May52017
Text of PM’s Opening Remarks at the Video Conference with Heads of Government from South Asian Nations, to mark the launch of the South Asia Satellite
May52017
The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on successful launch of GSLV-F09 carrying South Asia Geostationary Communication Satellite (GSAT-9).
May52017
5 May 2017 – Four international humanitarian organizations have temporarily suspended activities in northern Central African Republic (CAR) after dozens of attacks on aid workers in the region, the United Nations humanitarian office today said.
During the first quarter of the year, 33 incidents targeting humanitarians were recorded across the country, placing CAR “among the high-risk countries for humanitarian aid,” according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Sixteen of those attacks were in the northern prefecture of Ouham, and were reported since March.
The senior UN humanitarian official in the country strongly condemned the attacks, reminding that half of the population – about 2.2 million people – depends on aid. Provision of basic services has been hampered by decades of instability, the latest following the ouster of President François Bozizé by the Séléka rebel coalition in March 2013.
“Suspending this aid would jeopardize social stability and threaten the fragile resilience of the communities,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator, ai, Michel Yao.
“This withdrawal constitutes a setback in humanitarian access for the Central African Republic, as it places in the disarray of people who have already repeatedly suffered violence and have experienced successive displacements.”
The staff from the four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will redeploy to the capital, Bangui, while other aid organization plan to “strictly reduce” their presence and possibly withdraw if the attacks persist, according to OCHA.
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today called for increased support to the more than 1 million children threatened by violence, in what a senior UNICEF official called a “forgotten crisis.”
The situation for children inside the country is “calamitous as violence and widespread displacement have made children especially vulnerable to health risks, exploitation and abuse,” the UN agency reported.
“We cannot allow the Central African Republic to become a forgotten crisis,” said Christine Muhigana, UNICEF Representative in the Central African Republic. “The reality is that without sufficient support we will not be able to provide the vital services that are needed to keep children healthy, safe and in school.”
The UN agency is facing a $32.6 million funding gap in its work in the country.
May52017
The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir visited Chhattisgarh yesterday to review the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) situation in the state. During his visit, the MoS visited injured constables of CRPF and Maharashtra Police in Raipur who got injured in the Operations with Maoists.
May52017
On 1-5 May 2017 the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE, Minister of State for the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and the UN, visited Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Venezuela for the first time.
While in Trinidad & Tobago, Baroness Anelay met President Carmona, where she discussed bilateral relations and Commonwealth affairs. The Minister also met the Minister of Foreign and Caribbean Community Affairs, the Attorney General and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister to discuss corruption and UK support for criminal justice reform in Trinidad & Tobago.
Baroness Anelay, who is also responsible for the UK’s international policy on human rights and gender issues, met the Director for Gender and Child Affairs and local NGOs to discuss current work on these issues in Trinidad & Tobago.
Baroness Anelay then travelled to Guyana to meet with President Granger and members of the Cabinet; the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, Irwin LaRoque; members of the Private Sector Commission and a number of NGOs. Guyana and the UK have worked closely to tackle corruption, violence, and the infiltration of narcotics and people traffickers from across Guyana’s borders.
On the last part of the visit in Venezuela, an FCO Human Rights Priority Country, the Minister explored joint programmes on human rights, energy, climate change, and education and cultural co-operation. She met government Ministers to discuss bilateral relations, human rights, climate change and energy. In these meetings the Minister also expressed her concern about the ongoing political situation and unrest in Venezuela. Baroness Anelay also met Venezuelan human rights defenders, to review important UK projects in capacity building and gender equality.