UN health agency launches global strategy to end leprosy

Apr 21, 2016, at 01:09 pm

New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations health agency on Wednesday launched a new global strategy for a world free of leprosy, calling for stronger commitments and accelerated efforts to stop disease transmission and end associated discrimination and stigma.

Egypt: Ban calls for fair trial standards in judicial proceedings against rights defenders

Apr 21, 2016, at 01:08 pm

New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced he is closely following the judicial proceedings in Egypt against a number of civil society organizations and human rights defenders.

FEATURE: As UN ‘World Court’ turns 70, long-time registrar sees evolution of body’s work

Apr 21, 2016, at 01:07 pm

New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Having ruled on such diverse issues as plunder of natural resources in Africa to border disputes in South America and whale hunting in the Pacific, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the main judicial organ of the United Nations – turns 70 on Wednesday and UN Radio has talked with long-time registrar Philippe Couvreur about the evolution of the tribunal’s vital work.

Ban strongly condemns violent demonstrations in northern Mali

Apr 21, 2016, at 01:05 pm

New York, Apr 21 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the violent demonstrations that took place on Monday 18 April, in Kidal, in the north of Mali, which, according to preliminary information, left two protesters dead and several others injured.

Narendra Modi's wax statue ready

Apr 21, 2016, at 12:46 am

New Delhi, Apr 20 (IBNS) The wax statue of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has been prepared by the artists of popular Madame Tussauds Museums, is ready.

Prince George appears on postage stamp for first time

Apr 20, 2016, at 10:17 pm

London, Apr 20 (IBNS) As Queen Elizabeth II is gearing up to celebrate her 90th birthday on Thursday, a new picture of the British royal family has been released, showcasing all the four generations, which will be used by the Royal Mail on its special stamps.

NATO-Russia Council meeting today

Apr 20, 2016, at 05:49 pm

Brussels, Apr 20 (IBNS) The NATO-Russia Council will be meeting on Wednesday for the first time since June 2014, an official release said.

INTERVIEW: Even as some ‘guns go silent’ in Syria, access to besieged areas is limited, says UN aid official

Apr 20, 2016, at 02:02 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): With a cessation of hostilities largely holding in Syria, the situation is “encouraging,” but areas under siege remain particularly vulnerable, according to a senior United Nations humanitarian official.

Deadly quakes in Japan and Ecuador spotlight need for rigorous structural safety standards – UN

Apr 20, 2016, at 02:00 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) said on Tuesday that the deaths in Ecuador and the dozens of victims in Japan spotlighted a basic fact about earthquakes; that buildings, and not the shake itself, claim most lives.

‘Yemeni people deserve no less,’ says Ban, urging start of peace talks

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:58 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged all parties to the peace process in Yemen to “engage in good faith” with his envoy, so that talks can start without further delay.

‘Yemeni people deserve no less,’ says Ban, urging start of peace talks

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:56 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged all parties to the peace process in Yemen to “engage in good faith” with his envoy, so that talks can start without further delay.

Mali: UN mission renews call for calm after two demonstrators killed in Kidal

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:53 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations mission in Mali renewed its call for calm as well as its commitment to the implementation of the peace process following a demonstration yesterday morning in the Kidal region in the north of the country, in which two demonstrators were killed and four others were wounded.

Somalia: UN envoy welcomes progress in preparations for elections in 2016

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:52 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Security Council heard on Tuesday from the top United Nations official in Somalia that political progress is being made in the country, but that much remains to be done in a short period, including completing the electoral process for 2016 and boosting support to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

World drug problem: UN adopts new framework for policies to ‘put people first’

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:50 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS):The United Nations on Tuesday adopted a new framework putting people at the centre of global policies on drug control, which the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says can help promote the “urgent, united and concerted action we need.”

South Sudan: UN refugee agency warns of worsening civilian situation

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:48 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday expressed extreme concern over a combination of new fighting in previously peaceful areas, food insecurity and severe humanitarian funding shortages, which continue to cause a worsening of the situation in South Sudan for many civilians.

UN agency welcomes Jordan’s measures to improve Syrian refugees’ access to jobs

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:47 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday welcomed a series of recent measures by the Government of Jordan that could help up to 78,000 Syrians to able to work legally in Jordan in the short term and thousands more in the coming years.

Ecuador: UN food convoy heads to quake-ravaged areas; some 150,000 children impacted

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:45 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS):The United Nations food relief agency has sent a convoy to assist some 8,000 people severely affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the coast of Ecuador, leaving more than 400 people dead and thousands more in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

UN rights chief welcomes release of 83 prisoners in Myanmar

Apr 20, 2016, at 01:44 pm

New York, Apr 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations rights chief on Tuesday welcomed the release of a second wave of 83 prisoners on Myanmar's New Year last Sunday, by Presidential amnesty.

NATO Secretary General to visit Turkey

Apr 20, 2016, at 12:21 am

New York, Apr 19 (IBNS) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to the Republic of Turkey on Apr 20 and Apr 21.

UN envoy announces delay in Yemen peace talks

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:17 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS):The United Nations envoy for Yemen has announced that the start of the Yemeni-Yemeni peace negotiations set to begin on Monday in Kuwait has been postponed.

Syria: UN envoy to 'take stock' of peace talks by week's end

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:16 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Following reports that the opposition delegation had announced a pause in the intra-Syrian talks under way at United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, the UN envoy mediating a resolution to the crisis said on Monday that he plans on continuing discussions with all sides and take stock of the situation on Friday.

Addressing sexual violence central to Mali peace process, UN envoy says

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:14 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Concluding her first visit to Mali, a United Nations envoy has stressed the need to make the issue of sexual violence in conflict a central consideration of the ongoing peace process in the African country.

Central Africa Republic: UN condemns killing of Moroccan peacekeeper

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:12 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing of a Moroccan peacekeeper from the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) yesterday in the town of Rafai in Mbomou prefecture.

FEATURE: Ahead of Paris Agreement signing, cyclone-hit Fiji champions climate change action

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:10 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): As Fiji and Governments of more than 100 other United Nations Member States are preparing this week for the historic signing of the Paris Agreement, back in Fiji, residents of the South Pacific country are clearing debris and trying to recover from one of the region’s fiercest storm.

Colombia: UN office expands alternative development strategy to eliminate illicit crops

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:08 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): As part of an initiative providing assistance to family farms that depended on illicit crops for income, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has announced that hundreds of personnel and visitors can now purchase alternative development products on the premises of its central office in Bogota, Colombia.

Torture and illegal detention on the rise in Burundi – UN rights chief

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:06 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations human rights chief on Monday warned of a “sharp increase in the use of torture and ill-treatment in Burundi” and voiced concerns about worrying reports of the existence of illegal detention facilities, both in Bujumbura and in the countryside.

Two-state solution in Middle East ‘tragically more distant’ than ever, Ban tells Security Council

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:05 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Monday that a two-state solution, which envisages peaceful co-existence of Palestine and Israel, seems more distant than it has for many decades, citing the ongoing violence, Israel’s settlement activity and demolitions of Palestinian homes, and the absence of Palestinian unity.

UN urges ‘tangible actions’ from world leaders to finance sustainable development for all

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:03 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Hailing 2015 as a year of “crucial milestones” for development, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said world leaders must now meet the agreed financing targets to ensure implementation of the numerous landmark agreements on eradicating poverty, building resilient societies and addressing climate change in order to put the world on a sustainable development path.

UN food relief agency to assist one million Haitians hit by three-year drought

Apr 19, 2016, at 02:01 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Monday it will launch an emergency operation in Haiti to assist one million people devastated by three years of prolonged drought exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

FEATURE:UN Envoy in Haiti discusses upcoming elections and UN’s transitioning role

Apr 19, 2016, at 01:57 pm

New York, Apr 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Sandra Honoré is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the country (MINUSTAH). A post she has held since 15 July 2013.