SG’s visit to Slovenia; UNSMIS; ICJ; Palestinian children detainees; East Darfur; Somalia

SG’s visit to Slovenia: Slovenia has much to offer to Europe, the world and the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he addressed its Parliament, highlighting the contributions of this “small but crucially important” country.

“I am confident that Slovenia is a natural partner of the United Nations, and that our ties will grow stronger and stronger in the future,” Mr. Ban said in the address delivered in the capital, Ljubljana, the first stop on a visit to all parts of the former Yugoslavia.

UNSMIS: The Security Council today renewed the mandate of United Nations observers tasked with monitoring the cessation of violence in Syria and the full implementation of the international peace plan put forward to end the ongoing crisis.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council extended the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) for a final period of 30 days,“taking into consideration Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendations to reconfigure the Mission, and taking into consideration the operational implications of the increasingly dangerous security situation in Syria.”

The Secretary-General was requested to report to the Council on the implementation of the resolution, Resolution 2059 (2012), within 15 days.

International Court of Justice: The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled today that Senegal must either prosecute former Chadian President Hissène Habré for war crimes or extradite him “without further delay.”

The decision by the Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, is in response to a request by Belgium to prosecute Mr. Habré, who has been accused in a Senegalese court of massive human rights abuses committed by his regime during the 1980s.

Palestinian children detainees: A United Nations independent human rights expert today condemned Israel’s use of solitary confinement against Palestinian children, and urged the Israeli Government to treat such detainees in accordance with international human rights laws.

“Israel’s use of solitary confinement against children flagrantly violates international human rights standards,” the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, said in a news release.

East Darfur: Peacekeepers of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) proceeded to Abu Jabra in East Darfur on Thursday after receiving reports of fatal clashes between groups of Rezeigat and Misseriya. The fighting is understood to have been triggered by a dispute over land and grazing rights.

The Mission transported local authorities and tribal leaders to the area to hold discussions with the communities and ease tensions.

UNAMID is continuing to monitor the situation closely and work with local authorities and traditional community leaders to promote reconciliation

Somalia: In spite of the progress made one year after the declaration of famine in parts of southern Somalia, some 3.8 million people there are still in need of assistance, the United Nations said today, appealing to countries to provide funding for humanitarian aid to.

On 20 July 2011, famine was declared in southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle, after the regions were hit by one of the worst droughts in decades. A month later, the famine spread to four more regions in the country, including the capital, Mogadishu.