Page 62 - United Nations

China objects India's proposal to blacklist JeM leader Abdul Rauf Azhar

China has objected to a proposal by India to blacklist senior Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) terrorist Abdul Rauf Azhar at the United Nations. It is learnt that China objected to the proposal from India to add the leader of a Pakistan-based terror organisation to the UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions list. Rauf Azhar, born in 1974 in Pakistan, had been sanctioned by the US in December 2010. In August last year, China put a hold on the proposal by India and the US to designate Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist and subject him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. The US Department of Treasury had in December 2010 designated Abdul Rauf Azhar, a senior leader of Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM), for acting for or on behalf of JEM".

EAM Jaishankar meets UN secretary general's special envoy on Myanmar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer and discussed with her the situation in the neighbouring country. "Glad to receive Dr Noeleen Heyzer, UNSG's Special Envoy on Myanmar. Appreciate her perspectives and support her efforts," Jaishankar tweeted. Myanmar has been witnessing widespread protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021. Myanmar's military has been using airstrikes targeting its opponents and those carrying out armed struggle against the ruling regime. Last month, India called for cessation of violence by all sides in Myanmar, days after the Myanmarese military junta resorted to airstrikes in the country's Sagaing region that killed over 100 people. Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640-kilometre-long border with a number of northeastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

UN report urges Afghanistan's Taliban to end floggings, executions

A UN report on Monday strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public executions, lashings and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan, and called on the country's rulers to halt such practices. In the past six months alone, 274 men, 58 women and two boys were publicly flogged in Afghanistan, according to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA. Corporal punishment is a violation of the Convention against Torture and must cease, said Fiona Frazer, the agency's human rights chief. She also called for an immediate moratorium on executions. The Taliban foreign ministry said in response that Afghanistan's laws are determined in accordance with Islamic rules and guidelines, and that an overwhelming majority of Afghans follow those rules. In the event of a conflict between international human rights law and Islamic law, the government is obliged to follow the Islamic law, the ministry said in a statement. The Taliban began carrying out such

UN's nuclear watchdog growingly worried over Ukraine plant safety

The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog is expressing growing anxiety about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after the governor of the Russia-occupied area ordered the evacuation of a town where most plant staff live amid ongoing attacks in the area. The plant is near the front lines of fighting, and Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a 72-year-old woman was killed and three others were wounded when Russian forces fired more than 30 shells at Nikopol, a Ukrainian-held town neighbouring the plant. The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in a warning that came Saturday before the latest report of attacks. I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. Grossi's comments were prompted by an announcement Friday by Yevgeny Balitsky, the ...

UN assistance mission repeats commitment to stay in Afghanistan amid crisis

As the humanitarian crisis continues to persist in war-torn Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to stay TOLOnews reported

UN experts warn Taliban restrictions on women may amount to femicide

Taliban restrictions on Afghan women and girls may amount to femicide if they are not reversed, a team of U.N. experts warned on Friday. Since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have barred women from most jobs and workplaces, and girls can't go to school beyond the sixth grade. Woman are also banned from public spaces and must cover themselves from head to toe outside the home. In a statement released Friday, the U.N. experts accused Afghanistan's Taliban authorities of the "most extreme forms of misogyny" and said there could be multiple preventable deaths that may amount to femicide if the restrictions are not reversed. The restrictive measures and bans imposed by the Taliban have caused international condemnation and outrage, but the Taliban have shown no sign of willingness to lift them. The U.N. experts also said the Taliban are imposing their interpretation of Islam, which appear not to be shared by the vast majority of Afghans. They expressed alarm

World food prices index rise in April for first time in a year: FAO

The Rome-based agency said the April rise reflected higher prices for sugar, meat and rice, which offset declines in the cereals, dairy and vegetable oil price indices

India's financial inclusion journey can be example for other countries: UN

India is at the vanguard of the digital revolution and its financial inclusion journey can be an example for other developing countries to look at, senior UN officials and economists have said. Speaking on Thursday at the India Roundtable on Financial Inclusion', India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said the country takes financial inclusion seriously and it has led to social and economic empowerment of the people. We believe India's financial inclusion journey can be an example for other developing countries to look at, she said. The discussion, organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, aimed at bringing to centre stage the role of financial inclusion in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Delivering the keynote address at the session attended by senior UN officials, ambassadors, diplomats and analysts, Columbia University Professor and former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya said India played a pioneering role in

World Press Freedom Day 2023: Importance, theme, quotes and more

May 3 is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day all over the world. The day aims to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

UN chief urges nations to not target media as their killings rise by 50%

The United Nations chief warned on the eve of World Press Freedom Day that the media is under attack in every corner of the world and urged all nations to stop the targeting of truth and those who report it. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the 50 per cent increase in the killing of media workers in 2022 "unbelievable," stressing that freedom of the press "is the foundation of democracy and justice" and it is under threat. At least 67 media workers were killed in 2022. In addition, digital platforms and social media have made it easier for extremists to push false narratives and harass journalists. "Truth is threatened by disinformation and hate speech seeking to blur the lines between fact and fiction, between science and conspiracy," Guterres said. Guterres said the collapse of the media industry, which has led to closures of local news outlets and consolidation of media "into the hands of the few" is threatening freedom of expression. So are threatening new laws passed

Nations conveyed 'concerns' over presence of terrorists in Afghan: UN chief

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who convened a meeting on Afghanistan in Doha that was attended by India, Tuesday said that participating nations have expressed "serious concerns" over persistent presence of terrorist groups in the war-torn country that pose a risk for the region and beyond. Guterres arrived in the Qatari capital on Monday to host the two-day meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan to reach points of commonality on key issues, such as human rights, in particular women's and girls' rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues. India is among the countries and organisations participating in the meeting, according to a note issued by Guterres' office here. "The meeting was about developing a common international approach, not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities," Guterres sa

India participating in Doha meeting convened by UN chief on Afghanistan

India is participating in the meeting convened in Doha by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Afghanistan that is bringing together special envoys from various countries and is aimed at achieving a common understanding on how to engage with the Taliban. Guterres arrived in Doha Monday to host the two-day meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan to reach points of commonality on key issues, such as human rights, in particular women's and girls' rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues, a note issued from the Secretary General's office said here. The note added that India is among the countries and organisations participating in the meeting. The other participants in the meeting are from China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, ..

Sudan's warring generals agree to negotiate in Saudi Arabia: UN envoy

Sudan's warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, the United Nations' top official in the country told The Associated Press on Monday, even as the two sides clashed in the capital despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire. The talks would initially focus on establishing a stable and reliable cease-fire monitored by national and international observers, Volker Perthes said. A string of temporary truces over the past week has de-escalated fighting only in some areas, while in others, fierce battles have continued to drive civilians from their homes and push the country into a humanitarian crisis. Perthes cautioned that logistics for talks were still being worked out. So far, only the military has announced it is prepared to join negotiations, with no public word from its opponent, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Any talks would be the first major sign of progress since fighting erupted on April 15 betwe

UN Secretary-General sends relief coordinator to Sudan to address crisis

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sending the world body's Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths to the country "immediately"

Multilateralism getting weakened by UN's resistance to reform: Jaishankar

While delivering his remarks at the MIREX, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India has always been a votary of multilateralism

PM's Mann Ki Baat to be live broadcast at UN Headquarters on Sunday

The research report identified five key themes associated with Mann Ki Baat, cleanliness and sanitation, health, wellness, water conservation, and sustainability

India's demographic dividend: More talked about than actually encashed

In a country that often touts achievements ahead of their actually being achieved, the story about the demographic dividend being largely wasted is unfortunately likely to continue, writes T N Ninan

Fact can't be changed: India slams Pak for raking up Kashmir issue at UN

India tore into Pakistan after its UN envoy raised the Kashmir issue here, saying no amount of rhetoric and propaganda can change the fact that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are and will always be an "inalienable" part of the country. Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Pratik Mathur's remarks came after Pakistan's Permanent Representative at the UN Munir Akram spoke about Jammu and Kashmir in his statement at the UNGA meeting. "The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of misinformation, rhetoric or propaganda from any country can change that fact, Mathur said at the UN General Assembly plenary on Use of the veto'on Wednesday. Pakistan consistently rakes up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms, irrespective of the agenda and topic of discussion at the meetings. New Delhi has repeatedly emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh wer

Despite ceasefire, Sudan sees acute shortages of essentials, says UN

Despite a ceasefire, shortages of essentials are becoming acute in Sudan, sending prices soaring while evacuees head for the borders, UN humanitarians has said

Russia says conditions not ripe for Black Sea grain deal extension

Circumstances are not yet in favour of extending the Black Sea grain export deal, the Kremlin has said after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian President