Senior UN official strongly condemns Southern California synagogue attack
Apr 29, 2019, at 10:05 am
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): The top official for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) has strongly condemned the attack Saturday on a synagogue in Southern California, denouncing the deadly incident as a hate crime targeting Sabbath worshipers on the last day of Passover.
UN appeals for international support as flood waters rise in wake of second Mozambique cyclone
Apr 29, 2019, at 09:43 am
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): With Mozambique and Comoros battling heavy rains and raging flood waters in the wake of Cyclone Kenneth – the second major storm to hit southern Africa in the past six weeks – the United Nations and its humanitarian partners are supporting national authorities in assessing needs and providing help.
How UN cultural treasures helped set the stage for Game of Thrones
Apr 29, 2019, at 09:28 am
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): From King’s Landing to the Iron Bank, so many of the breath-taking backdrops seen on the smash hit Game of Thrones television series are available for future generations to enjoy, thanks to a key, but little-known role played by the United Nations cultural agency.
A world first: Women at the helm of every UN Regional Commission
Apr 28, 2019, at 04:22 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): Although United Nations Regional Commissions have been in existence for more than 70 years, for the first time ever, each one is currently headed by a woman designated by Secretary-General António Guterres.
Apr 26, 2019, at 09:04 am
New York, Apr 26 (IBNS): The UN’s political affairs chief has urged all parties to the peace plan protocol for eastern Ukraine known as the Minsk Agreements, to avoid “any unilateral steps” that could undermine efforts to demilitarize the eastern conflict zone.
Multilateralism’s ‘proven record of service’ is focus of first-ever International Day
Apr 25, 2019, at 08:44 am
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace “underscores the value of international cooperation for the common good”, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres marking its first-ever observance on Wednesday.
UN celebrates books as ‘bridges across cultures’
Apr 24, 2019, at 09:59 am
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO has long celebrated the power of International Book and Copyright Day, marked on 23 April, but this year, special attention is being paid to the protection of indigenous languages, many of which are threatened with extinction.
Apr 24, 2019, at 09:55 am
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): Over the course of the past decade, there has been “a paradigm shift” in understanding the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict on international peace and security, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council during a high-level debate on Tuesday.
New UN-ASEAN study reveals slow but devastating impacts of drought in South-East Asia
Apr 24, 2019, at 09:53 am
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): Future scenarios of drought in many parts of South-East Asia may become even more frequent and intense if actions are not taken now to build resilience, according to the latest joint study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Apr 23, 2019, at 09:49 am
New York, Apr 23 (IBNS): Traditional knowledge is at the core of indigenous identity, culture and heritage around the world, the chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues said at the annual event’s opening day on Monday, stressing that it “must be protected”.
‘Do everything in your power to tackle climate change’ UN chief urges on Mother Earth Day
Apr 23, 2019, at 09:44 am
New York, Apr 23 (IBNS): Marking International Mother Earth Day, the UN on Monday debated how best to build “an equitable and sustainable future” for all, through enhanced education and climate action, on the road to a key international summit on the issue due to take place in September.
Service and Sacrifice: Ugandan 'Blue Helmets' support UN efforts to bring peace to Somalia
Apr 19, 2019, at 08:53 am
New York, Apr 19 (IBNS): A contingent of 530 Ugandan “Blue Helmets” (63 women, 467 men) is playing a crucial role in the United Nations’ efforts to help bring peace and stability to Somalia.
UN Security Council condemns Taliban offensive as a blow against ‘sustainable peace’
Apr 17, 2019, at 09:16 am
New York, Apr 17 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council has condemned the announcement by Taliban militants in Afghanistan of its spring offensive, saying it will result in more “unnecessary suffering and destruction for the Afghan people”.
'A global measles crisis' is well underway, UN agency chiefs warn
Apr 16, 2019, at 09:53 am
New York, Apr 16 (IBNS): Noting a 300 per cent surge in the number of measles cases during the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year, two UN agency heads declared on Monday that we now stand “in the middle of a global measles crisis”.
'Critical moment' for sustainable development, UN chief tells major financing forum
Apr 16, 2019, at 09:44 am
New York, Apr 16 (IBNS): “Uneven growth, rising debt levels, possible upticks in financial volatility, and heightened global trade tensions” are hampering progress on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN chief António Guterres told the Forum on Financing for Development on Monday, during what he called “a critical moment” to “accelerate action for sustainable development”.
Apr 13, 2019, at 06:05 am
New York, Apr 13 (IBNS): “Miraculously I had no machete marks” a survivor of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda told a solemn United Nations event in New York on Friday, 25 years on, to remember the systematic killing of more than one million people, over less than three months.
Apr 12, 2019, at 09:10 am
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): UN chief António Guterres said on Thursday that the “democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people” need to be realized through “an appropriate and inclusive transition process”, following the overthrow and arrest of President Omar al-Bashir by order of the country’s new military governing council.
Women must be at ‘centre of peacekeeping decision-making’, UN chief tells Security Council
Apr 12, 2019, at 09:00 am
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): Women’s rights, voices and participation must be at “the centre of peacekeeping decision-making”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday, describing them as “central to sustainable solutions” to challenges facing the Organization worldwide.
UN experts warn Assange arrest exposes him to risk of serious human rights violations
Apr 12, 2019, at 08:48 am
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): Independent UN rights experts on Thursday said the arrest of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange by police in the United Kingdom, after the Ecuadorian Government decided to stop granting him asylum in their London embassy, exposed him to “the risk of serious human rights violations”, if extradited to the United States.
‘Still time' to stop a ‘bloody battle’ for Libya’s capital, insists Guterres
Apr 11, 2019, at 10:40 am
New York, Apr 11 (IBNS): Speaking to reporters outside the Security Council in New York on Wednesday night, UN chief António Guterres said there was still time for a “bloody battle for Tripoli” to be avoided, despite the continuing fighting in and around the Libyan capital.
Mexico cannot move forward ‘without addressing the shadows of the past’, says UN rights chief
Apr 11, 2019, at 10:35 am
New York, Apr 11 (IBNS): Concluding “five intense, interesting and rewarding working days” in Mexico, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday that the country was going through a “crucial” period where it needed to reckon with “the shadows of the past”, before it can move forward.
Apr 10, 2019, at 08:09 am
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): Unless the world faces its “social, economic and environmental challenges head-on”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will not be met.
UN’s Grandi slams ‘toxic language of politics’ aimed at refugees, migrants
Apr 10, 2019, at 07:57 am
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): In a heartfelt briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday, Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has said that, during his three and a half decades as an international civil servant, he has “never seen such toxicity, such poisonous language in politics, media and social media,” directed towards refugees, migrants and foreigners.
Apr 10, 2019, at 07:48 am
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): Nearly one month after Cyclone Idai slammed into the southeast African coast, the streets of Mozambique’s busy port city of Beira are “returning to life” as the search for survivors continues throughout neighbouring Zimbabwe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
Apr 10, 2019, at 07:37 am
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): Sudan’s authorities have an “over-arching responsibility” to protect protesters, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said on Tuesday, amid reports that 70 people have died in the latest anti-Government clashes.
Urgently address ‘defining challenges of our time’, to empower youth worldwide
Apr 09, 2019, at 08:56 am
New York, Apr 9 (IBNS): Young people require “skills, values, jobs and livelihoods that empower them” so they can help forge a more sustainable world, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said on Monday, kicking off its eighth Annual Youth Forum.
Praising Roma’s contributions in Europe, UN expert urges end to rising intolerance and hate speech
Apr 09, 2019, at 08:51 am
New York, Apr 9 (IBNS): An independent United Nations expert called on Monday for immediate action to end discrimination and combat racist rhetoric against Roma, Europe’s largest minority group.
EU Chief Brexit negotiator confirms to meet with Irish PM in Dublin
Apr 08, 2019, at 09:23 am
Dublin, Apr 8 (Xinhua/UNI) The European Union (EU) chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will meet with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Monday, according to a government statement released on Sunday night.
Libya's GNA says retakes Tripoli airport from Haftar's Army: Reports
Apr 06, 2019, at 07:05 am
Moscow, Apr 6 (Sputnik/UNI) The forces of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said they regained control over the Tripoli airport, previously captured by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), Al-Arabiya broadcaster reported.
Assange faces cruel, degrading treatment if turned over to US: UN Torture Expert
Apr 06, 2019, at 07:00 am
Washington, Apr 5 (Sputnik/UNI) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces the prospect of cruel and degrading treatment if he is expelled from Ecuador's embassy in the United Kingdom and deported to the United States, UN special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer warned in a press release on Friday.