Promoting decent work ‘daily challenge’ in fragile countries, UN Labour Summit told
Jun 08, 2018, at 09:43 am
New York, June 8 (IBNS): The Central African Republic (CAR) has called on the United Nations labour agency to provide special assistance to the conflict-torn nation and make it a “pilot-country” for the implementation of a programme to build peace and resilience through job creation.
‘Somalia at a critical juncture’ says UN’s political chief in her first visit
Jun 08, 2018, at 09:40 am
New York, June 8 (IBNS): Unity is essential for Somalis to achieve lasting peace and stability, the top United Nations political affairs official said on Thursday during a visit to the Horn of Africa country, which faces numerous challenges, including the establishment of an effective federal governance system and a combat against Al-Shabab insurgents.
DPRK should release political prisoners ahead of summit with US – UN expert
Jun 08, 2018, at 09:32 am
New York, June 8 (IBNS): The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) should begin to release political prisoners ahead of denuclearization talks with the United States and engage with the United Nations on human rights, a UN expert on the country said on Thursday.
Jun 08, 2018, at 09:29 am
New York, June 8 (IBNS): Despite ample food supplies, persistent conflicts and adverse climate shocks are taking a toll on global food security, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the United Nation’s agriculture agency.
Security Council calls for efforts to boost role of young people in peace efforts
Jun 07, 2018, at 09:21 am
New York, June 7 (IBNS): The international community is being urged to increase the role of young people in negotiating and implementing peace agreements, in line with a resolution adopted unanimously by the Security Council on Wednesday.
Jun 07, 2018, at 09:16 am
New York, June 7 (IBNS): Despite challenges and resource constraints, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is operating without the support of its two predecessors – criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda – and has thus assumed the full scope of their residual functions, the legal body’s President told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Universal access to modern energy is ‘catalyst of inclusivity’ – deputy UN chief
Jun 07, 2018, at 09:01 am
New York, June 7 (IBNS): No single entity is large enough or has all the necessary skillsets to deliver the 2030 Agenda on its own, the United Nations deputy chief told a high-level meeting on the issue of transforming energy access in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
UN Security Council condemns ‘continuous’ ceasefire violations in Ukraine
Jun 07, 2018, at 08:59 am
New York, June 7 (IBNS): Expressing grave concern over the recent deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine and its “severe impact” on civilians, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday underlined the need to scale up efforts to support the civilian population affected by the conflict.
Uncertainty threatens to hamper investment in developing countries: new UN report
Jun 07, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, June 7 (IBNS): Financial uncertainty caused by “significant risks” to global trade, is responsible for a sharp fall in international investment flows which could hurt developing countries the most, according to a new UN report, released on Wednesday.
Ecuadorian politician and poet becomes fourth woman to preside over UN General Assembly
Jun 06, 2018, at 08:43 am
New York, June 6 (IBNS): The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday elected Ecuadorean Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of its upcoming 73rd session; only the fourth woman to hold that position in the history of the world body, and the first since 2006.
‘Spotlight Initiative’ can make violence against women a thing of the past, says UN deputy chief
Jun 06, 2018, at 08:38 am
New York, June 6 (IBNS): The launch of a new partnership between the United Nations and European Union, is an essential tool to make violence against women and girls “a thing of the past”, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Tuesday.
The world is being ‘swamped’ by harmful plastic waste says UN chief, marking Environment Day
Jun 05, 2018, at 09:14 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): The world must unite to “beat plastic pollution” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for World Environment Day on Tuesday, noting that microplastic particles in the ocean, “now outnumber stars in our galaxy”.
UN rights expert chides US government's 'systematic assault' on welfare
Jun 05, 2018, at 09:11 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): The principal strategy for dealing with extreme poverty in the USA is to “criminalise and stigmatise” those who need assistance, according to a United Nations independent human rights expert, in a statement on Tuesday.
Guterres strongly denounces latest attack on peacekeepers in Central African Republic
Jun 05, 2018, at 09:08 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned Sunday’s attack that killed a UN peacekeeper from Tanzania and injured seven others while they were patrolling in the west of the Central African Republic (CAR).
Suicide attack on clerics in Afghanistan condemned by UN
Jun 05, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): United Nations chief António Guterres has condemned Monday’s suicide attack in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, that reportedly killed at least seven religious scholars who had gathered from across the country to promote peace.
UN ‘Tech Bank’ opens in Turkey, to help poor nations ‘leapfrog development challenges’
Jun 05, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): The United Nations on Monday welcomed a new member of the family, which will help address the development challenges of the world’s poorest countries through science, technology and innovation, while also marking a significant milestone for the whole 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Guatemala: UN chief pledges support for rescue effort after deadly volcano eruption
Jun 05, 2018, at 08:57 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his solidarity with the people of Guatemala, and said the Organization stands ready to support rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of a devastating volcanic eruption on Sunday, in the Central American nation.
South Sudan suffering on ‘almost unimaginable scale’, warns UN relief chief
Jun 05, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): People are suffering “on an almost unimaginable scale” in South Sudan, the United Nations emergency relief chief said on Monday, adding that he welcomed the announcement by the United States that it is to review the amount of assistance it provides to the war-torn country.
UN agency ready to play 'essential role' in verifying DPRK nuclear programme
Jun 05, 2018, at 08:48 am
New York, June 5 (IBNS): The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains ready to play “an essential role” in verifying the status of North Korea’s nuclear programme as international talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula continue, the agency’s chief said on Monday.
Jun 03, 2018, at 04:38 pm
New York, June 3 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for “calm and restraint” on Saturday, following violent clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Mali’s capital Bamako.
Jun 02, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, June 2 (IBNS): Commemorating the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at the Organization’s headquarters, in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to the service and sacrifice made by UN “blue helmets” for the cause of peace around the world.
Jun 02, 2018, at 08:36 am
New York, June 2 (IBNS): The United Nations has called on Nicaragua to allow access to the Organization’s human rights arm into the country amid reports that over 100 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in over six weeks of anti-Governments protests.
Countries back ‘ambitious and comprehensive’ reform of UN development system
Jun 01, 2018, at 02:59 pm
New York, June 1 (IBNS): The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday gave the green light to a bold new plan to make sustainable development a reality, described by UN chief António Guterres as “the most ambitious and comprehensive transformation of the UN development system in decades.”
Gaza is ‘on the brink’ warns UN envoy, urging more international intervention
Jun 01, 2018, at 02:06 pm
New York, May 31 (IBNS): Rocket fire this week across the border between Gaza and Israel shows how close the region is “to the brink of war” a senior United Nations official warned on Wednesday, urging the international community to do more to help Israelis and Palestinians return to the negotiating table.
World needs generation of self-empowered ‘superheroes’, UN youth forum told
Jun 01, 2018, at 01:58 pm
New York, May 31 (IBNS): The world needs young people who dream big and can endure both failure and pain, a Tongan Olympic idol told a gathering of youth at the United Nations on Wednesday.
UN rights chief urges action in Mexico to end ‘outrageous’ wave of disappearances
Jun 01, 2018, at 01:52 pm
New York, May 31 (IBNS): Authorities in Mexico are being urged to act to end what the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has described as “a wave of enforced disappearances” in the city of Nuevo Laredo, amid “strong indications” that federal security forces may be involved.
UN chief condemns killing of police officers and civilian in Belgium’s Liège
Jun 01, 2018, at 01:40 pm
New York, May 31 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Tuesday’s attacks by a gunman in the Belgian city of Liège, which left two police officers and a civilian dead.
UN calls for ‘new political energy’ to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine
May 30, 2018, at 04:10 pm
New York, May 30 (IBNS): The United Nations top political affairs official on Tuesday stressed the need to breathe life back into ongoing efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, now in its fifth year, which has killed and injured thousands of civilians, plunging the country into a humanitarian crisis.
‘Positive’ community building helps combat hate online: UN counter-terrorism chair
May 30, 2018, at 04:05 pm
New York, May 30 (IBNS): In an increasingly interconnected world, the glorification of terrorism online impacts everyone, the chair of a United Nations counter-terrorism body said on Tuesday, calling for a renewed effort to combat hateful propaganda and promote community solidarity.
UN aid chief highlights 2 million Syrians in greatest need
May 30, 2018, at 03:53 pm
New York, May 30 (IBNS): Less than 20 per cent of the “desperate” civilians living in Syria’s hard-to-reach areas have got the humanitarian aid they need so far this year, a senior United Nations official warned on Tuesday, calling for the Security Council to help ease their plight.