‘We need to do more’ to transform the world, deputy UN chief tells African audiences
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:20 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): During her current trip to South Africa, Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has spoken at several events in Johannesburg, on the importance of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development - the UN’s blueprint to end extreme poverty, fight injustice, and protect the planet, ensuring that no one is left behind.
South Sudan: UN condemns ‘brutal’ sexual assaults on roads to Bentiu
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:04 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has condemned a series of brutal sexual assaults on women and girls, travelling on the road to Bentiu, a town in the north of the war-ravaged country.
Four things the UN chief wants world leaders to know, at key COP24 climate conference opening
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): During the UN COP24 Climate Change Conference grand opening on Monday, Secretary-General António Guterres told over 150 world leaders gathered for climate action that “we are in deep trouble” and asked decision-makers to focus on four key things: stepping up climate action, according to a solid plan, with more funding, as a smart investment in the future of the planet.
First-ever UN report on disability and development, illustrates inclusion gaps
Dec 04, 2018, at 08:49 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): The United Nations launched its first-ever flagship report on disability and development on Monday; published by, for, and with, persons with disabilities, in the hopes of fostering more accessible, and disability-inclusive societies.
Black Panther’s ‘General Okoye’ joins the fight against gender-based violence
Dec 03, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): Danai Gurira, one of the stars of hit movies “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” in her role as General Okoye, has been named a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, lending her name and dedicating her support to gender equality and women’s rights.
Over 40 million people still victims of slavery: ILO
Dec 03, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): Slavery is still a very real and widespread phenomenon, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide, says the International Labour Organization (ILO), with children making up a quarter of the victims , despite the entry into force of the landmark Forced Labour protocol in 2016.
Conditions deteriorating alarmingly in Yemen, warns senior UN official
Dec 02, 2018, at 04:22 pm
New York, Dec 2 (IBNS): Conditions in Yemen have deteriorated alarmingly, and the country is on the “brink of a major catastrophe” said Mark Lowcock – Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – on returning from his mission to Yemen on Saturday.
UN chief saddened at news of death of former US President George H.W. Bush
Dec 02, 2018, at 04:17 pm
New York, Dec 2 (IBNS): In a statement released on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his sadness at the news of the death of former US President George Herbert Walker Bush, who died on Friday.
‘Be the change’ we desperately need, UN deputy chief urges global youth
Dec 01, 2018, at 08:01 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): Young people are the leaders and torchbearers the world “desperately needs” but they also face serious challenges when it comes to realizing their potential, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General has said.
Migrant caravan: UN agency helping ‘exhausted’ people home
Dec 01, 2018, at 07:53 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): Hundreds of people from Central American States who joined the human caravans travelling towards the United States have been helped home after asking for assistance, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
Security Council urged to help spare Syrians from ‘devastation’
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:17 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): An escalation in fighting across northern Syria illustrates the “fragility” of the situation in the war-torn region, a senior UN humanitarian official said on Thursday, urging sustained international efforts to protect millions trapped there, from “devastation.”
New Syria fighting represents ‘giant powder keg’, warns aid veteran, as he leaves UN stage
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:14 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): It is unclear if rockets fired into the Syrian city of Aleppo last weekend contained chemical toxins, a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN said on Thursday, adding that if they did, it would constitute a war crime.
'Collective amnesia’ over causes of global financial crash - human rights expert
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:08 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): 10 years on, governments are experiencing collective amnesia towards of one of the biggest factors behind the 2008 global financial crash –the housing crisis – which has not been addressed and is only getting worse, said Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, in a statement on Thursday.
Madagascar: UN chief commends nation on first round of peaceful elections
Nov 30, 2018, at 07:53 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): The results of the first round of voting to choose Madagascar’s next President were announced on Wednesday, prompting the UN chief to commend the peaceful nature of the vote, which now moves to a second round run-off next month.
‘Global trust’ declining, ‘our world needs stepped-up global leadership’
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, Nov 29 (IBNS): On the eve of the G20 international forum in Argentina, and ahead of next week’s COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for global leadership to be stepped up, “at a time of declining global trust.”
Negotiated two-State solution still ‘the only option’ for Palestine: Guterres
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:43 am
New York, Nov 29 (IBNS): A two-State solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side as sovereign nations is still “the only option” for lasting peace, and “containing the situation is not sufficient,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Increasingly under attack, women human rights defenders need better back up
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:31 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): A group of United Nations human rights experts issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on States to live up to their commitments to protect women human rights defenders, as they come under increasing attack, and with inadequate protection.
Central American migrants must be protected, urge UN experts
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:29 am
New York, Nov 29 (IBNS): Migrants who have made, or who are making the journey to the United States border in caravans confront increasing threats to their lives, liberty and security, United Nations independent experts said on Wednesday, calling for their full protection.
Migration deal U-turns ‘reflect poorly’ on countries concerned: UN Special Representative
Nov 28, 2018, at 09:12 am
Dubai, Nov 28 (IBNS): In an exclusive interview with UN News, Louise Arbour, the UN Special Representative for International Migration, said on Tuesday that the stated intention of several countries (including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria) to pull out of the Global Compact for migration reflects poorly on them, and has seriously affected the spirit of multilateralism.
UN chief highlights action across borders for ‘stable and prosperous Eurasia’
Nov 28, 2018, at 09:00 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): Challenges such as climate change, violent extremism, illegal drugs and people trafficking, all require countries to work together across borders, to formulate creative and coordinated solutions, the United Nations Secretary-General said on Tuesday.
Despite violence, ‘tremendous hunger’ for peace in Afghanistan: top UN official
Nov 28, 2018, at 08:40 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): high-level international conference on Afghanistan got underway at the UN in Geneva on Tuesday to show solidarity for the war-torn country’s people and help strengthen Government efforts to promote development, along with wider peace and security.
Take-home pay growing at lowest level since 2008, as gender-gap persists: UN labour agency
Nov 27, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, Nov 27 (IBNS): Wages grew higher and faster in less well-off countries last year than in richer nations, but salaries are still far too low in the developing world, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Monday, with growth overall at its lowest since the 2008 global recession.
Pakistan: UN Security Council condemns ‘heinous and cowardly’ terrorist attacks
Nov 25, 2018, at 04:21 pm
New York, Nov 25 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” Friday’s terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s Karachi city and in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that claimed dozens of lives and left many more injured.
UN chief condemns deadly attacks in Pakistan
Nov 24, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned terrorist attacks in the Pakistani city of Karachi and at a market in the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and expressed hope that those behind the acts will be swiftly brought to justice.
Respect people’s peaceful assembly and fair trail rights, UN human rights wing urges Nicaragua
Nov 24, 2018, at 08:40 am
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): Nicaragua must respect the rights to free opinion and expression and to peaceful assembly, the United Nations human rights wing said on Friday, amid reports that authorities are continuing to criminalize legitimate actions of social leaders and others associated with protests that erupted in the country earlier this year.
UN agencies call for more resettlement and end to detention of asylum seekers in Libya
Nov 24, 2018, at 08:37 am
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): Denouncing the dangers faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) called on Friday for an end to their detention and advised those intercepting or rescuing them at sea against returning them to a country where they face “squalid conditions”.
UN chief commends African Union on adoption of institutional reforms
Nov 24, 2018, at 08:31 am
New York, Nov 24 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has commended the African Union, a UN peace partner, and its leadership for progress achieved on institutional reform, adopted at the continental organization’s Assembly meeting.
Burundian must take lead in launching inclusive dialogue to end political crisis – UN envoy
Nov 22, 2018, at 09:09 am
New York, Nov 22 (IBNS): The absence of an inclusive political dialogue in Burundi has left country fragile amid the humanitarian, economic and financial difficulties and ongoing security threats, the United Nations Special Envoy there told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Future of our planet hinges on action by today’s youth – UN deputy chief
Nov 22, 2018, at 09:06 am
New York, Nov 22 (IBNS): Protecting the planet rests on this generation’s youth and their inclination “to hold leaders and decision-makers accountable,” especially in the combat against climate change, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told university students in China today.on Wednesday.
Nov 22, 2018, at 08:59 am
New York, Nov 22 (IBNS): Backed by the United Nations, countries in eastern Africa have launched a new energy security framework to help tackle growing challenges over energy access and availability in the region.