Liberia: UN mission farewell ceremony honours last departing police and military personnel
Feb 07, 2018, at 04:10 pm
New York, Feb 7 (JEN): After 14 years of serving in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), an official farewell ceremony was held on Tuesday in the capital, Monrovia, to honour the last departing Police and Military personnel serving there.
Migrant deaths along US-Mexico border remain high despite drop in crossings – UN agency
Feb 07, 2018, at 04:04 pm
New York, Feb 7 (JEN): The number of migrants losing their lives attempting to cross the United States-Mexico border in 2017 remained high in spite of substantial decrease in the number of arrests along the frontier, the United Nations migration agency reported on Tuesday.
Syria: UN urges an end to hostilities, warns of grave and deepening humanitarian crisis
Feb 07, 2018, at 03:55 pm
New York, Feb 7 (JEN): Senior United Nations officials in Syria warned on Tuesday of the dire humanitarian crisis in several parts of the country, calling on warring parties to immediately stop fighting so aid and basic services can reach those in need, and the sick and critically wounded can evacuate.
‘Protect children and their digital footprint,’ urges UNICEF on Safer Internet Day
Feb 07, 2018, at 03:40 pm
New York, Feb 7 (JEN): Every half a second, every day, a child goes online for the first time – tapping into all the great opportunities the Internet has to offer, but facing grave risks, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday, calling for urgent action to protect them from sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and the misuse of their private information.
Feb 07, 2018, at 03:34 pm
New York, Feb 7 (JEN): Female genital mutilation is a violent act that, among other things, causes infection, disease, childbirth complications and death, said the Executive Directors of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
6.4 magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan, hotel collapses
Feb 07, 2018, at 05:21 am
Taipei, Feb 6 (IBNS): A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the northeast of the city of Hualien in Taiwan on Tuesday night leading to the collapse of a hotel, media reports said.
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:57 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): International consensus on a two-State solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be eroding “at a time when it is more important than ever,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, calling the ‘question of Palestine’ one of the longest unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations.
Female genital mutilation ‘not acceptable’ in the 21st century – UN envoy on youth
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:52 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): Speaking a day ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, the United Nations youth envoy people underscored that the ghastly practice is an aversion to the human rights of millions and keeps them from achieving their full potential.
UN chief congratulates US, Russia on nuclear arsenal cuts, urges further disarmament
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:47 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday congratulated the United States and Russia on successfully reducing their strategic nuclear forces to the level required by a new bilateral treaty signed in 2010, calling on both sides to engage in the necessary dialogue that will lead to further arsenal reductions.
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:42 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): Evidence of the use, or likely use, of banned chemical weapons in Syria should be met with a “meaningful response” within the Security Council, the United Nations disarmament affairs chief said on Monday.
World ‘failing to stop the war on children,’ says UNICEF Middle East, North Africa director
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:37 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): Describing January as “a dark month” in crisis-torn Middle East and North Africa, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) director for the region said Monday that the violence has had a devastating toll on children, who were being killed in ongoing conflicts or suicide attacks, or freezing to death as they fled active warzones.
Development indicators trending downward for world's poorest countries, UN warns
Feb 06, 2018, at 09:31 pm
New York, Feb 6 (JEN): The least developed countries (LDCs) – nations categorized as requiring special attention from the international community – will fall short of goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development unless urgent action is taken, new United Nations analysis has revealed.
Seven charged in Australia for sexually abusing minors
Feb 06, 2018, at 04:16 pm
Sydney, Feb 6 (IBNS): Seven people have been charged in Australia for physically and sexually abusing three minor boys between 2014 and 2016.
North Korea to send ceremonial head of state to South as tension eases
Feb 05, 2018, at 04:46 pm
Seoul/Pyongyang, Feb 5 (IBNS): With tension easing between the two Korean nations, the Kim Jong-un led regime will be sending its ceremonial head of state to South during the Winter Olympics.
Pressure mounts on South African President Jacob Zuma to step down
Feb 05, 2018, at 02:30 pm
Cape Town, Feb 5 (IBNS): Amid talks with senior members of ANC party, pressure has started to grow on South President President Jacob Zuma, media reports said.
Kurdish militias ambush Turkish Army Tank, at least seven troopers dead
Feb 04, 2018, at 04:53 pm
Damascus, Feb 4 (IBNS): Turkish military suffered a heavy loss as seven soldiers were killed during an offensive against Kurdish militias.
UN calls on Maldives to respect Supreme Court decision, says 'ready' to help ease political impasse
Feb 04, 2018, at 02:01 pm
New York, Feb 4 (JEN): Following the Maldives' Supreme Court decision ordering the release of convicted opposition leaders and the reinstatement of 12 parliamentarians, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed the world body's continued readiness to facilitate all-party talks in finding a solution to the Indian Ocean nation's political stalemate.
UN, African Union voice concern over protracted political crisis in Guinea-Bissau
Feb 04, 2018, at 01:50 pm
New York, Feb 4 (JEN): The top leaders of the African Union and the United Nations on Saturday expressed concern over the prolonged political crisis in Guinea-Bissau, condemning the recent actions taken by the national authorities to prevent a political party from holding its conference.
UN will ‘not tolerate’ sexual harassment in its ranks: Guterres
Feb 03, 2018, at 03:32 pm
New York, Feb 3 (JEN): Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday made clear that the United Nations will not tolerate sexual harassment “anytime, anywhere,” within its ranks and laid out a five-point plan to ensure equality across the Organization, which he said was critical to tackle on the challenge of such behavior.
Partnership key to ensuring all children can access education – senior UN officials
Feb 03, 2018, at 02:47 pm
New York, Feb 3 (JEN): Stressing the importance of quality education for the future of young people and children, senior United Nations officials, including the head of its education agency and the UN youth envoy, called for cooperation to strengthen education and learning programmes in all corners of the world.
UN forum’s key message: Young people must be meaningful participants in policy-making
Feb 03, 2018, at 02:40 pm
New York, Feb 3 (JEN): Young people must be involved at all levels of policy-making and in all processes that affect them, including in the design of national plans, according to a summary statement issued at the end of a United Nations forum on youth.
Ex-Cuban leader Fidel Castro's son commits suicide
Feb 02, 2018, at 02:39 pm
Havana, Feb 1 (IBNS): Eldest son of former Cuban President Fidel Castro- Fidel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart- committed suicide on Thursday, media reports said.
Feb 02, 2018, at 02:32 pm
New York, Feb 2 (JEN): The human cost of South Sudan’s long-running conflict has reached “epic proportions” with the number of refugees set to rise beyond three million by the end of this year, potentially making it Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the mid-1990s, the head of the UN refugee agency said on Thursday.
Feb 02, 2018, at 02:25 pm
New York, Feb 2 (JEN): This year’s UN Response Plan for Yemen, describes the war-torn country as “the worst man-made humanitarian crisis” in the world, with more than 22 million people – around three-quarters of the total population – in need of help.
Feb 02, 2018, at 02:14 pm
New York, Feb 2 (JEN): What Myanmar’s Government has claimed are military and security operations are “actually an established pattern” of domination and aggression against ethnic groups, the United Nations independent expert on the rights situation there said on Thursday, reporting on her visit to nearby countries, including Bangladesh, which is hosting nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees.
Mali human rights situation still a concern – UN report
Feb 02, 2018, at 02:07 pm
New York, Feb 2 (JEN): Despite the signing of a 2015 Peace Agreement, the human rights situation in Mali still remains a concern, according to a United Nations report published on Thursday.
Humanitarian diplomacy ‘getting nowhere’ in Syria warns UN special adviser
Feb 02, 2018, at 01:59 pm
New York, Feb 2 (JEN): Civilians in Syria’s besieged areas have not seen a single convoy of humanitarian aid arrive for a full two months, a senior United Nations adviser said on Thursday, lamenting that diplomatic efforts appear “totally impotent,” and that hundreds of lives are being lost as a result.
At least 11 killed in Japan's welfare home fire incident
Feb 01, 2018, at 05:47 pm
Tokyo, Feb 1 (IBNS): At least 11 people died in a fire which broke out on Thursday in Japan's Hokkaido, reports said.
Conflicts and disasters forcing 59 million young people into illiteracy – UNICEF study
Feb 01, 2018, at 03:18 pm
New York, Feb 1 (IBNS): Nearly three in ten young people between the ages of 15 and 24 living in conflict- or disaster-affected countries are illiterate, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday, calling for greater investments in the education, particularly for the most disadvantaged children and youth.
Security Council stresses need of ‘sustainable solutions’ for millions displaced in Darfur
Feb 01, 2018, at 03:02 pm
New York, Feb 1 (IBNS): Despite improvements in the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, continued challenges remain, the United Nations Security Council has said, underlining the need for sustainable solutions for the region’s 2.7 million internally displaced persons.