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.
Brexit poses ‘particular risk’ to British people in poverty: UN independent expert
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:46 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): Brexit – the United Kingdom’s impending exit from the European Union – will drive more UK citizens into poverty unless the Government takes action to shield the most vulnerable, warned Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, in a damning statement released on Friday.
UNICEF welcomes Bangladesh statement that Rohingya will not be forced to leave
Nov 17, 2018, at 08:44 am
New York, Nov 17 (IBNS): UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday welcomed confirmation from the Bangladesh authorities that Rohingya refugees will not be returned to Myanmar against their will, amid reported ongoing rights violations there.
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.
Ukraine: Temperatures plunge amid rising humanitarian needs
Nov 16, 2018, at 10:10 am
New York, Nov 16 (IBNS): Amidst an ongoing active conflict that seems to have fallen off the international community’s radar, temperatures in eastern Ukraine dropping well below zero and leaving millions are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, said the United Nations, calling for support.
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.”
Brexit Secretary Raab resigns, UK PM Theresa May faces backlash
Nov 15, 2018, at 07:47 pm
London, Nov 15 (IBNS): UK Prime Minister Theresa May is facing backlash as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday resigned over the agreement, media reports said.
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.
Eritrea sanctions lifted amid growing rapprochement with Ethiopia: Security Council
Nov 15, 2018, at 09:14 am
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS): A range of international sanctions imposed against Eritrea nearly a decade ago, were unanimously lifted by the Security Council on Wednesday, four months after the signing of an historic peace agreement with Ethiopia in July.
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.
UN and Tokyo 2020, leverage power of Olympic Games in global sustainable development race
Nov 15, 2018, at 09:04 am
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS): The United Nations and the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have signed an agreement to highlight the important contribution that sport makes in the race to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by the ambitious deadline of 2030.
Congo Prospers from Environmental Protection
Nov 14, 2018, at 10:09 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): Families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are being supported by their government and the United Nations to protect the environment and build what the UN Development Programme calls “climate-resilient lives.”
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.
Building climate resilience and peace, go hand in hand for Africa’s Sahel – UN forum
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:55 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): To build a sustainable peace in Africa’s Sahel region, “urgent attention” is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure that communities have access to sufficient opportunities, a joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Peacebuilding Commission highlighted on Tuesday.
‘Terror and panic’ among Rohingya who may be forced to return to Myanmar – UN rights chief
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:52 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): There is “terror and panic” among Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will, the United Nations top human rights official has said, warning that the returns would seriously endanger the lives of those sent back.
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.
United States: UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly California wildfires
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:40 am
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of lives and damages caused by devastating wildfires in the state of California in the United States.
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.
Several pilots report UFOs sightings off Irish coast, authorities start investigation
Nov 14, 2018, at 09:28 am
London, Nov 14 (IBNS): In a strange development, the Irish Aviation Authority has started investigating after receiving reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects and bright lights off the coast of Ireland, media reports said on Wednesday.
UN experts concerned over racial bias in Dutch child welfare system
Nov 13, 2018, at 09:12 am
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): The Dutch authorities have been accused by UN experts of racism in the country’s welfare system, after seven children of African descent were forcibly removed from their parents.
Marginalized voices must be ‘included and amplified’ in digital technology space: UN Chief
Nov 13, 2018, at 09:07 am
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): New thinking is needed to better address deep gender gaps in access to digital technologies, seek out networks of the increasingly active elderly population, and support young people facing a rapidly transforming labour market, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates on Monday, at the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted in Paris by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Rohingya returns only ‘at their freely expressed wish’ – UN refugee chief
Nov 13, 2018, at 09:00 am
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): Returns of Rohingya refugees, forced to flee their homes due to widespread and systematic violence in northern Myanmar, “should only take place at their freely expressed wish” the United Nations top refugee official has stressed, amid concerns that conditions at places of origin are not yet conducive to safe, dignified and sustainable returns.
Nov 12, 2018, at 09:45 am
New York, Nov 12 (IBNS): From conflict and economic downturn to disease and climate change, global problems require “more than ever” a strengthening of international cooperation, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders at the Paris Peace Forum on Sunday, commemorating 100 years since the end of the First World War.