UN peacekeeping chief seeks Security Council support for speedy deployment of uniformed personnel
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:36 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping chief on Thursday said rapid deployment of uniformed personnel to the field is a costly, complex and difficult process that requires the commitment of the contributors, the host country and neighbors, as well as the support of the Security Council.
UN report reveals shocking levels of grave violations against children affected by conflicts
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:34 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): More than 15,500 children became victims of widespread violations – including shocking levels of killing and maiming, recruitment and use, and denial of humanitarian access – a new United Nations report has revealed.
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:33 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): While recent crises threatening the peace process in Mali had been overcome and new agreements reached, progress must be accelerated as the situation remains perilous for peacekeepers and civilians, the head of United Nations peacekeeping efforts in the West African country told the Security Council on Thursday.
Security Council authorizes UN Mission to verify truce between Colombian Government and ELN
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:32 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): Acting unanimously, the United Nations Security Council on Thursday expanded the mandate of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, tasking it to monitor a temporary bilateral ceasefire between the Colombian Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) armed group.
Vegetable oils lift food prices in September; cereal prices down on bumper crop prospects
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:32 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): Global food prices rose slightly in September, as firmer prices of vegetable oils and dairy products offset declining prices for staple cereal grains, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.
Security Council re-authorizes operations to disrupt migrant smuggling off coast of Libya
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:31 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): The Security Council on Thursday extended by one year the authorization for Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya that they have reasonable grounds to suspect are being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking.
INTERVIEW: In fighting for girls’ education, UN advocate Malala Yousafzai finds her purpose
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:30 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): More than 260 million children, adolescents and youth are out of school around the world, according to the United Nations. Despite some progress in achieving gender equality in the world’s poorest countries, far more girls than boys still do not have access to a quality education,
FEATURE: In Western Afghanistan, an ancient love of poetry thrives again
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:27 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): As she begins to read her poem, Fatema’s voice is faint and unsure of itself. She has been writing poetry only for the last six months because, as she explains, she wants to get in touch with her inner feelings. What emerges in her recitation has echoes of Afghanistan’s ancient past, and signs of a new and modern passion. What is heard, translated from Dari, is a short narrative about the horrors of war – “The color of blood and cold corpses … fresh bodies thrown into battle†– and Fatema’s own story, one that ends with the hope that, “somewhere between the lines, set in the sweetness, is a space without war.â€
Asylum and refugee protection represent ‘humanity at its best,’ says senior UN official
Oct 06, 2017, at 01:26 pm
New York, Oct 6(Just Earth News): Warning of threats to the global asylum environment, the United Nations refugee agency’s protection chief on Thursday stressed the importance of sustained engagement by the international community to keep refugees high on the political agenda.
US education secretary DeVos cancels Ontario visit
Oct 06, 2017, at 05:13 am
Ottawa, Oct 5 (IBNS): US president Donald Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, has cancelled her Ontario visit, media reports said.
Canada relaxes requirements for attaining citizenship, to be effective from next week
Oct 06, 2017, at 05:12 am
Ottawa, Oct 5 (IBNS): The federal government has recently taken up a decision to relax some of the requirements necessary to attain the citizenship of the country.
Empower teachers; give them the freedom to teach, UN urges on World Day
Oct 06, 2017, at 04:55 am
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): Underscoring the critical important role teachers play in ensuring the future for every society, the United Nations on Thursday called for empowering educators with the freedom and support they need to undertake their vital mission.
Partnerships will play key role in future of work in Europe and Central Asia - UN labour agency
Oct 06, 2017, at 04:52 am
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): The United Nations International Labour Organization’s 10th European Regional Meeting concluded on Thursday with a call for a future of work where partnerships play a key role in promoting dialogue, social progress and economic growth in the region.
Oct 06, 2017, at 04:50 am
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): One year has passed since Hurricane Matthew made landfall in southwest Haiti – leaving terrible destruction in its wake – but children and adolescents on the island still remain highly vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters and extreme weather events, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
Iraqi army recaptures Hawija, kills at least 196 IS militants
Oct 05, 2017, at 06:50 pm
Baghdad, Oct 5 (IBNS): Iraqi army claimed recapture of Hawija, an Islamic State (IS) stronghold on Wednesday, reports said.
Had no idea, says Vegas shooter's partner
Oct 05, 2017, at 05:52 pm
Las Vegas, Oct 5 (IBNS): Partner of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, Marilou Danley, who appeared before police recently, said that she had no idea what her partner was planning, according to reports.
Expert meeting at UN aspires to create ‘space’ for women in science and technology
Oct 05, 2017, at 01:13 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): A three-day event on how to, among other things, improve women’s involvement in the aerospace sector as well as in the fields of science, technology and mathematics, kicked off on Wednesday under the leadership of two United Nations offices.
Libya: UN Mission condemns deadly bombing in Misrata
Oct 05, 2017, at 01:12 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): Condemning an attack against a court house in the Libyan city of Misrata, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) underscored that those behind the incident must be held accountable.
Switzerland needs to do more to keep ‘dirty money’ at bay, urges UN expert
Oct 05, 2017, at 01:12 pm
New York, Oct 5 (Just Earth News): Highlighting the problems posed by illicit financial flows globally, including undermining rule of law and human rights, a United Nations human rights expert has called on Switzerland to ensure that so called dirty money – which stems from tax evasion and corruption – does not enter its financial market.
Oct 05, 2017, at 01:11 pm
New York, Oct 5(Just Earth News): The human tragedy unfolding in southern Bangladesh is staggering in its scale, warned two senior United Nations officials on Wednesday as they wrapped up a mission to Cox’s Bazar with calls for a “significant increase in assistance†for the thousands of Rohingyas have settled in the area after fleeing violence in neighbouring Myanmar.
Counselling and dieting among new UN health agency guidelines on child obesity
Oct 05, 2017, at 05:04 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): An estimated 41 million children under five years old are obese or overweight, United Nations health experts warned on Wednesday, launching new guidelines to tackle what they call a global epidemic.
UN chief to visit storm-ravaged islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Dominica this weekend
Oct 05, 2017, at 05:03 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Wednesday that he will be visiting hurricane hit islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Dominica this Saturday to survey the damage caused by multiple storms and what more the UN can do help people recover.
Sustainable cities key to implement SDGs, says head of UN regional development arm
Oct 05, 2017, at 05:02 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Noting the high speed of urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations development arm in the region underlined the need to keep a close watch on the provision of services, equipment, mobility, housing and urban land to make sure they can match pace with the demand.
Canadian satellite aids in hurricane recovery
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:24 pm
Toronto, Oct 4 (IBNS): When Hurricane Irma last month hit the Caribbean region -- a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts -- leading to huge destruction, authorities on the ground faced difficulties in tracking the hurricane and assess the damages, media reports said.
Global Goals embraced by Japanese society, UN deputy chief says, wrapping up Tokyo visit
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:59 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Concluding her three-day visit to Japan on Tuesday, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Tuesday noted how much the Japanese society has embraced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a compass guiding to a more prosperous future for themselves.
In Bangladesh, UN aid chief urges scaling up response for Rohingya refugee crisis
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:58 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): With over half a million Rohingya refugees having fled their homes in Myanmar since violence erupted in late August, the top United Nations humanitarian official has underscored that the solution to the crisis needs to be found within Myanmar.
SDGs ‘take off’ in Nepal’s skies with UN development programme-airline partnership
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:57 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Through a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a private aircraft company, airplanes flying in Nepal’s skies will bear UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) branding icons, disseminating the globally-agreed targets far and wide.
Pioneer of work in women’s reproductive health appointed head of UN Population Fund
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:56 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday appointed Natalia Kanem of Panama to head the UN’s women’s health agency.
UN agriculture agency and World Bank launch new initiative to avert famine in Yemen
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:55 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): More than half a million vulnerable and food-insecure people in war-torn Yemen will receive immediate relief and long-term sustainable agricultural support, thanks to a $46 million project launched by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Bank.
Dire lack of winter funding puts millions of refugees in Middle East at risk, warns UN agency
Oct 04, 2017, at 10:53 am
New York, Oct 4(Just Earth News): Dwindling resources could severely jeopardize efforts to provide refugees and displaced persons across the Middle East with essential winter supplies such as thermal blankets and warm clothing, the United Nations refugee agency has warned.