• The United Nations marked Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrating the South African leader’s 94th birthday and honouring his contributions to democracy, racial justice and reconciliation with events at its Headquarters in New York and around the world. Every year on 18 July, individuals around the world are encouraged to devote 67 minutes to helping [...]
The Special Representative of Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit reiterated on Thursday that the deteriorating situation in Mali requires the combined efforts of the international community. Efforts to restore constitutional order to the country have been ongoing since soldiers seized power from the government in March. Following that, militants linked to al-Qaida along with [...]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is deeply disappointed that the Security Council could not come to a consensus on Syria. Russia and China used their power as permanent members of the Council to veto the draft resolution. Mr. Ban said while in China he had very good discussions with the country's leadership, including [...]
Consistent and timely sharing of information between different groups and agencies is essential to insure that the right decisions are made by the right people at the right time, according to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos told a panel meeting on Thursday to discuss "Improving capacities for evidence-based humanitarian [...]
Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution that would have called on Syria to stop the movement of troops toward population centres, and cease and withdraw the use of heavy weapons from those centres. Gerry Adams reports. Duration: 2’47″
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the importance of continuous South-South cooperation during a forum in Beijing, China Thursday. Mr. Ban told the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that strong ties between developing countries are essential for global economic growth. The UN chief emphasized that South-South cooperation was especially relevant [...]
The number of people needing humanitarian aid around the world has risen from 51 million to 62 million, an increase of more than 20 per cent, during the first half of this year, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian partners have raised their funding requirements, from US$7.8 billion, at the beginning of the year, to [...]
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is stepping up its response to a tomato-eating moth that is threatening crops in the Near East. FAO says the idea is to keep damage to a minimum with environmentally and economically sustainable methods that reduce the heavy use of pesticides, and favour the use of natural enemies and [...]
Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that would have imposed sanctions against Syria if it did not end the use of heavy weapons. This is the third time Russia and China have opposed council action on Syria. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said his country vetoed the measure because it would [...]
The Chief UN Observer in Syria, Major General Robert Mood says the mission is irrelevant without a political process. He told a news conference in Damascus that the Syrian government and opposition must be willing to make the necessary concessions and sit at the negotiating table. The mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in [...]
UN agencies working to meet the needs of Congolese refugees in Uganda have welcomed $7 million in funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Thousands of people from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have crossed the border to flee fighting between government forces and the rebel M23 group. The UN refugee [...]
After decades of struggling with unsustainable debt, Côte d'Ivoire is getting some relief. The country has been granted a reduction in its $7 billion external debt. The International Money Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have approved the decision to effectively wipe out more than 60 per cent of this amount. Hyun-Sung Khang spoke to [...]
