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.
Migrant arrivals in Europe top 100,000 in 2015: UN refugee agency
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:49 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Refugee and migrant arrivals to Europe across the Mediterranean so far in 2015 have moved above 100,000, with record numbers now arriving every day in the Greek islands, the United Nations refugee agency has confirmed.
Geneva: UN envoy meets Syria stakeholders amid ongoing consultations
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:48 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria is continuing a series of critical meetings with Syrian and international stakeholders as part of the ongoing Geneva Consultations and in an effort to find a political solution to the country’s five-year long conflict.
Religious leaders at forefront of fight against intolerance: UN chief
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:41 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Religious leaders have a pivotal role to play in times of turmoil, during which they can provide a values-based glue to hold communities together and provide common ground for peace-making and problem solving, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday at a conference in Kazakhstan.
WHO begins review of MERS outbreak in Republic of Korea
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:38 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): A joint mission by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare to review the situation regarding the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV), has begun its work in Seoul, the agency confirmed on Wednesday.
Violence in Darfur having 'devastating' impact on civilians: Security Council
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:36 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): The security situation in Darfur is a very serious one, marked by a "deeply concerning" increase in violent attacks by armed assailants against United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel, the Assistant Secretary-General for UN peacekeeping operations told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Women in Africa 'being left behind' in fight against HIV/AIDS: UN report
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:33 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Despite considerable advances made in the global response to the AIDS epidemic over the last several decades, young women and adolescent girls in Africa "are still being left behind," according to a new joint report from the United Nations and the African Union.
Libya: UN envoy urges parties to make political draft 'a final one'
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:15 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Amid "very encouraging signs" in the United Nations-facilitated Libyan political dialogue, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on the North African nation on Wednesday said that "time has come to make an agreement" and if possible, before or at the beginning of Ramadan, which begins on 17 June.
UN committee on space issues renews focus on sustainability and climate change
Jun 11, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space opened its annual session in Vienna today with the role of sustainability and climate change in outer space activities taking centre stage, the United Nations space agency has reported.
As refugees flood Greek island, UN agency warns of strained resources
Jun 10, 2015, at 03:00 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) is reporting the arrival of record numbers of refugees on the Greek island of Lesvos, severely straining local reception capacities and the island’s limited resources.
Tajikistan: Ban highlights need for safe water, sanitation and human rights
Jun 10, 2015, at 02:59 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): Kicking off a high-level event on water in Tajikistan on Tuesday, Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon urged nations in the region and beyond to renew their commitment to safe water and sanitation as the international community forges ahead with the post-2015 development agenda and climate change intensifies the need to act.
Increased militia violence could push Burundi over the edge: UN rights chief
Jun 10, 2015, at 02:58 pm
New York, Jun 10 (IBNS): Deeply worried at the increasingly violent and threatening actions by a pro-government militia in Burundi, the United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday urged the national authorities to take immediate and concrete measures to rein them in.