Settling Israeli-Palestinian conflict would help curb terrorism: UN envoy
Nov 20, 2015, at 04:10 pm
New York, Nov 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would help counter the extremism behind the "abhorrent terrorist attacks" in Paris, Beirut and the Sinai, a senior United Nations official on the Middle East peace process said on Thursday, referring to last week's bloody attacks and the downing of a Russian plane in Egypt last month.
Kosovo: UN efforts focused on promoting stability and political progress
Nov 20, 2015, at 03:40 pm
New York, Nov 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Calling for continued support from the Security Council, the top United Nations official in Kosovo on Thursday said the UN Mission there (UNMIK) is continuing to focus its efforts on promoting stability, political progress and respect for human rights.
Yemen: UN warns humanitarian situation has deteriorated as conflict claims 5,700 lives
Nov 19, 2015, at 02:07 pm
New York, Nov 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations said on Wednesday that the ongoing conflict in Yemen has resulted in over 32,000 casualties, with people 5,700 killed, including 830 women and children, alongside a sharp rise in human rights violations – nearly 8,875 or an average of 43 violations occurring every day.
Yemen: UN warns humanitarian situation has deteriorated as conflict claims 5,700 lives
Nov 19, 2015, at 02:06 pm
New York, Nov 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations said on Wednesday that the ongoing conflict in Yemen has resulted in over 32,000 casualties, with people 5,700 killed, including 830 women and children, alongside a sharp rise in human rights violations – nearly 8,875 or an average of 43 violations occurring every day.
General Assembly elects Filippo Grandi as next UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Nov 19, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Nov 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Filippo Grandi of Italy was on Wednesday elected by the United Nations General Assembly as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for a period of five years beginning on 1 January 2016.
Ensuring 15,000 survivors of Ebola have support they need is first priority: UN envoy
Nov 19, 2015, at 01:55 pm
New York, Nov 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Transmission of Ebola has been stopped in Liberia and Sierra Leone, while Guinea is now treating a baby believed to be its last case, the United Nations Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, reported on Wednesday, underscoring that his top priority is to make sure the thousands of survivors and their families across West Africa have access to the support they need.
Biodegradable plastics are not the answer to reducing marine litter: UN
Nov 18, 2015, at 03:41 pm
New York, Nov 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Widespread adoption of products labelled "biodegradable" will not significantly decrease the volume of plastic entering the ocean or the physical and chemical risks that plastics pose to marine environment, accord to a United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Myanmar: Ban phones election victor, mentions UN support for democratic reform
Nov 18, 2015, at 03:39 pm
New York, Nov 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday phoned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD), to congratulate her on its resounding success in this month's elections, pledging continued United Nations support for democratic reform efforts.
Ethiopia: UN allocates emergency funds to tackle severe drought
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:57 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): With Ethiopia experiencing its worst drought in decades the United Nations is reporting deepening food insecurity and "severe emaciation and unusual livestock deaths" as the Organization's humanitarian wing has allocated $17 million in emergency funding to help the Government tackle climate challenges and ensure timely food relief.
'Tolerance must be taught, nurtured and defended,' says Ban
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:52 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Tolerance is much more than passively accepting the "other;" it brings obligations to act, and must be taught, nurtured and defended, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday, calling on the world to recognize the mounting threat posed by those who strive to divide, and pledge to forge a path defined by dialogue and mutual understanding.
Warring factions in Libya show little regard for civilian life: UN
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:50 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Libya continues to be embroiled in political strife and deadly violence – with all parties committing possible war crimes amid multiple armed conflicts affecting several regions and contributing to a general breakdown of law and order, according to a new United Nations human rights report released on Monday.
El Niño on track to be among worst ever, but world better prepared for fallout: UN
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:45 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The current El Niño, a weather pattern of devastating droughts and catastrophic floods that can affect tens of millions of people around the globe, is expected to strengthen further by year's end, on track to be one of the three strongest in 65 years, according to the latest update from the United Nations weather agency.
Status quo simply cannot continue in Syria: UN humanitarian chief
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:43 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): More than five years since the unrest in Syria began, senior United Nations officials on Monday stressed to the Security Council that the status quo in the war-torn country cannot continue, highlighting the effects of the conflict on civilians, especially women and children.
'No turning back in Myanmar,' says UN human rights expert in wake of elections
Nov 17, 2015, at 01:35 pm
New York, Nov 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Welcoming the recent elections in Myanmar as 'a new chapter in the country's history,' United Nations Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee on Monday reaffirmed her commitment to work with all parties in the country to improve the human rights situation there, saying "the people have expressed the will for change. There is no turning back now."
Nov 13, 2015, at 03:34 pm
New York, Nov 13 (Just Earth News/IBNS) At a special meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed the need to promote and protect human rights in Venezuela and to defend even those who disagree with the State’s policies, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros vowed to continue employing truth to defend his country against "audacious accusations" and "imperialist attacks."
Syria: Envoy says UN ready to support Vienna talks for political solution to conflict
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:37 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Seeking to maintain momentum for renewed diplomacy towards a political settlement of the conflict in Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy on the crisis said on Tuesday that the UN is ready to support any decision taken at the next round of international talks in Vienna this weekend and that he hopes the discussions yield some deliverables for the long-suffering Syrian people – namely, a lessoning of the violence.
Ban stresses empowering youth to lead global progress
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday commemorated the fifth anniversary of the UN Academic Impact and lauded the contributions made by the initiative in providing the world with ideas for some of its most pressing problems.
Ban appoints veteran UN senior leader Benomar as his Special Adviser
Nov 10, 2015, at 02:07 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the appointment of Jamal Benomar of the United Kingdom as his Special Adviser, at the level of Under-Secretary-General.
Somalia: UN-supported toll-free hotline aims to help tackle gender-based violence
Nov 06, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Nov 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): A United Nations-backed toll free hotline has been launched for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia to tackle sexual violence by enhancing timely response to abuse cases and offering information on accessible health services.
Yemen: UN warns more than 1 million people could be impacted by flooding
Nov 05, 2015, at 03:01 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS): While the United Nations is reporting that Cyclone Chapala – the rare tropical storm that slammed into Yemen's southern coast on Tuesday, dumping perhaps a year’s worth of rain in some areas – is expected to weaken to a tropical depression over the next 12 hours, the immediate concern remains the welfare of an estimated 1 million people, mainly in the two governorates of Shabwah and Hadramaut.
'Climate change knows no national borders,' Ban says
Nov 05, 2015, at 02:56 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): With the "deadline" for concluding a universal climate agreement just four weeks away, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday warned that despite months of talks and critical pledges on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, key issues still remain in play – on equity and differentiation, on finance and ambition – requiring world leaders to give clear guidance to their negotiators to seek compromise and reach a fair, universal deal at the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris.
'Severe impact' feared in Yemen due to rain potential of cyclone Chapala
Nov 04, 2015, at 01:17 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): As cyclonic storm Chapala made landfall on Tuesday morning in the southwest of Riyan in Yemen with a surface wind speed of 120 to 130 kilometres per hour, United Nations agencies reported that although it had weakened rapidly, the impacts could be severe and challenging.
Climate change poses 'major threat' to food security, warns UN expert
Nov 04, 2015, at 01:08 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): Climate change poses severe and distinct threats to food security, and could subject an additional 600 million people to malnutrition by 2080, a United Nations human rights expert warned on Tuesday.
'Cycle of impunity' must end, Ban declares, honouring killed journalists
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:56 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): Marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is honouring journalists and media workers who were killed in the line of duty for merely 'reporting the truth' and is underscoring the importance of protecting their rights and ensuring they can report freely.
UN treaty-making body opens with focus on rapidly expanding radiocommunications
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:51 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): The United Nations World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 opened on Monday in Geneva aiming to address the rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT), to ensure the global management of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits, and to enable people to live and travel safely while enjoying high performance radiocommunications.
Ban welcomes restart of trilateral meet between Republic of Korea, Japan, China
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:44 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the Summit Meeting held between the Republic of Korea, Japan and China on 1 November in Seoul, and lauded the leaders for resuming the trilateral meetings.
Powerful cyclone Chapala headed towards war-torn Yemen, warns UN
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:39 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): A strong and rare tropical cyclone, named Chapala, is heading towards the southern coasts of Oman and Yemen and is expected to make landfall on the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Shabwa in war-torn Yemen early Tuesday, the United Nations warned on Monday.
Ban concerned by continuous exercise of hate speech ahead of Myanmar elections
Nov 02, 2015, at 02:36 pm
New York, Nov 2 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday expressed deep concern at the continuous resort to hate speech, provocation of communal hostilities and the abuse of religion for political purposes, incited by "extreme element among the majority community in Myanmar".
Ceasefire in Colombia would be ‘decisive step toward ending conflict’ – UN
Oct 31, 2015, at 06:29 pm
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS) The United Nations welcomes the intention expressed by both the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to establish a bilateral ceasefire by the end of the year, a spokesperson for the world body said on Friday.
Global response ‘keeps door open’ to limit temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius: UN
Oct 31, 2015, at 04:53 pm
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS): An unprecedented worldwide effort is underway to combat climate change, building confidence that nations can cost effectively meet their stated objective of keeping global temperature rise to under 2 degrees Celsius, the United Nations said on Saturday.