Sir Richard Branson, English business magnate, best known as the founder and chairman of Virgin Group has joined forces with the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the International Drug Policy Consortium to urge drug policy reforms at the national and local levels. He spoke to UN Radio's Donn Bobb. Duration: 4’56″
All Member States are being urged to ramp up assistance to the countries and humanitarian agencies helping Syrian refugees. The appeal was made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a visit to the Islahiye refugee camp for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Mr. Ban said the numbers of Syrian refugees have tripled since July and keep [...]
Grenada stands to be counted among those who must commit to the strengthening of the multilateral rules-based system of a legally binding nature for the governance of the climate change phenomenon. Environment Minister George Prime told the Doha climate change conference that is why Grenada has committed to reduce its small carbon emissions by 20 [...]
The universal phenomenon that is climate change is threatening the very economic base on which Jamaicans seek to build their country and the time honored traditions inherent in their culture. Jamaica's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill warned that without collective actions, climate change will continue to be a major obstacle in achieving [...]
NAR: Caribbean States have made their views known on efforts to stall or even roll back the impacts of climate change. Barbados' Minister of Foreign Affaires Maxine Mc Clean says while some progress has been made, "we are no way where we need to be. She says all major reports on the state of the [...]
The number of people killed, injured, missing and affected by Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines continues to rise as debris is cleared and more information becomes available. That's according to the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) which says the typhoon has destroyed over 3,000 houses. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke says the government puts the number [...]
Across rural China, there is a transformation taking place. More and more women are stepping out of their traditional roles and into positions of power. UN TV travelled to a remote region of China to meet women leaders who are shaping a new future for their country. Study calls for greater action to monitor [...]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday reiterated his call for an end to violence in Syria as he visited camps for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey. Mr. Ban arrived in Turkey to hold discussions with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The Secretary-General first went to the Za'atari camp in [...]
The head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA), Valerie Amos, is in Myanmar to assess the country's humanitarian situation including the ongoing conflict in Kachin and northern Shan states. OCHA says that about 75,000 people in these states have been forced to flee their homes since the fighting began in June last year. [...]
Since 2009, British actor Orlando Bloom has used his status as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to speak out on child rights issues. The star of the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise recently visited South Africa where he learned about efforts to support orphans and other at-risk youth, and challenges such as gang violence and sexual [...]
More than 500 people are reported to have been killed and hundreds more are missing after Typhoon Bopha devastated parts of southern Philippines. The United Nations stands ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the Philippines which has been hit by a typhoon, says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Gerry Adams reports. Duration: 3’29″
An emergency campaign in Syria to protect young children against measles and polio has been described by the UN children's agency (UNICEF) as amazing, as it is under way even as fighting rages on. UNICEF says it is targeting 1.4 million children although there has been no reassurance from the warring parties that it [...]
The economic and financial crisis has had a strong impact on wages and, by extension, workers. That's according to the latest Global Wage Report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which shows monthly average wages grew by just over one per cent in 2011, compared with 2.1 per cent in 2010. The report also finds [...]
An emergency vaccination campaign is underway in Sudan's Darfur region to halt an outbreak of Yellow Fever, which the World Health Organization(WHO) now says is the largest in the world. More than 700 people have so far contracted the disease with 165 deaths being reported. The vaccination campaign is targeted to reach over 5.5 million [...]
Improving food security in the Sahel will contribute to peace and stability in the region. The view was expressed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva during an address to a meeting on the Sahel situation. He says “Investing in food security in the Sahel is also an investment in [...]
The global economic crisis has had a strong impact on workers wages around the world with many seeing little or no changes at all in their earnings. This is according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). In its annual Global Wages Report, ILO says global monthly wages grew by 1.2 per cent in 2011, [...]
A new initiative – the “Momentum for Change: Innovative Financing for Climate-friendly Investment” was launched in Doha on Friday by the UN Climate Change Secretariat, in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The initiative aims to recognize and highlight creative financing models that enable adaptation and mitigation activities in developing countries. The initiative will showcase [...]
There is a simple solution to global challenges ranging from poverty to climate change to food security: invest in women. That message comes from Michelle Bachelet, head of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. Ms. Bachelet this week addressed the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jakarta, Indonesia, [...]
