Politics
THE United Nations has called on the Federal, State and Local Governments to continue its efforts at protecting lives of citizens and humanitarian workers.
The call came in the wake of the growing insecurity of aid workers across the globe as the World marked the 2020 Humanitarian Day.
Ms Chansa Kapaya, Country Representative, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that safety of aid workers was important for their work to be effective.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Humanitarian Day (WHD), is held every year on Aug. 19, to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service.
The Day is also to rally support for people affected by crises around the world and the 2020 celebration has as its theme: #RealLifeHeroes.
Kapaya acknowledged that the Federal and state governments were very committed to the protection of aid workers and urged them not to relent in their efforts to keep them safe.
“I think the Federal Government and state governments are very committed with respect to their responsibilities.
“So I think I will urge the government authorities to continue being committed and continue to do whatever they can to protect aid workers and humanitarian aid workers.
“I think the resources they have available to do this they should use to the full extent because the recent abduction and execution of the five aid workers were disturbing.
“It was something to grouse about; it was a cowardly act actually and against all international legal frameworks and international laws.
“As you know, even in the North East, the military is there to try to protect the civilians, protect the humanitarian workers.
“So, my call and urge is really upon the federal government, the state governments to continue to do what they are doing and I know they are trying their level best.
“It is a very challenging situation that we have to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers and the civilians that have paid the brunt of this senseless insurgency,” she said.
The UNHCR Representative expressed hope that someday, UN’s humanitarian intervention in the North East would come to an end, noting that it was not the plan of the UN to continue its intervention forever.
According to the Country Representative, she hopes that a time will come when the insurgency and other root causes of displacements will have to be over and people will return to their homes and their businesses.
“We hope that we are not going to be there forever and as the United Nations will prefer to go in and be as shortest time as possible and hope that crises will end.
“And of course if there are other crises around the world they (UN) move to that.
“So, I think that for us in our hope for the long term, and in that regard, what we look forward to are solutions, solutions to these forced displacement situations, solutions to even the insurgency that is going on in the Lake Chad basin and the Sahel.
“Our hope is that through the discussions, and peace negotiations, that sooner than later the insurgency will stop so that people can go back to their homes, areas of origins or their communities.
“Unless the violence stops, the insurgency stops, there is no end because people cannot go back to their communities, they cannot live in peace because without peace there is no end,” she said. (NAN)
– Aug. 19, 2020 @ 17:45 GMT |
Tags: hopes for peace in N/East UN tasks Nigeria on protection of aid workers
