Gunmen opens fire at political rally in Sri Lank's Colombo, one killed
Colombo, July 31 (IBNS): Unidentified gunmen on Friday opened fire at a political rally in Sri Lanka's Colombo city, leaving one person dead.
Yemen: UN begins food aid distribution in war-torn districts of Aden
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distribution of food to around 340,000 people in eight of the worst-affected areas of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.
Small islands need partnerships to battle climate change: Ban
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): The global challenges facing the small island developing States (SIDS) are the international community’s collective responsibility, on Thursday stated the top United Nations official at the Security Council.
UN urges action to combat human trafficking, give victims ‘hope and justice’
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged every country to join the fight against human trafficking as United Nations agencies and their partners vowed to work together to support and protect victims of this transnational crime, while pursuing and prosecuting criminals and their networks.
UN urges action to tackle illegal wildlife trade
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): Recognizing that wild animals and plants are an “irreplaceable part of the natural systems of the Earth,†the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday urged its Member States to take decisive steps to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife, “on both the supply and demand sides.â€
Momentum building for UN-backed accord to combat rogue fishing business
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): Thirteen additional countries need to ratify an agreement brokered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to combat illegal fishing by blocking ports to ships known or believed to be carrying illicit catches that account for more than 15 per cent of global output, the agency said onn Thursday.
Marking International Day of Friendship, Ban hails power of the human spirit
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday praised a Paraguayan man whose “profound vision that the forces of animosity and hatred in our world are no match for the power of the human spirit†led to the creation of the International Day of Friendship, which falls on July 30 every year.
UNESCO voices alarm at reported killing of Iraqi journalists by extremists
New York, Jul 31 (IBNS): The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voiced deep concern on Thursday over the reported killing of two Iraqi journalists in Mosul.
Amnesty International says more Myanmar prisoners of conscience remain behind bars
London, July 30 (IBNS) The release of at least 11 prisoners of conscience in a mass prisoner amnesty in Myanmar Thursday is a step in the right direction, but authorities must immediately clear the country's jails of the scores of peaceful activists who still remain behind bars, Amnesty International said.
UN-backed plan sets disaster resilience standards for hotels in Asia and Pacific
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): A United Nations-backed plan to develop and pilot disaster risk management standards for the hotel industry in Asia and the Pacific, home to 80 per cent of the world's disaster events, has been announced on Wednesday.
Security Council: Ban and UN envoy outline talk about political solution for Syria
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): Describing the more than four years of “slaughter†in Syria as a “shameful symbol of the international community’s divisions and failure,†United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday appealed to the Security Council to endorse his Special Envoy’s recommendations on reaching the political solution that “all parties claim to support.â€
Orangutans face extinction on Borneo where deforestation is unsustainable: UN
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): The massive conversion of Borneo’s forests for the production palm oil together with the impact of climate change is driving to extinction the orangutan on Asia’s largest island, making it “clear that a future without sustainable development will be a future with a different climate and, eventually, without orangutans, one of our closest relatives,†a new United Nations report revealed on Wednesday.
UN projects world population to reach 8.5 billion by 2030
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): The world’s population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050 and exceed 11 billion in 2100, with India expected to surpass China as the most populous around seven years from now and Nigeria overtaking the United States to become the world’s third largest country around 35 years from now, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday.
Economic ‘slowdown’ predicted for Latin America and Caribbean in 2015: UN forum
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): Panama will lead Latin America and the Caribbean countries in economic growth that will average 0.5 per cent in 2015, according to United Nations projections released on Wednesday, which not that to reverse the region’s economic slowdown, more investments are needed to boost growth and improve productivity.
UN mission in Cyprus renewed for six months by Security Council
New York, Jul 30 (IBNS): The Security Council on Wednesday extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months, until 31 January 2016, and welcomed resumed negotiations between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to reach a comprehensive settlement.