Political momentum must be renewed if Libya’s challenges are to be addressed – UN envoy
Apr 20, 2017, at 12:51 pm
New York, Apr 20(Just Earth News): It is more important than ever to forge unity within Libya, the United Nations envoy for the country told the Security Council today, while he called on Libyan stakeholders to regain the optimism generated by the 2015 Political Agreement, which has faded and is being replaced by “frustration and disappointment.â€
UN, African Union sign new partnership framework to better respond to evolving challenges
Apr 20, 2017, at 12:49 pm
New York, Apr 20(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chairperson of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, today signed a new landmark framework to strengthen partnership between the two organizations on peace and security pillars and better respond to the changing dimensions and evolving challenges of peace operations.
Peacekeepers in South Sudan working to strengthen protection of civilians – UN chief
Apr 20, 2017, at 12:48 pm
New York, Apr 20(Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has done “significant work†to more effectively protect civilians and respond in case of a crisis, Secretary-General António Guterres has said in a letter to the President of the UN Security Council.
Apr 20, 2017, at 12:47 pm
New York, Apr 20(Just Earth News): Without peace in South Sudan, millions of people will go hungry and millions of women and girls could be raped as they try to go about their daily lives, including as they search for food, a senior United Nations official today warned.
Apr 20, 2017, at 04:54 am
New York, Apr 19(Just Earth News): The United Nations on Wednesday cited “record-breaking†progress in controlling neglected tropical diseases – which blind, maim, disfigure and debilitate millions of people worldwide, especially in its poorest areas – as an estimated one billion people were reached with treatment for at least one of these diseases in 2015 alone, according to the Organization’s health agency.
Discovery of more mass graves reveal 'unfolding horror' in DR Congo – UN rights chief
Apr 20, 2017, at 04:53 am
New York, Apr 19(Just Earth News): Raising alarm over increasing reports of serious human rights violations in the Kasai Central and Kasai Oriental provinces of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations human rights chief underscored that the scale and nature of the allegations could warrant an investigation by an international mechanism, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Diseases and sexual violence threaten Somalis, South Sudanese escaping famine – UN
Apr 19, 2017, at 01:57 pm
New York, Apr 19(Just Earth News): Millions of people are facing the peril of famine in Somalia and South Sudan, and the situation is expected to worsen as the drought and violence fuelling the crises widen, cautioned senior United Nations officials who have just returned from the area.
Unity within Security Council vital to prevent mass atrocities – UN chief Guterres
Apr 19, 2017, at 01:56 pm
New York, Apr 19(Just Earth News): Briefing the Security Council, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday stressed the importance of unity in the 15-member body to effectively address human rights violations as well as to prevent mass atrocities.
UN human rights arm urges Nepal to carry out conviction of soldiers in teen’s murder
Apr 19, 2017, at 01:55 pm
New York, Apr 19(Just Earth News): Welcoming the conviction of three army officials accused of the murder of a 15-year-old girl during the armed conflict in Nepal more than 13 years ago, the United Nations human rights arm has called on the authorities to implement the court’s decision.
Recent attack on evacuated civilians in Syria ‘likely a war crime,’ says UN rights office
Apr 19, 2017, at 06:06 am
New York, Apr 18(Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday expressed great concern about the safety of civilians being evacuated in Syria, saying a weekend attack on a convoy near Aleppo likely amounts to a war crime and the situation in Syria should be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Recent attack on evacuated civilians in Syria ‘likely a war crime,’ says UN rights office
Apr 19, 2017, at 06:02 am
New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday expressed great concern about the safety of civilians being evacuated in Syria, saying a weekend attack on a convoy near Aleppo likely amounts to a war crime and the situation in Syria should be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Haiti: UN inaugurates water supply system in Lascahobas as part of anti-cholera fight
Apr 18, 2017, at 11:53 am
New York, Apr 18(Just Earth News): Historically, the people in the Madan Mak and Loncy areas of the Lascahobas Commune have always had serious problems with access to safe drinking water.
Scale of civilians fleeing Iraq's Mosul 'staggering' – senior UN relief official
Apr 18, 2017, at 04:28 am
New York, Apr 17(Just Earth News): Noting that nearly half a million people have fled Mosul since the start of military operations to retake the city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, a senior United Nations humanitarian official in Iraq warned that the scale of the displacement has stretched relief efforts to their “operational limitsâ€.
Apr 17, 2017, at 03:09 am
New York, Apr 16 (Just Earth News): Expressing “horror†at the attack on civilians evacuating from the besieged Syrian towns of Foah and Kefraya, the United Nations humanitarian chief has called on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law and protect civilians.
Apr 16, 2017, at 02:51 pm
New York, Apr 15 (Just Earth News): Condemning today’s attack in Rasheedin, western Aleppo, Syria, on some 5,000 evacuees travelling from the besieged towns of Foah and Kefraya to Government-controlled areas, the United Nations has underlined the need to bring those responsible for the violent act to justice.
UN food relief agency 'outraged and heartbroken' by killing of three workers in South Sudan city
Apr 15, 2017, at 10:16 am
New York, Apr 15 (Just Earth News): Expressing “horror†at the killing of three workers contracted by its office in Wau, South Sudan, during violence that wracked the city earlier this week, the United Nations emergency food relief agency has called on the authorities to bring those responsible for the “unspeakable violence†to justice.
Apr 14, 2017, at 02:27 pm
New York, Apr 14(Just Earth News): Ahead of this Sunday’s plebiscite on proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey that would, among other things, empower the President alone to declare states of emergency and determine the measures to be taken, a group of United Nations human rights experts have reiterated that even under such circumstances, protection of human rights must not be compromised.
Iraq: UN assessment reveals extensive destruction in western Mosul
Apr 14, 2017, at 05:56 am
New York, Apr 14(Just Earth News): Using satellite imagery and local researches, the most recent evaluation confirms that western Mosul has undergone extensive destruction, “far greater than in the east,†according to a senior United Nations aid official in the country.
'Radical' investments needed to meet global water and sanitation targets – UN report
Apr 14, 2017, at 05:54 am
New York, Apr 14 (Just Earth News): Against the backdrop of almost two billion people around the world relying on sources of drinking-water contaminated with faeces, the United Nations has called on countries to “radically†increase investments in water and sanitation infrastructure not only to protect their populations from deadly diseases but also to ensure that they are able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN chief announces senior appointments; sets up independent panel on Human Settlements Programme
Apr 13, 2017, at 01:57 pm
New York, Apr 13(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday announced the appointment of senior officials as his envoys dealing with prevention of sexual violence in conflict and for protection of children during such crisis, respectively.
Apr 13, 2017, at 01:56 pm
New York, Apr 13(Just Earth News): Accessible social and health services, with dedicated human and financial resources must be addressed and made available for persons with disabilities in the new global framework on refugees and migrants, a group of United Nations human rights experts have urged, as UN-led intergovernmental talks on the issue are set to launch consultation in 2018.
‘Moment of crisis’ in Syria calls for serious search for political solution – UN envoy
Apr 13, 2017, at 01:54 pm
New York, Apr 13(Just Earth News): In the wake of yet another dire turn in the Syrian crisis, the United States and the Russian Federation “must find a way to work together†to stabilize the situation and support the political process, the United Nations envoy for the war-torn country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Apr 13, 2017, at 01:53 pm
New York, Apr 13(Just Earth News): A push to establish internationally-agreed standards to keep illegally caught fish off store-shelves and consumers' plates has taken an important step forward, the United Nations agricultural agency, said on Wednesday as a measure aiming to create a “gold standard†for catch documentation nears the finish line.
Millions in Yemen on brink of famine, situation ‘close to a breaking point,’ warns UN a
Apr 13, 2017, at 04:38 am
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its emergency operations in war-torn Yemen to provide urgently needed food assistance to some nine million people, the agency said on Wednesday.
Apr 13, 2017, at 04:37 am
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): While forecasting that growth in the volume of global merchandise trade is expected to rebound this year from its weak performance in 2016, the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday cautioned that “deep uncertainty†about near-term economic and policy developments in some countries raise the risk that trade activity could be stifled.
On International Day, UN celebrates historic event that opened doors to outer space
Apr 13, 2017, at 04:35 am
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): The United Nations on Wednesday commemorated the International Day of Human Space Flight to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the first human space flight, which ushered in the beginning of the space era for mankind.
UN announces first-ever World Ocean Festival
Apr 12, 2017, at 03:37 pm
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): With global leaders heading to the United Nations for a major conference in June on the protection and sustainable use of the planet’s oceans, the UN on Tuesday announced that the inaugural World Ocean Festival will kick off the week-long event, with activists and enthusiasts taking to the streets – and waterways – of New York City to raise their voices to reverse the declining health of our oceans.
Apr 12, 2017, at 03:36 pm
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): Despite long-standing humanitarian access restrictions in Yemen, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the country reported that he has been able to enter Taiz City where, amid some gains, he observed setbacks, particularly as regards the health sector.
Lake Chad Basin crisis is both humanitarian and ecological – UN agriculture agency
Apr 12, 2017, at 03:07 pm
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): Critical investments in agriculture and climate change relief are needed to address the crisis in Africa’s strife-torn Lake Chad Basin, where hunger, poverty and a lack of rural development prevail, the United Nations food security agency said on Tuesday.
Haiti: Recent political advances set stage to address pressing challenges, says UN envoy
Apr 12, 2017, at 03:04 pm
New York, Apr 12(Just Earth News): Highlighting improvements in Haiti’s political situation, including the recent elections and opportunities to address longstanding disputes, the senior United Nations official in the island nation has urged the international community to continue its partnership with Haiti and its people to help consolidate the gains achieved.