Security Council ends 13-year sanctions regime on Liberia
May 26, 2016, at 02:00 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News):Acknowledging the sustained progress made on rebuilding Liberia after the 1999-2003 civil war, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday terminated an arms embargo against the country and dissolved the related mechanisms, namely the sanctions Committee and the expert panel.
Haiti: UN agencies support Government in vaccination campaign against cholera
May 26, 2016, at 01:59 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): Two United Nations agencies said on Wednesday they are supporting the Government of Haiti in a vaccination campaign against cholera that aims to reach 400,000 people in 2016.
UN launches unprecedented #WildforLife campaign to end illegal trade in wildlife
May 26, 2016, at 01:58 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): The United Nations on Wednesday launched the #WildforLife campaign against illegal trade in wildlife, warning that such trade is pushing species to the brink of extinction, robbing countries of their natural heritage and profiting international criminal networks.
South Sudan: Senior UN relief official condemns killing of health worker
May 26, 2016, at 01:57 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News):The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan has strongly condemned the killing of Veronika Racková, a Slovakian nun and medical doctor who was shot on 15 May in Yei, while on a humanitarian mission, and later succumbed to her wounds.
Citing obstruction, UN torture prevention panel suspends Ukraine visit
May 26, 2016, at 01:56 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has suspended its visit to Ukraine after being denied access to places in several parts of the country where it suspects people are being deprived of their liberty by the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU.
UNESCO welcomes Azerbaijan’s decision to free investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova
May 26, 2016, at 01:55 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has welcomed Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court decision to free an award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova.
May 26, 2016, at 01:54 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): At the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) taking place in Nairobi this week, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was among a group of agencies launching a new tool and report that recommends ways to protect threatened coral reefs.
UN agencies provide seeds and food to break hunger cycle in Central African Republic
May 26, 2016, at 01:53 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): Two United Nations agencies have begun providing both seeds and food to nearly 50,000 hungry farming families in some areas of the conflict-torn Central African Republic (CAR) to ensure that they don’t eat seeds meant for planting.
At Crime Commission, UN official urges stepped-up responses to curb human trafficking
May 26, 2016, at 01:52 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News):Despite all of the positive effects of migration, the unprecedented flow of people is generating new criminal opportunities, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Wednesday at a high-level event on the recently launched UN-European Union initiative aimed at curbing human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Security Council condemns terrorist attacks in cities on Syria's coast
May 26, 2016, at 01:51 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Syria – claimed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) – that killed and injured more than 100 people on 23 May, expressing condolences to the victims' families and a speedy recovery to the injured.
UN rights office 'deeply concerned' about possible imminent executions in Gaza
May 26, 2016, at 01:50 pm
New York, May 26 (Just Earth News):Expressing concern about possible imminent executions in Gaza, the United Nations human rights office on Wednesday urged the authorities in Gaza to uphold their obligations to respect the rights to life and to a fair trial and not carry out death penalty.
Afghan Taliban appoint Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as new leader
May 25, 2016, at 07:14 pm
New Delhi, May 25 (IBNS) The Afghan Taliban apparently named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader following the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour, media reported on Wednesday.
Iraq: UN human rights office urges investigation into use of force against protestors
May 25, 2016, at 01:51 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday urged the Government of Iraq to immediately conduct an independent, transparent and effective investigation into the use of force by security forces against protestors outside the Green Zone in Baghdad this past week.
UN chief welcomes municipal elections in Lebanon
May 25, 2016, at 01:49 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the holding of municipal elections in Lebanon, which are expected to conclude on 29 May, urging all Lebanese leaders to act responsibly to elect the country’s President, a post vacant for two years, without a further delay, his spokesperson said on Tuesday in a statement.
African Union ‘most important partner,’ UN peacekeeping chief tells Security Council
May 25, 2016, at 01:47 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):The Security Council on Tuesday stressed the importance of strengthening the existing cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU), a regional organization described by a senior UN official as “the most important peacekeeping partner.â€
Burundi: UN probe completes on-the-ground deployment of human rights monitors
May 25, 2016, at 01:45 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Independent Investigation in Burundi, which was set up to investigate human rights violations in the country since April 2015, said on Tuesday it has completed the deployment of a team of human rights monitors on the ground.
WHS: Humanitarian summit has ‘set new course,’ says Ban, calling for action on commitments
May 25, 2016, at 01:44 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): Hailing the global community’s achievements at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for commitments made to be taken forward for transformative change from the top down and from the ground up.
Argentina: UN rights expert urges immediate action to address exclusion of indigenous peoples
May 25, 2016, at 01:43 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):The United Nations human rights expert on racism on Tuesday urged the Government of Argentina to take urgent measures to sustainably address the invisibility, marginalization and systematic exclusion of indigenous peoples in the country.
Economic development in Africa centres around urbanization – UN-backed report
May 25, 2016, at 01:42 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):With two-thirds of Africans expected to live in cities by 2050, how Africa urbanizes will be critical to the continent’s future growth and development, a new report presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has found.
May 25, 2016, at 01:40 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): The poaching and illegal trade of thousands of species across the globe present real environmental dangers and undermine the rule of law, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Tuesday, urging shared responsibility among the international community in tackling wildlife and forest crime.
Somalia: Security Council commends advancements, urges accelerated peace- and State-building
May 25, 2016, at 01:39 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): The Security Council welcomed the political and security progress in Somalia during a mission to the capital, Mogadishu, on 19 May, where representatives of the 15-member body met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, regional leaders, Somali civil society and women's groups.
New report shows nearly half UN relief agency’s schools affected by conflicts across Middle East
May 25, 2016, at 01:38 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): Nearly half of the 692 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) across the region have been impacted, attacked or otherwise rendered inoperable by conflict or violence in the last five years, according to a new report unveiled at the World Humanitarian Summit, in Istanbul.
UN report paints mixed picture of global responses to declining air quality
May 25, 2016, at 01:36 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): Noting that from 2008 to 2013, air pollution levels in urban areas increased by eight per cent, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) spotlights the need to support introduction of more renewable energies and clean cook stoves, some of the vital actions aimed at combating this public health emergency.
Sri Lanka: Deadly tropical storm displaces more than 230,000, UN relief wing reports
May 25, 2016, at 01:35 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News): The United Nations humanitarian wing has reported that at least 84 people have died, another 116 are missing, and more than 230,000 are displaced following a severe tropical storm this past week that caused widespread flooding and landslides in 22 districts of Sri Lanka.
WHS: New charter for persons with disabilities endorsed at UN humanitarian summit
May 25, 2016, at 01:34 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):A new charter to significantly improve living conditions of persons with disabilities during emergencies has been endorsed at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.
WHS: Humanitarian aid is 'failing' – in an interview, UN advisor tells why
May 25, 2016, at 01:33 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):The humanitarian sector is failing to protect civilians from violence, a top UN advisor stressed on Tuesday at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, Turkey.
Amid Boko Haram violence, situation worsens for displaced in southeast Niger – UN
May 25, 2016, at 01:32 pm
New York, May 25 (Just Earth News):Security and humanitarian conditions are deteriorating in southeast Niger, where hundreds of thousands of people settled after fleeing Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Tuesday.
NATO Secretary General to visit Italy
May 24, 2016, at 09:37 pm
New York, May 24 (IBNS) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will travel to Rome on Tuesday.
WHS: ‘We need to solve humanitarian crises together,’ says UNESCO envoy Forest Whitaker
May 24, 2016, at 01:36 pm
New York, May 24 (Just Earth News): On the opening day of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, the Special Envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Forest Whitaker, called on individuals, governments and international organizations to act collectively to improve humanitarian action and invest more in development aid.
Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue following trilateral meeting with Ban in Qatar
May 24, 2016, at 01:35 pm
New York, May 24 (Just Earth News):The delegation of the Government of Yemen returned to the negotiating table in Kuwait in the latest round of peace talks on Monday, with the United Nations envoy for the conflict-torn country holding a plenary this morning with both delegations, a UN spokesperson said.