Country-level action 'new frontier' for tackling soil pollution – UN agriculture agency
Jun 24, 2017, at 01:40 pm
New York, June 24(Just Earth News): Nitrogen and metals, like lead and mercury, can strain farmable land by polluting soil, and damaging plants, and ultimately, posing risks to food security, according to the United Nations agriculture agency.
Pakistan: UN chief condemns separate deadly bomb attacks
Jun 24, 2017, at 01:36 pm
New York, June 24(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the twin bombing at a marketplace in Parachinar, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, and a suicide attack at a checkpoint in Quetta, Balochistan.
More than $350 million pledged for refugees in Uganda; 'A good start, we cannot stop,' says UN chief
Jun 24, 2017, at 05:28 am
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): A 'Solidarity Summit' for refugees hosted by Uganda has raised some $358 million in pledges, the United Nations announced on Friday.
Security 'number one concern' of displaced Iraqis seeking to return home – UN study
Jun 24, 2017, at 05:26 am
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): With three million Iraqis remaining internally displaced across the country, the United Nations migration agency on Friday published findings of a study showing that the decision to return or remain displaced depends largely on how close their home is to the frontline of conflict.
Strengthen existing protections to curb negative impact of sanctions, UN rights expert urges EU
Jun 24, 2017, at 05:22 am
New York, June 23(Just Earth News): Noting progress made by the European Union (EU) to ensure that its sanctions allow for legal remedy and offer a measure of due process, a United Nations expert has called for further strengthening such measures to ensure that the human rights of those impacted are protected to the greatest extent.
Iraq's children caught in cycle of violence and poverty as conflict escalates, UNICEF warns
Jun 23, 2017, at 09:20 pm
New York, Jun 23 (JEN): The past three years of intensifying conflict in Iraq have left the country's children trapped in a grinding cycle of violence and poverty, an assessment out on Thursday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned, calling on the warring parties to immediately end hostilities.
Many aid groups unable to manage war zone risks, says UN-backed report
Jun 23, 2017, at 09:12 pm
New York, Jun 23 (JEN): Humanitarian aid workers want to help people in some of the biggest war zones, but extreme risks and threats are paralyzing their operations, a United Nations-backed report on Thursday concluded.
Uganda and UN to convene 'solidarity summit' amid fast-growing refugee emergency
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:21 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Facing a fast-growing refugee crisis, Uganda is set to host in its capital, Kampala, a 'Solidarity Summit' with the support of the United Nations, to rally international support for refugees and host communities in the form of donations, investments and innovative programmes.
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:20 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Recognizing the universal appeal of yoga, the United Nations marked the 2017 edition of the International Day of Yoga, which aims to integrate the benefits of healthy lives and wellbeing – essential aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:18 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Deliberate actions by the Government and opposition armed forces as well as other actors to advance their political goals continue to severely undermine efforts to get the country back on the path to peace and development, the top United Nations peacekeeping official has warned.
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:17 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Civilians in Yemen continue to be killed and injured during Ramadan, despite calls for the conflict parties to respect their obligations under international law, the senior United Nations aid official in the country warned on Wednesday.
Nigerian refugees returning to “dangerously unprepared†situation, UN agency chief warns
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:16 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Large numbers of Nigerian refugees hosted in Cameroon are returning to northeast Nigeria, into a situation the United Nations refugee chief calls “dangerously unprepared to receive them.â€
Afghan Government must work to build trust in an 'increasingly fragile environment' – UN envoy
Jun 22, 2017, at 02:14 pm
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Warning that the recent surge of violent attacks in Afghanistan could signal a much worse and more fragile period ahead, the United Nations envoy for the country on Wednesday called for urgent action to strengthen stability, including through improving the Government's credibility, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid violence.
As South Sudan famine ebbs, millions still face 'extreme hunger on the edge of a cliff' – UN
Jun 22, 2017, at 06:08 am
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): While famine has eased in South Sudan, the situation across the crisis-torn country remains dire, as the number of people struggling to find food each day has grown from 4.9 million in February to six million on Wednesday – the highest level of food insecurity the young nation has ever experienced, according to the United Nations.
World population to hit 9.8 billion by 2050, despite nearly universal lower fertility rates – UN
Jun 22, 2017, at 06:06 am
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): The world population is now at least 7.6 billion, up from 7.4 billion last year, spurred by the relatively high levels of fertility in developing countries – despite an overall drop in the number of children people have around the globe – the United Nations on Wednesday reported.
Protection of civilians in Syria must be ensured, stresses UN chief Guterres
Jun 22, 2017, at 06:02 am
New York, June 22(Just Earth News): Expressing alarm over the suffering of people Syria, in particular those in Raqqa and in other locations where fighting continues, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all those conducting military operations in the country to ensure the safety and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Heading to Uganda for 'solidarity summit,' UN chief marks World Refugee Day with calls for action
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:51 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): Refugee protection is not a matter of solidarity or generosity, but an obligation under international law, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday said, detailing five strong appeals to the international community for respecting refugees' rights.
Aid workers race to contain Yemen cholera outbreak, UN agencies report
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:50 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): A “race†is under way to contain the cholera epidemic in Yemen where 20 out of 22 governorates are affected, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.
'Now is not the time to give up' on two-state solution, UN Middle East envoy tells Security Council
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:48 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): Achieving a negotiated two-state outcome is the only way to lay the foundations for enduring peace that is based on Israeli security needs and the Palestinian right to sovereignty and statehood, the United Nations envoy on Middle East peace told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Record high temperatures grip much of the globe, more hot weather to come – UN agency
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:47 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): Extremely high May and June temperatures have broken records in parts of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States, the United Nations weather agency reported on Tuesday, warning of more heatwaves to come.
Burundi: Senior UN official urges steps towards political dialogue amid ongoing fragility
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:46 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): Amid Burundi's “fragile†security situation, marked by recent grenade attacks in the capital, Bujumbura, a senior United Nations political official told the Security Council on Tuesday that regional actors and international partners must press for confidence-building measures that would be conducive for holding an inclusive and credible political dialogue in the country.
Bees, hens and greenhouses help restore livelihoods in Iraq – UN agriculture agency
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:43 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): Thousands of vulnerable Iraqi and Syrian refugee families affected by conflict in northern Iraq aim to profit from new livelihood ventures of the United Nations agriculture agency.
Addressing economic inequalities key to countering terrorism without fueling racism – UN expert
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:41 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): A spate of recent terrorist attacks has driven an increase in security measures and exacerbated hate speech, a United Nations human rights expert warned on Tuesday, calling for States to do more to meet the challenge of countering terrorism without fuelling racism and xenophobia.
UN chief appoints new envoys on youth; accessibility; and for Haiti
Jun 21, 2017, at 03:39 pm
New York, June 21(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday announced the appointment of senior officials as his envoys, respectively, for promoting universal accessibility, on the rights of young people, and to guide the implementation of the Organization's new approach to tackle cholera in Haiti.
On World Refugee Day, UN urges support, solidarity for record number of displaced people
Jun 21, 2017, at 05:30 am
New York, June 20(Just Earth News): With a record 65.6 million people last year forcibly uprooted from their homes by violence and persecution, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on the international community to provide support and solidarity.
Mali: UN condemns terrorist attack at hotel on the outskirts of Bamako
Jun 21, 2017, at 05:28 am
New York, June 20(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the terrorist attack carried out at a hotel on the outskirts of Bamako on 18 June and offered his full support to the Government of Mali to bring the perpetrators to justice.
With armed groups spreading in Central African Republic, UN expert urges action
Jun 21, 2017, at 05:26 am
New York, June 20(Just Earth News): The situation in the Central African Republic is “unsustainable,†an independent United Nations expert on Tuesday warned, urging the Government to stop the spread of armed groups and increasing human rights violations.
'Sexual violence is a threat to every individual's right to a life of dignity' – UN chief
Jun 20, 2017, at 01:49 pm
New York, June 20(Just Earth News): Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday paid tribute to the women, girls, men and boys who have suffered the atrocity of sexual violence in conflict, and reaffirmed “our global commitment to eliminate this scourge.â€
Violence and persecution uprooted record 65.6 million people in 2016, UN agency reports
Jun 20, 2017, at 05:05 am
New York, June 19(Just Earth News): Nearly 66 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes last year, the United Nation refugee agency on Monday reported, stressing the “very high†pace at which conflict and persecution is forcing people to flee their homes.
UN chief 'deeply saddened' by the many lives claimed by raging wildfires in Portugal
Jun 19, 2017, at 02:41 pm
New York, June 19(Just Earth News): 'Shocked and horrified' at the many lives claimed by the devastating fires that hit the Pedrógão Grande region of Portugal, United Nations Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres on Sunday expressed his deep sadness and condolences to the Portuguese Government and people.