UN-backed forum in Montreal set to agree region-wide disaster risk reduction plan

Mar 07, 2017, at 01:12 pm

New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): More than 1,000 delegates from across the Americas will meet this week at a United Nations-backed conference in the Canadian city of Montreal to agree a Regional Action Plan designed to reduce the loss of life due to disasters, both natural and man-made.

UN agency concerned new US refugee plan may 'compound the anguish' of people fleeing conflict

Mar 07, 2017, at 01:11 pm

New York, Mar 7 (Just Earth News): Refugees are ordinary people forced to flee war, violence and persecution in their home countries and who remain in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection, the United Nations refugee agency underscored on Monday in the wake of the latest Executive Order signed by the President of the United States on refugee resettlement.

Polluted environments kill 1.7 million children each year, UN health agency reports

Mar 07, 2017, at 04:28 am

New York, Mar 6 (Just Earth News): Unhealthy environments are responsible for one-quarter of young child deaths, according to two new reports from the United Nations health agency, which reviewed the threats from pollutants such as second-hand smoke, UV radiation, unsafe water and e-waste.

In Niger, Security Council links aid and development in fight against Boko Haram

Mar 06, 2017, at 12:29 pm

New York, Mar 6 (Just Earth News): The Security Council – which is in the Lake Chad Basin to draw attention to the humanitarian and development needs of a region grappling with Boko Haram's terror – visited for the first time Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Central African Republic: UN condemns threats by armed group against civilians, peacekeepers

Mar 06, 2017, at 12:28 pm

New York, Mar 6 (Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) is warning a rebel movement against impeding humanitarian access, saying any threats to peacekeepers, aid workers or civilians are “unacceptable” and could be tried as warm crimes.

Japan: Helicopter crash kills 1

Mar 05, 2017, at 09:15 pm

Tokyo, Mar 5 (IBNS): A helicopter crashed in Japan's central Nagano area which left at least one person killed, media reports said.

IOM launches USD 24.6 million drought appeal for Somalia

Mar 05, 2017, at 07:16 pm

Somalia, Mar 5 (Just Earth News): In order to meet the emergency needs of over a million Somalis affected by drought, IOM in Somalia is scaling up lifesaving interventions throughout the country and appealing to international donors for funding.

Internal displacement in Mali could end in 2017, If no further violence: IOM

Mar 05, 2017, at 07:13 pm

Mali, Mar 5 (Just Earth News): According to the International Organization for Migration, internal displacement in Mali can be resolved by the end of 2017, but only if there is no resurgence of communal violence or armed conflict.

In Chad and Cameroon, Security Council hears of Boko Haram terror and survivors' needs

Mar 05, 2017, at 01:55 pm

New York, Mar 5 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Security Council is on Saturday in Chad, as part of a four-country visit “to shine a spotlight” on the ongoing humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad Basin region and draw international attention to the plight of about 11 million people.

UN aid chief calls for access, funds to prevent spread of South Sudan's famine

Mar 05, 2017, at 01:54 pm

New York, Mar 5 (Just Earth News): Hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan will starve unless relief workers gain access to needy populations and more funding is raised, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator on Saturday warned after meeting malnourished children who fled the raging conflict in the country.

Quality support key for people with disabilities to fully participate in their communities – UN rights expert

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:41 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): Access to good and safe support is of great importance for people with disabilities, as it helps them become independent and gain human rights, a United Nations independent expert said on Friday, urging Member States to take legal, policy and financial actions to ensure their adequate support.

Intra-Syrian talks conclude in Geneva with ‘clear agenda’ and plans to resume later this month

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:40 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): The United Nations-facilitated intra-Syrian talks are “moving in the right direction,” the UN Special Envoy for Syria said on Friday, wrapping up the latest round of discussions in Geneva with counter-terrorism added to the agenda and plans to resume in late March.

At first ‘playable’ UN conference, tech experts, gamers drive new thinking on global development

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:39 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): Hands-free gardening for a greener future, video gamers using their skills to help achieve the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – these were just a few of the innovative and forward-looking ideas in the spotlight at the world body’s first ever ‘playable’ policy conference, held in the German city of Bonn.

In Iraq, UN's focal point for conflict-related sexual violence visits abused women

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:37 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): The United Nations focal point for ending conflict-related sexual violence is in Iraq where she on Friday met with survivors of rape and other abuse by the Islamic State (ISIL).

UN migration agency launches $24.6 million appeal for drought-hit Somalia

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:36 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): To meet the emergency needs of over a million Somalis affected by drought, the United Nations migration agency is appealing to international donors for $24.6 million in funding.

Iraq: 15,000 children flee west Mosul over past week as battle intensifies, says UNICEF

Mar 04, 2017, at 01:30 pm

New York, Mar 4 (Just Earth News): Some 15,000 children have over the previous week fled the western section of Iraq’s Mosul city where fighting between the Government forces and terrorists is intensifying by the day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.

‘Political leadership needs to support its own people,’ urges UN mission chief in South Sudan

Mar 04, 2017, at 05:30 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): The top United Nations official in South Sudan is calling on the country’s political leadership to support its own people in the wake of a famine affecting some 100,000 people, and calling for local authorities to provide humanitarian access to those most in need.

Yemen: UN migration agency reports displacement spike in Taiz Governorate

Mar 04, 2017, at 05:28 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): With nearly 274,000 people displaced, Yemen’s Taiz is now among the crisis-torn country’s top five hosting governorates for such populations, a United Nations report has found.

UN expert urges greater protection of people with albinism from witch doctors

Mar 04, 2017, at 05:27 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): In the wake of a high-profile conviction of a mastermind who murdered and dismembered a woman with albinism, a United Nations independent expert is calling for additional oversight of traditional healers who use body parts in witchcraft rituals and so-called medicines.

UN agencies supporting Kenyans in drought-hit areas

Mar 04, 2017, at 05:26 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): Some 2.7 million people in parts of Kenya are in urgent need of water and sanitation following the onset of a severe drought, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday announced, noting the UN's support for what the Government is calling a “national disaster.”

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit London

Mar 04, 2017, at 12:55 am

London, Mar 3 (IBNS): The NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller will travel to London on Monday.

University of Leicester researchers measure Big Ben’s bong

Mar 03, 2017, at 09:01 pm

London, Mar 3 (IBNS): A team from the University of Leicester’s Department of Engineering has, for the first time ever, vibration-mapped the famous London bell Big Ben in order to reveal why it produces its distinct harmonious tone.

France presidential elections: Investigators raid Francois Fillon's home

Mar 03, 2017, at 04:56 pm

Paris, Mar 3 (IBNS): French investigators have raided conservative presidential candidate Francoise Fillon's home in Paris over a fake job scandal, the BBC reported.

Syrian Army recaptures Palmyra city

Mar 03, 2017, at 03:10 pm

Palmyra, Mar 3 (IBNS): The Syrian Army has captured Palmyra city from the militant group ISIS, media reports said.

China: Bus-truck collision kills 10

Mar 03, 2017, at 02:55 pm

Beijing, Mar 3 (IBNS): A cement tanker crashed into a bus in China's Yunnan Province on Thursday which left at least 10 people killed, media reports said on Friday.

‘Communicating SDGs’ key to achieving global development targets – senior UN official

Mar 03, 2017, at 02:02 pm

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): Bringing together a diverse array of partners to communicate the Sustainable Development Goals was a key focus on day two Global Festival of Ideas for Sustainable Development, a ‘playable’ United Nations conference that aims to chart a new way of thinking on addressing some of the world’s most complex development challenges.

Hunger persists in chronic conflict zones despite strong global harvests – UN

Mar 03, 2017, at 06:28 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): Despite robust food supply conditions, droughts are worsening food security across swathes of East Africa, and access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering civil conflicts, a new United Nations report has found.

UN-backed narcotics control body calls for more policies to address drug dependence among women

Mar 03, 2017, at 06:27 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): Citing a significant rise over the past year in the number of women dying from drug overdoses globally, the independent expert body which monitors Governments’ compliance with the United Nations international drug control treaties is on Thursday calling for the implementation of gender-sensitive drug policies and programmes.

Civilian casualty figure in Iraq tops 1,000 – UN reports

Mar 03, 2017, at 06:26 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): More than 1,000 civilians were killed or injured last month in Iraq, the United Nations mission in the country has announced.

Financial speculation led to unsustainable global housing crisis, UN expert says

Mar 03, 2017, at 06:25 am

New York, Mar 3 (Just Earth News): The world's money markets have priced people out of cities, a United Nations independent expert has said, blaming financial markets and speculators for treating housing as a “place to park capital.”