Mali: UN to restore Timbuktu's cultural heritage
May 17, 2014, at 05:09 pm
New York, May 17 (IBNS): The United Nations and the European Union have forged an agreement on Friday to fund the restoration of cultural heritage in Timbuktu that was destroyed by extremists after fighting broke out in 2012 between Malian Government forces and Tuareg rebels.
UN highlights role of families in achieving development
May 16, 2014, at 05:55 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): United Nations officials are using this year's International Day of Families to highlight the vital role that these critical social units found in every society play in achieving globally agreed development goals and advancing a better world for all.
UN condemns conviction, sentencing of Saudi blogger
May 16, 2014, at 05:53 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): A group of independent United Nations human rights experts on Thursday expressed alarm at the conviction by a Saudi court of online activist and blogger Raef Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a 1 million Saudi riyal fine.
UN report shows rich-poor longevity divide persists
May 16, 2014, at 05:50 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): People everywhere are living longer, the United Nations health agency on Thursday reported, mostly because fewer children are dying, certain diseases are in check, and tobacco use is down, but conditions in low-income countries continue to plague life quality there.
UN report reveals record people displaced by war
May 15, 2014, at 06:12 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): Conflict and violence uprooted a record 33.3 million people within their countries last year, according to a new United Nations-backed report released on Wednesday, which adds that 63 per cent of them are in five countries - Syria, Colombia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
UN urges release of abducted Nigerian school girls
May 15, 2014, at 06:06 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations expert committee tasked with monitoring discrimination against women on Wednesday added its voice to the chorus of condemnation of the abduction of over 200 girls from their school in north-eastern Nigeria and called for their immediate release.
UN condoles Turkish coal mine tragedy
May 15, 2014, at 05:43 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): United Nations officials have offered their condolences to the families affected by the coal mine explosion in the town of Soma in western Turkey that reportedly resulted in at least 245 deaths.
UN condemns murder of photojournalist in CAR
May 15, 2014, at 05:39 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations has condemned the murder of well-known French photojournalist Camille Lepage, whose body was found in the Bouar region in the western part of war-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where she had been working.
May 15, 2014, at 05:34 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Geneva on Wednesday urged bold action by diplomats at the start of the world body's first ever meeting on Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS), better known as "killer robots," telling them: "You have the opportunity to take pre-emptive action and ensure that the ultimate decision to end life remains firmly under human control."
UN concerned at deaths from boat accidents in Mediterranean
May 14, 2014, at 06:44 pm
New York, May 14 (IBNS): The United Nations on Tuesday voiced deep concern at the rising death toll from boat accidents in the Mediterranean Sea this year as increasing numbers of asylum-seekers and refugees make the journey on unsafe vessels, often at the hands of ruthless smugglers.
UN backs universal education, condemns Nigerian abduction
May 14, 2014, at 06:30 pm
New York, May 14 (IBNS): Stressing the need to educate all children, the head of the United Nations education agency on Tuesday condemned the abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria - calling it "an attack against the aspirations of these girls" - and urged greater cooperation among Member States on educational needs.
UN urges investigation into murder of Pakistani lawyer
May 10, 2014, at 05:34 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): The United Nations on Friday condemned the killing of prominent human rights lawyer Rashid Khan Rehman in Pakistan and urged the Government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
UN concerned by recent wave of attacks in northeast Nigeria
May 10, 2014, at 05:19 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday it is alarmed at the recent wave of attacks on civilians in north-east Nigeria which has led to population displacement both inside the country and into neighbouring States.
UN concerned over disparity in access to clean water, sanitation
May 09, 2014, at 05:38 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): Despite a narrowing disparity in access to cleaner water and better sanitation between rural and urban areas, sharp inequalities still persist around the world, says a new United Nations report.
UN warns Boko Haram over sale of Nigerian schoolgirls
May 07, 2014, at 05:12 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday lashed out at the militant group known as Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria and now, referring to the girls as "slaves", says it plans to sell them "in the market" and "marry them off".
UN humanitarian chief meets with Central African refugees
May 07, 2014, at 05:08 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): The top United Nations relief official on Tuesday visited with mostly women and children fleeing violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) by taking refuge in Chad, where they are receiving food, vaccines and other support from UN agencies and partners.
UN reports positive financial situation, warns of cash flow
May 07, 2014, at 04:54 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): The top United Nations management official reported on Tuesday that at the end of 2013, the Organization's financial situation was "generally sound", but cautioned that the cash flow would get tighter in the final months of 2014, as several major contributors would pay their assessments between October and December.
UN partners private sector to help map disaster risk
May 06, 2014, at 05:52 pm
New York, May 6 (IBNS): The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has announced that it will partner with a California-based supplier of global geographic data to make available new technologies that can help communities and cities visualize disaster risk and take action.
UN reports Internet well on way to 3 billion users
May 06, 2014, at 05:37 pm
New York, May 6 (IBNS): Releasing new statistics on Monday, the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced that by end 2014, there will be nearly three billion Internet users - two-thirds of them from the developing world - with mobile-broadband penetration approaching 32 percent.
UN condemns crackdown on journalists in Ethiopia
May 03, 2014, at 05:43 pm
New York, May 3 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights chief on Friday condemned the crackdown on journalists in Ethiopia and the increasing restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression in the Horn of Africa nation.
Accountability key to ensuring development progress: UN
May 02, 2014, at 05:51 pm
New York, May 2 (IBNS): As Member States continue work on a new post-2015 development agenda, United Nations officials on Thursday stressed the need for a robust yet flexible accountability framework to assess progress and achieve results, as well as ensure that all actors honour their commitments.
UN marks free media as vital to sustainable development
May 02, 2014, at 05:45 pm
New York, May 2 (IBNS): Free media, traditional and new, are indispensable for development, democracy and good governance, United Nations officials said on Thursday, spotlighting Press Freedom Day - observed annually on May 3 - to urge Governments, societies and individuals to actively defend this fundamental right as a critical factor in achieving internationally agreed development goals.
UN lauds incredible resilience of Iraqi voters
May 02, 2014, at 05:41 pm
New York, May 2 (IBNS): United Nations officials on Thursday congratulated the people and Government of Iraq for turning out in significant numbers in Wednesday's elections, and commended the electoral authorities and security personnel for their efforts.
UN celebrates historic influence of jazz to connect people
May 01, 2014, at 05:30 pm
New York, May 1 (IBNS): Jazz has given rhythm to the struggles of civil rights movements around the world, the top United Nations cultural official said on Wednesday, hailing the power of this music to bring together artists from different cultures and backgrounds as a driver of integration and mutual respect.
UN goes Bollywood to promote LGBT rights
May 01, 2014, at 05:27 pm
New York, May 1 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office launched in Mumbai on Wednesday the latest phase of its global fight against homophobia: a Bollywood-style video called 'The Welcome', accompanied by an appeal from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to end the prejudice that forces millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to live in fear or hide in shame.
UN deplores Egypt's mass death sentences
Apr 30, 2014, at 06:19 pm
New York, Apr 30 (IBNS): The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday strongly condemned the imposition of the death penalty on hundreds of people in Egypt, after mass trials that she said clearly breached international human rights law.
UN urges Maldives to repeal regulation on death penalty
Apr 30, 2014, at 06:08 pm
New York, Apr 30 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday voiced deep concern about a new regulation in the Maldives that effectively overturns a 60-year moratorium on the use of capital punishment in the country and allows for children as young as seven to be sentenced to death for certain crimes.
UN urges control of harmful chemicals in workplace
Apr 29, 2014, at 05:40 pm
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): While chemicals can be useful, necessary steps should be taken to prevent and control potential risks for workers, workplaces, communities and the environment, the United Nations labour agency reported, marking the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
UN seeks high-level participation in conference on LLDC
Apr 29, 2014, at 05:37 pm
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): United Nations Under Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya has welcomed the adoption of resolution calling for the active participation of all Member States in the Second UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), set to take place from 3-5 November 2014, in Vienna.
UN urges Belarus to impose death penalty moratorium
Apr 26, 2014, at 05:31 pm
New York, Apr 26 (IBNS): An independent United Nations human rights expert on Friday urged authorities in Belarus, the only European nation that still retains the death penalty, to impose an immediate moratorium on the punishment and refrain from carrying out further executions.