Famine can be a war crime and should be prosecuted, says independent UN rights expert
Oct 24, 2017, at 09:49 am
New York, Oct 24(Just Earth News): Famine can constitute a war crime or crime against humanity, an independent United Nations human rights expert on Monday said, noting that more civilians die from hunger and disease related to conflicts than in direct combat.
Three multinationals join UN global network on disability inclusion
Oct 24, 2017, at 09:48 am
New York, Oct 24(Just Earth News): Three multinational enterprises – Capgemini, Legrand and the Savola Group – on Monday became the latest members of a United Nations global network that promotes equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in the workplace.
Road accidents in Africa among deadliest worldwide, UN official says, urging more action
Oct 24, 2017, at 09:47 am
New York, Oct 24(Just Earth News): Some 650 people are killed each day in road accidents throughout Africa, a senior United Nations official on Monday said, calling for more to be done to keep drivers – as well as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – safe.
Wildlife conservation, sustainable development in spotlight at UN-backed conference
Oct 24, 2017, at 04:39 am
New York, Oct 23(Just Earth News): Unless the international community integrates wildlife conservation with sustainable development, it will not be able to protect the remaining animal species on Earth, the head of a United Nations-backed environmental treaty on Monday said at the opening of a wildlife conference in the Philippines.
UN, African Union pledge to help Kenya ensure credible rerun of presidential poll
Oct 24, 2017, at 04:37 am
New York, Oct 23(Just Earth News): The heads of the United Nations and the African Union have expressed their organizations' commitment to assist Kenya in ensuring a credible and transparent process in the forthcoming rerun of the recent presidential election.
UN chief Guterres, US President Trump commit to work together to address common challenges
Oct 23, 2017, at 03:53 am
New York, Oct 22(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres met Friday with United States President Donald Trump and discussed, among others, tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the fight against terrorism.
Oct 21, 2017, at 09:42 am
New York, Oct 21(Just Earth News): Addressing the final event of this year’s Africa Week at the United Nations, General Assembly President Miroslav LajÄák on Friday highlighted the continent’s transformative changes driven by the African Union’s development agency.
UN rights experts urge Iran to immediately release British-Iranian citizen after fresh charges
Oct 21, 2017, at 09:40 am
New York, Oct 21(Just Earth News): United Nations human rights experts have appealed to Iran to immediately release a jailed British-Iranian citizen, who is now facing fresh charges, and expressed “grave†concerns for her welfare.
Cities and local policies key to overcome hunger, stresses head of UN agency
Oct 21, 2017, at 05:10 am
New York, Oct 20(Just Earth News): Highlighting the potential of cities to address malnutrition, the head of the United Nations food security agency has called for innovative partnerships between urban centres and wide range of stakeholders to overcome the challenge of food waste and to ensure a healthy and nutritious diet for all.
INTERVIEW: Hurricane-hit Caribbean nations can build back better, says UN development official
Oct 20, 2017, at 06:10 pm
New York, Oct 20(Just Earth News): Mere mention of the Caribbean conjures up images of pristine waters, beautiful beaches and fun in the sun. However, the images emanating from the region over the past couple of months have painted a very different picture.
Oct 20, 2017, at 06:07 pm
New York, Oct 20(Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday called for spreading greater knowledge about human rights to its skeptics, rebuking perspectives that see global organizations and their international legal frameworks as part of a problem and not the solution.
Africa's rapid urbanization can drive industrialization, says new UN report
Oct 20, 2017, at 05:49 pm
New York, Oct 20(Just Earth News): A United Nations report out Thursday makes concrete recommendations on how the right African policy framework can harness the continent's rapid urban transition to drive industrial development.
#MeToo movement stems from impunity and culture of silence, senior UN official writes
Oct 20, 2017, at 05:45 pm
New York, Oct 20(Just Earth News): Casual indifference to sexual harassment is unacceptable, the head of the United Nations entity mandated to promote gender equality on Thursday said, urging women and men to change their response to acts of sexual aggression.
Despite drop in under-five mortality rate, 7,000 newborns die every day – UN report
Oct 20, 2017, at 04:36 am
New York, Oct 19(Just Earth News): More must be done to stop babies from dying the day they are born, United Nations agencies said in a new report issued Thursday, which argued that life-saving know-how and technologies must be made readily available – particularly in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa – where they are most needed.
Watchful of the situation in Raqqa, Syria, UN chief urges need to revive political process
Oct 20, 2017, at 04:35 am
New York, Oct 19 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is urging all sides involved in the fight for Raqqa, Syria, to protect civilians, abide with international law, and allow humanitarian access to those in need.
Oct 19, 2017, at 09:53 am
New York, Oct 19(Just Earth News): A senior United Nations political affairs official on Wednesday highlighted at the Security Council some positive developments on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, particulalry on intra-Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
UN and partners launch campaign to tackle new fungus strain threatening world’s bananas
Oct 19, 2017, at 09:52 am
New York, Oct 19(Just Earth News): The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced on Wednesday that it is working with partners to help protect the world’s banana crops a new strain of fungus, known as Fusarium wilt TR4, which can last for years in the soil.
UN chief announces trip to Central African Republic, where crisis is 'far from media spotlight'
Oct 19, 2017, at 09:48 am
New York, Oct 19(Just Earth News): Speaking to the press at United Nations Headquarters, in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres announced that he will be travelling to the Central African Republic early next week to draw attention to the fragile situation in the country “that is often far from the media spotlight.â€
Oct 18, 2017, at 09:51 am
New York, Oct 18(Just Earth News): A 10-day campaign launched by the Government of Nigeria will immunize nearly 874,000 people against yellow fever in the states of Kwara and Kogi, according to the United Nations health agency.
Libya: Smugglers holding refugees and migrants in deplorable conditions, say UN agencies
Oct 18, 2017, at 09:48 am
New York, Oct 18(Just Earth News): After weeks of conflict in western Libya, United Nations agencies have been working around the clock to meet the urgent needs of the more than 14,000 refugees and migrants who had been held captive in numerous locations in the coastal city of Sabratha – approximately 80 kilometres west of Tripoli.
South Sudan's leaders must pull country back from 'impending abyss,' UN peacekeeping chief
Oct 18, 2017, at 09:46 am
New York, Oct 18(Just Earth News): Amid worsening security and the dire humanitarian and human rights situation in South Sudan, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations on Tuesday called on the international community to demand that the country's leadership act in a manner that is expected of them.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees stranded near Bangladesh-Myanmar border – UN
Oct 18, 2017, at 04:35 am
New York, Oct 17(Just Earth News): The United Nations refugee agency is concerned about the humanitarian condition of up to 15,000 Rohingya refugees who are stranded in paddy fields near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
On International Day, UN chief urges action to address root causes of poverty
Oct 18, 2017, at 04:34 am
New York, Oct 17(Just Earth News): Highlighting the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure a life of dignity for all, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for redoubling of efforts to eradicate poverty it in its entirety.
UN General Assembly elects new members to the Human Rights Council
Oct 17, 2017, at 09:49 am
New York, Oct 17(Just Earth News): The General Assembly on Monday elected, by secret ballot, 15 States to serve on the Human Rights Council, the highest intergovernmental body in the United Nations system for matters relating to protection and promotion of human rights worldwide.
Oct 17, 2017, at 09:48 am
New York, Oct 17(Just Earth News): Africa must focus on young people, empower women and girls, and be innovative in leveraging resources and financing for development, Secretary-General António Guterres said Monday as the United Nations kicked off Africa Week.
UN envoy discusses implementation of intra-Palestinian agreement with Prime Minister Hamdallah
Oct 17, 2017, at 09:47 am
New York, Oct 17(Just Earth News): Meeting the Palestinian Prime Minister on Monday, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, and discussed the implementation of the intra-Palestinian agreement signed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on 12 October.
Lift protest ban, protect judiciary and preserve civil society role, UN rights experts urge Kenya
Oct 17, 2017, at 04:45 am
New York, Oct 16(Just Earth News): Voicing concern over restrictions on protests as well as attacks on judiciary and civil society in the run-up to presidential elections in Kenya, a group of United Nations independent human rights experts called on the Government to honour its obligations and protect the rights of Kenyans.
Oct 16, 2017, at 01:51 pm
New York, Oct 16(Just Earth News): Women and girls are central to the sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing, but their role and significance is often overlooked, the head of the United Nations entity for women's empowerment on Sunday said.
Central African Republic: UN Special Adviser condemns incitement of violence and hatred
Oct 14, 2017, at 03:09 pm
New York, Oct 14(Just Earth News): The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide has strongly condemned provocation of ethnic and religious hatred armed groups and politicians in the Central African Republic and impressed the need for urgent, concerted and coordinated steps to end violence, defuse intercommunity tensions and alleviate the suffering of the civilian population.
People’s lives continue to worsen, but they live with hope, says UN official in Ukraine
Oct 14, 2017, at 03:07 pm
New York, Oct 14(Just Earth News): Concluding her visit to Ukraine, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator underlined on Friday the urgent need for humanitarian funding to address the dire situation faced by millions of civilians during the coming winter months.