Page 18 - United Nations

UN plastic treaty talks aim for breakthrough ahead of Dec 1 deadline

In an attempt to speed up the process, INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso is holding informal meetings on Friday to try and tackle the most divisive issues

India gets re-elected to UN Peacebuilding Commission for 2025-2026

The commission, established in 2005, was tasked with advising the UN General Assembly and the Security Council on issues of peacebuilding and sustaining peace

India proposes fund to help developing nations fight plastic pollution

The fund would be modelled on the successful multilateral fund established under the Montreal Protocol, which addressed ozone depletion

Taliban detained journos over 250 times in Afghanistan since takeover: UN

In a reply accompanying the report, the Taliban-led foreign ministry denied having arrested that number of journalists and added that those arrested had committed a crime

COP29 finance, carbon deals could unlock billions in global investment

Two weeks of acrimonious negotiations in Azerbaijan's capital Baku resulted in a deal for $300 billion in annual climate finance by 2035

Too little, too distant: India rejects $300 bn climate finance at COP29

India on Sunday rejected the new climate finance package of a meagre USD 300 billion annually by 2035 for the Global South at the UN climate conference here, calling it "too little and too distant". The USD 300 billion figure is a far cry from the USD 1.3 trillion the Global South has been demanding over the past three years of talks to tackle climate change. Making a statement on behalf of India, Chandni Raina, Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs, said they were not allowed to speak before the adoption of the deal, undermining their trust in the process. "In continuation of several such incidents of not following inclusivity, not respecting country positions... We had informed the presidency, we had informed the secretariat that we wanted to make a statement prior to any decision. However, this is for everyone to see, this has been stage-managed. We are extremely disappointed," she said. "The goal is too little, too distant," Raina said, asserting that it is set for 2035, whic

Rich nations offer $300 billion annually after 10 years to Global South

Developed countries made a final offer of USD 300 billion annually by 2035 to help developing countries tackle climate change, hours after two groups of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries stormed out of the negotiating room at COP29 here. The USD 300 billion figure, however, is a far cry from the USD 1.3 trillion the Global South has been demanding in the three years of talks. The offer is part of the draft deal on a new climate finance package for developing nations, or the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), which will be put before countries for approval in a plenary session shortly. The new amount will replace the USD 100 billion figure pledged in 2009. The draft deal also introduces the Baku to Belem Roadmap, an important request for Africa and other developing country groups to lay out a meaningful process towards aligning the global finance system with achieving the USD 1.3 trillion goal by 2035. Issued after tiring, mind-numbing negotiations that continued fo

COP29 gets Article 6 of Paris Agreement operational, opens carbon markets

Article 6 provides trusted and transparent carbon markets for countries as they collaborate to reach their climate goals

Pak ministries at odds over IMF condition on gas supply cut to industries

Pakistan's finance and energy ministries are at loggerheads over meeting a key IMF condition to reduce gas supplies to industrial power plants by January, highlighting shortcomings in the negotiation of the USD 7 billion agreement. During a recent meeting at the prime minister's house, the Petroleum Division, a part of the energy ministry, claimed that the finance ministry accepted the condition despite its reservations at the time of the programme negotiations, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Saturday. The division further claimed that abrupt disconnection may cause a Rs 427-billion loss to the government and the industries. However, the finance ministry insisted that the Petroleum Division was fully on board at the time of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and was now changing its position. The development comes amid the energy ministry's assessment that the complete shifting of industries from gas to electricity would require about two ...

UN panel backs resolution for first ever treaty on crimes against humanity

A key UN General Assembly committee adopted a resolution late Friday paving the way for negotiations on a first-ever treaty on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity after Russia dropped amendments that would have derailed the effort. The resolution was approved by consensus by the assembly's legal committee, which includes all 193-member UN nations, after tense last-minute negotiations between its supporters and Russia that dragged through the day. There was loud applause when the chairman of the committee gaveled the resolution's approval. It is virtually certain to be adopted when the General Assembly puts it to a final vote on Dec 4. Today's agreement to start up negotiations on a much-needed international treaty is an historic achievement that was a long time coming, Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch's senior legal adviser for advocacy, told The Associated Press. It sends a crucial message that impunity for the kinds of crimes inflicted on civilians in Ethiopia, Sud

Myanmar's military ramps up attacks including rapes, torture: UN expert

Myanmar's desperate military junta is ramping up attacks on villages that have fallen to opposition groups, carrying out beheadings, gang rapes and torture, with women, children and the elderly among the victims, the UN independent human rights investigator for Myanmar said in a new report. Thomas Andrews, a former US congressman from Maine, said in the report to the UN General Assembly circulated Friday that the junta has responded to military defeats and the loss of territory by using sophisticated weapons against civilians and seeking to destroy towns that it cannot control. Calling Myanmar an invisible crisis because the world's attention is focused elsewhere, he said, Escalating atrocities against the people of Myanmar are being enabled by governments that allow, or actively support, the transfer of weapons, weapons materials, and jet fuel to junta forces. Andrews didn't name the governments. But he praised Singapore for cracking down on weapons transfers that has led to a 90 p

More aid workers have been killed in 2024 than in any other year, says UN

Bloodshed in the Middle East has been the single-biggest cause of the 281 deaths among humanitarians globally this year

UN nuclear agency's board condemns Iran again for failing to cooperate

The UN nuclear watchdog's board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months. The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Nineteen members of the IAEA broad voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran, when the US president pursued a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew

PM Modi to launch 'UN International Year of Cooperative 2025' on Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch on Monday the 'United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025' at International Cooperative Alliance's (ICA) global conference to be held in the national capital. First time in the 130 years long history of the ICA, the premier body for the global cooperative movement, with the initiative of IFFCO, the ICA General Assembly and Global Cooperative Conference will be hosted by India. The event is scheduled to be held during November 25-30 here. Addressing a press conference, Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani informed that the prime minister will formally launch the 'United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025' during the inaugural session of the event on November 25. A commemorative stamp on International Year of Cooperatives - 2025 will also be launched in the event. Around 3,000 delegates are expected to attend this event and out of that 1,000 will be delegates from foreign countries, he added. Prime Minister of .

COP29 produces streamlined climate finance draft, but key issues remain

After an all-nighter, a draft text on the new climate finance package for the developing world finally dropped Thursday morning -- shrunk from 25 pages to 10, but the major sticking points remain. With less than two days left for the UN climate conference to close, negotiators face a gargantuan task to hammer it out. A quick glance at the text shows developed countries are still dodging a key question: How much climate finance are they ready to give developing countries every year starting in 2025? This has led to significant frustration among developing countries, who have repeatedly said they need at least USD 1.3 trillion to tackle the escalating challenges. "The revised draft text, while more streamlined, presents a spectrum of options -- some good, some bad, and some outright ugly," said Harjeet Singh, a climate activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. He said it acknowledges the need for public funds from developed ...

Developing nations demand upto $900 bn in public climate finance at COP29

Developing countries are asking for up to USD 900 billion in public funding from a total of USD 1.3 trillion they seek from developed nations in the new climate finance package for reducing emissions and adapting to the growing impacts of climate change. Negotiators told PTI that the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group has called for USD 600 billion in public funding, supplemented by private finance at concessional rates to meet the USD 1.3 trillion goal. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is pushing for USD 900 billion in government funding, while the Arab Group has proposed USD 440 billion. Although developed countries have yet to officially propose a figure, their negotiators indicated that European Union nations are discussing a global climate finance target of USD 200 billion to USD 300 billion per year. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters that developed countries want to ascertain the package's components before committing to a

Iraq launches its first nationwide census in nearly four decades

The last nationwide census was held in 1987 in Iraq, followed by a census in 1997 which did not include certain Kurdish regions

Time runs down for negotiators at COP29 to find deal to curb global warming

With time running down, negotiators at the United Nations annual climate talks on Wednesday returned to the puzzle of finding an agreement to bring far more money for vulnerable nations to adapt than wealthier countries have shown they're willing to pay. Pressure was building to drive a deal by the time COP29, as this year's summit is known, concludes this week. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev asked negotiators to clear away the technical part of talks by Wednesday afternoon so they can focus on substance. That substance is daunting. Vulnerable nations are seeking USD 1.3 trillion to deal with damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems. Experts agree that at least USD 1 trillion is called for, but both figures are far more than the developed world has so far offered. Half the world away in Rio, Brazil, where the Group of 20 summit was wrapping up on Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told

Unsatisfied with pace of progress on UNSC reform: Indian UN envoy

India is unsatisfied with the pace of progress on Security Council reform, the country's envoy at the UN said, noting that there are countries who prefer the status quo and those that oppose expansion in the permanent category at all costs as they feel their neighbours may have a chance to become a member. The Security Council structure, as it stands today, is a reflection of 1945. It does not reflect today's realities, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said during a conversation here on Tuesday. Harish delivered the keynote address on Responding to Key Global Challenges: The India Way' at an event at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Harish gave an expansive overview of the India way on key global issues ranging from reformed multilateralism, terrorism, demography, India's digital revolution to the country's youth, climate change, democracy, healthcare and vaccines. The event was co-sponsored by the MPA

Iran defies pressure, increases stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium: UN

Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear programme and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen on Tuesday by AP. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of October 26, Iran has 182.3 kilogrammes of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, an increase of 17.6 kilogrammes since the last report in August. Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. The IAEA also estimated in its quarterly report that as of October 26, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 6,604.4 kilogrammes, an increase of 852.6 kilogrammes since August. Under the IAEA's definition, around 42 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possible -- if the material is enriched further, to 90 per ...