Ahead of International Day of Peace, UN chief appeals for cease-fire on 21 September
Sep 19, 2015, at 02:34 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for the laying down of arms and a 24-hour cease-fire on 21 September, which is observed around the world each year as the International Day of Peace.
Boko Haram violence displaces 1.4 million children in Nigeria and beyond- UNICEF
Sep 19, 2015, at 02:27 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS): The number of attacks by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring countries has risen, and half a million children have had to flee to safety in the past five months, bringing the total number of displaced children in the region to 1.4 million, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Global malaria target met amid sharp drop in cases: UN
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:37 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): Malaria death rates have plunged by 60 per cent since 2000, but the ancient killer remains an acute public health problem with 15 countries mainly in sub-Saharan Africa accounting for some 80 per cent of cases and deaths globally, according to a new United Nations report released on Thursday.
UN and Kenya team up to end AIDS epidemic by 2030
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The United Nations programme that works to combat HIV/AIDS is working with the Government of Kenya in a bid to end the AIDS epidemic in the country by 2030, through the creation of a new data-collecting tool to track progress in current HIV programming.
Ban seeks support from Member States to end sexual misconduct by UN personnel
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:33 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday highlighted specific actions aimed at ending sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel that require "urgent" support from countries that provide troops and police to peacekeeping operations.
Hungary: UN rights chief appalled at treatment of refugees, migrants by authorities
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday he is "appalled" at the recent actions displayed by the Hungarian Government in its treatment of refugees and migrants, and urged European institutions to take firm action to respond to the crisis affecting several countries.
War-weary Afghan population clamouring for peace and they deserve it: UN envoy
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Afghanistan told members of the Security Council on Thursday that the country’s path to stability and self-reliance cannot be taken for granted, and that support from the international community continues to be crucial.
Countries urged to submit climate action plans ahead of UN conference in Paris
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:25 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is eager to get countries to submit as soon as possible their action plans that will form the basis of the new universal climate change agreement to be adopted in December in Paris, a senior United Nations official dealing with the issue said on Thursday.
Security Council extends UN mission in Liberia for another year
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:24 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The Security Council on Thursday extended the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) until 30 September 2016, and authorized a reduction in the number of its personnel, as preparations continue for the security transition to the country’s authorities next year.
UN says Chile’s investment in disaster risk reduction paid off
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) on Thursday lauded the Chilean Government’s successful efforts to reduce disaster risk and minimise the number of casualties from the 8.3-magnitude earthquake and tsunami which occurred on Thursday night.
In regaining hope for the future, two Yazidi girls deal greatest blow to ISIL: UN envoy
Sep 18, 2015, at 02:19 pm
New York, Sept 18 (IBNS): Five months after she first met with two girls from the Yazidi community who had been held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the United Nations official dealing with sexual violence in conflict said after seeing them again on Thursday that they are "filled with hope for the future," and that is "the greatest blow they could have dealt" to the terrorist group.
Sep 17, 2015, at 03:12 pm
Washington, Sept 17 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter Scale rocked coast of Chile on Wednesday, officials said.
World must protect climate as it preserved ozone layer: Ban
Sep 17, 2015, at 02:06 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): A political commitment to manage hydrofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol – a huge environmental success that agreed to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals – could be one of the biggest climate change wins in the lead-up to the December’s climate conference, says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
UN urges creation of special court in Sri Lanka after report confirms horrific abuses
Sep 17, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): A new report released on Wednesday by the United Nations human rights office has identified patterns of grave violations in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2011, and recommends the establishment of a hybrid special court to ensure that justice is served.
UN welcomes partnership and leadership to spearhead sustainable energy efforts
Sep 17, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): A firm foundation to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all has been built but a solid long-term institutional arrangement is needed, the United Nations Secretary-General said on Wednesday, as he welcomed the creation of an international not-for-profit organization to spearhead renewable energy efforts.
Syria: UN official appeals to Security Council to find political solution to crisis
Sep 17, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian chief on Wednesday urged the Security Council to find a political solution to end the conflict in Syria, warning its members that the fighting had created one of the largest refugee exoduses since the Second World War.
World leaders to gather for 70th General Assembly at a time of turmoil and hope: Ban
Sep 17, 2015, at 02:00 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wenesday he will convene a high-level meeting later this month to mobilize a “humane, effective and rights-based response†to a global crisis that has seen 60 million people flee their homes by an unprecedented number of brutal conflicts, the breakdown of basic governance and mounting economic despair.
Head of UNESCO deplores killing of Colombian journalist
Sep 17, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has denounced the recent killing of Colombian journalist Flor Alba Núñez Vargas.
Europe must change course on refugee crisis response: UN agency
Sep 17, 2015, at 01:57 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): Only a united European emergency response can address the current refugee and migration crisis, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stressed on Wednesday.
Simple act of playing represents grave danger for children in Syria: UNICEF
Sep 17, 2015, at 01:56 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned in the strongest terms mortar attacks on civilian areas of Aleppo, Syria, which reportedly killed at least 19 children on Tuesday, including six in a UNICEF-supported child friendly space.
Ban calls for immediate release of detained leaders of Burkina Faso
Sep 17, 2015, at 01:55 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his outrage at reports that President Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida and several Government ministers have been detained by soldiers from the presidential guard.
Nigeria: UN rights expert condemns attack against displaced persons' camp
Sep 17, 2015, at 01:54 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS): A "heinous" attack against a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yola, north-eastern Nigeria, where some 32,000 people have found refuge, was strongly condemned on Wednesday by an independent United Nations human rights expert.
UN marks International Day by stressing vital role of civil society for true democracy
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): A strong and freely operating civil society is crucial for successful and stable democracies and must be given the space to carry out their vital functions, the United Nations emphasized on Tuesday, as it marked the International Day of Democracy.
UN agency urges Europe to develop coherent response to refugee crisis
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:29 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): While welcoming the steps taken by European leaders at their meeting in Brussels to tackle the current refugee crisis, the United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday said a robust and coherent response is still urgently needed.
UNICEF advocate David Beckham issues call to end violence against children
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New YOrk, Sept 16 (IBNS): David Beckham, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is championing a letter signed by 18 child survivors of violence that calls on world leaders to end the widespread abuse affecting millions of children around the world.New YOrk, Sept 16 (IBNS): David Beckham, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is championing a letter signed by 18 child survivors of violence that calls on world leaders to end the widespread abuse affecting millions of children around the world.
Latest provocations could ignite fresh Israeli-Palestinian violence: UN envoy
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:25 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Tuesday that he is gravely concerned over the violence and continuing clashes in and around the holy sites of the Old City of Jerusalem, and urged all leaders to ensure that visitors and worshippers demonstrate restraint and respect for the sanctity of the area.
No country has yet achieved equality between men and women: UN rights chief
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that no country to date has achieved full equality between the sexes and urged the 47 members of the Human Rights Council "to do better than our societies" and make a real difference in achieving gender parity.
Millions of children in Syria deprived of education: UNICEF
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): As children around the world return to school, there are more than two million in Syria who will not be able to join them, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) cautioned on Tuesday, adding that another 400,000 are at risk of dropping out of school as a direct result of conflict, violence and displacement.
Syria: Ban names panel to probe accountability for chemical weapons use
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Virginia Gamba of Argentina to head the independent three-member panel that will lead the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) tasked with identifying those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Opening 70th UN General Assembly, President underscores urgent need for action
Sep 16, 2015, at 02:18 pm
New York, Sept 16 (IBNS): A major priority for the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly is to ensure that all actors move swiftly to deliver on the promises being made for sustainable development, the President of the 193-member body said on Tuesday.