 cases of sexual violence against boys and girls were reported, but this is believed to be an under-estimate, due to lack of access, stigma and fear of reprisals.

Attacks on schools and hospitals have decreased overall, but have intensified in some conflict situations, such as Afghanistan and Syria, which has seen the highest number of such attacks since the beginning of the conflict in the country.

Mali provides the most serious example of children being deprived of access to education, and the military use of schools: 827 schools in Mali closed at the end of December 2018, denying some 244,00 children access to education.

“It is immensely sad that children continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and it is horrific to see them killed and maimed as a result of hostilities”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba. “Parties to conflict must protect children and put in place tangible measures to end and prevent these violations”.
Detention and release of children involved in conflict

Rather than being seen as victims of recruitment, thousands of children around the world were detained for their actual or alleged association with armed groups in 2018: in Syria and Iraq, the majority of children deprived of their liberty are under the age of five.

The report calls on nations to work with the UN to help relocate foreign children and women actually or allegedly affiliated with extremist groups, with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration.

The number of children benefiting from release and reintegration support, however, rose in 2018 to 13,600 (up from 12,000 in 2017). The report recommends increased resources and funding to meet the growing needs, as more children are separated from armed groups.


Peace remains the best protection for children affected by armed conflict António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

Three Action Plans to end and prevent violations, and protect children, have been signed, following engagement with parties to conflicts in 2018. The countries involved were the Central African Republic, where two armed groups signed up to Action Plans; and Syria, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to a deal.

Progress on increased child protection, and ending child recruitment, has also been made in Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In his statement, the Secretary-General reminded all parties to conflict of their responsibility to protect children, adding that they must “refrain from directing attacks against civilians, including children”, and reiterating that “peace remains the best protection for children affected by armed conflict”.

30 July 2019
Peace and Security


A new UN report has found that 2018 was the worst year on record for children caught up in armed conflict; the year saw the highest numbers killed or maimed since the United Nations began monitoring the violation.


In the 20 conflict situations monitored in the 2018 edition of the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released Tuesday, more than 12,000 children were killed or maimed that year.

A ‘disheartened’ Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was “particularly appalled” by the unprecedented numbers of grave violations committed against children.

PRAY FOR SOMALIA as terror attacks carried out by a female suicide bomber kills government officials

25 July 2019
Peace and Security


According to media reports, the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber, and was claimed by terror group al-Shabab.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Wednesday’s deadly terror attacks in Somalia, that targeted the offices of the mayor of Mogadishu, reportedly killing six Government officials and injured several others.

Mr. Guterres extended his “deep condolences” to the victims’ families and loved ones, and reiterated the full support and solidarity of the UN with the people and Government of Somalia.




The mayor of Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman, was one of those injured in Wednesday’s attack. He is reported to be unconscious, and is due to be flown to Turkey for treatment.

The new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, had met the mayor at the offices earlier in the day, to discuss progress and challenges in the capital and surrounding areas.

Mr. Swan, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, UNSOM, described the bombing as a “heinous attack”, that “demonstrates a violent disregard for the sanctity of human life”, in a statement released by the Mission on Wednesday.

The following day, UN independent expert Bahame Tom Nyanduga, commended Somalians for their resilience in the face of extreme challenges such as conflict, terrorist bomb attacks, and grave violations of human rights, whilst dealing with poverty and a lack of basic necessities.

Mr. Nyanduga’s comments came in a statement released following a visit to Somalia, in which he called on the international community to continue help Somalia to strengthen its institution, and the justice and security sector, ahead of the next elections.

Earlier this month, al-Shabab reportedly claimed responsibility for an attack on the southern city of Kismayo, during which a car containing explosives was driven into a hotel, which was then stormed by gunmen. At least 26 people were killed.

PRAY FOR PALESTINE as Israeli's destruction of Palestinian homes in West Bank ‘not compatible’ with international humanitarian law -UN

Following “with sadness” the Israeli authorities’ destruction of homes in the Palestinian community of Sur Bahir, three top United Nations officials issued a statement on Monday underscoring that the move was “not compatible” with Israel’s “obligations under international humanitarian law”.


Israel’s Supreme Court has reportedly ruled that the houses were built too close to the separation barrier in the occupied West Bank, violating a construction ban.

“Among other things, the destruction of private property in occupied territory is only permissible where rendered absolutely necessary for military operations, which is not applicable”, said Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Gwyn Lewis, Director of West Bank Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and James Heenan, Head of the UN Human Rights Office in the area.


“Furthermore”, the statement continued, “it results in forced evictions, and contributes to the risk of forcible transfer facing many Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

The statement said that Israeli forces entered the community early on Monday morning, while it was still dark. The large-scale operation forced families out of their homes and demolished a number of residential buildings on the East Jerusalem side of the Barrier.

“Among those forcibly displaced or otherwise impacted are Palestine refugees, some of whom today are facing the reality of a second displacement in living memory”, the UN officials flagged.

They stated that while humanitarian partners are poised to provide emergency response to those displaced or otherwise affected by the destruction of their private property, “no amount of humanitarian assistance can replace a home or cover the massive financial losses sustained today by the owners”.

Several of the affected people report having invested their life savings in the properties, after securing the required building permits from the Palestinian Authority.

“What happened today in Sur Bahir is of even greater significance, as many other homes and structures now risk the same fate” said the senior UN officials.
Against international law

In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ruled against constructing the Israeli Barrier and found that the parts running inside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – including the Sur Bahir homes – “cannot be justified by military exigencies and thus violates Israel’s obligations under international law”, said the statement.

Moreover, in a resolution of 20 July 2004, the UN General Assembly, demanded that Israel comply with its legal obligations as stated in the ICJ’s advisory opinion.

“Had there been concrete action to ensure respect for these principles, and for international humanitarian and human rights law, generally, the people of Sur Bahir would not be experiencing the trauma they are today, and violations of their rights”, the statement concluded.

‘Deep sadness’ at passing of UN nuclear watchdog agency chief, Yukiya Amano

Dean Calma/IAEA
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano briefs the media at a press conference held during the 1412th Board of Governors meeting on Iran (file).


22 July 2019
Peace and Security


The head of the UN body that oversees nuclear activities across the world has died aged 72, it was announced on Monday. In a statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the passing of Director General Yukiya Amano, with “deepest sadness”.


Mr. Amano, a Japanese national and head of the IAEA since 2009, had been due to step down next March amid reports of an unspecified illness.

UN chief António Guterres paid tribute, saying he was deeply saddened to hear the news of his death.

Through his stewardship of the IAEA, "Director-General Amano worked tirelessly to ensure that nuclear energy is used only for peaceful purposes. In leading IAEA in such an exemplary fashion, he advanced human well-being through efforts spanning medicine, agriculture and other vital areas" said the Secretary-General.

"Mr. Amano confronted serious global challenges, including those related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, with equanimity and determination. Our world is so much better for it", he continued. "I send my deepest condolences to his family and the staff of the IAEA. In mourning his tragic loss, we are also thankful for Mr. Amano’s distinguished service to his country and all humanity."

In a letter to the agency’s Board of Governors announcing his decision to resign, Mr. Amano wrote that over the past decade, IAEA had delivered “concrete results” to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, in line with its mandate.

“I am very proud of our achievements and grateful to Member States and Agency staff,” Mr. Amano said.

Among the many tributes to Mr. Amano, UN General Assembly President, María Fernanda Espinosa, said in an online post that his achievements would stand the test of time.


“Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” she tweeted. “Mr. Amano worked tirelessly to promote a safer, denuclearised world. His legacy will not be forgotten. My condolences to his family and all IAEA staff.”

Echoing that message, José Graziano da Silva, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO), underlined how the two agencies had worked together to tackle global food insecurity.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Yukiya Amano…Over the past 50 years, the @FAO/IAEA Joint Division has worked in the peaceful application of nuclear science & technology for more, better&safer food while sustaining natural resources,” Mr. da Silva tweeted.

When asked to explain the work of the IAEA and its mandate, “Atoms for Peace”, Mr. Amano said that in addition to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by overseeing nuclear verification regimes involving Iran, for instance, the agency also helps countries use atomic science and technology for the overall good of humanity. For example, to produce more food, generate more electricity, treat cancer and respond to climate change.

The IAEA played “a much bigger role in our daily lives than most people realize”, Mr. Amano insisted, pointing out that radiation was routinely used to treat microchips and batteries in smartphones, car tyres and electrical cables used in the home.

On other practical levels, Mr. Amano noted that the IAEA’s expertise was used to track the spread of pollutants and biotoxins in the seas and oceans that pose a threat to fish and shellfish - key sources of food for millions of people.

With the help of the IAEA, countries “can take the necessary measures to protect fish stocks and consumers”, he told the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in May 2018. All of these are routinely treated with radiation, Mr. Amano said.

Nuclear techniques are also used in plant breeding, soil and water management, and crop nutrition, the IAEA Director General continued, helping to improve food security.

In particular, the IAEA helps countries to develop and grow new varieties – and higher yields - of crops such as rice and barley, which are also more resistant to drought and disease.

Farmers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam had boosted rice production in recent years, Mr. Amano said, despite harsh conditions.

“By applying radiation in the laboratory, scientists accelerate the spontaneous mutation process that occurs in nature all the time,” Mr. Amano explained. “They can develop new varieties of crops with desirable characteristics very quickly. This does not involve genetic modification of the plants.”

PRAY FOR ZIMBABWE as Droughts leave 3.5 million people dangerously food insecure

Citing the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s recently concluded Rural Livelihood Assessment, WFP Spokesperson Herve Verhoosel, said that the situation was likely to last from now until September with a further deterioration into December that will widen the impact to more than 4.7 million people.

Moreover, WFP said that the hunger period will peak at the height of the lean season, from January through March 2020, when 59 per cent of rural households, or over 5.5 million people, will be food insecure.

“Given the scale and scope of the food insecurity in Zimbabwe”, Mr. Verhoosel said “WFP is planning to scale up to assist over two million people” by the peak of the lean season during early next year.

Until then, teams will continue providing food assistance to the most vulnerable populations, while also helping communities to build resilience to climate change and future shock impacts.

Over the next nine months, he said that WFP urgently requires $173 million to meet these needs.

The Committee is a consortium of government, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other international organizations, and the Rural Livelihood Assessment provides key information for government and development partners on rural livelihood programming in southern African nation. WFP plays a key role in contributing financially and technically to the assessment.
Cyclones, drought push Mozambicans deep into food insecurity

And apart from the deadly cyclones that hit both Mozambique and Zimbabwe earlier in the year, Mozambique’s population has also suffered a rise in food insecurity, fueled by other extreme weather events, Mr. Verhoosel said.

In January, tropical storm Desmond flooded the central provinces of Sofala, Tete and Zambézia. And in March, Cyclone Idai destroyed unharvested crops.

Six weeks later, Cyclone Kenneth slammed the province of Cabo Delgado in the north. Since that time the area has been suffering through irregular rainfall patterns and cereal crops have been hit by pest infestations.

Assistance aims to reach 1.2 million people – 900,000 of whom live in areas affected by Idai, 100,000 in areas affected by Kenneth and 250,000 people in areas affected by the drought.

Mr. Verhoosel referenced a WFP report pointing out that “1.6 million people already face acute food crisis” in 63 districts. The most recent revision of the Integrated Classification of Food Security Phase, highlights the "difficult situation" the country of more than 29 million inhabitants faces, until its next harvest.

While WFP had initially planned from July to October to help some 560,000 people each month in areas affected by cyclones and droughts, the rising need has sparked the agency to scale that number to 1.25 million beneficiaries per month.

Based on current needs, including the response to drought and Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, WFP requires $102 million over the next six months to implement its recovery plan.

To provide adequate and timely assistance, “resources must now be mobilized" in response to increased needs”, warned Mr. Verhoosel.

UN food agency scales up assistance
19 July 2019
Humanitarian Aid


Severe drought has rendered more than a third of rural households in Zimbabwe – or around 3.5 million people – dangerously food insecure, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) revealed on Friday.

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PRAY FOR JAPAN as Man shouting ‘You die’ kills 33 at Japan anime studio

Associated Press / 12:52 AM July 19, 2019



Firefighters work as smoke billows from a three-story building of Kyoto Animation in a fire in Kyoto, western Japan, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Kyoto prefectural police said the fire broke out Thursday morning after a man burst into it and spread unidentified liquid and put fire. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO — A man screaming “You die!” burst into an animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing 33 people in an attack that shocked the country and brought an outpouring of grief from anime fans.

Thirty-six others were injured, some of them critically, in a blaze that sent people scrambling up the stairs toward the roof in a desperate — and futile — attempt to escape what proved to be Japan’s deadliest fire in nearly two decades. Others emerged bleeding, blackened and barefoot.

The suspect, identified only a 41-year-old man who did not work for the studio, was injured and taken to a hospital. Police gave no details on the motive, but a witness told Japanese TV that the attacker angrily complained that something of his had been stolen, possibly by the company.

Most of the victims were employees of Kyoto Animation, which does work on movies and TV productions but is best known for its mega-hit stories featuring high school girls. The tales are so popular that fans make pilgrimages to some of the places depicted.

The blaze started in the three-story building in Japan’s ancient capital after the attacker sprayed an unidentified liquid accelerant, police and fire officials said.

“There was an explosion, then I heard people shouting, some asking for help,” a witness told TBS TV. “Black smoke was rising from windows on upper floors. Ten there was a man struggling to crawl out of the window.”

Japanese media reported the fire might have been set near the front door, forcing people to find other ways out.

The building has a spiral staircase that may have allowed flames and smoke to rise quickly to the top floor, NHK noted. Fire expert Yuji Hasemi at Waseda University told NHK that paper drawings and other documents in the studio also may have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.

Firefighters found 33 bodies, 20 of them on the third floor and some on the stairs to the roof, where they had apparently collapsed, Kyoto fire official Kazuhiro Hayashi said. Two were found dead on the first floor, 11 others on the second floor, he said.

A witness who saw the attacker being approached by police told Japanese media that the man admitted spreading gasoline and setting the fire with a lighter. She told NHK public television that the man had burns on his arms and legs and complained that something had been stolen from him.

She told Kyodo News that his hair got singed and his legs were exposed because his jeans were burned below the knees.

“He sounded he had a grudge against the society, and he was talking angrily to the policemen, too, though he was struggling with pain,” she told Kyodo News. “He also sounded he had a grudge against Kyoto Animation.”

NHK footage also showed sharp knives police had collected from the scene, though it was not clear if they belonged to the attacker.

Survivors said he was screaming “You die!” as he dumped the liquid, according to Japanese media. They said some of the survivors got splashed with the liquid.

Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio, and its hits include “Lucky Star” of 2008, “K-On!” in 2011 and “Haruhi Suzumiya” in 2009.

The company does not have a major presence outside Japan, though it was hired to do secondary animation work on a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theaters and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.

“My heart is in extreme pain. Why on earth did such violence have to be used?” company president Hideaki Hatta said. Hatta said the company had received anonymous death threats by email in the past, but he did not link them to Thursday’s attack.

Anime fans expressed anger, prayed and mourned the victims on social media. A cloud-funding site was set up to help the company rebuild.

Fire officials said more than 70 people were in the building at the time.

The death toll exceeded that of a 2016 attack by a man who stabbed and killed 19 people at a nursing home in Tokyo.

A fire in 2001 in Tokyo’s congested Kabukicho entertainment district killed 44 people in the country’s worst known case of arson in modern times. Police never announced an arrest in the setting of the blaze, though five people were convicted of negligence.

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