UN envoy commends successful conclusion of Guinea-Bissau presidential election
Jan 03, 2020, at 09:46 am
New York/IBNS: The head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) has underlined the Organization’s support for Guinea-Bissau following the conclusion of its presidential election.
UN chief offers the world wishes for ‘peace and a blessed New Year’
Dec 26, 2019, at 09:41 am
New York/IBNS: While visiting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres extended wishes for a peaceful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Bring global migration compact ‘to life’, urges UN chief
Dec 18, 2019, at 09:54 am
New York/IBNS: As “policies shaped more by fear than fact” have caused untold suffering to migrants, the UN Secretary-General is urging countries to realize the goals of a global agreement that promotes enhanced international cooperation on migration.
UN human rights report cites ‘multiple root causes’ of deadly Chile protests
Dec 14, 2019, at 07:24 am
New York/IBNS: During the recent mass protests which led Chile to declare a state of emergency, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report published on Friday that international human rights norms had been violated by both police and army personnel, which should be prosecuted.
South Sudan famine threat: UN food security agency in ‘race against time’
Dec 13, 2019, at 10:16 am
New York/IBNS: The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning against potential famine in South Sudan as hunger deepens due to drought, floods and an uncertain political future.
Human Rights Day celebrates ‘tremendous activism’ of the world’s young people
Dec 10, 2019, at 10:49 am
New York/IBNS: The United Nations is highlighting the role of young people in leading the way to a better future for all people for this year’s observance of Human Rights Day, celebrated on Tuesday.
Dec 10, 2019, at 10:44 am
New York/IBNS: The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), is “one of the most effective investments you can make in humanitarian action”, Secretary-General, António Guterres told a high-level pledging event at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
‘We all must step up’ collective action on disability inclusion – UN deputy chief
Dec 08, 2019, at 05:35 pm
New York/IBNS: The international community has agreed truly ground-breaking frameworks to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, including in the context of development, but there remains a significant gap between these ambitions and the reality experienced daily by millions of persons with disabilities, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference in Doha on Saturday.
UN evaluates progress in improving peacekeeping performance
Dec 07, 2019, at 07:13 am
New York/IBNS: The international community on Friday took stock of action to improve UN peacekeeping in line with a Security Council resolution aimed at enhancing performance at all levels, both at Headquarters in New York and in the field.
UN agency hails Brazil ‘milestone’ decision over Venezuelan refugees
Dec 07, 2019, at 06:55 am
New York/IBNS: Brazil’s move to recognize thousands of refugees from crisis-wracked Venezuela through a new accelerated procedure, has been welcomed by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
UN ‘determined to lead by example’ on disability rights: Guterres
Dec 04, 2019, at 10:21 am
New York/IBNS: The UN is determined to lead by example when it comes to the rights of people with disabilities, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on 3 December.
270 million people are migrants, who send home a staggering $689 billion
Nov 28, 2019, at 06:01 pm
New York/IBNS: The number of international migrants in 2019 is now estimated at 270 million and the top destination remains the United States, at nearly 51 million, the UN migration agency said on Wednesday.
UN working to prevent attacks on civilians in eastern DR Congo
Nov 27, 2019, at 10:42 am
New York/IBNS:Peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were conducting extensive patrols in the east of the country on Tuesday, one day after demonstrators set fire to buildings to protest lack of civilian protection in the face of attacks by armed groups.
Guterres underscores UN role in achieving a free, secure Internet
Nov 27, 2019, at 10:02 am
New York/IBNS: Unless countries work together to address gaps in digital access, as well as related social and political divisions, this generation will be remembered as the one that “ruined the early promise of the Internet”, the UN Secretary-General has warned.
UN updates guidelines to ensure successful return to civilian life for former combatants
Nov 20, 2019, at 09:51 am
New York/IBNS: Increasing hurdles which prevent former combatants from returning to a peaceful civilian life have prompted the UN to update its standard practices, in an effort to ensure they remain “fit-for-purpose for years to come”.
Reconciliation helps ‘repair fractures’, enable lasting peace, Security Council hears
Nov 20, 2019, at 09:40 am
New York/IBNS: The UN Security Council this Tuesday has been debating what one activist labeled “the toughest and arguably most important part of the peace-building cycle”: reconciliation.
‘Three-country crisis’ across central Sahel puts whole generation at risk, warns UN food agency
Nov 20, 2019, at 09:38 am
New York/IBNS: Violent attacks by extremists “almost every day” in the Sahel nations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have displaced nearly one million people and caused emergency levels of malnutrition, UN humanitarians have said.
UNICEF reports uneven progress in 30 years of child rights treaty
Nov 19, 2019, at 08:56 am
New York/IBNS: Although the world has made historic gains over the past three decades in improving children’s lives, urgent action is required if the poorest children are to feel the impact, a new UN report published on Monday warns.
UN calls for action to tackle 'ubiquitous but invisible' global road safety crisis
Nov 17, 2019, at 06:16 pm
New York/IBNS: Saving lives by improving road safety is “one of the many objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the United Nations chief said in his message for the global day set aside for remembering the victims of traffick accidents.
Repression, use of force risk worsening Bolivia crisis: UN human rights chief
Nov 17, 2019, at 05:57 pm
New York/IBNS: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is urging authorities in Bolivia to ensure security forces comply with international standards on the use of force following the deaths of at least five protestors on Friday.
UN agency sounds alarm: Dwindling agrobiodiversity ‘severe threat’ to food security
Nov 15, 2019, at 10:15 am
New York/IBNS: To help ensure the most-consumed foods don’t disappear in the face of the climate crisis, farmers must cultivate crops able to resist environmental shocks and other stresses, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) highlighted in a new set of conservation guidelines published on Thursday.
‘Forgotten’ pneumonia epidemic kills more children than any other disease
Nov 13, 2019, at 09:01 am
New York/IBNS: Pneumonia, an entirely preventable disease, kills more children than any other illness in the world, one child every 39 seconds. But although that statistic is well known, funding to improve survival rates continues to come up short, the UN and partners warned on Tuesday, World Pneumonia Day.
UN human rights expert alarmed at rise in Cambodia arrests
Nov 09, 2019, at 08:59 am
New York/IBNS: A UN human rights expert is calling on the Cambodian Government to respect its citizens’ rights of freedom of opinion, expression and assembly, amid concerns over escalating tensions and a political crackdown across the country.
Speaking truth to power: the UN experts fighting for global human rights
Nov 09, 2019, at 08:40 am
New York/IBNS: Fearless. Plain-speaking. Critical. Courageous. Unflinching. Unfair. Biased. Manipulative. These are some of the adjectives used to describe the Human Rights Council experts who fan out across the world to research, hold consultations and gather information on a vast range of human rights violations.
UN Member States overwhelmingly support end of US embargo against Cuba
Nov 08, 2019, at 10:16 am
New York/IBNS: For the 28th consecutive year, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.
‘Terminator’ warlord Bosco Ntaganda sentenced to 30 years in prison for DR Congo atrocities
Nov 08, 2019, at 09:58 am
New York/IBNS: The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday handed down a maximum 30-year prison sentence for mass murder and numerous other atrocities, to Bosco Ntaganda, the heaviest sanction yet imposed by judges at The Hague, in the Netherlands.
Step up action to protect the planet during wartime: UN environment chief
Nov 07, 2019, at 12:58 pm
New York/IBNS: Greater action is needed to protect the environment during wartime if the world is to realize the goal of a more sustainable future for all people and the planet, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned on Wednesday.
UN policewoman recognized for ‘speaking up and speaking out’ on behalf of the vulnerable
Nov 06, 2019, at 10:04 am
New York/IBNS: At the core of peacekeeping lies the notion of shared responsibility, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday, presenting this year’s award for Female Police Officer of the Year, to a woman who “has made a career of speaking up and speaking out on behalf of all vulnerable populations”.
Coal addiction ‘must be overcome’ to ease climate change, UN chief says in Bangkok
Nov 03, 2019, at 04:20 pm
New York/IBNS: In Thailand for the ASEAN Summit, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited a climate mitigation project in Bangkok's new Centenary Park on Saturday where he told journalists that “coal addiction must be overcome”.
New UN Female Police Officer of the Year prioritizes ‘preventing sexual exploitation and abuse’
Nov 02, 2019, at 07:17 am
New York/ IBNS: “An inspiration to all of us” is how top Police Adviser Luis Carrilho, described this year’s winner of the UN Female Police Officer of the Year Award, which was announced on Friday.