UN emergency teams ‘on the ground’ in the Caribbean to help respond to Hurricane Matthew
Oct 06, 2016, at 02:07 pm
New York, Oct 6 (Just Earth News): In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean region, United Nations emergency response teams have been deployed to Haiti and Jamaica to coordinate rapid assessments and support disaster response.
UN-backed treaty concludes summit with ‘game changing’ outcomes for wildlife protection
Oct 06, 2016, at 02:06 pm
New York, Oct 8 (Just Earth News): The triennial conference of the parties to a United Nations-backed wildlife treaty concluded yesterday with actions that are expected to go a long way in ensuring protection for some of the most vulnerable plants and animals on the planet.
‘Sad of state affairs’ in Iraq as last month’s surge in violence leaves more casualties – UN
Oct 06, 2016, at 02:04 pm
New York, Oct 6 (Just Earth News): The United Nations in Iraq has reported that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in the country, with a more than 28 per cent spike in fatalities and a 17 per cent increase in injuries from August to September this year.
UN food relief agency to scale up emergency operations in southern Madagascar
Oct 06, 2016, at 02:03 pm
New York, Oct 6 (Just Earth News): Following a visit to Madagascar, the Executive Director of the United Nations’ food relief agency has announced plans to scale up humanitarian operations in response to rising levels of hunger and malnutrition as a third consecutive year of drought deepens the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people in the south of the island nation.
Portugal's António Guterres emerges as favourite for next UN Secretary-General
Oct 06, 2016, at 05:04 am
New York, Oct 5 (Just Earth News): Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres has emerged as the clear favourite to become the next United Nations Secretary-General following the sixth secret ballot held on Wednesday by the UN Security Council, which is expected to take a formal decision on Thursdayand forward Guterres’ name to the 193-Member General Assembly for final confirmation.
Investing in early childhood development helps communities thrive – UN-backed report
Oct 06, 2016, at 04:58 am
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): An estimated 43 per cent – or 249 million – of children under five in low- and middle-income countries are at an elevated risk of poor development due to extreme poverty and stunting, according to a new United Nations-supported series from The Lancet.
Nearly 69 million new teachers needed to achieve global education goals, UNESCO reports
Oct 06, 2016, at 04:56 am
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): On World Teacher's Day, the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued statistics revealing that close to 69 million new teachers are needed to provide quality universal primary and secondary education by 2030, the deadline of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Yemen: Security Council strongly condemns attack on vessel by Houthi forces
Oct 06, 2016, at 04:55 am
New York, Oct 5 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned an attack by Houthi forces on a United Arab Emirates vessel operating near Bab al-Mandeb Strait on 1 October.
Belgium: Two cops stabbed by attacker
Oct 06, 2016, at 02:07 am
Brussels, Oct 5 (IBNS): At least two policemen were stabbed in Belgian city Brussels on Wednesday, media reports said.
UN deputy chief urges increased participation of young people in peace and security decision-making
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:16 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): With more young people around the world than ever before, it is necessary to include them when discussing global solutions related to peace, development and security, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said on Tuesday.
As Hurricane Matthew makes landfall in Haiti, UN relief agencies on standby to provide assistance
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:14 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): Hurricane Matthew has made landfall in Haiti, bringing strong winds and torrential rains to the tiny island, the United Nations weather agency reported on Tuesday, while UN relief agencies announced that they are mobilizing to assist, if requested, countries that are in the path of the dangerous Category 4 storm that is pummelling the Caribbean region.
Jailing teen blogger in Singapore sends wrong message on free expression–UN expert
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:13 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): After a Singaporean teenage blogger was sentenced to jail for his social media posts, a United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday warned that it is “exactly the wrong kind of message that any government should be sending to anybody, but especially to young people.â€
UN peacekeeping chief urges follow-up action to consolidate peace in Darfur
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:07 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): The security situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains volatile and the humanitarian impact of the conflict significant, the top United Nations peacekeeping official said on Tuesday, calling on the Government of Sudan and the international community at large to address the current challenges in the country.
‘The best humanitarian relief is to end the conflict,’ UN aid chief says in war-torn Yemen
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:06 pm
New York, Oct 5 (Just Earth News): Concluding a three-day mission to Yemen, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator on Tuesday called on all warring parties to grant humanitarian access and uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians in a conflict that has injured and killed thousands of innocent civilians, and displaced some three million people.
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:05 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): Welcoming on Tuesday’s decision to postpone Palestinian municipal elections, the United Nations senior official coordinating efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict called on all Palestinians to work together to resolve differences.
Yemen: UN says shelling in Taiz leaves dozens of civilian casualties
Oct 05, 2016, at 02:04 pm
New York, Oct 5 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is reporting that casualties continue to mount in war-torn Yemen, including after an incident yesterday evening in the central city of Taiz, where artillery fire on a busy street next to a market in Bir Basha, Al Mudhaffar district, left six children dead, six wounded and more than a dozen other casualties.
Oct 05, 2016, at 04:59 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): The human rights calamity unfolding in Syria’s eastern Aleppo city demands bold new initiatives, including proposals to “limit the use of the veto†by the permanent members of the Security Council, the top United Nations human rights official declared on Tuesday.
FEATURE: Political differences, a dozen peacekeepers and two new wells in northern Haiti
Oct 05, 2016, at 04:58 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Residents in Pilate, a remote town of some 40,000 inhabitants located on a mountain in northern Haiti, were treated to an unusual site recently: uniformed, foreign men hard at work laying concrete foundations for a well near the local hospital and school.
UN chief urges European Parliament to approve process on Paris Agreement ratification
Oct 05, 2016, at 04:55 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Addressing the plenary of the European Parliament, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called its members to approve a speedy ratification by the European Union (EU) of the Paris Agreement on climate change and to help lead the world to a better future.
Some 385 million children live in extreme poverty, World Bank-UNICEF study reveals
Oct 05, 2016, at 04:54 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Children are more than twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty, with nearly 385 million children worldwide experiencing that condition, according to a new analysis from the World Bank Group and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Ban condemns attacks against UN mission in Mali
Oct 05, 2016, at 04:53 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned yesterday's series of attacks against the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Two former Birmingham scientists awarded Nobel Prize for Physics
Oct 05, 2016, at 01:30 am
London, Oct 4 (IBNS): Two former University of Birmingham academics, Professor David Thouless and Professor Mike Kosterlitz, have been recognised by the award of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work into the discoveries of the properties of matter.
In Geneva, Ban reiterates call to end Syrian conflict; reflects on tenure as UN chief
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:49 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Speaking at a press conference in the United Nations Office in Geneva on Monday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once again called for the political will to end the Syrian conflict, while also sharing his reflections on the nearly 10 years he spent as the top UN official.
Inequalities exacerbate climate impacts on poor and vulnerable people – new UN report
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:47 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Evidence is increasing that climate change is taking the largest toll on poor and vulnerable people, and these impacts are largely caused by inequalities that increase the risks from climate hazards, according to a new report launched by the United Nations on Monday.
‘Bunker-buster’ bombs in eastern Aleppo mean children not even safe underground, UN experts warn
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:45 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): The killing and maiming of children in eastern Aleppo by the Syrian Government and its allies is not only a brutal abdication of international human rights obligations, it will have a long-lasting impact on the young victims for generations to come, United Nations child rights experts warned on Monday.
Selecting the next UN Secretary-General: Informal briefings reopen
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:44 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): The latest candidate for the position of the next United Nations Secretary-General was heard by UN Member States on Monday, answering questions on how she would promote sustainable development, improve efforts to create peace, protect human rights, and deal with huge humanitarian catastrophes should they be selected to lead the 193-member Organization.
As Colombian voters reject peace deal, Ban pledges UN support as country seeks way forward
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:43 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): In the wake of a referendum that defeated the peace accord signed by the President of Colombia and the country’s largest rebel group just days ago, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended the parties for their determination, saying he believed peace could still be achieved and that all Colombians who had committed to ending the 50-year conflict should not be discouraged.
Ban appoints Hubert Price of US as head of the UN support office in Somalia
Oct 04, 2016, at 01:42 pm
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the appointment of Hubert Price of the United States as Head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).
UN torture prevention body urges Kazakhstan to enhance prisoner rehabilitation
Oct 04, 2016, at 05:17 am
New York, Oct 3(Just Earth News): The United Nations’ torture prevention body has urged Kazakhstan to focus more on the rehabilitation of prisoners rather than punishment, as part of efforts to ensure that people deprived of their liberty are protected against torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
UN agriculture agency stresses role of trade in food security and climate change adaptation
Oct 04, 2016, at 05:16 am
New York, Oct 3(Just Earth News): Declining prices could thwart international efforts to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty unless steps are taken to guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods for small-scale producers, the United Nations agriculture agency said on Monday.