IMF / BRIEFING
An International Monetary Fund spokesman said Thursday that the impact of theU.S.sequestration could lead it to revise down its forecast for the U.S. Italy andGreece's outlooks were also discussed. IMF
An International Monetary Fund spokesman said Thursday that the impact of theU.S.sequestration could lead it to revise down its forecast for the U.S. Italy andGreece's outlooks were also discussed. IMF
A comprehensive assessment by international experts on the health risks associated with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) disaster inJapanconcluded that, for the general population inside and outside ofJapan, the predicted risks are low. WHO / FILE
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay’s presents her annual report. CHUNTV
A National Plan to eliminate Cholera from Haiti was launched yesterday in Port-au-Prince. MINUSTAH
United Nations Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng calls for peace in the up-coming General Election inKenya and says he remains optimistic that disputes emanating from the elections should be resolved in the courts and not through violence. OHCHR
Tens of thousands of the Syrian refugees inJordanlive outside camps. But life in cities, towns and even villages is expensive. UNHCR
USG Amos talks to the media following her briefing to the Security Council on humanitarian issues in Syria. UNTV
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells the 5th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations today inViennathat when discriminatory attitudes "are left unchallenged, racists feel empowered". UNTV
Somali government forces with the support of AMISOM troops have re-captured Buur-Hakba town on the Afgooye – Baidoa corridor in Bay region today. AU-UN IST
Stéphane Hessel, diplomat, concentration camp survivor and one of the authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed away overnight inParisat the age of 95. FILE
It's back to school time for thousands of Syrian children at Za'atari refugee camp in northernJordan. After a one-month winter break classes are full again bringing some degree of normality to the lives of children among the camps 70,000 population. UNICEF
John Ging, Operations Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, briefs journalist on his recent visit to Mali. UNTV
United Nations Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman voiced his concern after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel, breaching the ceasefire reached last November, and called for urgently resuming negotiations aimed at breaking the impasse in theMiddle Eastpeace process. UNTV
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has been distributing aid to Syrian refugees at the agency's center in Sidonin Lebanon, where at present over 250 people are being registered every day. UNHCR
Somali government forces with the support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are on a sustained offensive against the handful of al-Shabaab bases left in the country's Bay Region. AU-UN/IST
UNICEF says it urgently needs US$ 45 million to help children in conflict-strickenMali, where political instability has severely aggravated an already fragile situation for women and children. CH UNTV
UNICEF says it urgently needs US$ 45 million to help children in conflict-strickenMali, where political instability has severely aggravated an already fragile situation for women and children. CH UNTV
Mbuji Mayiis the capital city of the provinceof Kasai Oriental, one of the Democratic Republic of Congo's major mining regions and an area where nearly 4 out of 10 children engage in some form of labour. UNICEF
AMISOM's presence in the area, and its support to the Somali National Army have made it possible for entrepreneurs to resume their business activities after years of brutality and unlawful taxation by al Shabaab scared them off. AU-UN IST
At the opening session of the Human Rights Council inGeneva, Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, joined the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic in criticizing the international community’s inaction onSyria. CH UNTV
To export a truckload of goods out of Nepalmeans a flurry of paperwork, unbelievably treacherous mountain roads, and a border post without a proper computer system. It’s an exhausting, frustrating journey. Now there are plans to streamline the process to improve trade with India and the world. WORLD BANK
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, summarizes the outcomes of a week-long UNEP Governing Council in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP
Since beginning of the conflict, Syrian refugees fearful of being attacked have been crossing into Jordan for refuge at night – now the exodus goes on day and night, and according to the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR), over the past seven days a record number of Syrians arrived in Jordan, all in all 20,000. [...]
Ahead of a new peace deal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to be signed this weekend, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the DRC, Roger Meece, warned that the security situation is unstable, and urged the Security Council to provide the necessary support for an additional military brigade within the current [...]
Thanks to a new initiative by UNICEF in partnership with the Government of Kenya the village of Lokwadat in Turkana now have an opportunity to go to school. UNICEF
UNICEF has been scaling up its response to the needs of Syrian refugees inJordan and Lebanon and internally displaced people in Syria. UNICEF
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells the 2013 session of the Special Committee on Decolonization that "the international community is more convinced than ever that colonialism has no place in the modern world". UNTV
Working to bring assistance quickly to Syrian refugees the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Northern Lebanon has gone from registering hundreds a day to thousands. UNHCR
On a two-day mission to Jonglei, the United Nations (UN) chief in South Sudan, Hilde F. Johnson on Tuesday (19 February) urged the different communities to end the cycle of violence in the state. UNMISS
President Evo Morales of Bolivia is inNew York to launch the Year of Quinoa. Quinoa has been a staple crop for centuries in South America, among pre-Columbian Andean farming communities from Columbia to Ecuador and today this traditional Andean grain is being promoted to combat malnutrition. UNTV
Hundreds of ministers and high-level officials dined on perfectly good food grown by Kenyan farmers but rejected by UK supermarkets due to cosmetic imperfections at the headquarters of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) inNairobito highlight a major campaign to cut massive levels of global food loss and waste. UNEP
The dramatic increase in security in Somalia recently has allowed for a proportionate increase in humanitarian efforts and projects, like mobile clinics that are being deployed in and around Mogadishu’s Internally Displaced Persons camps. AU/UN IST
Every year,Madagascarhas to face several tropical cyclones. In February 2012, cyclone Giovanna has destroyed over 1,400 classrooms in the districts of Brickaville and Vatomandry in theEasternCoastof the island. UNICEF
The number of civilian casualties inAfghanistan's armed conflict dropped for the first time since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) started documenting the trend in 2007, said a UN report released inKabultoday. UNAMA
Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo appears before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday to face four counts of crimes against humanity. ICC
Most ofMali's North is back under the control of Government and loyal forces , but the Sevare area in Mopti is still not secure. And so, the displaced persons have to wait for a bit longer to return home. UNHCR
Both pro- and anti-government forces in Syria have become increasingly violent and reckless with human life, according to a report launched by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria. CH UNTV
The United Nations (UN) today (19 February) warned they were unable to reach all those who needed humanitarian assistance in war torn Syria. CH UNTV
As climate change makes agriculture increasingly risky, having diverse sources of income is becoming more important for farmers inIndonesia. IFAD
A UN Volunteer from Nigeria brought the idea of recycling bottles into useful and beautiful objects from his previous job with the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He set up a project through which young people are now transforming between four and five thousand bottles each week. MINUSTAH
Recently appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti briefed journalists in Port-au-Prince today. MINUSTAH
The Security Council holds an open meeting on the Middle East this afternoon in connection with a Presidential statement on Yemen. UNTV
Tony deBrum, Minister-in-Assistance to the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands briefs reporters on climate change and security. UNTV
UNMISS has been having extensive talks with the South Sudanese government on early conflict warning systems, but also faces challenges in detecting threats, the mission's head Hilde Johnson said in Juba today. UNMISS
The Mogadishu fire department is resuming operations for the first time since 1991 when civil war broke out inSomalia. AU-UN IST
In a bi-weekly press briefing, IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice said on the task now for Greece is implementation of the program. He also commented that the talk of so-called "currency war" is overblown. IMF
An unprecedented rise in the number of journalists killed and imprisoned in the past year coupled with restrictive legislation and state censorship is jeopardizing independent reporting in many countries says a report released today by the Committee to Protect Journalists at the United Nations in New York. UNTV
The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Taye-Brook Zerihoun tells the Security Council that the success by the Somali Government internationally is matched "by daunting challenges at home". UNTV
Senior Afghan and United Nations officials said yesterday (13 February) the support of the world body should continue, at the request of the Government, in a coherent manner by reinforcing an Afghan-led development agenda. UNAMA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today wrapped up hisWashingtonDCtrip with a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry. US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
During the recent instability inMali, the city ofMoptihas become a safe haven for thousands of displaced people. UNHCR
An innovative community-based approach in Burao town,Somalilandis now helping to tackle the causes of malnutrition and provide early intervention for those showing signs of malnutrition. UNICEF
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, briefs the Security Council on cooperation between the European Union and the UN. UNTV
UNICEF and its partners are providing food aid to Malian refugee children at the Mangaize refugee camp in Niger while trying to tackle the alarming malnutrition rates. UNICEF
Kanayo F. Nwanze of Nigeria was appointed by acclamation as the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for a second four-year term at the organisation's Governing Council meeting. IFAD
Za'atri Camp in Jordan is witnessing the birth of refugee babies. Widad Shawamreh recently delivered her seventh child,Doha. UNHCR
During a debate on civilians in armed conflict, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today told the Security Council that in view of the “disastrous” inaction on Syria, the Council as well as senior UN officials would be “judged against the tragedy that has unfolded before our eyes”. UNTV
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, South Korean Foreign Minister Sung-hwan Kim and US Ambassador Susan Rice react to the nuclear explosion carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which the Security Council unanimously condemned today. UNTV
The UN agency tasked with monitoring the globe for nuclear tests today confirmed “a suspicious event on the territory of North Korea” and warned that the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s self-declared nuclear explosion is a "wrong step in the wrong direction". CTBTO / FILE
Experts from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) say the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s delared nuclear test was “roughly twice as big” as the last one carried out in 2009. CTBTO
Launching the International Year of Water Cooperation, Hungarian Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi today said “we are inching towards a water crisis”. He pointed out that the amount of water available today is the same as ten thousand years ago, but the number of users today is eight thousand times greater. UNTV
The Vatican announced today that Pope Benedict XVI will shortly resign for health reasons. Five years ago he visited the United Nations at the invitation of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. FILE
The United Nations today started offering its first visitors’ tours of UN headquarters in New York tailored specifically to children. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and actress Monique Coleman, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, attended the launch. UNTV
In Somalia thousands of internally displaced families are being relocated from settlements with “shocking” sub-standard conditions and high levels of sexual abuse to new sites with better shelter and services. OCHA
Five thousand Syrians are now fleeing to neighbouring countries each day, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. UN agencies grasp every opportunity, when security allows it, to help Syrians in need. UNHCR / FILE
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman briefed the press on Mali today. UNTV
Malians who fled Timbuktu, fearing the battle between incoming forces and the Islamists try to make ends meet in Mopti. UNHCR
UNHCR and its partners work to help both Syrian refugees and the host communities who have taken them in. UNHCR
The UN refugee agency today described the exodus of Syrians to neighbouring countries as a “full-on crisis”. January alone brought a 25 percent increase in registered refugee numbers, now totalling more than 787,000. CH UNTV
Briefing the UN Security Council on a recent mission he co-chaired to Yemen, British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said today that while the country had been saved from civil war, “deep challenges remain”. UNTV
The Brigadier General of the Jordanian Border Guard says the Syrian army is shooting at refugees trying to cross the border into Jordan. Despite the dangers, the UN refugee agency says the number of Syrian refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries could reach a million in the coming months. UNHCR
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous briefed the press today, commenting on Mali, Syria, and the use of drones by the UN. UNTV
French Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters at the UN today that he had raised the issue of a UN peacekeeping operation in Mali in the Security Council, but that it would be “several weeks” before a decision could be taken based on an assessment of the security situation. UNTV
Fewer girls are subjected to the life-threatening practice of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), according to new UN data released today, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (6 February). UNTV / FILE
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said it was getting prepared in case the security situation in Mali deteriorates following France’s decision to start reducing troop numbers. CH UNTV
Since recovering rapidly from the global financial crisis, India's economy has slowed substantially, and its growth rate is expected to decline further in the coming year for a range of domestic reasons including lower infrastructure investment, say IMF economists in their annual health check of India's economy. IMF
A senior United Nations (UN) official told the Security Council today (5 February) that in spite of positive efforts to ensure inclusiveness in the Guinea-Bissau transition process, still "impunity remains a major problem". UNTV
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the swift resumption of negotiations toward a two-State solution to the Middle East conflict, citing Israeli settlements and delays in Palestinian reconciliation among obstacles to be overcome. UNTV
The UN’s humanitarian arm today issued a warning that the "catastrophic humanitarian crisis” in Syria “continues to deepen". CH UNTV
In Syria, the World Food Programme (WFP) and and its partner the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) coordinate food convoys with all parties on the ground to ensure the safe passage of food across the conflict lines and its distribution to vulnerable families. WFP is scaling up its operations to reach 2.5 million people inside [...]
Kim Sook, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to brief the press on his country’s presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of February. UNTV
The UN’s nuclear test ban treaty organization, CTBTO will monitor for a North Korean nuclear test in case the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) acts on its latest threat. CTBTO
On World Cancer Day (4 February), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Director General Yukiya Amano addresses the myth that cancer affects only rich countries. In fact, seventy percent of the 10 million deaths caused by cancer each year occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to the agency. IAEA
Refugee children who fled the conflict in Syria speak about their experiences. More than 235,000 Syrian refugees are now officially sheltering in Lebanon, and more continue to arrive. UNICEF
UNESCO says it will send a mission to Mali to assess damage to the World Heritage sites in Timbuktu and Gao, help with repairs and assist in capacity building for the community that has guarded ancient treasures for thousands of years. UNESCO / FILE
The UN refugee agency reported today that it has for the first time reached an opposition-held area in northern Syria, where some 45,000 displaced people are living in “appalling” conditions. CH UNTV