The United Nations should truly prioritize supporting African nations in unlocking their full potential. That's the message delivered by the President of the UN General Assembly, Vuk Jeremić on Monday during a meeting on the report of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for 2012. Mr. Jeremić stressed the "critical importance" of enhancing coordination between [...]
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says it has lost a tireless advocate for the world's hunger with the death of former United States Senator George McGovern. Mr. McGovern, who was 90 years of age, passed away at a hospice near his home in the U.S. state of South Dakota on Sunday. He served [...]
The outlook for the global economy for next two years is sobering. That was the conclusion of a recent analysis of the world's economy by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Economic growth worldwide, it said, is predicted to expand at a pace far below potential. Word of this came as the General [...]
There has been an outbreak of the deadly Marburg haemorrhagic fever which has killed five people in south-Western Uganda. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ugandan Ministry of Health have deployed a team to the district to investigate and come up with a response to the outbreak. The virus which causes the disease is [...]
The United Nations is moving towards what has been described as "rightsizing" of its peacekeeping operations. That's what the head of UN peacekeeping operations Hervé Ladsous told reporters on Monday. He said that for the first time in many years a UN peacekeeping operation will close, with the conclusion of the mission in Timor [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a peaceful resolution of the stand-off in the Libyan city of Bani Walid. According to reports, at least 20 people have been killed in the fighting between government forces and supporters of the previous government. UN Spokesperson Martin Nesirky says the Secretary-General is alarmed by the fighting in [...]
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The current global economic recovery remains precarious, according to Permanent Representative of Guyana, Ambassador George Talbot. Ambassador Talbot is the Chairperson of the General Assembly's Committee which deals with economic and financial matters. He spoke on Monday at a joint meeting of the Committee and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main [...]
As Afghanistan prepares to assume responsibility for its national security following the departure of foreign forces in 2014, an unexpected form of peace-building is taking root in some of the country's rural villages. In rural villages near the border with Pakistan, thousands of dairy farmers have formed cooperatives which are not only helping them earn [...]
Five people have died of Marburg haemorrhagic fever in the Kabale district of south-western Uganda, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The highly infectious disease causes high fever, diarrhoea, weakness and bleeding. WHO and the Ugandan Ministry of Health have deployed a team to the district to support the investigation of the outbreak and [...]
The new Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has assured the people and government of Kenya that they are not on trial for the violence that followed the December 2007 presidential election in the country. Ms. Fatou Bensouda spoke to reporters in Nairobi on Monday during her first official visit to Kenya as the [...]
The United Nations will stand by Lebanon through the difficult period, says Derek Plumbly, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon. Mr. Plumbly issued a statement on Monday amid reports of clashes in the Middle Eastern country following the assassination of a senior army officer last Friday. Donn Bobb reports. Brigadier-General Wissam al Hassan and others [...]
The joint UN-Arab League envoy for Syria has reiterated his call on the Syrian government and all sides in the conflict to observe unilateral ceasefires immediately. Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi has made the appeal for this week's celebration of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Mr. Brahimi says he spoke with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [...]
