Page 64 - United Nations

3 WFP workers killed during clashes in Sudan's Darfur region: UN mission

The UN has said that three workers of the World Food Programme (WFP) were killed during the clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Darfur region.

Sudan army, paramilitary clashes kill 59 civilians, including Indian

It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019

UN voices concern over possible escalation of tensions in Sudan's capital

The UN has voiced concern over a possible escalation of tensions in Sudan

Safeguards needed to ensure AI systems not misused: UN Ambassador Kamboj

Artificial Intelligence, if harnessed properly, can generate enormous prosperity and opportunity, India has said, underscoring the need to ensure AI systems are not misused and that advancement of digital super intelligence must be symbiotic with humanity. Speaking at a special event 'Artificial Intelligence for Social Justice', India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj underlined that if harnessed properly, AI can generate enormous prosperity and opportunity, leading to vastly more productive and efficient economies. The event was hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in partnership with NGO Foundation for Human Horizon at the UN headquarters on the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar here on Friday. Kamboj quoted Ambedkar saying We are Indians, firstly and lastly. She said the Father of the Constitution of India had emphasised that all Indians, regardless of their caste, religion, or social status, should be treated .

India's economic growth projected to decelerate to 6% in 2023: UN

India's economic growth is projected to decelerate to 6 per cent in 2023 from 6.6 per cent in 2022, according to the United Nations. The UN Trade and Development Conference (UNCTAD) in its latest Trade and Development Report Update released Wednesday expects global growth in 2023 to drop to 2.1%, compared to the 2.2% projected in September 2022, assuming the financial fallout from higher interest rates is contained to the bank runs and bailouts of the first quarter. It warned that developing countries are facing years of difficulty as the global economy slows down amid heightened financial turbulence. Annual growth across large parts of the global economy will fall below the performance registered before the pandemic and well below the decade of strong growth before the global financial crisis. The report said that India grew 6.6 per cent in 2022, ceding the pole position among G20 countries in 2022 to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which grew at 8.6 per cent. Meanwhile, as current governme

No obstacles for United Nations to function in Afghanistan: Taliban

The Taliban's chief spokesman said on Wednesday there are no obstacles for the UN to function in Afghanistan, after they barred Afghan women from working at the global body. Last week, the country's Taliban rulers took a step further in the restrictive measures they have imposed on women and said that female Afghan staffers employed with the UN mission can no longer report for work. The ban is being actively enforced by the country's intelligence agency, which reports to the Taliban's leadership in Kandahar. The UN says it cannot accept the decision, calling it unlawful and an unparalleled violation of women's rights. It says women are crucial for the delivery of life-saving aid to millions of Afghans, and has instructed its national staff, male and female, to stay at home. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban-led government's chief spokesman and part of the supreme leader's inner circle, denied authorities were to blame for Afghanistan's many crises. The decision to bar Afghan women f

India seeks global condemnation of Pak's delivery of weapons to terrorists

"The international community should condemn such behaviour and hold such states accountable for their misdeeds," Ruchira Kamboj said

Russia loses election to three UN bodies over West's support to Ukraine

Russia lost elections to three United Nations bodies this week, a sign that opposition to its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago remains strong. The votes in the 54-member UN Economic and Social Council follow approval of six non-binding resolutions against Russia by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. The latest on Feb. 23, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion called for Moscow to end hostilities and withdraw its forces and was adopted by a vote of 141-7 with 32 abstentions. In the ECOSOC votes, Russia was overwhelmingly defeated by Romania for a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women. It lost to Estonia to be a member of the executive board of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF. And it was defeated by Armenia and the Czech Republic in secret ballot votes for membership on the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after Wednesday's votes, This is a clear signal from ECOSOC members that no country ...

Iran says won't hesitate to give 'decisive response' to Israeli threat

Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Iran will not hesitate to give a "decisive response" to any threat from Israel, state media reported.

India elected to UN statistical body for 4-yr term, EAM congratulates

India has been elected to the highest statistical body of the United Nations for a four-year term beginning January 1 next year. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said this on Twitter. People familiar with the matter said India won handsomely in the UN Statistical Commission election securing 46 out of 53 votes, leaving rivals Republic of Korea (23) China(19) and the United Arab Emirates (15) far behind. This was a multi-cornered election, four candidates for two seats, they said. "India elected to the highest UN statistical body for a 4-year term beginning on 1 January 2024! Congrats Team @IndiaUNNewYork for coming through so strongly in a competitive election," he said. Jaishankar said India's expertise in the field of statistics, diversity and demography has earned it the seat on the UN Statistical Commission.

UN in touch with India for food supplies to Afghanistan: Official

India and the World Food Programme signed an agreement last month to provide Afghanistan with 20,000 tonnes of wheat that would be sent through the Chabahar Port

New green industrial age needed to achieve climate targets: United Nations

Financing Sustainable Transformations says urgent, massive investments are needed to accelerate transformations, including in electricity supply, industry, farming, transportation, and buildings

UN Women chief Sima Bahous condemns Taliban ban on its female Afghan staff

"We will not replace our female workforce with men," she added

India elected to UN statistical body for four-year term from January 1

India has been elected to the highest statistical body of the UN for a four-year term beginning January 1 next year. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said this on Twitter. "India elected to the highest UN statistical body for a 4-year term beginning on 1 January 2024! Congrats Team @IndiaUNNewYork for coming through so strongly in a competitive election," he said. Jaishankar said India's expertise in the field of statistics, diversity and demography has earned it the seat on the UN Statistical Commission.

Taliban bans Afghan female employees of UN from work in eastern province

Female Afghan employees of the United Nations have been banned from working by Taliban authorities in eastern Afghanistan, UN officials said on Tuesday. The UN mission expressed serious concern after its female staffers were prevented from reporting to work in Nangarhar province. We remind de facto authorities that United Nations entities cannot operate and deliver life-saving assistance without female staff, the world body said in a tweet. Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment and it wasn't immediately clear whether the ban extended beyond Nangarhar province. Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous stint in power, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing power in 2021 as US and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war. Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade and women are barred from working, studying, travelling without a male companion, and even going to parks. Women mus

Nearly 70 countries still contaminated by mines, people being killed: UN

Landmines, which can be produced for as little as USD 1, do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Their use violates international human rights and humanitarian laws

UN adopts resolution seeking court clarity on climate change obligations

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to seek opinion of the world body's principal judicial organ on countries' obligations to address climate change

UN calls for democracy in Myanmar after army dissolves Aung San's party

After the dissolution of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the United Nations has called for a return to democracy in the country

UN expert advising IOC gives views on Russians athletes at Olympics

Russian athletes who have actively served in the military invasion of Ukraine should be allowed to return to international sports if they did not take part in war crimes, according to a United Nations expert advising the International Olympic Committee. The U.N. special rapporteur for cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, said late Sunday only Russian military members implicated in "allegations of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity or propaganda for war" should be denied neutral status to compete in international sports ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Xanthaki angered Ukrainian athletes who took part in an IOC-hosted call to consult them ahead of an Olympic announcement due Tuesday to update guidance for sports bodies 16 months before the opening of the Paris Games. Ukrainian government and sports officials want the IOC to ban all Russians from the 2024 Games and claim most of the country's recent Olympic medalists were affiliated with the military. Xanthaki wrote on he

Taliban urges for removal of officials from UN blacklist, says report

The Taliban has once again urged the United Nations (UN) to remove the names of its members from the blacklist