UN envoy on conflict-related sexual violence reports on visits to Iraq and Sudan
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:52 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): A senior United Nations official has stressed the need to ensure survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Iraq are fully protected and that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Syria: UN aid convoy returns to eastern Ghouta
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:49 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): The United Nations and partners on Friday reached the Syrian city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta to complete distribution of food aid after intense shelling cut short deliveries to the war-torn enclave earlier this week.
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:46 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN):Flinging terrorism charges at a United Nations human rights expert is just one act in a litany of profane and inflammatory comments made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte against the rapporteur, prompting the UN rights chief to questions the leader’s mental stability.
Over 4,700 UN agency trained veterinarians new vanguard against deadly disease outbreaks
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:42 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): More than 4,700 veterinary health professionals who have just completed a United Nations training to tackle disease outbreaks are the new front line of defence protecting farm animals against deadly illnesses in 25 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:39 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday said he is “encouraged” by the announcement of an agreement between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to hold a summit meeting by May.
Seven years of war in Syria has left ‘colossal human tragedy’ in its wake – UN refugee chief
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:35 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): After seven years of brutal conflict in Syria, there are no clear winners, “but the losers are plain to see,” the United Nations refugee agency chief said Friday, describing the “colossal human tragedy” that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, driven 6.1 million people from their homes and forced 5.6 million others to seek safety in neighbouring countries.
Service and Sacrifice: Mongolia continues to strengthen its contribution to UN peacekeeping
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:29 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): Mongolia first joined United Nations peacekeeping in 2002 with the deployment of two unarmed military observers to the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Soon after that, it sent two more officers to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, Mongolia has continued to expand its contributions to UN peace operations in hot spots around the world.
DR Congo: UN warns of spike in displacement amid funding shortfall
Mar 10, 2018, at 02:25 pm
New York, Mar 10 (JEN): The United Nations migration agency is hoping that the upcoming donor pledging conference for the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will generate more financial support to cope with a spike in the number of people displaced by violence.
Donald Trump accepts offers to meet N Korea President Kim Jong Un
Mar 09, 2018, at 07:45 pm
Washington DC, Mar 8 (IBNS) : President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, setting the stage for a historic encounter between the leaders of world's two most inimical states.
Fighting prevents UN and aid partners from returning to Syria’s war-battered east Ghouta
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:13 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Continuing fighting forced the postponement on Thursday of a United Nations inter-agency relief convoy to Douma, a neighborhood in Syria’s war-ravaged Eastern Ghouta, a UN spokesman reported.
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:08 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): The drumbeat for women’s rights and empowerment reached a crescendo on Thursday as the United Nations celebrated International Women’s Day with a number of powerful events, where global activists joined top UN officials calling for the recent momentum generated by grassroots movements against discrimination and harassment to tip the scales towards lasting change.
Despite unrest, DR Congo must press ahead with preparations for credible elections, says UN envoy
Mar 09, 2018, at 03:05 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Highlighting political tensions and the disintegrating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Leila Zerrougui, briefing the Security Council for the first time as head of the UN stabilization mission in the contry, said significant progress is being made on preparations for upcoming polls.
New communications technologies essential to empower poor rural women – UN
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:57 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): To mark International Women’s Day, the three United Nations Rome-based agencies are spotlighting the role new innovations in information and communications technologies (ICTs) can play in expanding opportunities for rural women, who often find themselves “on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
UN seeks $80 million to support refugees in Ethiopia
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:54 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): Two United Nations humanitarian agencies are jointly seeking $80 million to provide food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia, which hosts the second largest number of those in Africa.
Mar 09, 2018, at 02:51 pm
New York, Mar 9 (JEN): This year, International Women’s Day comes at a pivotal moment, and with a wave women’s activism – from the #MeToo movement to #TimesUp and beyond – exposing the structures that have allowed women's oppression to flourish, the United Nations is urging the world to stand with rural and urban women activists to topple the remaining barriers to gender equality and empowerment.
Canada PM Justin Trudeau is not unbeatable: Ipsos survey
Mar 08, 2018, at 04:38 pm
Ottawa, Mar 8 (IBNS): Ipsos poll survey has recently stated that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not unbeatable, media reports said.
Women’s prospects at work still ‘a long way’ from being equal to men’s – UN report
Mar 08, 2018, at 01:53 pm
New York, Mar 8 (JEN): Despite notable progress on closing gender gaps over the past 20 years, women have less access to jobs, are more likely to take low-quality employment, and face barriers to management positions, a United Nations labor report has found.
Mar 08, 2018, at 01:50 pm
New York, Mar 8 (JEN): In a scathing address to the Human Rights Council, the top United Nations rights official on Wednesday warned political leaders who stoke fear and intolerance among their followers for the sake of their own ambitions are merely copying the behaviour of previous generations of once strong, but ultimately catastrophic, leaders and politicians.
Mar 08, 2018, at 01:47 pm
New York, Mar 8 (JEN): A “radical transformation” of food systems and food habits is critical to combat the growing scourge of overweight and obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations food security agency said on Wednesday.
Security Council condemns attack on education workers in Central African Republi
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:44 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday denounced an attack against education workers that killed six, including one UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) consultant, who were traveling in the north-western prefecture of the Central African Republic (CAR).
Protect the momentum’ and seize opportunities offered by latest inter-Korean talks, urges UN chief
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:37 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): Welcoming the progress in the latest talks between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, the United Nations Secretary-General has highlighted the need to utilize the opportunities it offers to find a peaceful path forward.
Victims of Syrian conflict ‘denied any meaningful justice,’ says UN-mandated panel
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:32 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): The brutal conflict in Syria has not only claimed civilians as unintentional victims but has seen all warring parties deliberately target them with complete impunity employing unlawful methods of warfare, a new report by a United Nations-mandated inquiry on the war-ravaged country has said.
UN launches Environmental Rights Initiative
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:29 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): Taking a stand against ongoing threats, harassment and murder of environmental defenders, the United Nations on Tuesday launched an initiative enlisting business communities to champion a clean and healthy environment.
Choose a husband with consent – not coercion
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:23 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): Millions of children around the world are married off before they are ready, often against their will.
Child marriage numbers drop, but still ‘a long way to go’ to end practice – UNICEF
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:20 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): Although the prevalence of child marriage is decreasing worldwide, action will need to be stepped up to achieve the global target of ending the practice by 2030, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
DR Congo: Flaring tensions could ‘plunge Kasai region into new violence,’ UN warns
Mar 07, 2018, at 02:13 pm
New York, Mar 7 (JEN): The United Nations refugee agency warned Tuesday that ongoing instability in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) poses a grave risk to civilian safety, including for several hundred refugees recently returned there from Angola.
Indian origin officer Neil Basu appointed as Scotland Yard counter-terrorism chief
Mar 06, 2018, at 02:53 pm
London, Mar 6 (IBNS): Senior Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer Neil Basu has been appointed as the counter-terrorism chief, officials said on Tuesday.
‘Instead of responding to crises, we need to invest far more in prevention,’ says UN chief
Mar 06, 2018, at 02:28 pm
New York, Mar 6 (JEN): The imbalance between spending on conflict, and spending on peace, must be tackled head-on, Secretary-General António Guterres said Monday, urging the United Nations to rally all international actors “for our efforts across the peace continuum – from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and sustainable long-term development.”
UN chief appoints former New York Mayor as Special Envoy for Climate Action
Mar 06, 2018, at 02:24 pm
New York, Mar 6 (JEN): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday appointed Michael R. Bloomberg, the former Mayor of New York City, as his Special Envoy for Climate Action.
Senegal: Partnering for peace with the UN in some of the most challenging places
Mar 06, 2018, at 02:19 pm
New York, Mar 6 (JEN): More than 100,000 United Nations peacekeepers are serving in the cause of peace around the world today. They do so at great personal risk and in harsh conditions. In places such as the Central African Republic and South Sudan, peacekeepers save thousands of lives, protect civilians against violent attacks and support the delivery of crucial humanitarian assistance.