Articles by UN News
We found 205 results.
Murder of Brazilian Indigenous Leader a ‘Worrying Symptom’ of Land Invasion
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Aug 2019
29 Jul 2019 – In the wake of the murder of indigenous leader Emrya Wajãpi in Brazil, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has called on the country’s authorities to “react quickly and decisively” to protect the rights of indigenous peoples on their lands. According to media reports, witnesses saw a number of gold miners enter the protected reserve of the Wajãpi community, then stab their leader to death.
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UN Chief Laments Ending of Cold War-Era Disarmament Treaty
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Aug 2019
2 Aug 2019 – Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his “deep regret” today that the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia came to an end.
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Record Displacement Shows ‘We’re Almost Unable to Make Peace’, Warns UN Refugee Agency Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jun 2019
19 Jun 2019 – A record 70.8 million people fled war, persecution and conflict in 2018, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said today, appealing for greater international solidarity to counter the fact that “we have become almost unable to make peace”.
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Conflict Prevention, Mediation: Among ‘Most Important Tools’ to Reduce Human Suffering, Guterres Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jun 2019
12 Jun 2019 – Conflict prevention and mediation are two of “the most important tools at our disposal to reduce human suffering” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council today. “When we act early, and are united, we can successfully prevent crises from escalating, saving lives and reducing suffering – fulfilling the most fundamental mandate of the United Nations”, he continued.
→ read full articleUN Expert Criticizes States for ‘Ganging Up’ on WikiLeaks’ Assange; Warns against Extradition, Fearing ‘Serious’ Rights Violations
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jun 2019
On 9 May, the Special Rapporteur visited Mr. Assange with two medical experts who specialize in examining victims of ill-treatment. The team spoke to the prisoner and conducted a thorough medical assessment. “Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” he said. On Thursday [30 May], according to reports, Assange was too ill to appear via video-link from a British prison in a hearing over an extradition request from the US.
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UN Health Agency Highlights Lifestyle Choices That Can Prevent Onset of Dementia, as Millions More Succumb Each Year
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2019
14 May 2019 -Key lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise, not smoking or drinking too much, can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, the UN health agency said today. Today, around 50 million people globally suffer from dementia and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year.
→ read full articleMyanmar: Conflict Resolution at ‘Total Standstill’, Military Commanders Must Answer for Crimes against Humanity
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 May 2019
14 May 2019 – Myanmar’s military commanders must answer charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in a credible court, a United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) said today, urging the international community to cut off all financial and other support to them.
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At China’s Belt and Road Forum, Guterres Calls for ‘Inclusive, Sustainable and Durable’ Development
UN News – TRANSEND Media Service,
29 Apr 2019
26 Apr 2019 – China’s international trade and economic development plan – known as the Belt and Road Initiative – could contribute to a more equitable, prosperous world, and to reversing the negative impact of climate change, Secretary-General António Guterres said today, speaking in Beijing, China.
→ read full articleThu, 11 April Brief: Women in Peacekeeping, the Arrests of Assange & Sudan’s Leader, Updates on Libya, Nigeria & Syria
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Apr 2019
11 Apr 2019 – Today the Security Council looked at the key role played by women in the UN’s peacekeeping operations. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be exposed to “serious human rights violations”, following his arrest in the United Kingdom, according a UN independent human rights expert. Fighting continues to escalate in Tripoli, Libya, and in Idlib, Syria, and 10,000 conflict-affected people were forcibly relocated in Nigeria and are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
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UN Agencies Urge Brunei to Repeal New ‘Extreme and Unjustified’ Penal Code
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Apr 2019
4 Apr 2019 – New criminal laws in Brunei that impose the death penalty for same-sex relationships, adultery and childbirth out of marriage, “breach international human rights norms”, and should be suspended or repealed said the heads of two United Nations agencies today.
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Dozens Killed and Injured by New Airstrikes in Western Yemen, UN Coordinator Condemns ‘Outrageous’ Toll
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Mar 2019
11 Mar 2019 – Reports from Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate indicate that scores of civilians have been killed following airstrikes that hit residential areas over the past two days. Medical sources suggest that at least 22 have died, with more than 30 injured during the aerial bombardment.
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UN Rights Expert Calls for End to ‘Purgatory’ of ‘International Inaction’ Facing Myanmar’s Remaining Rohingya
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Mar 2019
11 Mar 2019 – A humanitarian crisis fuelled by the suppression of basic human rights is continuing across Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert said today, in an appeal for alleged atrocities there to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
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Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Remains the Worst in the World, Warns UN
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Feb 2019
14 Feb 2019 – An estimated 24 million people – close to 80 per cent of the population – need assistance and protection in Yemen, the UN warned today. With famine threatening hundreds of thousands of lives, humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions across the country.
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Million across Yemen ‘just a Step Away from Famine’, with Food Available but Inaccessible
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Feb 2019
7 Feb 2019 – While nearly 10 million people across Yemen remain “just a step away from famine”, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has spoken of his deep concern that a large food storage depot on the outskirts of the crucial port city of Hudaydah, has been out of bounds since last September.
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Environment and Health at Increasing Risk from Growing Weight of ‘E-Waste’
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Jan 2019
24 Jan 2019 – Around 50 million tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being thrown away each year, according to a new joint United Nations report – which exceeds the combined weight of all the commercial airliners ever made, or alternatively, enough Eiffel Towers to fill the whole of Manhattan.
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‘Historic’ Moment: Palestine Takes Reins of UN Coalition of Developing Countries
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jan 2019
15 Jan 2019 – Acknowledging “a long road ahead” on the United Nations ambitious agenda, Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed today “the historic leadership of the state of Palestine” as the new Chair of the Group of 77’s (G77).
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Rising Human Trafficking Takes on ‘Horrific Dimensions’: Almost a Third of Victims Are Children
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jan 2019
7 Jan 2019 – A new UN report published today shows that human trafficking is on the rise and taking on “horrific dimensions”, with sexual exploitation of victims the main driver. Children now account for 30 per cent of those being trafficked, and far more girls are detected than boys.
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Storms and Snow in Lebanon Worsen Plight for Syrian Refugees
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jan 2019
10 Jan 2019 – Storm-force winds and snow across Lebanon have worsened the plight for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who’ve been forced from their homes by nearly eight years of conflict, a top UN humanitarian official said today.
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Amid Troop Build-Up in Rohingya’s Home State, UN Appeals to Myanmar for Peaceful Solution
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Jan 2019
9 Jan 2019 – Major fighting in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state has so far been avoided following clashes between armed separatists and national security forces that are increasing troop numbers there, a top UN humanitarian official there said today.
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Governments Adopt UN Global Migration Pact to Help ‘Prevent Suffering and Chaos’
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Dec 2018
The Global Compact for Migration was adopted on Monday [10 Dec] by leading representatives from 164 Governments at an international conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, in an historic move described by UN Chief António Guterres as the creation of a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.
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UNGA President Launches New Initiative to Purge Plastics and Purify Oceans
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Dec 2018
The President of the UN General Assembly launched a new global call to action on Tuesday [4 Dec] to help end the scourge of plastic pollution in the ocean.
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UNICEF Welcomes Bangladesh Statement That Rohingya Will Not Be Forced to Leave
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Nov 2018
UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday, 16 Nov, welcomed confirmation from the Bangladesh authorities that Rohingya refugees will not be returned to Myanmar against their will, amid reported ongoing rights violations there.
→ read full articleInternational Crime Gangs Amass ‘Staggering’ Profits in Conflict Zones, Expert Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Nov 2018
7 Nov 2018 – During yesterday’s briefing to the Security Council, Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described the problem as a “global and accelerating phenomenon, and a threat to international peace and security,” that, in conflict areas alone, is generating around $31.5 billion in illicit profits.
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Every Bite of Burger Boosts Harmful Greenhouse Gases: UN Environment Agency
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Nov 2018
8 Nov 2018 – Even though meat production is known to be a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, worldwide demand for meat continues to rise, said UN environment agency, UNEP, in a statement released today.
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UN Rights Chief Warns of Potential ‘Witch-Hunt’ as Tanzanian Official Plans to Track and Arrest LGBT People
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Nov 2018
2 Nov 2018 – Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed apprehension today over a statement earlier this week that a committee would soon be put in place to track and arrest gays, and to encourage member of the public to report people suspected of being gay.
→ read full articleUN Postal Agency ‘Regrets’ US Withdrawal
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Oct 2018
The United Nations specialized agency which coordinates the global postal system, has expressed “regret” over the withdrawal by the United States from the world body’s membership.
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Global Warming Report, an ‘Ear-Splitting Wake-Up Call’ Warns UN Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 Oct 2018
A special report on limiting global warming released on Monday [8 Oct] by a UN scientific panel, should be heard around the world as an “ear-splitting wake-up call” said UN chief António Guterres. He said the long-awaited findings show that “climate change is running faster than we are – and we are running out of time.”
→ read full articleMalaysian Prime Minister Paints Dismal World Picture, Underscores Need for UN Reform
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Oct 2018
In the 15 years since he last addressed the General Assembly, little has changed in the world and it is in far worse shape now than it was then, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad lamented in his speech to world leaders gathered at the United Nations.
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Yemen: Tackling The World’s Largest Humanitarian Crisis
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Oct 2018
24 Sep 2018 – The figures of the crisis are staggering and near-impossible to grasp: 22.2 million in need of assistance, 8.4 million people severely food insecure, and a further 10 million that could fall under the same category by the end of the year. In addition, more than 1.1 million cases of acute watery diarrhoea or cholera have been reported since April 2017.
→ read full articleIdlib Deal Could Save Three Million ‘from Catastrophe’ Says UN Chief, as Militants Are Urged to Lay Down Arms
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Sep 2018
20 Sep 2018 – A deal reached between Russia and Turkey to create a demilitarized buffer zone protecting citizens “from catastrophe” in Syria’s Idlib region is a welcome development, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said today, before urging all parties to make a “strong commitment” to it.
→ read full articleEconomy and Living Standards of Gaza ‘Eviscerated’ by Crippling Blockade – UN Trade and Development Report
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Sep 2018
12 Sep 2018 – The Occupied Palestinian Territory now suffers the highest unemployment rate in the world, with incomes and agricultural production going down, the United Nations trade and development agency said today, noting that women and young people were worst affected, as the Israeli occupation continues.
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Blockades ‘Expose’ the Innocent to the ‘Ravages of Economic War’ – UN Sanctions Expert Warns
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Sep 2018
13 Sep 2018 – Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy pointed out today that civilians affected by blockades do not benefit from the protection of the Geneva Convention, which is aimed at safeguarding civilians during wartime. Economic sanctions must not be allowed to degenerate into blockades that “expose people to the ravages of economic war in peacetime.”
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As Conflicts Become More Complex, ‘Mediation Is No Longer an Option; It Is a Necessity’, UN Chief Tells Security Council
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Sep 2018
29 Aug 2018 – As war and the mediation of peace have become increasingly complex, innovative thinking is needed to save and improve the lives of millions, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today.
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‘Defend the People, Not the States’, Says Outgoing UN Human Rights Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Aug 2018
15 Aug 2018 – For four years, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been taking governments across the world to task, publicly naming and shaming States which have fallen short of their human rights obligations.
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‘Pioneering’ Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Officially Appointed New UN Human Rights Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Aug 2018
After a vote on Friday [10 Aug] by the United Nations General Assembly in New York, former two-time President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, hailed a “pioneer” by the UN Secretary-General, has officially been appointed as High Commissioner for Human Rights, effective from 1 September.
→ read full article‘Economy Is Society’s Servant, Not Its Master,’ Say UN Rights Experts, Urging Brazil to Put Human Rights before Austerity
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2018
3 Aug 2018 – Marginalized groups suffer unduly harsh consequences due to Brazil’s economic policies of austerity, prompting United Nations rights experts to urge the Government to instead prioritize human rights.
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New Import Restrictions Risk Triggering ‘Dramatic Deterioration’ in Gaza, Says UN Humanitarian Coordinator
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Jul 2018
17 Jul 2018 – Following further restrictions on goods and supplies that can be moved across the border of the Gaza Strip, the top United Nations humanitarian official there has called for urgent measures to prevent an already critical humanitarian situation from getting worse.
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Security Council Hails ‘Historic and Significant’ Joint Peace Declaration by Ethiopia and Eritrea
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Jul 2018
10 Jul 2018 – The United Nations Security Council today described the Joint Declaration, signed by the leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia, as “a historic and significant” move with “far-reaching consequences” for the whole Horn of Africa region and beyond.
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Rohingya Cannot Become ‘Forgotten Victims,’ Says UN Chief Urging World to Step Up Support
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Jul 2018
Painting a grim picture of villages being burned to the ground and other “bone-chilling” accounts he heard from Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar, the UN chief has called on the world to answer their calls for help with real action.
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Veteran Socialist Public Official from Portugal Elected to Lead UN Migration Agency
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jul 2018
29 Jun 2018 – A lawyer and politician from Portugal, with an extensive career in public service, has been elected to head the United Nations migration agency.
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UN Chief Calls for ‘Solidarity, Compassion and Action’ on World Refugee Day
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Jun 2018
20 Jun 2018 – With more than 68 million people worldwide displaced due to conflict or persecution — roughly equivalent to the population of Thailand— the head of the United Nations has called for unity and solidarity as a first step to support them.
→ read full articleUN General Assembly Adopts Text Urging Greater Protection for Palestinians and Deploring Israel’s ‘Excessive’ Use of Force
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jun 2018
13 Jun 2018 – In an emergency meeting today the UNGA adopted an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for greater protection for Palestinians and deploring any use of “excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate” force by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians, particularly in Gaza.
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‘True’ Peace Requires Standing Up for Human Rights, Says UN Chief Guterres
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jun 2018
13 June 2018 – Achieving peace involves more than “laying down weapons”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said today, calling for intensified efforts to address the root causes of conflict.
→ read full articleSouth Sudan Suffering on ‘Almost Unimaginable Scale’, Warns UN Relief Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jun 2018
People are suffering “on an almost unimaginable scale” in South Sudan, the United Nations emergency relief chief said on Monday [4 Jun], adding that he welcomed the announcement by the United States that it is to review the amount of assistance it provides to the war-torn country.
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UN Agencies Express Outrage over Killing of Palestinian Volunteer Medic in Gaza
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jun 2018
United Nations officials have expressed their outrage over Friday’s [1 Jun] killing by Israeli security forces of 21-year-old Razan al-Najjar, a Palestinian volunteer medic who was helping the injured along the Gaza border.
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Iran Deal Represents ‘Significant Verification Gain’ – UN Atomic Energy Chief
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 May 2018
9 May 2018 – Speaking the day after the United States withdrew from an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog agency made it clear that Iran has consistently stuck to its commitments.
→ read full articleFor Rohingya Refugees, Imminent Surge in Births Is Traumatic Legacy of Sexual Violence – Special Report
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 May 2018
11 May 2018 – Late last year, as violent repression in Myanmar sent Rohingyas fleeing to safety in Bangladesh, women from the mainly Muslim minority were subjected to what a United Nations official called “a frenzy of sexual violence”.
→ read full articleNorth Korea’s Suspension of Missile Tests Should Lead to ‘Irreversible’ Commitment to Ban Nuclear Testing – UN-Backed Treaty Body
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Apr 2018
25 Apr 2018 – The world’s nuclear proliferation watchdog has welcomed the announcement by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile tests and shut down its Punggye-ri atomic test site.
→ read full articleUN Hails Release of More Than 200 Child Soldiers in South Sudan
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Apr 2018
Two hundred and seven child soldiers have been released by armed groups in South Sudan, part of a series of planned discharges that should see nearly 1,000 children return home over the coming months.
→ read full articleAt Security Council, UN Chief Pushes for Creation of Body to Determine Perpetrators of Chemical Attacks in Syria
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Apr 2018
13 April 2018 – António Guterres today again called for the creation of an independent panel that could determine who used chemical weapons in Syria, as the absence of such a body increases the risks of a military escalation in a country already riven by “confrontations and proxy wars.”
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At Security Council, UN Middle East Peace Envoy Reports on Israel’s Troubling Settlement Expansion
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Apr 2018
Reporting that over the past three months, Israel has advanced 22 plans for some 1,200 housing units for one area of the West Bank, a United Nations envoy warned Monday [26 Mar] that such ongoing settlement expansion is eroding the prospect of a two-state solution to the long-standing Middle East conflict.
→ read full articleUN Appeals for Support to Tackle ‘Massive’ Health Needs of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
UN News – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Apr 2018
29 Mar 2018 -With relief agencies in Bangladesh struggling to assist more than a million vulnerable Rohingya refugees crowded into makeshift camps, the World Health Organization today appealed for international support to help the cash strapped health sector.
→ read full articleConditions in Myanmar Not Yet Suitable for Rohingya Refugees to Return Safely – UN Agency
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Jan 2018
23 Jan 2018 – The necessary safeguards for Rohingyas to return to Myanmar are absent, and there are ongoing restrictions on access for aid agencies, the media and other independent observers, the UN warned today, two months after Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed on a plan for the refugees’ voluntary return to their homes.
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After 1,000 Days of Conflict, Yemen Sliding into ‘Deepening Catastrophe,’ UN Agencies Warn
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jan 2018
30 Dec 2017 – As the conflict in Yemen passes the grim 1,000-day milestone, the United Nations is warning that if humanitarian workers cannot gain greater access and the violence does not subside, the cost in lives will be incalculable.
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Suspected Cholera Cases in Yemen Surpass One Million, Reports UN Health Agency
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jan 2018
22 Dec 2017 – The total number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has crossed one million, the World Health Organization reported today. “If we cannot bring in medicines and medical supplies, we cannot save lives.”
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UN Rights Expert ‘Disappointed’ by Myanmar’s Decision to Refuse Visit
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Dec 2017
20 Dec 2017 – The UN expert on the human rights situation in Myanmar today expressed disappointment at the government’s decision to deny her all access to the country. “This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country.”
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Careless Disposal of Antibiotics Could Produce ‘Ferocious Superbugs,’ UN Environment Experts Warn
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Dec 2017
5 Dec 2017 – Growing antimicrobial resistance linked to the discharge of drugs and some chemicals into the environment is one of the most worrying health threats today. “The warning here is truly frightening: we could be spurring the development of ferocious superbugs through ignorance and carelessness.”
→ read full articleIssue of Jerusalem Must Be Resolved through Direct Negotiations between Parties, UN Chief Stresses
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Dec 2017
6 Dec 2017 – “In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: there is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B,” said Mr. Guterres. In his remarks, the UN chief noted that it is only by realizing the vision of two states “living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and Palestine, and all final status issues resolved permanently through negotiations,” that the legitimate aspirations of both peoples will be achieved.
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With UN Support, More Countries Confronting Threat of Drug-Resistant ‘Superbugs’
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2017
17 Nov 2017 – Antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals or antiparasitics are widely used in livestock, poultry and aquaculture to treat or prevent diseases. However, their over-use and misuse, such as for “promoting growth” is leading to the emergence of microbes resistant to these drugs, making the diseases they cause impossible to treat. Humans exposed to these antimicrobial resistant pathogens are also affected in the same way.
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UN Envoy Urges Greater Support for Rohingya Victims of Sexual Violence
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2017
16 Nov 2017 – “My observations point to a pattern of widespread atrocities, including rape, gang-rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation, and sexual slavery in military captivity directed against Rohingya women and girls,” UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten said today.
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Afghanistan Opium Production Jumps 87 Per Cent to Record Level – UN Survey
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2017
15 Nov 2017 – A profoundly alarming trend in the cultivation and production of opium in Afghanistan reveals an 87 per cent production increase compared to 2016, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime said today.
→ read full articleUN Security Council Calls on Myanmar to End Excessive Military Force in Rakhine State
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2017
6 Nov 2017 – In a statement, the 15-member body also called on the Government “to restore civilian administration and apply the rule of law, and to take immediate steps in accordance with [the Government’s] obligations and commitments to respect human rights, including the rights of women, children, and persons belonging to vulnerable groups, without discrimination and regardless of ethnicity, religion, or citizenship status.”
→ read full articleUN Special Advisers Statement on Crimes against Rohingya in Myanmar
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Oct 2017
19 Oct 2017 – UN sources indicate that more than 530,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh. “Once again, our failure to stop atrocity crimes makes us complicit. When will we live up to our countless promises of ‘never again’?” the Special Advisers asked. The expression “atrocity crimes” refer to three crimes under international law: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
→ read full articleUS Withdrawal from UNESCO ‘Loss for Multilateralism,’ Says Cultural Agency’s Chief
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Oct 2017
12 Oct 2017 – UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova voiced “profound regret” today over the United States’ decision to withdraw from the agency. “This is a loss to the United Nations family. This is a loss for multilateralism,” she said in a statement.
→ read full articleUN Rights Experts Urge Member States to ‘Go Beyond Statements,’ Take Action to Help Rohingya
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Oct 2017
26 Sep 2017 – “No one chooses, especially not in the hundreds of thousands, to leave their homes and ancestral land, no matter how poor the conditions, to flee to a strange land to live under plastic sheets and in dire circumstances except in life-threatening situations,” stressed the experts. According to estimates, more than 430,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh since the violence erupted.
→ read full articleIran Implementing Its Nuclear Commitments, UN Atomic Agency Chief Stresses
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Sep 2017
18 Sep 2017 – Iran is implementing its commitments under “the world’s most robust nuclear verification regime,” the United Nations atomic agency head said today, while at the same time voicing “grave concern” at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear programme.
→ read full articleUN Human Rights Chief Points to ‘Textbook Example of Ethnic Cleansing’ in Myanmar
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2017
11 Sep 2017 – He lashed out at the treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar which has led to more than 300,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh in the past three weeks, as security forces and local militia reportedly burn villages and shoot civilians.
→ read full articleSouth-South Cooperation Key to Overcoming Inequalities, Says UN Deputy Chief
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2017
12 Sep 2017 – “South-South cooperation should not be seen as a substitute for North-South cooperation but as complementary, and we invite all countries and organizations to engage in supporting triangular cooperation initiatives,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said today, urging all developed nations to fulfill their Official Development Assistance commitments.
→ read full articleWorld Needs to Move beyond ‘Conceptual Debate’ and Improve Protection from Atrocities, Urges Guterres
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Sep 2017
6 Sep 2017 – “All of us are well aware of the grim human reality that lies behind the words, ‘war crimes’, ‘crimes against humanity’, ‘ethnic cleansing’, and ‘genocide’,” Mr. Guterres said. “It is time to move beyond the conceptual debate towards improved protection of people from atrocity crimes.”
→ read full articleLandmark UN-Backed Treaty on Mercury Takes Effect
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Aug 2017
16 Aug 2017 – A ground-breaking global convention on mercury today goes into effect, the United Nations environment wing said, protecting millions of children and infants from possible neurological and health damage.
→ read full articleMyanmar/Burma: UN Welcomes Final Assessment of Independent Advisory Panel on Rakhine State
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 Aug 2017
24 Aug 2017 – The United Nations today welcomed the release of the final report of an independent advisory body looking into the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric acknowledged its endorsement “to address the root causes of violence and reduce inter-communal violence.”
→ read full articleDeadly Combination of Cholera, Hunger and Conflict Pushes Yemen to ‘Edge of a Cliff’ – Senior UN Official
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Aug 2017
1 Aug 2017 – Describing the situation in Yemen as “very bleak,” with “no end in sight,” a senior United Nations official envoy today said the war-torn country, already reeling from malnutrition and dwindling health care, is plummeting into further distress amid a deadly cholera outbreak and looming famine.
→ read full articleUN Conference Adopts Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jul 2017
7 Jul 2017 – The treaty – adopted by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore) – prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons.
→ read full articleOn World Refugee Day 20 Jun UN Urges Support, Solidarity for Record Number of Displaced People
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Jun 2017
20 June 2017 – With a record 65.6 million people last year forcibly uprooted from their homes by violence and persecution, UN Secretary-General António Guterres today called on the international community to provide support and solidarity. World Refugee Day is a moment to ask what each of us can do to overcome indifference or fear and embrace the idea of inclusion, “to welcome refugees to our own communities, and to counter narratives that would seek to exclude and marginalize refugees and other uprooted people.”
→ read full articlePolitical Will, Financial Support Needed to Bolster New Approach to Cholera in Haiti – UN Deputy Chief
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
14 Jun 2017 – The UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed today called on Member States to fund the Organization’s new strategy to counter cholera in Haiti. “Without your political will and financial support, we have only good intentions and words.”
→ read full articleJoint African Action Crucial to Protect Persons with Albinism from Violence, Highlights UN Expert
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
13 Jun 2017 – Highlighting the importance of cooperation among countries to overcome the violence and discrimination faced by persons with albinism, a United Nations rights expert has urged African nations to fully implement a regional action plan on ending attacks on persons with albinism.
→ read full article‘BRICS’ Countries Well Placed to Help Lead Global Efforts to Tackle Hunger
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
16 Jun 20187 – With the clock ticking toward the 2030 deadline for meeting the international goals to eradicate hunger and poverty, five of the world’s most important emerging economies are well positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve these objectives, according to the UN: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
→ read full articleChildren Hardest Hit as Cholera Spreads in War-Torn Yemen – UNICEF
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
14 Jun 2017 – As the outbreak of cholera in Yemen continues to spread at an alarming rate – with terrible impact on children – the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for immediate support to enable the country’s health workers respond or risk even more deaths from the deadly disease.
→ read full articleUN Chief Praises ‘Vision, Tenacity’ of the Late Helmut Khol, Chancellor Who Reunited Germany
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has lauded the vision and tenacity of the former Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl, who died today at the age of 87.
→ read full articleCatastrophe of Aral Sea Shows ‘Men Can Destroy the Planet’, Warns UN Chief Guterres
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Jun 2017
António Guterres today visited Muynak, Uzebkistan in the Aral Sea – once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, that has now shrunk to a quarter of its original size due to human mismanagement– the ‘cemetery of ships’ – once a port city but now devoid of all water. “It shows that if in relation to climate change, if we are not able to act forcefully to tame this phenomenon, we might see this kind of tragedy multiply around the world,” he warned.
→ read full articleManaging National Borders ‘Cannot Be Based on Any Form of Discrimination’ – UN Chief Guterres
UN News Centre | Human Wrongs Watch – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Feb 2017
Refugees fleeing conflict and persecution are entitled to protection, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on 31 Jan 2017, expressing concern at decisions around the world that have undermined the integrity of the international refugee protection regime.
→ read full articleUN Report Details ‘Devastating Cruelty’ Against Rohingya Population in Myanmar’s Rakhine Province
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Feb 2017
3 Feb 2017 – In a report issued today, the United Nations human rights arm said that the widespread human rights violations against the Rohingya population by Myanmar’s security forces in the country’s northern Rakhine state indicate the very likely commission of crimes against humanity.
→ read full articleIsrael’s Settlements Are Illegal, Violation of International Law: Security Council [Full Text of Resolution 2334]
UN News & Media Resources – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jan 2017
23 Dec 2016 – The Security Council reaffirmed this afternoon that Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law. 14 Delegations in Favour of Resolution 2334 (2016) as United States Abstains.
→ read full articleMyanmar Must Strengthen Effort to Diffuse Tension in Northern Rakhine State – UN Special Adviser
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Dec 2016
The UN said that authorities need to take proactive measures to protect the local civilian population and allow humanitarian access to the areas of conflict. This call follows last month’s visit by nine local ambassadors, the UN Resident and various UN agencies who voiced their concerns after a trip to the Rakhine state.
→ read full articleSouth Sudan: Hundreds of Children Recruited into Armed Groups, Reports UNICEF
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Aug 2016
19 Aug 2016 – Reporting that 650 children have been recruited into armed groups in South Sudan since January, the United Nations Children’s Fund called today for an immediate end to recruitment and an unconditional release of all children by armed actors.
→ read full articlePhoto of Boy Pulled from Rubble Reminder of ‘Unimaginable Horrors’ Syrian Children Face – UNICEF
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Aug 2016
19 Aug 2016 –“No child in Syria [is] safe while the conflict drags on,” Christophe Boulierac, a spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund told the press in Geneva, referring to the photograph which went viral on social media yesterday and has galvanized world attention to the suffering in Aleppo, Syria’s iconic second city.
→ read full articleOn International Day of Cooperatives, UN Hails Them as Drivers of Sustainable Future
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Jul 2016
UN estimates: One person in six is either a member or a client of a cooperative and some 2.6 million cooperatives employ 12.6 million people worldwide. Cooperatives’ assets are worth about $20 trillion and they generate about $3 trillion in annual revenue.
→ read full articleGaza Could Become Uninhabitable in Less Than Five Years Due to Ongoing ‘De-Development’– UN Report
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Sep 2015
1 Sep 2015 – A new report by UNCTAD warns that the Gaza Strip could become “uninhabitable” by 2020 if current economic trends persist. In addition to eight years of economic blockade, over the past six years, Gaza has endured three military operations that have shattered its ability to export and produce for the domestic market, ravaged its already debilitated infrastructure, and left no time for reconstruction and economic recovery.
→ read full articleIsrael’s Demolition of Palestinian Homes ‘Contrary to International Law,’ UN Experts Warn
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Dec 2014
25 Nov 2014 – The Israeli Government’s use of house demolition as a punitive measure must end immediately, UN experts urged today. The practice – which targets Palestinian homes in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory – is a violation of human rights law.
→ read full articleHonouring Gandhi’s Legacy, UN Reaffirms Power of Peaceful Protest
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Oct 2014
2 October 2014 – UN urges the international community to reaffirm the power and potential of change through peaceful means, following Mahatma Gandhi who inspired today’s International Day of Non-Violence.
→ read full articleIndependent UN Panel Calls for Diplomatic Surge to End ‘Daily Reality’ of War Crimes in Syria
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jun 2013
4 June 2013 – With Syria engulfed in an escalating and increasingly brutal civil war, a panel of United Nations human rights experts today issued its latest report on the crisis, detailing war crimes it says were committed by both the Syrian Government and opposition forces, and calling for a “diplomatic surge” to end the violence.
→ read full article[Tragicomic] French President François Hollande Awarded UNESCO Peace Prize
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Feb 2013
The President of France, François Hollande, will receive the United Nations cultural agency’s peace prize this year for his “valuable contribution to peace and stability in Africa,” it was announced today [21 Feb 2013].
→ read full articleUN Kicks Off Year Promoting International Cooperation on Water Management
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Feb 2013
11 February 2013 – The United Nations today launched the International Year of Water Cooperation, which seeks to provide a platform for countries to collaborate in the management of this precious resource in the interest of peace and development.
→ read full articleUNESCO Recognizes Brazilian Friar’s Contribution to Social Justice in Latin America and Caribbean
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Jan 2013
11 Jan 2013 – The United Nations has recognized a Brazilian Dominican friar, Frei Betto, with a leading international prize for his “exceptional contribution” to building a universal culture of peace, social justice and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. The author of more than 50 books, Frei Betto was born in 1944 and joined the Dominican Order at the age of 20 while studying journalism, and during the time of military dictatorship in Brazil, he was imprisoned twice, in 1964 and again from 1969 to 1973.
→ read full articleUN Relief Agency Estimates 1.8 Million Haitians Have Been Affected By Hurricane Sandy
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Nov 2012
2 November 2012 – Some 1.8 million Haitians have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, the United Nations relief agency said today after its first assessment of the situation in the region, adding that food security remains an urgent concern in the Caribbean nation.
→ read full articleUN Independent Expert Calls For Boycott of Businesses Profiting From Israeli Settlements
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 Oct 2012
A United Nations independent expert today [25 Oct 2012] called on the world body’s General Assembly, as well as civil society, to take action against Israeli and international businesses that are profiting from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
→ read full articleBan Ki-moon Hails Latin American Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone on 45th Anniversary
UN News Centre- TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Feb 2012
14 February 2012 – On the 45th anniversary of the treaty that created a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America and the Caribbean, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the pact as an example of how regional initiatives can advance global norms on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of atomic energy.
→ read full articleUN and Brazil Launch Initiative to Combat Hunger Among School Children
UN News Service – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Nov 2011
7 November 2011 –The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Brazilian Government today launched a new initiative to help countries run their own national school meal programmes to advance the nutrition and education of children. “As a world champion in the fight against hunger, Brazil has a wealth of experience that can be shared with governments eager to learn how they achieved that success and adapt it to their own countries,” said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, who is on an official visit to the country.
→ read full articleUN: Nearly 470,000 Cholera Cases Reported In Haiti over the Past Year
UN News Service – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Oct 2011
21 October 2011 –Almost 470,000 cases of cholera, including 6,595 deaths, have been reported in Haiti since an epidemic of the disease erupted in the Caribbean country one year ago, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.
→ read full articleMoldova Becomes Latest State Party to International Criminal Court
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Oct 2010
Moldova has become the latest country to ratify the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is tasked with trying people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
→ read full article