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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Damage to property and infrastructure caused by fighting between Government troops and militants is estimated at 95 per cent in some areas of Yemen.

The international community must deliver on its pledges to step up humanitarian aid and assistance to the millions suffering in the crisis in Iraq and Syria, MEPs urged in a resolution voted on Thursday. They also called on the EU to consider convening a donor conference and stressed the need for a political transition in Syria and an inclusive government in Iraq to cut the ground from under the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh).

Top (from left): Christos Stylianides, Elmar Brok and Victor Boştinaru. Middle: Charles Tannock, Marietje Schaake and Javier Couso Permuy. Bottom: Alyn Smith, James Carver and Marie-Christine Arnautu

To protect the EU against terrorist attacks and yet safeguard citizens’ rights, MEPs advocate de-radicalisation programmes, stepping up checks at Schengen area external borders, and better information exchange among EU member states, in a resolution voted on Wednesday. They urge member states to make faster progress on the Data Protection Package, so that talks could proceed in parallel with those on an EU Passenger Name Record proposal and thus deliver a full set of EU data protection rules.

A group of boys displaced by violence in South Sudan, playing in a UNICEF-supported child friendly space.

EU must put every effort into helping to end the war in eastern Ukraine, say MEPs

Russia must acknowledge it is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine and the interna-tional law must be restored, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs told Alexey Pushkov, Chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs on Monday evening. In the debate, they also questioned Mr Pushkov on why his country has not respected its obligations under the September Minsk protocol.

UNICEF and partners are overseeing the release of another 300 children from an armed group in South Sudan.

The Government of Hungary and UNICEF announced that they have agreed in principle to establish UNICEF’s first-ever Global Shared Services Centre in Budapest on 10 February. The new centre will conduct a broad range of UNICEF’s financial and human resources operations worldwide, enabling the children’s organization to realize greater efficiencies and cost savings.