International troop drawdown and the scaling down of some large-scale military -backed stabilization projects efforts will have substantial economic impacts on Afghanistan. That according to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ján Kubiš. He told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that attention is needed on the issue of sustainable livelihoods, noting that overall, sustainability [...]
The Security Council has strongly condemned the ongoing attacks and atrocities carried out by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and their continued violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of human rights. In a presidential statement Wednesday, the Council stressed that these actions pose a significant threat to the civilian population, in particular women and [...]
2013 will be a decisive year in the peace process, a top United Nations official told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. Under Secretary Jeffrey Feltman told the Council that it was incumbent upon all to support the Israelis and Palestinians in stabilizing the situation and permitting progress toward the goal of achieving a two [...]
The first Cybersecurity Innovation Centre to cater to the needs of the Arab region is being established in Oman. The centre is a result of a partnership between the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, its cyber-security partner, the International Multilateral Partnership against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), and the Information Technology Authority (ITA) of Oman. According to ITU, [...]
A tumultuous year is coming to a close, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday. Speaking at his last press conference for the year, Mr. Ban said that turmoil tested the United Nations once again on its founding obligation to stop conflict and build peace. Derrick Mbatha reports Duration: 4'46"
The United Nations is appealing for $1.5 billion to address the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria. The funds will be used to meet the needs of the more than four million people inside Syria who require urgent assistance and of the more than 500,000 Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. The UN's Office for the [...]
The Government of Madagascar has been called on to fight poverty, domestic servitude and bonded labour by the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, who made her first fact-finding mission to the country in December, warned that "human rights cannot thrive in an environment of extreme poverty." The Special Rapporteur [...]
A tumultuous year is coming to a close, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters Wednesday at his year-end press conference. He said, "Two thousand twelve saw tension from Syria to the Sahel and from Eastern Congo to the Korean Peninsula.” On Syria, he said it was critical that the Syrian opposition was coming together. But he was [...]
Women make nearly as much money as men in most countries, says an International Labour Organization report. But according to the report, that may just mean that men are worse off now than before the global economic crisis. It goes on to say that there are major differences across the globe when it comes to [...]
The volatility in prices of raw commodities has affected many regions in recent years, including those in Sub Saharan Africa. That is because the price of a commodity whether, oil or cocoa, can make or break the health of a country in this region. At the same time, some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa depend [...]
The respect and protection of human rights in Iraq remains fragile as the country continues its transition from years of conflict and violence to peace and democracy. That according to the United Nations in its most recent Report on Human Rights in Iraq, which covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2012. The [...]
The number of Syrians affected by the on going civil war has now topped four million according to United Nations aid agencies. The agencies say number of Syrians who have fled the country into Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt is expected to double over the next six months to reach one million, while 2 [...]
