Sep 22, 2018, at 07:44 am
New York, Sept 22 (IBNS): Overcrowding in Greek island reception centres for refugees and migrants has made conditions for children there increasingly “dire and dangerous”, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, warning that “severe emotional distress” affects many and that self-harm is a “possibility”.
Restore hope that peace will come to the Middle East, UN negotiator urges Security Council
Sep 21, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, Sept 21 (IBNS): Negative humanitarian, security and political developments in Gaza outweigh any positive news concerning the search for peace in the Middle East, the United Nations negotiator for the process has said, urging the international community to help restore hope that a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict can be found.
Adjust UN force in Abyei to current realities, peacekeeping chief urges Security Council
Sep 21, 2018, at 08:40 am
New York, Sept 21 (IBNS): Amidst an increase in criminal activity in the Abyei area, which is contested by Sudan and South Sudan, the United Nations top peacekeeping official on Thursday called for deployment of additional police units, to enhance the UN’s focus on maintaining law and order there, and furthering peace between local communities.
Sep 21, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, Sept 21 (IBNS): UN chief António Guterres on Thursday called for a “renewed commitment to a rules-based global order” and to the organization he leads, highlighting his key themes for discussion during the High-Level week of the General Assembly, beginning on Monday.
Sep 21, 2018, at 08:23 am
New York, Sept 21 (IBNS): A deal reached between Russia and Turkey to create a demilitarized buffer zone protecting citizens “from catastrophe” in Syria’s Idlib region is a welcome development, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday, before urging all parties to make a “strong commitment” to it.
Yemen: ‘Time is running out’ to head off devastating famine, warns UN food agency chief
Sep 20, 2018, at 08:39 am
New York, Sept 20 (IBNS): As conflict continues to rage in Yemen, leading to widespread economic hardship and a rampant inflation, the World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm over soaring food prices that are affecting millions of Yemenis.
Bring the United Nations closer to the people, urges Assembly President in her inaugural speech
Sep 19, 2018, at 08:59 am
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS): The new session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on Wednesday with its President pledging to use her year in office to bring the world body closer to the people and strengthen their sense of ownership and support for the UN.
Agreement over buffer zone to spare civilians in Syria’s Idlib welcomed by top UN officials
Sep 19, 2018, at 08:53 am
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS): The agreement between Turkey and Russia to create a demilitarized buffer zone protecting civilians living in Idlib, Syria, has been welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the world body’s humanitarian chief, who called on all warring parties and countries supporting them to make it effective.
UN chief welcomes meeting between leaders of Djibouti and Eritrea
Sep 19, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has welcomed the meeting between the Presidents of Djibouti and Eritrea, held on Monday in Saudi Arabia, as “yet another step in the consolidation of recent peace and security gains in the Horn of Africa region”.
‘Time for important decisions,’ head of UN in Afghanistan tells Security Council
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:41 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): With parliamentary elections one month away and a major ministerial conference planned for November in Geneva, the United Nation’s Special Representative for Afghanistan briefed the Security Council on Monday, noting that “preparations are on track” but that many challenges lie ahead, including increased security concerns.
In a complex world, ‘we need to take the right road’: outgoing General Assembly President
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The outgoing UN General Assembly President, Miroslav LajÄák, called on the global community on Monday to remain steadfast in support of multilateralism, reiterating that it is the only way to address the complex and growing challenges facing the world.
Sustainable farming, ‘key’ to world free of hunger, malnutrition, says UN agriculture chief
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:29 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): There will be “no sustainable future without eradicating poverty and hunger,” the United Nations agriculture agency chief spelled out on Monday, launching the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) latest flagship publication, on the world’s Agricultural Commodity Markets.
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:26 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, condemned on Monday the killing of an aid worker who had been held captive by a non-state armed group in north-east Nigeria since March.
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:23 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): If you’re a keen observer of the United Nations General Assembly, you may have noticed the body’s President wields a very unusual looking gavel. It is a gift from Iceland, and there’s a very interesting story behind it.
Senior UN official calls on Israel to stop demolition of Palestinian village in the West Bank
Sep 18, 2018, at 08:16 am
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, expressed concern on Monday “at the intention of the Israeli authorities to demolish the Bedouin village of Khan Al-Ahmar/Abu Al-Helu” in the West Bank, where 181 Palestinians currently live, more than half of whom are children.
Sep 17, 2018, at 10:04 am
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): There is a powerful wind of hope blowing across the Horn of Africa region, said UN chief António Guterres on Sunday, in Saudi Arabia to witness the signing of a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, ending decades of simmering conflict.
Sep 16, 2018, at 04:35 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): A “lack of command and control” on the part of South Sudan’s government, just days after signing a new peace agreement to end years of brutal civil conflict, is one of the factors which led to the shooting of a United Nations peacekeeper on Saturday, the UN mission chief in the country has said.
I’ve been listening, and problem-solving ‘all my life’ says new UN Ombudsman
Sep 15, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Sept 15 (IBNS): With only eight days on the job so far, Shireen Dodson, the new United Nations Ombudsman, brings with her a wealth of experience dealing with people from all walks of life, including setting up the first-ever Ombudsman office for the US State Department.
‘Shadow’ of persistent inequality is growing, key UN human development report reveals
Sep 15, 2018, at 08:52 am
New York, Sept 15 (IBNS): While health, education, and income levels have improved overall across the globe, “wide inequalities” both among and within countries, are casting a shadow on sustained human development, a new United Nations report shows.
Yemen: Mortar attack on UN food silo ‘could affect vital aid deliveries to millions’
Sep 15, 2018, at 08:37 am
New York, Sept 15 (IBNS): Fighting in the Yemen port city of Hudaydah which has damaged a World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility, threatens to hamper efforts to feed millions of people in the war-torn country, it said on Friday.
Security Council extends mandates of UN peace operations in Libya, Colombia through next September
Sep 14, 2018, at 08:53 am
New York, Sept 14 (IBNS): By unanimous agreement on Thursday, the Security Council extended the mandates of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Organization’s Verification Mission in Colombia.
FROM THE FIELD: Rwanda’s Green Villages benefit poorest
Sep 14, 2018, at 08:43 am
New York, Sept 14 (IBNS): An innovative approach to supporting the poorest and most vulnerable in Rwanda, is helping to address environmental problems and achieve ambitious development goals there, according to the UN Development Programme, UNDP.
Scourge of genocide remains a ‘threat and a reality’ today: UN human rights chief
Sep 14, 2018, at 08:41 am
New York, Sept 14 (IBNS): Genocide remains a “threat and a reality” in the 21st century, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday, in an appeal to States to do more to act on the “warning signs” that often precede grave violations of international law.
Sep 14, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, Sept 14 (IBNS): Like few today, former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, could “bring people together, put them at ease, and unite them towards a common goal”, said the current UN chief, António Guterres on Thursday, speaking at his predecessor’s funeral in Ghana.
Sep 14, 2018, at 08:36 am
New York, Sept 14 (IBNS): Economic sanctions must not be allowed to degenerate into blockades which “expose people to the ravages of economic war in peacetime” said the UN independent expert on the effects of sanctions on human rights.
Sep 13, 2018, at 08:15 am
New York, Sept 13 (IBNS): The Occupied Palestinian Territory now suffers the highest unemployment rate in the world, with incomes and agricultural production going down, the United Nations trade and development agency said on Wednesday, noting that women and young people were worst affected, as the Israeli occupation continues.
‘Collective endeavour’ needed to strengthen peacekeeping further, says top UN official
Sep 13, 2018, at 08:12 am
New York, Sept 13 (IBNS): Highlighting complex and evolving challenges, the head of UN peacekeeping on Wednesday called for heightened vigilance and a more robust response to existential threats against both peacekeepers and those they strive to defend.
Alarming level of reprisals against activists, human rights defenders, and victims – new UN report
Sep 13, 2018, at 08:03 am
New York, Sept 13 (IBNS): An alarming and “shameful” level of harsh reprisals and intimidation against those who cooperate with the United Nations in an effort to uphold human rights, has been revealed by a new UN report launched on Wednesday.
Yemen: UN envoy asks Security Council for more support ‘to move back’ to the negotiating table
Sep 12, 2018, at 09:13 am
New York, Sept 12 (IBNS): United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffith told the Security Council on Tuesday that he never expected an easy mission when he convened Intra-Yemeni Consultations in Geneva last week, for which the Houthis delegation failed to show up.
‘More support’ vital to put Afghanistan back on a ‘positive trajectory’ – top UN officials
Sep 11, 2018, at 08:53 am
New York, Sept 11 (IBNS): After four decades of conflict and insecurity, and with elections to be held in the coming months against a backdrop of growing humanitarian need, Afghanistan needs more support than ever to tackle its challenges, said the United Nations humanitarian and refugee chiefs on Monday after a joint two-day visit in the country.