united nations

With global leaders heading to the United Nations for a major conference in June on the protection and sustainable use of the planet's oceans, the UN today announced that the inaugural World Ocean Festival will kick off the week-long event, with activists and enthusiasts taking to the streets - and waterways - of New York City to raise their voices to reverse the declining health of our oceans.

“Think globally, act locally.’’ This isn’t just a slogan. It’s a deep conviction shared by a growing number of elected officials, experts and citizens around the world: Cities — especially the large ones — can and must play a leading role in solving the complex problems of our time. This new mission is driven by growing urbanization, which is happening world-wide; more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas.

“I believe this operation was a response which must now be followed up at an international level within the United Nations if possible, so we can go all the way with sanctions against Bashar al-Assad, and prevent this regime from using chemical weapons again to crush its own people,” François Hollande added in an announcement to the press.

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday appointed Rasha Atamny, 31, to represent the Jewish state in Ankara, Turkey, making her Israel’s first female Muslim diplomat [...] “This time I listened to the speeches from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt condemning Israel’s ‘systematic violations of women’s rights’ while I, an Arab-Muslim woman of Palestinian origin represent Israel at the UN General Assembly,” she said.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has given a "wide-ranging" demonstration and seminar at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City as part of celebrations for the upcoming International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The event was jointly organised by the Permanent Mission of Monaco to the UN and Peace and Sport.

An overview of non-state actors' role in various advocacy and public diplomacy campaigns.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host foreign ministers and senior officials from the 67 nations that make up the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS [...] The coalition has made great strides leading the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It is a perfect example of multilateral and bilateral foreign policy, just as the White House is calling for big cuts in funds to the United Nations.

On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the United Nations human rights chief reminded Governments around the world that they have a legal obligation to stop hate speech and hate crimes, and called on people everywhere to “stand up for someone’s rights.” “Politics of division and the rhetoric of intolerance are targeting racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, and migrants and refugees."

Pages