On International Day, UN chief urges end to 'dehumanizing' practice for victims of torture

New York, June 26 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has on Sunday expressed support for and solidarity with the victims of torture and their families throughout the world, and underscored that torture must never be used under any circumstances, including during conflict or when national security is under threat.

New stamps for International Day of UN Peacekeepers unveiled at UN

New York, May 28 (Just Earth News): Ahead of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers – celebrated annually on 29 May – the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) on Friday announced the issuance of a set of six new stamps for the occasion.

On International Day, UN highlights biodiversity's role in underpinning development

New York, May 23 (Just Earth News): Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it supports are the foundations for life on Earth and the livelihoods and well-being of people everywhere, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday on the International Day for Biological Diversity, as he urged the international community to preserve and sustainably manage the variety of life on the planet.

On International Day, UN spotlights role of midwives in achieving development targets

New York, May 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Every year, some 300,000 women still die during pregnancy and childbirth and almost three million babies do not survive their first four weeks of life, yet a majority of these deaths could be averted by trained midwives, the United Nations said on Thursday as it marked the International Day of the Midwife with a call for strengthened skills and investments in midwifery.

Further use of nuclear weapons would be 'horrific,' Ban says on International Day

New York, Sept 27 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday highlighted that 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the first and last use of a nuclear weapon in war, as he renewed his call for complete global nuclear disarmament.

Marking International Day, UN affirms people's right to 'imagine' world at peace

New York, Sept 20 (IBNS) With John Lennon's iconic song "Imagine" as the backdrop, the United Nations on Friday marked the International Day of Peace underscoring that all people have the right to peace.

On International Day, UN urges efforts to support South-South cooperation

New York, Sept 13 (IBNS) Cooperation between and among developing countries offers a path to balancing growth and equity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday, marking the United Nations Day of South-South cooperation with a call to encourage – and learn from – emerging partners in the global South to promote prosperity for all.

On International Day, UNESCO chief says literacy not only improves lives, it saves them

New York, Sept 9 (IBNS) With one in four young people – 175 million adolescents – unable to read a single sentence, International Literacy Day is an opportunity to remember one simple truth: literacy not only changes lives, it saves them, said the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

On International Day, UN chief urges renewed commitment to world free of nuclear weapons

New York, Aug 30 (IBNS): Marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests, United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for a renewed global commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests.

'Prohibition of torture is absolute,' says Ban on International Day in support of victims

New York, June 27 (IBNS): Reiterating their pledge that every victim of torture will one day gain his or her right to acknowledgement, senior United Nations officials marked the International Day in Support of those victims by calling on the international community to strengthen efforts “to eradicate this heinous practice.”