United Nations

Photo Story: Celestial Sphere at UN in Geneva returns after renovation

The big sculpture 'Celestial Sphere' by Paul Manship after its renovation has returned to its place in front of the Palais des Nations at the European headquarters of the United…

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Pope urges UN reform

Pope Francis said the need to reform the United Nations was "more than obvious" after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war exposed its limits, in an extract of his…

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UPDATED: Russia’s Lavrov calls U.N. resolution condemning Ukraine annexation ‘anti-Russian’

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a United Nations resolution condemning Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories was "anti-Russian" and that it had been…

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U.N. publicly rejects Russia’s call for secret vote on Ukraine

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Monday to reject Russia's call for the 193-member body to hold a secret ballot later this week on whether to condemn Moscow's move to…

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U.S. candidate beats Russian to head U.N. telecoms agency

GENEVA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin on Thursday decisively beat a Russian candidate to be the next Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union in an election…

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Countries step up to try and avert famine in Horn of Africa

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Countries this week pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in additional aid for the Horn of Africa as they sounded the alarm on a drought in…

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Lavrov defends Russia at U.N. showdown rife with anger over Ukraine war

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Moscow's war in Ukraine at the U.N. Security Council as the United Nations warned Moscow against annexing Ukrainian regions and…

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UN showdown looms between Lavrov, West over atrocities in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will face off on Thursday with his Ukrainian and Western counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when…

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World leaders lash Russia over Ukraine invasion, referendum plans

KYIV/UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - World leaders meeting at the United Nations in New York denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow-installed leaders in occupied areas of four Ukrainian…

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Ukraine to dominate as world leaders gather at United Nations

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a global food crisis aggravated by the war will be the focus of world leaders when they convene at the United…

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UN draws deep from emergency funds amid record humanitarian aid gap

GENEVA (Reuters) - Faced with a record $32 billion shortfall in humanitarian aid funding, the United Nations is dipping deep into its emergency fund to support critical programmes in 11…

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Ukraine wants U.N. to allow Zelenskiy to address world leaders via video

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-member United Nations General Assembly is on Friday due to consider a proposal for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to address the annual gathering of world…

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U.S. allows Russia’s Lavrov to travel to United Nations

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) - The United States has given Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a visa to travel to New York for the United Nations' annual gathering of world leaders…

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New U.N. Libya envoy is Senegal’s Bathily – statement

TUNIS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Senegalese diplomat and former government minister Abdoulaye Bathily as his Libya envoy, the U.N. Libya mission said in a statement…

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UN rights chief’s tenure ends in disappointment for China activists

GENEVA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Michelle Bachelet, once a political detainee under Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and a doctor for tortured children, pledged to be the champion of victims when…

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U.N. humanitarian agencies face record funding gap this year

GENEVA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - U.N. humanitarian projects face a record funding gap this year, with only a third of the required $48.7 billion secured so far as global needs…

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UN chief demands international access to Ukraine nuclear plant after new attack

Aug 8 (Reuters) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling…

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UN extends Libya mission for 3 months at Russia’s insistence

The U.N. Security Council voted to extend its political mission in Libya, but at Russia's insistence for only three months rather than a year-long mandate. The council's three African members…

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Ukraine, Russia sign deal to reopen grain export ports

ISTANBUL/KYIV (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal on Friday to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, raising hopes that an international food crisis aggravated by the Russian…

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UN calls on member states to stop weapons supply to Haiti gangs

The United Nations Security Council unanimously threatened targeted sanctions against criminal gangs and human rights abusers in Haiti and called on countries to stop a flow of guns to the…

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India to surpass China as most populous country in 2023 -UN report

NEW DELHI, July 11 (Reuters) - India is set to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2023, with each counting more than 1.4 billion residents this year,…

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Libya talks in Geneva end without breakthrough

Libyan legislative leaders quit talks in Geneva on a constitution and elections without reaching a deal on Thursday, pausing diplomacy to resolve a standoff that has imperilled a two-year peace…

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Congo group tells U.N. woman made to cook and eat human flesh

A Congolese woman was kidnapped twice by militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo, repeatedly raped and forced to cook and eat human flesh, a Congolese rights group told the…

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EXPLAINER – U.N. plan to get Ukraine grains out faces hurdles

KYIV, June 8 (Reuters) - Turkey said this week a United Nations plan to set up a sea corridor for Ukrainian grain exports overseen by Ankara was "reasonable", but required more talks…

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Malta amongst new countries elected on the U.N. Security Council

The United Nations General Assembly elected Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday (June 9) for a two-year term starting on Jan. 1, 2023. All five countries ran unopposed…

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No end to Ukraine war in sight, hunger crisis looms – UN

GENEVA, June 3 (Reuters) - United Nations officials warned on Friday that a protracted war in Ukraine threatened a hunger crisis in the country and around the world. Marking 100 days since…

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Amid criticism, North Korea takes over as U.N. disarmament president

North Korea, which is under sanctions for developing nuclear weapons in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, has taken over as head of a U.N. body aimed at striking…

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U.N. human-rights chief due to arrive in China for historic visit

BEIJING/GENEVA, May 23 (Reuters) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet begins a visit to China on Monday, the first trip by a holder of the…

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U.N. secretary general asks countries to ease barriers to green energy

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The U.N. secretary-general on Wednesday called for a global coalition to speed the deployment of battery technology, urging countries to ease intellectual property constraints to hasten the…

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Reproductive rights ‘foundation’ for empowerment of women, girls, says U.N.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that sexual and reproductive health and rights are the "foundation for lives of choice, empowerment and equality for the world's women and girls," a U.N.…

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UN warns many Ukrainian refugees will not have homes to return to

Many of the nearly five million people who have fled Ukraine will not have homes to return to, the United Nations warned. When, at the end of January, Poland’s deputy…

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Millions of disabled people’s lives at risk in Ukraine, U.N. committee says

A U.N. committee said that the lives of some 2.7 million people with disabilities are at risk in Ukraine, citing reports that many are trapped or abandoned in their homes,…

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United Nations suspends Russia from human rights body over Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human…

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U.N. to vote on suspending Russia from Human Rights Council over Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a U.S. push to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross…

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Pope laments UN powerless in war in Ukraine as he reflects on Malta visit

Pope Francis at his General Audience focusing on Malta notes how “the dominant logic are the strategies of the most powerful countries to affirm their own interests.” Malta, he says,…

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UN raises $2.44 bln for Afghan aid amid concerns on girls’ education

A total of 41 donor countries pledged more than $2.44 billion towards the United Nations $4.4 billion appeal for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, the world body said, as international concerns…

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U.N. names experts to probe on possible war crimes in Ukraine

GENEVA, March 30 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Wednesday named three human rights experts to conduct an investigation into possible war crimes and other violations committed during the conflict in Ukraine.…

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U.N. General Assembly again overwhelmingly isolates Russia over Ukraine

Almost three-quarters of the U.N. General Assembly demanded aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine on Thursday evening, and criticized Russia for creating a "dire" humanitarian situation after Moscow invaded…

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West unites behind Ukraine entering second month of Russian assault

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - NATO offered Kyiv new military assistance and assigned more troops to its eastern flank on Thursday as London and Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Moscow in a…

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U.N. calls for release of political prisoners held in Belarus

GENEVA, March 17 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Thursday that nearly 1,100 activists, opposition members and journalists are being detained on "politically motivated charges" in Belarus and called for…

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UPDATED: Kremlin says it will not take heed of court’s demand to stop invasion

Russia has signalled it will not stop its invasion of Ukraine, after the United Nations' top court ordered it to halt immediately. The court had said it was "profoundly concerned"…

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U.N. chief: prospect of nuclear conflict back ‘within realm of possibility’ over Ukraine

March 14 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces after invading Ukraine, describing it as a "bone-chilling…

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U.N. says no evidence to back Russian claim of Ukraine biological weapons program

The United Nations said it had no evidence Ukraine had a biological weapons program while Washington and its allies accused Russia of spreading the unproven claim as a possible prelude…

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UN rights office has credible reports of Russian cluster bomb use in Ukraine

GENEVA, March 11 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights office said on Friday it had received "credible reports" of several cases of Russian forces using cluster munitions in populated areas in Ukraine,…

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More than 350 civilians confirmed killed in Ukraine so far, U.N. says

ZURICH, March 5 (Reuters) - At least 351 civilians are confirmed to have been killed in Ukraine since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24, and another 707 wounded, although the true numbers…

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Tens of millions in ‘potentially mortal danger’ in Ukraine – UN

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - Tens of millions of people in Ukraine are in "potentially mortal danger" as military operations escalate with bombings of major cities and reports of cluster weapons striking…

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U.N. General Assembly in historic vote denounces Russia over Ukraine invasion

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine and demanded that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, an action…

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UN to approve plastic treaty roadmap

NAIROBI, March 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations is set to approve a plan to create the world's first ever global plastic pollution treaty on Wednesday, describing it as the most significant…

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U.N. General Assembly set to censure Russia over Ukraine invasion

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly is set to reprimand Russia on Wednesday over its invasion of Ukraine and demand that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its…

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U.N. General Assembly set to isolate Russia over Ukraine invasion

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The 193-member United Nations General Assembly began meeting on the crisis in Ukraine on Monday ahead of a vote this week to isolate Russia by deploring…

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U.N. Security Council calls rare General Assembly session on Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Sunday called for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which will be held…

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U.N. nuclear watchdog to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine -diplomats

VIENNA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog IAEA's board of governors will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday on the situation in Ukraine, diplomats said on Sunday. One diplomat told…

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U.N. reports at least 240 civilian casualties, 64 deaths in Ukraine

ZURICH, Feb 27 (Reuters) - At least 64 civilians have been killed and more than 160,000 are on the move after Russian troops entered Ukraine this week, a United Nations relief agency…

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Action by the U.N. Security on Ukraine blocked as Russia vetoes and China abstains

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Friday that would have deplored Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, while China abstained from the vote - a move Western…

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U.N. Secretary-General to Putin: In the name of humanity, stop this war

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a last-minute plea on Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war 'in the name of humanity', after…

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Ukraine appeals for U.N. help, warning: No one can ‘sit out this crisis’

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine appealed to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday to stop Russia's "aggressive plans," as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the 193-member body that an expanded conflict "could…

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North Korea grows nuclear, missiles programs, profits from cyberattacks -U.N. report

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the past year and cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges were an important revenue source for…

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