The United Nations Headquarters in New York City

Who will rescue the UN — will it be a “Madam SG”?

The choice of the next SG will determine whether the UN regains relevance or slides further into insignificance. A woman leader would not only break a glass ceiling; it would show the UN retains the capacity for renewal. A male candidate seen as a P5 compromise would confirm fears that global leadership remains a private club for the powerful.

Sri Lanka gets two-year respite at UNHRC; Colombo calls resolution intrusive, damaging to South Asia

A revised version presented on 1 October reflects the Western double standards and the continuous desire of the UNHRC to bend over backwards to please the West. The most shocking aspect is that the recommendations in the report were made without consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka. 

US reiterates claim it deescalated India-Pakistan conflict, but India affirms at UNSC it was resolved bilaterally

Op Sindoor was motivated by the Security Council statement on “the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors” of the Pahalgam attack accountable and it targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

'World on fire': Buddha’s teachings can show the way

Rulers and decision makers must deter aggression and a calculated pursuit of violence in today's world” by nations “impelled by political goals such as territorial expansion or domination, or by deviant nonstate actors and terrorists who sow fear and destruction due to their deviant belief systems”, he said.

More on UN Watch

Mirpur activist at UNHRC says people want freedom from Pakistan

A prominent rights activist from Mirpur at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva said that people in Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) were desperate to get freedom and join the Indian union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

UNDP donates IT equipment to judicial sector in Maldivs

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has donated IT equipment to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and Maldivian Courts under its grant assistance program

Malala, Beyonce gear up for a special UN film

The United Nations has recently shortlisted a number of celebrities and public figures for a film based on actions that can tackle contemporary issues, ranging from COVID-19 to poverty and inequality

Guterres calls for 'positive' move on Kashmir between India, Pakistan

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called upon India and Pakistan to move in a positive way to resolve their differences

Afghanistan wins seat at UN Commission on Women

Afghanistan won a seat at the United Nations Commission on Status of Women for a four-year term, said Afghan embassy to the UN

UNGA's 75th anniversary session as world deals with pandemic 'uncertainty'

The opening of the new session of General Assembly marking the start of a landmark year for the UN had eerie echoes of the start of the global organisation 75 years ago when the world was also reeling from a crisis

Turkish UNGA president says he'll promote UNSC reform impartially

Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir, who has taken over the UN General Assembly's presidency, has given an assurance that he will promote the Security Council reform process impartially

UN should catalyse global action to address the global pandemic

If the UN can demonstrate a successful example of the global treaty that avoided the calamity at the planetary level, why not the same UN cannot use its convening power to address the global pandemic? writes Rajendra Shende for South Asia Monitor

'Instead of exploiting COVID-19, India provided international aid'

Contrasting India's reaction to the global coronavirus crisis to that of certain neighbours, India's UN Permanent Representative T S Tirumurti has said that while some countries are taking advantage of the pandemic to enhance terrorism or adopt aggressive policies, New Delhi’s is rushing medical supplies to countries in need, strengthening their national health capacity and helping alleviate the misery it has spawned

Commonwealth hails Modi for supporting vulnerable nations through UN Fund

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has hailed India's leadership in supporting vulnerable nations in the Commonwealth, describing it as an "area of hope" for all member countries

UN Human Rights chief concerned over Sri Lanka’s 20th Amendment

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet today expressed concerns over Sri Lanka’s proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution

COVID-19 to reverse child survival gains, say UN agencies

The world recorded an all-time low under-five deaths in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruptions to health services that threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress and put millions of additional lives at stake

India says Pakistan raises Ayodhya to cover its treatment of minorities: Pakistan accuses India of destroying mosques

India has accused Pakistan of spreading a “culture of violence” and suppressing the rights of minorities while Islamabad brings up the Ayodhya temple construction at the UN General Assembly

India calls for action against terror groups to protect children rights

India has called for action against terrorist groups by countries in order to meet their obligation to protect children and schools as required by the Security Council

Need for joint action to counter fake news and misinformation, says India

India has called for joint action by technology companies and nations to stop the disinformation campaigns that are endangering the lives of millions