UNAIDS and UNDP have launched a new Issue Brief TRIPS transition period extensions for least-developed countries. In backing the proposal to allow least-developed countries to maintain and scale up access to essential medicines, the agencies say failure to extend the transition period for least-developed countries to become fully compliant with the Agreement on Trade-Related [...]
The situation inside Syria and in the surrounding host States has become the most complex and challenging, according to Erika Feller, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the UN refugee agency-UNHCR. She told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the humanitarian impact of the two years of the crisis was enormous with the [...]
"Working together to forge solutions to so many of humanity's most inhuman acts, is itself a testament to the power and progress that comes from the cooperation at the root of the United Nations and of the Human Rights Council", the representative from the United States said as the council wrapped up a second day [...]
The people of Mali don't want to be dependent on aid but need assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods as they recover from the conflict. That's the message conveyed by John Ging, Director of Operations of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) who has just returned from a four-day visit to the country. Mr. [...]
The UN Children's agency – UNICEF is appalled by the reported deaths of at least 70 children in Syria. This, as a result of missile strikes that hit residential areas of Aleppo on Monday 18 and again Friday 22 February. The UN agency condemns these attacks in the strongest terms, and once again calls on [...]
The temperature is rising between Israelis and Palestinians while no negotiations are taking place for a two-state solution to their conflict. That warning has come from UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, during a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East. He said the failure over [...]
At a posh dinner in Nairobi in February, hundreds of ministers and high-level officials dined at the headquarters of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). They feasted on perfectly good food grown by Kenyan farmers but rejected by supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Why the rejection? Cosmetic imperfections. The dinner was held to make a point [...]
Funds are urgently needed to address the basic needs of women and children affected by the ongoing crisis in Mali for the next three months, says UNICEF, the UN Children's agency. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and others forced to flee to neighbouring countries as fighting continues between government forces and armed [...]
A tripartite meeting on civil aviation has concluded with a call for a "sustainable civil aviation industry" as a "common goal for governments, employers and workers." The International Labour Organization (ILO) meeting noted that, "to achieve that goal, the industry needs a sustainable workforce, sustainable enterprises and a balanced value chain." Some 150 delegates [...]
The world will rely on you to speak the language of tolerance and respect, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a gathering of youth at the 5th Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations taking place in Vienna. He said their voices need to drown out those that preach division and hatred, noting that the world will [...]
Local farmers' cooperatives in Ethiopia have begun delivering the largest amount of maize they have ever sold to the World Food Programme -WFP, enough to support more than 1.8 million people for a month. Before the planting season last year, WFP signed forward contracts with 16 cooperative unions in Ethiopia for purchase of more [...]
With just a week before Kenyans go to the polls, a UN human rights expert has called on the Kenyan Government and the international community to significantly scale up efforts to prevent internal displacement in preparation for the March 4th elections. Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, says [...]
