The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is re-locating about 600 international following last week's brazen attack on a UN compound which killed five international UN workers. From the UN News Center:

“Effective immediately, the United Nations is taking additional steps to reduce risks to its national and international staff serving in Afghanistan. This is in light of the 28 October attack against UN staff in Kabul as well as further ongoing threats,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.

“Although details of the new measures can not be made public, it is expected that they will involve short-term relocation for some staff while additional security is being put in place,” the statement added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the guest house in Kabul, where 34 UN staffers were staying.

The UN has some 6,000 people working across the country, including 1,100 international staff.

The Washington Post has more.   I would just add that this move makes sense given the fact that the UN itself has become a preferred target of insurgents in the Af/Pak conflict. Beyond Afghanistam, 11 UN workers have been killed in Pakistan this year, including five people killed in a suicide attack against a World Food Program office in Pakistan last month.  It has become very hard, if not impossible, for the UN to do its job in the region. 

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak was deported from the airport in Harare yesterday.  Prime Minister (and Robert Mugabe's top political rival) Morgan Tsvangirai invited Nowak to his office in Harare yesterday. But upon arriving at the airport, Nowak was detained by immigration officials and forced on the next plane back to South Africa. 

Here is the story, as told from Nowak's point of view:

Mr. Nowak was invited by the Minister of Justice of Zimbabwe, Mr. Chinamasa, to conduct a fact-finding mission to the country from 28 October to 4 November 2009. While in transit in Johannesburg on 27 October, he was informed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mumbengegwi, had decided on 26 October to postpone the mission.

 Waiting in Johannesburg, the Special Rapporteur was informed by letter dated 27 October, that the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, wished to meet him in his office in Harare on 29 October at 10:00 a.m. He was also informed that he would be picked up at Harare Airport by an official of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Consequently, the Special Rapporteur flew to Harare in the evening of 28 October 2009, to meet the Prime Minister and to discuss with different members of the Government how best to conduct the mission under the changed circumstances.

 Upon arrival at Harare Airport at 9:20 p.m. on 28 October, the Special Rapporteur and his team were not met by a Protocol Officer, but by the Head of Airport Immigration, Mr. Nabika. Although the Special Rapporteur and his assistants had valid visas, Mr. Nowak was told that his entry was not cleared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and that, in the absence of such clearance, he would have to fly back to Johannesburg the next morning. He spent the night at the airport and was sent back on the first flight to Johannesburg on 29 October at 7:20 a.m. All efforts by the United Nations, the Prime Minister, his Secretary, and both Co-Ministers of Home Affairs to facilitate Mr. Nowak’s entry proved unsuccessful. A high level delegation sent by the Prime Minister to go to the airport was even denied access and told that the Special Rapporteur was no longer held at the airport.

 The Special Rapporteur strongly protests against such treatment by the various authorities of the Government of Zimbabwe. He urges the Government to fully investigate this incident and to clarify who bears responsibility for the denial of his access to the country. He will report about these experiences to the Human Rights Council.¨

The office of the coordinator of humanitarian affairs is asking for $74 million dollars to provide humanitarian releif to the Philippenes in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana.  John Holmes, the UN's top humanitarian official, said the typhoon killed almost 300 people and badly damaged or destroyed almost 40,000 houses.  300,000 people still live in emergency evacuation centers.    From the UN News Center:

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 16,000 houses were destroyed by the storm and subsequent flooding, while a further 23,000 were partially damaged.

Some 400,000 people are living in emergency shelters around the hard-hit capital, Manila, 80 per cent of which is inundated, and many people expected to return to their homes once the water has receded.

To jumpstart the appeal, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said today that he has allocated $7 million for the Philippines emergency from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), set up to finance sudden-onset or under-funded crises.

The $74 million flash appeal, he said, is the largest ever for the Philippines, which is “no stranger to disasters and certainly to floods.”

It was developed in partnership with the Philippines National Disaster Management Agency, and appealing organizations include UN agencies, along with the Philippines National Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and others.

After one month when there is a clearer picture of humanitarian needs, the flash appeal will be revised.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is asking for $26 million as part of the larger $74 million appeal to fund its three-month emergency operation, already under way, to support the Government’s efforts by providing rice, beans and other food in the worst-hit areas of Manila and surrounding areas. The agency is also giving logistical support to allow humanitarian agencies to access remote areas.