Ban welcomes agreement to resume regular inter-Korean dialogue, hopes for talks on nuclear issue
Aug 25, 2015, at 03:48 pm
New York, Aug 25 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed the news of the agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Monday.
Civilian needs mount in Yemen as medical supplies dwindle - UN health agency
Aug 25, 2015, at 03:43 pm
New York, Aug 25 (IBNS) Life saving medicines, trauma kits and blood bank supplies are urgently needed in war-ravaged Yemen, where nearly half the country's health facilities have shut down, leaving thousands of injured civilians with fewer and fewer places to seek emergency assistance, according to the UN health agency.
Aug 25, 2015, at 03:20 pm
New York, Aug 25 (IBNS) Commemorating the 4th anniversary of the "vicious terrorist attack" that killed 23 United Nations employees in Abuja, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday also paid tribute to the “extraordinary fortitude†and determination of the survivors, many of whom suffered terrible injury and trauma.
Iraq: UN hotline set up to reach out to displaced Iraqis scattered in hard-to-reach areas
Aug 25, 2015, at 03:08 pm
New York, Aug 25 (IBNS) United Nations relief agencies on Monday announced the launch of a national hotline in Iraq to respond to the urgent food, medical and shelter needs of people displaced by the fighting now numbering 3.2 million and scattered in over 3,000 hard-to-reach locations across the war-ravaged country.
Top UN relief official in Central African Republic condemns attack against aid workers
Aug 25, 2015, at 02:52 pm
New York, Aug 25 (IBNS): A senior United Nations relief official on Monday strongly condemned the attack against humanitarian workers that occurred on August 20 in Bambari, in Central African Republic (CAR), and injured one staff from the Red Cross Movement.
Mauritania: UN expert welcomes new anti-slavery law
Aug 22, 2015, at 04:16 pm
New York, Aug 22 (IBNS): While applauding the adoption of a new anti-slavery law in Mauritania that doubles, from 10 to 20 years, the maximum prison sentence for slavery crimes and creates special prosecution tribunals for slavery-like practices, a United Nations expert on Friday cautioned that "this welcome development needs to be followed by its full implementation."
UN human rights chief urges end to 'endemic impunity' for violations in Darfur
Aug 22, 2015, at 04:14 pm
New York, Aug 22 (IBNS): A new United Nations report paints a grim picture of "systemic failure, or outright refusal" by authorities in Darfur to take human rights violations seriously and points to the failure of initiatives taken so far by the Government to combat "endemic impunity."
UN official in Somalia appeals for scaled-up assistance in newly opened areas
Aug 22, 2015, at 04:06 pm
New York, Aug 22 (IBNS): Just back from an assessment mission in southern regions of Somalia, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the country has underscored that while relief supplies are reaching the areas “after years of isolation,†much work lay ahead for people to rebuild their lives in the towns of Baardheere and Diinsoor, in the Gedo and Bay regions, respectively.
Azerbaijan: UN rights experts condemn prison sentencing of human rights defenders
Aug 22, 2015, at 04:02 pm
New York, Aug 22 (IBNS): Condemning the recent prison sentencing of two prominent Azerbaijani human rights defenders, United Nations human rights experts on Friday expressed concern about the activists’ health during their pre-trial detention and called on the Government to immediately halt any persecution against human rights advocates.
Somalia: UN urges resolution to crisis after legislators approve motion to impeach President
Aug 20, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Aug 20 (IBNS): Envoys from the United Nations and other international organizations on Wednesday joined to express deep concern that a parliamentary motion to impeach Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud would impede progress on the country’s peace and State-building goals.
Record civilian casualties and widening conflict stretch humanitarian capacities in Afghanistan : UN
Aug 19, 2015, at 05:30 pm
New York, Aug 19 (IBNS) The Afghan conflict has intensified in 2015, resulting in record high levels of civilian casualties and new displacements that are stretching the humanitarian community’s ability to sufficiently meet life-saving needs, the United Nations relief wing reported today.
Aug 19, 2015, at 03:52 pm
New York, Aug 19 (IBNS) On the eve of World Humanitarian Day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is drawing attention to the 100 million people affected by natural disasters, conflict, hunger and disease, whose needs are far outstripping the capacity to help them, but he is also reminding the international community that "each one of us can make a difference" and "create a more humane world."
Libya: UN human rights office alarmed by reports of ISIL-led violence, reprisal killings
Aug 19, 2015, at 03:34 pm
New York, Aug 19 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday expressed concern over violence in Sirte, Libya, involving militants claiming allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Iraq: UN rights office hails reform package following countrywide protests
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office has welcomed the Government of Iraq's response to mass protests against corruption and social inequality which crippled the country's capital earlier this month.
South Sudan: Blockade of aid routes lifted, allowing UN to access conflict-torn areas
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:54 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian wing has reported that the month-long restrictions on the movement of goods by air and river routes in South Sudan have been lifted, allowing delivery of aid supplies in crisis-torn Malakal, and has warned of a “dire situation†as fighting continues.
WHO kicks-off campaign honouring world’s health workers
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:47 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing to launch a campaign aimed at honouring the sacrifices and efforts of thousands of international health workers deployed to the frontlines of the world’s most pressing crises, the United Nations agency has announced.
Mali: UN official urges support for relief efforts amid ongoing crisis
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:45 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): Food insecurity in Mali will only grow if national parties fail to commit to peace and stability in the country, the United Nations relief official dealing with Africa’s Sahel region warned on Friday as he urged the international community to remain engaged with the country’s urgent humanitarian needs.
UN-backed research ship scours Indian Ocean for plastic waste
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:43 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): The United Nations is supporting a project aiming to chart the impact of plastic waste, including garbage like plastic bags, and ‘microplastics’ used in products such as cosmetics and shower gels, in the Indian Ocean, underscoring the risk of dramatic upheavals in marine ecosystems even in one of the world's least-known and least-visited environments.
Brazil must implement measures against torture: UN expert
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:38 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights expert on Friday called on Brazilian Federal and State authorities to urgently address the issue of prison overcrowding in the country and show genuine commitment to implement measures against torture.
UN chief 'deeply saddened' after deadly industrial explosions in northern China
Aug 14, 2015, at 03:33 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the injuries to scores of people as a result of deadly explosions in Tianjin, China.
UN launches #ShareHumanity campaign spotlighting humanitarian crises around the globe
Aug 14, 2015, at 03:08 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS) The United Nations relief arm has launched a call for millions of people around the world to drastically change their social media feeds and share captivating tale of humanitarian heroism ahead of this year's World Humanitarian Day.
Libyan parties say 'no alternative' to peace outside UN-sponsored dialogue process
Aug 14, 2015, at 03:06 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS): The latest round of the United Nations-facilitated Libyan political dialogue has concluded in Geneva, with the different parties emphasizing the need to set aside partisan agendas and uphold the country's higher national interests.
New UN agency report shows 'unprecedented' rise in infant mortality in Gaza
Aug 14, 2015, at 03:04 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS) A new study carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has revealed that the infant mortality rate in the Gaza Strip has risen for the first time in 50 years, with the agency’s health director citing the ongoing blockade as possibly contributing to the trend.
Aug 14, 2015, at 03:03 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS) The international community must step up its funding of relief efforts in Yemen and help in delivering critical aid to civilians amid the country's protracted civil conflict, the top United Nations humanitarian official has declared.
Africa one step closer to polio eradication, but more work to be done: UN
Aug 13, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Aug 13 (IBNS): Africa has made great strides towards eradicating polio but the job remains to be finished through strengthened immunization campaigns and surveillance measures, according to the United Nations.
Ban appoints Afghan diplomat as UN Special Representative for Liberia
Aug 13, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Aug 13 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday announced the appointment of Farid Zarif, of Afghanistan, as his Special Representative for Liberia and head of the United Nations Mission there, known as UNMIL.
Central Africa: UN releases funds for humanitarian aid amid ongoing crisis
Aug 12, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Aug 12 (IBNS): The United Nations has allocated over $13 million dollars for the immediate distribution of life-saving assistance targeting those affected by the ongoing violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Organization's relief arm reported on Tuesday.
Mali: UN alarmed at release of human rights abusers
Aug 12, 2015, at 02:00 pm
New York, Aug 12 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office expressed deep concern over the reported release of detainees in Mali suspected of involvement in, or formally charged with, serious abuses, including war crimes, terrorist acts and gross human rights violations.
Ban urges better healthcare for world's indigenous peoples
Aug 11, 2015, at 02:17 pm
New York, Aug 11 (IBNS): Indigenous peoples must not be left out of the global community’s unfolding sustainable development agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed on Monday as he marked the 2015 edition of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with a focus on their lagging access to health care services around the world.
Security Council deplores latest terrorist attacks in Afghan capital
Aug 10, 2015, at 02:31 pm
New York, Aug 10 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned the series of terrorist attacks that have taken place in the Afghan capital, Kabul, since last Thursday and resulted in hundreds of casualties and at least 70 deaths, including children.