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.
Multilateralism more vital than ever, as World War centenary looms: Security Council
Nov 10, 2018, at 08:32 am
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS): With the centenary of the end of the First World War just days away, the Security Council reaffirmed the crucial importance of multilateralism – or international cooperation and collective problem-solving – and highlighted the key role played by the United Nations since its creation 73 years ago.
Every bite of burger boosts harmful greenhouse gases: UN Environment Agency
Nov 09, 2018, at 09:15 am
New York, Nov 9 (IBNS): Even though meat production is known to be a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, worldwide demand for meat continues to rise, said UN environment agency, UNEP, in a statement released on Thursday.
Civil society groups matter for Cambodia’s sustainable development: UN expert
Nov 09, 2018, at 09:12 am
New York, Nov 9 (IBNS): The Cambodian Government must work in tandem with civil society groups and build its policies around citizens’ human rights, if the country is to see durable peace and sustainable development, a UN expert urged on Friday.
UN sounds alarm as Venezuelan refugees and migrants passes three million mark
Nov 09, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, Nov 9 (IBNS): The number of refugees and migrants who have left Venezuela worldwide has now reached three million, the two main United Nations agencies advocating for them announced on Thursday, flagging the need to increase support for the countries which are hosting large numbers of displaced Venezuelans.
Despite funding crisis, Palestine refugee classrooms set to stay open, says UNRWA
Nov 09, 2018, at 09:00 am
New York, Nov 9 (IBNS): The Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) looks set to keep its classrooms open for the rest of the school year, despite earlier fears that they would have to close within the next few weeks, due to steep funding cuts, the agency told UN News in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Nov 09, 2018, at 08:57 am
New York, Nov 9 (IBNS): Innocent civilians must not be exposed to “collective punishment” in disputes between two States, a United Nations human rights expert has said, calling for greater protection for ordinary people affected by punitive sanctions imposed by one country on another.
UN chief condemns student abductions in north-west Cameroon
Nov 07, 2018, at 09:19 am
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Monday’s reported kidnapping of students and staff from a secondary school in Bamenda, North-West region of Cameroon.
Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants kick off a global migration search movement
Nov 07, 2018, at 09:10 am
As mothers searching for the whereabouts of their migrant children amassed last weekend in Mexico City, a historic nine countries were represented, as well as the United Nations International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project.
UN recorded 64 new allegations of sexual exploitation or abuse in the past three months
Nov 06, 2018, at 08:30 am
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): Across its various offices, agencies, and partner organisations implementing its programmes, the United Nations received 64 new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), involving 77 victims, between July and September, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday.
Saudi Arabia, China, among 14 nations under UN human rights spotlight: what you need to know
Nov 06, 2018, at 08:11 am
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): The United Nation’s highest human rights body, the Human Rights Council (HRC), will start reviewing on Monday the track records of 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia and China. Here’s our UN News guide to how it works and why it matters.
‘Colossal human loss’ threatens Asia, Pacific as hunger fight stalls – UN agencies
Nov 03, 2018, at 08:18 am
New York, Nov 3 (IBNS): Well over half the world’s undernourished people live in the Asia-Pacific region, making it a critical part of the global push to end extreme hunger and malnutrition in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), cautioned a new United Nations report on Friday.
Nov 02, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, Nov 2 (IBNS): Ongoing tensions between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the country’s state authorities were centre stage, as the United Nations top envoy for the country visited the country’s South West State on Wednesday.
Guinean peacekeepers walk a fine line in Mali
Nov 01, 2018, at 12:28 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS): A team of Guinean peacekeepers deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, (MINUSMA) is playing a key role in removing explosives from areas in which the mission is operating.
Security Council extends mandate of UN peace mission in Western Sahara by six months
Nov 01, 2018, at 12:24 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council, on Wednesday, extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), until 30 April next year.
‘No cure’ for HIV in Zimbabwe says UN, following claims from local preacher
Nov 01, 2018, at 12:16 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS): The United Nations in Zimbabwe is reaffirming that people living with HIV and AIDS need to continue with antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to manage their infections, after a local preacher reportedly claimed that he had received divine revelation of an herbal cure.
Oct 31, 2018, at 08:17 am
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS): A radio series was launched on Tuesday in Nigeria by the UN migration agency (IOM) to sensitize vulnerable people seeking to pursue economic opportunities abroad on the perils of irregular migration – migration done outside the regulated frameworks – and provide information on pathways to migrate legally and safely.
Weekly migration of 1.4m to cities can contribute to ‘disasters’
Oct 31, 2018, at 08:15 am
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS): The migration of some 1.4 million people every week to cities around the world “can strain local capacities, contributing to increased risk from natural and human made disasters’” according to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
UN rights chief says ‘bar must be set very high’ for investigation of murdered Saudi journalist
Oct 31, 2018, at 08:12 am
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights chief pressed on Tuesday for an impartial, investigation into the “shockingly brazen” murder of Saudi Arabian journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Halt death sentences on children, UN rights expert urge Saudi authorities
Oct 30, 2018, at 09:00 am
New York, Oct 30 (IBNS): Saudi Arabia has been urged by United Nations human rights experts to immediately halt the execution of six people sentenced to death for crimes allegedly committed when they were under the age of 18.
‘Exercise restraint’ Guterres urges Sri Lankans, as political crisis deepens
Oct 29, 2018, at 08:25 am
New York, Oct 29 (IBNS): United Nations chief António Guterres said on Sunday he was following Sri Lanka’s deepening political crisis with “great concern”, after a man was killed allegedly by a politician’s bodyguard, who reportedly fired on a crowd of demonstrators.
UN chief calls for ‘united front’ against anti-Semitism after US synagogue mass-shooting
Oct 28, 2018, at 07:12 pm
New York, Oct 28 (IBNS): The UN Secretary-General said on Saturday he was “deeply shocked” by a deadly mass-shooting inside a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, which reportedly left 11 people dead and several others wounded, some critically.
Mali: Two peacekeepers dead after dawn attack, several injured – UN Mission
Oct 28, 2018, at 07:11 pm
New York, Oct 28 (IBNS): The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, reported on Saturday that two peacekeepers had been killed and several others wounded, following on from a coordinated attack at dawn, on a base in the north of the country.
‘Bring to life’ precious moments caught on film or tape, UN agency urges on World Day
Oct 27, 2018, at 08:22 am
New York, Oct 27 (IBNS): Old, grainy film and video footage from years gone by, not only stirs powerful memories – it’s also a vital resource for future generations, the United Nations cultural agency has highlighted, urging everyone to safeguard audio-visual heritage and make archives more accessible.
UN rights chief denounces Burundi for ‘belligerent and defamatory’ attack on inquiry team
Oct 26, 2018, at 07:36 am
New York, Oct 26 (IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official has called on Burundi to “immediately retract” its threat to try and prosecute members of a UN Commission of Inquiry into rights abuses in the central African nation.
‘Crippling to our credibility’ that number of women peacekeepers is so low: UN chief
Oct 26, 2018, at 07:33 am
New York, Oct 26 (IBNS): Despite greater participation of women in building and sustaining peace and the recognition from all quarters of the value they bring, the realities on the ground show that much more remains to be done, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told Security Council members on Thursday.
Oct 25, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, Oct 25 (IBNS): Continued denial of the facts and evidence of gross human rights violations by Myanmar is a clear indication of the country’s “lack of interest” in establishing a fully functioning democracy based on individual rights and freedoms, two United Nations independent experts have underscored.
Myanmar military leaders must face genocide charges – UN report
Oct 25, 2018, at 08:57 am
New York, Oct 25 (IBNS): Continued denial of the facts and evidence of gross human rights violations by Myanmar is a clear indication of the country’s “lack of interest” in establishing a fully functioning democracy based on individual rights and freedoms, two United Nations independent experts have underscored.
Funding boost for sustainable development data agreed at UN conference
Oct 25, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, Oct 25 (IBNS): In a declaration agreed at the close of the 2018 UN World Data Forum in Dubai on Wednesday, leaders in the field agreed on measures to boost funding for data and statistical analysis, to speed up progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Oct 23, 2018, at 08:35 am
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): With more than 7,000 Central-American refugees now on the march through Mexico towards the southern border of the United States in search of safety and work, all countries involved are being urged by the UN to liaise with key agencies on the ground providing support.