Europe 

Forced pregnancy in Italy violated ‘woman’s human right to health’, UN experts rule 

In 2008, the couple at the centre of the case, visited a fertility clinic in Italy and requested in vitro fertilization treatment, or IVF, where the egg is fertilized outside the mother’s womb. They asked the clinic to test for possible genetic disorders, before implantation.   They were told that the law prohibited clinical research on human embryos, so the… Read More
Pacific 

Asia-Pacific showing ‘decisive leadership’ on road to 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, deputy UN chief tells key forum

Speaking at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in Bangkok, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed expressed her admiration for the development progress made within the vast region so far. “Your governments have taken on the challenge of the 2030 Agenda with decisive leadership…making significant investments to enhance data and statistical coverage, take partnerships to scale and… Read More
Pacific 

UN’s Bachelet rejects Sri Lankan official’s ‘spin’ on Human Rights Council encounter, urges reforms

In a statement issued one week after the Human Rights Council’s 47 Member States heard the report, and passed a resolution giving Sri Lanka another two years to deliver reforms originally agreed in 2015, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet dismissed a newspaper story which quoted a senior Government official. “I am deeply disappointed by the spin that has been put on… Read More
Pacific 

‘Mosques should be safe havens, not sites of terror’, says Guterres announcing UN plan to help safeguard religious sites

Mr. Guterres was addressing representatives of the press at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, to show his solidarity with the worldwide Muslim community, a week after the murder of some 50 Muslim worshippers by a gunman in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. The UN chief spoke, with a “heavy and full heart,” of the grief and sympathy… Read More
Pacific 

‘Growing alarm’ over Fall Armyworm advance, with cash crops ‘under attack’ across Asia

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has convened a three-day meeting of international experts in Bangkok and officials from affected countries, who on Wednesday began discussing what to do about stopping the onward march of the crop-guzzling insects, and limiting the devastation they cause.  “We are here today – together – because we share a growing sense of alarm… Read More
Europe 

UN court increases sentence of former Bosnian-Serb leader to life imprisonment

In 2016, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), found the 1990s wartime leader guilty of genocide and war crimes, including the planning of the notorious 1995 Srebrenica massacre, during which some 8,000 Bosnian Serbs were murdered. The aftermath was described at the time as resembling “scenes from Hell” by a Tribunal judge. Karadžić was also found responsible… Read More
Pacific 

UN chief expresses solidarity with Indonesian authorities after flash floods kill dozens in Papua

In a statement from his office, Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was “saddened by the loss of life, destruction of property and displacement of people’ due to flash floods and landslides in Sentani, Jayapura and Papua, and of the earthquake in West Nusa Tenggara Province.”  The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the people… Read More
Pacific 

‘Stand united against anti-Muslim hatred’ urges Guterres, after mosque shootings in New Zealand leave 49 dead

“I’m saddened and strongly condemn the shooting of innocent people as they prayed peacefully in mosques in New Zealand”, tweeted the UN chef, expressing his “deepest condolences to the victims’ families”. “Today and every day, we must stand united against anti-Muslim hatred, and all forms of bigotry and terror”, he stressed. In a statement issued later Friday morning, the UN’s Spokesperson said Mr.… Read More
Pacific 

Despite progress towards peace, Afghanistan facing ‘daunting challenges’ ahead of presidential vote

”This year is likely to bring both numerous challenges and unprecedented opportunities,” said Mr. Yamamoto, briefing Council members on the latest report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security. “Addressing the challenges, and taking advantage of the opportunities, will require the concerted efforts of the international community, with Afghanistan in the… Read More
Europe 

Joint UN, OSCE engagement can address crisis in Ukraine, other ‘dark spots of conflict’ in Europe

“The crisis goes against everything the OSCE and the UN stand for,” continued Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák in his briefing on OSCE’s activities. In late February 2014, the situation in Ukraine went from political crisis, to violent confrontation and, later, became a full-scale conflict between Government forces and separatists, in the country’s east. Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák of the… Read More
Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial