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BANGKOK, 23 May 2012 (IRIN) - As Mohammed Mohammedi lay trapped in the car with his co-worker, pinned down by heavy gunfire, they promised each other that whoever made it out alive would tell the other’s family. Now, 12 years after he was captured and beaten by militias in Somalia while carrying out a polio vaccination campaign, he realizes this was a “futile promise”.

“If you ask someone at WHO [World Health Organization], ‘What is the extent of the problem?’ [of attacks on health facilities and workers],” said Rudi Coninx, with the Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response team at WHO. “If they were honest they would say, ‘I don’t know.' as nobody collects these data in a systematic way."

Mohammedi said he was released after clans who knew the polio vaccination health staff paid the militias. If he or his co-worker had died, there was no international mechanism, then or now, to record that he had been hurt while doing his job as a health worker.

“One of the first victims of war is the healthcare system itself,” wrote Marco Baldan, the chief war surgeon at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in an August 2011 agency report, which noted that violence against healthcare is “one of the most crucial yet overlooked humanitarian issues of today".

Less than one year after launching this report, and a campaign to document and rein in violence against healthcare facilities and workers, the agency suspended its work in Pakistan after one of its programme managers was kidnapped and killed while travelling home in an ICRC vehicle.

Mohammedi, a WHO polio operation and technical officer now working in Pakistan, told IRIN that regardless of the precautions, humanitarians always face danger. “An agreement with the war-lords, clan, [or] military leader is the best valid agreement, though even that is not a 100 percent guarantee of a person’s safety.”

Fighting often hampers access for health workers in two of the four countries where polio is still endemic - Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Despite international conventions in place to protect health facilities, workers and marked vehicles, as long as they maintain a “neutral function and treat all patients equally, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic affiliation”, the Geneva Convention carries little authority with militias, said Mohammedi.

“Free access is not and will never be possible if the agreements are made by people sitting around a table outside of conflict areas. The militias have a different way of thinking - the only agreement for a militia at war is to kill… For the militia, a prisoner of war is still the enemy.”

The Geneva Convention forms a major part of negotiating access for the medical humanitarian NGO, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), but it is difficult when “non-state actors” never agreed to it in the first place, said Michiel Hoffman, a Brussels-based operational advisor to MSF.

Somalia is the only country where MSF is forced to use private guards to protect its health facilities, which is not ideal, but necessary, Hoffman told IRIN. “It is hard to provide healthcare when there is a general disregard for everyone’s lives,” he said. “To have any weapons near a health structure makes them the target of conflict.”

Health facilities have become even more vulnerable as soldiers increasingly enter hospitals to “settle scores”, said Robin Coupland, an ICRC medical advisor, in a January 2012 WHO bulletin.

From a review of internal and public sources, ICRC documented 655 violent events affecting healthcare in 16 countries in conflict from 1 July 2008 to December 2010, of which 41 percent were reported only in internal agency reports.

Documenting the extent of the problem is the first step to start doing something about it, said Coninx.

The “compounded cost” of violence on healthcare, such as healthcare staff fleeing, inventory stock-outs and curtailed vaccination campaigns are also hard to measure, ICRC noted.

On 21 January 2012, WHO’s executive board passed a resolution committing the agency to collecting and distributing data on attacks on health workers, facilities, vehicles and patients in the next two years.

UN member states will vote on this proposal on 25 May 2012 at the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva.

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The security situation in North and South Kivu remained generally volatile and with several armed groups operating in the region, continued fighting had resulted in significant displacement of civilians, both within Congo and across the border into Rwanda and Uganda, Roger Meece, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo said.

Addressing a Headquarters press conference via video link from Kinshasa today, Mr. Meece said the fighting had produced an opportunity for armed groups operating in the Kivus — Mai-Mai Cheka, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group known as “Raia Mutomboki” in South Kivu province and others — to capitalize on the prevailing state of insecurity in pursuit of their own interests.

Reviewing the general security situation in the east, particularly in north Kivu province, Mr. Meece said the present situation had its genesis in early April with a mutiny of troops by fugitive Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda. The troops were ostensibly integrated into the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, FARDC, although many, including Mr. Ntaganda himself, had never fully accepted central government authority. The mutiny was believed to have been provoked by fear that the net was closing in on Mr. Ntaganda.

(Mr. Ntaganda was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2006 in connection with war crimes committed in the country in 2002 and 2003).

Mr. Meece explained the mutiny started by Mr. Ntaganda did not get the kind of numbers he was looking for to support his aims. Also, his capacity had been reduced by swift and firm Congolese reaction, both by the imposition of military pressure on him and his forces, and the effective action taken to induce a large number of troops that had defected with him back to their positions in FARDC.

Nonetheless, Mr. Ntaganda did have significant support and, thus, posed a threat to the region, Mr. Meece said. However, FARDC successfully moved his forces out of their base area in North Kivu, pushing him and his troops to the northeast of the Runga Park and the area south of Rutshuru.

At about the same time, said Mr. Meece, an apparently rival mutinous group — the “M23” — was established under the leadership of Sultani Makenga, another senior officer and rival of Mr. Ntaganda, who might have been making a bid to replace him as the de facto head of the faction that he had been leading for some time. The result was concentrated fighting with mutinous forces now centred in a pocket adjacent to the town of Bunagana, overlapping with the northern part of Virunga Park and on the Ugandan-Rwandan border with Congo.

He said the principle force concentrated there was under Mr. Makenga’s command, likely in affiliation with some other senior commanders who had deserted their posts with Mr. Ntaganda. Although there were conflicting reports of Mr. Ntaganda’s present location and the size of his forces, he was believed to be within a 100 square kilometre pocket of confinement. “The total size of the mutinous forces in that region is now difficult to estimate, but it is safe to say that they are in the hundreds,” Mr. Meece said, adding that a substantially larger FARDC force had basically encircled that area and, thus, put military pressure on the rebel forces. With their heavier weapons, the Congolese armed forces were continuing to apply pressure.

Mr. Meece noted that, throughout, forces of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) had been actively engaged, including in the protection of vulnerable areas. “We are working to protect civilians throughout the region where there is fighting going on,” he added. Further, the Mission was working to facilitate as much humanitarian access to those in need as possible, which was problematic with fighting going on.

The Mission was also maintaining close contacts with FARDC and Congolese authorities regarding the immediate area of the fighting, he said. It had also had taken measures to protect the town of Bunagana, following concern that the mutinous forces might attempt a strike to gain control of that town. MONUSCO had now established a presence there and was confident that, barring an unforeseen event, the mutinous forces would be unable to seize full control of the town.

In answer to a question, he said he did not believe any of the mutinous forces posed a direct security threat to neighbouring countries — Uganda or Rwanda, and that none of the current fighting was taking place in the vicinity of Burundi. However, there was always a concern in the area of fighting, including because that caused displacement of civilians, some of whom had crossed the borders and, thus, had the status of refugees in Uganda and Rwanda. That posed a concern for those Governments, as well as United Nations agencies. At the same time, he noted that armed groups from Uganda and Rwanda continued to operate in the Kivus.

To another question, Mr. Meece said he did not believe there was any link between the hunt for Uganda’s Joseph Kony of the Lord’s Resistance Army and the hunt for Mr. Ntaganda, or the impact of one on the other. Collaboration with the African Union in that effort was still awaited. There was currently a full sharing of information and coordination between MONUSCO, other United Nations missions, and authorities in the region, including in Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For information media • not an official record

All sub-Saharan African nations now on board the Mine Ban Treaty

(Geneva, 22 May 2012): Somalia has become the 160th State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty, the United Nations confirmed today.

This morning the news was announced to delegates from more than 95 countries, assembled in Geneva for a global conference to discuss progress on the landmine ban.

By joining the Mine Ban Treaty, Somalia has recognised the humanitarian impact of landmines far outweighs their military use. It has taken this step despite the fact that conflict still plagues much of the country. It should serve as an example to other conflict-affected states who say they cannot join the treaty for security reasons,” said Kasia Derlicka, Director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).

Somalia’s accession to the 15-year-old treaty means all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, one of the world’s most heavily mined regions and home to thousands of landmine survivors, have now banned antipersonnel mines.

Landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW), the legacy of the ongoing conflict in Somalia, devastate hundreds of Somali lives every year.

ICBL national campaigner Dahir Abdirahman, from the Somalia Coalition to Ban Landmines (SOCBAL) said: “We hope that our government will now take steps to establish a national programme to recognise the rights of survivors to lead fulfilling lives, and that being part of this treaty will pave the way for my people to cultivate the land without fearing landmines.”

The ICBL’s Landmine Monitor recorded at least 159 casualties of landmines and explosive remnants of war in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) in 2010, including 19 children killed and 86 children injured. The true casualty figure is likely to be much higher, however. The number of survivors in Somalia is not known, but there were at least 1,619 people with injuries caused by landmines or ERW recorded by the end of 2010.

Somalia has never been known to produce antipersonnel landmines but the weapon has been widely available in the country during the years of conflict, and a survey conducted in 2008 before escalation of the conflict showed that nearly 200 communities in 300 different areas are living under the deadly shadow of landmines.

There is no information yet about whether government forces have a stockpile of antipersonnel landmines, but most factions involved in armed conflict in Somalia are believed to possess mines.

The Mine Ban Treaty requires States Parties to ban all use, production, and trade of antipersonnel mines, to destroy all stockpiles within four years, to clear all contaminated land within 10 years, and to provide assistance to victims of the weapon.

Somalia will become legally obliged to comply with these terms once it becomes a full State Party on 1 October 2012, after the waiting period mandated by the treaty.

Larger than expected April price increases compound food Crisis in the Sahel

Adequate access to food remains a primary concern across the Sahel given localized 2011 production deficits and higher than average 2011/12 price levels. Larger than expected April increases in local cereal prices have further compounded existing acute food insecurity. Likely humanitarian assistance remains insufficient to fully mitigate food insecurity in northern Mali, parts of Burkina Faso, and western Niger, particularly in areas hosting IDPs and refugees. Very poor and poor households in these areas will require additional, targeted emergency assistance through the peak of the agricultural lean season (Jul‐Sep) to meet minimum food needs and prevent increases in already high background levels of acute malnutrition.

Introduction

This paper investigates the challenges of resolving the protracted Liberian refugee situation in Ghana. Despite the restored stability in Liberia and the unfavourable living conditions in exile, as of 2011, there were still about 11,000 Liberian refugees in the Buduburam refugee settlement in Ghana. For the last several years, the volume of humanitarian aid for this refugee population has been sharply dwindling whereas refugees’ livelihoods have been constrained due to various impediments. Given the few benefits of remaining in Ghana as refugees, it is a conundrum for the UN refugee agency to understand why a considerable number of Liberian refugees have not returned to their country of origin.

In January 2012, however, UNHCR announced the imminent invocation of the cessation clause for remaining Liberian refugees and has started urging refugees to return to Liberia.
Drawing from previous fieldwork and from recent interviews with residual Liberians, the paper explores refugees’ decisions over whether to return or stay in Ghana under the tense repatriation pressure. It also draws implications to enable a better understanding of the intractable nature of prolonged refugee situations and highlights the potential future risks for those who may continue to remain in Ghana.

SANA'A, 22 May 2012 (IRIN) - A devastating suicide bomb in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, may have grabbed international media headlines and highlighted known security problems, but ordinary people are quietly fighting more mundane battles to make ends meet.

Three months after Yemen's new government took office, frustration is growing, with people in Sana'a saying the pace of economic reform is not fast enough.

"Eighty percent of my income goes on education, food, and medicine for my family," said Adel Aklan, an unemployed resident of Sana'a. "The government should subsidize basics like wheat, sugar, rice, medicine."

Nuha El Arashi, a college student, told IRIN: "We can barely afford our necessities. Before, it was easy to afford things like milk, bread, water, and vegetables. Nowadays we can hardly afford these, and we avoid all the luxuries. Before, it was cheap and easy to get around in a taxi, but fares have now doubled because the cost of fuel is so high."

For the last two decades Yemen's economy was largely driven by oil, but this is quickly running out, according to an April report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But with 70-80 percent of government revenue still coming from oil, Yemenis are vulnerable to shifts in international commodity prices and domestic oil output, according to think-tank Chatham House.

It said the 2011 political crisis created high levels of inflation and disrupted supplies of basic goods. "There is a need to reinforce existing social protection mechanisms and bolster humanitarian aid to ensure the availability of, and access to, basic commodities for the country's most vulnerable people," it said in a recent brief.

Walking around Sana'a it is easy to find disgruntled people: Fawzia, an Ethiopian-born woman working in a khat market, told IRIN: "Tribes are closing roads. Electricity is always out. Even if you stayed in Yemen 100 years, you wouldn't see a change."

Unemployment

"Structural unemployment is a very real problem in Yemen, because we can't send our workers to the Gulf states, because we don't have the right kind of workers, even for our own businesses," said Ali El Waafi, an economist and former member of parliament.

"There are jobs [in Yemen], but those who are not working cannot do these jobs because they lack training and education. We need two to three years of training in the short term so that we can have competent workers for our own businesses, then we can send them to the Gulf states."

Wilfried Engelke, a senior economist at the World Bank, said the exact level of unemployment was difficult to gauge. Some estimates put it at around 20 percent, and up to 50 percent among the youth. Other studies indicate higher figures, he said.

Mostafa Nasr, an economist at the Studies and Economic Media Centre in Sana'a, suggested that the only jobs being created were ministerial jobs.

Food insecurity

A survey conducted in November and December by aid agencies found that 44 percent of Yemeni households could not buy enough food to feed their families. Since 2009, food insecurity has doubled., according to the European Commission. Furthermore, one in three Yemenis has gone into debt to buy food for their family, according to an April report.

A food security specialist in Sana'a, who preferred anonymity, said the price of staple foods rose 50 percent between January and April 2011 and remained at record highs throughout much of the year. Fuel price rises also hiked food prices.

"Even without increasing food and fuel prices, the depreciating rial would still make the daily household budget stretch less far," said the specialist. A year of high food prices and a depreciated currency would adversely affect food security for the most vulnerable, he added.

A restaurant worker in Sana'a's historic old city, Saeed El Usheri, said increasing fuel prices had reduced profits and many former clients had lost their jobs and could no longer afford to eat out.

"We used to have 30-40 clients here daily. Now we've got 12-15 a day, maybe. It's a drop of 60 percent at least. Customers used to come and buy a whole lunch. Now they just buy a sandwich or something small and go, because that's all they can afford."

El Usheri said his salary of 30,000 rials a month (US$140 dollars) was not enough to cover all his expenses.

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MSF forced to suspend lifesaving medical activities after restrictions imposed on its work

Khartoum 22 May 2012. As a result of increasing restrictions imposed by Sudanese authorities, the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been forced to suspend most of its medical activities in the conflict area of Jebel Si, in Sudan’s North Darfur State. MSF is the sole health provider in the region.

“With the reduction of our activities in Jebel Si, more than 100,000 people in the region are left entirely without healthcare,” says Alberto Cristina, MSF’s operational manager for Sudan.

Over the past year, increasing obstacles have put MSF’s work under threat. No shipments of drugs or medical supplies have been authorised since September 2011, while MSF has encountered growing difficulties obtaining work and travel permits for its staff. Meanwhile, transport options to and from Jebel Si have been slashed.

Without medical supplies or sufficient staff, MSF can no longer provide either outpatient or inpatient consultations, and its vaccination programme has had to close. For women with complicated deliveries, lifesaving caesarean sections are no longer possible. Stocks of mosquito nets and delivery kits for pregnant women have run out, as have nutritional supplies.

With MSF staff no longer able to stabilise critically ill patients, they have no choice but to refer patients to the hospital in El Fasher, eight hours’ drive away. This is particularly hazardous for women with emergency obstetric complications, who have a poor chance of surviving the journey.

MSF is currently only able to provide limited nutritional healthcare, antenatal consultations and health education.

“If we are not allowed to deliver medicines and supplies to our hospital and health posts soon, disease outbreaks are likely to occur, and maternal and perinatal deaths are likely to increase and may even reach emergency levels,” says Cristina.

In the region, levels of maternal mortality are critical, and outbreaks of preventable and treatable diseases such as meningitis and measles are common as well as malnutrition. Over the past two years, MSF treated 1,805 children under the age of five for malnutrition in Kaguro.

MSF began providing medical assistance in the Jebel Si region in 2005, through a single health post, and by 2008 was running a rural hospital in Kaguro and five health posts throughout the region. These are the only health facilities in this area, and serve a permanent population of approximately 100,000 people, as well as about 10,000 seasonal nomads, all of whom are entirely dependent on MSF for healthcare and emergency assistance.

There are no local health services in the region, and no other international organisations providing medical assistance. The nearest Ministry of Health facilities are several hours’ drive away, but insecurity in the area, as well as mountainous terrain and poor roads, makes access extremely difficult.

“MSF is hopeful that the situation can be resolved,” says Alberto Cristina. “The organisation is ready to resume activities once the restrictions to its work are lifted. When medical supplies, logistical equipment and international staff are once again able to reach the region, MSF medical teams are ready to provide lifesaving medical care to the people in Jebel Si.”

MSF calls on the Government of Sudan to grant the necessary support so that it can resume its work and provide vital medical aid to the people of the region.

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.

Fighting late last week between Congolese government forces and renegade troops has forced a new influx of displaced people into southwest Uganda. According to Ugandan district officials a further 13,000-15,000 people have crossed the border over the past few days.

Our staff, accompanied by government officials handling refugees, visited the border town of Bunagana on Friday and found some 6,000-7,000 Congolese camping in the area, using local shelter and open space. They come from villages in North Kivu’s Rutshuru territory. Many had already been displaced by earlier clashes in May.

UNHCR on Friday started to transport people from the border to a transit centre at Nyakabande. We took about 1,000 people on Friday and Saturday, while others made their own way. As of Sunday night, there were 6,163 at Nyakabande where capacity is increasingly stretched. We are providing basic aid.

To ease the congestion at Nyakabande UNHCR is stepping up transportation of those who are willing to go to the Rwamwanja settlement, about 370 kilometres, or an eight hour’s drive, to the north.

On Monday morning, we moved 1,471 people by convoy to Rwamwanja and we plan more convoys on Thursday and Sunday, with each one taking 1,000-1,500 people. But many people wish to stay near the border in the hope that the on-off fighting will end and they can return home.

The recent fighting has also caused displacement inside North Kivu province, with at least 12,000 people registered as internally displaced in Jomba and Bwesa in Rutshuru territory between May 10 and May 15. Most of the displaced are staying with host families or living in school buildings.

In Rwanda, smaller numbers of Congolese continue to cross and make their way to the overstretched Nkamira transit camp, which currently hosts 9,006 people. 107 people went back to Congo over the weekend and we’re keeping an eye on this trend.

Since April 27, when the current wave of clashes between Congolese armed forces and supporters of former rebel commander Bosco Ntaganda broke out, tens of thousands of people have been displaced within North Kivu or to Uganda and Rwanda. Ntaganda joined the armed forces under the 2009 peace deal, but he is sought for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. UNHCR fears further mass displacement unless the rival sides are able to agree on peace.

Amid all this, UNHCR suffered the loss of a cherished colleague, Rocky Makabuza who was shot by assailants at his home in Goma late on Friday and died later. The motives for his killing have not been established. In a statement yesterday High Commissioner Guterres expressed his hope that the matter will be properly investigated and that those responsible will be brought to account.

BAMAKO, 21 May 2012 – UNICEF officials are warning that the crisis in the North of Mali has dramatically increased the risks from diseases such as cholera, measles and polio and could increase maternal and infant deaths.

UNICEF Bamako Health Manager George Fom Ameh says the risks of the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio and measles have increased.

A scheduled polio campaign failed to take place last week in the North, and with people moving across borders, the disease risks being imported from neighbouring countries where there are cases.

More than half of all health facilities have been vandalised and the number of health professionals is down to an estimated 18-27 per cent of previous levels. There is also concern about a lack of skilled care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, increasing the risk of maternal and new-born deaths.

Nicolas Osbert, manager for Water, Health, Sanitation and Hygiene in UNICEF Bamako says a rise in cases of cholera is also likely.

In 2011, 55 people died from more than 1,300 cases in five regions: Gao and Timbuktu in the North; Segou and Mopti in the centre; and Kayes in the West. By far the largest numbers – 1,000 cases – were in the North. Cholera is endemic in the country and with municipal water supplies in the North hit by a scarcity of fuel, UNICEF is preparing for a rise in the numbers of cases.

In 2011 West and Central Africa suffered from one of the largest cholera epidemics in recent years with 105,248 cases in 17 countries and 2,898 deaths.

Cholera prevention measures will be needed for some 500,000 people in Mali in areas at risk. These include increasing the chlorine level in water networks, educating communities, and delivering Water, Health, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) packages.

UNICEF has already distributed supplies of WASH kits – which include soap and household water treatment supplies – for 10,000 people in the regions of Gao, Timbuktu, Segou and Mopti and will preposition additional supplies before the rainy season starts in July. UNICEF is also planning a public education campaign on cholera and will ask for additional resources to deal with this critical issue.

In the South of the country, home to 87 per cent of the children at risk for Severe Acute Malnutrition, UNICEF is delivering ready-to-use therapeutic food. UNICEF continues to support the Ministry of Health in providing medicines and health care for the populations in the South.

UNICEF has appealed for US$33 million for its emergency response in Mali for the next six months, and so far has received just over half of that amount. An additional US$4 million is needed to tackle cholera.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: http://www.unicef.org/

Follow UNICEF Mali on Facebook and Twitter

For further information, please contact:

Rita Ann Wallace, UNICEF New York: + 1 917 213 4034, rwallace@unicef.org. Follow on Twitter: @ritabwunicef

Katarina Johansson Mekoulou, UNICEF Bamako: +223 20 70 91 06 (office) or +223 75 99 36 29, kjohansson@unicef.org. Follow on Twitter: @KJMekoulou

Rachel Warden, UNICEF Bamako: +223 20 70 91 06 (office) or +223 79 45 44 00, rwarden@unicef.org

Colombia must increase its efforts to fight impunity for crimes of sexual violence, a United Nations envoy said today, adding that such efforts should be paired with assistance to survivors and victims.

“I understand that the country as a whole wants to look to the future, instead of dwelling on the past, but there can be no lasting peace without security and peace for women,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, said in a statement at the end of a four-day visit – her first – to the South American country.

“More needs to be done to support these survivors, both in terms of access to justice, assistance and to help them reintegrate into society. Additional resources are required to strengthen the capacity of the judicial system in order to address the issue of sexual violence,” she added.

During her visit, Ms. Wallström met with survivors of sexual violence, representatives of victims associations and Government officials, as well as with the ombudsman and the Inspectors-General of the army and the police.

In addition, she travelled to the city of Villavicencio to visit a site for internally displaced persons and learn about the Government’s reintegration programme for ex-combatants. She also heard testimonies from survivors of sexual violence and met with ex-combatants of the National Liberation Army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and paramilitary forces.

Ms. Wallström welcomed the Government’s resolve to fight impunity for sexual violence crimes perpetrated in the context of conflict.

“Impunity must never be an option,” she said. “I welcome the Vice President’s commitment to a framework for strengthened cooperation between the Government and the UN, for putting survivors and victims of sexual violence at the centre of our efforts to assist them, and to work together in an effort to increase the sharing of information and best practices.”

The Special Representative added that she would continue to monitor the situation and engage with the Government, the UN Country Team, civil society in Colombia and the international community on this issue.

“Justice in Colombia has been delayed for so many, but it must not be denied,” she said.