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India And United Nations

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.

Updated On : 06 Apr 2023 | 10:34 PM IST

Months after Pak floods, millions lack access to safe water, warns Unicef

The United Nations children's agency on Tuesday warned that after last summer's devastating floods, 10 million people in Pakistan, including children, still live in flood-affected areas without access to safe drinking water. The statement from UNICEF underscored the dire situation in impoverished Pakistan, a country with a population of 220 million that months later is still struggling with the consequences of the flooding, as well as a spiraling economic crisis. The floods, which experts attribute in part to climate change, killed 1,739 people, including 647 children and 353 women. So far, less than half of UNICEF's funding appeal for Pakistan 45 per cent of USD 173.5 million has been met. According to the agency, before the floods struck last June, water from only 36 per cent of Pakistan's water system was considered safe for human consumption. The floods damaged most of the water pipelines systems in affected areas, forcing more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million ..

Updated On : 21 Mar 2023 | 5:19 PM IST

What was fugitive Nithyananda's 'United States of Kailasa' doing at the UN?

Nithyananda, a rape-accused fugitive who is also a self-styled godman, claims to have established a country representing 2 billion Hindus in 2019

Updated On : 03 Mar 2023 | 11:31 AM IST

States which provide shelter to terrorist should be called out: India at UN

India has voiced concern over the spread of terrorism particularly in regions of Africa and Asia, and asserted that those States which provide shelter to terrorists should be called out and held accountable for their deeds, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. "The threat of terrorism is serious and real. Regrettably, despite best efforts aimed towards transnational cooperation, it continues to spread, particularly in the regions of Africa and Asia," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said. In her remarks to the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Ambassadorial-level Quarterly Briefing to Member States on Tuesday, Kamboj said the threat of terrorism can only be tackled through consistent and unified multilateral action, by the international community. "Those States which lack capacities to tackle the threat of terrorism, should be assisted, while those which provide shelter to terrorists should be called out and held accountable for their deeds, she said,

Updated On : 01 Mar 2023 | 10:08 PM IST

Kerala, UN Women sign pact to boost women-friendly activities in tourism

The Kerala government on Sunday entered into an agreement with the United Nations (UN) Women to boost women-friendly activities in the State's tourism sector. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Kerala Tourism and UN Women India agreed to work towards promoting gender-inclusive tourism sites in the State. The MoU was signed by Kerala Tourism Director P B Nooh and UN Women India representative Susan Ferguson and it would be implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission, a government release said. "As per the pact inked at the first-ever Global Responsible Tourism Summit in Kumarakom near this city, both parties will promote women-friendly tourism in Kerala. This will be done by creating modules and capacity-building of relevant stakeholders, besides providing advisory support for baseline research, implementing women-friendly tourist destinations and supporting interventions to change prevalent discriminatory social norms," the release said. Kerala Tourism Minister P A .

Updated On : 26 Feb 2023 | 10:04 PM IST

Indian NGO shares initiatives on road safety, environment at ECOSOC forum

An India-based NGO shared initiatives undertaken by it like reflective stickers for bicycles, a Helmet Bank' and a Children Challan Book' for road safety and environment conservation at an annual forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) here. The ECOSOC meeting highlighted the need for revitalised partnerships" to recover stronger from the pandemic and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Patiala Foundation CEO Ravee Singh Ahluwalia participated in the Economic and Social Council Annual Partnership Forum 2023 this week where NGOs accredited with the UN body, agencies and stakeholders gathered at the UN headquarters here and highlighted the need for concerted efforts to combat challenges arising from the pandemic, Ukraine conflict and other crises. Punjab-based Patiala Foundation was accorded ECOSOC Special Consultative Status in 2018 and works in the field of protection and regeneration of livelihood, heritage conservation, road safety and environment ...

Updated On : 03 Feb 2023 | 10:08 AM IST

3,700 Indian dams will lose 26% storage capacity by 2050: UN study

Around 3,700 dams in India will lose 26 per cent of their total storage by 2050 due to accumulation of sediments which can undermine water security, irrigation and power generation in future, warns a new study by the United Nations. The Central Water Commission, had in 2015, reported that among 141 large reservoirs which are over 50-years-old, one quarter had lost at least 30 per cent of their initial storage capacity. Trapped sediment has already robbed roughly 50,000 large dams worldwide of an estimated 13 to 19 per cent of their combined original storage capacity. The study by the United Nations University Institute on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), also known as the UN's think tank on water, shows that 6,316 billion cubic metre of initial global storage in 47,403 large dams in 150 countries will decline to 4,665 billion cubic metre, causing 26 per cent storage loss by 2050. The loss of 1,650 billion cubic metre storage capacity is roughly equal to the annual water u

Updated On : 09 Jan 2023 | 4:38 PM IST

India to launch database on crimes against peacekeepers to fight impunity

Jaishankar said that the UN and the country where the peacekeepers serve have to ensure that they are safe and those attacking them are punished

Updated On : 16 Dec 2022 | 9:00 AM IST

India's leadership needed to keep G-20 together, says UN official

Affirming support for India's G-20 presidency, UN's deputy secretary general Amina J Mohammed on Tuesday said the country's leadership can help keep the grouping together and speed up work on green goals. Delivering a video message at the G-20 development group meet here, Mohammed welcomed that three developing countries India, Brazil and South Africa - are presiding over the grouping in three consecutive terms, and affirmed the UN's support. "We need India's leadership in this pivotal historic moment to keep the G-20 together and fulfill its promise of delivering a stable and equal world for all, Mohammed said. "We are midway through the sustainable development goals (SDG) target for 2030 and there is a need for doubling down on efforts to put the ambitious back on track. This can be done by arranging sustainable finance solutions, she said, hoping that India's G-20 presidency will find right solutions for the same. "The time has come to infuse new energies into green developme

Updated On : 13 Dec 2022 | 11:44 PM IST

India 'uniquely positioned' to help world bring on track for SDGs: UN

India is "uniquely positioned" with its G20 presidency to help the world bring on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted by the United Nations for 2030, given its good relations across the board and as a voice of the Global South, a senior UN official said on Sunday. As India hosted the first Sherpa meeting under its G20 presidency, the UN Resident Coordinator for India Shombi Sharp said here that the recent months and years have seen multiple crises. "India's G20 presidency has come at a time when we are at the midpoint of the SDG agenda. But unfortunately, the recent months and years have brought multiple crises and as many have said we are off the track and there is a need to develop an urgent rescue," Sharp said. He said the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has also called for an urgent rescue plan and the G20 is uniquely positioned to "bring us back on track". "India is particularly uniquely positioned at this point of time with its G20 ...