Global

A group of forcibly displaced people in north Yemen.

UN official calls for increased assistance to nations ravaged by conflict and disaster

28 October 2009
Humanitarian Aid

On the heels of a four-nation trip to see first-hand the damage caused by conflict and natural disasters, the top United Nations humanitarian official today appealed for international support to help these countries recover and rebuild.

Senior UN officials urge donors to fund feeding schemes for one billion hungry

16 October 2009
Economic Development

Urging world leaders to boost efforts to help the record number of hungry people around the world, top United Nations officials today underscored the need to prioritize immediate food aid for the one in six of the global population who are malnourished.

More people die from suicide annually than from violent acts – UN health official

10 September 2009
Health

Around 1 million people die of suicide every year, more than by any other type of violence, including armed conflict, an official from the United Nations health agency noted today, stressing the need for greater efforts to tackle this preventable cause of death.

Ambassador Zahir Tanin

UN General Assembly on verge of negotiating Security Council reform

13 February 2009
UN Affairs

On-going work on reshaping the size and membership of the Security Council and making the vital organ of the world body more democratic is finally heading for serious negotiations, the Ambassador to the United Nations for Afghanistan, Zahir Tanin, told the press today.

Ban declares recruitment, use of child soldiers as ‘unacceptable’

12 February 2009
Peace and Security

On the occasion of Red Hand Day which seeks to mobilize people worldwide to bring an end to the forced recruitment and use of children as soldiers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stated that the practice violates human decency and must be eradicated.

More funding needed for condoms in fight against HIV, UN agency warns

3 October 2008
Health

Despite a growing need for contraceptives and condoms for HIV prevention, funding has virtually stagnated since 2001 when it peaked at $224 million, according to a new analysis by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Experienced academic chosen to head UN anti-narcotics panel

20 May 2008
Law and Crime Prevention

A renowned Iranian physician and professor who is resident in the United Kingdom has been elected the next President of the independent body which monitors the implementation of United Nations drug control conventions.

Accepting Nobel Prize, laureates issue strong call to fight climate change

10 December 2007
Climate and Environment

Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize today, this year’s laureates – Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – issued a call for bold and immediate actions to curb global warming.

New UN office utilizing space information to mitigate disasters opens in Bonn

31 October 2007
UN Affairs

A new United Nations Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) office tasked with utilizing space technologies to respond to all stages of disasters globally has opened in Bonn, Germany.

Ban Ki-moon and Al Gore (file photo)

Ban Ki-moon hails Nobel laureates Al Gore, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

12 October 2007
Peace and Security

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and urged governments to build on the momentum they have generated by adopting a new set of binding commitments to contain greenhouse gas emissions.