UN chief, Security Council denounce 'appalling' murder of Jordanian pilot by ISIL
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:35 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS): For the second time in as many days, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council have jointly condemned the brutal killing of a civilian by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – this time deploring the group’s murder of Jordanian Royal Air Force pilot Lt. Muath Al-Kasasbeh.
Global collaboration critical as humanitarian crises grow, says top UN relief official
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:34 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS):International stakeholders will increasingly need to collaborate as they face down rising levels of humanitarian strife around the globe, Valerie Amos, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said on Wednesday.
'Power-sharing formula' vital to sustain peace in South Sudan, UN chief urges political rivals
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:29 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former Vice-President, Riek Machar to put the interests of their people ahead of their own in order for peace to flourish in the war-torn country.
UNESCO deplores 'cultural cleansing' of Iraq as armed extremists ransack Mosul libraries
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:27 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voiced alarm on Tuesday over the reported destruction of thousands of books in museums, libraries and universities across Mosul – the northern Iraq city currently controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
With more heavy rains forecast for Malawi, UN highlights need for donors to fulfil aid pledges
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) Saturated soils in Malawi are expected to get more rain in the coming days as heavy downpours are aid in the region’s forecast, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) told journalists during a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
International Court of Justice dismisses genocide claims by Croatia and Serbia
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:17 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main judicial body of the United Nations, on Tuesday rejected claims made by Croatia and Serbia accusing each other of committing genocide during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, a decision that is "without appeal" and binding.
UN rights chief warns escalation in Ukraine fighting 'catastrophic' for country's civilians
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:16 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is proving “catastrophic†for the country's civilians amid escalating violence, indiscriminate shelling, and harsh winter conditions which have made life increasingly precarious for millions of civilians, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, warned on Tuesday.
UN expert urges Portugal to boost access to justice for country's most vulnerable people
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:12 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) Portuguese authorities must do more to ensure wider access to the country's justice system, enhancing its legal aid programmes amid growing poverty, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers has urged.
Security Council strongly condemns Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon
Feb 04, 2015, at 02:11 pm
New York, Feb 4 (IBNS) The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, pointing to an attack on 1 February in Borno State, Nigeria and to increasing attacks in the Lake Chad Basin region, including, on 29 and 30 January, against Chadian forces deployed in Cameroon near the town of Fotokol, which killed four Chadian soldiers and injured 12 others.
Feb 04, 2015, at 04:41 am
Cairo, Feb 3 (IBNS): A video released by the militant group Islamic State claimed to show a Jordanian pilot, who was captured in December, being burnt alive, media reports said on Tuesday.
French soldiers attacked in Nice
Feb 04, 2015, at 03:25 am
Paris, Feb 3 (IBNS) : A knife-wielding assailant attacked a three soldiers patrolling outside a Jewish community centre in Frech city of Nice, media reports said.
Egypt: UN chief welcomes release of detained journalist, urges Government to release others
Feb 03, 2015, at 07:08 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has applauded the decision by the Egyptian authorities to release the detained Al Jazeera journalist, Peter Greste, ending his 400-day imprisonment.
UN-hosted civil aviation conference to take up aircraft tracking, conflict zone risks
Feb 03, 2015, at 06:59 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS) The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has brought together aviation experts and strategic decision makers for a four-day conference that will discuss emerging safety issues such as global tracking of aircraft and risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.
2015 is a chance to change history, Ban tells UN Youth Forum
Feb 03, 2015, at 06:55 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS) This generation of young people – the largest the world has ever seen – has a historic opportunity to end poverty, combat climate change, create jobs and fight injustice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a Youth Forum at UN Headquarters in New York this morning as he called on the participants to get involved in shaping a future sustainable development agenda.
At least 1,375 people killed by violence in January, says UN Iraq Mission
Feb 03, 2015, at 06:49 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS) Violence in Iraq killed a total of at least 1,375 people last month, according to figures released on Monday by the United Nations Mission (UNAMI) in the country, with the majority of those killed civilians.
UN helicopter crew returns safely to South Sudan after emergency landing
Feb 03, 2015, at 06:48 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS) The crew of a United Nations-operated helicopter that was forced to land in South Sudan have been returned safely to a World Food Programme (WFP) office, according to a press statement released by the agency today.
UNESCO chief condemns killing of journalists in Mexico, Syria
Feb 03, 2015, at 06:47 pm
New York, Feb 3 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations agency mandated to defend press freedom on Monday denounced the assassination of Moisés Sánchez Cerezo, a Mexican journalist recently found murdered weeks after his disappearance, and Kenji Goto, a Japanese freelancer killed by Islamist extremists in Syria.
UN deplores ISIL's 'barbaric' murder of Japanese journalist
Feb 02, 2015, at 08:41 pm
New York, Feb 2 (IBNS) The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Security Council have deplored the apparent murder of a Japanese journalist Kenji Goto by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), despite the Council's demand for his immediate release.
Al Jazeera journalist released from Egypt, heads for Australia
Feb 02, 2015, at 06:28 pm
Cairo, Feb 2 (IBNS): Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was released from Egypt and left for his native Australia after serving 400 days in a Cairo prison, reports said.
Ban, Security Council condemn terrorist attacks in Egypt's Sinai peninsula
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:36 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Security Council on Thursdaycondemned the terrorist attacks on towns in the northern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which killed and injured dozens of Egyptian soldiers and people.
UN relief agencies in Ukraine urge full access to affected populations in country’s east
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:27 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) The United Nations in Ukraine is alarmed over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the country, where heavy fighting has intensified in recent days, and is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow aid to reach civilians.
UN highlights power of social media in modern diplomacy during day-long New York event
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:25 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) The United Nations is holding its first ever Social Media Day at its New York Headquarters today, in an event featuring social media professionals, digital diplomacy practitioners and academics who are sharing their experiences, discussing trends and proving insights into their work.
Ban voices optimism on Colombia peace as talks scheduled to resume
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:16 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursdayvoiced encouragement as Colombian stakeholders prepare to resume peace talks in Havana, Cuba, next week in an effort to end the country's decades-long internal conflict.
Scourge of sexual violence in armed conflict 'far from being rooted out,' Security Council told
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:11 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) Despite some positive developments across the United Nations system, the task of protecting civilians has become more onerous as conflicts have become increasingly vicious, with the brutalization of women a deplorable persisting trend, a senior UN relief official said today, as she urged the Security Council to press all conflict parties to abide by their international obligations towards civilian protection.
UN refugee agency commends Greece on asylum reforms, urges more to be done
Jan 31, 2015, at 08:04 pm
New York, Jan 31 ((IBNS) Greece has made progress in reforming its asylum system despite challenging economic and political circumstances, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed today, adding nonetheless that much more needed to be done to accommodate the influx of asylum-seekers and refugees.
In Addis Ababa, senior UN officials pledge ongoing cooperation with Africa on all fronts vital
Jan 31, 2015, at 07:35 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) Addressing the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the start of what he called a “crucial year for global action to secure our global future,†the United Nations Secretary-General on Thursdaysaid he looked forward to African countries realizing their massive cultural, human and economic potential.
UN appeals for funds as ongoing violence sends desperate Nigerians fleeing to Cameroon
Jan 31, 2015, at 06:43 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for more funds to help address the recent exodus of refugees into Cameroon from Nigeria, saying that a risk in attacks on both sides of that border has made it increasingly risky for humanitarian agencies to operate there.
After intense flooding, Malawi desperately needs scale-up in international aid–UN experts
Jan 31, 2015, at 06:32 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) The international community must rapidly respond to the devastating flooding affecting Malawi with critical humanitarian aid and appropriate funding, a group of United Nations human rights experts affirmed on Friday, warning that the African country was facing “its worst flooding in living memory.â€
South Sudan: UN warns surge in Sudanese refugees pushes camp capacity to limit
Jan 31, 2015, at 06:26 pm
New York, Jan 31 (IBNS) Sudanese refugees continue to pour into South Sudan as they flee aerial bombardments and ground attacks in the war-torn Nuba Mountains in Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday, as it warned that many of the settlement camps are quickly reaching full capacity.
Ban condemns destruction of villages, displacement of thousands in Darfur
Jan 30, 2015, at 08:06 pm
New York, Jan 30 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned the reported aerial bombardment and destruction of villages in the Golo locality of Central Darfur, and expressed concern over the worsening security situation, which has seen thousands of civilians displaced.