United Nations

A former UAE ambassador to the UN, Nusseibeh vowed to act as a voice for international diplomacy and the rule of law, principles she said would underpin her credibility

India strongly hit back at Pakistan's attempts at the UN to paint a "propagandist" picture of New Delhi, saying Islamabad's "Form 47 government" can "dare not" override instructions from the country's real rulers, the Pakistani military. Form 47 is an official election document in Pakistan that records the provisional, consolidated results of voting in a constituency. The February 2024 general elections were marred by allegations of rigging and irregularities, with critics using the term "Form 47" to question the official results. During an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on Saturday, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Raghoo Puri accused Pakistan of attempting to "paint a propagandist picture" of India. Islamabad's actions, he said, are aimed at diverting attention from its own domestic challenges, including economic distress, lawlessness and human rights violations. "What be

UNEP says India is likely to meet its climate targets under current policies. However, global emissions must fall much faster to limit peak warming and return to 1.5°C by the end of the century

India has asserted that human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or selective targeting of countries, as it opposed attempts to turn allegations and incomplete statistics into a "negative characterisation" of the world's largest democracy. "India engages with international human rights mechanisms, but such engagement must be based on dialogue, consultation, cooperation with non-selectivity and transparency as guiding principles," Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Barkha Tamrakar said. Tamrakar delivered India's statement at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on the agenda item concerning the 'Working Group on Enforced Disappearances' here on Tuesday. She underlined that human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or selective targeting of countries. "We call on delegations to cite the report faithfully, not to inflate a humanitarian communication into a verdict," Tamrakar said. India remains prepare

India has repeatedly dismissed such criticism and cast it as interference ‌in the country's internal affairs

India has voiced concern over the "challenging" liquidity situation of the United Nations this year, as it called out the "unacceptably high levels" of unpaid assessments owed by just one member state. "We consider that full, timely and unconditional payment of assessed contribution is the Charter obligation of every Member State," Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Surendra Adhana said here Monday. Adhana delivered India's national statement at the 81st Main Session of the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly on 'Improving the financial situation of the United Nations'. "We note with concern that the liquidity situation in 2026 remained challenging due to the collection uncertainties and low cash balance," he said. "While we have noted the marginal drop in the regular budget unpaid assessment to USD 1.46 billion from the USD 1.87 billion a year ago, the reality is that the unpaid assessment continued to remain at unacceptably high levels, and over 90 per

The United Nations has cut food assistance to 5,00,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 2,00,000 in the West Bank due to a serious funding shortage, the head of the UN food agency said. Carl Skau, acting head of the World Food Program, on Monday urged the international community to provide USD 450 million so the agency could restore the cut assistance and provide hot meals and food parcels in Gaza and the West Bank for the next six months. Because of the money shortage, the number of people receiving assistance was reduced this month from 1.6 million to 1.1 million in Gaza and from 4,00,000 to 2,00,000 in the West Bank, he said. Skau, who had just visited both territories, told UN correspondents in a video briefing from Jerusalem that life in Gaza remains "absolutely brutal" and incredibly dangerous, with UN teams recording about 50 attacks per day in the past week. Nonetheless, he said that since last October's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, "we have been able to push back on famine"

India has rejected as "hearsay" a report by a UN human rights expert that has taken note of the "satirical political movement" created by the country's youth, with New Delhi calling on the expert to "verify" before vilifying issues using unverified claims. First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Anuj Swarup delivered the national statement at the 81st Session of the UNGA Third Committee at the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. Swarup voiced objection to the report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association Gina Romero, calling out her assertion that young people in India face retaliation or stigmatisation for discussing mental health or gender justice. Swarup said Romero merely cites "unnamed submissions" in the footnote. "A sweeping charge against the world's largest youth population, resting on anonymous and unverified claims, is not evidence. It is

India has asked the UN human rights body when it will issue a report seeking answers from Pakistan on steps taken to alleviate its concerns on the dire situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including investigations into killings and internet restrictions. First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India, Anuj Swarup, delivered India's statement at the 81st Session of the UNGA Third Committee in the Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Wednesday. Swarup referred to detailed statements made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the PoK situation that had called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into killings that occurred at the hands of the armed forces and security forces. The statements had also called for detained leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee to have access to legal representation and their families, and had called for due process and fair

UNCTAD projected global economic growth at 2.6% in 2026, down from 2.9% in 2025, as the global economy slows amid geopolitical tensions, energy shocks and widening development gaps

India has hit out at Pakistan at the United Nations over its remarks on the rule of law, saying Islamabad cannot deliver "lectures" when "Army is the rule, and Army is the law" in the country. India exercised its Right of Reply on Friday after Pakistan made remarks during a discussion in the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly on 'Rule of Law at National and International Levels'. "It is ironic to hear lectures on rule of law from a nation whose own record makes a mockery of it," Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN R. Mythili said, adding that Pakistan claims at the UN to defend the rule of law while its Army effectively determines it at home. "A state that places its military rulers beyond the reach of its own courts is in no position to lecture on the rule of law in this committee," she said, describing Pakistan's 26th Constitutional Amendment as a "real blow" to judicial independence. The 26th Constitutional Amendment made way for significant institutio

There is no getting away from the historical responsibility of the richest and most developed countries for this loss of lives

India slammed Pakistan at the UN, saying it is "regrettable" that Islamabad continues to abuse the platform of the world organisation by peddling lies and falsehoods about the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. India exercised its Right of Reply in response to a statement by Pakistan in the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly Friday on the Agenda Item 'Decolonization'. The Committee deals with Special Political and Decolonization issues. "It is regrettable that Pakistan continues to abuse this august forum by peddling lies and falsehoods about the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," Member of Parliament Mahima Kumari Mewar said. Delivering India's strong Right of Reply, Mewar said a country like Pakistan, with an "established" record of military dictatorship, sham elections, incarceration of popular elected leaders, religious extremism and sponsoring terrorism as an instrument of state policy should, in future, refrain from "preaching homilies" at this ..

A UN-backed push for more accurate world maps highlights how every map involves compromises-and how the way we depict the Earth can shape our view of the world

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called for reform in the United Nations, saying the global body has become "irrelevant" to the decision-making on major global issues, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gulf. He said this in response to a question during an interactive session held at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave here. Jaishankar last month addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. At the conclave, the external affairs minister (EAM) was asked what in his view is the future of the UN, and the future of multilateral institutions in the world. "Where the UN is concerned, I think it's obvious to everybody by now that the UN is gridlocked. If you look at the big issues of the day, whether you look at the conflict in the Gulf, whether you look at the conflict in Ukraine, whether you look at other issues in Africa, whether you look at Covid, actually, the United Nations has been largely irrelevant to the decision-making," Jaishankar

On January 1, the next United Nations secretary-general will take over an aging organisation still controlled by World War II powers. What will the world need from that person? Once a major player in solving conflicts and crises around the world, the 81-year-old institution has been sidelined from the top table in trying to end the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza. And its precarious financial situation - caused mainly by the billions of dollars the United States owes - has forced major cuts to its humanitarian and development programs where it has remained a key player. The annual global gathering of world leaders at the United Nations that ended last week shed some light on what the next UN chief needs to focus on and pursue. In his farewell address to the General Assembly, outgoing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told global leaders, "The world does not need a weaker United Nations." "It needs a UN strong enough to face the world as it is," he said, "and determined enough to bu

The study said that migrant workers are not only labour-market participants but important contributors to critical sectors of south India's economy

According to the UN agency's recent "gender snapshot," at the current rate of progress it will take 171 years to achieve gender equality, a UN goal initially set for 2015 and then moved to 2030

About 69% voted against the proposal, which sought to bar Switzerland from joining military alliances and imposing sanctions not approved by the United Nations