Page 50 - United Nations

11 UN staff, 30 students at schools killed in Gaza Strip: Spokesperson

The victims include five teachers, a gynaecologist, an engineer, a counsellor and three support staff, UNRWA's deputy director Jennifer Austin said in a statement

Israel-Gaza war: Death toll up as conflict expands to bordering nations

Israel has reported attacks from other bordering nations as well as internal conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in neighbouring countries as death toll rises and supplied diminish in Gaza

Defuse 'powder keg' situation in Israel and OPT: UNHR Chief urges states

"We are faced with explosive powder keg situation. We know how this plays out, time and time again - loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives," said Turk, UNHR Chief.

Russia faces tough fight to regain its seat in UN's top human rights body

Russia faces a tough fight to regain a seat in the U.N.'s premiere human rights body in Tuesday's election in the General Assembly, which voted last year to suspend Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. The 193-member assembly will be electing 15 members to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, with candidates put forward by the U.N.'s five regional groups. Russia is competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats allotted to the East European regional group, and Moscow's U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the United States on Monday of leading a campaign to prevent their return to the council. The main phobia of our American colleagues today is electing Russia to the Human Rights Council, Nebenzia told a Security Council meeting called by Ukraine on last week's strike by a Russian missile on a Ukrainian soldier's wake in a small village that killed 52 people. The United States and others have sent letters to many of the 193 members of the General Assembly urging a vo

Canada, Netherlands take Syria to top UN court; accuse Damascus of torture

The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria's government to the United Nations' highest court on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of massive human rights violations against its own people. Since 2011, Syrians have been tortured, murdered, sexually assaulted, forcibly disappeared and subjected to chemical weapon attacks on a mass scale, the Netherlands and Canada said when they launched the case at the International Court of Justice in June. Twelve years on, human rights violations at the hands of the Syrian regime persist, they added. Syria's conflict started with peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's government in March 2011 but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war after the government's brutal crackdown on the protesters. The tide turned in Assad's favour against rebel groups in 2015, when Russia provided key military backing to Syria, as well as Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In a written filing to the court, the Netherlands and Canada said torture

UN airs concerns for civilians as Israel steps up military response in Gaza

The United Nations on Monday expressed growing concerns about humanitarian needs in Palestinian areas as Israel ratchets up a muscular military riposte and lockdown of Gaza, after the weekend attack by Hamas militants who killed and kidnapped hundreds of civilians in Israel. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres led the clarion call Monday, putting the focus on civilians in both Israel and Gaza and renewing his condemnation of the fatalities and hostage-takings by Hamas. He also warned of the prospect of more innocent lives lost. Guterres said in a statement that over 137,000 people in Gaza or about 6% of its population were now sheltering in sites run by UNRWA, the aid agency for Palestinians. He cited reports of Israeli missile strikes on places like schools, health facilities and high-rise apartment buildings. I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in -- no electricity, food, or fuel, he ...

Open-source solution from AyanWorks gets Digital Public Good status

The verifiable digital credential system CREDEBL has been included in the registry of digital public goods maintained by DPGA

UN FAO raises its forecast for this year's global cereal production

FAO's new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief pegs global wheat output at 785 million tonnes, coarse grain production at 1511 million tonnes

UNHR Commissioner calls for immediate stop to ongoing violence in Israel

This comes after a barrage of rockets slammed into southern and central Israel after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Saturday morning

Iran unlawfully detaining human rights activists, including Narges: UN

Iran is cracking down on protesters, unlawfully detaining human rights activists, including new Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and carrying out an alarming number of executions, the UN independent investigator on human rights in the Islamic Republic said in a report circulated Friday. The wide-ranging report by Javaid Rehman, covering the period from October 2022 through July, was written before the announcement early Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to Mohammadi, a longtime campaigner for women's rights even from her current cell in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Rehman, a Pakistani-born professor of international human rights law at Brunel University in London, singled out Mohammadi among lawyers and human rights defenders imprisoned for their work in the report to the General Assembly. He was highly critical of the excessive and lethal use of force unleashed by Iranian authorities in reaction to nationwide protests following the 2022 death of Mahs

UN authorises 2nd malaria vaccine, experts say not enough to stop spread

The World Health Organization has authorised a second malaria vaccine, a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and more readily available option than the world's first shot against the parasitic disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was approving the new malaria vaccine based on the advice of two expert groups, recommending its use in children at risk of the disease. As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two, Tedros said. Oxford University developed the new three-dose vaccine with help from the Serum Institute of India. Research suggests it is more than 75 per cent effective and that protection is maintained for at least another year with a booster. Tedros said the shot would cost about USD 2 to USD 4 and could be available in some countries next year if funders agree to buy it. Earlier this year, regulatory authorities in Ghana and Burkina Faso

Let us embrace Gandhi's message, invest in peace, says UNGA president

President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Dennis Francis, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, urged people to embrace the message of Mahatma Gandhi of establishing world peace."There is no way to peace, peace is the way. Today's International Day of Non-Violence marks the birth anniversary of #MahatmaGandhi - a beacon of peace & non-violence," posted the UNGA President on the social media platform, X.The birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, October 2, is also observed as International Day of Non-Violence. It was established on June 15, 2007, according to the UNGA resolution A/RES/61/271."Let us embrace #Gandhi's message and invest in peace; this is an investment in our collective prosperity," the post added.The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations also observed the Gandhi Jayanti saying every Indian is proud to see the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the UN Headquarters in New York. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Permanent Mission of ...

Proud to see bust of Mahatma Gandhi at headquarters: India's Mission to UN

Sharing a post on X, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations stated, "It makes very Indian proud to see the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at UN Headquarters…''

Private sector desperate to take migrants despite negative narrative: UN

The new head of the UN's migration agency said on Monday that the private sector is desperate for their countries to take in migrants to mop up labour shortages, especially in the West endeavouring to steer a narrative away from reticence and suspicion about migrants in many parts of the world. Amy Pope, the first woman to head the International Organisation for Migration, sought to play up the economic benefits of migration for rich nations with aging populations and declining workforces in the face of build-the-wall rhetoric in the United States to block migrants from Latin America and right-wing movements in Europe that want to keep foreigners out. We hear from ... the private sector globally, but especially in Europe and in North America, that they are desperate for migration in order to meet their own labour market needs and in order to continue to fuel innovation within their own companies, Pope, who is American, told reporters. She said the evidence was fairly overwhelming

India expresses commitment towards combating organised crimes at UNTOC

"The world has to come together to defeat these threats. India expresses its strong commitment towards combating and uprooting organized crimes in all its manifestations" he added

UN Dy Secy-General calls to put pressure on Taliban to ensure girl's rights

Mohammed while speaking at a press conference, said that the situation of women and girls is getting worse day by day in Afghanistan

As migration surges in US, funds aren't there for humanitarian response: UN

Countries in the Americas are reeling as the flow of migrants reaches historic levels, but international funds simply aren't there for humanitarian needs, a United Nations official said. Ugochi Daniels, deputy director of operations for the International Organisation for Migration, said a larger and coordinated regional effort is necessary for a longer term solution to the steady movement of vulnerable people toward the United States. But other global crises among them the war in Ukraine, conflict in Sudan, Morocco's earthquake have pulled global funds away, Daniels said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. The U.N. estimated that this year through August, it needed USD 55.2 billion to take on compounding global crises, but it received funds for only 71 per cent of that. A growing number of countries like Panama and Costa Rica are pleading for international aid in handling the flood of migrants, though Daniels would not say who should pay the tab. Obviously, it's

UN meeting presses Taliban for violating women's rights in Afghanistan

The Women's Rights Council representative further called for global support to define "gender apartheid" in international law

Russia accuses US of promoting ties between Israel, Arabs before peace deal

Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of promoting Israel's normalisation of relations with Arab nations and circumventing the Arab Peace Initiative launched by Saudi Arabia in 2002, which calls for a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before any diplomatic recognition of Israel. The statement by Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia at the U.N. Security Council's monthly meeting on the Mideast also implicitly criticised Saudi Arabia without naming it for moving toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel while taking aggressive illegal actions including an unprecedented expansion of settlements on territory that is supposed to be part of an independent Palestinian state. Nebenzia said U.S. efforts to normalize Arab-Israeli relations at a time that the de facto international legal framework for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement is being dismantled not only circumvents the logic of the Arab Peace Initiative, but it stymies any prospects for ...

India flags atrocities against minorities in Pakistan at 54th UNHRC

Pakistan has failed miserably in protecting the rights of its ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadiyas, and Shia Muslims, said India