At UN forum, Asia-Pacific countries highlight importance of transport for sustainable development
Nov 22, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Nov 22 (IBNS): Gathered at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Organization’s development wing in the region, countries have highlighted how new technologies – especially smart devices – are making transport systems safer and greener.
Nov 22, 2018, at 08:53 am
New York, Nov 22 (IBNS): For the first time in a decade, the number of people falling into poverty in rural Latin America and the Caribbean has increased by two million, according to a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, which called the worrying trend a “historical reversal.”
Children in Lake Chad Basin attend school with help from UN-backed fund
Nov 21, 2018, at 09:26 am
New York, Nov 21 (IBNS): 3.5 million children living in the Lake Chad Basin in Africa’s Sahel region do not have access to education according to the UN-backed Education Cannot Wait fund.
Refugee and migrant children losing over 1.8 million school days, every day – UN report
Nov 21, 2018, at 09:18 am
New York, Nov 21 (IBNS): Migrant and refugee children to face incredible hardships attending schools and accessing education, a new United Nations report released on Tuesday has revealed, highlighting also structural weaknesses in national systems that can sometimes exclude children on the move.
Nov 20, 2018, at 09:14 am
New York, Nov 20 (IBNS): It “may not” be possible to form an inclusive and legitimate constitutional committee in Syria – a way out of the years long crisis plaguing the country – the United Nations negotiator for the conflict-ridden nation has warned.
UN Alliance of Civilizations is fundamental to ‘world we need to build’ – Guterres
Nov 20, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Nov 20 (IBNS): The role of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations has never been more relevant to the 2030 Agenda objective of “building more peaceful, just and resilient societies,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, the opening day of the eighth annual Global Forum.
If any side fails, every side fails – UN envoy for Middle East Peace Process
Nov 20, 2018, at 08:55 am
New York, Nov 20 (IBNS): A senior United Nations official has called on the global community to remain committed to the two-state solution in the Middle East peace process, urging efforts to establish an environment conducive to the return of negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ending inequality means ending ‘global pandemic’ of violence against women – UN chief
Nov 20, 2018, at 08:50 am
New York, Nov 20 (IBNS): Until women and girls can live free of fear, violence and insecurity, the world cannot pride itself on being fair and equal, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, commemorating theInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marked annually on 25 November.
Nov 18, 2018, at 04:39 pm
New York, Nov 18 (IBNS): Amid a recent uptick in violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said he stood in solidarity with the crisis torn country and warned that attacks against defenseless civilians and UN ‘blue helmets’ may amount to war crimes.
Amid continued suffering in Yemen, UN envoy welcomes reports of reduced violence
Nov 17, 2018, at 09:17 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, said that although conflict continues to rage, he welcomed recent reports of reduced violence in the country.
UN genocide adviser welcomes historic conviction of former Khmer Rouge leaders
Nov 17, 2018, at 09:08 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): Friday’s historic conviction of two former Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia on genocide charges has been welcomed by the United Nations Special Adviser on the issue.
YouTube stars get creative at UN, to promote tolerance
Nov 17, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Nov 17(IBNS): Ending intolerance means eliminating one of humanity’s “dark spots,” said Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal, better known as YouTube hip-hop artist and musician, L-FRESH THE LION, in an interview with UN News on Friday, the International Day for Tolerance.
Artificial Intelligence raises ethical, policy challenges – UN expert
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): Digital solutions are transforming lives: Think of robots that help the elderly, a mobile phone app that identifies crop pests, or surgical robots in hospitals. These advances are all due to Artificial Intelligence and an extraordinary new era of machine learning.
UN condemns Syrian 'war on children' as up to 30 reportedly killed in clashes
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has expressed alarm at reports that up to 30 children have been killed during recent violence in Al Shafa village, in eastern Syria.
South Sudan’s women caught up in ‘futile man’s war’ UN gender equality chief
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:49 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): The women of South Sudan are leading calls for political and militia leaders to honour the recent revitalized peace agreement, and end what they regard as a “futile man’s war”, the head of the UN gender equality agency, UN Women, told the Security Council on Friday.
Nov 16, 2018, at 10:17 am
New York, Nov 16 (IBNS): Following successful delivery of lifesaving aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in the ‘desolate’ area around Rukban camp last week, the United Nations is working urgently to send another convoy of supplies by mid-December, Jan Egeland, Senior Advisor to the UN Special Envoy on Yemen told reporters on Thursday.
UN chief condemns killing of ‘blue helmets’ in DR Congo, as violence erupts prior to elections
Nov 16, 2018, at 10:14 am
New York, Nov 16 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Gutteres condemned the killing of seven peacekeepers on Wednesday serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is also confronting a lethal Ebola outbreak.
Sahel States need international support ‘now more than ever’– UN peacekeeping chief
Nov 16, 2018, at 10:07 am
New York, Nov 16 (IBNS): Africa’s crisis-torn Sahel region needs support from the international community “now more than ever,” the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the Security Council on Thursday.
‘Let the children live’: UN prepares to ramp up food aid to Yemen as famine risk grows
Nov 16, 2018, at 10:04 am
New York, Nov 16 (IBNS): As the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to ramp up aid to Yemen, in the face of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, David Beasley, Executive-Director of the agency, issued a heartfelt plea for all warring parties to end “this horrible war.”
Nov 15, 2018, at 10:27 am
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS): The Iraqi government’s latest moves toward constructive engagement with Kuwait mark a step towards “the full normalization” of relations between the two countries following decades of strained relations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.
Everyone’s ‘buy-in’ needed to restore peace in Kosovo, UN envoy tells Security Council
Nov 15, 2018, at 10:24 am
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS): The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have confirmed their “mutual intention” to continue working towards a negotiated settlement but the situation on the ground remains marred by “frequent adversarial actions,” with real consequences for people on the ground, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Nov 15, 2018, at 09:08 am
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS): Sounding the alarm about the urgent need to protect coral reefs from extinction within decades, a new coalition of organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was launched on Wednesday in Egypt during the UN Biodiversity Conference, to galvanize global leadership before it is too late.
Help build vulnerable island states’ resilience to extreme weather, urges senior UN official
Nov 14, 2018, at 10:02 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): With Small Island Developing States (SIDS) bearing the brunt of economic losses from climate change, making them more resilient to extreme weather events must be a priority, said Inga Rhonda King, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), speaking at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Outgoing UN official praises Iraq’s ‘exemplary peaceful transfer of power’ at the top
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:47 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): In his last briefing as the top United Nations official in Iraq, Ján Kubiš updated the Security Council on the country’s post-election political settlement, commending the “exemplary peaceful transfer of power” between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his successor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who was sworn in at the end of October.
UN receives ‘Humanium’ wristwatch gift, symbolizing peaceful transformation
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:43 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): On Friday, the United Nations disarmament chief was presented with a watch that does more than just tell the time. Made from “Humanium” – a metal processed from confiscated firearms in El Salvador – it symbolizes how peaceful transformation can be wrought from bloody conflict.
Gaza: deadly violence continues to escalate, top UN officials work to restore calm
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:38 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): As violence in the Gaza Strip is once again flaring up reportedly following a raid and bombings by Israeli forces and multiple rocket launches from inside the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Tuesday that he was following developments closely, while his Special Coordinator for the region, Nickolay Mladenov, works with all sides to try and restore calm.
UN food agency appeals for access to key storage facility amid fight for Hudaydah
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:32 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): UN humanitarian agency the World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for access to a key storage facility in the port of Hudaydah, which is now under the control of a Saudi-led military coalition that supports the internationally recognized Government.
UN nuclear watchdog will help verify DPRK nuclear programme, if agreement forthcoming
Nov 10, 2018, at 08:47 am
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS): North Korea’s continuing nuclear programme is clearly in violation of Security Council resolutions and “deeply regrettable,” the United Nations top nuclear official has said.
Somalis ‘will not be deterred’ by Friday’s terror attacks – UN chief
Nov 10, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS): Following Friday’s bomb attacks and gunfire in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, UN Chief António Guterres on Friday expressed his faith that Somalis “will not be deterred” in their pursuit of lasting peace and political stability.
Fleeing violence, Cameroonian refugee arrivals in Nigeria pass 30,000, reports UN refugee agency
Nov 10, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS): The number of Cameroonians fleeing violence and seeking refuge in neighbouring Nigeria has crossed the 30,000-mark, the United Nations refugee agency has said, highlighting that the needs on the ground are outpacing assistance efforts.