Deploring Afghan attack, UN calls for perpetrators to be held accountable
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan has condemned the killing of at least eight civilians and the injuring of more than 200 in an attack that took place in Kabul on Friday.
Syria: Security Council approves probe into the use of chemical weapons
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Thursday gave the greenlight for the establishment of a Joint Investigative Mechanism to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Burundi: Assassination attempt prompts UN call for protection of human rights defenders
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): Following this week’s assassination attempt on one of Burundi’s leading human rights defenders, an independent United Nations expert has called on the Government to ensure the protection of all rights activists.
Conditions worsening for refugees in Calais, UN urges comprehensive response
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS):The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday called once again for a comprehensive response to the worsening reception conditions for refugees and migrants in Calais, saying that the situation in the French port city is unmanageable.
Mali: UN strongly condemns ‘despicable’ attack in Mopti region
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali has strongly condemned the attack that took place on Friday in the town of Sevaré, in the Mopti region, and led to the death of at least one person.
Myanmar: UN allocates $9 million to rapidly scale up urgent flood relief
Aug 08, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): The top United Nations humanitarian official on Saturday allocated $9 million to help aid organizations rapidly scale up assistance in Myanmar in the wake of major flooding and monsoon rains that affected over 330,000 people and killed at least 88.
Libya: UN-facilitated political dialogue set to begin next week
Aug 07, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Aug 7 (IBNS): With a new round of the United Nations-facilitated political dialogue set to begin next week, the top UN envoy for Libya, Bernardino León, has urged the parties to redouble their efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the country.
Growing insecurity leads to more displacements in Lake Chad region: UN official
Aug 07, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Aug 7 (IBNS): The United Nations on Thursday reported further population displacement in the Lake Chad region owing to fear of attacks by Boko Haram and appeals by the Government of Chad for civilians to leave areas where ongoing military operations are being undertaken against the group.
UN experts urge Pakistan to strengthen protection of children after latest execution
Aug 06, 2015, at 02:50 pm
New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday condemned the execution in Pakistan of Shafqat Hussein, who was reportedly 14 years old when he was convicted of murder, and called on the country to strengthen the protection of children.
Kiribati: UN backs vaccine to protect children from life-threatening diarrhoea
Aug 06, 2015, at 02:46 pm
New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are supporting a new vaccination campaign announced today by the Government of Kiribati to protect children from a potentially killer virus.
Cyclone Komen further burdens thousands of displaced people Myanmar: UN
Aug 05, 2015, at 01:52 pm
New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): Sweeping across western Myanmar last week, Cyclone Komen has caused extensive damage in the region, hampering assessment and relief efforts, including to areas where thousands of displaced people are living, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Tuesday.
UN chief welcomes climate change plan unveiled by President Obama
Aug 04, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the Clean Power Plan formally unveiled on Monday by President Barack Obama, saying it shows the determination of the United States to address global warming while also saving money and growing the economy.
Ban hails UN Member States' agreement on 'people's agenda' to end poverty, promote sustainability
Aug 03, 2015, at 11:05 pm
New York, Aug 3 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised UN Member States for reaching agreement on the draft outcome document that will constitute the new sustainable development agenda, which will be formally adopted by world leaders in New York this September.
Yemen: UN begins food aid distribution in war-torn districts of Aden
Jul 31, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distribution of food to around 340,000 people in eight of the worst-affected areas of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.
Small islands need partnerships to battle climate change: Ban
Jul 31, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): The global challenges facing the small island developing States (SIDS) are the international community’s collective responsibility, on Thursday stated the top United Nations official at the Security Council.
Marking International Day of Friendship, Ban hails power of the human spirit
Jul 31, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday praised a Paraguayan man whose “profound vision that the forces of animosity and hatred in our world are no match for the power of the human spirit†led to the creation of the International Day of Friendship, which falls on July 30 every year.
Security Council: Ban and UN envoy outline talk about political solution for Syria
Jul 30, 2015, at 02:10 pm
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): Describing the more than four years of “slaughter†in Syria as a “shameful symbol of the international community’s divisions and failure,†United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday appealed to the Security Council to endorse his Special Envoy’s recommendations on reaching the political solution that “all parties claim to support.â€
Orangutans face extinction on Borneo where deforestation is unsustainable: UN
Jul 30, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): The massive conversion of Borneo’s forests for the production palm oil together with the impact of climate change is driving to extinction the orangutan on Asia’s largest island, making it “clear that a future without sustainable development will be a future with a different climate and, eventually, without orangutans, one of our closest relatives,†a new United Nations report revealed on Wednesday.
Economic ‘slowdown’ predicted for Latin America and Caribbean in 2015: UN forum
Jul 30, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): Panama will lead Latin America and the Caribbean countries in economic growth that will average 0.5 per cent in 2015, according to United Nations projections released on Wednesday, which not that to reverse the region’s economic slowdown, more investments are needed to boost growth and improve productivity.
Violent attacks reported against civilians fleeing ISIL-controlled areas of Iraq: UN
Jul 29, 2015, at 02:14 pm
New York, Jul 29 (IBNS): An increasing number of people in Iraq, including families with children and the elderly, have encountered deadly ambushes as they try to escape areas controlled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan (ISIL) by risking their lives on a treacherous mountain journey to safety, the United Nations human rights office reported on Tuesday.
Syria’s grim statistics speak for themselves: Security Council
Jul 29, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Jul 29 (IBNS): A political solution is more urgent than ever to end the “futile, hopeless†cycle of brutality and violence in Syria, the top United Nations humanitarian official said on Tuesday, urging the Security Council to consider its options through “the eyes of the beleaguered, now long-suffering†civilians.
Ban welcomes UN’s endorsement of action plan on post-2015 development financing
Jul 28, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Jul 28 (IBNS): The United Nations General Assembly on Monday endorsed the new global action agenda for financing sustainable development adopted two weeks ago by a major UN conference, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the move as a major step that firmly puts the world “on the path to a more prosperous, just and sustainable world for this and future generations.â€
UN chief condemns deadly Al Shabaab attack against hotel in Mogadishu
Jul 28, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Jul 28 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the attack perpetrated by Al Shabaab on Sunday on the Al-Jazeera Hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
‘Paralyzing’ funding gap forces shutdown of health services in Iraq: UN
Jul 28, 2015, at 02:29 pm
New York, Jul 28 (IBNS): The top United Nations humanitarian official in Iraq on Monday declared as “devastating†the “inexplicable†closures of life-saving services in Iraq for people in need, citing the most recent shut-downs of basic health care will directly impact more than one million people, including some 500,000 children who now will not be immunized, spreading risk of a measles outbreak and resumption of polio.
Jul 24, 2015, at 03:27 pm
New York, July 24 (IBNS) Mid-way through a four-day visit to assess the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator reviewed aid operations in the warn-torn country today, stressing that "everything" should be done to protect civilians from violence.
Jul 24, 2015, at 03:26 pm
New York, July 24 (IBNS) Deeply concerned by escalating violence in southern Libya, the United Nations Support Mission in the crisis-torn country called for an immediate ceasefire on Thursdayamid fighting that has claimed dozens of lives in recent weeks and is a "further reminder of the chaos engulfing Libya and the need for the main…actors to move quickly to reach a political settlement."
Syria: bread prices up nearly 90 per cent, pushing more people into hunger, UN report warns
Jul 24, 2015, at 03:19 pm
New York , July 24 (IBNS) Syria’s food production in 2015 remains at 40 per cent below its pre-crisis levels, impacting the price of bread, which has spiralled by 87 per cent, and shrinking poultry production by half, according to a United Nations agency report released on Thursdaythat warns that "the risk of irreversible damage to the children is real, with tragic future consequences."
In Damascus, UN special envoy meets senior Syrian officials on political solution to crisis
Jul 24, 2015, at 03:18 pm
New York, July 24 (IBNS) Wrapping up his tour of the region, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura visited Damascus today, where he met with senior Government officials on ways to maintain momentum towards a political solution to the crisis in the country, which is entering its fifth year.
Burundi: After 'broadly peaceful' polls Ban urges parties to resume inclusive political dialogue
Jul 24, 2015, at 03:17 pm
New York, July 24 (IBNS) Taking note of the "broadly peaceful" conduct of polling in the Burundian presidential elections on 21 July, the top United Nations official on Thursday called on all parties to continue to remain calm and immediately resume an inclusive political dialogue.
South Sudan: UN official cites will of the people to achieve peace despite 'bleak' situation
Jul 19, 2015, at 02:37 am
New York, July 18 (IBNS) The outlook for South Sudan is not completely bleak, a senior United Nations has said in Juba, noting that travelling throughout the country, he has repeatedly heard the phrase: “we want peace now.â€