"The recent operation in the occupied West Bank and car ramming attack in Tel Aviv worryingly underscore an all too familiar pattern of events: that violence only begets more violence," Volker Turk said in a statement. Turk said Israeli forces in the West Bank needed to abide by international human...

The UN hopes to lay out a clear blueprint on the way forward for handling AI, as development of the technology races ahead the capacity to set its boundaries. The "AI for Good Global Summit", being held in Geneva on Thursday and Friday, will bring together around 3,000 experts from...

New York, US--The Arab Group has welcomed the adoption by the UN General Assembly by consensus of a resolution on continuing intergovernmental negotiations on reforming the UN Security Council  during the next session. The step will allow member states to continue working collectively, in order to formulate a common understanding...

The Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic will "clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons" in the country and "provide adequate support to victims, survivors and the families of those missing." But Syria, along with Russia, China and Iran, objected to the new body,...

Geneva, Switzerland - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine crisis and the climate crises are having a devastating effect on progress towards the SDGs. The UNCTAD released the fifth edition of its annual SDG Pulse, a global reference for tracking progress towards achieving...

The UN's top tribunal said on Wednesday that Iran has taken Canada to the International Court of Justice for allowing victims of alleged terror attacks to claim damages from Tehran. Iran asked ICJ to make Canada overturn a law passed in the same year that allows victims to collect damages...

Activist Quinndy Akeju said many families "had not yet identified or buried their dead" after some 2,000 migrants -- many from conflict-torn Sudan -- stormed the metres-high fence that seals off Melilla from Morocco on June 24, 2022. She claimed there had been no "independent inquiry" into how Moroccan and...

Libya's internal turmoil may worsen with the head of the country's east-based administration threatening to block oil and gas exports from territory under its control. Oussama Hamad blamed the UN-recognized government in Tripoli for wasting energy revenues. He warned that the government is ready to take more steps, including an...

Tehran, Iran--Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has rejected the claim by the United States and its allies about Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. The mission in a statement on Friday said the "anti-Iran claims" are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN...

The 10-truck convoy reach rebel-held Al-Nayrab in Idlib province from the direction of regime-held Saraqib, headed for storage facilities near the Turkish border. The last such convoy was in January. The trucks were covered with banners bearing the name and logo of the UN World Food Programme.

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan descended into a civil war that left nearly 400,000 people dead and millions displaced between 2013 and 2018. A peace agreement signed in 2018 provided a power-sharing agreement between rivals Salva Kiir and Riek Machar in a government of national unity.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned that Sudan is descending into death and destruction at unprecedented speed as he urged donors to step in and curb the unfolding catastrophe. The UN has two appeals for tackling the crisis -- the humanitarian response within Sudan, which needs $2.6 billion this year,...

"Two martyrs and 28 injured as a result of the ongoing (Israeli) aggression on Jenin," a statement from the Palestinian health ministry said, without elaborating on the identity of those killed. Jenin's deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub said, "The army stormed the (Jenin refugee) camp and the city after the dawn...

Several truces have been agreed and broken during the two-month war, including after the United States slapped sanctions on both generals after a previous attempt collapsed at the end of May. A 24-hour ceasefire from June 10 to June 11 provided Khartoum residents with a brief respite from the air...

According to a report by the FAO, the world food import bill is forecast to touch a new record this year, although it is estimated to grow at a much slower pace compared to last year. This at a time when surging world prices fueled by higher quotations for fruits,...

Last week, both sides agreed on the legal steps to hold the elections following talks in Morocco, but stopped short of signing a deal, suggesting that some differences remain. Among the contested points are the candidacy of dual nationals and soldiers.

Since April 15, the regular army headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been locked in fighting with paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The fighting has driven 2.2 million people from their homes, including 528,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the...

The treaty, officially known as the treaty on "Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction" or BBNJ, also introduces requirements to carry out environmental impact studies for proposed activities to be carried out in international waters. The treaty also establishes principles for sharing the benefits of "marine genetic resources" (MGR) collected by scientific...

Last year's donors' conference in Brussels for displaced Syrians raised pledges of $6.7 billion, and the one before that $6.4 billion. The EU overall contributed more than 70 percent of those totals.

Exhorting the Security Council to adopt what she called as innovative attempts to address the interplay between climate change, peace and security, Mariam Almheiri, UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment, warned that the threat of climate change was not a hypothetical scenario but a "risk multiplier" and many were...

Lebanese authorities say the country hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the UN -- the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Refugees living in agricultural lands in eastern Lebanon told that no matter how dire their situation, they could not return...

War-torn Libya is regularly criticised for its handling of migrants, with rights groups alleging horrific treatment by smuggling gangs and inside state-run detention centres. Libya is a key launchpad for migrants who are often fleeing conflict and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. They seek to reach Italian shores just 290 kilometres...

That crucial accord granting safe passage for Ukrainian grain to be exported via Black Sea ports despite Moscow's invasion was signed in July 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations. It was renewed again in May but for only two months, until July 17. But the Kremlin on...

Iran's supreme leader urged continued cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, while warning against succumbing to "bullying" based on "unfounded claims". "Cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency within the framework of safeguards regulations should be maintained," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a meeting with Iranian nuclear scientists, experts and...

NEW YORK,  US - Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar chaired the first signature event of the UAE’s United Nations Security Council presidency. The UAE minister stressed on strengthening cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States to further peace, security and stability in the region. Al...

“We must work as one – governments, firms and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy. Together, let us shape a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for all,” he adds, highlighting how plastic pollution can be cut by...

The last truce was agreed to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid and safe passages into areas of Sudan ravaged by the fighting, but like all that preceded it was routinely violated by both sides.

"Transportation disruptions, market devastation and the absence of financing... will have catastrophic impacts on the food security of the people of Sudan and the surrounding region," said the head of the Khartoum-based Arab Organisation for Agriculture Development, Ibrahim al-Dakhiri. Although some farmers have sown crops like maize, millet or oilseeds...

Volunteers have buried 102 unidentified bodies in the capital's cemetery and 78 more in Darfur, ever since the fighting between the country's warring generals erupted on April 15. Both Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Daglo have pledged repeatedly to protect civilians and secure humanitarian corridors. But civilians reported escalated fighting after...

"In May, 33 vessels departed Ukrainian ports, half of the number compared to April. Only three of those departed from the port of Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, one of the three Ukrainian ports covered in the Initiative," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General said. He linked the slowdown at port of of Yuzhny/Pivdennyi...

Iranian media reports came just days before the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to meet to review progress in addressing the watchdog's remaining concerns. The IAEA had reported the discovery of traces of radioactive material at three sites not declared by Iran as having...

The Israeli military said "suspects fired heavily at the forces, who responded with fire toward the armed men" during a raid in Jenin. Since the start of the year, at least 155 Palestinians, 20 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,...

Iraq looks to have renewable energies cover a third of its electricity needs by 2030 and has signed several contracts for solar plants. Its huge oil reserves are enough to produce crude at current rates for another century, but as the world works to wean itself off hydrocarbons, the country...

The UN chief was "shocked" by Burhan's letter, which requested "the nomination of a replacement" to Perthes and accused him of committing "fraud and disinformation" in facilitating a political process. Burhan and his rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo were meant to meet for negotiations on April 15, the day Khartoum became...

NEW YORK, US -  United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said he was "shocked" by a letter from Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, reportedly requesting the replacement of special envoy Volker Perthes amid a brutal war with paramilitaries. Guterres "is proud of the work done by Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence...

The UN-recognized Government of National Unity said the strikes hit "hideouts used by gangs of smugglers in fuel, narcotics and humans" and that they were ordered by interim PM Abdulhamid Dbeibah. But the country's parliament accused the Tripoli-based government of targeting the home of one of its lawmakers Ali Bouzribah,...

The sacking of the general made no difference to the fighting on the ground in both Khartoum and Darfur even as the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that more than one million people have been displaced by the power struggle between Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his...

DUBAI, UAE - Conflict-plagued countries in the Middle East are among the most vulnerable to climate change but are almost entirely excluded from meaningful financing to mitigate its effects, aid groups warned on Thursday. In a joint report focusing on Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross...

Following international pressure, Damascus agreed to let the UN use the Bab al-Salama and Al-Rai crossings, operated by Turkish-backed rebels, to bring in food and medical supplies for three months. The permission had been set to expire May 13, so Syria's decision was welcome news for those affected as well...

DUBAI, UAE - The UAE presented its legislative ecosystem - which regulates the local labor market, provides social security and ensures decent social security to workers - the UN’s Human Rights Council (HRC). Several UAE federal, local government entities and civil society organizations were part of the delegation for the...

Tehran, Iran--Iran will begin to receive the first batch of Russian SU-35 fighter jets next week, according to Mehr News Agency. Tehran and Moscow have embarked on deepening cooperation amid massive Western sanctions. Iran and Russia have signed major deals in recent months to boost economic, trade, energy and military...

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, in place since July after diplomacy by the United Nations and Turkey, allows Ukraine grain exports via port, helping ease shortages and resulting price spikes triggered by Russia's invasion of the breadbasket nation. More than 30 million tonnes of grain and agricultural products have been...

"Everybody is serious. Serious means everybody is looking for peace," Mohammed al-Jaber said in his first extensive comments after meeting with Houthi leaders in Sanaa last month. But he added: "It's not easy to be clear about next steps."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was politically isolated in the region since the conflict began, but a flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway in past weeks as a decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties shifted regional relations. Assad hopes normalisation with Gulf...

Multiple truce deals have been declared and quickly violated since battles erupted between army and paramilitary forces on April 15 in the poverty-stricken country with a history of political instability. Fierce combat since then has killed hundreds of people, most of them civilians, wounded thousands and sparked multiple warnings of...

Since the beginning, more than 765 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported to the WHO from around the world, including nearly seven million deaths. And Covid remains a threat. While the death rate from the disease has plunged in recent months, it still killed at least 16,000 people...

Athens in 2020 erected a 37.5-kilometre (23-mile) steel barrier in this remote northeastern area after tens of thousands of migrants tried to break through, clashing for days with Greek security forces. With the country headed into a tight general election later this month, the conservative government has vowed to extend...

To prevent a damaging oil spill in the Red Sea, the UN Development Programme in March took the unprecedented step of purchasing its own supertanker to remove more than a million barrels of oil from the beleaguered FSO Safer. The 47-year-old ship has not been serviced since Yemen's civil war...

Diplomatic efforts have intensified to end more than two weeks of war in Africa's third-largest country as warnings multiply about a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis. Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), "have agreed in principle...

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he was not giving estimates of Ukrainian casualties because "they are the victims here. Russia is the aggressor." The White House will not put "information in the public domain that makes it any harder" for the close Western ally, whose army is being...