Morocco has developed a strategy to prevent the abuse of religion to justify and incite terrorist violence and is now sharing it with the world. These measures were introduced in response to the 2003 terrorist bombings in Casablanca. An institute has been established in the Kingdom where religious teachers undergo mandatory training before they start [...]
The allied coalition against the Islamic militant group, ISIL, is "coming together" in the words of the US Ambassador to the UN. Samantha Power said five Arab countries had participated in air strikes with the US against terrorist targets in Syria. ISIL has become infamous around the world for the beheadings of western civilians and [...]
The annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations has drawn to a close in New York. The general debate which takes place each year at the start of a new session of the General Assembly is a chance for the international community to come together to explore the world's current state of affairs. [...]
The food situation has improved in South Sudan with more than two million people pulled from the brink of famine, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The agency says that is due to the efforts it has made together with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Mercy C orps, an international charity. [...]
Children orphaned by Ebola are facing stigma and rejection in their families and their communities, according to the UN Children's Fund UNICEF. Preliminary figures by the agency put the number of single and double orphans in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone at 3,700. As the death toll rises in the West Africa region, UNICEF warns [...]
Ongoing violence continues to make it difficult for humanitarian agencies to provide relief assistance to the people in need in Syria. That's what the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos told the Security Council as it discussed the situation in the conflict-torn country on Tuesday. The conflict in Syria has left eleven million people [...]
Bhutan has said that the new development goals being elaborated by UN Member States must activate "meaningful change." The new sustainable development goals or SDGs will replace the Millennium Development goals which are due to expire next year. Speaking in the UN General Assembly, the Bhutanese Minister of Home Affairs, Lyonpo Damcho Dorji, said the [...]
Islam is being "hijacked" by "extremist elements" the government of the Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. The Special Envoy of the President of the Maldives, Mohamed Waheed Hassan, asked if militant groups like ISIL should be allowed to shape humanity's future or whether the international community would [...]
Barbados has urged the international community to adopt "ambitious" targets for new poverty and sustainable development goals. Member countries of the UN are currently defining the targets to replace the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs which expire next year. Speaking to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the Foreign Minister of Barbados, Maxine McClean said [...]
"Tens of thousands" more refugees may flee the conflict in Syria if the militant Islamic group, ISIL, continues its advance in the north of the country. Briefing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the UN humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, said that 160,000 people, mainly women and children, had fled in the last two weeks. There [...]
At least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola since the start of the outbreak in West Africa, according to the UN Children's fund UNICEF. UNICEF says most of the children are being shunned by their surviving families and the communities where they come from for [...]
The prevention of violent extremism and the spread of terrorism is coming under the spotlight at the UN on Tuesday. The Counter-Terrorism Committee, which was established by the Security Council, is looking at how to counter the growth of terrorist networks and their increasingly violent activities. The rise of the militant terrorist group known as [...]
Every country in the world can achieve the goal of using clean energy, according to the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations. The use of fossil fuels is responsible for the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming and climate change. The UAE is a pioneer in the field [...]
To preserve peace the world needs a renewed United Nations, according to the representative of Pope Francis. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State, was speaking on Monday at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. He said in the face of terrorist attacks on Christians and other minorities, a reinvigorated United [...]
The Government of Myanmar has pledged to launch an "action plan" to ease ethnic tensions in its troubled Rakhine. The south-east Asian country has been plagued by violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities since June 2012. The worst of the clashes affected hundreds of thousands of families in the country's second poorest region. Speaking in [...]
Militant Islam is spreading in all regions of the world, according to the Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu was on Monday speaking at the 69th session of the General Assembly. In his speech, the Minister compared the terrorist group ISIS to cancer, saying that to protect the peace and security of the world, ISIS [...]
Continuing to ignore Africa's humanitarian crises is a risk for global peace and security. António Guterres, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) issued the warning on Monday during a high-level meeting on refugees in Africa. According to UNHCR, there are more than 3 million refugees in Africa, 12.5 million displaced and some 700,000 [...]
Terrorist groups operating in Syria have been unleashed like a monster, according to the country's Foreign Minister. Speaking at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, Walid Al-Moualem said pressure should be put on countries that support terrorist organizations. Mr Al-Moualem said these countries are well known, and specifically named ISIL, also known as [...]
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Governments around the world are been urged by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to address what it describes as "an epidemic of crime and victimization". A report released by the agency on Monday says that 40,000 people have died since the year 2000 as they tried to reach other countries using smugglers, in desperate [...]
Fifteen children died in northern Syria due to the incorrect use of a drug in a measles vaccine, according to the World Health Organization, WHO. The children from Syria's Idlib province received the contaminated measles vaccination as part of a UN immunization campaign in September. A WHO investigation revealed that the vaccine was incorrectly reconstituted [...]
Over 40,000 migrants have died worldwide since the year 2,000 trying to reach countries where they hope to have a better life, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Nearly half the migrants have died mainly on the treacherous routes across the Mediterranean sea. In a report titled "Fatal Journey: Tracking Lives lost During [...]
Afghanistan's new President has been inaugurated bringing an end to a protracted and disputed election. On Monday Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai became leader of Afghanistan's national unity government. He will work closely with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's new Chief Executive Officer and runner-up of the election. The United Nations Assistance Mission in the country, UNAMA [...]
Caribbean countries remain economically vulnerable and require continued support, according to the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, CARICOM. Irwin LaRocque was at UN Headquarters in New York over the weekend to meet with the UN Secretary-General and a group of ministers from the CARICOM nations. Although Mr LaRoque considers the recent conference on Small [...]
The UN refugee agency has called for a renewed commitment to preventing conflict and ending protracted displacement especially on the African continent. UNHCR says Africa's 16 million internally displaced persons and refugees represents the largest challenge for the agency in terms of capacity and financial requirements. Speaking at the start of a high-level meeting on [...]
Governments and people around the world are being urged by the World Health Organization (WHO) to take action to reduce the intake of salt. On World Heart Day, observed annually on 29 September, WHO is warning that consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and greatly increase the risk of heart problems. [...]
A meeting of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is getting underway in Geneva on Monday to look at how to mobilize more international attention and support for displacement situations in Africa. The two-day meeting is being held at the start of the annual session of UNHCR's 94-member Executive Committee. Government Ministers and senior representatives of [...]
The reduction of salt in diets can help to save lives according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Health professionals say that over-consumption increases blood pressure and can lead to heart problems. On average, people consume around 10 grams per day, around double WHO's recommended level. On World heart Day which is observed on 29 [...]
Millions of coloured plastic bottle caps are being displayed in the lobby of the United Nations Secretariat in New York. An Italian artist is raising awareness about pollution by showing the world what happens when pieces of plastic accumulate in the ocean. Maria Cristina Finucci calls her creation the "Garbage Patch State", which now even [...]
The ability of the semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in Uganda’s Karamoja region to move freely is being hampered by changing weather patterns. That’s according to a climate and development expert who works with the Riamiriam Civil Society Network Karamoja in Uganda. The prolonged drought and lack of resources are also making it difficult for these marginalized [...]
The UN Security Council has been accused by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of turning its back on the country's concerns over military exercises on the Korean Peninsula. DPRK or North Korea asked the Council to suspend the annual US-South Korea joint exercises which it says "seriously endanger peace and security" in the [...]
Cuba has called for a halt to foreign intervention in the ongoing crisis in Syria. Speaking in the UN General Assembly, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, said US air-strikes were in contravention of international law. The US has attacked militants of the terrorist group, ISIL, on Syrian territory. Foreign Minister Parrilla said western intervention [...]
A senior Libyan envoy has told the international community that "turning a blind eye to terrorism" in Libya is "unacceptable." Addressing the UN General Assembly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Libya, Agila Essa Saleh, said the international community must either be willing to impose sanctions against those who hinder Libya's political process, [...]
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Guyana says the advancements made by Caribbean countries should not be reversed. On Saturday, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett chaired a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, on the margins of the 69th General Assembly. Members of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community Secretariat, met with the UN Secretary-General to discuss the challenges they [...]
Russia is working with Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to resolve the crisis in eastern Ukraine. That's what Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov told the United Nations General Assembly as it continued its general debate on Saturday. He said the conflict between government and rebel forces, which has displaced [...]
The Prime Minister of Fiji has called for urgent action to save small island states in the Pacific from slowly sinking as a result of rising sea levels. In his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Josaia Bainimarama said these nations are facing what he called "enormous challenges." He identified those challenges as [...]
Efforts to stop terrorists cannot be effective if there are people who talk about what is being called "good or bad terrorism." That's according to the Prime Minister of India. In his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Narendra Modi said that Asia has been facing the problem of terrorism and instability for [...]
The President of South Sudan has accused his political adversary of stoking up tribal conflict following what he described as a "failed coup" in December last year. President Salva Kiir said that his former Vice-President Riek Machar characterized their political struggle as an ethnic issue after he failed to oust the president from power. Joseph [...]
Central Africans should be given the opportunity to share their vision of the country's future. That's according to the President of the Central African Republic's transitional government, Catherine Samba-Panza, the country's first female leader. She came to power in January 2014 with a mandate to end months of bloodshed between Christian and Muslim militias. Last [...]
Barriers to women's economic empowerment can be removed, according to the Executive Director of the UN's agency for gender equality, UN Women. On Saturday, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was at a ministerial panel at UN Headquarters in New York, to discuss women's economic potential and the key role they play for sustainable development. Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka is pushing [...]
It would be wrong to abandon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and start from scratch. That's what the Vice President of Burundi, Prosper Bazombanza told the General Assembly as it continued its debate on Saturday. The MDGs, were set by world leaders in 2000 to, among other things, eradicate extreme poverty, achieve universal primary education [...]
Rebels in the north of Mali are being urged by the country's President to show "political courage" in negotiations with the government. The West African nation has experienced two years of conflict as insurgents have sought to take control of key cities in the north of the country. Clashes involving armed groups have continued despite [...]
The Security Council has been requested to reconsider the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) when its renewal comes up in November this year. The request was made by President Salva Kiir during his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday. He said that the new mandate does not allow UNMISS [...]
The United States says it's committed to ratifying an international treaty to ban the testing of nuclear weapons. The US is amongst eight countries worldwide including Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that need to ratify the UN-brokered Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to bring it into force. American law makers voted against the [...]
Bangladesh is celebrating 40 years since it became a Member State of the United Nations. In September 1974, the south-central Asian country became the 136th member. To mark this anniversary, a commemorative event was organized at UN Headquarters in New York to highlight Bangladesh's history with the organization, as well as its important contributions to [...]
Eight states that need to sign and ratify a nuclear test ban treaty for it to come into force have been urged by the UN Secretary-General to urgently do so. Ban Ki-moon spoke at a ministerial meeting of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or CTBT held at UN headquarters in New York on Friday afternoon. Mr. [...]
A rapid response force is being trained in the Central African Republic (CAR) to curb conflict-related sexual violence in the country. That's what the UN Special Envoy on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura said on Friday on the margins of a high-level meeting on CAR. Over a hundred gendarmes are currently being taught [...]
The president of Somalia has warned that his country is facing what he described as an "extremely critical" humanitarian situation. More than three million Somalis are currently in need of assistance as a result of drought and insecurity. The Horn of Africa country has been fighting insurgents from the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization for a number [...]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $130 million package to help fight the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Around 3,000 people have died from the disease since the latest outbreak began six months ago. An expedited decision to release the funds was taken by the IMF's Executive Board in Washington D.C. on [...]
The Minister of Finance of Timor-Leste is voicing that some aid donors are still using "bully tactics" in her small south-east Asian island. On the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, Emilia Pires said a partnership means you are supposed to work together and respect the priorities of a country. Stephanie Coutrix [...]
Negotiations that fail to address the problem of the Israeli building of settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory will not be attended by Palestinians. That's what President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine told the UN General Assembly as it continued its annual general debate on Friday. President Abbas stressed that negotiations must be [...]
Peacekeeping missions of the United Nations need to respond to a dramatic shift in the "global security landscape" according to the UN Secretary-General. The UN currently manages 17 missions on four different continents staffed by more than 130,000 personnel, the highest in the organization's history. As the demands on peacekeepers increase, the UN is looking [...]
The demand for international peacekeeping has never been greater, the Vice President of the United States said on Friday. Joe Biden made the remarks as chair of a gathering of world leaders in New York on UN peacekeeping and how it has evolved over the years. In one generation, peacekeeping has grown tenfold to include [...]
Côte d'Ivoire is now at peace and its economic growth continues to be strong, the leader of the West African country said on Friday. Speaking in the General Assembly as it continued its annual debate, President Alassane Ouattara said Côte d'Ivoire today is a nation with far ranging goals. He said the country's objective is [...]
Malawi is "heavily involved in peace-making" in the southern African region and the Great Lakes region, according to the country's head of state. President Peter Mutharika made the remarks after a meeting on peace and security in Africa on the margins of the UN General Assembly's annual debate. Malawi has also contributed its troops to [...]
Namibia has made significant progress in achieving the anti-poverty goals set by world leaders in the year x2000, according to the country's president. President Hifikepunye Pohamba was speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday as the high-level debate of global leaders continued. The Namibian leader said that the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals [...]
The UN refugee agency UNHCR has expressed reservations over an agreement between Australia and Cambodia on the relocation of refugees and asylum seekers. Under the agreement signed on Friday Australia will transfer recognized refugees from Nauru to Cambodia. Australia transfers refugees and asylum seekers trying to reach the country to a detention and processing center [...]
The number of people seeking refugee status in industrialized countries continued to climb in the first half of 2014, driven mainly by the wars in Syria and Iraq as well as conflict and instability in Afghanistan, Eritrea and elsewhere. The UN refugee Agency UNHCR says 330,700 people asked for refugee status in 44 countries in [...]
West African countries battling the Ebola disease outbreak will have to wait much longer before they know if vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials are safe for use in humans. The World Health Organisation says two Ebola vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials and will not be available for human use until early next year. WHO [...]
The ongoing peace process in Mali is expected to receive international backing at a United Nations summit on Saturday. The Malian President is due to join the meeting with senior UN officials. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon is expected to call for a return to peace and stability in the West African nation. Mali has [...]
One half of humanity—men and boys—is being called to stand up for gender equality through a campaign called HeForShe. On Saturday, the UN agency for gender equality, UN Women, launched HeForShe at UN Headquarters in New York. The campaign's message is clear: men and boys can help end the persisting inequalities faced by women and [...]
The human, environmental and financial cost of climate change is becoming increasingly unbearable, the UN Secretary-General told world leaders on Tuesday. Ban Ki-moon was speaking as he opened a one-day Climate Summit at UN headquarters in New York to galvanize international action on the issue. It’s expected the summit will provide momentum for a global [...]
The President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has reiterated his call for the lifting of "illegal" sanctions against his country. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly he said the sanctions were being used as a "foreign policy tool" to achieve "regime change." President Mugabe said the sanctions must be removed. "Why, I ask, should Zimbabweans [...]
The leaders of South Sudan have been urged by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to heal the wounds that he says have caused suffering for the people of the new nation. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million others have fled their homes since the conflict between the government and [...]
A civil rights struggle by young people who are determined to get education is underway, according to Gordon Brown, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Global Education. He told reporters in New York on Thursday that in the last two years, governments have recognized the importance of education to economic development. It's estimated that 58 [...]
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to be more ambitious and more specific. Christine Bosse, an advocate for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and Chairman of the non-profit Borne Foundation said on Thursday. She is part of a group of eminent personalities who support the Secretary-General in building political will and mobilizing global action [...]
The US President Barrack Obama has urged countries around the world to do more to fight the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa. Calling it a threat to global security he said millions could be killed unless action is taken now. The President was speaking at a high-level meeting convened in New [...]
Leading fashion designer and former singer Victoria Beckham has been appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). She was at UN Headquarters on Thursday to speak about her new role. Ms Beckham says she will work hard towards ensuring that all children are born free from HIV, and [...]
The international community has been "slow to respond" to the Ebola crisis in West Africa according to the President of Liberia. The deadly virus has been killing up to 200 people a day in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Already 3000 people have died. On Thursday at the United Nations, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held [...]
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Leading fashion designer Victoria Beckham has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations agency dealing with HIV and AIDS. The announcement was made by the Executive Director of UNAIDS at an event held during the UN's annual debate on Thursday. In her new role, Mrs. Beckham will work towards ensuring that all children are [...]
The President of Iran has said he is astonished that murderous terrorist groups call themselves Islamic and that the Western media repeat this false claim. Speaking in the UN General Assembly on Thursday President Hassan Rouhani said that uprooting extremism requires the spread of justice and development. He said the distortion of divine teachings to [...]
The vastness of Africa and its large numbers of unemployed and poor young people make the continent "especially vulnerable to terrorism." That's what President John Mahama of Ghana told the General Assembly as it continued its general debate at UN headquarters on Thursday. President Mahama said that in West Africa in particular, the free movement [...]
The Somali government has been censured for clamping down on media freedom and detaining journalists on trumped-up charges. A United Nations human rights expert says the government has in the recent past closed down several radio stations and detained at least three journalists on charges of treason after they reported on disarmament operations in Mogadishu. [...]
The UN Human Rights office has condemned the execution of an Iraqi human rights defender by the militant group ISIL. Ms Sameera Salih Ali Al-Nuaimy, was publicly executed by a masked firing squad in front of the Governorate building in central Mosul earlier this week after she was found guilty of apostasy. Reports indicate that [...]
Countries across the world are being urged by the United Nations Secretary-General to fight what he has called the "virus of fear and misinformation" surrounding Ebola. On Thursday, Ban Ki-moon is convening a meeting at UN headquarters in New York to discuss how to scale up the response to the Ebola virus. Some 3,000 people [...]
Supporters of capital punishment are expected to be told that there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the death penalty acts as a deterrence. The UN human rights office on Thursday is bringing countries together representing a variety of legal systems in New York, to discuss how to move away from killing people as [...]
World leaders are due to meet at the United Nations on Thursday to discuss how best to tackle the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa. It's six months since the first case of the disease was reported from Guinea. Since then 3,000 people have died in Guinea as well as Liberia and [...]
The President of France has said that his country has never given in to terrorism. Francois Hollande was speaking in the UN Security Council on Wednesday following the beheading of one of its citizens in Algeria. President Hollande said that terrorism is not new but that it has taken on another dimension. He said terrorist [...]
Conflicts are taking place in areas where land is so degraded that people are forced into exile or to join terrorist networks. That's what the Chief of the Liaison Office for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in New York said on Wednesday. According to Mr Melchiade Bukuru, world leaders should pay attention to the [...]
ANC leader Nelson Mandela addresses the General Assembly about his fight against the Apartheid regime in South Africa, four years before being elected President. Language: English Genre: Speech 1990 Duration: 25’33″
Uganda will use its presidency of the UN General Assembly to push the African agenda on the reform of the United Nations. That's what President Yoweri Museveni said during the general debate of the 69th session of the General Assembly on Wednesday. President Museveni said that Africa and individual African countries can form credible partnerships [...]
Fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq is already emerging as one of the key issues that world leaders will be debating this week at the UN General Assembly. In his speech to the General Assembly, the US President said his country would work to dismantle what he called the terrorists' "network of death" The rise [...]
United States President Barack Obama has urged world leaders to make a choice between renewing the international system and being pulled back by what he described as an "undertow of instability". Addressing the United Nations General Assembly as it began its general debate on Wednesday, President Obama said there has been progress since the creation [...]
Reducing the violence in Syria and getting humanitarian aid into the country is a priority for the United Nations, according to the Special Envoy for the country. Eleven million Syrians are in urgent need of aid, the UN says. Staffan de Mistura was briefing the press about his recent visit to Damascus where he met [...]
World leaders have been urged to intensify efforts to accelerate progress to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) set in 2000 to improve people's lives around the world. The appeal came from the President of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, Sam Kutesa at the start of the annual general debate on Wednesday. [...]
For the United Nations’ 50th birthday, Pope John Paul II praises the quest for freedom as one of the distinguished marks of the time and as a universal human right the UN has to defend. Language: English Genre: Speech 1995 Duration:
Women in Nepal are "on the frontlines of climate change" because as subsistence farmers, they are the ones who are most affected. Alina Saba, research and community organizer in Nepal, made the remarks on the sidelines of an event at the UN Climate Summit. A member of the indigenous Limbu community, she has been working [...]
Climate refugee is not a label a young person would want to be given, an activist with the Pacific Island Youth Council said. Christina Ora, from the Solomon Islands, was in New York as a youth delegate during the UN Climate Summit representing her region. According to the UN, many of these low-lying areas are [...]
An initiative to deliver cleaner energy to African households will help reduce pollution and dependency on diesel and other fossil fuels says Elijah Sichone, Executive Secretary of RERA (The Regional Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa). Nineteen Ministers from the southern African region endorsed the Africa Clean Energy Corridor initiative or ACEC at the United [...]
President of the United States John F. Kennedy addresses the UN General Assembly for the final time, during the “relative calm” of 1963. Language: English Genre: Speech 1963 Duration: 29’04″
As the United Nations General Assembly began its annual general debate on Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General said it had been a terrible year for the principles enshrined in the organization's Charter. Ban Ki-moon told world leaders gathered in New York that this year the "horizon of hope" had darkened. He noted what he described as [...]
A summit aimed at galvanizing international action on climate change has been lauded by the UN Secretary-General as an historic occasion. Over 120 world leaders gathered at the UN in New York at the Climate Summit convened by Ban Ki-moon. He said it had been a success. Today was a great day – a historic [...]
World leaders gathered in New York have been urged by the UN Secretary-General to support efforts to confront terrorist groups in Syria. Ban Ki-moon told reporters on Tuesday that he has repeatedly warned about the brutality of extremist armed groups in Syria and the threat they pose to domestic and international peace and security. He [...]
A partnership of multinational companies, governments, civil society and indigenous peoples has pledged to cut the loss of forests in half by 2020 and end it a decade later. The move announced during the Climate Summit in New York, is expected to promote the removal of between 4.5 and 8.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide [...]
A new partnership to cut methane emissions as part of efforts to reduce global warming has been announced at a UN Climate Summit on Tuesday. Multinational oil and gas companies, major producing States and over two dozen cities joined forces to cut the pollutant. Governments from major oil and gas producing countries such as Mexico, [...]
Two hundred billion dollars has been pledged by governments, investors and financial institutions for low-carbon programmes in developing countries. The announcement was made at the Climate Summit at UN headquarters in New York which is being attended by over 120 heads of state as well as the private sector and civil society. The UN's goal [...]
Estonia doubled its gross domestic product in 20 years and halved its carbon emissions, according to the country's President. Speaking after his speech at the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said Estonia doesn't measure its responsibility to fight climate change based on its size or wealth. Although repercussions of climate change [...]
The United States President has urged every country to cut greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to halt climate change. President Barack Obama told the Climate Summit at UN headquarters on Tuesday that the United States is committed to building a climate resilient infrastructure. He said the nations that contribute the least in harmful carbon [...]
The cities of the world are united and speaking with one voice, according to the Mayor of Bonn, Germany. Jürgen Nimptsch says he's at the UN for the Climate Summit wearing a second hat, that of vice chair of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change. Under the auspices of this Council, an initiative called [...]
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Countries are due to announce new commitments to reduce deforestation at the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday. That's according to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a global agreement covering all aspects of biodiversity or the variety of life on Earth. Thirteen million hectares of forests continue to be lost each [...]
American actor Leonardo DiCaprio has called on world leaders to end what he called "the free ride" that industrial polluters have been given in the name of a free market economy. The newly appointed UN Messenger for Peace, with a special focus on climate change issues, spoke at the Climate Summit in New York on [...]
Unsustainable debt levels of Small Island Developing States or SIDS are making it difficult for them to address climate change. That's what the Climate Summit was on Tuesday told by President James Alix Michel of Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. He said world leaders have heard "exhortations, complaints and pleas" for help from [...]
The leader of the small island nation of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday called on world leaders to make sacrifices to tackle the challenge of climate change. President Anote Tong told the Climate Summit in New York that action is needed now to guarantee a secure future for the people of small island [...]
The human, environmental and financial cost of climate change is becoming increasingly unbearable, the UN Secretary-General told world leaders on Tuesday. Ban Ki-moon was speaking as he opened a one-day Climate Summit at UN headquarters in New York to galvanize international action on the issue. It's expected the summit will provide momentum for a global [...]
New York City is firmly committed to an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That's what the city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, told world leaders gathered at UN headquarters to discuss climate change on Tuesday. Mr de Blasio spoke about the devastation caused by climate change and recalled that two years [...]
Hundreds of thousands of Kurds living in the northern Syrian region of Kobani are living in fear of persecution by the militant group Islamic state(ISIL) according to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). Displaced civilians who have managed to flee from towns besieged by ISIL fighters describe a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Kobani town with [...]
Humanitarian agencies along the Syrian Turkish border are preparing for a possible influx of up to 400,000 Syrian Kurds from the town of Kobane who are fleeing an advance by fighters from the militant group Islamic State (ISIL). United Nations Refugee agency UNHCR says more than 138,000 refugees mainly Kurds have crossed into southern Turkey [...]
World leaders have been urged by the UN Secretary-General to set the world on a new course. Speaking at the start of the Climate Summit in New York on Tuesday, Ban Ki-moon called for investment in climate resilient societies that protect all, especially the most vulnerable. Mr. Ban said the human, environmental and financial cost [...]
The World Health Organisation is warning that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could become a public health catastrophe if not brought under control soon. A study undertaken jointly by WHO and the Imperial College, London, estimates that up to 20,000 people in Liberia , Sierra Leone and Guinea could become infected with the Ebola [...]
People across the world can make a tangible contribution to reducing climate change through the personal choices they make, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Those choices include decisions about what to buy as well as getting involved in local initiatives aimed at reducing the emissions of greenhouse gasses which cause climate change. [...]
Women in South Sudan are increasingly becoming victims of gender-based violence and rape as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country, according to the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. The agency is stepping up the training of humanitarian service providers on the clinical management for rape so they can be better prepared to [...]
Grass-roots activists are getting together with business, civil society and the United Nations to discuss how technology and new media can create equality for all by the year 2030. They're meeting at the fifth Social Good Summit which takes place annually on the margins of the UN General Assembly debate attended by heads of state [...]
The First Ladies of Africa are calling on the international community to strengthen support for maternal and new-born health. On Monday, the wives of over thirty African presidents met at UN Headquarters in New York at an event organized by Chad and the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. According to the UNFPA, the rate of [...]
A fund has been established by the United Nations to ensure a coherent contribution to the efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. According to the latest estimates, there are now more than 5,000 cases of the disease which has claimed over 2, 600 lives mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Spokesperson [...]
Governments around the world have been urged to take advantage of what has been described as "a demographic dividend" of declining fertility by investing in young people to ensure sustainable development. The call was made on Monday by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Dr. Osotimehin told the General [...]
Bolivia and Ecuador have made great progress in advancing indigenous rights by openly recognizing them in their respective Constitutions. That's according to Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for American Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). A special report on the status of the Indigenous people of the region will be launched on [...]
The signing of an agreement to stop the conflict in Yemen has been welcomed by the UN Secretary-General. The announcement of the signing of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement in Yemen was made on Sunday following days of clashes between government and Houthi fighters. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he has been following recent developments [...]
Seven years after signing a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, delegates at the UN are poised to seal the deal. The first-ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples opened on Monday in New York. Member States adopted a formal document fulfilling their promise to implement the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration prohibits discrimination [...]
Despite progress that Africa has made in the past 20 years in the advancement of women, over 180,000 women on the continent still die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year. That's what participants at a meeting of Africa's First Ladies on Maternal and New-born Health beyond 2014, organized by Chad and the [...]
Attacks using armed drones are carried out under circumstances that don't allow for transparency to deliver justice to victims. That's what the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Flavia Pansieri told a panel discussion on armed drones held in Geneva on Monday. She noted that drones started appearing some 15 years ago. However, she added [...]
It is critical for indigenous peoples and their institutions to participate more directly in United Nations activities. That's what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the start of the first ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on Monday. Representatives and leaders of indigenous groups from around the world have gathered at UN headquarters in New [...]
A new strain of avian influenza has emerged in South-East Asia in poultry threatening animal health and livelihoods, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The agency says the virus, known as A(H5N6) was first reported by Chinese authorities in April this year and has since been detected in Laos and Viet Nam. [...]
The UN General Assembly (GA) Hall, which has been described as the greatest of Parliaments, underwent a massive renovation from June 2013 to September 2014. It has seen hour long speeches by world leaders, tense debates on global issues, and numerous votes to elect Security Council members. But for the past 16 months, the UN's [...]
More than 120 world leaders are expected at a United Nations conference on climate change on Tuesday. The Climate Summit has been convened by the UN Secretary-General, in order to build momentum towards securing a global agreement on reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. World governments as well as the private sector and civil society are [...]
A mobile computer classroom is helping women and girls gain access to essential information on the internet, according to the Executive Director of a Ugandan NGO. Asia Kamukama, who leads the Maendeleo Foundation, said the organization reaches many women in rural, remote areas of the country. In addition, the classroom is solar-powered and therefore doesn't [...]
An estimated 300,000 people have taken to the streets of New York City to highlight concerns about a lack of international action to stop climate change. The People's Climate March is part of a worldwide campaign to persuade global leaders to act decisively on the issue. The march comes two days ahead of a heads [...]
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of New York City on Sunday to show the world they care about climate change. Politicians, celebrities and activists flooded the west side of Manhattan, including Nik Sekhran who leads the sustainable development team at the UN's Development Programme (UNDP). Mr Sekhran joined the march to [...]
There is no "Plan B" for action to reduce climate change as there is no "Planet B" according to the UN Secretary-General. Ban Ki-Moon made the comment as he joined over 100,000 demonstrators on the People's Climate March through New York on Sunday. Politicians, celebrities, activists and the general public marched though the city to [...]
Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meet for their annual general conference in Vienna, Austria, on Monday to review the work of the past year and set the agenda for the year ahead. The Agency's work in the fields of agriculture, food security and water resources management will be featured in the [...]
Efforts are underway on the Pacific Ocean island of Samoa to reduce gender violence and increase the political representation of women. The small island state has amongst the highest rates of violence against women in the world and the lowest number of female members of parliament. The gender-focused agency of the United Nations, UN Women, [...]
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march through the centre of New York on Sunday to protest about a lack of international action to stop climate change. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is joining politicians, celebrities, activists and the general public to highlight global concerns about the dangers of changes in climatic conditions. [...]
One half of humanity—men and boys—is being called to stand up for gender equality through a campaign called HeForShe. On Saturday, the UN agency for gender equality, UN Women, is launching HeForShe at UN Headquarters in New York. The campaign's message is clear: men and boys can help end the persisting inequalities faced by women [...]
One of the largest solidarity movements of the 21st century for gender equality is being launched by the UN agency for gender equality, UN Women. The HeForShe campaign intends to mobilize one billion men and boys to end persisting inequalities faced by women and girls. The kick-start event on Saturday at UN Headquarters is being [...]
The world needs to come together to put an end to what's been called the "unfettered barbarity" of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL. US Secretary of State John Kerry made the call as chair of a Security Council debate on Iraq on Friday. A statement was adopted by the Council [...]
Among the thousands of Syrian refugees who were forced by the conflict to flee their country to Iraq a year ago is a former grocery store owner, Shareef. In Iraq, Shareef has opened a bakery which has become a successful business. Iraq now has its own problems. Attacks by militants have forced thousands of Iraqis [...]
Investigators into the July crash of a commercial plane over Ukraine confirmed the flight "broke apart" after it was penetrated by "high energy objects" from outside the aircraft. That's what the UN's Political Affairs chief told members of the Security Council on Friday. A Dutch-led international investigation submitted its initial findings on 9 September into [...]
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The deaths of up to 500 migrants as they tried to cross the Mediterranean in a smugglers' boat has been described as "mass murder" by the UN human rights chief. Survivors of the incident say that the smugglers deliberately sank the boat after the migrants refused to change to another vessel. The boat had originated [...]
The killing of five United Nations peacekeepers in northern Mali has been strongly condemned by the UN Security Council. A statement was issued by members of the Council on Friday, calling for a swift investigation into the attack and for those responsible to be held accountable. The Chadian soldiers died in a roadside bomb attack [...]
A minute of silence has been observed at United Nations headquarters in New York to remember all those who are living in war zones. The Secretary-General led the minute' silence before ringing the UN peace bell in a call for world peace and a day of non-violence. The Peace Bell Ceremony is an annual tradition [...]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is appalled by the murder of health workers and journalists trying to raise awareness about the Ebola disease in Guinea. The organization says the killings reflect the enormous difficulties and challenges health workers and other volunteers face in trying to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Over [...]
The alleged deliberate drowning of between 300 and 500 migrants in the Mediterranean sea last week was a criminal act that must not go unpunished, according to the UN Human Rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. He says Egypt, from where the ill-fated boat originated, and other North African and European states must make every [...]
Lebanon has the right to ask the international community to share the burden of helping Syrian refugees who have fled the ongoing conflict in their country. That's the view of the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres who visited refugee camps in Lebanon's Beeka Valley this week. He said Lebanon, a country [...]
The suffering and spill over effects of Ebola in the West African region and beyond demands the attention of the entire world. The Secretary-General made the appeal before the Security Council as he announced the creation of a UN Mission, UNMEER, to respond to the epidemic and its consequences. In Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, [...]
Undelivered aid commitments by developed countries are holding back progress on the UN anti-poverty goals or MDGs in developing countries. That's according to the latest report of the MDG Gap Task Force entitled the State of the Global Partnership for Development. Goal 8 was created as a call to developed countries to extend specific support [...]
The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa is not only a serious health problem but is also having an impact on the economies of the affected countries. That's according to the World Bank, which estimates as a result of the outbreak, that the overall loss of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) across [...]
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People displaced by the war in Syria as well as refugees in neighbouring countries will receive less food aid starting October this year. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issued the warning on Thursday citing the lack of funds forcing the agency to make drastic cutbacks. WFP is currently providing food for almost 6 [...]
The deadlock over the formation of an Afghan government of national unity has deepened the crisis in the country. That's what Ján Kubiš, the outgoing UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan, told members of the Security Council on Thursday. A political impasse arose after the heavily disputed June presidential elections which were meant to pave the [...]
At least 15 Syrian children have died and many others taken ill in Idlib province after they were injected with a contaminated measles vaccine. Initial investigations by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that a muscle relaxing compound was used to reconstitute the measles vaccine. WHO says majority of the children who died were below [...]
Fifteen children have died in Syria after receiving a contaminated measles vaccination as part of a UN immunization campaign. Fifty more children have what have been described as serious illnesses. A preliminary investigation has revealed that the children were immunized with a muscle relaxant. It's not clear if the contamination was deliberate or a human [...]
Cambodia is aiming to triple its export of rice by the end of 2015. That's the ambitious goal of the government of this small South-East Asian country. But how can struggling rice farmers step up production when they barely produce enough to feed their children? Surprisingly, the answer may be found in computer software. Technology [...]
The voices of indigenous peoples must be heard and they must be consulted on issues that affect them, including rights to land and resources. The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz made the appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council. According to the UN, an estimated 370 million indigenous peoples [...]
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is conducting a massive aid operation to assist some 500,000 Iraqis displaced by conflict in northern Iraq. It includes airlifts and transport of aid by road and sea which have already supported more than 10,000 families in Iraq's Dohuk Governorate. Recent assessments indicate there are now more 850,000 displaced in [...]
More than two million children in South Asia die before their fifth birthday, according to a new report released by UNICEF on Thursday. Key findings on the latest trends and data on children across South Asia show that while there is huge progress in some health and human rights strong inequalities still persist in other [...]
Despite dramatic progress on child survival, one million babies die the day they are born from mostly preventable causes; that's according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Data from a new report released by UNICEF show that the first 28 days of a newborn's life are the most vulnerable with almost 2.8 million babies dying [...]
Strong and decisive action is needed to tackle the catastrophic effects of climate change, according to the UN Deputy Secretary-General. Mr Jan Eliasson made the remarks during the launch of a new report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), a watchdog that monitors global displacement. The risk of displacement due to natural disasters has [...]
More people have been displaced by natural disasters than by conflicts, according to a report launched at the United Nations on Wednesday. The "Global Estimates 2014: People Displaced by Disasters" compiled by the Norwegian Refugee Council says 22 million people were displaced by natural disasters in 2013. Derrick Mbatha has more details. Duration: 2’28″
Governments, local authorities and international institutions should place urban challenges of the 21st century at the top of their priorities. That's according to Joan Clos, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). He was speaking at the opening of this year's UN conference on housing and sustainable urban development also referred [...]
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The stage has been set for the creation of the post-2015 development agenda says the President of the 68th UN General Assembly session. John Ashe stood down as President on Monday after completing a one-year term which focussed on negotiations for putting new development goals into place. Those new targets will replace the Millennium Development [...]
The role of digital information in tackling the challenge of climate change is due to be highlighted during a summit on climate change, which is being convened by the UN Secretary-General next week. Two winners of the UN Big Data Climate Challenge have been invited to participate in the meeting where they will showcase their [...]
A group of UN anti-torture experts have suspended a visit to Azerbaijan after failing to get unrestricted access to places of deprivation of liberty. That's according to a statement released by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) on Wednesday. The United Nations Subcommittee on the prevention of torture or SPT [...]
The United States Government has pledged to provide a range of measures to assist in the global response to the Ebola Virus Disease, a move which has been warmly welcomed by the UN Secretary-General. As of 13 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports there are over 4,900 probable cases of Ebola and more than [...]
The 1961 UN Radio programme explores a future with clean energy sources. Scientists discuss the possibilities of utilizing the sun, wind and heat stored deep beneath the earth's surface and its economic and social significance. Language: English Genre: Report 1961 Duration: 28’31″
The elections in the Central African Republic or CAR remain a critical phase, the outcome of which will show whether that the country has returned to constitutional order. The UN peacekeeping chief, Hervé Ladsous made the observation after taking part in a "re-hatting" ceremony in the capital Bangui. On 15 September, thousands of military troops [...]
A blogger whose photographs have captured the imagination of almost ten million people on social media is helping the United Nations to promote what's been described as an "understanding of common humanity." Brandon Stanton publishes the Human of New York blog which features pictures and comment on a wide range of issues from people he [...]
American actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been appointed as the newest UN Messenger for Peace, with a special focus on climate change issues. The UN Secretary-General made the announcement during a briefing ahead of a Climate change summit he is convening in New York next week. DiCaprio established a foundation in 1998 with the mission to [...]
The crisis in Gaza is far from over and the window of opportunity to address critical needs and stabilize the situation is short. That's what Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told members of the Security Council on Tuesday. Gaza could implode again and the two-State solution for Israel [...]
A new coalition to fight the Ebola crisis in West Africa has been launched by the United Nations and its humanitarian partners. The outbreak of the virus continues to accelerate with nearly 5,000 people infected and more than 2,400 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The Global Ebola Response Coalition will support [...]
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The world can no longer afford to burn its way through prosperity, the Secretary-General has warned. Mr Ban Ki-moon made the remarks during the launch of a new climate economy report on Tuesday. Released by a commission of global leaders, the report has set concrete recommendations for sustainable, low carbon economic growth. It also aims [...]
The number of hungry people around the world declined by more than 100 million over the last decade and by over 200 million since 1990, according to a report released on Tuesday. The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2014) is published annually by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund [...]
Eight hundred and five million or about one in nine people across the world suffer from hunger, a new UN report has found. However, the number of those who are hungry has declined globally by more than a 100 million over the last decade, the State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2014) confirmed. [...]
As many as 700 migrants are feared to have drowned in the past week, after their vessels ran aground and sunk in the Mediterranean sea, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). In one of the incidences, IOM says at least 500 migrants drowned after their boat was deliberately sunk by human traffickers. Two [...]
The inaction of the international community to bring the Syrian conflict to an end continues to embolden the warring parties to operate with impunity and nourished the violence that has consumed the country, according to the International Commission looking into human rights abuses in the country. The Commission says the latest beneficiary of this inaction [...]
The United Nations says it will require nearly a billion dollars to bring the Ebola disease outbreak in West Africa under control. The outbreak continues to accelerate with nearly 5,000 people infected and more than 2,400 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. To better coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak, a Global [...]
Despite dramatic progress on child survival, one million babies die the day they are born from mostly preventable causes, according to the UN's Children's Fund (UNICEF). Data from a new report released on Tuesday by UNICEF show that the first 28 days of a newborn's life are the most vulnerable with almost 2.8 million babies [...]
Dramatic and accelerating progress has been made in reducing mortality among children, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF says new data from a report entitled "Levels and Trends in Child Mortality" proves that success is possible even for poorly resourced countries. The data released on Tuesday shows that mortality rates for children under [...]
A number of, what have been described as, "bold initiatives" have been made ahead of a major summit on climate change taking place at the United Nations next week. Over one hundred heads of state and government are expected at the Climate Summit in New York, which has been convened by the UN Secretary-General. The [...]
An African-led peace mission to the Central African Republic has been replaced by a United Nations force, a move which the UN says will lead to a number of what it calls "advantages". The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has a maximum strength of 12,000 personnel and was established [...]
Member States of the United Nations have the necessary tools to craft a post-2015 development agenda, according to the President of the General Assembly. John Ashe was speaking on his last day as the President of the 68th Session of the UN's main body for debate and deliberation. He told reporters that when he was [...]
The African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) has been transferred to the United Nations on Monday. In a ceremony held in the country's capital, Bangui, the authority was officially reassigned from MISCA to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Some 6,600 troops and more than [...]
Governments around the world have been urged to cooperate in stopping financing for foreign fighters who join Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria. The appeal has come from the UN Secretary-General as a major conference on Peace and Security in Iraq was being held in Paris on Monday. Fighters from different countries, including western nations [...]
The global treaty on the rights of people with disabilities has reached what has been described as a milestone with ratification by 150 countries. Guyana on Monday became the latest state to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which has been in force since 2008. The Convention was adopted by [...]
The head of the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has called for restraint in the largest camp for internally displaced persons in the region. According to reports, tensions flared up about two weeks ago when a team of Sudanese police entered Kalma camp and drove down a road separating [...]
The violence and brutality towards women and girls in Iraq has been described as striking by the UN Humanitarian Chief. Valerie Amos made the comment during a visit to the Khanke internally displaced persons camp in Dohuk, one of the largest in the country. Twenty million people across Iraq have been forced to flee their [...]
Renewed military confrontations in Libya threaten to impose an increasingly heavier toll on the civilian population in the country. The warning has come from the new head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino Leon, during his briefing to the Security Council on Monday. Libya has been mired in political instability and conflict [...]
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The intensity of the ongoing conflict in Darfur in Sudan has reduced in recent months, but the number of people who are fleeing their homes has increased. That's according to the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The Mission also reported an upsurge in criminality. The UN estimates that some 385,000 people have been [...]
American writer, broadcaster and traveler Lowell Thomas narrates this drama on UN’s Headquarters, “both a workshop and a symbol”. Language: English Genre: Drama 1956 Duration: 14’31″
Toni Hagen the Swiss geologist, Aila the sherpa and Fritz the dachshund traverse the Himalayas over and over enough to have climbed Mount Everest fifty times, as part of the United Nations Technical Assistance Administration. Language: English Genre: Drama 1954 Duration: 14’35″
The killing of a British humanitarian worker by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been strongly condemned by the Security Council. A video released by ISIL late on Saturday showed the beheading of David Haines, who was abducted by militants in Syria last year. In a statement issued on Sunday, the [...]
A group of United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern over the rising wave of enforced disappearances worldwide, under the guise of preserving national security, combating terrorism or organized crime. In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances reminded states that no circumstances whatsoever, whether a threat [...]
Young people everywhere are being called by the Secretary-General to lead a major push for inclusive democracy around the world. Ban Ki-moon's message is being delivered on Monday on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy. The UN Chief says that peace, equality, and shared prosperity cannot take hold in societies that are not [...]
Respect and understanding are the key human qualities needed to be a successful parliamentary Speaker in India. So says Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. Ms Mahajan was elected Speaker in June. She met up with Patrick Maigua at an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Geneva [...]
South Sudan has become the latest country to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, defines what constitutes discrimination against women, and commits Member States to setting up an agenda for action to support them. Mary Apai is [...]
Women Speakers represent less than 15 per cent of all Speakers of Parliament in the world, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). To tackle this inequality, senior women parliamentary leaders recently met in Geneva at the annual meeting of the IPU. They looked at how women can take a lead in building a social, cultural [...]
The shadow banking sector has surged in China over recent years says the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The agency says shadow banks are not officially banks at all but institutions outside of the banking system that loan money. The loans accounted for a third of the rise in lending last year. Savers are attracted to [...]
The World Food Programme (WFP) has started its first operation to provide food for the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The agency is distributing food boxes containing ready-to-eat canned goods such as meat, fish, vegetables as well as biscuits, jam and tea in transit centres and public shelters in Donetsk [...]
As the winter approaches, finding a place for all Iraqis is the top priority according to the UN Humanitarian Chief. Valerie Amos arrived in Iraq on Thursday as part of a four-day mission to the country. She met the President of Iraq in Baghdad and discussed the constraints faced in delivering humanitarian assistance. Later in [...]
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The recent conflict in Gaza has left about one in five people with mental health problems that are severe enough to warrant access to mental health services. That's according to the World Health Organization (WHO) which on Friday published an account on its website of personal stories of people with mental health difficulties in Gaza. [...]
The announcement by the Cuban government to provide health professionals to help tackle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been welcomed by the UN health agency. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are now more than 4, 000 people infected by Ebola and over 2,000 have died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra [...]
A new round of arrests, detentions, and deportation of asylum-seekers and refugees in Sri Lanka has once again been recorded, according to the UN's Refugee Agency (UNHCR). UNHCR was informed that between 3 and 11 September, 62 Pakistani and three Afghan asylum-seekers were arrested and detained; 40 people had been subsequently deported. UNHCR is concerned [...]
The Government of Cuba has committed to provide 165 health professionals to support Ebola care in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, said on Friday that to go to war with Ebola, resources are needed to fight. WHO says this Ebola outbreak is the largest, most [...]
A small operation to deliver food to vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine is being rolled out, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Since the beginning of September, the UN's food agency has been distributing food boxes in transit centres and public shelters in Donetsk and Luhansk. According to reports, a fragile ceasefire is now [...]
The number of refugees from Syria’s intensifying crisis has passed three million amid reports of horrifying conditions inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency. UNHCR says a further 6.5 million people have been internally displaced by the ongoing civil war. Iman and her family are some of the victims of the conflict in [...]
Women Speakers represent less than 15 per cent of all Speakers of Parliament in the world, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). To tackle this inequality, senior women parliamentary leaders recently met in Geneva at the annual meeting of the IPU. They looked at how women can take a lead in building a social, cultural [...]
A Colombian women's rights network has been announced winner of an annual award delivered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for outstanding services in supporting the refugee cause. The network receiving the Nansen Refugee Award, which includes a $100,000 monetary prize, is called "Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future". UNHCR says the members of [...]
Liberia is going through what has been described by the head of UN peacekeeping operations as a "particularly bad time" as it faces the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. Hervé Ladsous was speaking to reporters in the capital Monrovia during his visit to the West African country on Thursday. Mr Ladsous said that as of Tuesday, [...]
The release of UN peacekeepers who had been taken by armed forces in the Golan Heights since 28 August has been welcomed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The 45 Fijian peacekeepers are part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the 1974 accord between Syria and Israel after the 1973 war. [...]
More than two million children in South Asia die before their fifth birthday, according to a new report released by UNICEF on Thursday. Key findings on the latest trends and data on children across South Asia show that while there is huge progress in some health and human rights strong inequalities still persist in other [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Prices of food in August dropped to their lowest levels since September 2010, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The UN agricultural agency attributes the drop to improved production outlook due to good weather conditions in key growing regions. The FAO's monthly Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change [...]
Too many young girls are giving birth in South Asia, according to the UN's Children's Fund (UNICEF). On Thursday, UNICEF released a report on the latest trends and data on children across South Asia. One of the key findings is that 46 per cent of girls marry before the age of 18, and 18 per [...]
There has been no agreement on the required legal framework for elections to be held in Haiti. That's what Sandra Honoré, the head of the UN mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) told the Security Council during her briefing on Thursday. She said that when she last briefed the Council in March there was hope that the [...]
A new camp for displaced people is taking shape in the village of Khanke in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, with the help of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners. The camp will house some of the thousands of Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of attacks by insurgents [...]
Food prices dropped in August, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO's monthly Food Price Index registered its lowest level since September 2010. The agency says the drop in prices of the main crops is due to improved production outlook as a result of good weather conditions in key growing regions. Sandra [...]
Eight countries that have not yet ratified a treaty to ban nuclear weapons testing have been urged to do so by a senior UN official. The countries which have not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty include five from the Asia region; India, Pakistan, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran. The treaty can [...]
Member States of the United Nations are meeting on Thursday and Friday to share their views on the post 2015-development agenda. This stock-taking event is the last one organized by the current President of the General Assembly, John Ashe, who is finishing his one year term next week. Mr Ashe said this event will allow [...]
Billions of dollars that could be used to finance development are lost in tax evasion, according to a senior official of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In a report released on Wednesday UNCTAD calls for more spending on social support systems, skills training and job creation in industrialized countries. The UN trade [...]
The world's ozone layer and climate change are interconnected phenomena, according to the Executive Director of the UN's Environment Programme (UNEP). Achim Steiner was at UN Headquarters on Wednesday to give a preview of the latest scientific assessment of ozone depletion. The Earth’s ozone layer protects all life from the sun’s radiation, but human activities [...]
The conflict in Syria has transformed the country from being one of the few Arab nations to surpass the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to one of the world's poorest performing countries. It's doing better than just one other state; Somalia. That's the opinion of a senior economist at the UN Economic and Social Commission for [...]
Eight countries that have not yet ratified a treaty to ban nuclear weapons testing have been urged to do so by a senior UN official. The countries which have not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty include five from the Asia region; India, Pakistan, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran. The treaty can [...]
Syria has lost more than three decades in human development during its three-year old civil war, according to a new report on the impact of the conflict on the country's development goals. The report released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) shows that almost 45 per cent of Syrians live [...]
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says rich and poor countries much change their economic policies to stimulate growth and prevent a resurgence of the problems that caused the recent financial crisis. In its annual Trade and Development report, released today, UNCTAD calls on governments in industrialized countries to boost spending on [...]
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Military disarmament has been described as a "win-win proposition" for those countries wishing to develop. The United Nations Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Alfred de Zayas has said that military spending could be reduced around the world. He said that the money saved could be put towards education, [...]
Countries that have not ratified a treaty to ban nuclear weapons testing should look squarely at the human suffering it causes, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. On Wednesday, Ban Ki-moon was speaking at an event to mark the international day against nuclear tests, which raises awareness about the need to achieve a [...]
The exact number of people who have contracted the Ebola disease in West Africa is unclear according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of Tuesday, WHO says there are more than 4,000 infected people in the region, and more than 2000 deaths. Taric Jasarevic, spokesperson for the WHO, says there is a need to [...]
The outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Liberia has been described by the top UN envoy in the country as "a tragedy" for the West African nation. Karin Landgren, the head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was at UN headquarters on Tuesday to brief the Security Council on the situation in [...]
There is "compelling confirmation" that a toxic chemical was used as a weapon in Syria, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The OPCW fact-finding mission, appointed to examine alleged uses of chemical weapons in northern Syria, says the substance was used "systematically and repeatedly". The mission says it is able [...]
The preliminary findings of a UN investigation into the circumstances surrounding a UN helicopter crash in South Sudan have revealed that it was shot down. Three Russian crew members died and one was seriously injured when the helicopter crashed on the 26 August as it was flying from Wau in Western Bahr El Ghazal State [...]
Lightning rods are used to protect buildings from lightning strikes by diverting lightning harmlessly to the ground. In the past, such rods contained radioactive material sources to make them more conductive to lighting. Montenegro is now assisted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to remove the radioactive sources and manage them safely. Steve Thachet [...]
US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed a number of global issues by phone late on Monday. Ban Ki-moon has recently been making a round of calls on Ebola to regional and global leaders. Stephane Dujarric, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson, says that amongst other topics, Mr. Ban and President Obama discussed the need [...]
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The greenhouse gases that cause global warming reached record levels in the atmosphere in 2013, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The agency on Tuesday issued its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin ahead of a major United Nations climate change conference later this month. Global warming has been blamed on the concentration of greenhouse gases, [...]
The spread of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia has been described as merciless by the Head of the United Nations Mission in the country. Karen Landgren was at UN Headquarters in New York to present the latest progress report of the Secretary-General on UNMIL, the UN Mission in Liberia. However, she told the [...]
Our strongest arsenal in the face of violence and hatred is our shared values, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. On Tuesday, Ban Ki-moon shared ideas on ways to build and promote a "Culture of peace", which are a set of values, attitudes and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts [...]
Afghanistan is going through a pivotal moment, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ban Ki-moon urges the country's two Presidential candidates, Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, to conclude an agreement on a government of national unity. He notes that on 12 July, the two [...]
Over half a million Palestinian children will be returning to school on Sunday next week, but many will have no learning facilities as families displaced by last month's Israeli military action in Gaza are still camping in schools. This is according to the United Nations Children's fund UNICEF. Data by the Palestinian ministry of education [...]
The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2013, propelled by a surge in levels of carbon dioxide, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). WMO says the trends give a clearer signal of the urgency needed for concerted international action against accelerating and potentially devastating climate change. In its latest [...]
Women in the Caribbean need to understand the "bigger picture" on climate change so they can engage with policy makers and influence decisions which impact them. That's the view of a senior projects officer of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), which is based in Barbados. As part of its work on climate issues, the [...]
Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) which spread across the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have their own special needs and challenges because of their size and vulnerability to climate change. The UN General Assembly declared 2014 the International Year of Small Island Developing States to raise awareness about them. The International Fund for Agricultural Development [...]
Though we continue to see progress to better protect children, new crises are rapidly overshadowing these gains, according to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. Leila Zerrougui was speaking on Monday at a Security Council debate to discuss the Secretary-General's latest report on children and armed conflict. Ms Zerrougui stressed [...]
With the intensification of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the number of people that have been killed has risen dramatically, according to the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. Ivan Šimonović was in Vienna, Austria, on Monday to brief the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on his recent mission to [...]
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The people of Nauru need to be protected and informed through better Internet connections says the President of the tiny and remote Pacific Ocean island. Currently, schools, businesses, health services and the government have to share a slow and expensive broadband Internet link, which is slowing down the development of the nation. Daniel Dickinson asked [...]
The plight of children in armed conflict around the world was once again before the Security Council on Monday. The Council held an open debate to discuss the UN Secretary-General's latest report on "Children and armed conflict". According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), almost 30 million children are out of school in emergency or [...]
Turning a blind eye to atrocity crimes is no longer tenable, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon on Monday addressed the General Assembly during an interactive dialogue on international assistance and the responsibility to protect. The meeting provided a forum for Member States to consider how international assistance can help national [...]
The UN Police in Liberia are working with the Liberian National Police to respond to the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the country. The UN estimates that more than 1, 500 people have died of the disease and there are now over 3, 500 cases of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. [...]
The results from a survey on female genital mutilation in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq show that the practice is in decline, according to the UN's Children Fund (UNICEF). Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves intentionally altering or injuring a woman's genital organs for non-medical reasons. The survey, the first ever of its kind in [...]
The new UN Human Rights Chief says attempts by the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL to govern parts of Iraq and Syria is an affront to the promotion and protection of human rights in the region. In his maiden statement to the UN Human Rights Council Mr Zeid Ra’ad Al [...]
“Corrective rape” is a huge problem in South Africa, according to the director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). Lesbians and gay men are often the targets of this crime, also called punitive rape, as a way of "curing" or "punishing" them for their sexual orientation. In the past 10 years [...]
Literacy is one of the key elements needed to promote sustainable development, according to the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On Monday, International Literacy Day is being celebrated worldwide, under the theme of "Literacy and Sustainable Development." UNESCO says that literacy empowers people so they can make the right decisions in the areas [...]
Women from Grenada play a critical role in the agricultural sector of the small island but lack resources to sustain their business, according to the manager of a rural development programme. Byron Campbell, who overseas this government project called MAREP — Market Access And Rural Enterprise Development Programme—receives funding form the International Fund for Agricultural [...]
A ceasefire agreement signed by the Ukrainian government and rebel fighters on Friday has been welcomed by the United Nations Secretary-General. Representatives of the warring parties have been meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk to negotiate an end to almost five months of fighting in eastern Ukraine. More than 2, 600 people are reported to [...]
The United Nations has sent what has been called "an international rescue" call to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The UN Secretary-General on Friday conferred with senior UN officials and experts to discuss the next steps in managing the disease which has killed more than 1, 500 people. According to the UN [...]
The consciousness of mankind has changed, according to Louis Gossett Jr., an internationally acclaimed actor and social justice advocate. Mr. Gossett, who is perhaps best known for his performance in the 1977 American television mini-series "Roots", says the digital age has helped make difficult issues such as slavery public. On Thursday he was at UN [...]
The government of Bahrain has been urged to release a prominent human rights defender who has been detained on charges of assaulting a police officer. The appeal has come from a group of United Nations independent human rights experts. Maryam Al-Khawaja, who has been in detention since 30 August, is the co-director of the Gulf [...]
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Pressure on accommodation is still acute for almost half a million people who have been displaced by attacks by Islamic militants in northern Iraq, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency points out that a major operation to help the displaced people has entered a new phase as winter approaches. UNHCR spokesperson Adrian [...]
People with disabilities in Arab countries are increasingly suffering due to the region's turmoil, according to the President of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD). Doctor Nawaf Kabbara says although most Arab states have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international treaty to ensure the most vulnerable [...]
The growth of the mobile phone sector in South Sudan is connecting women across the country and is contributing to gender equality, according to a senior government official. Despite poor infrastructure and low internet band width, Africa's newest country is hoping that mobile phones can also be used for so-called "e-education"…that's learning through the electronic [...]
Relief agencies in West Africa have received more than $6 million to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, according to the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA). OCHA says the money has come from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which is pooled from a number of countries, the private sector and individuals to deal with [...]
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has expressed concern at the growing spate of civilian executions in Iraq by the militant group the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL is reported to be systematically targeting non Sunni Moslems and other minority groups and individuals who decline to pledge allegiance. In the past [...]
Leaders who govern in countries where laws still brutalize or infringe on the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people should be held accountable by the United Nations. That's according to Shehnilla Mohamed, a Johannesburg-based director for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). On the margins of last year's [...]
“Corrective rape” is a huge problem in South Africa, according to the director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). Lesbians or gay men are often the targets of this crime, also called punitive rape, as a way of "curing" or "punishing" them for their sexual orientation. In the past 10 years [...]
The United Nations Secretary-General has stressed the importance of coordinated international support for the peaceful and stable future of Afghanistan. Ban Ki-moon's message was delivered by the head of the UN Department of Political Affairs to the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at a meeting in Wales on Thursday. Afghanistan is going [...]
All armed groups fighting in Libya need to ensure that the protection of civilians is a priority, according to the UN Human Right Office (OHCHR). Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, says attacks are taking place in densely populated residential areas while necessary precautions are not in place to protect civilians. [...]
Children in north-eastern Nigeria continue to suffer at the hands of the Boko Haram militant Islamist organization, according to a new report launched at the United Nations on Thursday. The report has been compiled by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, a network of international non-governmental organizations striving to protect children in war zones. Janine [...]
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Suicide is a neglected public health problem, according to a doctor at the World Health Organization (WHO) who heads the Department of Violence, Injury prevention, and Disability. Dr Etienne Krug says that every year, 800,000 people commit suicide; that's one person every 40 seconds. On Thursday, WHO published its first global suicide prevention report. The [...]
Serious human rights abuses are taking place in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi which are mired in conflict by armed groups, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday. The joint report by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Human Rights Office details accounts of civilian casualties, including [...]
The internet should be open, free, secure and trustworthy, according to the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs. Thomas Gass said achieving this is one of the goals of the Internet Governance Forum, taking place in Istanbul from 2 to 5 September. This annual Forum, which has met since 2006, convenes to [...]
South Sudanese people displaced by fighting between government and opposition forces in Malakal town were visited by the UN humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Toby Lanzer on Thursday. Mr. Lanzer was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of the Netherlands during a visit to the UN Protection of Civilians site in [...]
Poverty and inequality are on the increase in the Pacific according to a report released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The “State of Human Development in the Pacific” report reveals that one in four people on twelve Pacific Ocean islands are living below the poverty line. The findings have been released on the margins [...]
With more than 800,000 people dying each year as a result of suicide, the World Health Organisation is calling for coordinated action to reduce suicides worldwide. WHO says only about 28 countries are known to have national suicide prevention strategies. In its first global report on suicide prevention, WHO says reducing access to means of [...]
Terrorism is a common enemy for the African Union and the United Nations, and the UN is strongly committed to stepping up its cooperation with the AU and its Member States. That's the message that the UN Secretary-General sent to the African Union Peace and Security Council summit on terrorism held in the Kenyan capital, [...]
Through its new Blue Growth Initiative, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is helping small island developing states (SIDS) around the world sustainably use their aquatic resources. The goal is to advance food security, improve nutrition, and reduce poverty in vulnerable areas. During the 3rd International UN Conference on SIDS is taking place this [...]
Small island nations meeting in Samoa have started a "drum roll of action" ahead of a key UN climate summit in New York later this month. That's according to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Christiana Figueres has been attending the 3rd UN conference on small island developing [...]
One of the main highlights in the work of the Security Council this month is a meeting of world leaders to discuss terrorism. That's what Ambassador Samantha Power of the United States told reporters on Wednesday as she outlined the programme of work for the Council during her country's presidency in September. September is also [...]
The United Nations has deployed demining experts to investigate the explosion that killed four peacekeepers and injured 15 others in Mali on Tuesday. An explosive device that detonated on a vehicle carrying UN peacekeepers was the latest in a series of attacks in Kidal region. Last week there was repeated mortar fire against the camp [...]
In a country coming out of conflict, a solution to address root causes cannot be imposed from abroad, according to the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan. Ellen Margrethe Løj, who has just taken up her post, said the job was impossible to turn down because the country's people had fought [...]
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Spending billions of dollars on projects that often predominantly benefit men after conflicts has to change. That's the message that was delivered by the head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at a special event held at UN Headquarters on Wednesday. The event on "Women, Everyday Peacebuilders" was organized by the UN Peacebuilding Commission and UN [...]
Flights to the town of Bentiu in South Sudan that were suspended for one week after a helicopter crash have resumed. The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) grounded all flights to the town in Unity State after the crash of the helicopter in which three Russian crew members died on Tuesday last week. UNMISS [...]
The United Nations is calling on Iraqi authorities to conduct a public and independent investigation into the fate of hundreds of soldiers from the Speicher military base which was overrun by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 12 June 2014. The UN representative in Iraq Nikolai Mladenov says initial investigations [...]
The development of the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar is being held back by the effects of climate change, according to a senior minister on the island. Agriculture, fishing and tourism are all being negatively impacted as sea-levels and temperatures rise. Zanzibar says it doesn't have the resources to counter the effects of climate change. [...]
The international criminal justice system is facing challenges, according to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Serge Brammertz attended a recent annual meeting of international prosecutors at the Robert Jackson Centre near Buffalo City in the United States. Prosecutors from the tribunals for Rwanda, Cambodia and Sierra Leone as [...]
The outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in West Africa is accelerating ahead of the efforts to control it, according to UN officials. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are now more than 3,500 confirmed cases of the disease in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. More than 1, 500 people have died from the [...]
Villagers on the Pacific Ocean island of Samoa are adapting their way of life to counter the negative impacts of climate change. A series of cyclones has devastated large swathes of the island, but now villagers are finding ways to protect themselves against disaster. They're being supported by the UN Development Programme, UNDP. Daniel Dickinson [...]
