Mexico: UN report points to torture, cover-ups in probe into disappearance of 43 students
Mar 16, 2018, at 02:30 pm
New York, Mar 16 (JEN): The United Nations human rights wing said Thursday that it has strong grounds to believe that the investigation into the disappearance of 43 students from a rural Mexican college in 2014 was marred by torture and cover-ups.
White House lends support to UK on Russian diplomats' expulsion
Mar 15, 2018, at 06:04 pm
Washington/London, Mar 15 (IBNS): Following the UK's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats from its land, US said it 'stands in solidarity'with Britain.
Britain to expel 23 Russian diplomats
Mar 15, 2018, at 05:42 pm
London, Mar 15 (IBNS): UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow refused to answer how a Russian-made nerve agent was used on a former spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in Salisbury on Mar 4.
Mar 15, 2018, at 02:24 pm
New York, Mar 15 (JEN): While the security situation in Sudan’s Darfur region remained stable, the causes of the conflict – and their related consequences – have been largely unaddressed, the head of the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission said Wednesday, calling on holdout armed groups to sign the foundational 2011 peace agreement without delay.
UN-World Bank panel calls for ‘fundamental shift’ in water management
Mar 15, 2018, at 02:21 pm
New York, Mar 15 (JEN): With 700 million people worldwide at risk of being displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030, water infrastructure investment must be at least doubled over the next five years, a panel set up by the United Nations and the World Bank recommended on Wednesday.
UN aid chief urges international support to tackle ‘spiralling humanitarian needs’ in DR Congo
Mar 15, 2018, at 02:17 pm
New York, Mar 15 (JEN): As fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced 4.5 million people to flee their homes over the past year and left more than 13 million in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has called on the international community to urgently address the crisis.
As Syria conflict enters eighth year, UN agencies join call for peace and safe aid delivery
Mar 15, 2018, at 02:14 pm
New York, Mar 15 (JEN): Two United Nations relief agencies on Wednesday joined a chorus of international organizations and partners in the quest to end seven years of conflict in Syria, urging warring parties to allow humanitarian access for the delivery of life-saving assistance to those desperately in need.
Report highlights UN progress in fight to stamp out sexual exploitation and abuse
Mar 14, 2018, at 03:00 pm
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): The number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by personnel serving with the United Nations dropped from 165 in 2016 to 138 last year, according to the latest report by the UN Secretary-General on implementing a zero-tolerance policy for these crimes.
Mar 14, 2018, at 02:54 pm
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): As deepening economic woes force thousands of Venezuelans to flee the crisis-gripped country, the United Nations on Tuesday issued guidance on treating the population as “refugees,” while the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the outflow into neighboring countries such as Colombia constitutes a “humanitarian disaster.”
Thousands of migrants return home safely from Libya as part of UN-supported programme
Mar 14, 2018, at 02:49 pm
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): Since last November, 10,171 migrants have safely returned from Libya, the United Nations migration agency announced Tuesday, crediting the achievement to a scale up of its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme.
Syria ‘bleeding inside and out’ as conflict enters eighth year, says UN chief
Mar 13, 2018, at 02:21 pm
New York, Mar 13 (JEN): Despite a United Nations Security Council demand to institute a 30-day ceasefire across Syria, airstrikes, shelling and ground offensives have intensified in Eastern Ghouta, Secretary-General António Guterres reported Monday, warning that the conflict is entering its eighth year with the “grimmest” reality on the ground.
UN women’s commission opens annual session at ‘pivotal moment’ for gender equality movement
Mar 13, 2018, at 02:18 pm
New York, Mar 13 (JEN): Taking place at “a pivotal moment for the rights of women and girls,” the United Nations body dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment opened its annual session on Monday hearing calls to help women, especially those in rural communities, secure an end to the male-dominated power dynamic that has long marginalized their participation and muted their voices.
Mar 13, 2018, at 02:14 pm
New York, Mar 13 (JEN): Inclusive partnerships are essential to addressing drug challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the top United Nations panel dealing with all aspects of narcotic drugs.
Ahead of rainy season, UN under ‘time pressure’ to deliver aid in South Sudan
Mar 13, 2018, at 02:11 pm
New York, Mar 13 (JEN): With the rainy season approaching in South Sudan, where one in three people has been displaced by more than four years of conflict, a senior United Nations humanitarian official has called for urgent financial support to distribute and preposition life-saving aid supplies.
Nigerian women artists unite at UN to change perceptions of women and Africa
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:56 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): Three Nigerian women will spotlight themes such as human trafficking, suicide bombing, and sexism and sexual harassment at the United Nations, showing the strength of women as agents of change in African societies often dominated by men.
UN envoy on conflict-related sexual violence reports on visits to Iraq and Sudan
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:52 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): A senior United Nations official has stressed the need to ensure survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Iraq are fully protected and that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Syria: UN aid convoy returns to eastern Ghouta
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:49 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): The United Nations and partners on Friday reached the Syrian city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta to complete distribution of food aid after intense shelling cut short deliveries to the war-torn enclave earlier this week.
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:46 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN):Flinging terrorism charges at a United Nations human rights expert is just one act in a litany of profane and inflammatory comments made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte against the rapporteur, prompting the UN rights chief to questions the leader’s mental stability.
Service and Sacrifice: Mongolia continues to strengthen its contribution to UN peacekeeping
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:29 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): Mongolia first joined United Nations peacekeeping in 2002 with the deployment of two unarmed military observers to the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Soon after that, it sent two more officers to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, Mongolia has continued to expand its contributions to UN peace operations in hot spots around the world.
DR Congo: UN warns of spike in displacement amid funding shortfall
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:25 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): The United Nations migration agency is hoping that the upcoming donor pledging conference for the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will generate more financial support to cope with a spike in the number of people displaced by violence.
Fighting prevents UN and aid partners from returning to Syria’s war-battered east Ghouta
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:13 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Continuing fighting forced the postponement on Thursday of a United Nations inter-agency relief convoy to Douma, a neighborhood in Syria’s war-ravaged Eastern Ghouta, a UN spokesman reported.
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:08 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): The drumbeat for women’s rights and empowerment reached a crescendo on Thursday as the United Nations celebrated International Women’s Day with a number of powerful events, where global activists joined top UN officials calling for the recent momentum generated by grassroots movements against discrimination and harassment to tip the scales towards lasting change.
Despite unrest, DR Congo must press ahead with preparations for credible elections, says UN envoy
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:05 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Highlighting political tensions and the disintegrating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Leila Zerrougui, briefing the Security Council for the first time as head of the UN stabilization mission in the contry, said significant progress is being made on preparations for upcoming polls.
New communications technologies essential to empower poor rural women – UN
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:57 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): To mark International Women’s Day, the three United Nations Rome-based agencies are spotlighting the role new innovations in information and communications technologies (ICTs) can play in expanding opportunities for rural women, who often find themselves “on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
UN seeks $80 million to support refugees in Ethiopia
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:54 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Two United Nations humanitarian agencies are jointly seeking $80 million to provide food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia, which hosts the second largest number of those in Africa.
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:51 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): This year, International Women’s Day comes at a pivotal moment, and with a wave women’s activism – from the #MeToo movement to #TimesUp and beyond – exposing the structures that have allowed women's oppression to flourish, the United Nations is urging the world to stand with rural and urban women activists to topple the remaining barriers to gender equality and empowerment.
Women’s prospects at work still ‘a long way’ from being equal to men’s – UN report
Mar 08, 2018, at 01:53 pm
New York, Mar 8 (JEN): Despite notable progress on closing gender gaps over the past 20 years, women have less access to jobs, are more likely to take low-quality employment, and face barriers to management positions, a United Nations labor report has found.
Mar 08, 2018, at 01:50 pm
New York, Mar 8 (JEN): In a scathing address to the Human Rights Council, the top United Nations rights official on Wednesday warned political leaders who stoke fear and intolerance among their followers for the sake of their own ambitions are merely copying the behaviour of previous generations of once strong, but ultimately catastrophic, leaders and politicians.
Security Council condemns attack on education workers in Central African Republi
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:44 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday denounced an attack against education workers that killed six, including one UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) consultant, who were traveling in the north-western prefecture of the Central African Republic (CAR).
Protect the momentum’ and seize opportunities offered by latest inter-Korean talks, urges UN chief
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:37 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): Welcoming the progress in the latest talks between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, the United Nations Secretary-General has highlighted the need to utilize the opportunities it offers to find a peaceful path forward.