NARRATOR: In the Caribbean region, the global economic and financial meltdown continues to be felt most acutely by the poor, the youth, the elderly and the vulnerable, who bear no responsibility for the rampant financial speculation and unregulated movement of capital that spurred the crisis. That's what Prime-Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the [...]
As an organization with responsibility to provide leadership in regional tourism, it is the duty of the Caribbean Tourism Organization – CTO to emphasize the need for more renewable energy technologies in operations throughout the tourism sector and to encourage the widespread adoption of energy efficiency as a way of life. That's the [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Sustainable energy initiatives in tourism are creating economic opportunities and jobs for millions, whether in tourism, energy or other sectors. In a message marking World Tourism Day on 27 September, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai said that as UNWTO findings show, the return on investment in sustainable energy can be enormous, [...]
In early September, students from around the world were invited to imagine a speech that would be made by Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly debate. The debate which takes place in New York every year, brings together several world leaders. Vatsal Vasudev from India is one of [...]
NARRATOR: There is a particularly vulnerable group – the women and children of our world for whom ‘external shocks’, cause real and serious dislocation in their daily lives. Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller told the UN General Assembly that too many mothers have to face tough choices to meet their basic needs and too many [...]
NARRATOR: Recovery from the global financial crisis is at best incipient and sluggish. That assessment comes from Guyana's President Donald Ramotar. In his address to the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, President Ramotar said several of the major contributors to global output are grappling with unsustainable fiscal balances, which hinder their ability to [...]
Two years after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, the country is ready to move from an emergency to a long-term development phase, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Actor, director and philanthropist Sean Penn is one of the people who rushed to the scene shortly after the disaster struck and [...]
Imagine that you are the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The 67th session of the UN General Assembly is about to begin and you are being called on to make the inaugural speech to hundreds of the world's leaders, a speech that will set the tone for the global agenda for the coming year [...]
At the beginning of the 67th session of the General Assembly , a team of top officials, staff members and ambassadors to the United Nations played in a friendly match of football in New York City against a Bolivian team headed by the country's President, Evo Morales. Both teams played for Unite to End Violence Against [...]
The priority now for Lesotho is to secure food aid for the most vulnerable populations, according to its Prime Minister, Motsoahae Thomas Thabane. Recurring drought and late rains have resulted in a poor harvest and added to the already fragile situation in the country, he says. The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, has launched an appeal [...]
Agreements signed by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan on security, the common border and economic relations, are vital to a stable and prosperous future for both countries. That's according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who has welcomed the agreements, signed in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday. Martin Nesirky is spokesperson for [...]
A new international forestry award that honours the memory of a Kenyan environmentalist was given to a dedicated activist from Nepal on Thursday. Narayan Kaji Shrestha has received the first-ever Wangari Maathai Award, which recognizes efforts to improve and sustain forests. Mr. Shrestha told Gerry Adams how he first became involved in community forest management. [...]
A combination of flooding, late rains and early frost in Lesotho has led to a decline in agricultural production by about 70 per cent, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Over a third of the population is estimated to be food insecure, it says. Maize and sorghum are the [...]
The United Nations says it will require nearly 500 million dollars to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis up from 200 million dollars requested earlier this year. Aid agencies estimate that the number of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey will increase from the current 300,000 to over 700,000 by the end of [...]
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that the situation in Mali is critical. Speaking at a special session on Mali held on the sidelines of the General Assembly debate, Clinton called on all parties to ensure unhindered access so that emergency aid meets those who need it most. And she warned that [...]
In just two years, a global movement launched by the UN Secretary General has helped garner a lot of attention and investment for women and children's health. 'Every Woman, Every Child' has raked in half of the US $20 billion pledged to save 16 million lives before 2015. The movement counts more than 250 individual [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
1. International Day of Peace : A call for cessation of hostilities 2. Myanmar leader Ang San Suu Kyi welcomes lifting of sanctions against her country by US Congress 3. UN Human Rights Office condemns inmate abuse in Georgia 4. Cholera epidemic continues to spread in Sierra Leone 5. UN official says good donor response [...]
The UN's sound recording collection presents excerpts of historic speeches given at the United Nations featuring many UN Secretary-Generals and heads of government, including Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight E. Eisenhower, among others. Language: English Genre: Speech 1972 Duration: 9’42″
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Fresh air and ground attacks in Sudan’s South Kordofan state are causing a renewed population influx to South Sudan, says the UN Refugee agency UNHCR. About 100 refugees are arriving daily at the border town of Yida, many of them in poor health and without any belongings. UNHCR says some refugees said they also fled [...]
The World Health Organization (WHO)has issued a global alert on a new viral infection which has killed one person and left another in critical condition. The viral infection is being caused a newly identified Coronavirus. WHO says very little is known of the new Coronavirus including its mode of transmission although it belongs to the [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Israel is failing to take legal action against Israeli settlers and soldiers who perpetuate violence against Palestinians and their property, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). The report says a soldier investigated for the killing of a Palestinian woman and her daughter was yet to be indicted for the crime, [...]
An all-inclusive dialogue that addresses the legitimate aspirations of all Bahraini communities is the best way to promote lasting peace, stability, justice and economic progress in Bahrain. That's what the Secretary-General told Bahrain's Foreign Affairs Minister when he met him on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the UN Spokesperson. Mr. Ban Ki-moon discussed [...]
The United Nations has agreed to Mali's request for support in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, according to a statement issued by the Secretary-General's Spokesperson. Mr. Ban Ki-moon met with Mali's Prime Minister on the sidelines of the 67th General Assembly to discuss the modalities. Jocelyne Sambira has more. Mali has been facing [...]
The escalating crisis in Syria has become an increasing threat to regional peace and security. The Secretary-General and the Joint Special Representative for Syria came to that conclusion following a briefing on the Middle Eastern region. Jocelyne Sambira reports. Mr. Ban Ki-moon and Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi met on Saturday and focused on how to [...]
Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker is concerned that some 60 percent of people in conflict areas of the world are under the age of 25. Whitaker, as a Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, participated in the International Day of Peace observance at the United [...]
Heads of state will once again converge on New York for the annual general debate of the United Nations General Assembly which begins on Tuesday. For UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in his second term at the head of the global organization, the two weeks of speeches, meetings and other high-level events is an [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Rising global food prices are threatening to worsen food insecurity in Yemen, according to humanitarian agencies. The country in the Arabian Peninsula is recovering from the political upheavals that have affected North Africa and the Middle East. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen have been displaced by conflict between government [...]
The United Nations is calling for an end to conflict, if only for one day. The International Day of Peace, observed on 21 September, is an opportunity to strengthen the ideals of non-violence, both within and among all nations and peoples. It has been celebrated each year since 1982. Gerry Adams reports on this year's [...]
A prominent campaigner for democracy in Myanmar has welcomed the lifting of sanctions against her country by the United States Congress this week. Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy of Myanmar spoke to reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Friday. On Wednesday the U.S. Congress [...]
Acts of torture and ill-treatment of inmates at a prison in Georgia have been condemned by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This follows shocking videos which appeared on television in Georgia this week showing prisoners being physically and sexually assaulted, humiliated and verbally abused by prison officers. Spokesperson Rupert Colville [...]
People all over the world have been asked by the United Nations to observe a moment of silence on Friday to mark the International Day of Peace. The theme of this year's observance is "Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future". Speaking at a ceremony at UN Headquarters to mark the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [...]
PART I General Assembly starts its 67th session. PART II Viability of two-state solution in Middle East at risk: UN official. PART III UN celebrates progress on child survival. PART IV To be young and profitable in Peru. Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 14’45″
Chemicals are posing a serious risk to people's lives, particularly children in Africa. To tackle this problem, more than 500 participants from 124 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya this week for a five-day meeting on global chemicals management. The International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM3) has been organized under the auspices of the UN Environment [...]
People crossing international borders seeking asylum should not be treated as criminals and detained, says the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency says that indefinite and mandatory detention of asylum seekers and individuals seeking international protection are prohibited under international law. In a set of new guidelines issued Friday, UNHCR says detention of asylum seekers [...]
New media and technology are changing the way people communicate, but they can also help change the world for the better. That is the premise of the Social Good Summit (www.socialgoodsummit.org) to be held from 22-24 September on the margins of the annual UN General Assembly. While the 92nd Street Y, a cultural institution in [...]
Over 10,000 Somalis have fled from the port city of Kismayo in anticipation of military activities and new clashes, according to the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR). Reports from Somalia indicate that African Union troops in the country are preparing to liberate Kismayo which has been a stronghold of the Al Shabaab insurgents. UNHCR says up [...]
Germany assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in September with a view to focus on three particular issues – children and armed conflict, the Arab world and Afghanistan. Ambassador Peter Wittig told Gerry Adams the Council is working on improving accountability for such crimes as the recruitment of child soldiers and other [...]
Sierra Leone is in the grip of a deadly cholera outbreak which the World Health Organization (WHO) calls the country's worst in nearly four decades. The intestinal infection, caused by contaminated water or food, has killed nearly 300 people and more than 18,000 cases have been reported since the beginning of the year. WHO and [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Active ageing and the participation of older people in Europe were the focus of a two-day ministerial meeting that ended in Vienna on Thursday. The meeting was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) which says it's no secret that the continent is growing older. While European countries have made great progress in [...]
Governments around the world have been urged not to place the burden of financial problems on the backs of the poor. The call was reiterated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the launch of his 2012 report on the MDG Gap Task Force on Thursday. The Task Force was created five years ago to track [...]
A $1.6 billion humanitarian appeal to assist millions of hungry people in Africa's Sahel region is nearly 60 per cent funded, according to UN humanitarian agencies and their partners. They also expect that malnutrition levels and food insecurity will ease because good rains will increase cereal production and there is a likely drop in [...]
The release of prisoners of conscience by the government of Myanmar has been welcomed by the United Nations independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Asian country. Tomás Ojea Quintana renewed his call on the government of Myanmar to immediately release all the remaining prisoners of conscience without conditions. Donn Bobb reports. [...]
A good response by donors has contained a food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel region of Africa, according to a senior United Nation humanitarian official. UN humanitarian agencies and their partners say the appeal for $1.6 billion to help millions of hungry people in the region is 60 per cent funded. David Greesly, UN [...]
The 2012 Olympics are now a fading memory, but the sporting spirit lives on in Timor-Leste where more than 300 people recently competed in a gruelling bike race that promotes peace and development. The Tour de Timor took riders throughout the island nation and, for the first time ever, into the territory of West Timor [...]
The Cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone continues to escalate with the number of cases reported now close to 19,000, according to the World Health Organization(WHO). The disease has already claimed 273 lives. WHO says 12 of the country's 13 districts are now reporting cholera cases with the capital Freetown being the epicenter of the outbreak. [...]
This year's session of the General Assembly takes place against the backdrop of widespread violence linked to intolerance. That's what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday during a press conference on the 67th session of the General Assembly. Mr. Ban said this year's General Debate will be among the busiest ever, reflecting what he [...]
The increasing number of older people in Europe is posing challenges for governments in the region, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). It says that more than 14 per of the population in the region is older than 65 years of age and this number is expected to increase to 20 [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Kenya's Minister of Defence has given assurances that the Kenyan forces will do everything possible to minimize the impact of their ongoing military operations on civilians in Somalia. Kenyan soldiers are part of the African Union forces that are supporting Somali troops battling the Al-Shabaab insurgents near the town of Kismaayo, south-west of the [...]
The plight of the youngest victims of war—whether as fighters or witnesses to the fighting—was the focus of a Security Council open debate on Wednesday. Council members adopted a resolution strongly condemning the recruitment of child soldiers, but also attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access by all parties to [...]
More than 20 action plans to stop the use of children in armed conflicts have been adopted around the world. That's what was reported to the Security Council on Wednesday by Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. She said that action plans are not only a process but [...]
Asia has become a major market for manufacturers of forest products in Europe and North America, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). UNECE says that with the general malaise in the European and American economy, manufacturers have been looking for sales opportunities further afield. Export of logs from the UNECE region to [...]
A former Somali refugee has won the prestigious annual award of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Hawa Aden Mohamed is the winner of this year's Nansen Refugee Award which is given to people or groups for their outstanding work to help refugees. She has been a teacher, a former director of education, a social worker [...]
The Kingdom of Bahrain is to compensate families of protesters killed during last years anti government protests. That's what the Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday. The minister said 17 of the victims have already received compensations totalling 2.6 million dollars. [...]
There is an African proverb which says "When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets hurt." In Afghanistan, when two families fight, young girls are often the victims. To settle debts or disputes, or just to have a bit of peace, warring families will trade a daughter in a traditional practice known as "Baad." [...]
Authorities in the United States are being urged to do more to address the concerns of indigenous peoples. The call has come from the UN independent expert on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, who spoke in the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Mr. Anaya said that American Indian, Alaska Native and [...]
Authorities in Yemen need support in restructuring the security forces, says Jamal Benomar, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Yemen. On 6 August, Yemen's President adopted decrees for the restructuring of the Yemeni security sector. Mr. Benomar, who has returned from a ten-day mission to the country, briefed the Security Council behind closed doors [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
An appeal for almost $40 million has been launched by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to help displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNHCR says that violence in the eastern part of the country has displaced about half a million Congolese civilians and forced others to cross into Uganda and Rwanda. [...]
More than half of Sudanese children living in Yusuf Batil refugee camp in Maban County in South Sudan are severely malnourished, according to Doctors without Borders. The non-governmental organization of medical professionals, which is known by its French acronym MSF, says that between four and five children die every day in the camp. MSF is [...]
The situation in Syria is not improving but further deteriorating, said the joint Special Representative of United Nations and the Arab League on Tuesday. Lakhdar Brahimi spoke during his visit to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan where he had gone to see first hand the living conditions of the refugees and the work done [...]
The end of the transition in Somalia is only the beginning, says the ambassador of the United Kingdom, the lead country on the issue in the Security Council. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant spoke to reporters on Tuesday after the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming the transition in the Horn of Africa country. [...]
A former Somali refugee is the winner of the United Nations refugee agency's (UNHCR) annual prize. UNHCR announced on Tuesday that the 2012 Nansen Refugee Award is being given to Hawa Aden Mohamed. She is the founder and director of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD) in Puntland, north-eastern Somalia. Ms. Mohamed [...]
Governments around the world have been urged to ratify a treaty to ensure the security of nuclear material. The appeal has come from Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Mr. Amano addressed the General Conference of the IAEA which opened in Vienna on Monday. He said the Amendment to the [...]
As the United Nations prepares to draw down its massive peacekeeping operations in Haiti, the top priority is to help the country rebuild its earthquake-ravaged security institutions. That's what the chief of the UN mission in the country, known as MINUSTAH, Mariano Fernández, has told UN Radio. Mr. Fernández said that the police force [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The human rights situation in Syria has deteriorated and gross violations of human rights have increased. That's what Paulo Pinheiro, Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. Mr. Pinheiro said that the frequency with which human rights violations occur in the country [...]
The viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at risk, according to the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. On Monday Robert Serry briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Mr. Serry said that despite what he called "some positive quiet" [...]
Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar has had an eventful year as President of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly. Among the challenges he faced were the transition of power in Libya, the lagging world economy and the on-going crisis in Syria. Just before handing over the presidency to his successor, Ambassador Al-Nasser [...]
Côte d'Ivoire faces big challenges to promote national reconciliation and economic development as it recovers from the violence that happened after the November 2010 presidential run-off elections. That's the observation that has been made by the top United Nations development official who has just concluded her four-day visit to the West African country. Helen Clark, [...]
This report offers a preview of the main issues that were to be addressed during the 14th General Assembly of the United Nations. Language: English Genre: Report 1959 Duration: 27’00″
Serious human rights violations and possibly war crimes have allegedly been committed by armed groups in northern Mali. That's what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. She said it has been difficult to obtain information from northern Mali which is occupied by various [...]
The Syrian government has rejected as inaccurate the latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on human rights violations in the country. In a statement to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the government says the report was based on unsubstantiated testimonies. Syrian Ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui accused some neighbouring countries and foreign [...]
Foreign militant groups including Jihadists are fighting alongside anti-government groups in Syria, according to the UN Commission investigating human rights violations in Syria. The commission says there is evidence that the foreign groups are joining anti-government forces and pushing them towards more radical positions. It adds that gross violations of human rights by both government [...]
Eighty-seven migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa who tried to use a smuggler to get to Italy have asked the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to help them return home. The agency says the migrants, who were left stranded on the Tunisian coast on Sunday, were part of a group of 154 mainly Sub-Saharan Africans who [...]
NAR: The adoption of the 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons was the tangible reflection of the need for coordinated action at the multilateral level to prevent and combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. So says Barbados’ representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joseph Goddard. His comments [...]
The open borders in the Caribbean make us an easy conduit for trans-shipment between the major sources and destinations of small arms and light weapons and ammunition. That’ s what Jamaica’ s representative Farah Browne told the conclusion of the second United Nations conference to review the 2001 Programme of Action on trafficking in small [...]
![Syrian children seek shelter in doorway. [UNICEF Photo]](http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/syrian-children-doorway.jpg "NYHQ2012-0218")
Children in Syria are receiving assistance from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) as the school year starts on Sunday. The security and safety of students remain a concern in the country, where more than 800 schools are being used as shelter by displaced families. Citing figures from the Syrian Ministry of Education, the children's agency [...]
1. New UN Report calls for action to reduce hazards from chemicals. 2. Unemployment is higher for youth. 3. Children in an Indian village lead the way towards better sanitation. 4. Literacy and peace is the theme of this year's International Literacy Day. Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 15’00″
1. UN agencies fear Syria could be among greatest humanitarian crisis. 2. Dengue fever symptoms mask as flu. 3. Kazakhstan continues to suffer from effects of nuclear tests. 4. ILO convention offers hope to Bote people of Nepal Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 15’00″
Conflicts continue to challenge the international community and take a heavy toll on nations and people around the world, says the United Nations. At a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, participants explored the role of mediation in settling such conflicts. In fact, the role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by [...]
The rights of children with disabilities featured prominently at a major United Nations meeting that concluded in New York on Friday. Delegates gathered at UN headquarters to review implementation of the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Violence, lack of access to education and the right of children to speak for themselves [...]
Spending over a trillion of dollars on weapons in one year alone has been described by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as "a moral outrage". The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly's High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace on Friday. Mr. Ban said war causes the largest destruction but even in countries at peace, [...]
1.Food prices remain unchanged in August, says FAO chief 2.States are urged to sign and ratify nuclear test ban treaty by Ban ki-Moon 3.Navi Pillay urges Bahraini authorities to release all political activists 4.Role of UN is to help governments protect citizens, says GA President 5.Responsibilty to protect faces urgent test : UN chief 6. [...]
1.Ban Ki-moon urges developing countries to answer peoples' aspirations 2.People who have disappeared around the world are remembered 3.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urges leaders in Gambia to stop executions 4.WHO warns of global Dengue fever epidemic 5.Unaccompanied Syrian children seek refuge across borders 6.More people from Horn of Africa cross Gulf of Aden [...]
Spreading the culture of peace is critical to modern society if it is to make a new beginning to live without conflict. That's the message delivered by the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser at the start of the High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace on Friday. Ambassador Al-Nasser stressed the [...]
More than half a million people in Niger have been affected by flooding in which at least 81 people have died, says the United Nations relief agency (OCHA). According to OCHA, this is an increase from the 485,000 people which the authorities of Niger estimated to have been affected in the first week of September. [...]
An outbreak of Hepatitis E has claimed the lives of 16 Sudanese refugees living in camps in South Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Hepatitis E is a viral disease that attacks the liver and is transmitted through eating food or drinking water contaminated with faecal material. UNHCR says there have been 23 confirmed [...]
The deadly Ebola virus continues to claim more lives in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO says there are now 68 cases of Ebola and 18 deaths, five of which have been confirmed in laboratories to have been caused by the Ebola virus. At least 18 health workers [...]
There are nearly 450,000 young people without jobs in Peru, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). They represent more than two-thirds of the country's unemployed and of the five million young people who do have work, many are in 'precarious' conditions, without social benefits or job security. So instead of looking for a job, [...]
Nuclear technology is "extremely effective" in supporting agriculture and fighting hunger around the world, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Yukiya Amano says that the global population is growing very rapidly and by 2050 it will be nine billion. The IAEA Director-General says food should be made available for everyone [...]
The number of cholera cases has increased dramatically in Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO says there are now more than 16,000 cases of the disease which has also claimed more than 250 lives. This has prompted the government to declare a cholera emergency in the West African country. WHO spokesperson, Tarik [...]
The joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Arab League for Libya, Lakhdar Brahimi, started his mission to Syria on Thursday. The envoy is pressing ahead with his efforts to help end the conflict in the country, where thousands of people have been killed since the crisis began in March of last year. [...]
The United Nations and all its partners should work together and make full use of the potential of mediation to prevent, manage and resolve disputes and conflicts. That's what United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly during the launch of his report on the issue on Thursday. The Secretary-General stressed that mediation is [...]
The all-time heat record held for 90 years by El Azzizia in Libya is invalid, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). On 13 September 1922 the temperature recorded at El Azizia, about 40 kilometres south-west of Tripoli was recorded as 134.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Celsius. Professor Randall Cerveny an expert on weather [...]
Child mortality is on the decline. That's the finding of new data released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). According to UNICEF, Spokesperson Sarah Crowe, the number of children that die before their fifth birthday has dropped by nearly [...]
Back in 1922, meteorologists declared that the all-time heat record of over 136 degrees Fahrenheit, 58 degrees Centigrade, had been reached in El Azizia, Libya. But a recent investigation by the World Meteorological Organization, WMO, raised questions about the validity of the methods used to reach that conclusion. Randall Cerveny, a WMO independent expert [...]
For centuries in one community in India, people have defecated in the street. Now, that community is working to change sanitation and hygiene practices. And, according to UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, the initiative is being led by children! Charles Appel has more. Governments can do more for universal health coverage: WHO Universal access to [...]
Child mortality is on the decline. That's the finding of new data released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the UN Population Division. According to UNICEF Spokesperson Sarah Crowe, the number of children that die before their fifth birthday has dropped by nearly fifty percent, most notably in Africa and Asia. [...]
Scores of human rights defenders in at least 12 countries worldwide have faced serious reprisals and intimidation over the past one year, according to a report by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The report says the human rights defenders were tortured, detained without trial, beaten, banned from travelling, labeled traitors and subjected to [...]
The continued failure of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) to agree on its priorities has been characterized by a United Nations official as "disappointing". Angela Kane, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, spoke at the closing of the 2012 session of the Conference in Geneva on Thursday. Ms. Kane said all previous presidents of [...]
The pace of reducing child deaths has accelerated sharply since 2000, according to new data released by the United Nations. The report says nearly 7 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2011 compared to 12 million children in 1990. The report jointly published by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank [...]
A proposal for a neutral force to help end violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is being considered by the United Nations. That is what the head of United Nations peacekeeping operation, Hervé Ladsous told reporters in the town of Goma in the DR Congo on Tuesday. Charles [...]
As the world grows more integrated, many are looking to define the nature of this integration. Kemal Dervis, the Director of Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution says there is convergence of emerging and advanced economies. He says there is also interdependence of the fortunes of countries and divergence of incomes within countries. [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated Hassan Sheik Mohamud who has been elected President of Somalia. Mr. Ban, who was in Geneva early on Wednesday, spoke to the Somali leader by telephone. Vanina Maestracci is a UN spokesperson in New York. "The Secretary-General noted that Somalis still face great challenges and assured the new President [...]
Persons with disabilities want to be part of all the phases in the implementation of the Convention on their rights. That's what was stressed by Yannis Vardakastanis, Chairperson of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) in New York on Wednesday. Mr. Vardakastanis spoke at the start of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention [...]
Making the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities count for Women and Children is the theme of the current session of the Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was adopted by the General Assembly in December of 2006 and came into force on 3 May 2008 when it received its [...]
For the past twenty years the European Commission and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have worked together in countries affected by emergencies and conflict. On Tuesday, the Commission announced that it will continue to work with UNICEF to prioritize the needs of vulnerable people, especially the children in war-torn Syria. Gail Walker has the story. [...]
Reducing widening gaps in wealth and income will not only have social benefits but will also lead to higher economic growth, according to a report of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The publication titled “Policies for inclusive and balanced growth" published on Wednesday, focuses especially on income inequality. It says that fiscal [...]
The priority of the political leadership in Somalia should be to win the hearts and minds of the people, according to an independent United Nations expert. Dr. Shamsul Bari, who deals with the situation of human rights in Somalia, has welcomed the election of a new President and Speaker of Parliament by Somalia's lawmakers. He [...]
The killing of the United States ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff has been strongly condemned by the Security Council. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and the other staff members were reportedly killed in an attack by unidentified armed men. According to reports, the men stormed the grounds of the US consulate in Benghazi [...]
Nearly 250,000 Palestinian refugees living in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The agency says the refugees need to be supported with food and health services as well as cash for those who lost their jobs following the widespread closure of small scale businesses. The [...]
The European Commission will continue to prioritise funding for children in humanitarian emergencies, despite the economic challenges that Europe is facing. That assurance was given to the Executive Board of UNICEF in New York on Tuesday by Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner dealing with humanitarian aid. Ms. Georgieva commended UNICEF for the improving techniques for [...]
The general elections in Sierra Leone scheduled for 17 November this year will be a test of political maturity for the leadership of the West African country. That's what the UN Secretary-General's Executive Representative in the country, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, told the Security Council on Tuesday. Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen said that Sierra Leone is making steady [...]
After decades of conflict, the new parliament of Somalia has elected the country's next president. The election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ends Somalia's transitional period. The top United Nations envoy in Somalia, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, says the election of the president is a major breakthrough in the political transition in the Horn of [...]
The Swiss parliament has been urged to help the United Nations achieve its goals, including the elimination of poverty and nuclear weapons and the promotion of human rights. The appeal came from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who spoke to the parliament in Berne on Tuesday. Mr. Ban congratulated the people of Switzerland as they [...]
For centuries in one community in India, people have defecated in the street. Now, that community is working to change sanitation and hygiene practices. And the initiative is being led by children! Charles Appel has more. Duration: 2’28″ Source: UNICEF
A cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone which has claimed more than 250 lives shows no sign of slowing down. This warning has come from the World Health Organization (WHO) which is stepping up efforts to help local authorities contain the disease. WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jasarevic says emphasis is being placed on early detection of cases [...]
Jordan has been commended by award winning American actress, Angelina Jolie for welcoming Syrian refugees escaping conflict in their country. Ms. Jolie, the Special Envoy of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and Antonio Guterres, the head of UNHRC met with Syrian refugees during a visit to the Za'atri camp in Jordan on Tuesday. [...]
Every year, three million girls and women across the globe are genitally mutilated. Female genital mutilation (FGM), a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, is practiced in many countries around the world. But as the immigrant population in the United States increases, FGM is becoming more widespread in the [...]
The election of the President of Somalia by the country's parliament on Monday has been welcomed by United Nations officials. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as the New Federal Parliament and its Speaker for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the process. The top United Nations envoy in Somalia, [...]
The Syrian armed forces have been added to the United Nations list of parties that kill or maim children. That's what the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Ms. Zerrougui who presented her annual report to the Council says [...]
Advocacy Radio Programme on Literacy Education is one of the key thematic/working area of the United Nations priority in Pakistan. UNESCO is the lead UN agency working together with other UN organisations to assist the Government efforts in the promotion of education in the country Source:UNIC Islamabad Duration: 12’17″
Provision of health care services in the Homs district of Syria is hampered by a lack of facilities and qualified health workers, according to the World Health Organization ( WHO). The agency says that 44 public and private hospitals have been extensively damaged in the on-going conflict, leaving only 14 hospitals in operation. WHO spokesperson [...]
People engaged in conflict near the town of Kutum in the Darfur region of Sudan are being urged to stop hostilities and engage in peaceful dialogue. The appeal has come from the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) following the latest outbreak of armed attacks. The latest violence was reportedly triggered by the [...]
India and China have enjoyed some of the world’s fastest economic growth in recent years. Since 1995, average income in China grew nearly ten-fold and in India, it has nearly quadrupled. As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected, the growth rate of these two countries has major implications for the rest of the world. The [...]
Full employment should be part of policies for economic development, said United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson on Monday. Mr. Eliasson addressed the General Assembly as it discussed sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals of fighting poverty and disease. He said many countries continue to face deep-rooted economic problems, seriously affecting vulnerable segments of [...]
The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, Hervé Ladsous, began a visit to the Great Lakes region of Africa on Monday. The aim of the six-day visit to Africa is to discuss with national and regional leaders the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where rebel groups are [...]
The on-going conflict in Syria and its effect on civilians is one of the key issues on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Monday. The UN Secretary-General and the UN's human rights chief told those gathered for the two-week meeting that the humanitarian situation in Syria is deteriorating. [...]
A successful suicide is completed every 40 seconds of every day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). To raise public awareness of the very serious issue of suicide, and to encourage policymakers to do something about it, the World Health Organization observes World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th of September. This year's [...]
The London Paralympic Games will be remembered as "a success story" according to a senior United Nations sports official. Wilfried Lemke, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development, said the conclusion of the games on Sunday marked the end of what he called "a glorious" summer. Charles Appel reports. Wilfried Lemke said the [...]
Iranian authorities are being urged by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to allow its inspectors immediate access to the Parchin military site. The head the IAEA Yukiya Amano told the agency's Board of Directors in Vienna on Monday that he is concerned about the activities that have taken place at the location since February [...]
Every 40 seconds a person commits suicide which claims the lives of almost one million people every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO says that suicide, which is surrounded by stigma and silence, kills more people than murder, conflict and war combined. September 10 is marked every year as World Suicide Prevention [...]
The sale of ammunition to the Syrian government and opposition forces is only helping to prolong the conflict according to the UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Ms Pillay said the worsening security situation is preventing humanitarian workers from providing assistance to over 2.5 million Syrians affected by the crisis. [...]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has deplored the continued use of military force by both the Syrian government and rebel forces. Mr Ban said failure to embrace dialogue is complicating efforts by the United Nations to facilitate a transition and promote the peace the Syrian people deserve. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva [...]
UN Habitat just concluded a week-long meeting in Naples, Italy where world leaders gathered to talk about the future of the world's cities. Dr. Kulwant Singh, the UN-Habitat Coordinator in India attended the forum and spoke to Gail Walker about the impact of urban growth in the Asia Pacific region. Duration: 2’39″
The Philippines was the second country to ratify ILO Convention No. 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Uruguay was the first country to do so in June of 2012. Convention No. 189 lays down basic rights and principles for domestic workers and requires states to take a series of measures to make decent work [...]
A group of HIV-infected mothers and their partners have formed a mothers' support group attached to their local health clinic in Kitulo Ward, Makete District in Tanzania. Besides providing psycho-social support to each other, members of the group also speak to surrounding communities about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Gerry Adams reports Duration: 3’14″
World leaders have called for eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016. While the global number of child labourers has fallen in recent years, experts fear that the global economic crisis could retard further growth. But working with UN agencies, the Cambodian government has pledged to reduce the number of child labourers in [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
UN-Habitat just concluded a week-long meeting in Naples, Italy where world leaders gathered to talk about the future of the world's cities. Dr. Kulwant Singh, the UN-Habitat Coordinator in India attended the forum and spoke about the impact of urban growth in the Asia Pacific region. Cambodia works to reduce child labour World leaders [...]
A group of HIV-infected mothers and their partners have formed a mothers' support group attached to their local health clinic in Kitulo Ward, Makete District in Tanzania. Besides providing psycho-social support to each other, members of the group also speak to surrounding communities about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. "Literacy and Peace" is the [...]
China is being urged to protect thousands of refugees from Myanmar who have fled fighting between government troops and rebels in the volatile Kachin state. The appeal comes from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) which says that up to 5,000 people, the majority of them children, have been returned since mid-August and are living [...]
Thousands of Syrian children will not be able to return to school for the new academic year which starts on the September 16, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The agency says that 2,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed in the ongoing conflict while others have been occupied by thousands of displaced [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The growing misuse of chemicals is causing serious damage to health and the environment especially in developing countries, according to a new study published by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). The Global Chemicals Outlook report warns that in sub-Saharan Africa the accumulated cost of illness and injury linked to misuse of pesticides in small [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
1. New book promotes sustainable diets which benefit planet. 2. Strengthening Bangladesh through multilingual education. 3. India faces drought in breadbasket, says WMO. 4. Flow of illicit weapons a global problem. Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 15’00″
Over 100,000 Syrians fled their country in August according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). UNHCR says there are now 234,000 Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. Inside Syria, insecurity remains a major obstacle to reaching displaced families with humanitarian assistance. UNHCR Spokesperson Melissa Fleming says the agency and Syrian [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Universal access to health care services can be achieved if governments do more to ensure that there are health insurance schemes that cover everyone. That's the conclusion of a study of countries in Asia and Africa published this month in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO). The study says that community and social [...]
The ongoing conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of three Palestinian refugee children, according to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The agency says the children were killed in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk where there were several explosions which appeared to be caused by heavy weapons during the evening of 31 [...]
Dengue fever is becoming a major international public health concern, according to the World Health Organization. Its symptoms are very similar to those of a common flu, but it affects from 50 to 100 million people each year around the world, particularly in urban areas. Dr Raman Velayudhan, a scientist at the World Health Organization, [...]
Access to justice is a human right in itself and everyone, including the poorest and marginalized should enjoy it. That's what the United Nations independent expert on extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda says in a proposal ahead of a major meeting at the United Nations. She is urging governments to commit themselves to improve access to [...]
Health insurance schemes can help to achieve universal coverage of health services, according to a survey of countries in Asia and Africa. The study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO) says such schemes reduce the need for people to pay for health services at the point of delivery. One of the [...]
Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda hundreds of thousands of children were left orphaned or abandoned. To house the children, the country went from having four orphanages in 1979 to 34 in 2011. Under a new plan Rwanda is closing the orphanages and finding permanent homes for the children. Gail Walker has the story. Duration: [...]
Urban areas must be properly and carefully planned so that they can generate wealth. That's the message delivered by Dr. Joan Clos, the head of UN-Habitat, to the weeklong 6th session of the World Urban Forum taking place in Naples, Italy. The forum, which is held every two years, has brought together over 3,000 representatives [...]
The outbreak of the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever in western Uganda is coming to an end, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization says there have been no new confirmed cases of the disease over the past one month. Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva. The outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Kibaale district [...]
