Latest news with #AmyPope
14-05-2025
- Politics
Sudan Refugees, Aid For Syrian Returnees, MERS Alert In Saudi Arabia, Venezuela Urged To End Secret Detentions
14 May 2025 The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Wednesday that most of the new arrivals are women and children. Many have come from Zamzam camp and the city of El Fasher, locations targeted by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who've been fighting forces of the military government for more than two years. In Chad, the high numbers of those arriving are putting significant strain on overwhelmed resources. Exhausted and victimised Aid teams say that many refugees arrive exhausted after walking for days because they are unable to afford transport. They report being victims of targeted attacks, looting and sexual violence. Numerous children have been injured, families separated, and others remain missing, the refugee agency said. Immediate needs in Chad include shelter, food, medical care and psychological support but the $409 million refugee response appeal is only 20 per cent funded. Syria's returnees desperately need help to start over Syrians trying to rebuild their lives in their war-torn country urgently need the support of the rest of the world to help them start again, UN aid agencies said on Wednesday. Hopes rose this week in Damascus following Donald Trump's move to end punitive sanctions – but after more than 13 years of civil war that ended with the fall of the Assad regime last December, many communities today face a range of basic problems. These include unreliable access to electricity, clean water and healthcare. Records destroyed The destruction of public records is also preventing returnees from accessing essential services or claiming housing and land rights, according to the UN migration agency, IOM. Its Director-General, Amy Pope, insisted Syrians were resilient and innovative but that they needed help, now. 'Enabling (them) to return to a country that is on the path to stability and progress is critical for the country's future,' she insisted. A new IOM report from more than 1,100 communities across Syria found that work is scarce, partly because farming and markets are still struggling to recover. Shelter reconstruction is also needed urgently, while unresolved property issues continue to prevent people from rejoining their communities. Since January 2024, the UN agency has recorded more than 1.3 million returnees previously displaced within Syria, in addition to nearly 730,000 arrivals from abroad. WHO issues warning over deadly MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia A recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia has raised concerns after two people died from the disease between March and April. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated guidelines to help contain the outbreak, which has seen nine confirmed cases – seven of them in the capital, Riyadh. Several of those infected were healthcare workers who caught the virus from a patient. MERS is caused by a zoonotic coronavirus, from the same family of viruses as COVID-19. While WHO estimates the fatality rate to be around 36 per cent, the true figure may be lower, as mild cases often go undiagnosed. Despite the recent cases, the risk of wider spread remains moderate at both the regional and global levels, according to WHO. MERS is primarily carried by dromedary camels and can be passed to humans through direct or indirect contact with infected animals. Human-to-human transmission usually happens in healthcare settings, through respiratory droplets or close contact. No vaccine, no cure Much like COVID-19, MERS can range from no symptoms at all to severe respiratory illness, including acute respiratory distress — and in some cases, death. There's currently no vaccine or specific treatment. To stop the virus from spreading, WHO urges hospitals and clinics to step up infection prevention and control measures, especially where suspected cases are being treated. Since MERS was first identified in 2012, it has caused 858 deaths across 27 countries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Call for Venezuela to end secret detention of political opponents Top independent human rights experts have urged the Venezuelan authorities to stop the reported practice of holding political opponents incommunicado. In an alert on Wednesday, they insisted that these 'targeted detentions' were illegal and amounted to enforced disappearance, a major human rights violation if proved and potentially an international crime. They maintained that using secret detention was a deliberate strategy by the State 'to silence opposition figures…and to instill fear among the population'. Lack of legal protection The mission pointed to a widespread lack of 'effective judicial protection' for civil society in Venezuela and accused State security forces of colluding with the Public Prosecutor's Office. The services allegedly responsible for detentions include the national intelligence service, the national guard and military counterintelligence. The mission's independent rights experts also maintained that criminal courts and the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice were also 'complicit' by ensuring that the alleged crimes went unpunished. The Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela was created by the Human Rights Council in 2019; its members are not UN staff and they work in an independent capacity.
Kuwait News Agency
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait News Agency
Tunisia refuses to be destination for illegal immigrants
Security LOC16:17 13:17 GMT TUNIS, April 6 (KUNA) -- Tunisia will not be a destination or transit point for illegal immigrants, its Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Nafti told the UN'S visiting migration agency chief Amy Pope during talks on Tuesday. Citing "relative progress" in a national program aiming to allow illegal immigrants to self-deport, the Tunisian top diplomat assured the director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that Tunis stands ready to facilitate the repatriation of illegal immigrants, in line with the North African nation's belief in "basic humanitarian principles," he said. Commending Tunisian efforts and those of the international community alike, the IOM chief underlined the "tangible progress" in the UN body's cooperation with Tunis, mainly dealing with national initiatives to regulate the flow of migrants, she said. The IOM director general's visit to Tunisa comes at a time where the north African nation has turned into a major transit point for sub-Saharan African migrants and asylum seekers seeking greener pastures in Europe. (end)
Jordan Times
29-04-2025
- General
- Jordan Times
Over 72,000 migrants dead, disappeared globally since 2014- UN
More than 72,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented along migration routes around the world in the past decade, most of them in crisis-affected countries, the United Nations said on Tuesday (AFP photo) GENEVA — More than 72,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented along migration routes around the world in the past decade, most of them in crisis-affected countries, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Last year saw the highest migrant death toll on record, with at least 8,938 people dying on migration routes, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)."These numbers are a tragic reminder that people risk their lives when insecurity, lack of opportunity, and other pressures leave them with no safe or viable options at home," IOM chief Amy Pope said in a report by her UN agency found that nearly three-quarters of all migrant deaths and disappearances recorded globally since 2014 occurred as people fled insecurity, conflict, disaster and other humanitarian in four were "from countries affected by humanitarian crises, with the deaths of thousands of Afghans, Rohingya, and Syrians documented on migration routes worldwide", said the IOM's Missing Migrants report said that more than 52,000 people died while trying to escape from one of the 40 countries in the world where the UN has a crisis response plan or humanitarian response plan in urged international investment "to create stability and opportunity within communities, so that migration is a choice, not a necessity"."And when staying is no longer possible, we must work together to enable safe, legal, and orderly pathways that protect lives."The Central Mediterranean remains the deadliest migration route in the world, with nearly 25,000 people lost at sea in the past decade, IOM than 12,000 of those had been lost at sea after departing from war-torn Libya, with countless others disappearing while transiting the Sahara Desert, the report than 5,000 people died while trying to leave crisis-ravaged Afghanistan in the past decade, many of them since the Taliban retook power in more than 3,100 members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority had died during the period, many in shipwrecks or while crossing into Bangladesh."Too often, migrants fall through the cracks," warned Julia Black, coordinator of IOM's Missing Migrants Project and author of the report. "And due to data gaps - especially in war zones and disaster areas - the true death toll is likely far higher than what we've recorded," she said in the statement.
National News
29-04-2025
- General
- National News
Over 72,000 migrants dead, disappeared globally since 2014: UN
NNA - More than 72,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented along migration routes around the world in the past decade, most of them in crisis-affected countries, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Last year saw the highest migrant death toll on record, with at least 8,938 people dying on migration routes, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "These numbers are a tragic reminder that people risk their lives when insecurity, lack of opportunity, and other pressures leave them with no safe or viable options at home," IOM chief Amy Pope said in a statement. The report by her UN agency found that nearly three-quarters of all migrant deaths and disappearances recorded globally since 2014 occurred as people fled insecurity, conflict, disaster and other humanitarian crises. One in four were "from countries affected by humanitarian crises, with the deaths of thousands of Afghans, Rohingya, and Syrians documented on migration routes worldwide", said the IOM's Missing Migrants Report. The report said that more than 52,000 people died while trying to escape from one of the 40 countries in the world where the UN has a crisis response plan or humanitarian response plan in place. Pope urged international investment "to create stability and opportunity within communities, so that migration is a choice, not a necessity". "And when staying is no longer possible, we must work together to enable safe, legal, and orderly pathways that protect lives." -- AFP ===================
Time of India
29-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Over 72,000 migrants dead, disappeared globally since 2014: UN
The United Nations flag (Image: AP) GENEVA: More than 72,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented along migration routes around the world in the past decade, most of them in crisis-affected countries, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Last year saw the highest migrant death toll on record, with at least 8,938 people dying on migration routes, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "These numbers are a tragic reminder that people risk their lives when insecurity, lack of opportunity, and other pressures leave them with no safe or viable options at home," IOM chief Amy Pope said in a statement. The report by her UN agency found that nearly three-quarters of all migrant deaths and disappearances recorded globally since 2014 occurred as people fled insecurity, conflict, disaster and other humanitarian crises. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo One in four were "from countries affected by humanitarian crises, with the deaths of thousands of Afghans, Rohingya, and Syrians documented on migration routes worldwide", said the IOM's Missing Migrants report. The report said that more than 52,000 people died while trying to escape from one of the 40 countries in the world where the UN has a crisis response plan or humanitarian response plan in place. Pope urged international investment "to create stability and opportunity within communities, so that migration is a choice, not a necessity". "And when staying is no longer possible, we must work together to enable safe, legal, and orderly pathways that protect lives." The Central Mediterranean remains the deadliest migration route in the world, with nearly 25,000 people lost at sea in the past decade, IOM said. More than 12,000 of those had been lost at sea after departing from war-torn Libya, with countless others disappearing while transiting the Sahara Desert, the report said. More than 5,000 people died while trying to leave crisis-ravaged Afghanistan in the past decade, many of them since the Taliban retook power in 2021. And more than 3,100 members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority had died during the period, many in shipwrecks or while crossing into Bangladesh. "Too often, migrants fall through the cracks," warned Julia Black, coordinator of IOM's Missing Migrants Project and author of the report. "And due to data gaps - especially in war zones and disaster areas - the true death toll is likely far higher than what we've recorded," she said in the statement.
