UN envoy to Iraq says all parties must honour sanctity of holy sites
Reacting to an incident at the Umm al-Qura mosque in Iraq, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today stressed that all parties must honour the sanctity of holy sites.
Top UN envoy for Sudan urges speedier progress in Darfur peace talks
The top United Nations envoy to Sudan is on his way to New York after attending the peace talks on the country’s troubled Darfur region in Abuja, Nigeria, where he urged the Khartoum Government and rebel groups to speed up the pace of negotiations, a UN spokesman said today.
UN food agency hails $10 million UK donation to Pakistan quake relief
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a $10 million contribution from the United Kingdom to help operate a helicopter fleet bringing assistance to the survivors of the massive earthquake that hit Pakistan last October.
UN agency concerned about four Uzbek refugees detained in Kyrgyzstan
Officials with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) are calling on the Kyrgyz Government to refrain from any action aimed at forcibly returning four Uzbek refugees now in detention to their home country.
UN seeks Brazilian successor to late force commander in Haiti, peacekeeping chief says
The United Nations is working with Brazil to find a possible successor to the Force Commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, who was found dead over the weekend, the head of the world body’s peacekeeping department said today.
UN Security Council carefully weighs next steps for mission in Ethiopia, Eritrea
While concerned about border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as the latter’s ban on United Nations overflights, the world body is avoiding making hasty decisions on the future of its peacekeeping operation in the Horn of Africa countries, a senior UN official said today.
Alleviating extreme poverty is affordable, UN Special Adviser say
World leaders should make 2006 “the year of real action,” senior UN adviser Jeffrey Sachs said in Kenya today, asserting that the cost of alleviating extreme poverty is definitely affordable.
Security situation in Central African Republic still ‘precarious,’ Annan says
The security situation in the Central African Republic, which is rebuilding after a civil war, remains “precarious” and international support for the country is crucial to consolidating stability, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report to the Security Council released today.
UN to review progress in worldwide fight against illegal gun trafficking
Since its adoption in 2001, an international action plan to counter illegal gun trafficking had caused unprecedented government activity in the fight against the scourge, but the weapons continued to cause human misery, destabilize States and squelch development, the top United Nations disarmament official said today as he opened a planning meeting for a review of progress on the issue.
UN's force commander in Haiti found dead, circumstances under investigation
As investigators began probing the death of the senior military official leading the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Haiti, a 58-year old Brazilian general who was found dead today in Port au Prince, UN officials praised his legacy of peace.