Page 54 - United Nations

India rejects unwarranted, misleading comments of UN experts on Manipur

India has strongly rejected comments by UN experts on Manipur, terming them unwarranted, presumptive and misleading and asserting that situation in the Northeast state is peaceful. In the note verbale issued on Monday to the Special Procedures Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Indian mission underscored that the situation in Manipur was peaceful and stable and the Indian government was committed to taking requisite steps to maintain peace and stability. "The Government is also committed to protecting the human rights of the people of India, including the people of Manipur, it said. The Permanent Mission of India completely rejects the news release as it is not only unwarranted, presumptive and misleading but also betrays a complete lack of understanding on the situation in Manipur and the steps taken by Government of India to address it, said the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in ...

UN to provide over $300 million to Sri Lanka for development projects

UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Marc-Andre Franche congratulated the island nation for adopting the Anti-Corruption Act and the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office

Vladimir Putin to meet Turkish counterpart Erdogan on September 4

Their talks come a week before Turkey and the United Nations seek to revive a Ukraine grain export deal that aided ease a global food crisis

UN chief Guterres sends proposal to Russia to revive Black Sea grain deal

Moscow wasn't satisfied with the letter that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week

Russia vetoes UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against Mali

Russia has vetoed the United Nations Security Council resolution, drafted by France and UAE, on sanctions against Mali, TASS has reported.Thirteen Security Council members voted in favour of a resolution to extend the UN sanctions and independent monitoring for another year. Russia cast a veto, while China abstained from voting on Wednesday.The sanction regime, which has been in place since 2017, was proposed to be extended until August 31, 2024. Russia is adamant that this extension should be the final one.Before the vote, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated that it would be counterproductive to adopt the resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates and France "not only in terms of ensuring the efficiency of the sanction regime but also for the peace process in Mali" given Bamako's official request to lift the sanctions regime, as reported by TASS, the Russian news agency.Later on Wednesday, the Security Council's 15 members cast votes on the two ...

NITI Aayog, UNDP partner to further India's sustainable development goals

Cooperation will include SDG localisation, data-driven monitoring, and aspirational districts & blocks, among others

UN warns hundreds of thousands in Southeast Asia roped into online scams

The UN human rights office says criminal gangs have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into participating in unlawful online scam operations, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches, and illegal gambling schemes. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a new report, cites credible sources that at least 120,000 people in strife-torn Myanmar and roughly 100,000 in Cambodia may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams. The report sheds new light on cybercrime scams that have become a major issue in Asia, with many of the workers trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet. Laos, the Philippines and Thailand were also cited among the main countries of destination or transit for tens of thousands of people. Criminal gangs have increasingly targeted migrants, and lure some victims by false recruitment suggesting they are destined for real jobs. The

Saudi Aramco targeted in UN human rights probe tied to climate change

The probe follows a 2021 request to the UN Special Procedures human rights system by the environmental advocacy group ClientEarth to investigate Aramco

Global carbon credits market expected to touch $250 bn by 2030, says expert

The global market for carbon credits is expected to witness an upward trend and touch the level of USD 250 billion by 2030, an industry executive said. The market for carbon credits took a hit due to multiple reasons, including Russia-Ukraine war, interest rate hikes, and reduced demand leading to falling prices up to 80 per cent, Manish Dabkara, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of EKI Energy Services, said in an interview. "The market for voluntary carbon offsets which valued at around USD 2 billion in 2021 witnessed a downturn, and now valuing at USD 500 million. However, various ratings and research firms are bullish on the improvement in the carbon market," Dabkara said. Citing a Barclays report, the industry executive said, factors like stringent climate policies by various countries, their commitments under Paris agreement to reduce carbon emissions, and corporate sustainability goals are likely to contribute to the growth of the carbon credits market which is expected to

UNDP to assist India in reaching its sustainable development goals

United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region signed an MoU formalising the collaboration

Japan to release treated radioactive water starting August 24; details here

Japan has said the radioactive wastewater release is safe, which has been backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Over 200 fmr officials, security forces killed since Taliban takeover: UN

More than 200 extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government officials and security forces have taken place since the Taliban took over the country two years ago, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. The groups most targeted by the Taliban have been former army, police and intelligence forces, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. UNAMA documented at least 800 human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and security forces between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and the end of June 2023. The Taliban swept across Afghanistan as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war. The US-trained and backed Afghan forces crumbled in the face of the Taliban advance and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Individuals were detained by the de facto (Taliban) security forces, often briefly, before being killed. Some were taken to detention

UN remembers victims, survivors of terrorism: Secy General Antonio Guterres

Guterres said the theme of this year's International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is "Legacy, Finding Hope and Building a Peaceful Future"

Terrorism is borderless: 26/11 survivor calls for action to combat scourge

Terrorism is borderless and the United Nations, as well as the international community, need to put their weight behind ending the scourge, a survivor of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Karambir Singh Kang said as the UN paid tributes to terror victims globally. The UN General Assembly has established August 21 as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. The day honours, remembers and pays tribute to all victims and survivors of terrorism across the world, highlighting the importance of global solidarity and ensuring their stories and experiences are not forgotten. This year, the day focused on the theme Legacy: Finding Hope and Building a Peaceful Future'. Terrorism is borderless. It can happen anywhere, anytime. United Nations needs to pull its weight on some of these matters which globally affect all of us, Kang said at a special virtual event organised by the UN Monday to mark the 6th commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance

Over 200 Palestinians, nearly 30 Israelis killed in 2023, says UN

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed over 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis so far this year already surpassing last year's annual figures and the highest number since 2005, the U.N. Mideast envoy said Monday. Tor Wennesland told the U.N. Security Council that the upswing in violence is being fueled by growing despair about the future, with the Palestinians still seeking an independent state. The lack of progress towards a political horizon that addressed the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on all sides, he said. While Israelis and Palestinians have taken some actions toward stabilizing the situation, Wennesland said unilateral steps have continued to fuel hostilities. He pointed to the unabated expansion of Israeli settlements which are illegal under international law and a substantial obstacle to peace as well as Israel's demolition of Palestinian houses, its operations in the West Bank area under ...

Turkey's Erdogan slams peacekeepers for blocking road project in Cyprus

Turkey's president on Monday criticized U.N. peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a road in ethnically divided Cyprus, calling the action unacceptable and accusing the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not allow any unlawful behavior toward ethnic Turks on Cyprus, where his country maintains more than 35,000 troops in the Mediterranean island nation 's breakaway northern third. Angry Turkish Cypriots last week punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers that blocked crews working on a road that would encroach on the island's U.N.-controlled buffer zone. The road is designed to connect the village of Arsos, located in the Turkish Cypriot north, with the multi-ethnic village of Pyla, which is located inside the buffer zone and abuts the Greek Cypriot south, where the island's internationally recognized government is seated. Preventing the Turkish Cypriots living

Telangana, Unesco join hands to implement UN recommendation on ethics of AI

The Telangana government and UNESCO will be collaborating to implement the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) after a Letter of Intent was signed here on Sunday. The collaboration focuses on promoting the ethical development and use of AI awareness raising, capacity building, and contributions to UNESCO's Global Observatory on AI Ethics, a release said. The partnership signifies a shared commitment to an AI-powered future that prioritises societal good and equitable development, it said. "A significant collaboration between the Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C) Department of the Government of Telangana and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is set to shape the landscape of the ethical development of and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)," it said. The Letter of Intent marks the beginning of a strategic partnership aimed at promoting the implementation of UNESCO's ...

North Korea increasing repression as people are reportedly starving: UN

North Korea is increasing its repression of human rights and people are becoming more desperate and reportedly starving in parts of the country as the economic situation worsens, the UN rights chief said Thursday. Volker Turk told the first open meeting of the U.N. Security Council since 2017 on North Korean human rights that in the past its people have endured periods of severe economic difficulty and repression, but currently they appear to be suffering both. According to our information, people are becoming increasingly desperate as informal markets and other coping mechanisms are dismantled, while their fear of state surveillance, arrest, interrogation and detention has increased, he said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il closed the borders of his northeast Asian nation to contain COVID-19. But as the pandemic has waned, Turk said the government's restrictions have grown even more extensive, with guards authorized to shoot any unauthorized person approaching the border and with .

Threats to return to war in Yemen hinder efforts for peace talks: UN envoy

Threats to return to war in Yemen are hindering efforts to start peace talks as the Arab world's poorest country faces an increasingly dire economic situation, a senior U.N. official said Wednesday. Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, told the Security Council that hostilities between Houthi rebels and government forces haven't returned to levels before a six-month truce that ended in October, but he said intermittent fighting and exchanges of fire have continued. He singled out six front-line areas. They include Yemen's third-largest city, Taiz, which has been under siege by the Houthis since 2016; Hodeida, where Yemen's main port is located; and the oil-rich eastern province of Marib, which the Houthis attempted to seize in 2021. Yemen's civil war erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis swept down from their northern stronghold and chased the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following ye

What is a developed country, a status India is aiming to achieve by 2047?

PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech on Tuesday, also said that India would become the third-largest economy during his third term