Articles by UN News

We found 182 results.


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.

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UN 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.”

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Malaysian 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.

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Idlib 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.

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Economy 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.

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‘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.

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UN 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.

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South 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.

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For 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”.

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North 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.

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UN 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.

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At 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.

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UN 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.

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Conditions 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.”

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Issue 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.

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UN 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.”

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UN 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.

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US 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.

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UN 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.

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Iran 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.

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UN 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.

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South-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.

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World 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.”

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Landmark 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.

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Myanmar/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.”

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Deadly 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.

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UN 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.

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On 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.”

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Political 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.”

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Joint 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.

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‘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.

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Children 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.

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UN 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.

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Catastrophe 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.

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Managing 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.

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UN 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.

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Israel’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.

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Myanmar 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.

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South 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.

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Photo 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.

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On 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.

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Gaza 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.

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Israel’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.

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Honouring 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.

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Independent 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.

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[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].

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UN 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.

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UNESCO 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.

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UN 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.

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UN 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.

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Ban 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.

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UN 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.

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UN: 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.

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Moldova 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.

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UN-Backed Anti-Corruption Academy Inaugurated in Austria
UN News Centre – TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Oct 2010

2 September 2010 – An anti-corruption academy co-sponsored by the United Nations opened today in Austria with the aim of filling the rising global need for training, research and contemporary measures and techniques in the fight against corruption. The International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), based in Laxenburg, will educate public and private sector anti-corruption practitioners in more effectively implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

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LANDMARK PACT INDICATES GLOBAL SUPPORT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, SAYS UN EXPERT
UN News Centre, 24 Oct 2009

19 October 2009 – The international community showed its support for the world’s nearly 400 million indigenous people by adopting the landmark 2007 declaration outlining their rights, a United Nations independent human rights said today.The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People came after more than two decades of debate. “The adoption […]

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SUDANESE GOVERNMENT AND UNICEF SIGN AGREEMENT TO PROTECT CHILDREN
UN News Centre, 25 Jan 2009

Sudan’s military and child welfare authorities have partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to protect children’s rights and prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in the war-torn African nation. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), Sudan’s National Council for Child Welfare (NCWW) and UNICEF signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday to create a Child […]

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UN WELCOMES UAE’S PLAN TO TACKLE PLIGHT OF STATELESS PEOPLE
UN News Centre, 12 Oct 2008

The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed a decision by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to resolve the situation of thousands of stateless people living there, and voiced the hope that the Persian Gulf nation’s efforts will encourage other countries in the region to do the same. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees […]

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LEADERS AT UN LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE MALARIA DEATHS BY 2015
UN News Centre, 12 Oct 2008

Government, business and civil society leaders gathered at the United Nations today to launch a global campaign to reduce malaria deaths, currently at more than 1 million each year, to near zero by 2015, with an initial commitment of nearly a $3 billion. The Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) aims to cuts deaths and illness […]

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