Page 27 - United Nations

As UN targets cybercrime, privacy groups say human rights to be violated

A global deal on the criminal use of computer technology is moving ahead despite worries it will let governments around the world violate human rights by probing electronic communications and bypassing privacy safeguards. Nearly 200 nations approved the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime on Thursday afternoon at a special committee meeting that capped months of complicated negotiations. The treaty expected to win General Assembly approval within months creates a framework for nations to cooperate against internet-related crimes including the illegal access and interception of computer information; electronic eavesdropping and online child sex abuse. Like outer space or even some parts of the deep sea, cyberspace is a relatively new area for regular human activity and many governments and businesses are rushing to keep up. The convention expected at the General Assembly later this year began with a Russian initiative several years ago and critics said they can see those .

We stand against racially based attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh: UN

Amid violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he stands against any racially based attacks or incitement to violence. What we've made clear is we want to make sure that the violence that has been occurring in Bangladesh in recent weeks is tamped down. Certainly, we stand against any racially based attacks or racially based incitement to violence, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said here on Thursday. He was responding to a question on the Secretary-General's reaction to attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Several Hindu temples, households and businesses have been vandalised, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party have been killed in the violence since Monday, when Hasina resigned and fled to India. Since Hasina fled the country, media reports from Bangladesh have flagged more and mo

UN fires 9 staffers after probe suspects their involvement in Oct 7 attack

The UN says it has fired nine staff members from its agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, after an internal investigation found they may have been involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack against Israel. The UN secretary-general's office announced the move in a brief statement to journalists Monday. It did not elaborate on the UNRWA staffers' likely role in the attack. It said the nine included seven staffers who were fired previously over the claims. The UN's internal watchdog has been investigating the agency since Israel in January accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in the October 7 attack on Israel in which militants killed 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Israel's allegations initially led top donor countries to suspend their funding for UNRWA, the main agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza amid the 10-month old war there. That caused a cash crunch of about USD 450 million dollars. Since then, all donor countries except for the US have decid

UK foreign secy calls for UN-led probe in Bangladesh amid violent protests

David Lammy has described the situation as unprecedented, highlighting the severity of the crisis

UN following situation in B'desh 'very closely'; calls for calm, restraint

The United Nations is following the situation in Bangladesh "very closely" and calls for calm and restraint in the wake of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and escape from the country, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday. Farhan Haq, the UN Deputy Spokesperson, told the daily briefing that the UN is following the situation in the South Asian country "very closely". "We continue to call for calm and restraint and to urge all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and expression," Haq said, adding that the UN urges security forces to protect those out on the streets of Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh. In response to a question from the Press Trust of India on the situation, Haq said: "For us, the important things are for the parties to remain calm, and we want to emphasise the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition. "We stand in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh at this time and we call for

1 in 4 countries have banned phones in schools due to negative impacts: UN

Large-scale international assessment data suggests a negative link between excessive use of technology and student performance, yet less than one in four countries have banned smartphone use in schools, according to the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report. The report on "Technology in education" published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has flagged that assessment data has found that mere proximity to a mobile device distracts students and has a negative impact on learning. An expert from the UN's Education team told PTI that too much attention on technology in education usually comes at a high cost, and technology, including smartphones, should only be used in class when it supports learning outcomes. "The adoption of digital technology has resulted in many changes in education and learning. The set of basic skills that young people are expected to learn in school, at least in richer countries, has expanded to include a broad ..

UN goal of hunger-free world by 2030 unlikely to be achieved: Official

United Nations' goal of creating a hunger-free world by 2030 most likely will not be achieved, an eminent German agriculture economist said on Saturday. Addressing the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists(ICAE), professor of agricultural economics and director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany, Martin Qaim further said some forms of malnutrition are even on the rise globally. "At present, we have widespread hunger and malnutrition around the world, seriously hampering development. "Our goal of a world without hunger will most likely not be achieved by 2030," he said. Qaim said climate change and geopolitical tensions are exacerbating hunger and malnutrition problems. "And we can not ignore that our food systems themselves were contributing significantly to the climate crisis and several other environmental problems," he said. Noting that without major changes in the way the world produces, distributes and consumes foods,

World food prices ease slightly in July, says UN; meat, sugar costs up

Prior to July, FAO food price index had risen for four consecutive months after hitting a 3-year low in February as prices receded from a record peak set in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine

Palestinian detainees taken by Israel faced torture, mistreatment: UN

The UN human rights office has issued a report Wednesday saying Palestinian detainees taken by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks in Gaza have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks and other torture and mistreatment. The report on detention in the wake of the deadly Hamas-led militant attacks and hostage-takings in Israel says that Israel's prison service held more than 9,400 security detainees as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights. A summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decries a staggering number of detainees including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention. The testimonies gathered by my office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant ..

Hunger in India came down to 13.7% during 2021-23 period: UN-FAO report

This means that around 39.3 million people have come out of undernourishment between the two periods, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Tuesday

International Seabed Authority to conduct polls amid deep-sea mining debate

A UN body that regulates deep international waters is preparing to elect its next leader, a crucial position as it faces pressure to either ban, approve or place a moratorium on seabed mining. The upcoming election comes as the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority ended a two-week session on Friday without reaching a consensus on a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining. The drawn-out debate raises concerns that the authority could receive an application later this year seeking the first deep sea mining exploitation license without having rules or regulations in place. The Metals Company, a Canadian-based mining company, is largely expected to be the first to apply for such a license. Mining exploration has been ongoing in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, which covers 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers) between Hawaii and Mexico. It is occurring at depths ranging from 13,000 to 19,000 feet (4,000 to 6,000 meters). However, no exploitation licens

Ethiopia mudslides: Search for missing continues as death toll rises to 257

Search teams were still digging at the site of deadly mudslides in southern Ethiopia on Friday, as the death toll rose to 257, according to the UN humanitarian office. Heavy rain triggered deadly slides on Sunday and Monday in a remote part of the country. The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said in an update Thursday that the death toll could rise to as many as 500, citing local officials. More than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated" from the area, it said. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to visit the remote area on Friday. Mudslides there have been triggered by heavy rainfall in recent days. Abiy said earlier in the week that he was deeply saddened by this terrible loss. Photos from the scene show residents standing over the shrouded bodies of mudslide victims who are being pulled, one by one, from the muddy earth. Diggers have been using hand shovels to pick through the mud. Many people were buried in the Gofa Zone of Kencho Shacha Gozdi distric

UN urges nations to better prepare as extreme heat breaks records

After three of Earth's hottest days ever measured, the United Nations called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it an extreme heat epidemic. If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it's that we're all increasingly feeling the heat, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday at a news conference where he highlighted that Monday was the hottest day on record, surpassing the mark set just a day earlier. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere. Nearly half a million people a year die worldwide from heat related deaths, far more than other weather extremes such as hurricanes, and this is likely an underestimate, a new report by 10 U.N. agencies said. Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic -- wilting under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world," Guterres said. "That's 122 degrees Fahrenhei

40 mn people living with HIV in 2023, over 9 mn not getting treatment: UN

Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, over 9 million weren't getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the UN said in a new report launched Monday. While advances are being made to end the global AIDS pandemic, the report said progress has slowed, funding is shrinking, and new infections are rising in three regions: the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, around 6,30,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, a significant decline from the 2.1 million deaths in 2004. But the latest figure is more than double the target for 2025 of fewer than 2,50,000 deaths, according to the report by UNAIDS, the UN agency leading the global effort to end the pandemic. Gender inequality is exacerbating the risks for girls and women, the report said, citing the extraordinarily high incidence of HIV among adolescents and young women in parts of .

Terrorism rising, Islamic State extremist's attacks set to double: UN envoy

The top UN envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Monday that the threat of terrorism is resurging with attacks by Islamic State extremists set to double this year, endangering civilians already facing a protracted state of displacement and dire humanitarian conditions. UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said Syria is riddled with armed actors, listed terrorist groups, foreign armies and front-lines 13 years after President Bashar Assad's crackdown on peaceful protests against his government turned to civil war. Nearly a half million people have died in the conflict and half the country's pre-war population of 23 million has been displaced. The Islamic State group declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of territory in Syria and Iraq that it seized in 2014. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle that killed tens of thousands of people and left cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries. Pedersen warned the Security ...

Elderly population in India likely to double by 2050: UNFPA India chief

India's elderly population is expected to double by 2050, UNFPA India chief Andrea Wojnar said, stressing that more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions is needed, especially for older women who are "more likely to live alone and face poverty". In an interview with PTI given days after the World Population Day on July 11, Resident Representative for UNFPA India, Wojnar, outlined key population trends that India is prioritising to accelerate sustainable development. These trends include the youthful population, ageing population, urbanisation, migration, and climate resilience, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities for the nation. She said as the number of individuals, aged 60 and above, is projected to double to 346 million by 2050, there is a pressing need for increased investment in healthcare, housing and pension schemes. "...especially for older women who are more likely to live alone and face poverty," she said. India boasts a substantial youthful ...

UN approves transparent procedures for people to get off sanctions lists

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved more transparent procedures Friday for the hundreds of individuals, companies and other entities who are subject to UN sanctions and want to get off the blacklists. The resolution, co-sponsored by Malta and the United States, also authorizes the establishment of a new informal working group by the Security Council to examine ways to improve the effectiveness of U.N. sanctions. Malta's UN Ambassador Vanessa Frazier told the council before the vote that the resolution is a clear signal of this council's commitment towards due process. It authorises a new focal point to directly engage with those seeking to get off sanctions lists and gather information from a variety of sources to share with the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions, which makes the decisions on delisting, she said. And it requires the reason for the committee's decision to be given to the petitioner. After the vote, U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood

COP29 host Azerbaijan launches climate fund, introduces fossil fuel levy

Azerbaijan, the host of this year's UN climate talks, has shelved a planned levy on fossil fuel production and instead launched a fund to "invest" in climate action in developing countries. Reports suggest that Azerbaijan, which relies heavily on oil and gas revenues, faced resistance from some oil- and gas-producing Gulf countries regarding the planned levy announced in May. The new fund, the "Climate Finance Action Fund" (CFAF), will receive annual contributions from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies. Initial fundraising aims for USD 1 billion, with members committing to annual contributions as fixed sums or based on production volume, according to a statement. Based in the capital city of Baku, the fund will target climate projects in developing countries, meeting the next generation of national climate plans to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and addressing the consequences of climate change-fuelled disasters. Financial support to help middle-income and

Terrorism must be quelled in all forms, including financing it: India at UN

The official also called for taking proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among the youth

UN Chief Antonio Guterres expresses concern over violence in Bangladesh

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the developments in Bangladesh very closely and is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, his spokesperson has said, urging authorities in Dhaka to work with its young population and find solutions to the ongoing challenges. Violent protests erupted in Bangladesh over quotas in the allocation of government jobs. Turning to the situation in Bangladesh, I can tell you that we are, of course, following the developments in the capital, Dhaka, and other places in Bangladesh very closely, and we continue to call for restraint from all sides, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Thursday. The UN chief urged the Bangladesh Government to ensure a conducive environment for dialogue and encouraged protesters to engage in dialogue to resolve the deadlock. Violence is never a solution, Dujarric said, adding that the Secretary-General encourages meaningful and constructive participation o