There is still a need for an envoy to help end the conflict in Syria following the resignation of Kofi Annan, the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy. That's what the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Gérard Araud of France, told reporters on Friday afternoon. He said no one knows what is going to happen [...]
From oil to tin, diamonds to gravel, metals to fish, the resources of the oceans and the sea are enormous, says the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. But a combination of competing demands for lucrative fish stocks, spreading pollution that damaged sea life and growing tensions between coastal [...]
Governments, the private sector, civil society and academia are being urged to open doors for young people and strengthen partnerships with youth-led organizations. The call comes from United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon in his message on International Youth Day to be observed on Sunday, 12 August. Charles Appel reports. The Secretary-General warns that without urgent [...]
At a remote outpost in Qaanaaq, northern Greenland, one operator runs an infrasound station which detects atomic activity year round. It's part of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty, an international agreement that bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere — on the earth’s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground. Gerry Adams reports on a committed [...]
Between 12 and 17 storms are expected in the Americas during the Atlantic hurricane season, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The agency cites an updated outlook for the season, issued by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) late on Thursday. NOAA indicated a 50 per cent chance of a near [...]
The signing of a presidential decree to approve a plan to stabilize Somalia has been welcomed by Augustine Mahiga, the top United Nations envoy in the Horn of Africa country. President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Somalia signed the National Security and Stabilization Plan (NSSP) on 8 August. Gerry Adams reports. The Special Representative of [...]
Two and a half years after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, have conditions in the poorest country in the western hemisphere improved? In this IMF podcast, Hyun-Sung Khang spoke to Boileau Loko, the IMF mission chief for Haiti and he explains how the country is slowly healing. Duration: 4'30" Source: IMF
August 10 marks a year that Angola has remained polio-free, moving the country and the world closer to total eradication. Only three countries remain endemic – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In recent years, Angola has made significant progress in the fight against polio. But that was not always the case, as Koenraad Vanormelingen, the UNICEF [...]
Jamaica's new National HIV Strategic Plan (NSP) 2012-2017 focuses on an enabling environment and human rights. The plan was developed in 2011 through a highly consultative process involving the government, private sector, faith-based organizations, youth, people living with HIV and international development partners. The Jamaica NSP makes human rights real. NSPs often include human rights [...]
There have been a number of positive developments in Haiti. So says Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and Resident Coordinator for the United Nations system organizations in Haiti, Nigel Fisher. Speaking to the UN Economic and Social Council – ECOSOC by video link from Haiti, [...]
Angola has marked a year without a new case of polio, a disease that paralyzes children, the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) announced on Friday. According to the agency Angola had stopped the transmission of polio in 2000 but it was re-imported from India in 2005. UNICEF says that laboratory results have confirmed that the [...]
A summary of the report by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation. Duration: 27″ Language: English Genre: Report 1958
More than 2,000 unaccompanied children have been identified and registered in camps for Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, according to the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF). They are part of the thousands of refugees who have fled fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile and are living in harsh conditions with reports of malnutrition among children. UNICEF [...]
1. UN nuclear agency helps farmers improve soil quality 2. New bridge improves livelihoods for Cambodian villages 3. Rwandan women helping lead their country's transformation 4. Sixty-two million people need humanitarian help worldwide Narrated and produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 15’01″
1. There must never be another nuclear attack says Ban Ki-moon 2. General Assembly denounces violence in Syria 3. Hepatitis: It’s closer than you think 4. UN Youth Assembly: Young people present their views about sustainable development and humanitarian issues 5. Bangladesh urged to lift ban on NGOs helping Myanmar refugees. Narrated and produced by [...]
More than 140,000 Syrian refugees have been registered or in the process being registered in neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). Fighting intensified in recent days as government forces and opposition fighters battle for the control of the city of Aleppo. The agency says that as the conflict continues, its offices [...]
A new government-run insurance scheme in Cambodia means workers who are injured on the job or on their way to work can now receive compensation. Administered by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the system was developed with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Republic of Korea. Despite slowdown, IMF optimistic [...]
Supermodel Alek Wek is famous for gracing international magazine covers and sashaying down the catwalk for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and other top designers. But as a former refugee, she is also a strong supporter of the work of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Alek Wek returned home to South Sudan in July to [...]
