12 February 2015

UN Deputy Secretary-General: ‘Together with the Israelis and the Palestinians, the international community holds the responsibility for what has been a collective failure to advance a political solution’

The resolution of the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict is ‘clearly a serious matter’ for international peace and security, particularly during a time when the entire Middle East is threatened with terrorism and violent extremism, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson warned. (more…)

Source: UN News Centre | After ‘grim’ 2014, UN urges renewed push for Middle East peace
Source: United Nations | Deputy Secretary-General: Statements | Deputy Secretary-General's remarks, on behalf of the Secretary-General, at the opening of the 2015 Session of the Committee on the exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People | New York, 10 February 2015

27 August 2014

Ongoing conflict in Syria failure of international community

The number of people killed in Syria is double the number documented a year ago, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay announced, criticising the international community for its failure to stop the ‘killers, destroyers and torturers’ that have torn the country apart. (more…)

Source: UN News Centre | More than 191,000 people killed in Syria with ‘no end in sight’ – UN
Source: UN Human Rights | Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights | Pillay castigates “paralysis” on Syria, as new UN study indicates over 191,000 people killed | 22 August 2014

9 October 2013

Collective action needed to end child labour

Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization said at the opening ceremony of the Third Global Conference on Child Labour in Brasilia that ‘we will not meet the 2016 target (of eradicating child labour) and that is a collective policy failure.’ He called on the international community to not move its attention away from the struggle to end the scourge, adding ‘the call from Brasilia must be for a renewed, collective effort.’

In spite of a drop in the number of child labourers since 2010, Mr. Ryder warned that globally, the number of child labourers is still very large. He said that progress is not happening fast enough, and noted that child labour is not only a problem of poor or developing economies, but it affects all states.

Source: International Labour Organization | ILO Director-General calls on countries to boost efforts to fight child labour

13 September 2013

UN GA President calls for united response to (alleged) use of chemical weapons

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated on 11 September 2013 that the UN was responsible for a ‘collective failure’ to halt more than two years of terrible violence in Syria.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremic stressed on 12 September 2013 the need for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis and said that ‘if allegations regarding the use of chemical agents by a party to the conflict are proven accurate, Member States should unite and develop an appropriate response, in full respect of international law, including the centrality of the Security Council’s role under the UN Charter.’

Source: UN News Centre | UN General Assembly President urges international push for diplomatic solution to Syrian crisis
Source: The New York Times | U.N. Leader Admits Failure to Halt Syrian Atrocities