Saudi Arabia: Ban calls fighting terrorism with heavy-handed tactics counter-productive
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Speaking in a region that has been torn apart by violent extremism, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Arab and South America leaders in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that heavy-handed tactics in fighting terrorism only add fuel to the fire.
UN envoy commends South Sudanese opposition commanders' plan to prevent rape
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:13 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict on Tuesday commended 54 ranking members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) for signing "explicit undertakings' to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.
Ban stresses empowering youth to lead global progress
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday commemorated the fifth anniversary of the UN Academic Impact and lauded the contributions made by the initiative in providing the world with ideas for some of its most pressing problems.
Murder of two Syrian citizen journalists condemned by UNESCO chief
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:25 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday condemned the killing of two Syrian citizen journalists, found dead a little over a week ago in the city of Sanliurfa, in the southeast of Turkey.
Helsinki innovators' summit seeks to help make children a part of the solution: UNICEF
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): More than 500 leading thinkers from the technological, academic, corporate, development and humanitarian world are convening today in Helsinki, Finland, for a summit co-organized by the Finnish Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to explore new technologies to improve life for the world’s most vulnerable children.
Flooding in Baghdad, emergency response hurt by lagging funds: UN relief wing
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Torrential downpours have caused flooding in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, prompting a state of emergency to be declared in areas overwhelmed by heavy rains, with more than 80,000 displaced people sheltering in some 40 sites and camps, according to the latest update from the United Nations humanitarian wing.
UN refugee agency delivers aid to eastern Ukraine for first time in months
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency has managed to deliver aid for the first time in over two months to areas of eastern Ukraine beyond Government control where two million people are in urgent need of assistance, reaching 12,000 people – a "small drop in the ocean of needs" – with plans to expand greatly as the harsh winter sets in.
Greenhouse gas concentrations hit yet another record: UN weather agency
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:17 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on Monday that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached yet another new record high in 2014, continuing a relentless rise which is fuelling climate change and will make the planet more dangerous and inhospitable for future generations.
Security Council enhances role of UN support office in Somalia
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Security Council on Monday approved a successor operation to the six-year-old United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission to Somalia, known as UNSOA, underlining the role of the new entity to close gaps in UNSOA's ability to deliver and to "consolidate and prioritize its efforts in line with the [Council’s] strategic objectives in the country."
UN chief congratulates people of Myanmar on participating in polls
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:13 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of Myanmar for "their patience, dignity and enthusiasm" in historic elections and has encouraged all stakeholders "to maintain the dignified spirit, calm and respect throughout the completion of the electoral process."
DR Congo: Security Council calls for total neutralization of foreign, local armed groups
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:11 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Monday called for the elimination of local and foreign armed groups which have for decades devastated the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and urged the immediate resumption of joint operations between the UN peacekeeping force’s Intervention Brigade and the national army.
South Sudan: UN relief wing warns of 80 per cent increase in food insecurity
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:09 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): South Sudan remains engulfed in a spiral of violence – with clashes in southern and central Unity state having "intensified with grave consequences for civilians" – leaving at-risk populations food insecure and vulnerable to diseases, the United Nations humanitarian wing has warned, announcing that relief organizations on the ground are boosting efforts there despite access challenges and lagging funding.
Ban appoints veteran UN senior leader Benomar as his Special Adviser
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:07 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the appointment of Jamal Benomar of the United Kingdom as his Special Adviser, at the level of Under-Secretary-General.
Burundi experiencing political crisis with hundreds dead since April: Security Council
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Senior United Nations officials on Monday warned the UN Security Council that Burundi is at a critical juncture, experiencing a deep political crisis and rapidly escalating violence with serious implications for the country’s stability and ethnic harmony, as bodies are regularly dumped in the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, and thousands of people flee the bloodshed.
Two years after super typhoon in Philippines, UNICEF lauds recovery efforts
Nov 09, 2015, at 01:29 pm
New York, Nov 9 (Just Earth News/IBNS): On the second anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has commended the significant progress made in recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the Philippines, but remains concerned about the unmet needs of children and their families, some still living in temporary housing.
Climate-smart development can keep 100 million people out of poverty: World Bank
Nov 09, 2015, at 01:26 pm
New York, Nov 9 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Without inclusive and climate-smart development, alongside efforts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions that protect the poor, agricultural shocks, natural disasters and the spread of diseases could push more than 100 million additional people into poverty by 2030, the World Bank warns in a new report released just weeks ahead of a major United Nations climate conference in Paris.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham's Fund helps children in New Guinea
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:34 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): International football icon and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham met children receiving treatment for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported hospital in Papua New Guinea.
WHO scales up coordination for effects of El Niño expected worldwide
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:32 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Deeply concerned about potential deaths, illness, malnutrition and psychosocial effects brought by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, the strongest in nearly two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) is ramping up its efforts with regional offices and partners to guide countries on El Niño preparedness and timely response to curb its health risks.
Amid fears of cholera outbreak in Iraq, UN agencies support government-led response
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:31 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): With the cholera spreading further in Iraq, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which is providing assistance Iraqi health authorities, has on Friday urged accelerated action to shield communities and families from the outbreak, which has already infected more than 2,000 people across the country.
Yemen: UN agency provides emergency relief items to people displaced by Cyclone
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:29 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicated on Friday that prior to tropical cyclone Chapala making landfall on Yemen last Tuesday, the agency had moved 1,000 tents and 3,000 non-food items kits into a number of governorates to support people in affected areas.
Boats packed with new arrivals continue to land in Greek Islands: UNHCR
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:26 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Despite a four-day shipping strike that affected refugees, migrants and host communities, the United Nations refugee agency has continued its work in the Greek Islands, where an estimated 20,000 refugees and migrants are currently staying, placing considerable strain on the limited reception facilities of several islands.
Burundi: UN officials call for end to killings, start of inclusive national dialogue
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:23 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Alarmed that bodies of dead civilians are turning up on a "regular" basis in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, and in the wake of the killing of the son of a prominent human rights defender, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Friday called for an end to the killings and widespread impunity that has characterized the recent violence.
National climate targets signal momentum for climate agreement in Paris: UN report
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:19 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Implementation of the national climate plans prepared by countries ahead of the Paris climate meeting will limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, but a new climate agreement can encourage further action that will be necessary to limit global temperature rise to 2 degree Celsius by 2100, according to a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
Green Climate Fund approves first eight investments to combat climate change
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:16 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Meeting ahead of the United Nations climate conference in Paris, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board, announced on Friday that it approved $168 million of its funding for projects and programmes worth $624 million, marking the end of its launch phase and kick-starting the flow of climate finance to developing countries.
UN rights expert urges reform of oppressive media governance in Belarus
Nov 07, 2015, at 03:15 pm
New York, Nov 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS): In a report to the General Assembly, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus called on the country to start reforming its laws and practices that have for two decades stifled its citizens' right to freedom of expression.
Adverse weather pushes global food prices up by 3.9 per cent in October: FAO
Nov 06, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): Weather-driven concerns about sugar and palm oil supplies have led to price increase of major food commodities in October, said Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday.
Funds needed to cope with 5,000 daily refugee arrivals as winter hits Europe: UNHCR
Nov 06, 2015, at 02:06 pm
New York, Nov 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday appealed to donors for more than $95 million to make sure emergency shelters are equipped with heating and ensure other measures are in place to protect from the harsh winter weather the unrelenting flow of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece and travelling through the Balkan countries.
Somalia: UN-supported toll-free hotline aims to help tackle gender-based violence
Nov 06, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Nov 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): A United Nations-backed toll free hotline has been launched for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia to tackle sexual violence by enhancing timely response to abuse cases and offering information on accessible health services.
Political progress in Libya to end impunity for atrocity crimes: ICC Prosecutor
Nov 06, 2015, at 01:56 pm
New York, Nov 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): After a "seemingly endless cycle of violence," Libya’s incessant conflict and political division may soon come to an end, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, noting that significant progress is being made towards achieving the goal of peace and stability in the country.
UN envoy welcomes commitment by rebel group in Colombia to end child recruitment
Nov 06, 2015, at 01:55 pm
New York, Nov 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui today welcomed as "an important step" the commitment by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) to stop the recruitment and use of children.