7296 Wednesday, 30 November 2016

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UN Daily News Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Issue DH/7296

In the headlines: • Nearly half of children in Mosul now cut off clean

• Security Council strengthens measures against

• Without urgent steps to end violence, Aleppo may

• New UN report reveals barriers to inclusive

• Haiti: UN’s new approach on cholera puts people at

• UN’s new LGBT expert urges global partnership to



• As 2016 draws to a close, UN rights chief outlines

water as military operations intensify – UNICEF become ‘giant graveyard,’ Security Council told heart of the response

Ahead of World AIDS Day, UN chief honoured for work to end epidemic, fight against stigma

• South Sudan: Bureaucratic obstacles hindering relief work must stop, says senior UN official

DPRK’s nuclear, ballistic missile activities

development and highlights key steps to progress end violence and discrimination

enormity challenges to human rights

• Cultural traditions in Portugal, Uganda and Ukraine added to UNESCO heritage protection list

Nearly half of children in Mosul now cut off clean water as military operations intensify – UNICEF 30 November – Destruction of a major water pipeline has left nearly half of the children in the Iraqi battleground city of Mosul cut off from access to clean water, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today. Nearly 300,000 children and their families lost access to one of the three major water conduits in eastern Mosul amid the military’s ongoing operations to wrest control of the city from terrorists. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) currently controls part of the city, where the broken pipeline is located, making it very hard to access and repair quickly. “Children and their families are facing a horrific situation in Mosul. Not only are they in danger of getting killed or injured in the crossfire, now potentially more than half a million people do not have safe water to drink,” Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Iraq said in a news release.

On 15 November 2016, a young girl from Mosul takes water from a tap stand at a UNICEF-supported Temporary Learning Space in Hassan Sham Displacement Camp, Ninewa Governorate. Photo: UNICEF/Anmar

Currently there is not enough water supplies to meet the needs of the residents. There is only enough running water for a few more days, and if it will not be restored, civilians will be forced to use unsafe water resources. UNICEF reports that children exposed to unsafe water resources are at risk of waterborne diseases such as severe diarrhoea and the threat of malnutrition. The agency also supports the Government of Iraq in reactivating nearby boreholes and water treatment plans to provide safe water to the affected areas in Mosul until the main water line becomes accessible for repairs.

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Mr. Hawkins also urged all parties to the conflict to allow these critical deliveries and repairs, stressing that civilian infrastructure must never be attacked.

Without urgent steps to end violence, Aleppo may become ‘giant graveyard,’ Security Council told 30 November – With thousands of civilians fleeing neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo, senior United Nations officials today appealed to the Security Council and the wider international community to come together and “do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable aid access to the besieged parts of the [war-battered city] before it becomes one giant graveyard.” Painting a dire picture of the situation on the ground, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told the Council that the “humanitarian tragedy” in Aleppo is only deepening as both ground and air assaults against the eastern half of the iconic city have intensified over the last two weeks, forcing an estimated 25,000 from their homes since Saturday.

A nine year-old child sits in one of the neighbourhoods in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, holding his jerry can, looking for drinking water. Photo: UNICEF/Zayat

“It is likely that thousands more will flee should fighting continue to spread and further intensify over the coming days,” he said, briefing the Council via video conference from Geneva, adding that he had strongly suggested that Ali Al-Za’tari, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator in Damascus, together with international members from the UN Country Team, should head to Aleppo as soon as possible to rejoin national aid workers to assist the civilian population – on both the city’s east and west sides. And while the Council is today focused on Aleppo, he underscored that the war continues elsewhere – Idlib, Hama, al-Waer, Homs, north of Latakia, Western Ghouta, north-west of Damascus, and Eastern Ghouta. “Each deserves its own description, but the underlying theme remains the same: the continued dominance of military over political strategies, and the brutal price being paid by civilians in the process.” Speaking via videoconference from London, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien recalled that for over five years, the UN and the entire humanitarian community have raised the alarm about the devastating impact of the conflict in Syria on millions of ordinary men, women and children. “Our calls, and the requests, even the demands of this Council, have largely gone ignored.” Security Council must come together and stop the brutality in Syria Mr. O’Brien, who is also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that nowhere has the cruelty of the Syrian war been more grimly witnessed than in Aleppo, where the world has witnessed “bombs and mortars raining down in recent days, weeks and months – on civilian areas, residential houses, schools, medical facilities, water and electricity stations, and public markets. Constant, tormenting images of people murdered, bloody, and exhausted.” Amid intensifying attacks on eastern Aleppo, he said that over the last four days, numerous civilians have reportedly been killed. "Just today we received a report that scores of people were killed in an airstrike this morning. It is estimated that up to 25,000 people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Aleppo since Saturday.” “It may be too late for many of the people of eastern Aleppo, but surely this Council can come together, stop the brutality and also prevent a similar fate befalling other Syrians, he said, telling the Council that what Syrian and the humanitarian community need to see above all is three things: real respect and protection of civilians (and civilian infrastructure); safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access; and an end to brutal sieges once and for all. Children under five know nothing but a lifetime shaped by war UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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To say that the situation is tragic would be an understatement, emphasized Geert Cappelaere, Regional Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the Middle East and North Africa, who said “it is difficult to imagine what words could still adequately convey the unspeakable horrors endured by Syria’s children every day.” Indeed, tens of thousands of children have already been killed. Millions have been uprooted, some more than once. Too many have been deprived of basic medical care and safe drinking water. Too many have witnessed the death of their loved ones and the destruction of the places they once thought are safe: their homes, their schools, their playgrounds. “Simply put, Syria’s children are trapped in a living nightmare,” he said. “Children ask ‘why.’ We ask ‘why.’ The devastating downward spiral has to end. Today, every single child under the age of five has known nothing but a lifetime shaped by war,” he stated, stressing that protection of children should be, at all times, a primary consideration for all. “We have failed them over the last six years, and we continue to fail the children in Syria. This is not only jeopardizing children’s lives, but the future of the country, the future of the region and the future of the whole world […] UNICEF renews its call on all parties to lift the sieges across Syria, and to allow and facilitate immediate, unconditional and sustained humanitarian access to all areas across the country.”

Haiti: UN’s new approach on cholera puts people at heart of the response 30 November – The response to cholera in Haiti will be a “long and thorough battle,” but the United Nations will stand by the Haitian people and authorities, Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, on the eve of the launch of the Organization's new approach to tackling the epidemic in the country. The new approach was announced last August and will be launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, 1 December. It includes rapid interventions in areas where cases are reported and the prevention of future high-risk public health crises. A shipment of cholera vaccines arrives in Haiti. Photo: UN/MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi

The new approach on cholera also focuses on people and proposes the establishment of a program of material assistance and support to Haitians directly affected by the disease.

“This is an approach that goes to the root of the problem with long-term investments in the sanitation facilities that the country needs to eradicate cholera; short-term investments to halt the progression of cholera; and, most importantly, putting people and communities affected by cholera at the heart of our efforts,” Mr. Dujarric said in an interview with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) FM Radio. “The United Nations must listen to the Haitian people, must listen to the communities that have been affected by this disease,” he stated, adding that consultations with communities will be of great importance. “Only communities will be able to explain what they need and how we can help them.” The new strategy will also include an individual approach, the Spokesman continued. It will require a precise identification of the victims of cholera and their family members, and a funding threshold to establish “a lump sum for each death” due to cholera, but he warned that this part of the strategy “will take much longer.” “We know very well, and the Secretary-General knows very well, that the United Nations has a moral responsibility to the people most affected by the cholera epidemic. We regret the terrible suffering endured by the Haitian people as a result of the epidemic,” said Mr. Dujarric. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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According to UN estimates, the programme is expected to cost about $400 million over the next two years. “It is not an insurmountable sum, and the Secretary-General is very hopeful that the General Assembly and the international community will show solidarity and will be there to help Haiti at a time when aid is needed,” the Spokesperson said. “The most important in the long term is a sustained investment in the health network in Haiti to ensure that water distribution is at a level where water saves and feeds and water no longer poisons as we have seen with cholera,” he concluded. The cholera outbreak in Haiti began in October 2010. It has affected an estimated 788,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 9,200. Concerted national and international efforts since then have resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in the number of suspected cases. This number remains high, however, and recent outbreaks show the continued vulnerability of the population to the disease, which is preventable and treatable.

Ahead of World AIDS Day, UN chief honoured for work to end epidemic, fight against stigma 30 November – Speaking at a special event commemorating World AIDS Day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today underscored the need to stop stigma and abuse against those living with the disease and to ensure that they receive the care, treatment and protection they are entitled to. “Hatred and bigotry spread disease and – as the founders of this movement taught – silence equals death,” stressed Mr. Ban in his remarks at the opening of the event. “Tolerance and awareness help stop AIDS. Speaking out protects life.” Further in his remarks, Mr. Ban highlighted the progress made in addressing the disease, including halving the number of children infected through mother-to-child transmission and doubling the number of people with access to medicines.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) with Rebecca Awiti, a Kenyan mother living with HIV who has three children – all of them HIV negative, at a UNAIDS special event commemorating World AIDS Day 2016. UN Photo/Mark Garten

He also called for action to ensure that the target of providing treatment to 30 million people by 2030 is met. “This requires that we reach the most vulnerable communities – the young women in Sub-Saharan Africa, people who inject drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men, and the poor who need services and care,” he said. The event opened with presentation of awards commemorating Mr. Ban’s leadership on HIV/AIDS during his tenure as UN chief. Presenting the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Leadership Award, Mr. Sidibé said that honouring the Secretary-General is “a very easy task because you are a true leader that has been able to demonstrate [over the past decade] that peoples’ dignity is central to your agenda.” “You have been taking courageous decisions to visit people where people were looking for hope because they were excluded for who they were […] because they were injecting drugs or because of their sexuality. You have been putting their dignity at the front of your personal fight,” continued Mr. Sidibé, and while “the UN is known for processes,” he said Mr. Ban had called for results. Indeed, in the time that UNAIDS had stepped up its programmes to end the epidemic the numbers of people in treatment had jumped from just three million people in treatment to more than 13 million today. “It’s not all about numbers; this is lives, families who are now capable of giving hope to their children,” he emphasized. The special event was organized by UNAIDS under the theme ‘Moving forward together: Leaving no one behind’ to collectively endeavour to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also saw the participation of Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly; Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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UNAIDS; Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of Panama; Eric Sawyer from UN Plus (a group of HIV positive UN staff members). Noted AIDS activists also attended the event, including fashion designer Kenneth Cole, who is the International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and Rebecca Awiti, a Kenyan mother living with HIV who has three children – all of them HIV negative. She had access antiretroviral prophylaxis during her pregnancy to prevent passing on the infection to her children. Another highlight of this year’s World AIDS Day is the launch of the hands up for #HIVprevention campaign that will explore different aspects of HIV prevention and how they relate to specific groups of people, such as adolescent girls and young women, key populations and people living with HIV.

South Sudan: Bureaucratic obstacles hindering relief work must stop, says senior UN official 30 November – Expressing deep concern over the impact of a series of bureaucratic impediments and access constraints on relief operations, a senior United Nations humanitarian official in South Sudan has called on all parties to allow free, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the people in need. “Humanitarian organizations in South Sudan are striving every day to save lives and alleviate suffering across this country,” said Eugene Owusu, Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan in a news release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Humanitarian partners have responded rapidly and are working around the clock to assist people in Wau, South Sudan. Photo: OCHA/Gemma Connell

“Yet, they continue to face obstacles and challenges which hamper their efforts. This must stop.”

According to OCHA, some 91 humanitarian access incidents were recorded from 1 to 28 November. Of these, 64 incidents (little more than 70 per cent) involved violence against humanitarian personnel or assets. Another 18 incidents (about 20 per cent) involved interference in humanitarian action, including interference in administrative matters, illegal or arbitrary taxation, and expulsion of staff. Humanitarian organizations are striving every day to save lives and alleviate suffering across South Sudan but they continue to face obstacles and challenges which hamper their efforts. Also in November, relief workers were denied access to areas outside of Yei in Central Equatoria and Wau in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection. The UN humanitarian arm further reported that needs in the country continue to rise due to the conflict and economic decline. It is estimated that about three million people have been displaced, of which more than 1.1 million people have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, since fighting first broke out in December 2013. Further in the release, Mr. Owusu also noted steps taken by the Government to address the access challenges, including the establishment of a high-level humanitarian oversight committee.

He, however, added that the recent incidents were a “major challenge” and that the commitments needed to be translated into “real, tangible and immediate improvements in the operating environment for aid workers on the front-lines of humanitarian action.”

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Security Council strengthens measures against DPRK’s nuclear, ballistic missile activities 30 November – Strongly condemning the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 9 September, the Security Council today unanimously adopted measures that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described as “the toughest and most comprehensive sanctions regime ever” against that country. Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member Council reaffirmed that the DPRK should not conduct any further nuclear tests, launches using ballistic missile technology, or any other provocation.

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution, condemning in the strongest terms the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 9 September 2016, and strengthening the sanctions regime imposed on that country. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

The sanctions target revenue sources for the North-east Asian country’s nuclear or ballistic missile programmes, with the Council for the first time imposing a limit on how much coal the DPRK can export per year.

According to the resolution, total exports of coal from the DPRK to all Member States should not exceed $400 million or 7.5 million metric tonnes annually, whichever is lower, beginning January 1, 2017. For the remainder of this year, the ceiling is $53.4 million, or one million metric tonnes. Further to the text, each Member State that procures coal from the DPRK must report the aggregate amount of the volume of such procurement monthly. When 95 per cent of the aggregate yearly amount has been reached, Member States will be notified that they must immediately cease procuring coal from the DPRK for the year. “I welcome the unanimous adoption of this new resolution. Maintaining such unity is crucial in tackling security challenges on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” Mr. Ban told the Council. The UN chief noted that since January, the DPRK has conducted two nuclear tests and at least 25 launches using ballistic missile technology, including launches of satellite, submarine-based ballistic missiles, and medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. This year, the Council has met on nine occasions in emergency consultations in response to the DPRK’s nuclear tests and ballistic missile activities. “This is an unprecedentedly high number,” he said. The UN Security Council unanimously voted today, 30 November 2016, to impose the “toughest and most comprehensive sanctions regime ever” on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its nuclear weapons programme. Reacting to the Council's vote, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the resolution “sends an unequivocal message that the DPRK must cease further provocative actions and comply fully with its international obligations.” The resolution adopted today took nearly three months to materialize, following the nuclear test in September. “The time taken to reach agreement on this resolution vividly illustrates the complex nature of the challenge,” Mr. Ban said. “We must assume that, with each test or launch, DPRK continues to make technological advances in its pursuit of a military nuclear capability. The increase in and nature of these activities pose an ever growing threat to regional security and the global non-proliferation regime,” he added, urging all Member States to make every effort to ensure that these sanctions are fully implemented. The resolution also contains additional measures aimed to further restrict the DPRK’s hard currency revenues, and the UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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activities of the DPRK’s diplomats and other officials.

New UN report reveals barriers to inclusive development and highlights key steps to progress 30 November – The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has just released its 2016 Report on the World Social Situation, which includes important new findings about persisting inequalities in education and economic opportunity and challenges the international community to work harder to break down barriers to participation. While there has been unprecedented global social progress, it has not been evenly experienced. Some 40 per cent of the world’s population does not have access to education in a language they understand. Children of ethnic minorities and those who are disabled are much less likely to finish their primary and secondary educations. Even among those who are educated, youth, migrants, and indigenous peoples continue to be underpaid and unpaid. In some cases, social and economic inequalities have actually worsened.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

The theme of this year’s report is ‘Leaving No One Behind – The Imperative of Inclusive Development.’ It examines key causes of social exclusion and identifies social, economic and political disadvantages that some groups face as a result. The report concludes with concrete policy recommendations that are central to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. “The Sustainable Development Goals recognize that development will only be sustainable if it is inclusive,” said Wu Hongbo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Development, adding: “Pursuing development grounded in social justice will be fundamental to achieving a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future for everyone.” A central pledge of that Agenda is to ensure that ‘no one is left behind;’ inclusiveness and shared prosperity are at the core of sustainable development. The report argues that in order to promote social inclusion, barriers to participation must be broken down by revising laws, policies, institutional practices, discriminatory attitudes and behaviours, and taking steps to ensure that participation is easier. The report’s analysis focuses on three sets of indicators: those measuring access to opportunities – such as education and health; access to employment and income; and those measuring participation in political, civic, and cultural life. Of course, many of these indicators overlap – lower levels of health and education tend to correlate with high levels of poverty and unemployment, for example. Such inequalities tend to persist even after the structural conditions that created them change. That is, formal barriers may disappear, but discrimination can operate in less overt ways to perpetuate inequality. For example, labour markets continue to reflect socially driven distinctions based on race, age, gender and other personal attributes, even after the effects of educational attainment and other sociodemographic traits are taken into account. “Not only are these differences in life chances fundamentally unfair, they also lead to loss of human potential and development opportunities,” said Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Social Development Lenni Montiel. Such trends extend to participation in political, civic, and cultural life as well, such as in voting patterns and engagement in political activities. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the data reveals lower levels of trust and confidence in policing and justice systems among ethnic and racial minorities.

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It is not enough for countries to remove discriminatory policies; subtler forms of discrimination, through attitudes and entrenched practices, must be confronted and rooted out, contends the report. While there is no “one size fits all” solution for all countries, certain efforts like a universal approach to social policy and integration of measures that tackle discrimination have been successful in the past. The report also advocates that stakeholders must promote inclusive institutions. Examples of ways to achieve that goal are by engaging with civil society, supporting equitable work environments, and challenging exclusionary attitudes. Such changes, however slow to unfold, are necessary for sustainable progress, especially at the highest levels in powerful institutions.

UN’s new LGBT expert urges global partnership to end violence and discrimination 30 November – Global partnership is needed to end discrimination and violence against the worldwide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, a United Nations human rights expert has told an international conference in Bangkok, Thailand, outlining five key steps that should be taken. “Resolute action is required to stop the violence and discrimination affecting not only LGBT communities but also the human rights defenders working with them,” said Vitit Muntarbhorn, the first-ever UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) pride march. Photo: OHCHR/Joseph Smida

The five key steps are lifting criminal laws which affect LGBT people; not seeing the community as suffering from a disorder; giving all people the right to have their gender identity recognized on official documents; working with different cultures and religions to ensure inclusive practices; and ensuring children grow up with the ability to empathize with people of different sexual orientation and gender identity. Addressing the World Conference of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, Mr. Muntarbhorn stressed that these five key goals – decriminalization, ‘depathologization,’ recognition of gender identity, cultural inclusion and ‘empathization’ – could only be delivered with a broad global partnership. All people, he said, were invited to “open their hearts and minds to the beauty of diversity,” including in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity. He said it had been a “quantum leap” for the world community to create the new mandate, which he took up on 1 November 2016. He said the mandate would advance the commitment to “leave no one behind” in the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Mr. Muntarbhorn said that human rights advocates working with LGBT people were also coming under attack, adding that despite progress made on advancing the rights of LGBT people, much remains to be done. Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

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As 2016 draws to a close, UN rights chief outlines enormity challenges to human rights 30 November – Highlighting the challenges to human rights around the world, the United Nations human rights chief called on the international community to act collectively for the common good and to do “everything possible” to prevent the situation from deteriorating. Pounded by accelerating bombardment, deliberately deprived of food and medical care, many of them – including small children – report that they are simply waiting for death: a nightmare which clearly violates the most basic norms of human rights and any shred of human decency.High Commissioner Zeid, on Syria

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

“The pursuit of narrow interests and agendas at the expense of all other States will do tremendous damage, both to States’ interests, and to their peoples,” warned Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in an informal briefing to the Human Rights Council – the primary rights body at the UN.

Voicing concern at withdrawals from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the top UN human rights official added: “These withdrawals, in my view, are a betrayal of the rights of victims of the most grave human rights violations.” He also spoke out against recent actions, the consequences of which would undermine the legitimacy Human Rights Council. Expressing relief that these actions were unsuccessful, he called on all members of the human rights body to continue to stand by it. “It is essential to maintain consensus on the authority of the Council’s collective decisions,” Mr. Zeid stressed. Also, recalling his report to the 33rd session of the Council wherein he noted a number of challenges concerning access, the High Commissioner said that there had been no significant improvement and that in some cases, the situation had actually worsened. “Most shockingly, my Office (OHCHR) has no access to any area of Syria, even as the vast majority of the people of eastern Aleppo are still trapped in a sharply worsening siege,” he said. High Commissioner Zeid also expressed worry at what he called an “erosion of consensus” on international institutions which are being ignored, neglected or attacked. “To erode their legitimacy and impede their action threatens essential forces for moderation and progress – at a time of heightened risk,” he underscored. Recalling his missions to Western Europe and North American, Mr. Zeid spoke of increasingly worrying levels of incitement to racial or religious hatred and violence, whether against migrants or racial and religious groups. “Discrimination, and the potential for mob violence is being stoked by political leaders for their personal benefit, and the number of recorded hate crimes appears to be rising in several States,” he cautioned. On the upcoming Human Rights Day (10 December), High Commissioner informed the Council that OHCHR will be will be launching a global public-information campaign targeted against mutual suspicion and distrust. “We need to nurture tolerance and respect, as well as stronger awareness of the universal capacity of everyone to stand up for the rights of others in daily life,” he said. UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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Further in his briefing, he spoke of worrying human rights situation in Myanmar and Burundi. Following High Commissioner Zeid, Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore and UN AssistantSecretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour also informed the Council of their own missions.

Cultural traditions in Portugal, Uganda and Ukraine added to UNESCO heritage protection list 30 November – With the current session of the United Nations committee tasked with safeguarding intangible cultural heritage under way, three cultural elements in Portugal, Uganda and Ukraine have been inscribed to the United Nations list of cultural traditions in need of urgent protection. The meeting in Ethiopia of parties to the international convention is designed to preserve the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

Five nominations for inscription on the list have been examined by Bisalhães black pottery manufacturing process, Portugal. Photo: Video Capture. UNESCO

representatives of 24 States Parties to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, who form the committee.

The three new additions to list of intangible cultural heritage include Portugal Bisalhães tradition of making black pottery and traditional Ma'di Bowl Lyre music and dance, which is one of the oldest cultural practices of the Madi people of Uganda. Also added to the list are Cossack songs sung by communities of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, which tell stories about the tragedy of war and personal relationships of Cossack soldiers. Intangible cultural heritage, according UNESCO, encompasses practices and living expressions are handed down from one generation to the next. To be inscribed by the Committee elements must comply with a series of criteria, including contributing to spreading the knowledge of intangible cultural heritage and promoting awareness of its importance. The Urgent Safeguarding List aims at taking appropriate measures for those intangible cultural heritage expressions or manifestations whose viability – that is whose continuous recreation and transmission – is threatened. Only those countries that have ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage can present elements for inscription on the lists. The updated The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity presently number 339 inscribed elements. The current session of the Committee will end on 2 December.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)