UN urges Europe to admit 200,000 refugees from Syria, Iraq and other war zones
Sep 05, 2015, at 03:51 pm
New York, Sep 5 (IBNS): Declaring that Europe is facing "a moment of truth" with hundreds of thousands of people risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea, the head of the United Nations refugee agency on Friday urged the European Union (EU) to admit up to 200,000 asylum-seekers fleeing conflict zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
UN human rights chief warns Central Africa still 'gripped by fear'
Sep 05, 2015, at 03:46 pm
New York, Sep 5 (IBNS): The human rights situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is far better than it was at the height of the conflict in late 2013 and early 2014, but is still a cause of anxiety for both the country's own inhabitants and the United Nations, the world body’s human rights chief said on Friday.
UN-backed summit opens to harnesses global momentum to eliminate viral hepatitis
Sep 03, 2015, at 02:47 pm
New York, Sep 3 (IBNS): Delegates from more than 60 countries are gathered in Glasgow for the first-ever World Hepatitis Summit that began on Wednesday aiming to provide "a wake-up call to build momentum to prevent, diagnose, treat – and eventually eliminate – viral hepatitis as a public health problem," the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
UN relief official in Yemen condemns 'despicable' killing of two Red Cross workers
Sep 03, 2015, at 02:40 pm
New York, Sep 3 (IBNS): The top United Nations relief official in Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, has strongly condemned Wednesday’s killing of two staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Amran Governorate of the country.
UN relief official in Yemen condemns 'despicable' killing of two Red Cross workers
Sep 03, 2015, at 02:39 pm
New York, Sep 3 (IBNS): The top United Nations relief official in Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, has strongly condemned Wednesday’s killing of two staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Amran Governorate of the country.
UN: Commemorative plaque joins 'Tree of Peace and Unity' marking end of WW II
Sep 03, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Sep 3 (IBNS): A ceremony to dedicate a commemorative plaque marking the end of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific was organized at United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday.
UN: Parliamentarians pledge to place democracy at service of sustainable development
Sep 03, 2015, at 02:27 pm
New York, Sep 3 (IBNS): Parliamentary leaders from some 140 countries on Wednesday declared that the United Nations must remain the cornerstone of global cooperation as an Organization that embodies the ardent hope of people around the world and pledged to place "democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development for the world the people want."
UN environment agency unveils low-cost device for air quality monitoring
Sep 02, 2015, at 02:42 pm
New York, Sep 2 (IBNS): A ground-breaking air quality measuring device expected to cost up to 100 times less than existing solutions has the potential to "revolutionize" air quality measurement in developing countries and help prevent deaths from air pollution that claim 7 million lives each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
UN hands over draft global sustainability agenda to Member States
Sep 02, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Sep 2 (IBNS): The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday approved a resolution sending the draft '2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development' to Member States for adoption later this month, bringing the international community "to the cusp of decisions that can help realize the… dream of a world of peace and dignity for all," according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
UN relief wing cites major access challenges in eastern Ukraine
Aug 31, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Aug 31 (IBNS): Sounding the alarm on behalf of relief agencies working to meet ongoing needs and jump-start critical preparations for winter in strife-riven eastern Ukraine, the United Nations humanitarian wing has reported that aid organizations are facing major challenges in getting access to the most vulnerable of an estimated 5 million people affected by the conflict that began in the region in April 2014.
Prohibition of enforced disappearance is 'absolute,' UN declares
Aug 31, 2015, at 01:58 pm
New York, Aug 31 (IBNS): Marking the fourth International Day of Enforced Disappearances, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denounced the “alarming†number of acts by that are tantamount to enforced disappearances and appealed to all Member States to ratify or accede to the legal instrument prohibiting such acts.
UN calls on Colombia and Venezuela to resolve border situation through dialogue
Aug 29, 2015, at 03:16 pm
New York, Aug 29 (IBNS): Concerned over the situation at the border between Colombia and Venezuela, particularly reports of human rights violations occurring in the context of deportations of Colombians, the United Nations human rights office called on Friday on the authorities in both countries to ensure the situation is resolved through "calm discussion and dialogue, firmly grounded in their obligations under international human rights law and refugee law."
UN urges all States to sign, ratify Nuclear Test Ban as a step to nuclear-free world
Aug 29, 2015, at 03:14 pm
New York, Aug 29 (IBNS): For the fifth International Day against Nuclear Tests, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed voluntary moratoria on testing imposed by nuclear-armed states but stressed that these cannot substitute for a legally-binding treaty.
Aug 27, 2015, at 03:42 pm
New York, Aug 27 (IBNS) Near Gevgelija, a southeast town bordering Greece, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has established a child-friendly space with a mobile team to support women and children fleeing violence in their home countries and moving through the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
UN reports new allegations of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in Central Africa
Aug 20, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Aug 20 (IBNS): A series of new “disturbing†allegations of misconduct in the Central African Republic were announced on Wednesday by the Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country (MINUSCA).
UN human rights office warns Burundi crisis ‘spiralling out of control’
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:55 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): The situation in Burundi continues to deteriorate amid ongoing killings, arrests and detentions in the latest post-election turmoil to afflict the country, the United Nations human rights office has reported.
UN experts call on Iran to release journalist Jason Rezaian as he awaits verdict
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:41 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): United Nations human rights experts on Friday urged the Iranian Government to immediately release the Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran, Jason Rezaian, who now awaits verdict after his fourth and possible final hearing earlier this week.
UN rights experts welcome release of Syrian human rights defenders
Aug 15, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Aug 15 (IBNS): Welcoming recent release of three human rights defenders from Syrian Government custody, the head of a United Nations-appointed human rights panel on Friday urged the authorities to grant an independent organization regular access to those allegedly detained.
UN stresses role of geospatial data to achieve sustainable development goals
Aug 12, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Aug 12 (IBNS): Geographic information about people and the planet is critical to making better decisions and using resources more wisely, and will be vital to achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals that countries have recently agreed on, according to a United Nations expert on the issue.
UN rights expert tells 'free voices are vital partners' after Myanmar visit
Aug 12, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Aug 12 (IBNS): Expressing concern over curbs to free expression and possible voter disenfranchisement in Myanmar ahead of upcoming elections in November, a United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday urged the Government to “reconsider its fear and opposition to critical and independent voices,†which are “partners†not “threats.â€
Iraq: UN agency forced to cut critical food aid amid funding shortfall
Aug 11, 2015, at 02:45 pm
New York, Aug 11 (IBNS): A severe funding shortfall in Iraq is pushing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut the amount of aid it delivers to nearly one million displaced people in the war-torn country, the Organization has confirmed.
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.
Ban condemns series of terrorist attacks in Turkey
Aug 11, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Aug 11 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned Monday’s series of terrorist attacks in Turkey, including on the security forces, both in Istanbul and in the south-east provinces, as well as on the United States Consulate in Istanbul.
UN chief voices concern over tensions on Korean Peninsula
Aug 11, 2015, at 02:13 pm
New York, Aug 11 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over reports that the Korean People’s Army has placed new land mines in the southern half of the Demilitarized Zone in the Korean Peninsula, a spokesperson for the Organization has confirmed.
UN urges bold action to tackle deepening refugee crisis in Greece
Aug 08, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Aug 8 (IBNS): The United Nations on Thursday called for bold and urgent action to address a deepening crisis in Greece, where some 124,000 refugees and migrants have arrived by sea this year – a staggering increase of over 750 per cent compared to the same period in 2014.
Almost 400 people rescued in the Mediterranean after fishing boat sinks: UN agency
Aug 07, 2015, at 02:01 pm
New York, Aug 7 (IBNS): Almost 400 people have been rescued so far from a vessel which sank off the coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with an estimated 600 refugees and migrants on board, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Thursday.
Civilians continue to bear brunt of Afghan conflict, UN report reveals
Aug 06, 2015, at 02:54 pm
New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the Afghan conflict in the first half of 2015, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, noting that casualties are projected to equal or exceed the record high numbers documented last year.
UN allocates $70 million from emergency fund to assist millions
Aug 06, 2015, at 02:48 pm
New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian chief on Wednesday allocated $70 million to help provide a lifeline to millions of men, women and children forced from their homes by violence and instability.
Head of UN watchdog discusses Iranian nuclear issues with US lawmakers
Aug 06, 2015, at 02:44 pm
New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met with United States lawmakers on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. to discuss the important role the Agency can play in monitoring and verifying nuclear activities in Iran.
Burundi: UN condemns assassination attempt on leading human rights defender
Aug 05, 2015, at 01:56 pm
New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights office have strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a leading Burundian human rights defender who was shot and wounded by unknown assailants in the capital on Monday.