'Still time to step back from brink,' says Ban, returning from Middle East
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:43 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): Upon his return from an emergency visit to the crisis-torn Middle East where he reported having "long and detailed" discussions with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said "there is still time to step back from the brink," despite anger and polarization in the region.
Europe: UNHCR appeals for protection against sexual abuse of women and children
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:41 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency on Friday expressed concern over the reported abuse of refugee and migrant women and children on the move in Europe, including "instances of children engaging in survival sex to pay smugglers to continue their journey," appealing to all concerned to take measures to ensure their protection.
As Côte d’Ivoire prepares for presidential polls, Ban urges peaceful process
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:38 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is closely following developments in Côte d’Ivoire ahead of this weekend’s presidential elections and has welcomed the commitment of national stakeholders to participate in the process in a peaceful and transparent manner.
UN and Middle East partners express concern over Israeli-Palestinian tensions
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): Underscoring the urgent need to restore calm amid escalating Israeli-Palestinians tensions, the United Nations and its Middle East Quartet partners on Friday encouraged Israel to work together with Jordan to uphold the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Security Council extends arms embargoes imposed on Somalia and Eritrea
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended the arms embargo on Somalia until 15 November 2016 while reaffirming the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources, while also reaffirming its arms embargo on Eritrea.
Smugglers will adapt as long as there is a market to exploit: UN experts
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:30 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): Two United Nations experts on the human rights of migrants on Friday called on the European Union to open regular and safe channels for migrants, saying "attempting to seal borders and the over-emphasis on the securitisation of borders is not going to reduce irregular migration in the long run."
Children's right to freedom of religion or belief must be protected: UN expert
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:29 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations expert on religious freedom is calling on all Governments represented at the UN General Assembly "to respect religious practices by children and their families and support families in fulfilling their role in providing an enabling environment for the realisation of the rights of the child."
Cameroon: UN relief official calls for increased support to families fleeing conflicts
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The most senior United Nations relief official on Friday urged the international community to increase their support for the humanitarian response in Cameroon, which is hosting more than 310,000 people who have fled conflicts in neighbouring Central African Republic and Nigeria.
Libya: UN mission condemns terrorist attack against Benghazi demonstration
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attack which targeted a peaceful demonstration in Benghazi, killing and injuring many civilians.
UN agencies boost aid efforts to flood-hit Tindouf refugees, call for urgent funding
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:22 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are scaling up aid efforts after devastating floods widely damaged Sahrawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria, working to provide food and relief supplies, while urgently appealing for emergency funds to fill the 80 per cent gap in order to reach the most vulnerable.
US Army attacks ISIL camp in Iraq, 70 hostages rescued
Oct 24, 2015, at 04:30 am
Washington, Oct 23 (IBNS): A joint force of US Army and Iraqi Peshmerga conducted an operation in a prison of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) near Hawijah in Iraq and rescued at least 70 hostages alive from the camp, a press statement of US Defense Department has said.
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Pakistan: Suicide attack kills 12
Oct 24, 2015, at 02:48 am
Jacobabad, Oct 23 (IBNS): At least 12 people were killed in a suicide attack which targeted a Muharram procession near Shershah Haveli in Jacobabad's Lashari Mohalla Friday, media reports said.
Bus-truck collide in France, 40 killed
Oct 23, 2015, at 09:05 pm
Paris, Oct 23 (IBNS): At least 40 people were killed as a bus and a truck collided near Bordeaux in southwestern France on Friday, media reports said.
South Sudan: UN calls for access to conflict-affected areas to prevent catastrophe
Oct 23, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Three United Nations agencies on Thursday warned that extreme hunger is pushing people to the brink of a catastrophe in parts of South Sudan, as a new analysis found that 3.9 million people nationwide now face severe food insecurity.
UN human rights chief urges Czech Republic to halt detention of migrants and refugees
Oct 23, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official on Thursday strongly criticized the detention of migrants and refugees in the Czech Republic, drawing attention to the violations of the rights of children among them and to credible reports that authorities are routinely strip-searching migrants to confiscate the $10 a day they are charged for their own detention.
UN official warns funding shortages could be disastrous for food-insecure Mauritania
Oct 23, 2015, at 02:01 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): On her two-day visit to Mauritania, Ertharin Cousin, the Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), saw at first hand the challenges faced by nearly 1 million food insecure people amid rising malnutrition in the country.
'Silence is too often the only safe option left,' UN report on sources and whistleblowers
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Governments and international organizations are failing to ensure adequate protections to whistleblowers and sources of information, according to a new report by the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression.
Ban urges dialogue to ease tensions ahead of constitutional referendum in Congo
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:58 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Concerned about tensions between opposition parties and the Government of the Republic of the Congo ahead of the referendum on a new draft constitution in the country, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has encouraged all stakeholders to choose the path of dialogue and to peacefully resolve any disputes that might arise.
Political failures at root of latest Israeli-Palestinian violence: UN deputy chief
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:55 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): The Israel-Palestine conflict has “once again entered a dangerous phase,†United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told the Security Council on Thursday, warning that the latest eruption of violence, rising tensions at holy sites in Jerusalem and the alarmingly vitriolic nature of public discourse in the region is rooted in the lack of hope on both sides that peace is possible and the absence of a genuine political horizon.
Ban welcomes next phase of Haiti’s electoral process, set for Sunday
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:53 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the next phase of the electoral process in Haiti, which will take place on Sunday with the first round of presidential elections, the second round of legislative elections and the holding of municipal elections.
UN health agency report cites measures to reduce risks from climate pollutants
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:52 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday spotlighted the need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change and lead to more than 7 million deaths linked to air pollution each year.
Central Africa's crisis deepens, UN relief chief urges efforts to protect civilians
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:50 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator on Thursday called for greater and more sustained international commitment to the Central African Republic (CAR), where a worsening humanitarian crisis is impacting half the country's population.
UN expert on right to housing challenges governments to end homelessness
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:49 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Saying human rights have been largely absent from discussions of urban development at a time when more than half the world’s population lives in cities, the UN independent expert on adequate housing on Thursday challenged governments to end homelessness and improve living conditions for all.
World lights up in UN blue to mark Organization's milestone anniversary
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:47 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): From Australia to Azerbaijan, Indonesia to Iraq, Saudi Arabia to South Sudan, some 250 sites around the world will be lit in 'UN blue' beginning on Friday as part of the global celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.
Moments and Milestones: Photo exhibit provides snapshot of UN’s 70-year history
Oct 23, 2015, at 01:45 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): In the wake of catastrophic war, and following months of intense negotiations, representatives of 51 countries laboured in 1945 to overcome differences and founded an enduring global institution for peace, security and human progress.
Humanitarian situation in Iraq deteriorating and growing more complex: UN relief wing
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:44 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): The humanitarian situation in Iraq is deteriorating and growing more complex, as conflict protracts, coping capacities diminish, and funding falls short, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Ban welcomes Korean family reunions, looks forward to more dialogue, exchanges
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:42 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the holding of reunions of separated families of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and stressed that humanitarian measures such as this should be regularized and not subject to political security and considerations.
'Endless cycle of suffering' must stop, Ban says in Ramallah
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:39 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): On the second day of his visit to Israel and Palestine to ease the current tensions in the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to violence, which "will only push back the day…both sides will live in peace and security," and pledged the support of the United Nations to all efforts to create the conditions to make meaningful negotiations possible.
UNICEF applauds call from religious groups in Myanmar seeking tolerance for children
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:37 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): In the light of upcoming elections in Myanmar and amid reports of rising religious intolerance, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday welcomed a joint statement by the leaders of four main religious groups in the country calling for tolerance and respect of religious freedom as essential conditions for every child to grow and develop to their full potential.
UN agency and EU kick-off pledging conference to support return of Somali refugees
Oct 22, 2015, at 05:35 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Tuesday convened with the European Union a pledging conference to rally support for Somalia by creating conditions for the voluntary return of refugees to the east African nation faced with "one of the most complex crisis in recent history."