UN warns of 'record high' 60 million displaced amid expanding global conflicts
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:08 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The international community is experiencing a dramatic shift in the situation facing the world’s refugees as a global surge in war, conflict and persecution has caused a record number of people to flee their homes in search of safety, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Thursday.
Ban hails Papal Encyclical spotlighting climate change as critical ‘moral issue’
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:07 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday welcomed the release of Pope Francis’ Papal Encyclical in which the leader of the Catholic Church deplored climate change as one of the principal challenges facing humanity and called for a ‘new dialogue’ about shaping the future of our planet.
Yemen facing serious food insecurity as conflict deteriorates: UN study
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:06 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): Six million people in Yemen are slipping towards severe hunger and now need emergency food and life-saving assistance, “a sharp increase†from the last quarter of 2014, according to a new joint study by two United Nations organizations.
WHO ramps up efforts against Tanzania cholera outbreak
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:05 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The cholera outbreak in Tanzania continues to spread among the populations in the country’s western Kigoma region amid an influx of refugees from neighbouring Burundi, the United Nations health agency warned on Thursday as it detailed its ongoing response aimed at stemming the epidemic.
Unspeakable violence against children in South Sudan must stop: UNICEF chief
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:04 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appealed “in the name of humanity and common decency†for a halt to the worsening violence against children in South Sudan that has seen boys reportedly castrated and left to bleed to death and girls as young as eight who have been gang raped and murdered.
Protecting children in war zones is a legal obligation: Security Council
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): “A moral imperative and a legal obligation,†protecting children should never be jeopardized by national interests, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday, deploring that 2014 was one of the worst years in recent memory for children in countries affected by conflict.
Ukraine: UN warns number of displaced persons and refugees on the rise
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:01 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The number of people fleeing their homes in Ukraine continues to rise, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Security Council looks forward to signing of Mali peace accord by armed groups
Jun 19, 2015, at 02:00 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council, reiterating on Thursday its support to the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, said it looked forward to the expected signing of the accord this weekend by the so-called ‘Coordination’ armed groups.
A justice system that fails children ultimately fails society: UN rights expert
Jun 19, 2015, at 01:59 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNS): The treatment of children in judicial proceedings around the world, both civil and criminal, is not satisfactory and often “unacceptable,†the UN human rights expert on the independence of judges and lawyers said on Thursday and called on countries to develop justice systems that are sensitive to the needs of children.
Yemen: Security Council condemns deadly terrorist attacks against mosques
Jun 19, 2015, at 01:57 pm
New York, Jun 19 (IBNs): The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the “horrific†series of terrorist attacks on mosques which left dozens dead and wounded in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.
Charleston: Gunman kills 9 in African-American church
Jun 18, 2015, at 08:52 pm
Charleston, June 18 (IBNS): In an alleged incident of hate crime, nine people were shot to death at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday night, police said on Thursday.
Palestinian refugee crisis a time bomb for Middle East region: UN official
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:54 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS):The stark conditions afflicting millions of displaced Palestinians across the Middle East risk destabilizing the region and plunging it into a deeper humanitarian and security crisis, the head of the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees has warned.
UN urges action to protect ‘every hectare’ of arable land
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:50 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): Land is a renewable resource, but only if investments are made in land degradation neutrality, which has been proposed as an element of the post-2015 development agenda, on Wednesday said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
South Sudan: UN agency airlifts lifesaving survival kits to displaced
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:48 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The United Nations agriculture agency has launched an emergency airlift operation in South Sudan and has distributed to families fleeing violence in hard-to-reach areas supplies ranging from nutritional biscuits for children, mosquito nets, vegetable seeds, water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts.
MERS outbreak in Republic of Korea is ‘wake-up call’ for world: WHO
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:45 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, outbreak that spread from the Middle East to the Republic of Korea does not constitute a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ but is nonetheless a “wake-up call†for all countries to be prepared for the unanticipated spread of serious infectious diseases.
Economic and Social Council: UN official tells humanitarian needs at all-time high
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:42 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high, the top United Nations relief official declared on Wednesday, stressing that while the Organization needs no less than $18.8 billion to meet the needs of nearly 80 million people, it has received only 26 per cent of that amount.
Security Council: UN troop commanders recount challenges of modern peacekeeping
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:41 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): From Mali to South Sudan and the Middle East and beyond, United Nations peacekeepers are tackling peace and security challenges of increasing intensity and broader global breadth, the top UN peacekeeping official said on Wednesday as he urged the full support of the international community for the Organization’s ‘blue helmets’ as they confront the world’s manifold threats.
Damascus: UN envoy condemns violence against civilians in Syria
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:39 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria ended on Wednesday a three-day visit to Damascus, which took place in the framework of the current consultations aimed at operationalizing the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012.
Yemen: Envoy says UN-backed talks ‘is start towards return to political process’
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:38 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has deemed the fact that both Yemeni delegations are in now Geneva to participate in the UN-facilitated consultations “an important start towards the return to a political process,†a spokesperson for the world body said on Wednesday.
Ban urges insurance industry leaders to work for shaping more sustainable future
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:37 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): As a major source of long-term investment, the insurance industry can and must play a strong role in shaping a more sustainable future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday, urging the industry to show strong leadership and voice support for a host of upcoming United Nations-led initiatives aimed at ensuring a more sustainable world for all.
Security Council calls for political solution to Libyan crisis
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:36 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The Security Council has emphasized the urgency for Libyan stakeholders to reach a political solution to the country’s crisis amid ongoing United Nations-facilitated talks.New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): The Security Council has emphasized the urgency for Libyan stakeholders to reach a political solution to the country’s crisis amid ongoing United Nations-facilitated talks.
Integrated global approach needed to ease plight of Roma: UN rights expert
Jun 18, 2015, at 01:35 pm
New York, Jun 18 (IBNS): Noting that economic, political and social marginalization of Roma communities remains a major issue, a United Nations human rights expert urged thinking outside the “poverty paradigm†and adopting an integrated approach to address their plight.
Azerbaijan: UN rights office urges Government to ensure free expression and association
Jun 17, 2015, at 10:25 pm
New York, June 17 (IBNS): Voicing concern over “a shrinking democratic space†in Azerbaijan as human rights defenders, journalists and Government critics are increasingly being deprived of their liberty, the United Nations rights office today called on the authorities to galvanize efforts to safeguard the freedoms of expression and association in the country.
'Essential shifts' needed for UN to tackle new peacekeeping challenges, report reveals
Jun 17, 2015, at 10:04 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): Focus on political solutions, responsive and flexible operations, stronger partnerships and field-focused and people-centered mandates; these are the essential shifts the United Nations must urgently address as it faces challenging new landscapes in peacekeeping and conflict prevention, the chair of a high-level expert panel said on Wednesday, introducing a long-awaited report at the world body’s New York Headquarters.
Latest UN humanitarian report reveals surge in financing needs for relief efforts
Jun 17, 2015, at 09:40 pm
New York, June 17 (IBNS): Amid a widespread diffusion of conflicts and crises across the globe, an increasing amount of funding is now required to respond to the world’s growing humanitarian calamities, according to the latest report released today by the United Nations’ relief arm.
In interview, senior UN official says accountability key to preventing child deaths in conflict
Jun 17, 2015, at 09:17 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): Ensuring that Member States and their military commanders on the ground remain accountable for any violent actions targeting children is key to preventing atrocities against minors affected by armed conflict, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, has affirmed.
South Sudan: amid 'intensifying' crisis, UN and European Union mobilize $275 million in aid
Jun 17, 2015, at 09:12 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): To tackle the humanitarian impact of the "relentlessly deteriorating" crisis in South Sudan, the European Union and the United Nations on Tuesday announced that more than $275 million has been pledged in support of the victims in the country and the wider region.
Thousands flee Syria for Turkey, escaping aggression between rival military forces UN refugee agency
Jun 17, 2015, at 09:06 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): New fighting in northern Syria has forced 23,135 refugees – some 70 per cent of whom are women and children to flee across the border into Turkey's Sanliurfa province, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Tuesday.
Greek islands under 'tremendous strain' as hundreds of refugees arrive daily-UN
Jun 17, 2015, at 08:59 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): More than 55,000 refugees have arrived in the Greek islands so far this year, with hundreds arriving every day in inflatable dinghies and wooden boats, putting a “tremendous strain†on the communities that receive them and worsening conditions for the new arrivals, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.
Europe should make 'mobility' central in migration policy, UN rights expert says
Jun 17, 2015, at 08:54 pm
New York, Jun 17 (IBNS): The ability of migrants to reach European soil despite a huge investment in securing international borders shows that sealing them is impossible, and only serves to empower people traffickers in the Mediterranean, a United Nations independent expert said on Tuesday.