Page 24 - United Nations

UN chief calls global situation 'unsustainable' as annual meeting opens

UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres warned world leaders Tuesday that impunity, inequality and uncertainty are creating an unsustainable world" where a growing number of countries believe they should have a get out of jail free card. We can't go on like this, he said as the General Assembly's annual debate among presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other leaders began. Citing deepening geopolitical divisions, wars with no end in sight, climate change and nuclear and emerging weapons, he said humanity is edging towards the unimaginable a powder keg that risks engulfing the world. But, he said, the challenges we face are solvable if the international community confronts the uncertainty of unmanaged risks, the inequality that underlies injustices and grievances and the impunity that undermines international law and the UN's founding principles. Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a "get out of jail free' card, he said in a reference to the classic

What to know from UN: Leaders speak of emerging threats, hints of war

The security cordons are up. The streets are ready to be sealed off. Aircraft from myriad nations are landing in New York. It all means one thing for the eastern part of Manhattan: The yearly gathering of world leaders at the United Nations is at hand. The UN General Assembly's high-level leaders' meeting convenes Tuesday in a troubled world arguably even more troubled than last year, when the chief of the United Nations warned that the problems were overwhelming. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will likely issue a similar warning on Tuesday as he opens the meeting, and world leaders take the stage amid war and rumours of war. The day before the big meeting starts was full of hints as to the agenda in the days to come: World leaders spoke at an event called Summit of the Future, with many focusing on emerging threats, to the earth's climate, on the battlefield and in cyberspace. Iran's president pointed to the deadly explosions of pager and other devices in Lebanon, and the ..

Brazil's Lula to talk climate at UN, but Amazon fires undermines message

When Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva opens the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he is expected to call on the world to do more to combat climate change. It remains to be seen whether he will address fires ravaging the rainforest back home and criticism of his administration's own environmental stewardship. Brazil's Amazon saw 38,000 blazes last month the most for any August since 2010, according to data from the country's space institute. September is on track to repeat that ignoble feat. Smoke has been choking residents of many cities, including metropolis Sao Paulo that's thousands of miles away. Lula has cast these fires as the result of criminals and proposed harsher punishments for environmental offenders. But enforcement has been hampered by a six-month strike at environmental regulator Ibama that ended in August three months after his administration was aware of significantly heightened risk of fires amid historic drought. At the same time, members of his Cabinet

'Good beginning': India on Pact of Future's language on UNSC reforms

India said that a UN summit document for the first time containing a detailed paragraph on Security Council reform is a good beginning and New Delhi looks forward eventually to the beginning of text-based negotiations in a fixed time frame to reform the 15-nation body. World leaders on Sunday adopted by consensus the 'Pact of the Future', promising to reform the Security Council, recognising the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable. UN officials have described the language in the 'Pact of the Future' on the long-pending Security Council reforms as groundbreaking. I would only point you in the direction of the fact that for the first time, a UN summit document has a detailed paragraph on UN Security Council reform," said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in response to a question on how India sees this language on UNSC reform in the 'Pact of the Future'. So it may not have every single detail in every area

UNGA: World leaders discuss 'path for future' but outlook seems gloomy

Facing a swirl of conflicts and crises across a fragmented world, leaders attending this week's annual UN gathering are being challenged: Work together not only on front-burner issues but on modernising the international institutions born after World War II so they can tackle the threats and problems of the future. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued the challenge a year ago after sounding a global alarm about the survival of humanity and the planet: Come to a Summit of the Future and make a new commitment to multilateralism the foundation of the United Nations and many other global bodies and start fixing the aging global architecture to meet the rapidly changing world. The UN chief told reporters last week that the summit was born out of a cold, hard fact: international challenges are moving faster than our ability to solve them. He pointed to out-of-control geopolitical divisions and runaway conflicts, climate change, inequalities, debt and new technologies like ...

PM Modi meets Armenian counterpart Pashinyan on sidelines of UN Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the UN Summit of the Future here, describing the meeting as "wonderful". Modi is in New York on the last leg of his three-day visit to the US where he addressed the UN's landmark Summit of the Future held against the backdrop of raging global conflicts. He met Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Summit on Monday. "Wonderful to have met Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future at the @UN earlier today," Modi said in a post on X. Modi also met the Secretary of State of the Holy See here Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "Had a great conversation with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See in New York," the prime minister said in a separate X post. Earlier, he held a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President To Lam. The two leaders discussed ways to enhance the ties between India and Vietnam and add

Global action on terrorism, issues must match global ambition: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged terrorism and "new theatres of conflict" in areas like cyber, maritime and space at the UN on Monday, saying global action on these issues must match global ambition. His address at the UN's landmark Summit of the Future comes against the backdrop of conflicts across the world, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine crisis. Modi said terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security. He added that areas such as cyber, maritime and space are emerging as new theatres of conflict. "On all these issues, I will stress that Global Action must match Global Ambition!" he said. "Success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield," Modi told the UN event. On the first day of the summit that opened Sunday, world leaders adopted by consensus the Pact of the Future, with annexes - Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations that lays the path forward for the UN and the international ...

Despite Russia's objection, UN adopts Pact of Future to alter governance

The Pact covers a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change among others

Venezuelan crude flows to public sector refiners via third parties

Venezuela was the 9th largest source of crude for India in Q1 FY25

UN to support Bangladesh reforms undertaken by Yunus-led interim govt

The United Nations will support Bangladesh in its reform initiatives, including police and election reforms, undertaken by the interim government, a top official of the world body said on Sunday. The chief of the UN in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus here and discussed a wide range of issues, including reforms, corruption, floods, the Rohingya crisis, and the UN-led investigation into the July-August violence, The Daily Star newspaper reported. Lewis expressed her support for the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government and thanked Yunus for taking up the extraordinary role, the paper said. Yunus, 84, recently announced the formation of six commissions to reform the judiciary, election system, administration, police, anti-corruption commission and the constitution. The Nobel laureate took oath as the head of the interim government on August 8, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following widespread protes

Operation Moonshot: Quad nations announces war on cervical cancer

Quad countries will work together with United Nations agencies on bulk purchasing of HPV diagnostics to bring down the cost of cervical cancer screening

Weaponising ordinary devices violates international law: UN rights chief

Weaponising ordinary communication devices represents a new development in warfare, and targeting thousands of Lebanese people using pagers, two-way radios and electronic equipment without their knowledge is a violation of international human rights law, the United Nations human rights chief said Friday. Volker Turk told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council there must be an independent and transparent investigation of the two attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday where these devices exploded, reportedly killing 37 people and injuring more than 3,400 others. Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held to account, he said. Lebanon has blamed Israel for the attacks, which appeared to target Hezbollah militants but also saw many civilian casualties, including children. Hezbollah has fought many conflicts with Israel, including a war in 2006, and it has conducted near-daily strikes against Israel to support Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. ...

PM's message will be India's example of domestic development: Amb Harish

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be bringing the message of India's example of its domestic development to the landmark Summit of the Future at the United Nations next week, the country's envoy on Friday said. "I think his message will be India's example of our own domestic development story," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish told PTI in an exclusive interview. Modi is scheduled to arrive in the US Saturday for a three-day visit which will begin with the Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by US President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. The Indian leader will then travel to New York where he will address a mega community event in Long Island on September 22, followed by his address to the UN's Summit of the Future on September 23 before departing for India. At the Summit, UN Member States will adopt by consensus the Pact of the Future, with annexes - Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations. Harish underlined that the Summit

At UN summit, India calls for global shift to sustainable lifestyles

Adopting sustainable lifestyles could tackle many of the challenges posed by climate change and global success is more likely if affordable solutions are offered, India has said at the United Nations "Summit of the Future". Addressing the summit in New York on Friday, Leela Nandan, secretary in the Union environment ministry, also said that climate change discussions often focus solely on emission reductions, but "we are more likely to succeed if we offer affordable solutions, not simply impose decisions". The Summit of the Future brings together world leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss global challenges and strengthen multilateral cooperation to tackle emerging threats. Citing an estimate by the International Energy Agency, Nandan said, "If we were to put our actions into the right context in terms of saving energy, saving water, reducing waste, reducing e-waste, adopting sustainable food systems, we would have reduced annual global emissions by 2 billion tons

PM Modi departs for US to attend Quad Summit, address UN 'Summit of Future'

PM Modi will take part in the sixth Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, which is being hosted by US President Joe Biden

UN experts call for establishing framework for global AI governance

A high-powered UN advisory body said Thursday that global governance of artificial intelligence is imperative and urged the United Nations to lay the foundations for the first inclusive global institutions to regulate the fast-growing technology. In a 100-page report, the group said AI is transforming our world, offering tremendous potential for good from opening new areas of science and accelerating economic growth to improving public health, agriculture and optimizing energy grids. But left ungoverned, it said, AI's benefits could be limited to a handful of countries, companies and individuals, while even more powerful systems than exist today could upend the world of work, create autonomous weapons, and pose risks to peace and security. The advisory body outlined principles that should guide formation of new institutions to govern AI including international law, and especially human rights law. It calls on all governments and parties involved in AI to work together to protect hum

India abstains from UNGA resolution urging Israel's exit from occupied land

India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months, with Delhi underlining that it is a strong advocate of "dialogue and diplomacy" and efforts should be made towards "building bridges", "not furthering divides". The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution on Wednesday, with 124 nations voting in favour, 14 against and 43 abstentions, including that by India. The resolution was titled Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'. Those abstaining included Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Nepal, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Nations voting against the resolution included Israel and the US. Delivering the explanation of vote

UN chief urges nations to approve blueprint to address global issues

The United Nations chief urged the world's divided nations on Wednesday to compromise and approve a blueprint to address global challenges from conflicts and climate change to artificial intelligence and reforming the UN and global financial institutions. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that discussions on the Pact of the Future are in their final stretch and failure to reach the required consensus among all 193 UN member nations would be tragic. A year ago, Guterres sounded an alarm about the survival of humanity and the planet and summoned world leaders to a Summit of the Future at their global gathering this year to unite and take action to reform the UN and other institutions established after World War II and address new global threats. It is taking place Sunday and Monday, just before Tuesday's start of the annual high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly. Negotiations on the 30-page pact, now in its fourth revision, have been taking place for months, and

Indian Muslim woman supports CAA at UNHRC, emphasises humanitarian aspects

According to Rifat, the CAA addresses an urgent need by providing refuge and legal status to those who have historically faced persecution in their home countries

UN accuses Myanmar's military of mass killings, torture since 2021 coup

Three years into the conflict, the UN estimates that more than 19 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with over three million displaced