New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Two years after the signing of the historic peace agreement in Colombia and following a recent escalation of violence, the newly-appointed representative of the United Nations in the country, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that its people have established a “broad consensus” against further conflict, before highlighting key steps to stabilize the nation.
Amending Guatemala ‘reconciliation law’ would lead to unjust amnesty, warns Bachelet
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): A bid to give amnesty to all those found guilty of grave human rights crimes during Guatemala’s decades-long civil war, by amending the National Reconciliation Law, could represent a “drastic set-back” to the whole legal system and overall accountability, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said.
Hopes for Palestinian State hit by ‘facts on the ground’ : senior UN official
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): The possibility of establishing a “viable, contiguous Palestinian state” has been “systematically eroded by facts on the ground,” Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on Tuesday, ahead of the quarterly open debate on the Middle East (Israel/Palestine).
World’s human rights watchdog spotlights Afghanistan, Yemen and 12 others: Here’s the scoop
New York, Jan 22 (IBNS): The United Nation Human Rights Council (HRC) kicked off its Universal Periodic Review, or UPR, on Monday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to examine the human rights situation in 14 countries, including Afghanistan and Yemen.
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Warning against the dangers of widespread fear and mistrust in our planet, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, told journalists on Friday he wants to reaffirm the UN as a “platform for action to repair broken trust in a broken world.”
Migration surge leaves children stranded, begging on Djibouti’s streets
New York, Jan 16 (IBNS): Begging, scrubbing cars or selling themselves on the street for sex are a way of life for many children in Djibouti, according to a survey released by the International Organization Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
DR Congo: Days ahead ‘critical’ to ‘historic election process’ Security Council hears
New York, Jan 12 (IBNS): With millions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) demonstrating “their commitment to the political process”, the days ahead are “critical” to what has been an “historic election process”, the top UN official in the country told the Security Council on Friday.
Armed insurgency in north-east Nigeria ‘has created a humanitarian tragedy’
New York, Jan 10 (IBNS): Following an upsurge in violence in north-east Nigeria, which was brought to global attention five years ago with the abduction by Boko Haram extremists of the Chibok schoolgirls, tens of thousands of innocent civilians continue to flee, prompting “grave concern” from the United Nations envoy there.
Amid troop build-up in Rohingya's home state, UN appeals to Myanmar for peaceful solution
New York, Jan 10 (IBNS): Major fighting in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state has so far been avoided following clashes between armed separatists and national security forces who are increasing troop numbers there, a top UN humanitarian official there said on Wednesday.
'Hope' on the horizon as UN Peacekeepers push deep into Mali
New York, Jan 9 (IBNS): UN peacekeepers in Mali have given what villagers in a remote part of the West African country have called a “real glimmer of hope.”
Attack on UN compound in Somalia may be 'violation of international humanitarian law'
New York, Jan 2 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Tuesday’s attacks against the UN compound in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, saying that intentionally attacking UN personnel may constitute "a violation of international humanitarian law.”
UN refugee agency presses States to aid 49 refugees stranded on Mediterranean
New York, Jan 1 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), on the last day of 2018, called on UN Member States to urgently offer safe ports of disembarkation for 49 refugees and migrants, including young children, aboard rescue vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.
New York, Dec 29 (IBNS): The excessive use of force during large-scale demonstrations against food and fuel shortages in Sudan is alarming, and an infringement on the right of peaceful assembly, said UN independent experts on Friday.
Rising insecurity in Central Africa Republic threatens wider region, Security Council told
New York, Dec 14 (IBNS): Rising violence in the Central African Republic threatens to spill across the border into neighbouring countries, creating further instability, a senior United Nations official warned on Thursday, urging continued and coordinated regional efforts to bolster peace and security.
UN should be ‘exemplary’ in defending judicial independence, top Judge tells Security Council
New York, Dec 12 (IBNS): The United Nations should be a role model when it comes to repelling attempts to weaken the rule of law and undermine independent judiciaries around the world, a senior UN judge told the Security Council on Tuesday.