Page 11 - United Nations

UN humanitarian agency to slash staff by 20% amid 'brutal cuts' in funding

The UN humanitarian agency said it is cutting its 2,600 staff operating in more than 60 countries by 20% because of brutal cuts in funding that have left it with a nearly $60 million shortfall. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a letter obtained Friday by The Associated Press that the humanitarian community was already underfunded, overstretched and literally, under attack before the recent funding cuts. In the letter to staff at the agency, he didn't say which country was responsible for the cuts that led to the funding crisis at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, but he indicated it was the United States. Fletcher said OCHA had an overall budget of around $430 million for 2025, noting that several countries have announced or implemented cuts to the agency's extra-budgetary resources. He singled out the United States. The US alone has been the largest humanitarian donor for decades, he said, and the biggest contributor to OCHA's ...

India supports first global carbon tax on shipping industry at UN meet

India and 62 other countries on Friday voted in favour of the world's first-ever global carbon tax imposed on the shipping industry by the United Nations' shipping agency. The decision, taken at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) headquarters in London after a week of intense negotiations, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships and promote cleaner technologies. The move marks the first time a global carbon tax has been imposed on an entire industry. Starting 2028, ships will either have to shift to lower-emission fuels or pay a fee for the pollution they generate. The tax could generate up to USD 40 billion by 2030. However, all the funds will be used exclusively to cut emissions in the shipping industry and not for supporting climate action in developing countries. Despite this breakthrough in global climate policy, carbon pricing is expected to reduce shipping emissions by only 10 per cent by 2030, far short of the IMO's own target of at least 20 per cent.

Tariffs may destroy developing nations more than aid cuts: UN trade agency

Global trade could shrink by 3-7 per cent and global gross domestic product by 0.7 per cent, with developing countries the worst affected, the International Trade Centre said

India to give $990,000 aid to Sierra Leone for differently abled persons

India will provide a funding support of close to a million dollars to Sierra Leone from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for a project for differently abled persons in the West African country. In response to a request by the Government of Sierra Leone, India will provide the 990,000 dollar funding support for the project Enabling Economic Independence For Specially Abled Persons In Sierra Leone (Persons With Disabilities)'. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is partnering with India towards the project. A press release issued by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN here Thursday said that the project is a top national development priority for the Sierra Leone Government as it will promote sustainable livelihoods for persons with disabilities through training and work cooperatives in rural areas. This would enable them to achieve economic independence while staying close to their homes. The project aims to refurbish dedicated centres for persons with ...

India's disaster response experience makes it key to Myanmar quake aid: UN

India has emerged as a key player in the humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, providing swift and substantial aid that has significantly bolstered relief efforts, a UN official has said. In an interview with PTI Videos, Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, praised India's rapid deployment of resources under Operation Rama, delivering over 1,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, medical supplies, and field hospital support, within days of the disaster. Myanmar was hit by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28. "The early deployment of resources and facilities helped a lot of people, particularly in urban areas of Mandalay," Sajid said, noting that India also sent a 200-strong search and rescue team and medical personnel to assist the worst-hit regions. The establishment of a field hospital in Mandalay has been particularly critical, Sajid added, as many local hospitals

Climate shocks could cause 6% economic loss in Asia-Pacific: UN report

While the Asia-Pacific region contributed 60 per cent of global economic growth in 2024, many of its countries are poorly prepared for climate shocks, according to the report

India ranks 10th with $1.4 billion private investment in AI: UN report

India ranks 36th out of 170 nations on a global index measuring a country's readiness for frontier technologies, improving its ranking from last year, according to the report

Fifteen aid workers found buried in Gaza, UN demands answers and justice

The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged last Friday that it had fired on ambulances and fire engines, saying they had identified them as "suspicious vehicles"

Israeli troops killed 15 Palestinian medics, buried them in mass grave: UN

Palestinians held funerals Monday for 15 medics and emergency responders killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, after their bodies and mangled ambulances were found buried in an impromptu mass grave, apparently ploughed over by Israeli military bulldozers. The Palestinian Red Crescent says the workers and their vehicles were clearly marked as medical and humanitarian personnel and accused Israeli troops of killing them in cold blood. The Israeli military says its troops opened fire on vehicles that approached them suspiciously without identification. The dead included eight Red Crescent workers, six members of Gaza's Civil Defense emergency unit and a staffer from UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinians. The International Red Cross/Red Crescent said it was the deadliest attack on its personnel in eight years. Since the war in Gaza began 18 months ago, Israel has killed more than 100 Civil Defense workers and more than 1,000 health workers, according to the UN. The emergency tea

White House weighs executive order to fast-track deep-sea mining: Report

If signed, the order would mark US President Donald Trump's latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy

UN lauds India's efforts in mitigating childhood mortality, stillbirth

India is among the top performer countries with reduction in mortality and stillbirth rates

Putin proposes UN-led external rule for Ukraine, cites its Constitution

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Friday to put Ukraine under external governance under the UN aegis as part of efforts to reach a peaceful settlement, a blustery statement that reflected the Kremlin leader's determination to achieve his war goals. Speaking to the crew of a Russian nuclear submarine in televised remarks broadcast early Friday, Putin reaffirmed his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine's constitution it is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it's under martial law. Putin claimed that any agreement that is signed with the current Ukrainian government could be challenged by its successors and said new elections could be held under external governance. Under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction o

White House withdraws Stefanik's UN envoy bid over tight GOP House margin

The White House has withdrawn Rep. Elise Stefanik's nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations, a stunning turnaround for President Donald Trump's Cabinet pick after her confirmation had been stalled over concerns about Republicans' tight margins in the House. Trump confirmed the decision in a Truth Social post on Thursday, saying that it was essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning. I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress, he said. Trump had tapped Stefanik, a New York Republican, to represent the US at the international body shortly after winning reelection in November. She was seen as among the least controversial Cabinet picks, and her nomination advanced out of committee in late January, but House Republicans' razor-thin majority kept her ultimate confirmation in a state of purgatory for the .

'Exemplar': UN lauds India's progress in child mortality reduction

India's efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as "exemplar" by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, and said the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system. The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report, released Tuesday, cited the example of five exemplar countries in achieving child mortality reduction -- India, Nepal, Senegal, Ghana and Burundi -- highlighting diverse strategies that have accelerated progress in reducing preventable child deaths. The report said these countries illustrate that with "political will, evidence-based strategies and sustained investments, even resource-constrained settings facing unique challenges can achieve substantial reductions in mortality, bringing the world closer to an end to preventable child deaths". On India, the report said the country has made gains through health system

Human rights defenders praise India's progress at UN event in Geneva

Organised by the ECO FAWN Society, the event also countered misleading narratives about India often propagated by certain foreign NGOs

Syria at crossroads: Can return to violence or move to peace, says UN envoy

Three months following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Syria is at a crossroads, the top UN envoy for the country said. Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that Syria can return to violence or start an inclusive transition and end decades of conflict. He said the road back to conflict, fragmentation and violations of Syrian sovereignty by external powers "must not come to pass". The other road, which would restore Syria's sovereignty and regional security, is "viable" but "requires the right Syrian decisions" and international support, Pedersen said. Syria's civil war had gone on for 13 years when a lightning insurgency led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad in December, ending his family's more than 50-year rule. Former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was announced as the country's interim president after a meeting of armed groups that took part in the offensive. Pedersen spoke weeks after clashes between al-Sharaa's security forces an

Pak continues to illegally occupy J&K, which it must vacate: India at UNSC

These remarks were made by India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish during remarks at a UNSC Open Debate on Advancing Adaptability in UN Peace operations

UN says will reduce footprint in Gaza, blames Israel for staffer's death

The United Nations has said it will reduce its footprint in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli tank strike hit one of its compounds last week, killing one staffer and wounding five others. Israel has denied it was behind the March 19 explosion at the UN guesthouse in central Gaza. In a statement Monday, UN Secretary-General spokesman Stphane Dujarric said that based on the information currently available, the strikes on the site were caused by an Israeli tank. He said the UN has made taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organisation's footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar. He said the UN is not leaving Gaza but did not give details on the impact of the decision.

Nearly 9,000 migrant deaths recorded last year by UN migration agency

Nearly 9,000 people have died last year attempting to cross borders, the UN agency for migration said on Friday. The death toll set a new record for the fifth year in a row. The International Organization for Migration recorded at least 8,938 migrant deaths in 2024. However, the real death toll is likely much higher given that many deaths go unreported or undocumented IOM said in a statement. The rise of deaths is terrible in and of itself, but the fact that thousands remained unidentified each year is even more tragic, Julia Black, coordinator of IOM's Missing Migrants Projects said in the statement. Asia was the region with the most reported fatalities with 2,788 migrant deaths, followed by the Mediterranean Sea with 2,452 and Africa with 2,242. IOM said there were also an unprecedented 341 lives lost in the Caribbean", 233 in Europe and 174 in the Darin crossing between Colombia and Panama, a new record. News of the record death toll comes only days after the agency announced i

Can India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme drive climate target success?

IETA estimates that by 2030, the global carbon credit market will be around $300 billion, growing to $1 trn to $1.5 trn by 2050. India is expected to be one of the big sellers