Secretary-General marks first International Day for Nowruz with call for peace

Celebrating the first-ever United Nations International Day of Nowruz, the spring festival of Persian origin, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to people around the world to draw on the holiday’s rich history to promote peace and goodwill.Last month, the General Assembly voted to recognize Nowruz – which means ‘new day’ in the Farsi language – annually on 21 March, the day of the vernal equinox.

Marking the sun’s crossing of the Equator and the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Nowruz is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide as the beginning ofthe new year.

For more than three millennia, people in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East, among other regions, have observed Nowruz through their own special traditions.

“These rituals, from repainting homes to visiting friends to preparing symbolic meals, are infused with a spirit of renewal and can inspire not only those conducting them but all people,” Mr. Ban said in his message to commemorate the International Day.

21 March 2010

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34145&Cr=ki-moon&Cr1=peace

SKS raises issues for UN and UK, EU and USA Governments in relation to Kurds in Syria

Following the killing of three Kurds, and injuring of forty-one Newroz revellers in the Kurdish area in Syria on 21 March 2010:

SKS calls in the United Nations to

• conduct an enquiry into today’s Newroz events. Read more

Syria Drought Response Plan 2009

Syria has been affected by drought since 2006.  While the 2007-2008 drought was very severe and had a wider geographical reach, the current drought has again affected a population that was already suffering from the impacts of previous drought spells.  According to the Government of Syria and UN assessment missions[1], some 1.3 million inhabitants of eastern Syria have been affected by this disaster, out of which 803,000 have lost almost all of their livelihoods and face extreme hardship.  According to the UN Needs Assessment Mission, up to 80% of those severely affected live on a diet consisting of bread and sugared tea, which only covers on average some 50% of both caloric and protein requirements.  These families are not able to sustain or restore their livelihood without emergency support including food aid, farming inputs, and animal feeds, supplemented by other types of assistance.

One of the most visible effects of the drought is a dramatic increase in the already substantial migration out of the affected areas during the last year, due to loss of livelihoods and lack of income to buy food.  Migration figures range from 40,000 – 60,000 families.  36,000 families have reportedly migrated from Hassakeh Governorate alone. This dramatic move often does not save the families from destitution: even in the areas where they have temporarily settled, migrants still face hardship and poverty.  Communities inhabiting the drought-affected areas suffer from an acute shortage of water as many wells and rivers have dried up.  Poor nutrition, heat, and dust storms have a detrimental effect on their health status.  Very high levels of school drop-outs have been registered in the area, as children have migrated with their families or are required to contribute to the family income by working. Read more

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