Political consensus urgent to protect human rights: Ban
Mar 03, 2015, at 03:09 pm
New York, Mar 3 (IBNS): The United Nations has the mandates and tools it needs to prevent human rights violations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegations gathered in Geneva on Monday for the opening of the current session of the world body’s Human Rights Council, while he warned that the biggest challenge to using these tools is lack of political consensus among Member States.
UN welcomes steps taken to draft agreement on peace: Mali
Mar 03, 2015, at 03:08 pm
New York, Mar 3 (IBNS): The United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) congratulated the parties involved in reaching a draft agreement on peace and reconciliation, which was initialled in Algiers on Sunday, according to the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson on Monday in New York.
Malaysia: UN urges to help victims of human trafficking
Mar 03, 2015, at 03:06 pm
New York, Mar 3 (IBNS): The Government of Malaysia must increase its efforts in addressing all forms of human trafficking while also protecting the rights of its victims, a United Nations human rights expert said on Monday.
UNESCO lauds reopening of National Museum in Baghdad
Mar 03, 2015, at 03:04 pm
New York, Mar 3 (IBNS): The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has congratulated Iraqi authorities for the 12-year effort to re-open the Baghdad Museum, containing artefacts dating back 7,000 years as having “tremendous significance as a response to the deliberate destruction of the country’s other priceless pieces conserved in the Mosul Museum and those in the region of Nineveh.â€
Mar 03, 2015, at 02:11 pm
Beijing, Mar 3 (IBNS) At least 20 people were killed in a road mishap at Linzhou City in Central China's Henan Province on Tuesday, media reports said.
North Korea fires 2 short-range missiles into East Sea
Mar 03, 2015, at 03:11 am
Pyongyang, Mar 2 (IBNS): North Korea on Monday fired two short-range missiles into the East Sea, media reports said.
European Parliament expresses concern over funneling of EU aid to terrorist organizations
Mar 03, 2015, at 02:42 am
Luxembourg, Mar 2 (IBNS): In a supposed jibe at Pakistan, the European Parliament has issued a declaration explicitly expressing its concern over the misuse of European Union funds in the name of counter terror measures and misusing the same to aid the terror outfits.
Zero Discrimination Day: UN urges tolerance for diversity
Mar 02, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Mar 2 (IBNS):The United Nations agency leading the world's HIV/AIDS response has kicked off the 2015 global edition of Zero Discrimination Day as part of the Organization's wider effort to spur solidarity towards ending discrimination.
UN envoy dispatches mission to Syria
Mar 02, 2015, at 02:33 pm
New York, Mar 2 (IBNS): United Nations' Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is continuing discussions with the Government of Syria on his proposed 'freeze' of localized hostilities in the city of Aleppo, the United Nations spokesperson's office said on Sunday.
UN chief welcomes Lesotho elections
Mar 02, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Mar 2 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho on the “peaceful conduct†of the country's parliamentary elections, held on 28 February.
Russia: Thousands march in memory of Boris Nemtsov
Mar 02, 2015, at 04:23 am
Moscow, Mar 1 (IBNS): Hundreds of people marched in memory of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov in Moscow city on Sunday.
Mali: UN, partners launch humanitarian appeal
Feb 28, 2015, at 03:42 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has joined with partner agencies to launch a multi-million dollar appeal for urgent funding for aid operations in Mali amid the country’s ongoing crisis, a spokesperson said on Friday.
Women must be at the decision-making table at all levels: UN
Feb 28, 2015, at 03:41 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The world must unite to end violence and discrimination against women and girls, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged at an event in Chile on women and decision-making at a today, citing that progress over the past two decades has been made slow and uneven.
Partnerships central to post-2015 agenda: UN official
Feb 28, 2015, at 03:39 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): Partnerships involving Government, the private sector, civil society, academia and philanthropic organizations will prove central to implementation of the new development agenda, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council said on Friday as he opened a special event on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships at UN Headquarters in New York.
Iraq: UNESCO chief condemns ISIL’s cultural cleansing
Feb 28, 2015, at 03:37 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations agency mandated to protect heritage sites has reiterated her dismay at the “destructive fury†exhibited by militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in their recent assault on the Mosul Museum.
Ban reiterates condemnation of Boko Haram attacks
Feb 28, 2015, at 03:36 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday reiterated his strong condemnation of the continuing indiscriminate and horrific attacks by Boko Haram against civilian populations in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
Indonesia: UN envoy discusses violence against children
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:59 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): During her visit this week to Jakarta, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, stressed that violence against children is never justified and commended Indonesia for addressing the scourge.
UN welcomes release of hostages by Somali pirates
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): Senior United Nations officials have welcomed the release this week of four Thai nationals after nearly five years in captivity, bringing an end to the longest held hostage ordeal in the east African nation thanks to a mission carried by the UN anti-crime agency.
UN expert applauds US decision guaranteeing net neutrality
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:38 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The United States Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to establish new regulations protecting so-called net neutrality, or the equal treatment of all Internet traffic, is “a real victory†for freedom of expression and access to information, a United Nations human rights expert said on Friday.
Closely monitoring critical situation in Yemen: UN
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:36 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday that it is closely monitoring the critical situation in Yemen where the political dialogue is faltering and urged a meaningful dialogue to avoid further instability.
West African nations commit to ending statelessness: UN meeting
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:34 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): Delegates representing fifteen West African nations have pledged to step up efforts towards eliminating statelessness in a move aimed at resolving the situation of hundreds of thousands of stateless people across the region, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Friday.
Agriculture in Caribbean vital to economic growth: UN official
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:32 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations agriculture agency underlined on Thursday the huge importance of agriculture and farming to countries of the Caribbean during an address to Heads of Government at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit in the Bahamas.
UN urges to work towards eradicating cholera: Malawi
Feb 28, 2015, at 02:29 pm
New York, Feb 28 (IBNS): With 39 cases of cholera in the last two weeks, including two deaths, the United Nations children’s agency in Malawi is on high alert for spread in southern border areas where highly-populated camps for people displaced by the floods are located, according to a press statement released on Friday.
'We must not fail in Gaza' say UN agencies, joining global call to action
Feb 28, 2015, at 01:11 am
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS) United Nations agencies and offices are expressing alarm over the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected by last summer's fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
Yemen: Security Council calls on all parties to stay committed to peaceful political transition
Feb 28, 2015, at 01:09 am
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS) The United Nations Security Council called for all parties in Yemen, including the Houthis, to adhere to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, according to a press statement released yesterday.
Iraq: UNESCO outraged over terrorist attack against Mosul Museum
Feb 28, 2015, at 01:04 am
New York, Feb 26 (IBNS) UNESCO expresses outrage over terrorist attack against Mosul Museum The head of the United Nations agency mandated to protect heritage sites on Thursday said that she is "deeply shocked" by the footage depicting the destruction of statues and other artefacts at the Mosul Museum in Iraq.
UN rights expert urges Belgium to boost fight against modern slavery
Feb 28, 2015, at 01:02 am
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS) Despite its comprehensive approach to tackling modern forms of slavery, the Government of Belgium must further sharpen its focus on proper victim detection and identification, a United Nations independent expert declared on Thursday.
Ban voices concern over reported violence in Venezuela, calls for dialogue
Feb 28, 2015, at 01:00 am
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced concern over new reports of violence and loss of life in Venezuela, and expressed support for regional dialogue to help the country overcome its current challenges.
UN envoy for Lebanon visits refugee camps
Feb 27, 2015, at 02:03 pm
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag on Thursday expressed support to Middle East country as it faces the impact of the conflict in Syria.
Security Council condemns abduction of Syrian Christians
Feb 27, 2015, at 02:02 pm
New York, Feb 27 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the abduction of more than 100 Assyrians, as well as the destruction and desecration of Christian and other sites in northeast Syria this week by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).