Tag Archives: UN

MNA Editorial Desk: The head of a UN investigative body on Myanmar said Facebook has not released evidence of “serious international crimes”, despite vowing to work with investigators looking into abuses in the country including against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM), told Reuters the social media giant was holding material “highly relevant and probative of serious international crimes” but had not shared any during year-long talks. He declined to give details of the material the IIMM had asked for. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Myanmar ...

MNA Business Desk: The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) fallout has turned alarming across the world. According to the United Nations (UN), the coronavirus spread-out will significantly increase global unemployment and underemployment. This may leave up to 25 million more people out of jobs across the world. And this will dramatically slash global workers’ incomes. In a fresh study, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned that economic and labour crises sparked by the spread of the new coronavirus will have far-reaching impacts on labour market outcomes. The virus has killed more than 165,000 people worldwide and the numbers are increasing as ...

MNA International Desk: The United Nations will create a fund to support the treatment of coronavirus patients worldwide, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Monday. “A multi-donor fund under UN auspices will provide predictability for our partners and help to make the efforts more effective,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement, reports Reuters. The purpose of the fund is to assist developing countries with weak health systems in addressing the crisis as well as to tackle the long-term consequences, the ministry added. A formal announcement could be made later this week, it said. Almost 340,000 people have ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Three United Nations (UN) agencies along with the government of Bangladesh on Sunday launched the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy Plus Livelihoods (SAFE Plus) project to mitigate deforestation and improve livelihood opportunities in Cox’s Bazar, reports UNB. SAFE Plus is a joint project among the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the World Food Programme (WFP) to address environmental degradation through avenues such as distribution of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and stoves, reforestation, and improved access to food production through livelihoods programming. The LPG stove and ...

MNA International Desk: Over 500 ministers, senior policymakers, UN officials and civil society from across Asia and the Pacific region on Wednesday gathered in Bangkok to chart out priority actions aiming to support accelerated progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The three-day Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+25 Review, jointly organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, will provide a platform for countries to explore policy options and innovative strategies, towards addressing barriers to gender equality and realising women’s rights for ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina today (Tuesday) returned home from New York wrapping up her eight-day visit to the USA when she joined the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:50am. Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Huq, road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, state minister for youth and sports Md Zahid Ahsan Russel, state minister for fisheries and livestock Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, state minister for civil aviation and tourism Md ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she is going to place a four-point proposal at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to end the Rohingya crisis. “Let me reiterate the following points which I shall be presenting to the (current) 74th UNGA Session,” said the prime minister. The proposals, she said, are: 1) Myanmar must express clear political will manifested by concrete actions for sustainable return and reintegration of Rohingyas to Myanmar. 2) Myanmar must build trust among the Rohingyas by discarding discriminatory laws and practices and allowing “go and see” visit to the Northern Rakhine ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh is the sixth top country of origin of international migrants in 2019 having 7.80 million diaspora, according to a new estimates released by the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday. The UN estimates also showed that the number of migrants across the world reached at 272 million. Concerning their place of birth, one-third of all international migrants originated from only ten countries. India leads the list having around 18 million people living abroad. Migrants from Mexico constituted the second largest diaspora (12 million), followed by China (11 million), the Russian Federation (10 million) and the Syrian Arab ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN has recently hosted the screening of a docu-fiction film on the forcibly displaced Rohingyas residing in the camps in Cox’s Bazar. In commemoration of World Refugee Day, the mission hosted the screening of the film titled “JonmoBhumi” or “The Birthland”. The event, held at the United Nations headquarters, was co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the UN and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The film is a life story of a Rohingya woman named Sophia, who was forced to flee her homeland, the Rakhine ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have taken measures to ensure the protection of Rohingya families in Cox’s Bazar district during the expected heavy rains and strong winds caused cyclone Fani. According to the World Metereological Organization (WMO), the forecast on Friday was that cyclone Fani “would move north-northeast towards Bangladesh where there were concerns about the effects of potential coastal flooding”. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas, most of whom fled Myanmar in 2017. The impact is expected to be less severe in areas such as, for example, Cox’s ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The United Nations (UN) has appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts to seek alternative locations for Rohingyas but sought clarification about the modalities of potential relocation of Rohingya people to Bhasan Char. The government of Bangladesh has said it plans to relocate Rohingya people from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char which could help to “decongest” the overcrowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived here since August 25, 2017. “We’re seeking clarification about the modalities of any relocations, the living conditions that would be provided ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Warning against the dangers of widespread fear and mistrust in the planet, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said he wants to reaffirm the UN as a platform for action to repair broken trust in a broken world. “The best-selling brand in our world today is indeed fear,” stated Guterres. “It gets ratings. It wins votes. It generates clicks,” he added, during the press conference, held at UN headquarters in New York. “I believe the biggest challenge that governments and institutions face today is to show that we care – and to mobilize solutions that ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The United Nations urged the Myanmar government on Monday to allow ‘rapid and unimpeded’ humanitarian access to Rakhine State, where fighting between government troops and autonomy-seeking rebels has displaced thousands of people. The Rakhine State government issued a notice last week blocking non-governmental organisations and UN agencies from travelling to rural areas in five townships in the northern and central parts of the state affected by the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross and UN World Food Programme were exempted from the ban, it said. Myanmar’s president urged the military to “crush” the rebels of ...

MNA International Desk: The United States on Friday said the United Nations, Israel and Syria reached an agreement to reopen the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights on Monday. “The United States welcomes the re-opening of this crossing, which will allow UN peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region,” US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in a statement. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), with about 1,000 troops, was established in 1974 and monitors a ceasefire line separating Israeli-occupied parts of the Golan Heights from Syria. UNDOF resumed its patrols in ...

MNA International Desk: Nikki Haley, the first American of Indian descent to hold a cabinet-level position in the US, resigned as Ambassador to the UN on Tuesday and said that despite speculations she was not planning to run for President in 2020. Haley sent her resignation directly to President Donald Trump, who told reporters in the Oval Office that she would be leaving the post at the end of the year after doing ‘an incredible job’, reported news agency. Joined by the former South Carolina Governor in the Oval Office, Trump invited her to come back in a different role. ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) voiced “great concern” for the safety and security of seven Rohingya men who have been sent home by Indian authorities, after reportedly being denied access to lawyers, or full consideration of their asylum applications. “[We] continue to seek clarification from the authorities on the circumstances under which these individuals were returned to Myanmar,” said Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for UNHCR, to journalists at the UN Office at Geneva. The deportation of Rohingya refugees took place as the UN Secretary General Antonio Guteress was visiting India last week. “On learning of their detention ...

MNA International Desk: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ordered the US to lift sanctions linked to humanitarian trade, food, medicine and civil aviation imposed against Iran — a move welcomed by Tehran. Washington re-imposed sanctions on Iran after pulling out from the 2015 nuclear deal. Siding with Tehran, the ICJ said exports of “humanitarian” goods, such as food and medicines, should be allowed, the BBC reported. US President Donald Trump moved to restore tough sanctions on Iran in May after announcing he was abandoning Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. He said the deal had “failed to ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday placed three recommendations, including abolishing discriminatory laws, policies and practices by Myanmar against Rohingyas, to solve the protracted Rohingya crisis from its root. Sheikh Hasina placed there commendations at the ‘High-level Event on the Global Compact on Refugees: A Model for Greater Solidarity and Cooperation’ held at the UN headquarters here with UN Secretary General António Guterres in the chair. Her second recommendation is Myanmar must create conducive environment by building trust and guaranteeing protection, rights and pathway to citizenship for all Rohingyas. If needed, create a ‘safe zone’ inside Myanmar ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The head of Myanmar’s defence forces says that the UN has no right to interfere the country’s sovereignty, reports news agency. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s remarks came after UN investigators called for the prosecution of Hliang and other top Myanmar military brass for the ‘genocide’ perpetrated against the Rohingyas. “Protecting the interests of the country and ethnics amount to waging a just war,” Hliang said at a meeting with military personnel on Sunday. “Take a look at the democratic practices in the world. Countries exercise the democratic system suited to them. So, the democratic practices of ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said the International Criminal Court (ICC) has recognized its capacity to deal with the Rohingya issue to investigate widespread allegations that Myanmar forces have driven Rohingyas from their homes, reported news agency. “As far as I understand, the ICC has recognized its capacity to deal with the issue. So, I think that this is already on course,” he said. The UN chief said there was an initiative already by Bangladesh in relation to the ICC. “So, the question is already on the table.” The UN chief made the remarks at a ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left for New York where she is expected to highlight her response to the Rohingya crisis, at the UN General Assembly. She is also expected to present Bangladesh’s proposals to end the Rohingya crisis, at the UN General Assembly or UNGA. A special Biman Bangladesh flight carrying Hasina left Dhaka at 10:23am on Friday for London en route to New York to join the 73rd Session of the UNGA. The prime minister is leading the 50-member Bangladesh delegation and a 200-member delegation of businessmen has also been accompanying her. Among the top ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Myanmar rejected Wednesday the findings of a UN probe alleging genocide by its military against the Rohingya, in a strident government response to a damning report on the crisis. Myanmar has come under immense pressure this week over last year’s military crackdown that pushed more than 700,000 of the Muslim minority into Bangladesh. Monday’s report by a UN fact-finding mission said there was evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity “perpetrated on a massive scale”. In a session of the UN Security Council late Tuesday several countries—including the United States—called for Myanmar’s military leaders to face international ...

MNA Feature Desk: The International Day Against Nuclear Tests is being observed across the world today with an aim to raise awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions. Since nuclear weapons testing began in the mid-twentieth century, nearly 2,000 tests have taken place across the globe. Established in 2009, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests has raised the profile of the devastating effects that nuclear testing has on human life. The International Day Against Nuclear Tests fosters ideas of a future free of nuclear weapons and testing. While there have been visible signs ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and the commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted for orchestrating the gravest crimes under law, UN investigators said on Monday. The civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has allowed hate speech to thrive, destroyed documents and failed to protect minorities from crimes against humanity and war crimes by the army in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, they said in a report. In doing so, it “contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes”, the report said. A year ago, government ...

MNA Feature Desk: World figures have been paying tribute to former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80, reported news agency. Current UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and Russian President Vladimir Putin described a “remarkable person”. Ex-US President Barack Obama said Annan had always pursued “a better world”. The Ghanaian national served as UN chief from 1997 to 2006 and is the only black African ever to hold the post. Since then he has served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to ...

MNA Business Desk: The banking sector in Bangladesh has been plagued by financial scams, non-performing loans and weak monitoring problems, which might cause a macroeconomic risk in the near term, says a UN report. The report says, robust growth has been supported by domestic demand, especially large infrastructure projects and new initiatives in the energy sector, reported news agency. Remittance flows have also started to increase with the increase in global oil prices, according to the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018. Mobilising financing for development remains a fundamental priority in the Asia-Pacific region, said the ...

MNA Feature Desk: World Press Freedom Day is being observed on Thursday, May 3, with the aim to pay tribute to the journalists around the world sacrificing their lives in the line of duty, reported news agency. Theme of the Day for this year is ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’. The Day focuses on an enabling legal environment for press freedom and gives special attention to the role of an independent judiciary in ensuring legal guarantees for press freedom and the prosecution of crimes against journalists. A function in connection with the day is ...