The representative of France says it's time for the Security Council to approve the deployment of a military force in Mali to help the government recapture parts of the country controlled by rebels. Islamist rebels captured the northern and eastern parts of Mali after a military coup in March created a power vacuum. French Ambassador [...]
From the GPS system in cars to the navigational equipment in airplanes, satellite navigation technology is critical to keeping humanity on the move. Since 2000, the United Nations has celebrated World Space Week (4-10 October) to show how space science and technology have an impact on life here on Earth. Anne Thomas recently sat down [...]
World Space Week started on Thursday with the unveiling of a navigation satellite model for display at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna, Austria. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) is based on a constellation of active satellites which continuously transmit coded signals. Satellite navigation systems are used for various purposes, [...]
Mozambique has been commended for sustaining 20 years of peace. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the country on the accomplishment, which commemorates the signing of a peace accord after years of civil war following independence from Portugal in 1975. The government and the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), which was supported by the apartheid regime [...]
• The future of Somalia rests on empowering its large youth population, according the UN Development Programme's 2012 Somalia Human Development Report. The report was launched on the margins of the UN General Assembly's annual debate. It contains a Youth Charter developed by youth representatives from various regions in Somalia as well as from the [...]
Peace is like a marriage that needs to be nurtured and nourished over a long period of time, says the top United Nations official in Mozambique. Jennifer Topping, the UN Resident Coordinator, spoke as Mozambique celebrated 20 years of peace after a devastating 16-year civil war. Ms Topping said Thursday was a day of a [...]
The shift from a transitional government in Somalia to one that was approved by the people has been a momentous achievement by the Somali people. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, made this point at a press conference in neighbouring Nairobi, Kenya. Not only was the transition successful, he said, but [...]
Risks of regional conflict and the threat to international peace and security are increasing as tensions escalate along the Syrian-Turkish border. The warning has come from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon following the deadly shelling of a town in Turkey from Syria on Wednesday and Turkish response on targets in Syria. The Secretary-General is calling on [...]
The date for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia to nominate a Prime Minister is just around the corner, said the top United Nations envoy in Somalia. Ambassador Augustine Mahiga told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya that ending the transition in Somalia was a momentous success story which the Horn of Africa country has not witnessed [...]
Global food prices rose by 1.4 per cent in September, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The FAO says this is a slight increase following two months of stability. Donn Bobb reports. The FAO Food Price Index, based on the prices of a basket of internationally traded commodities, climbed to 216 [...]
Authorities in Serbia have been urged to facilitate the re-scheduling of a pride parade for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community that was planned for Saturday. The call has come from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, after the Serbian Ministry of Interior banned all public gatherings on that day [...]
The killing of four Nigerian peacekeepers in West Darfur on Tuesday has been strongly condemned by the UN Security Council. The peacekeepers of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) were ambushed as they returned from their patrol duties in the evening. In a statement read by its President for October, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal [...]
WHY POVERTY? is a groundbreaking cross-media event reaching more than 500 million people around the world via television, radio, internet and live events in November 2012. Launching during one intense week, people around the world will be asking the question ‘Why Poverty?’ The Why Poverty? launch event took place at the UN Secretariat on the [...]
Over 50 million people are to be immunized against seasonal meningitis in West Africa over the next three months. The immunization campaign is to cover seven countries including Benin, Cameroun, Chad, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. The campaign is a joint effort between the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), The World Health Organization(WHO), [...]
Adapting to climate change will be high on the agenda when more than 1,000 representatives from countries that are party to the UN Convention on Biodiversity meet next week in Hyderabad, India. They will also review progress on the so-called Aichi Biodiversity Targets which are 20 goals aimed at safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity [...]
