‘Progress under threat,’ warns UN chief on twentieth anniversary of chemical weapons convention
Apr 27, 2017, at 06:04 am
New York, Apr 27(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday warned that progress made in eliminating the world’s declared stockpiles of chemical weapons is threatened by belligerents in the Middle East.
Turning problems into progress: UN celebrates ‘risk-takers’ on World Intellectual Property Day
Apr 27, 2017, at 06:03 am
New York, Apr 27(Just Earth News): On World Intellectual Property Day, the United Nations is spotlighting innovation – “future-shapers and risk-takers†– exploring how it is making our lives healthier, safer, and more comfortable, turning problems into progress.
Six months into battle for Mosul, water and trauma care are key UN and partner priorities
Apr 27, 2017, at 06:00 am
New York, Apr 27(Just Earth News): Safe drinking water is a major concern in Mosul, where a battle has been underway for the past six months to retake the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the United Nations humanitarian arm has said.
DR Congo: UN seeks $64 million to tackle humanitarian crisis in Kasaï region
Apr 27, 2017, at 05:59 am
New York, Apr 27 (Just Earth News): The United Nations has appealed for $64.5 million to respond to the urgent needs of 731,000 people over the next six months in the Kasaï region, the latest “humanitarian hotspot†in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
South Sudan’s political process ‘not dead’ but needs ‘resuscitation’ – UN envoy
Apr 26, 2017, at 01:06 pm
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): The political process in South Sudan is not dead but requires significant resuscitation, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the crisis-torn country told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Indigenous peoples are ‘moral compass of humanity,’ special UN General Assembly meeting told
Apr 26, 2017, at 01:04 pm
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): Endorsement of the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples does not equal implementation, speakers told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday at a special meeting to celebrate the Declaration’s tenth anniversary and renew commitment to its tenets as a vital solution towards attaining a just and sustainable world.
Nearly $1.1 billion pledged for beleaguered Yemen at UN-led humanitarian conference
Apr 26, 2017, at 05:49 am
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): With nearly two-thirds of war-torn Yemen – about 19 million people – in need of emergency support, the international community on Tuesday raised $1.1 billion at a pledging event in Geneva to aid what the United Nations chief calls “the world’s largest hunger crisis.â€
Ghana, Kenya and Malawi to pilot malaria vaccine trial – UN
Apr 26, 2017, at 05:47 am
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): The United Nations health agency’s regional office for Africa has announced that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi will take part in a breakthrough pilot programme to make the world’s first malaria vaccine available in selected areas, beginning in 2018.
Afghanistan makes progress in fighting corruption, enormous challenges remain – new UN report
Apr 26, 2017, at 05:46 am
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): While enormous challenges remain, Afghanistan authorities have made headway in their fight against corruption, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday, which also finds that the country is making progress in other areas, such as restoring institutional control over the delivery of public services.
Apr 26, 2017, at 05:45 am
New York, Apr 26(Just Earth News): Undernutrition and obesity are the two sides of malnutrition, and together they contributed to the loss of billions of dollars for economies in Latin America, a United Nations-backed study has found, warning that unless more is done to mitigate this health burden, the region faces a “frightening†future.
Somalia: UN launches lifesaving vaccination campaign for children facing measles threat
Apr 26, 2017, at 05:44 am
New York, Apr 26 (Just Earth News): Almost 30,000 young Somali children, many of them displaced by a searing drought, are being vaccinated against measles this week in a United Nations-backed emergency campaign in one of the country’s hardest-hit towns.
World Immunization Week: Power of vaccines still not fully utilized, says UN health agency
Apr 25, 2017, at 01:01 pm
New York, Apr 25(Just Earth News): Vaccinations stave off 26 potentially deadly diseases, the United Nations health agency is emphasizing on the first day of World Immunization Week, which also marks the halfway point of the Organization's goal to stop millions of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Status of declaration on indigenous peoples' rights in spotlight as UN forum opens in New York
Apr 25, 2017, at 12:59 pm
New York, Apr 25(Just Earth News): Speaking at the opening of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, senior UN officials on Monday underscored the need to do more to ensure that indigenous peoples are able to benefit from global development agenda, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Starvation looms for 20 million, UN agricultural advisory group told at opening session
Apr 25, 2017, at 12:58 pm
New York, Apr 25(Just Earth News): If nothing is done soon, 20 million people will starve to death over the next six months in South Sudan, Somalia, north-eastern Nigera and Yemen, the United Nations agricultural chief on Monday warned the UN agency's Council.
UN calls for probe and accountability following possible landmine blast in eastern Ukraine
Apr 25, 2017, at 12:56 pm
New York, Apr 25(Just Earth News): The United Nations on Monday called for an investigation into a possible landmine explosion in eastern Ukraine after a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission was killed and two others were injured.
Ahead of World Malaria Day, UN says 'let's close the gap' in prevention coverage
Apr 25, 2017, at 05:07 am
New York, Apr 24(Just Earth News): On the eve of World Malaria Day, the United Nations health agency called on Monday for accelerating scaled-up efforts to prevent malaria, which remains a major public health threat, killing one child every two minutes worldwide in 2015.
Conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan tortured, ill-treated in government facilities – UN
Apr 25, 2017, at 05:04 am
New York, Apr 24(Just Earth News): A record number of people detained by Afghan police say that have been tortured or ill-treated in the past year, according to a new United Nations report, which notes however that the Afghan Government has committed to eliminating torture and ill-treatment in national detention facilities.
Accountability for rights abuses in South Sudan 'more important than ever,' says senior UN official
Apr 24, 2017, at 06:25 am
New York, Apr 24 (Just Earth News): A lack of accountability for crimes perpetrated during the ongoing conflict in South Sudan remains one of the country's “biggest challenges,†the Human Rights Director for the United Nations Mission (UNMISS) said on Sunday as he wrapped up a visit to the north-western Wau region.
Mother Earth Day: Environmental and climate literacy vital for a cleaner, greener planet, says UN
Apr 23, 2017, at 04:15 am
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs, the United Nations is emphasizing on Mother Earth Day.
Addressing ‘fragility’ of societies key to preventing conflicts, stresses UN chief
Apr 22, 2017, at 12:58 pm
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): Noting that a key trigger common to nearly all conflicts is the element of fragility – fragility of States, of institutions, or of societies – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for increasing investments in preventative measures that address the problem of fragility before it turns into conflict.
UN food relief agency air-lifts food, medical supplies to 31,000 famine-stricken Somalis
Apr 22, 2017, at 12:57 pm
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): As the drought intensifies in south and north-eastern Somalia, the United Nations emergency food relief agency on Friday airlifted to Mogadishu enough high-energy biscuits to assist 31,000 people for three days.
Cuba needs new laws and stronger action targeting human trafficking – UN rights expert
Apr 22, 2017, at 05:41 am
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): A United Nations human rights expert has urged Cuba to consider introducing new legislation to ensure that everyone who falls victim to trafficking in persons can be identified and helped, and the authorities can take action against offenders.
Apr 22, 2017, at 05:40 am
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): New data published by the United Nations health agency has revealed that a vast majority of the estimated 325 million people living with chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus infection lack access to life-saving testing and treatment, placing them at a great risk of chronic liver disease, cancer, and even death.
UN refugee agency sending urgent relief items for Congolese civilians fleeing to Angola
Apr 22, 2017, at 05:38 am
New York, Apr 22(Just Earth News): The United Nations refugee agency is shipping tents, mosquito nets and other essential relief items to Angola, where some 9,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have fled this month alone.
UN seeks more ‘cost-effective’ flight logistics in peacekeeping, political missions
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:54 pm
New York, Apr 21(Just Earth News): Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday launched an initiative to boost efficiency of United Nations planes and flights, as it was revealed that the Organization spent close to $750 million from 2115 to 2116 on air assets in its peacekeeping and political missions.
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:54 pm
New York, Apr 21(Just Earth News): Speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Humanitarian Taskforce (HTF), Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, stated that the horrific attack on a convoy of evacuees this past weekend had impacted everyone at on Thursday’s talks.
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:53 pm
New York, Apr 21(Just Earth News): The ground-breaking, United Nations-backed International Finance Facility for Education is vital to ensure that half of the world’s children don’t miss out on the basic schooling needed to meet the 2130 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN global assessment on higher education reveals disturbing disparities
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:49 pm
New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News): Noting the lack of sufficient institutions to cater to the growing demand for higher education as well as increasing disparities in its access, the United Nations educational and scientific agency has presented a series of steps to make such education more equitable and affordable.
UN agency uses satellite data to aid farmers in Africa, Middle East boost water efficiency
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:48 pm
New York, Apr 20(Just Earth News): The United Nations agricultural agency created an online database that uses satellite data and Google Earth images to figure out how much water is being used to irrigate crops, focusing on parts of Africa and the Middle East that are facing water scarcity.
Venezuela: UN urges all efforts be made to lower tensions in Venezuel
Apr 21, 2017, at 12:47 pm
New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News): The United Nations on Thursday expressed concern about the latest developments in Venezuela, calling on the Government and the opposition to address the country’s challenges for the benefit of the people.