Page 10 - United Nations

India makes significant pledges at UN peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin

India, which is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has made key pledges at a peacekeeping ministerial meeting, including a quick reaction force company and one women-led formed police unit (FPU). India pledged a Quick Reaction Force company, an armed police or mixed armed police unit, one women-led Formed Police Unit and a counter-improvised explosive devices/ explosive ordnance disposal unit as well as a K-9 unit and a SWAT police unit, the UN Department of Peace Operations said in a post on X. "Thank you India for your support", UN peacekeeping said. The United Nations peacekeeping ministerial 2025 concluded in Berlin, Germany Wednesday. More than 130 member states and international partners over a thousand participants in total came together to reaffirm their support for UN peacekeeping and to announce concrete pledges aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and adaptability of peace operations in the face of evolving global challenges. A total of 74

Hope India-Pak deal will help resolve outstanding issues: UN spokesperson

With India and Pakistan having reached an understanding to end hostilities we're in a better place, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said and hoped the countries would use it to deal with their outstanding issues. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. The ceasefire is holding. I think we have seen we're in a better place than we were before. We hope that the ceasefire will continue to hold, and we hope that the parties will use this to deal with a lot of the outstanding issues between them, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Tuesday. India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and .

UN humanitarian chief slams Israel for 'deliberately' blocking aid to Gaza

The United Nations' top humanitarian official blasted Israel on Tuesday for deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on Palestinians, including the risk of famine one of the strongest condemnations by a high-ranking U.N. official during the war in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, briefed members of the Security Council, describing this work as a grim undertaking since Israel began blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza more than 10 weeks ago. He went as far as saying that the council must act now to prevent genocide. Israel vehemently denied that is taking place. I ask you to reflect for a moment on what action we will tell future generations we each took to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza, said Fletcher, a longtime British diplomat who took up the U.N. post in November. It is a question we will hear, sometimes incredulous, sometimes furious but always there

UN aviation body indicts Russia for 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17

The International Civil Aviation Organization held Russia accountable for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, confirming its role in the tragic incident that killed 298 passengers

India ranks 130th on Human Development Index, says UNDP 2025 report

India's HDI value has increased by over 53 per cent since 1990, growing faster than both the global and South Asian averages

India climbs 3 spots to 130 on United Nations' Human Development Index

India now stands at par with Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan rank 89th, 145th and 168th, respectively, on the UN Development Programme's 2025 Human Development Report

US seeks to weaken global development finance efforts, shows UN document

With ongoing changes at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the fight against climate change already facing pushback from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

UN Secy Gen urges India, Pakistan to show maximum restraint, avoid conflict

Condemning the attack Guterres expressed grief over the relation between both counties reaching to a 'boiling' point

UN Security Council to hold closed-door meeting today on India-Pak tensions

The UN Security Council meeting, scheduled for this afternoon by the Greek Presidency, was convened at Pakistan's request

Pakistan to brief UN Security Council on latest regional developments

Pakistan has decided to brief the UN Security Council on the latest regional developments in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the foreign office said on Sunday. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directed Pakistan's UN Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, to take immediate steps to convene a meeting of the Security Council, the statement said. The decision comes amid tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pahalgam terror attack. Terrorists killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. "Pakistan will inform the UNSC about India's aggressive actions, provocations, and provocative statements, the foreign office said. Pakistan will specifically highlight India's illegal actions to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, it said, adding that the country would clarify how New Delhi's actions are jeopardising peace and security in the region. This important diplomatic move is part of

WHO to back use of weight-loss drugs for adults globally, raises cost issue

More than a billion people now have obesity worldwide, according to the WHO, and around 70% of them live in low and middle-income countries, the World Bank estimates

UN memo lays out proposals for sweeping reforms, consolidation of its ops

United Nations officials have circulated proposals for a vast consolidation of its operations and other sweeping reforms to root out inefficiencies, overlaps and cost overruns as the world body faces a critical funding crunch, according an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. The proposals, which are in the early stages of discussion and are far from certain to be adopted, would amount to one of the biggest overhauls of the UN, which has been upended by funding cuts from its biggest donor, the United States, under President Donald Trump's administration. The document, labelled strictly confidential, falls under a reform initiative known as UN80 that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched in March. It comes as the United Nations is set to celebrate its 80th anniversary this summer with its ability to work on resolving conflicts; help feed and house the poor, destitute and displaced; fight disease; and many other of its lofty humanitarian ambitions increasingly in ...

UN agencies that provide aid worldwide cut jobs, costs as US funding drops

Several UN agencies that provide aid to children, refugees and other vulnerable people around the world are slashing jobs or cutting costs in other ways, with officials pointing to funding reductions mainly from the United States and warning that vital relief programs will be severely affected as a result. The UN World Food Program is expected to cut up to 30 per cent of its staff. The head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30 per cent and cut senior-level positions by 50 per cent. That's according to internal memos obtained by The AP and verified by two UN officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal personnel decisions. Other agencies like UNICEF, the UN children's agency, and OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, have also announced or plan to make cuts. One WFP official called the cuts the most massive seen by the agency in the past 25 years, and that as a result, operatio

India slams Pak at UN over Khwaja Asif's 'open confession' on Pahalgam

Ambassador Yojna Patel slammed Pakistan for exploiting the United Nations forum to 'indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India'

UN court opens hearings on Israel's responsibility for Gaza aid access

The United Nations' highest court opened hearings Monday into Israel's obligation to ensure and facilitate urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, bringing the ongoing conflict in Gaza back into focus in The Hague. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the hearings part of a systematic persecution and delegitimisation of his country. Speaking in Jerusalem as the hearings began in The Hague, Saar said the court was becoming completely politicised. He called the proceeding shameful. A week of hearings has been scheduled in response to a request last year from the UN General Assembly, which asked the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel's legal responsibilities after the country blocked the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory. In a resolution sponsored by Norway, the General Assembly requested an advisory opinion, a non-binding but legally important decision from the court, on ..

Our food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel's blockade: WFP

The World Food Programme says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel's nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory. The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days. Some 80% of Gaza's population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel's blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza. Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resu

Pahalgam attack: UN chief urges India, Pakistan to show 'maximum restraint'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the situation between India and Pakistan very closely and with very great concern and appeals to both governments to exercise maximum restraint and ensure no further deterioration, his spokesperson said. We were very clear in our condemnation of the terror attack that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir, on the 22nd, two days ago, which killed a large number of civilians, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Thursday. Dujarric was responding to a question on whether Guterres has had any contact with the governments of India and Pakistan amid escalating tensions in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed. He said Guterres has not had any direct contact, but I can tell you he's obviously following the situation very closely and with very great concern. The secretary-general very much" appeals to both the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise maximu

UN to review impact of its agency helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza

The United Nations chief appointed a British human rights activist on Tuesday to carry out a strategic review of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees to assess its impact under the"present political, financial, security and other constraints. Israel has banned the agency, known as UNRWA, from operating on its territory, but its Palestinian staff have still been key to delivering aid and running medical clinics in Gaza, even though Israel has cut off all humanitarian deliveries since March 2. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who announced the review, said Ian Martin, a former head of Amnesty International, would also be looking at the consequences and risks for Palestinian refugees of UNRWA's operations. UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 to provide relief for Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which followed the establishment of Israel, as well as their descendants, until there is a politica

At least 100 people killed in attacks on famine-hit camps in Sudan: UN

Sudan's notorious paramilitary group launched a two-day attack on famine-hit camps for displaced people that left more than 100 dead, including 20 children and nine aid workers, in the Darfur region, a UN official said Saturday. The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias launched an offensive on the Zamzam and Abu Shorouk camps and the nearby city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Friday, said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami. El-Fasher is under the control of the military, which has fought the RSF since Sudan descended into civil war two years ago, killing more than than 24,000 people, according to the United Nations, though activists say the number is likely far higher. The camps were attacked again on Saturday, Nkweta-Salami said in a statement. She said that nine aid workers were killed while operating one of the very few remaining health posts still operational in Zamzam camp. This represents yet anoth

Global trade could shrink by 3% due to tariffs imposed by US: UN economist

Global trade could shrink by three per cent and exports could see a shift from markets such as the US and China to India, Canada and Brazil due to tariffs imposed by the US, a top UN economist has said. US President Donald Trump unveiled a massive tariff plan last week. The White House later announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most countries except China, which in turn decided to impose 125 per cent tariffs on US imports. Global trade could shrink by 3 per cent, with significant long-term shifts in trade patterns and economic integration," International Trade Centre Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said in Geneva on Friday. "For example, exports from Mexicowhich have been highly impactedare shifting from markets such as the US, China, Europe and even other Latin American countries, with modest gains instead in Canada and Brazil, and to a lesser extent, India, she said. Similarly, Vietnamese exports are redirecting away from the US, Mexico and China, while ...