Page 13 - United Nations

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 ...

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