Page 3 - United Nations

UN COP30 unveils draft 'Belem package' as climate talks enter final phase

All eyes are on the Amazonian city of Belem in Brazil as the last leg of negotiations of the UN COP30 Climate Summit began on Tuesday with the release of the draft of the Belem Political Package, which is likely to show the world its next step to work on climate change. UN COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago in his letter to all the countries called them to work side by side, in task-force mode, to deliver the Belem Political Package swiftly, fairly and with care for all. The global platform on climate change expects that the draft texts for the package of decisions will be adopted on Wednesday after due deliberations. Negotiators from more than 190 countries have gathered here for the annual Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP30 summit is taking place at the Brazilian city of Belem in the Amazon region from November 10 to 21. The COP30 Presidency published 11 draft documents on various issues for detailed ...

India's economic growth, social inclusion can advance together: UNDP chief

India has demonstrated that economic growth and social inclusion can advance together and it is helping translate its success stories into global lessons for a more equitable world, a top official of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has said. The India growth story is not only about economic progress, but it is also about using technology and participatory governance to ensure that development objectives are achieved and no one is left behind, UNDP's Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said. In an interview to PTI, Xu said India's commitment to climate adaptation, renewable energy and inclusive digital finance offers a blueprint for balancing growth with sustainability. India continues to shape "development pathways" that are both economically sound and climate-responsible, he said. The UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Acting Administrator was in India on a three-day visit to strengthen and identify new areas of cooperation, including in areas of digital transformation and clima

India shaping growth path with climate-responsible approach: UNDP chief

India has demonstrated that economic growth and social inclusion can advance together and it is helping translate its success stories into global lessons for a more equitable world, a top official of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has said. The India growth story is not only about economic progress but also about using technology and participatory governance to ensure that development objectives are achieved and no one is left behind, UNDP's Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu said. In an interview to PTI, Xu said India's commitment to climate adaptation, renewable energy and inclusive digital finance offers a blueprint for balancing growth with sustainability. India continues to shape "development pathways" that are both economically sound and climate-responsible, he said. The UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Acting Administrator was in India on a three-day visit to strengthen and identify new areas of cooperation, including in areas of digital transformation and climate ...

Jaishankar meets UN chief Guterres in NY, discusses global challenges

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres here and said he valued the UN chief's assessment of the current global order and its implications for multilateralism and also thanked him for consistent support for India's growth. Good to meet with UNSG @antonioguterres in New York today. Valued his assessment of the current global order and its implications for multilateralism. Also appreciated his perspectives on various regional hotspots, Jaishankar said in a post on social media on Thursday (local time). Jaishankar met Guterres in the UN headquarters and was accompanied by India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P Harish, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Yojna Patel and officials from the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. Jaishankar said he thanked Guterres for clear and consistent support for India's growth and development and he looks forward to welcoming the UN Chief in India. Jaishankar was in Canada for

What is the COP30 climate summit, and why does it matter this year?

World leaders are meeting in Brazil's Amazon city of Belem for COP30, the 30th UN climate summit, to discuss how to curb global warming and act on past promises to cut fossil fuel use

COP30 starts with call for faster action, more togetherness, but without US

UN climate negotiations were expected to begin on Monday at a meeting on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, with leaders pushing for urgency, cooperation and acceleration after more than 30 years fighting to curb global warming by drastically reducing the carbon pollution that causes it. Andre Correa do Lago, president of this year's conference, known as COP30, emphasised that negotiators engage in mutirao, a Brazilian word derived from an Indigenous word that refers to a group uniting to work on a shared task. Either we decide to change by choice, together, or we will be imposed change by tragedy, Lago wrote in his letter to negotiators on Sunday. We can change. But we must do it together. Complicating the calls for togetherness is the United States. The Trump administration did not send high-level negotiators to the talks and is withdrawing for the second time from the 10-year-old Paris Agreement, which is being celebrated as a partial achievement here in Belem. The United States

Datanomics: As COP30 nears, why India is set to miss 2030 emission target

As COP30 begins in Brazil, new data shows India's emissions rising faster than its 2030 targets - though still far below major economies on a per capita basis

World food prices fall for second consecutive month in Oct, UN's FAO says

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.4 points in October, down from a revised 128.5 in September

UN approves US-backed effort to lift sanctions on Syria's president

The UN Security Council on Thursday voted to lift a series of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and members of his government days before he is set to arrive in the US for a historic visit to the White House. The US resolution to drop UN sanctions tied to al-Sharaa and Syria's interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, stemming from their ties to the al-Qaida militant group, was adopted with 14 members in support. China abstained from the vote. With the adoption of this text, the council is sending a strong political signal that recognises Syria is in a new era since Assad and his associates were toppled in December 2024, Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said in his statement after the vote, referring to longtime autocratic leader Bashar Assad. American officials pushed to pass the resolution before Monday, when President Donald Trump is expected to host al-Sharaa in the first visit by a Syrian president to Washington since the country gained independence in ...

India rejects UN expert's claim linking Pahalgam attack to Myanmar refugees

India has strongly rejected baseless observations made by a UN expert on Myanmar that refugees from the Southeast Asian nation were under severe pressure following the Pahalgam terror attack, with Delhi denouncing this prejudiced and blinkered analysis. I express serious objection to the baseless and biased observations in the report regarding my country. I strongly denounce the biased approach adopted by the Special Rapporteur of the innocent civilian victims of the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam through a biased communal lens, Member of Parliament Dilip Saikia said on Tuesday. Saikia delivered India's statement on the situation of human rights in Myanmar at the interactive dialogue in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. India strongly rejected the observations made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, in his report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. Referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the

COP30 Brasil: India seeks green dollars as Gates mutes climate doom

As COP30 heads to Belem, India aims to push finance and tech for the Global South - but will it bring real capital or just more promises and targets?

'End human rights violations in occupied areas': India slams Pakistan at UN

India told the UN that Pakistan must stop human rights abuses in its occupied areas, reaffirmed Kashmir as part of India, and called for real reforms at the UN to make it more effective

Houthis detain two UN staffers, raid homes in Yemen amid operational review

Houthi rebels detained two additional United Nations staff members and raided the homes of several others in Yemen over the last 48 hours, the latest in a series of events now forcing the world body to reassess how it operates in the war-torn country. The detainment of two staffers was confirmed by Farhan Haqq, the deputy U.N. spokesperson, on Friday. Three officials with the World Food Program confirmed the raids on the homes of Yemeni staff and the U.N. facility took place on Thursday and Friday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Since 2021, the de facto authorities have taken a number of steps that have made it increasingly difficult for the UN to provide assistance to Yemenis," Haqq told reporters. "These actions are forcing us to reassess the way in which we work in areas controlled by the Houthis. The detainment marks the latest in a series of escalations by the armed group against both national and ...

EAM S Jaishankar slams UN's inaction on terrorism, calls for reform

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday criticised the UN's decision-making, calling it polarised and gridlocked, and raised concerns over its credibility and response to terrorism

Jaishankar reaffirms India's commitment to peace at 80th UN anniversary

I take it as a statement of our collective attachment to the United Nations on this important anniversary at a time when the world is perhaps passing through some more difficult circumstances, he said

COP30 in Brazil faces world at its hottest and most divided on climate

As COP30 opens in Brazil, record CO₂ levels and faltering global leadership leave climate goals in peril, testing the world's resolve to act on its promises

UN today still reflects realities of 1945, not of 2025: EAM Jaishankar

The United Nations today "still reflects the realities of 1945, not of 2025", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, even as he asserted that for the UN to be effective, it must reform, becoming more inclusive, democratic, participative and representative of the current world. In his address at the concluding day of the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries' (UNTCC) Chiefs Conclave here, he also said the nature of conflicts have transformed with the "rise of non-state actors" and with asymmetric warfare. The EAM underscored the need to "recalibrate" global peacekeeping efforts in tune with evolving realities. He also called for decisions on peacekeeping mandates to be taken in close consultation with all stakeholders, including troop-contributing and host nations. In his address, he recalled about his recent visit to New York to attend the 80th UN General Assembly. "Let me share with you some key insights of that experience. One, the United Nations today st

India backs two-state solution at NAM meet on Palestine in Kampala

Minister of State for External Affairs highlighted India's ongoing development cooperation and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people

CO2 levels hit record high in 2024, driving more extreme weather: UN agency

The UN weather agency said Wednesday that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit new record highs last year, and heat trapped by such greenhouse gases is turbo-charging the Earth's climate and causing more extreme weather. The World Meteorological Organisation said in its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases that C02 growth rates have now tripled since the 1960s, and emissions from human activities and more wildfires helped fan a vicious climate cycle." The Geneva-based agency said the increase of the global average concentration of carbon dioxide from 2023 to 2024 amounted to the highest annual level of any one-year span since measurements began in 1957. The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett in a statement. "Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being, The increase in 202

India stands firm in upholding international rules-based order: Rajnath

The Union Minister said that thousands of Indians are committed to the idea of peacekeeping under the UN flag since it remains an article of faith and not merely an act of choice