Cyprus: UN envoy welcomes Turkish Cypriot leader’s commitment to negotiations
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:23 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, has spoken with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, according to the United Nations Good Offices Mission.
45 killed as rain and storm hits Pakistan
Apr 27, 2015, at 06:33 pm
Islamabad, Apr 27 (IBNS) Windstorm coupled with heavy rains has collapsed structures and other incidents which has left 45 people dead in different parts of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,media reports said on Monday.
Chernobyl disaster anniversary: Ban reiterates UN's commitment to those affected
Apr 27, 2015, at 02:10 pm
New York, Apr 27 (IBNS): In a message to mark the 29th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday remembered the hundreds of emergency workers who responded to the accident and the more than 330,000 people uprooted from their homes in its aftermath.
UN alarmed by malnutrition among children displaced from Yarmouk camp
Apr 27, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Apr 27 (IBNS): As the United Nations agency tasked with supporting Palestine refugees continued on Sunday to provide essential humanitarian assistance to civilians who have been displaced from Yarmouk and to those hosting them, evidence of acute malnutrition was found in a large number of children.
UN responds to destruction, displacement in wake of Nepal earthquake
Apr 27, 2015, at 02:06 pm
New York, Apr 27 (IBNS): The United Nations relief wing said on Sunday that at least 2,200 people have died and over 5,800 are injured as a result of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday.
-1430059232.jpg "Pakistan aircraft reach Nepal with relief supplies")
Pakistan aircraft reach Nepal with relief supplies
Apr 27, 2015, at 01:40 am
New Delhi, Apr 26 (IBNS) Two Pakistani C-130 aircraft carrying relief supplies reached earthquake-hit Nepal on Sunday, officials said.
US to contribute $1 mn emergency assistance for Nepal
Apr 26, 2015, at 11:15 pm
Kathmandu, Apr 26 (IBNS) The U.S. Mission in Nepal will contribute $1 million in initial assistance to support disaster relief efforts, officials said.
Nepal: Ban sends his condolences after earthquake hits Kathmandu Valley
Apr 26, 2015, at 08:35 am
New York, Apr 26(IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General has sent his deepest condolences to the Government of Nepal and to everyone affected by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Saturday.
Afghanistan: 5 members of a family killed in rocket attack
Apr 25, 2015, at 09:55 pm
Kabul, Apr 25 (IBNS) A rocket attack has killed five member of a family in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan on Friday, media reports said on Saturday.
UN forum agrees draft action plan for religious leaders on preventing violence
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:09 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): A United Nations-backed forum on Friday concluded in Fez, Morocco, having developed a plan of action aimed at preventing incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes.
Mali: Ban voices concern over series of targeted attacks against UN mission
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:07 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced deep concern over a series of attacks targeting the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) which have resulted in numerous casualties, a statement issued by a UN spokesperson said Friday.
Azerbaijan: UN experts welcome 'unhindered access' to places of detention
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:06 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights body has welcomed the decision by the Government of Azerbaijan to allow it “unhindered access†to places of detention across the Central Asian country while also urging authorities to do more to protect the rights of people in custody.
UN mission peacekeepers repel two attacks in South Darfur
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:04 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Peacekeepers with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) have repelled two attacks by unidentified armed men in Kass, 85 kilometres north-west of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
UN rights chief urges UK to curb tabloid hate speech
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:03 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): After decades of “sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse,†and in the wake of a recent article in the Sun newspaper calling migrants ‘cockroaches,’ the United Nations human rights chief on Friday urged British authorities and media to take steps to curb incitement to hatred by tabloid newspapers, in line with the country’s obligations under national and international law.
Libya: UN condemns ‘horrific’ week of human rights violations
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:02 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday condemned the “successive horrific incidents†in Libya this past week – ranging from the appalling loss of life in the Mediterranean of those escaping violence, the execution of Christians and the killings of several members of a prominent family by the so-called ‘Islamic State in Libya.’
Mediterranean crisis: UN welcomes EU measures on migrants
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:00 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency welcomed the European Union's (EU) mobilization of resources in response to the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, while also urging increased efforts aimed at saving lives and integrating asylum seekers in accordance with human rights.
Yemen: UN urges humanitarian access, respect for international law
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:59 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that civilians are continuing to die in Yemen, with the total number killed between 26 March and 22 April now estimated at 551, including 31 women and at least 115 children.
SC must match scale of Syria crisis with bold response: UN officials
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The Syrian crisis is getting worse and civilians are paying the price, senior United Nations humanitarian officials said on Friday as they called for an end to the “numbness to the senseless violenceâ€, while the Security Council demanded parties to the conflict facilitate expanded aid operations and immediate delivery of life-saving supplies to hard-to-reach and besieged areas.
UNICEF welcomes final release of child soldiers by armed group in South Sudan
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:54 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Militants in South Sudan have handed over to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) a final group of 283 children in what the agency described as “a small piece of good news in what is otherwise a terrible situation for children in other parts of [the country],†where many boys and girls have been abducted and forcibly recruited as child soldiers.
Ban appoints new deputy head of humanitarian operations in Lebanon
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:53 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Philippe Lazzarini of Switzerland as his new Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, a spokesperson for the Organization said on Friday.
On eve of Togo national election, Ban calls for calm and transparency
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:52 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): On the eve of the presidential election in Togo, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on all national stakeholders to recommit themselves to ensuring that the election is conducted in a peaceful, free and transparent manner and reflects the will of the people of Togo.
Myanmar: Ban says ‘much more hard work lies ahead’
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:50 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, convening a meeting on Myanmar on Saturday, welcomed the positive direction of its reform process as it continues on its “path of historic transitionâ€, but emphasized that more work remains to be done to address the country’s myriad challenges.
UN resumes vaccination drive for three million children in West Africa
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:48 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): For the first time since the start of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, thousands of health workers are fanning out across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in nationwide immunization campaigns with an aim to protect three million children against preventable but potentially deadly diseases such as measles and polio.
Two western hostages killing: Pakistan expresses shock and sorrow
Apr 24, 2015, at 09:49 pm
Islamabad, Apr 24 (IBNS) Pakistan on Friday expressed its 'shock and sorrow' over the death of two western hostages Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto in the US drone strike conducted in January.
Apr 24, 2015, at 09:22 pm
Islamabad, Apr 24 (IBNS) Pakistan prime minisrer Nawaz Sharif will leave for the United Kingdom on Friday, officials said.
Pakistan: 5 security personnel injured in IED blast
Apr 24, 2015, at 09:09 pm
Peshawar, Apr 24 (IBNS): At least five security personnel were hurt in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast on a van in which they were traveling in Pakistan's Peshawar city on Friday, media reports said.
In Morocco, UN-backed forum highlights role of religious leaders in preventing atrocities
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:56 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS) At a forum on the role of religious leaders in preventing incitement to violence and atrocities, which opened on Thursday in Fez, Morocco, a senior UN rights official stressed the importance of religious leaders worldwide in the prevention, mitigation and resolution of conflicts.
On 'Girls in ICT Day,' UN urges increased opportunity in information and communications technology
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:55 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): Aiming to attract women to fields "where strong demand is creating global skills shortfall," the tech community is gearing up to celebrate ‘Girls in ICT Day' around the world.
UN Assembly President urges collective action to end intolerance, promote reconciliation
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:52 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS) On the heels of a two-day United Nations High-Level meeting on Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation, Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent Extremism, President of General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, has called for the defeat of obscurantism and urged faith leaders around the world to denounce those who preach intolerance in the name of religion.
UN relief workers press ahead with effort to reach Yarmouk camp in Syria
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:51 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS)United Nations relief workers on Thursday provided drinking water, bread and recreational kits for children in displaced communities outside Yarmouk camp, the former heart of Palestine refugee community, and sought access to the besieged suburb itself, where the basic humanitarian needs of some 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian civilians are left unmet.