United Nations News Centre - 'Stand out and stand together,' says UN on Zero Discrimination Day
Mar 02, 2016, at 02:37 pm
New York, Mar 2 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations agency leading the world’s HIV/AIDS response Tuesday called on the international community to celebrate individuality, as it observed Zero Discrimination Day, stressing that embracing diversity brings valuable benefits to all societies around the world.
Balkans border closures cause chaos as refugees find 'too few places' to go, UN agency chief warns
Feb 25, 2016, at 02:36 pm
New York, Feb 25 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Europe is backing into an even greater refugee crisis by tightening border restrictions on the hundreds of thousands fleeing conflicts elsewhere, the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said on a visit to the island of Lesvos in Greece.
UN rights chief welcomes US President’s plan to close Guantánamo detention facility
Feb 24, 2016, at 03:15 pm
New York, Feb 24 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday welcomed United States President Barack Obama’s plan to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, expressing hope that “no further obstacles are placed in the way of its implementation.â€
Libyan parties encouraged to act on UN-backed peace plan
Sep 23, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Sept 23 (IBNS) The United Nations envoy for Libya has announced the finalization of a proposed peace plan to end the political crisis in the North African nation, adding that it is now up to the parties to act on the text.
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.
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.
UN chief says education remains 'passport to dignity' for Gaza's children
Aug 11, 2015, at 02:34 pm
New York, Aug 11 (IBNS): Access to education can provide Gaza’s children with a "passport to dignity" and help break the cycle of poverty and violence that has afflicted the troubled enclave for decades, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.
UN urges focus on kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls
Jun 17, 2014, at 05:37 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): Marking the Day of the African Child, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown on Monday called for the world to remember the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok, Nigeria, while also praising young people around the world as they mobilise to demand education for all.
Sri Lanka: UN alarmed at inter-communal violence
Jun 17, 2014, at 05:35 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced her deep alarm on Monday at inter-communal violence taking place in south-western Sri Lanka in which several people have reportedly been killed and scores injured.
UN urges rapid peacekeeping response in Cote d'Ivoire
Jun 17, 2014, at 05:34 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): The reduction of peacekeeping personnel in Cote d'Ivoire will continue, given 'impressive' progress there, but the rapid reaction capabilities of remaining forces must be boosted to help ensure security during planned elections, the top United Nations envoy in the West African country told the Security Council on Monday.
Afghanistan: UN condemns mutilation of voters in western province
Jun 16, 2014, at 04:55 pm
New York, Jun 16 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Afghanistan on Sunday strongly condemned what appears to be punishment doled out by the Taliban to nearly a dozen of people who had their index fingers cut off after voting in the presidential run-off.
UN calls for restoring calm along DR Congo-Rwanda border
Jun 13, 2014, at 05:31 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): Following clashes on Wednesday between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, a senior United Nations official has called on both sides to restore calm in the border area of Kibumba.
DR Congo: UN applauds oil firm's decision to halt exploration
Jun 13, 2014, at 05:29 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): The United Nations agency that advocates for the protection of irreplaceable natural and cultural resources on Thursday welcomed as "a step in the right direction" the decision of British oil company Soco to halt oil exploration in ecologically rich but endangered Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Iraq: UN swings into action on humanitarian fronts
Jun 13, 2014, at 05:19 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): With Iraq facing "the most serious threats to its security in years," the top United Nations official in the country reiterated on Thursday the Organization's support for the Iraqi Government's efforts to combat terrorist groups in the wake of the crisis sparked by the militant takeover of key cities in the north.
UN kicks off campaign as football World Cup opens in Brazil
Jun 13, 2014, at 05:17 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday to attend the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as United Nations agencies carry out a number of projects and activities related to one of the greatest sporting events on the planet.
Afghanistan: UN urges broad participation in run-off election
Jun 13, 2014, at 05:15 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): As the Afghan people head toward a historic run-off presidential election that will culminate the country's first-ever democratic transfer of power, the top United Nations official there is encouraging them to actively participate in the polls, deliver the necessary change and help build a better future for their long-troubled nation.
UN envoy Angelina Jolie urges end to sexual violence in conflict
Jun 11, 2014, at 06:04 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Hollywood actress, activist and United Nations Special Envoy Angelina Jolie on Tuesday called for concerted action to end once and for all the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war.
UN spotlights power of technology to advance development
Jun 11, 2014, at 05:56 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): With nearly everyone on Earth now having access to a mobile cellular network and some three billion people online, a United Nations information and communication technology (ICT) forum opening in Geneva on Tuesday called for greater efforts to ensure that everyone also has access to broadband connectivity.
Afghanistan: UN condemns attack on de-miners in central region
Jun 11, 2014, at 05:45 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned the killing of eight Afghan de-miners and the wounding of another three in an attack in what remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
UN seeks regional savings to finance sustainable development
Jun 11, 2014, at 05:38 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): The private sector in the Asia-Pacific region holds USD 33 trillion which could help finance sustainable development, the United Nations economic and social office in the region said, calling for greater partnerships in the social and environmental sectors, and for a reworking of the region's financial regulations.
Nigeria: UN urges national actors to ensure release of schoolgirls
Jun 10, 2014, at 05:16 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): A United Nations envoy on Monday renewed the world body's commitment to supporting ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Government to secure the safe release of the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok, and called for concerted efforts to tackle the insurgency in the north-east of the country.
UN: Security tensions threaten Libya's transition
Jun 10, 2014, at 05:12 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): The recent turmoil in Libya has not only slowed the pace of important aspects of the democratic transition but threatens to thrust the North African nation back into conflict and instability, the United Nations envoy to the country told the UN Security Council on Monday.
South Sudan: UN site in Malakal offers protection to civilians
Jun 10, 2014, at 05:05 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Monday inaugurated a new site adjacent to its base in Malakal to offer protection for civilians uprooted by conflict and to relieve the congestion inside the world body's compound, which is hosting an estimated 19,000 people.
Ukraine: UN reiterates support for new government
Jun 10, 2014, at 04:58 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): The top United Nations political official on Monday concluded a visit to Ukraine, where he reiterated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's commitment to supporting the country, and held meetings with senior Government and civil society representatives.
Gaza: UN pledges support as Palestinian government takes shape
Jun 09, 2014, at 04:48 pm
New York, Jun 9 (IBNS): The senior United Nations envoy in the Middle East visited the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time since the signing of the Beach Camp Agreement and the formation of a Palestinian government of national consensus, and pledged the Organization's ongoing support as the nascent process moves forward.
Libya: UN announces political initiative as violence deepens
Jun 07, 2014, at 06:19 pm
New York, Jun 7 (IBNS): The United Nations' top envoy in Libya on Friday announced an initiative to bring together some of the country's most influential actors to settle long-divisive issues, as the world Organization's human rights arm expressed deepening concern over the violence plaguing the east of the country, particularly the city of Benghazi.
South Sudan: UN confirms looting of homes, hospitals
Jun 07, 2014, at 06:09 pm
New York, Jun 7 (IBNS): The United Nations mission in South Sudan on Friday confirmed reports of "intense small arms fire and shelling" close to its base in Renk, Upper Nile state, where some of the 93,000 civilians sheltered by UN peacekeepers throughout the country are staying.
South Sudan: UN boosts aid operations to reach remote areas
Jun 06, 2014, at 06:28 pm
New York, Jun 6 (IBNS): As the rainy season begins in South Sudan, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has scaled up its emergency response operations with large-scale airdrops to provide remote communities with livelihood kits that will allow them to plant crops, fish waterways and protect livestock from fatal diseases.
UN calls for crisis funding for Central African Republic
Jun 05, 2014, at 05:27 pm
New York, Jun 5 (IBNS): Thousands of women and children fleeing the Central African Republic (CAR) for Cameroon arrive in a 'shocking state,' malnourished and dangerously ill, the heads of two United Nations humanitarian agencies said on Wednesday, warning that their funds are nearly exhausted and that hundreds of thousands of people could die unless urgent contributions are received.
Libya: UN urges action on political, security fronts
Jun 05, 2014, at 05:23 pm
New York, Jun 5 (IBNS): Citing aerial attacks, use of heavy weaponry and civilian casualties in Benghazi and elsewhere in eastern Libya, the United Nations on Wednesday called for an end to the bloodshed and urged the country's officials to agree on precise means to counter terrorism and other challenges to security and state authority.