Europe

Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Heiner Bielefeldt.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

Cyprus: UN expert praises Muslim, Greek Orthodox ‘breakthrough’ in religious contact

22 October 2013
An independent United Nations human rights expert is hailing a key breakthrough in inter-faith communication between Muslim and Greek Orthodox leaders in Cyprus, stressing that it could have a positive impact on the reconciliation process as a whole.
UN Photo/Martine Perret
UN Photo/Martine Perret

Netherlands takes dispute with Russia over Greenpeace ship to UN-backed tribunal

21 October 2013
The Netherlands today submitted a request to the United Nations-backed International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for provisional measures in a dispute with Russia over the recent arrest and detention of a ship used by Greenpeace International to stage a protest over oil drilling.
Special Representative Farid Zarif.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

‘These violent acts must cease’ urges top UN envoy in Kosovo in wake of bombing

14 October 2013
The head of United Nations mission in Kosovo strongly condemned a bombing earlier today in northern Mitrovica and called for a swift and thorough investigation.
Italian coastguards help a group of boat people found floating in a crowded craft near Lampedusa Island.UNHCR/A.Di Loreto

After latest Lampedusa tragedy, Ban calls for action to protect human rights of migrants

12 October 2013
Following reports of a second ship capsizing off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to protect the rights of migrants and take action to prevent such tragic incidents.
The death toll from the tragedy off Lampedusa stands at over 300, but searchers fear there may still be more.
UNHCR/ANSA

After Lampedusa tragedy, UN refugee agency urges European Union to revisit migration polices

11 October 2013
In the aftermath of a one of deadliest migrant-ship disasters in recent history, the United Nations refugee agency today urged wider responsibility-sharing among European Union countries to process asylum claims and find lasting solutions for people in need of international protections.
Inspectors from the IAEA and Euratom look into the spent fuel pond at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, Czech Republic, in November 2012.
IAEA/Petr Pavlicek

UN atomic agency reviews Czech Republic’s largest national electricity company

10 October 2013
An international team led by United Nations nuclear safety experts today completed a review of corporate safety performance at CEZ, the largest national electricity company in the Czech Republic, to address safety operations at the Dukovany and Temelin nuclear power plants.
Special Rapporteur on Belarus Miklós Haraszti.
OSCE/Susanna Lööf

Belarus: UN expert calls for end to executions after recent court rulings

9 October 2013
A United Nations independent expert today appealed to authorities in Belarus to start an immediate moratorium on executions, following recent court rulings upholding several death sentences.
Italian coastguards help a group of boat people found floating in a crowded craft near Lampedusa Island.UNHCR/A.Di Loreto

States must prioritize migrants’ human rights, UN independent experts reiterate

7 October 2013
As crews off the Italian island of Lampedusa continue to recover bodies from last week’s migrant boat disaster, United Nations independent experts today reiterated calls on Member States to urgently adopt a new approach to migration that places the rights of migrants at the forefront.
The Italian coastguard brings survivors of Thursday's tragedy to the harbour in Lampedusa. AMSA/UNHCR

UN labour agency urges revision of migration policies after Lampedusa incident

5 October 2013
The head of the United Nations labour agency today called for a revision of labour migration and border policies in the aftermath of a boat carrying an estimated 500 migrants capsizing off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Survivors of the boat tragedy off the coast of Lampedusa shelter in an area of the tiny island's port. UNHCR/B. Molinario

UN rights office calls on EU to strengthen efforts to prevent repeat of Lampedusa incident

4 October 2013
The European Union (EU) should increase measures to prevent a repeat of yesterday's incident in which a boat capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa killing dozens of African migrants, the United Nations human rights office said today.