Syria: UN special envoy arrives in Damascus for talks with Government officials
Jun 16, 2015, at 01:48 pm
New York, Jun 16 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura has begun a visit to the capital, Damascus, following an invitation by the Government to visit the country, according to a spokesman for the Organization.
Libya: UN official calls for release of abducted Tunisian diplomatic staff
Jun 15, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Jun 15 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Libya has strongly condemned an attack on the Tunisian consulate in the Libyan capital of Tripoli which resulted in the capture of ten consulate staff members.New York, Jun 15 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Libya has strongly condemned an attack on the Tunisian consulate in the Libyan capital of Tripoli which resulted in the capture of ten consulate staff members.
Increase in voluntary blood donors can save millions of lives: WHO
Jun 15, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Jun 15 (IBNS): On World Blood Donor Day, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for increased regular blood donations from voluntary, unpaid donors in order to save millions of lives globally each year.
Georgia: Flood hits Tbilisi, animals escape from zoo
Jun 15, 2015, at 01:53 am
Tbilisi, June 14(IBNS) At least eight people have died as heavy flood hit Georgian capital Tbilisi, media reports said on Sunday.
North Korea fires 3 short-range missiles?
Jun 15, 2015, at 12:08 am
Seoul, June 14 (IBNS): South Korea on Sunday claimed that North Korea has fired three short-range missiles into the East Sea,media reports said.
20 Afghan police officers killed in an attack plotted by Taliban
Jun 13, 2015, at 07:53 pm
Kabul, June 13 (IBNS): At least 20 police officers have been killed in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, officials said on Saturday.
World Day: UN launches education appeal in fight against child labour
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:42 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): The United Nations has announced it is marking the 2015 edition of the World Day Against Child Labour with a call for the international community to invest in quality education as a key step in the fight against child employment – a scourge that consumes over one hundred million children worldwide.
Western Balkans experiencing surge in migrant, refugee crossings: UN agency
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:40 pm
New York, Jun 13: Southern Europe’s migrant and refugee crisis has reached the Western Balkans where an increasing number of asylum-seekers are using the region’s migration routes to flee their home countries, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has confirmed.
Yemen: UNESCO deplores destruction of Sana'a heritage site
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:37 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) condemned the early morning bombing raid on Friday on the Old City of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, saying "this heritage bears the soul of the Yemeni people, it is a symbol of a millennia history of knowledge and it belongs to all humankind."
Kenya: Funding shortage forces UN to temporarily cut food aid to 500,000 refugees
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:36 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that starting next Monday, half a million refugees in two sprawling refugee camps in Kenya will receive 30 per cent less food due to shortage of funds for relief operations.
UNICEF urges more funding in Ukraine for children affected by conflict
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:33 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): Ukraine’s children once again find themselves under threat amid renewed fighting across the country’s eastern regions, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday as it warned about the growing challenges to accessibility facing the agency’s relief efforts.
Ban receives report probing new information on Dag Hammarskjold's death
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:32 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been handed the report of experts he appointed a few months ago to examine and assess new information relating to the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjold, and his party.
Alarming levels of insecurity in Nigeria driving civilian displacement: UN agency
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:30 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): The World Food Programme (WFP) expressed on Friday its particular concern about the consequences of insecurity in Nigeria, which has displaced so far 200,000 people, a number of them seeking refuge in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, while others are waiting at the borders.
UNICEF urges more funding to boost humanitarian aid to children in Sudan
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:29 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): Citing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to children in Sudan who are affected by the war in South Sudan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stressed the huge demand and urgency of receiving more financial support to continue its relief work in the Country.
UN labour agency unveils historic employment standards against informal work
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:25 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): A new global standard aimed at lifting hundreds of millions of workers out of the informal economy and into regularized employment was adopted on Friday in a move the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) has labelled as “historic.â€
Syria: UN rights experts deplore government aerial attacks
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:24 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): Condemning the rising number of Government aerial attacks in Syria and the use of indiscriminate weapons, such as barrel bombs, including in civilian populated areas, a group of United Nations official on Friday warned of retaliatory action by non-State armed groups, which could increase the vulnerability of religious and ethnic minorities perceived to support the Government.
Sustainable transport essential to global goals and low carbon economy: UN panel
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:23 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): A high-level United Nations advisory group established by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, agreed on Friday to take measures that could accelerate a shift toward safer, healthier, more efficient and sustainable transport systems.
Hundreds of thousands in need of critical aid in Myanmar: UN humanitarian arm
Jun 13, 2015, at 03:18 pm
New York, Jun 13 (IBNS): Nearly half a million people continue to require humanitarian assistance three years after inter-communal violence raked Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, the United Nations relief arm reported on Friday.
Coherent policy critical to tackling child labour: UN labour agency
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:33 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): Around 20 to 30 per cent of children in low income countries complete their schooling and enter the labour market by the age of 15, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report prepared for World Day against Child Labour which is marked worldwide on Friday.
An age-old model of healthy living, Mediterranean diet is now under threat: UN
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The Mediterranean region is undergoing a "nutrition transition" away from its traditional diet, long revered as a model for healthy living and sustainable food systems and known for preserving the environment and empowering local producers, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.
Kyrgyzstan: Ban celebrates parliaments as beacon of human rights efforts
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The world's parliaments play a "fundamental" role in ensuring human rights protections for the global citizenry and, as a result, must reflect international human rights standards in their legislation, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed today as he continued on his Central Asian trip with a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Inaction on climate change now will cost us all in the future: UN labour chief
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:25 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The head of the International Labour Organization on Thursday opened a summit meeting devoted to tackling climate change as a unique opportunity for job creation and economic growth, saying that up to 60 million jobs can be created in a greener, low carbon economy if the right policies are adopted.
Gaza: UN envoy welcomes temporary opening of Rafah crossing
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The United Nations special envoy on the Middle East has welcomed the Government of Egypt’s decision to temporarily open a critical border crossing for residents of Gaza as a result of the dialogue between Palestinian and Egyptian authorities.
Decline in Ebola cases stalls in West Africa: UN health agency
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:21 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The number of Ebola cases in West Africa has increased for the second straight week, with the number of cases that arose from unknown sources of infection highlighting the challenges still faced in finding and eliminating every chain of transmission, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Central Africa still burdened by multidimensional crisis: Security Council
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:20 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The Central Africa region is still facing many challenges, including an economic crisis aggravated by the drop in oil prices, rising youth unemployment, and terrorist activities, as well as the cross-border impact of crises in Central African Republic (CAR) and Burundi, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the sub-region warned on Thursday.
UN rights chief urges Pakistan Government to reintroduce death penalty moratorium
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:17 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official has urged the Government of Pakistan to reinstate its moratorium on the death penalty amid a sharp uptick in the number of executions in the country, the Organization’s human rights office reported on Thursday.
Colombia's peace talks at risk amid renewed clashes: UN refugee agency chief
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:16 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): Concerned at the recent armed clashes amid the ongoing peace talks on Colombia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, on Thursday said these incidents have the potential to "derail" a long sought peace process, increasing risks for the civilian population.
UN urges use of advance passenger information to stem flow of terrorist fighters
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): A United Nations counter-terrorism body is calling for expanding the use of advance passenger information (API) to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, and recommends a number of measures to help overcome the challenges associated with using this important tool.
Central Africa: UN body urges creation of environment conducive for elections
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:13 pm
New York, Jun 12 (IBNS): The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission has called on all stakeholders in Central African Republic (CAR) to help promote an environment conducive to holding elections ahead of the country’s upcoming parliamentary vote.
Pope Francis and UN agency discuss sustainable future of agriculture
Jun 12, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Addressing over a hundred delegates attending a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference in Rome, Pope Francis on Thursday urged Member States to work toward combatting food waste, reducing the volatility of food prices, and creating a sense of global solidarity to ensure food security for all people. New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Addressing over a hundred delegates attending a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference in Rome, Pope Francis on Thursday urged Member States to work toward combatting food waste, reducing the volatility of food prices, and creating a sense of global solidarity to ensure food security for all people.