Joint UN body to probe chemical weapons in Syria is now ‘fully operational’
Nov 14, 2015, at 04:38 pm
New York, Nov 14 (Just Earth News/IBNS) : A joint body between the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria is fully operational from Friday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council.
Refugees flee Yemen for strife-riven Horn of Africa, UN reports
Nov 14, 2015, at 04:32 pm
New York, Nov 14 (Just Earth News/IBNS) :In a reversal of a multi-year boat exodus that has seen hundreds of thousands of Somalis risk death at sea to flee their strife-riven land to seek refuge in Yemen, thousands of Yemenis are now fleeing from their own war-torn country to Djibouti, Somalia’s neighbour, across the Gulf of Aden.
UN condemns ‘despicable’ terrorist attacks in Paris
Nov 14, 2015, at 04:16 pm
New York, Nov 14 (Just Earth News/IBNS) : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council have condemned the “despicable" terrorist attacks carried out on Friday in various locations in and around Paris, and Ban has demanded the immediate release of the numerous individuals reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan theatre.
Security Council condemns attack against UN peacekeeping mission in Central Africa
Nov 12, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Nov 12 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Security Council on Wednesday strongly condemned the attack against a checkpoint of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which followed an outbreak of violence in a camp for internally displace people in the town of Batangafo, during which one peacekeeper from Cameroon was killed.
UN's ECOSOC President urges stronger cooperation to thwart tax evasion
Nov 12, 2015, at 02:16 pm
New York, Nov 12 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Citing an enormous loss of $100 to $240 billion dollars in uncollected global corporate income tax revenues each year, Oh Joon, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Wednesday stressed the need to curb tax evasion and avoidance and called for stronger international tax cooperation.
UN launches 2016 International Year of Pulses, celebrating benefits of legumes
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Under the slogan 'nutritious seeds for a sustainable future,' the United Nations, led by its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Tuesday launched the 2016 International Year of Pulses to raise awareness about the protein power and health benefits of all kinds of dried beans and peas, boost their production and trade, and encourage new and smarter uses throughout the food chain.
UN urges immediate release of detained Egyptian human rights defender
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations has called for the immediate release of detained Egyptian human rights defender Hossam Bahgat with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon describing as "profoundly worrying" the latest in a series of such detentions.
UN envoy commends South Sudanese opposition commanders' plan to prevent rape
Nov 11, 2015, at 02:13 pm
New York, Nov 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict on Tuesday commended 54 ranking members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) for signing "explicit undertakings' to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.
UN calls for urgent action to address child statelessness
Nov 04, 2015, at 01:21 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): Stateless children across the world share the same feelings of discrimination, frustration and despair, according to a new United Nations report published on Tuesday, that warns that urgent action is needed before statelessness “sets in stone†problems haunting their childhood.
'We need greater transparency, accountability,' Member States told at debate
Nov 04, 2015, at 01:10 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): To advance the values, principles and purposes of the United Nations, the General Assembly's role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency must be continuously reviewed and enhanced, the 193-member body's President, Mogens Lykketoft, said on Tuesday, stressing the need for transparency throughout the UN system.
'Racial superiority' myth must be debunked, experts tell UN event
Nov 04, 2015, at 01:04 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS): Debunking the myth of racial hierarchy, United Nations experts on racial discrimination on Tuesday said that it is imperative to deconstruct, on a global scale, the ideological myth of a superior race and the resulting conviction of a superior culture.
East Jerusalem: UN officials call for respect of health premises, right to health care
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:45 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): Officials from a number of United Nations agencies have stressed the need to ensure respect for health premises as well as the right to health, following recent actions by the Israeli security forces at a hospital in East Jerusalem.
UN calls on Libyan political stakeholders to redouble efforts to reach agreement
Nov 03, 2015, at 01:42 pm
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called on Monday on the main political stakeholders in the country to redouble their efforts in bringing the political dialogue process to a successful conclusion, which would allow for an agreement to form a Government of National Accord and for the resumption of Libya’s democratic transition.
UN Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attack against Somali hotel
Nov 02, 2015, at 02:41 pm
New York, Nov 2 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Sunday condemned "in the strongest terms" the attacks carried out on Sunday against the Sahafi hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia by Al-Shabaab, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries.
UN agency warns of refugee crisis as women flee Central America and Mexico
Oct 30, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Oct 30 (IBNS): Women in Central America and Mexico are fleeing their countries in rising numbers to escape a surge in deadly, unchecked gang violence, fuelling a looming refugee crisis in the Americas that demands urgent and concerted action by the States of the region, the United Nations refugee agency is warning.
UN ramps up to assist those in Afghanistan and Pakistan affected by earthquake
Oct 28, 2015, at 02:48 pm
New York, Oct 28 (IBNS): Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands of homes in Afghanistan and Pakistan were destroyed by the massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the Badakshan Province in Afghanistan on Monday, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
UN General Assembly renews call for end to US embargo against Cuba
Oct 28, 2015, at 02:40 pm
New York, Oct 28 (IBNS): In a near unanimous vote, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution renewing its call for an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, while also acknowledging the restoration, after nearly 50 years, of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
UN human rights chief sends assessment mission to South Sudan
Oct 27, 2015, at 02:44 pm
New York, Oct 27 (IBNS): After reports of alleged violations and abuses of human rights committed by both parties to the conflict in South Sudan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is deploying a 10-member mission to the country to assess the situation.
Mali: UN says three civilians killed, two peacekeepers wounded by mine explosions
Oct 27, 2015, at 02:37 pm
New York, Oct 27 (IBNS): The United Nations mission in Mali has condemned the explosion of a mine or an explosive device in the Kidal region of the country Saturday, killing three civilians and wounding two peacekeepers.
UN condemns attack in Afghanistan that killed two, injured six
Oct 27, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Oct 27 (IBNS): The top UN official in Afghanistan has condemned the killing of two human rights workers on Monday by a remote-controlled explosive device in the eastern city of Jalalabad, saying "the climate of fear created by such attacks, threatens vital human rights work" being carried out throughout the country.
UN remains 'beacon for all humanity,' says Ban ahead of 70th anniversary
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:44 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): Marking the 70th anniversary of the Organization ahead of UN Day on 24 October, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there is only one flag that belongs to everyone – the blue flag of the United Nations.
UN and Middle East partners express concern over Israeli-Palestinian tensions
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): Underscoring the urgent need to restore calm amid escalating Israeli-Palestinians tensions, the United Nations and its Middle East Quartet partners on Friday encouraged Israel to work together with Jordan to uphold the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Security Council extends arms embargoes imposed on Somalia and Eritrea
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended the arms embargo on Somalia until 15 November 2016 while reaffirming the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources, while also reaffirming its arms embargo on Eritrea.
South Sudan: UN calls for access to conflict-affected areas to prevent catastrophe
Oct 23, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Three United Nations agencies on Thursday warned that extreme hunger is pushing people to the brink of a catastrophe in parts of South Sudan, as a new analysis found that 3.9 million people nationwide now face severe food insecurity.
UN human rights chief urges Czech Republic to halt detention of migrants and refugees
Oct 23, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official on Thursday strongly criticized the detention of migrants and refugees in the Czech Republic, drawing attention to the violations of the rights of children among them and to credible reports that authorities are routinely strip-searching migrants to confiscate the $10 a day they are charged for their own detention.
World lights up in UN blue to mark Organization's milestone anniversary
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:47 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): From Australia to Azerbaijan, Indonesia to Iraq, Saudi Arabia to South Sudan, some 250 sites around the world will be lit in 'UN blue' beginning on Friday as part of the global celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.
UN human rights chief urges recognition of dignity and worth of every human being
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:28 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): The turmoil and crises the international community faces clearly demonstrate the disasters that may occur when human rights are "neglected and ground down," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said on Tuesday in a wide-ranging address to UN Member States in New York.
UN flags importance of reliable data to achieve development agenda
Oct 21, 2015, at 04:45 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): Emphasizing that "reliable and timely statistics and indicators are more important than ever," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged all partners and stakeholders to work together to achieve the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Security Council: Heads of UN bodies highlight reinforcing areas of concern
Oct 21, 2015, at 04:22 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): During a debate on the working methods of the Security Council, the President of the General Assembly, as well as the Deputy Secretary-General and the Vice President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) emphasized the need for continued and improved interaction between the main bodies of the United Nations.
UN agencies expand operations in southern Africa as poor harvests deepen food insecurity
Oct 20, 2015, at 04:58 pm
New York, Oct 20 (IBNS): An estimated 27.4 million people in southern Africa face food insecurity in the next six months, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday, announcing the expansion of their operations to respond to the challenge, caused by poor harvests across the region.