Success of Indigenous Peoples World Conference 'integral to humanity's progress'-Ban
Sep 23, 2014, at 05:21 pm
New York, Sept 23 (IBNS) Opening on Monday the first-ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that deliberations and decisions made during the two-day event will reverberate across the world, with concrete impacts on the lives of millions.
PLA must have absolute faith in Communist Party of China: Jinping
Sep 23, 2014, at 05:14 pm
Beijing, Sep 23 (IBNS): Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded “absolute loyalty†from People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s top brass, media reports said.
Yemen: Ban welcomes signing of UN-brokered agreement as step towards peace, stability
Sep 23, 2014, at 05:07 pm
New York, Sept 23(IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for the implementation “in full, without delay†of a newly-agreed peace deal in Yemen which strives to end violence that has killed and displaced hundreds of people in recent weeks.
Turkish hostages held by IS released
Sep 21, 2014, at 02:52 am
Istanbul, Sept 20 (IBNS): After three months of captivity, several Turkish hostages, who were abducted by Islamist militants form northern Iraq, were released on Saturday, media reports said.
In presidential statement, Security Council condemns attacks against UN Golan force
Sep 20, 2014, at 05:39 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS)Condemning recent hostile acts against United Nations peacekeepers in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) area of operations, the Security Council on Friday demanded that all groups other than UNDOF must abandon all Force positions and the Quneitra crossing point, and return the peacekeepers’ vehicles, weapons and other equipment.
Iraq: Security Council urges international support for Government’s combat against insurgents
Sep 20, 2014, at 05:12 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) The Security Council on Friday strongly condemned attacks by terrorist organizations including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and urged Member States to assist the Iraqi Government’s efforts to combat militants and implement its new political agenda, while the United Nations envoy to the country briefed on the latest developments.
UN human rights office welcomes conditional release of Bahraini rights defender
Sep 20, 2014, at 04:58 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) The United Nations Human Rights Office on Friday welcomed the conditional release of Bahraini human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja, who had been in detention since her arrest at Manama airport on 30 August.
Ukraine: UN political chief says adverse security conditions hampering full access to crash site
Sep 20, 2014, at 04:44 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) Two months after the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine that killed 298 people on board, the top United Nations political official updated the Security Council on developments related to the investigation of the incident.
Mali: Security Council, Ban condemn attack that killed five UN peacekeepers
Sep 20, 2014, at 04:39 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) The Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned in the strongest terms on Thursday ’s attack by an explosive device on a road in Mali, in which five Chadian peacekeepers were killed and three other peacekeepers were severely injured.
Sinking of Mediterranean migrant boat amounts to 'mass murder' - UN rights chief
Sep 20, 2014, at 04:26 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) The UN's top human rights official on Friday urged Egypt and other North African and European States to help bring to justice the people smugglers who allegedly deliberately sank a boat causing the deaths of hundreds of refugees and migrants in last week's "truly horrendous incident" in the Mediterranean.
Marking International Day, UN affirms people's right to 'imagine' world at peace
Sep 20, 2014, at 04:17 pm
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) With John Lennon's iconic song "Imagine" as the backdrop, the United Nations on Friday marked the International Day of Peace underscoring that all people have the right to peace.
Alex Salmond to resign as Scottish First Minister
Sep 20, 2014, at 02:54 am
Edinburgh , Sept 19 (IBNS) As Scotland rejected vote for independence from United Kingdom, Alex Salmond is to step down as first minister of the country.
Life-saving food aid in jeopardy for millions of Syrians, warns UN agency
Sep 19, 2014, at 09:15 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday warned that it is running out of funds to provide food for almost 6 million Syrians receiving its life-saving assistance.
Hundreds of Yemeni families in need of aid, UN humanitarian office warns
Sep 19, 2014, at 09:02 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) Clashes were on Thursday reported in Marib, Yemen, where United Nations humanitarian partners estimate that about 300 families are displaced and cut off from aid.
Gaps in commitments by developed countries hamper progress on MDGs-UN
Sep 19, 2014, at 08:55 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) Despite improvements in the lives of millions of people around the world, the United Nations on Thursday reported that persistent gaps between promises made and those delivered by developed countries are holding back greater progress on reaching the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by the end of 2015.
In Uruguay, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson urges women's political participation
Sep 19, 2014, at 08:44 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) On her first country visit as UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador, acclaimed British actor Emma Watson in Uruguay highlighted the need for women's political participation as the country gears up for elections with a first-ever national quota law guaranteeing 30 per cent women’s representation.
Some 22 million displaced by natural disasters in 2013, UN-backed report reveals
Sep 18, 2014, at 03:19 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS) A new United Nations-backed report launched on Wednesday reveals that 22 million people worldwide were displaced in 2013 by disasters sparked largely by earthquakes or climate- and weather-related events – almost three times more than by conflict in the same year.
UN envoy meets with Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot leaders
Sep 18, 2014, at 03:17 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS) The United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide on Wednesday met on Wednesday with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, who reaffirmed their commitment to lead negotiations through a win-win approach and reach a settlement soon.
Voices of indigenous peoples must be heard on issues affecting them, UN rights body told
Sep 18, 2014, at 03:17 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS) The voices of indigenous peoples must be effectively heard and they must be consulted on issues that affect them, including rights to land and resources, the United Nations Human Rights Council heard on Wednesday.
Citing 'official obstruction,' UN body dealing with torture suspends Azerbaijan visit
Sep 18, 2014, at 03:16 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights body on Wednesday announced that it has decided to suspend its visit to Azerbaijan due to obstructions it encountered in carrying out its mandate under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, to which the south Caucasus country is a party.
UN deputy envoy welcomes reconciliation conference in southern Somalia
Sep 18, 2014, at 03:15 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS) A senior United Nations official on Wednesday welcomed the opening of the Kismayo reconciliation conference in the southern Somali port town as a step towards strengthening the country and consolidating peace in the region.
Rajnath to attend SAARC Home Ministers' meet in Kathmandu
Sep 17, 2014, at 07:24 pm
New Delhi, Sept 17 (IBNS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be attending the Sixth Meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Ministers of Interior / Home to be held in Nepal on September 19.
Forced displacement in Somalia shows '‘no signs of easing,' UN agency warns
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:02 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS) Alarming circumstances such as forced evictions, drought, conflict and lack of livelihood have forced over 130,000 people from their homes in Somalia so far this year, with the majority being internally displaced, warned the United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday.
Middle East: UN envoy announces deal on reconstruction in Gaza
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:02 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS) With the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire holding in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations has reached agreement with Israel and Palestinian Authority on a new reconstruction mechanism for the enclave as "an important step" in the right direction to kick start recovery and rehabilitation and give hope to the people there, a senior UN envoy announced on Tuesday.
Post-2015 development agenda takes centre stage as General Assembly's 69th session opens
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:01 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS) The United Nations General Assembly opened its 69th annual session on Tuesday with the body's new President declaring that it would be a historic opportunity to formulate a post-2015 development agenda that is transformative, brings tangible results in fighting poverty, and leads to improving lives of all people.
World hunger falls, but number of undernourished remains 'unacceptably high' – joint UN repor
Sep 17, 2014, at 02:58 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS) More than 800 million people – or one in every nine on the planet – suffer from hunger, but a new joint UN agency report released on Tuesday stated that the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of undernourished people by 2015 is still within reach.
UN rights office urges review of Malaysia's colonial-era Sedition Act
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:49 am
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday urged Malaysian authorities to immediately stop investigations and prosecutions under a 1948 law that curbed free speech and freedom of expression in the South-east Asian nation.
UN rights office urges impartial probe into killing of protesters in Yemeni capital
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:45 am
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday called on Yemeni officials to conduct an "independent, prompt and effective investigation" into the killing earlier this month of nine protesters in the capital, Sana'a.
U.S. military conducts airstrikes against ISIL
Sep 17, 2014, at 03:08 am
Tampa, Sept 16 (IBNS) The USA has said military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Iraq, employing attack and fighter aircraft to conduct two airstrikes Sunday and Monday in support of Iraqi Security Forces near Sinjar and southwest of Baghdad.
President commends post-2015 agenda progress as General Assembly concludes 68th session
Sep 16, 2014, at 02:17 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS) Closing the current session in the newly-renovated General Assembly Hall, President John Ashe on Monday expressed gratitude to Member States for their cooperation in focusing on perhaps the biggest generational challenge of the United Nations: crafting an inclusive, participatory, people centred post-2015 development agenda.