Page 18 - United Nations

United Nations will become 'irrelevant' without reforms: Jaishankar

The United Nations Security Council reforms is like a "hard nut", but hard nuts can be cracked, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Tuesday as he cautioned that the world body will become "irrelevant" without much-delayed reforms. Jaishankar made the remarks while responding to questions after his address at the Lowy Institute on the growing importance of India's relationship with Australia and the interests that both countries share as members of the security-focused Quad. "Well, it's a hard nut but hard nuts can be cracked," Jaishankar said while responding to a question on UN Security Council reforms. Jaishankar said that there are continents which actually feel that the Security Council process does not take into account that into their problems. "I think that's hugely damaging to the UN. So one of the developments this time, in fact, has been a very explicit recognition by President Joe Biden of the need to actually reform the UN which is not a small developmen

Hong Kong to implement UN sanctions on Russian-owned superyach, not US ones

Hong Kong's leader John Lee said Tuesday he will only implement United Nations sanctions, after the U.S. warned the territory's status as a financial center could be affected if it acts as a safe haven for sanctioned individuals. Lee's statement Tuesday came days after a luxury yacht connected to Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov docked in the city. Mordashov, who is believed to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned by the U.S., U.K. and the European Union in February after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hong Kong authorities have said that they do not implement unilateral sanctions imposed by other governments. We cannot do anything that has no legal basis, Lee told reporters. We will comply with United Nations sanctions, that is our system, that is our rule of law, he said. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement Monday that the possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions furthe

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for making mental health global priority

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for making mental health a global priority and urged actions to promote universal quality mental health care

Tension in West Bank fuels atmosphere of fear, hatred: UN official

An escalation of tension in the West Bank would fuel an atmosphere of fear, hatred and anger between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official has warned

US officials, Taliban hold in-person meeting after al-Zawahiri's killing

More than two months after the killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, top US officials met with the Taliban

UN passes resolution urging support for flooded Pakistan

The UN General Assembly expressed solidarity Friday with flood-battered Pakistan and called on the international community to increase aid and keep up the political will to support the country's recovery long-term. The assembly passed a resolution that made all those points. It also urged the UN to step up efforts to sensitize the international community to Pakistan's needs and mobilize effective, immediate and adequate international support and assistance." Record-breaking floods in the developing South Asian country have affected 33 million people and killed 1,700 or more since mid-June. Nearly 8 million people were displaced, and hundreds of thousands are still living in tents and makeshift homes. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres, who saw some of the damage for himself during a visit last month, reminded the assembly of the losses: more than 2 million homes damaged or destroyed, while and crops and livestock were ravaged. He said the disaster could thrust more than 15 million

UN adopts new carbon emissions goal to achieve net zero from planes by 2050

A United Nations organization on Friday adopted a long-term aspirational goal of making carbon emissions from air travel net zero by 2050 in response to growing pressure for airlines to reduce their pollution. Several major environmental groups praised the move, saying it could boost the production of sustainable aviation fuel. But they cautioned that it will be difficult to push countries to follow up with policies that actually reduce emissions. Aviation is a relatively small contributor to overall climate-changing emissions, but its share is expected to grow. More people are expected to travel on planes in the coming years, and aviation lacks cleaner alternatives such as electric power that are widely available for cars and trucks. Friday's decision in Montreal occurred during a meeting attended by representatives of nearly 200 nations that belong to the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO. The decision capped nearly a decade of negotiations and occurred as .

World food price index fell for sixth consecutive month in September: FAO

FAO's cereal price index rose 1.5 per cent month-on-month in September, with wheat prices climbing 2.2 per cent

Russia seeks secret UN vote on West's condemnation of Ukraine annexation

Russia called for a secret ballot vote next week on a Western-backed resolution that would condemn its attempted illegal annexation of part of four Ukrainian regions and demand that Moscow immediately reverse its actions. Russia apparently hopes it would get more support from the 193 nations in the General Assembly if their votes are not public. Russia vetoed what would have been a legally binding Security Council resolution on Sept. 30 to condemn annexation referendums in the four Ukrainian regions as illegal, declare them invalid and urge all countries not to recognise any annexation of the territory claimed by Moscow. The United States and Albania, which sponsored the resolution, vowed to take the issue to all U.N. members in the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes but resolutions are not legally binding. Unless the international community reacts," European Union U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog said Wednesday, there can be claims that no one pays attention and this is now a .

UN peacekeeping chief Lacroix to visit India during 9-day foreign trip

The United Nations peacekeeping chief is undertaking a visit to India, among the largest troop contributing countries for its operations. Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will visit India, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Japan. The multi-nation trip starts Thursday and will continue until October 15. Stphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters Wednesday that in New Delhi, Lacroix will participate in a two-day meeting organised by the Challenges Forum, which brings together leading policymakers, practitioners and academics on key issues linked to peace operations. The head of the UN peacekeeping will then travel to Abu Dhabi, Islamabad and Tokyo. Dujarric said the purpose of Lacroix's visit is to thank the countries for their contributions and support to UN peacekeeping as well as to update on progress enhancing the effectiveness of peacekeeping. During his trip, Lacroix will meet senior government ...

Death toll of Afghanistan's suicide blast rises to 53; 110 injured: UNAMA

The death toll of a suicide blast on the western edge of Kabul city has reached 53, said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

UN pushes for global fertiliser price cut to avoid future supply crisis

The United Nations is pushing to cut the price of fertilisers to avoid a "future crisis" of availability, said a senior U.N. trade official

5.7 million Pakistani flood victims to face food crisis for 3 months: UN

The United Nations humanitarian agency is warning that about 5.7 million Pakistani flood survivors will face a serious food crisis in the next three months, as the death toll from the deluge rose on Monday. Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority reported that floods fuelled by abnormally heavy monsoon rains have killed 1,695 people, affected 33 million, damaged more than 2 million homes and displaced hundreds of thousands now living in tents or makeshift homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in its latest report on Saturday said the current floods are expected to exacerbate food insecurity in Pakistan and said 5.7 million people in flood-affected areas will be facing a food crisis between September and November. Even before the floods, according to the World Health Organisation, 16 per cent of the population was living in moderate or severe food insecurity. However, Pakistan's government insists that there is no immediate worry about food ...

Former UN official held for over 6 years in Iran allowed to leave: Report

Baquer Namazi, an Iranian-American and former United Nations official imprisoned in Iran on charges of spying and cooperating with the US government, has been released

UN chief urges Yemen's warring sides to renew, expand expiring truce

The UN chief is strongly urging Yemen's warring parties to not only renew but expand a truce that expires on Sunday, saying it has brought the longest period of relative calm since the conflict began in 2014. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the internationally recognised government and Houthi rebels should prioritise the national interests of the Yemeni people and choose peace for good. His statement followed a stark warning on Tuesday from the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, that the risk of a return to fighting is real. Yemen's brutal civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government to power. The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and over the years turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which backs the government

UN welcomes trial against Rwanda genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga

A top UN official has welcomed the opening of a trial in The Hague against Felicien Kabuga for his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide

Hostilities, deepening health crisis worsen civilian situation in Syria: UN

Hostilities and a deepening economic, health and water crisis have worsened the situation for civilians in northwest Syria, UN humanitarians said

Online govt services improved globally; digital divide remains: UN survey

Despite the many crises of the past two years, e-government strategies have been advanced although many countries and municipalities have fallen short in providing adequate online services

UN secretary-general asks Iran to avoid 'unnecessary force' on protesters

The United Nations Secretary-General called on Iran early on Wednesday to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force against protesters as unrest over a young woman's death in police custody spread across the country. Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that authorities should swiftly conduct an impartial investigation of the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, which has sparked unrest across Iran's provinces and the capital of Tehran. We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising fatalities, including women and children, related to the protests, UN spokesman Stphane Dujarric in a statement. We underline the need for prompt, impartial and effective investigation into Ms. Mahsa Amini's death by an independent competent authority. Protests have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran. State TV reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the protests began September 17. An Associated Press count of official statements

World's patience is running out for engagement with Taliban: UN envoy

Patience is running out for many in the international community when it comes to effectively engaging with the Taliban, the UN deputy representative for Afghanistan Markus Potzel said