Mali: UN official urges parties to ‘immediately cease hostilities’
Apr 29, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Apr 29 (IBNS): Amid an upsurge in violence in Mali, the top United Nations official there on Tuesday warned parties about the serious consequences their actions could have on the country’s peace process.
Ban welcomes peaceful presidential election in Togo
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:39 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed the peaceful conduct of the presidential election in Togo, which took place on Saturday.
UN unveils alternative policy agenda to transform economies
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:37 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): A major new report released on Monday in seven locations around the world by the United Nations entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment (UN Women) calls for the transformation of economies to make women’s rights and equality a reality.
UN report finds world’s rural populations excluded from healthcare access
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:36 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): The majority of the world’s rural populations continue to live and work without essential healthcare services, in stark contrast to their urban-dwelling counterparts, according to a new report released on Monday by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO).
Central Africa is becoming largest forgotten humanitarian crisis: UN
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:34 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): The Central African Republic (CAR) is quickly becoming the largest forgotten humanitarian crisis of our time with some 60 percent of its population in need of aid, including nearly 900,000 people forcibly displaced by conflict, but assistance programmes remain “dramatically underfunded,†the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday.
UN chief warns of ‘dangerous return’ to Cold War mentalities
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:32 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): Progress in working towards global nuclear non-proliferation has stalled and the trend towards “nuclear zero†is reversing, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today as he called on Member States to urgently ramp up efforts in tackling nuclear disarmament.
Burundi: UN working to help relocate civilians fleeing election-related violence
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:31 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): Civil unrest erupted in Burundi this weekend after the ruling party overwhelmingly elected President Pierre Nkurunziza on Saturday as its candidate for the 26 June presidential election, the humanitarian wing of the United Nations reported on Monday, appealing for $11.6 million dollars to plan a response for the influx of people seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
UN platform aims to bring pastoralists’ voices to global decision-making stage
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:29 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): Millions of pastoralists – from the Bedouin of North Africa to the Sherpa in Nepal and Navajo in North America – will benefit from a new online knowledge hub launched on Monday by the United Nations that will help them raise their voices in international policy debates and share valuable information to strengthen their agricultural livelihoods.
Ban urges action to ease plight of migrants crossing Mediterranean
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:28 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): The Mediterranean Sea has sadly become “a sea of tears, a sea of misery,†said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday aboard an Italian naval ship, where he called on the global community to unite and take action to address the root causes of the migrant crisis.
Gaza: Security Council receives report of inquiry into incidents during conflict
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:27 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): In a letter transmitting to the Security Council the public summary of a report of the Board of Inquiry regarding incidents in Gaza during the recent conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday expressed his "profound and continuing concern†for civilian populations of the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Sustainability agenda must harmonize man’s relationship with planet: UN
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:25 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): As United Nations Member States prepare to adopt and move toward implementing a new development agenda, the President of the General Assembly said it is critical to ensure that “a harmonious relationship with our planet underpins our quest to achieve sustainable development.â€
Cyprus: UN envoy welcomes Turkish Cypriot leader’s commitment to negotiations
Apr 28, 2015, at 03:23 pm
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, has spoken with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, according to the United Nations Good Offices Mission.
Chernobyl disaster anniversary: Ban reiterates UN's commitment to those affected
Apr 27, 2015, at 02:10 pm
New York, Apr 27 (IBNS): In a message to mark the 29th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday remembered the hundreds of emergency workers who responded to the accident and the more than 330,000 people uprooted from their homes in its aftermath.
UN alarmed by malnutrition among children displaced from Yarmouk camp
Apr 27, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Apr 27 (IBNS): As the United Nations agency tasked with supporting Palestine refugees continued on Sunday to provide essential humanitarian assistance to civilians who have been displaced from Yarmouk and to those hosting them, evidence of acute malnutrition was found in a large number of children.
UN forum agrees draft action plan for religious leaders on preventing violence
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:09 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): A United Nations-backed forum on Friday concluded in Fez, Morocco, having developed a plan of action aimed at preventing incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes.
Mali: Ban voices concern over series of targeted attacks against UN mission
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:07 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced deep concern over a series of attacks targeting the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) which have resulted in numerous casualties, a statement issued by a UN spokesperson said Friday.
Azerbaijan: UN experts welcome 'unhindered access' to places of detention
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:06 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights body has welcomed the decision by the Government of Azerbaijan to allow it “unhindered access†to places of detention across the Central Asian country while also urging authorities to do more to protect the rights of people in custody.
UN mission peacekeepers repel two attacks in South Darfur
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:04 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Peacekeepers with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) have repelled two attacks by unidentified armed men in Kass, 85 kilometres north-west of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
UN rights chief urges UK to curb tabloid hate speech
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:03 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): After decades of “sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse,†and in the wake of a recent article in the Sun newspaper calling migrants ‘cockroaches,’ the United Nations human rights chief on Friday urged British authorities and media to take steps to curb incitement to hatred by tabloid newspapers, in line with the country’s obligations under national and international law.
Libya: UN condemns ‘horrific’ week of human rights violations
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:02 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday condemned the “successive horrific incidents†in Libya this past week – ranging from the appalling loss of life in the Mediterranean of those escaping violence, the execution of Christians and the killings of several members of a prominent family by the so-called ‘Islamic State in Libya.’
Mediterranean crisis: UN welcomes EU measures on migrants
Apr 25, 2015, at 03:00 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency welcomed the European Union's (EU) mobilization of resources in response to the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, while also urging increased efforts aimed at saving lives and integrating asylum seekers in accordance with human rights.
Yemen: UN urges humanitarian access, respect for international law
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:59 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that civilians are continuing to die in Yemen, with the total number killed between 26 March and 22 April now estimated at 551, including 31 women and at least 115 children.
SC must match scale of Syria crisis with bold response: UN officials
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): The Syrian crisis is getting worse and civilians are paying the price, senior United Nations humanitarian officials said on Friday as they called for an end to the “numbness to the senseless violenceâ€, while the Security Council demanded parties to the conflict facilitate expanded aid operations and immediate delivery of life-saving supplies to hard-to-reach and besieged areas.
UNICEF welcomes final release of child soldiers by armed group in South Sudan
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:54 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Militants in South Sudan have handed over to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) a final group of 283 children in what the agency described as “a small piece of good news in what is otherwise a terrible situation for children in other parts of [the country],†where many boys and girls have been abducted and forcibly recruited as child soldiers.
Ban appoints new deputy head of humanitarian operations in Lebanon
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:53 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Philippe Lazzarini of Switzerland as his new Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, a spokesperson for the Organization said on Friday.
On eve of Togo national election, Ban calls for calm and transparency
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:52 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): On the eve of the presidential election in Togo, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on all national stakeholders to recommit themselves to ensuring that the election is conducted in a peaceful, free and transparent manner and reflects the will of the people of Togo.
Myanmar: Ban says ‘much more hard work lies ahead’
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:50 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, convening a meeting on Myanmar on Saturday, welcomed the positive direction of its reform process as it continues on its “path of historic transitionâ€, but emphasized that more work remains to be done to address the country’s myriad challenges.
UN resumes vaccination drive for three million children in West Africa
Apr 25, 2015, at 02:48 pm
New York, Apr 25 (IBNS): For the first time since the start of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, thousands of health workers are fanning out across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in nationwide immunization campaigns with an aim to protect three million children against preventable but potentially deadly diseases such as measles and polio.
In Morocco, UN-backed forum highlights role of religious leaders in preventing atrocities
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:56 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS) At a forum on the role of religious leaders in preventing incitement to violence and atrocities, which opened on Thursday in Fez, Morocco, a senior UN rights official stressed the importance of religious leaders worldwide in the prevention, mitigation and resolution of conflicts.
On 'Girls in ICT Day,' UN urges increased opportunity in information and communications technology
Apr 24, 2015, at 07:55 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): Aiming to attract women to fields "where strong demand is creating global skills shortfall," the tech community is gearing up to celebrate ‘Girls in ICT Day' around the world.