The mid-year report on the protection of civilians, produced by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), documented 1,319 civilian deaths and 2,533 injuries – a total of 3,852 civilian casualties – in the first half of 2013.

This marks an increase of 14 per cent in deaths and 28 per cent in injuries over the same period in 2012, the Mission stated in a news release. The increase reverses the decline recorded in 2012, and marks a return to the high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries documented in 2011.

“The violent impact of the conflict on Afghan civilians marked by the return of rising civilian casualties in 2013 demands even greater commitment and further efforts by parties to the conflict to protect civilians who are increasingly being killed and injured in the crossfire,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMA, Ján Kubiš.

“The increase in the indiscriminate use of IEDs and the deliberate targeting of civilians by anti-Government elements is particularly alarming and must stop,” he added.

The second biggest cause of civilian deaths and injuries were “ground engagements” between Afghan security forces and anti-Government elements, which UNAMA said poses an increasing threat to Afghan children, women and men.

“The growing loss of life and injuries to Afghan women and children in 2013 is particularly disturbing,” said UNAMA’s Director of Human Rights, Georgette Gagnon. “Deaths and injuries to women and children increased by 38 per cent in the first half of 2013 reflecting a grim reality of the conflict today in Afghanistan.”

“More than 100,000 people have been killed, and millions of people have either been displaced or become refugees in neighbouring countries. We have to bring this to an end,” Mr. Ban told reporters ahead of closed-door talks between the two officials and a ministerial-level Security Council meeting on Africa’s Great Lakes region, which Mr. Kerry will chair.

“Military and violent actions must be stopped by all the parties and it is thus imperative to have a peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible, as initiated by Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov,” the Secretary-General underscored, adding that he and Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi would spare no effort to convene this meeting as soon as possible.

In May, following talks in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Mr. Kerry, the two countries announced they would work together to achieve a political solution to the Syria crisis, and agreed to convene an international conference aimed at achieving this goal

However, a date for the conference has not yet been set and talks are continuing on the best time for it to be held, who should participate, how it should be structured and some of the questions to be discussed.

“There is no military solution to Syria, there is only a political solution and that will require leadership to bring people to the negotiating table,” Mr. Kerry said, adding that he and Mr. Lavrov remain committed to make the Geneva meeting happen.

As for the private meeting between the two officials, Mr. Ban said he and Mr. Kerry would discuss not just the situation in Syria, but also the situation in the Middle East.

“As we extend our sympathy to the families of the victims, we would say in the strongest possible terms that there can be no justification for the deliberate targeting of children and those looking after them,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Manuel Fontaine.

According to media reports, Islamic militants belonging to the Boko Haram group attacked a boarding school in the north-eastern state of Yobe before dawn on Saturday, killing 29 students and one teacher.

Secondary schools in the state have reportedly now been closed until the start of the new academic term in September to allow state and federal Government officials, as well as community leaders, to work on ways to guarantee the safety of schools.

“UNICEF calls for those responsible to be brought to justice and for communities to demand that schools be considered as places of safety,” it stated in a news release.

The agency noted that, since 16 June, a total of 48 students and seven teachers have reportedly been killed in four attacks in the region.

Leila Zerrougui, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, voiced her deep concern at the recent spike in incidents affecting schools and children in the region and called on the Nigerian Government to investigate these “heinous” crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.

She called on those responsible to refrain from any attacks directed at or in the vicinity of schools, and warned that the killing and maiming of children, as well as attacks on schools, teachers and school children are serious violations of international law.

“Humanitarian workers in Darfur are there to improve the lives of others. They should not have to pay for their noble work with their own blood,” said United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ali Al-Za’tari, in a statement on the events that occurred in South Darfur.

Al-Za’tari expressed the sadness of the UN System and its partners in Sudan over the killing in Nyala of two Sudanese workers from World Vision International. According to the statement, a third World Vision staff member was also critically injured during the fighting between Government forces and an armed group.

He also expressed the same feelings for the human and material losses that afflicted Nyala and its inhabitants as a result to the “horrific events” it has gone through.

Press reports say that the World Vision staffers were critically injured when fighting erupted in heavily populated areas of Nyala city late last week.

“I insist on all parties to this conflict to respect their obligation to protect humanitarian workers and other civilians. I urge the Sudanese Government to launch an investigation and bring the perpetrators of this murder to justice,” said Al-Za’tari.

While expressing his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of those killed and injured “by this heinous act,” Mr. Al-Za’tari underscored: “The events which led to the deaths of our World Vision colleagues – a shoot-out in an urban area of Darfur’s most populated city – highlights the continuing unstable security in this region that threatens to disrupt the flow of the much needed humanitarian assistance, destabilize reconciliation efforts and derail progress towards greater economic and social development.”

“If humanitarian work in Darfur is forced to scale back because of the unsafe and insecure conditions for our staff and partners, then many more people in Darfur will suffer,” he said

Al-Za’tari echoed concerns similar to those expressed last week by Hervé Ladsous, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, as he wrapped up a visit to Darfur.

Speaking to reporters on 4 July in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, Mr. Ladsous noted with concern the recent intensification of conflict in Darfur and its impact on the civilian population. “We have witnessed deterioration in the security situation. More people have been displaced—over 300,000 since the beginning of this year—due mostly to tribal clashes,” the head of UN peacekeeping said.

Ladsous called on all parties to cease hostilities and praised the efforts of the joint African Union-United Nations Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), “who serve in very difficult circumstances, to protect civilians, secure the delivery of aid and support the peace process.”

He further stated that on 3 July, three peacekeepers were injured in an ambush on a UNAMID convoy near Labado, East Darfur. “Attacks on peacekeepers are a crime,” he said, adding that in violation of international humanitarian law, a UNAMID ambulance was fired upon by the unidentified armed group that had mounted the ambush.

Condemning the incident and noting the peacekeepers’ robust response to the attack, Mr. Ladsous stressed that the perpetrators of the incident must be apprehended and prosecuted.

“I join the government and the people of Somalia in condemning these senseless acts of terror,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, said in the statement from the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).

“My thoughts are with families and friends of those killed and injured,” Mr. Mahiga added.

Initial reports indicate that many innocent civilians were killed including women and at least one child, according to UNPOS. Many more were injured in the blasts, which occurred in multiple locations, including at the Regional Court House.

Media sources reported that the assault on the court house consisted of a car bomb explosion and armed attackers who stormed the compound. Witnesses said people rushed to exit the building, some by climbing down ladders leaning against the court house walls.

The Al-Shabaab, an Islamist armed group reportedly linked to Al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility.

Mr. Mahiga was “shocked and outraged” by today’s attacks, UNPOS said, stressed that Somalia is making remarkable progress toward stabilization and these great strides “will not be overshadowed by the desperate acts of these cowardly terrorists.”

“The international community will continue to support the Federal government in their efforts to ensure a safe and secure Somalia for all its citizens,” Mahiga stressed.

Somalia marked a historic political watershed last August when it swore-in the first formal parliament and ended a so-called “transition” phase which had begun with the 2004 launch of a UN-backed interim government. The previous functioning government ended in 1991 with the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The Secretary-General established UNPOS on 15 April 1995, to help advance the cause of peace and reconciliation through contacts with Somali leaders, civic organisations and the states and organisations concerned.

The report, which is the result of investigations carried out by the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC, found that in 54 civilians died in detention centres in 2010, and 56 in 2011. By comparison, 101 deaths were recorded in 2012.

Out of the 101 deaths, 24 were caused by torture or ill-treatment, a finding that the report describes as “extremely worrying,” according to a news release. The other deaths were caused by the poor conditions in the centres, including overcrowding, malnutrition, limited access to health care and lack of resources.

“Someone deprived of their liberty, should never be allowed to die of hunger or ill-treatment,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. “It is the responsibility of the State to keep prisoners alive and in good health, in accordance with international standards. The very serious and persistent problems surrounding detention conditions in the DRC need to be addressed without further delay.”

While recognizing the direct impact that the lack of resources and equipment in the penitentiary services has on the number of deaths in detention, the report placed much of the blame on the rampant corruption and lack of transparency affecting the management of prisons in the DRC.

The Special Representative of the Secretary General, Roger Meece, said the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the country (MONUSCO) would welcome practical measures taken by the Government to remedy the situation, including the suspension of high-ranking officials suspected of corruption.

“The international community should support the Government’s efforts to reform the prison system and improve conditions of detention,” Mr. Meece said.

The report reminds the Government of its obligations to protect and take care of people in detention, and points out that it is the State’s responsibility to ensure that their basic needs are satisfied, particularly those that, if neglected, might result in loss of life.

The attacks, which took place last Friday – one in the capital, Kabul, outside of the premises of the Ministry of Defense, and the other in the south-eastern province of Khost, targeting an Afghan National Police foot patrol – resulted in the high number of civilian casualties, with minimal impact on their purported military targets, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a news statement.

UNAMA also renewed its call for all anti-government elements to stop the use of improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks against civilians or in public locations frequented primarily by civilians.

“In particular, UNAMA notes that the indiscriminate use of such tactics, which fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, is a violation of international humanitarian law,” the UN mission stated, in addition to offering its condolences to the families of the victims killed in the attacks, and wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded.

UNAMA was established by the Security Council in 2002 at the request of the Government of Afghanistan to assist with the laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development in the country.

Since April 2012, 60 victims of explosive remnants of war have been reported – 53 people injured, including 38 children and 15 adults, and 7 people killed, including 5 children and 2 adults, UNICEF said in a press release.

“The danger is now at every corner in communities from central and northern Mali where heavy fighting took place,” said Françoise Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Mali.

“Explosions can happen anywhere and anytime – when children are on their way to school or when a woman goes to the market. Our teams on the ground report charred remains of war vehicles and a lot of abandoned ammunition.”

Nineteen-year-old Amadou lost a finger on his left hand when he threw a stone on an apparent toy children were playing with in his courtyard. “When I woke up, there was blood everywhere. My two brothers, 4 and 16, were injured. My niece died. She was only 18 months old. I feel sad and guilty.”

To better inform civilians about the dangers of potential explosives, UNICEF-supported partners have held public events over the past five months in schools, markets and workplaces that have raised the awareness of an estimated 27,000 people.

The agency has used national and community-based radio stations to disseminate life-saving messages in five languages, and produced posters and other materials using Malian artists.

“We are not always with adults,” said 13-year-old Adidiatou, after attending a UNICEF-sponsored educational session. “If children don’t know, they may pick up a grenade or another explosive thing as if it was a toy. They may not realize it can hurt.”

Unexploded ordinance – including unexploded and abandoned ammunition such as artillery shells, mortars, rockets, grenades, bullets and aircraft bombs – is believed to be linked to the recent armed conflict. There is also historic landmine contamination closer to the border with Algeria predating the recent French intervention, according to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

Fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels broke out in northern Mali last January, after which radical Islamists seized control of the area. The conflict uprooted thousands of people and prompted the Malian Government to request military assistance from France to stop the progression of extremist groups.

UNMAS is wrapping up a five-week training programme on clearing landmines and unexploded ordinance for 30 members of the Malian Security and Defense Forces (MDSF), Police, Gendarmerie, Garde Nationale du Mali and national civilian protection office.

“A day without news may seem unthinkable in this connected and globalized world. Yet every day, the voices of the news are being silenced,” the Secretary-General said.

A journalist is killed every week, and 9 out of 10 of those cases go unpunished, Mr. Ban noted.

The head of the UN agency mandated to promote and protect freedom of expression and press freedom, Irina Bokova, condemned a record 121 killings of journalists, media workers and citizen reporters last year.

As part of an effort to combat this violence, the Paris-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

The goal, Mr. Ban said, is simple: “to ensure that every journalist can do her or his job safely.”

Every year on 3 May, the UN marks World Press Freedom Day – an opportunity to speak out for the safety of journalists, and for combating impunity, in the real and digital worlds.

The Secretary-General’s video is hosted on adaywithoutnews.com. According to the site, the ‘Day Without News’ campaign originated during a panel discussion with journalists at UN Headquarters, and aims to raise awareness of the hostile and dangerous conditions that many reporters and photographers work under around the world.

The Day is marked symbolically on 22 February – the anniversary of the 2012 killings of The Sunday Times correspondent, Marie Colvin, and freelance photographer, Remi Ochlik, in Homs, Syria. According to reports, no one has been held accountable for their deaths.

Yves Debay, a French journalist reporting for the magazine Assaut, was shot by a sniper in Aleppo on 17 January. Mohamed Al-Messalma, a Syrian journalist also known as Mohamed Al-Horani, was killed the next day while covering fighting in Bousra Al-Harir, a suburb of the southern city of Deraa. He worked for Al-Jazeera.

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its concern about the deteriorating security conditions for reporters in Syria. “Journalists are being targeted with increasing frequency and the rate of deliberate killings is accelerating dangerously,” the media freedom organization said.

Debay was a former soldier who created two magazines specialized in military matters, Raids in 1986 and Assaut in 2005.

Al-Jazeera said Al-Horani was killed by a regular army sniper. Aged 33, he had worked for the Qatar-based TV news channel for more than a year. He had previously been an anti-government activist.

According to the Reporters Without Borders tally, at least 21 journalists and 49 citizen-journalists have been killed in connection with their reporting in Syria since the start of the uprising and the ensuing crackdown in March 2011.

Reporters Without Borders is also concerned about Mosaab Al-Hamadi, the Syria correspondent of Al-Arabiyya, Sky News Arabic and other TV stations, who is being held by an opposition group.