World Humanitarian Day, a day for celebrating the world’s humanitarians was celebrated at Parliament House in Canberra on the 19th of August with a focus on the stories behind the headlines. Ms. Melissa Parke, Co-Chair of the Australia-UN Parliamentary Group and Federal Member for Fremantle opened the proceedings and welcomed everyone Continue reading
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Ban ‘deeply regrets’ Egyptian court decision to uphold sentences of Al Jazeera journalists
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed “deep regret’ over the decision by the Egyptian court of Cassation to uphold the sentencing of several Al Jazeera journalists and has reiterated his appeal for their cases to be resolved expeditiously and in accordance with the country’s international obligations to protect free expression. Continue reading
27 September 2015: Committing to action for gender equality and women’s empowerment
UN Women and the People’s Republic of China are co-hosting a “Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action”, on 27 September 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York. Held in conjunction with the United Nations Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, Member States’ Heads of State or Government are invited to make concrete commitments to accelerate implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women no later than 2030. More.
United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015
The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda will be held from 25 to 27 September 2015, in New York and convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly. Continue reading
Syrian Crisis United Nations Response 26 August 2015
Secretary-General appeals to European countries to do more to respond to migrant crisis
Speaking at a press stake-out in Paris following his meetings with French President François Hollande and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on 26 August, the Secretary-General urged European countries to do more to respond to the migrant crisis. “More people are displaced today than at any time since the Second World War. Many millions are fleeing violence and persecution in Syria and elsewhere. Continue reading
New Members of Parliament in Tuvalu undergo Induction Seminar
Newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) are currently undergoing a week-long Induction Seminar in the country’s capital, Funafuti. The induction seminar is aimed at enabling MPs to better understand and more effectively perform their roles as MPs. Continue reading
As momentum builds for December climate talks in Paris, Ban looks ahead to ‘bold’ outcome
Commending France’s “exemplary leadership” on efforts to tackle climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today affirmed that the international community is now at a stage where the final elements of the new climate agreement are being negotiated. “The climate conference in Paris later this year is at the very top of the Continue reading
UN refugee agency chief urges Europe to formulate collective response to migrant crisis
With the number of migrants fleeing to Europe the violence in their countries of origin continuing to increase, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, today urged the European Union to speed up the formulation of an adequate collective response to this unprecedented crisis. “Since the beginning of the year, 293,000 migrants and refugees tried Continue reading
UN food relief now reaching more than 400,000 flood victims in Myanmar
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is now delivering rice, beans, cooking oil and salt to more than 400,000 people affected by flooding in Myanmar and “reachable only on foot, after floods and landslides destroyed roads across the country,” the agency said today. More than 1.7 million people in Myanmar have been affected Continue reading
International Organisations Day at the Australian National University
On 21 August 2015, UNIC Canberra took part in the International Organisations Day, a careers event organised annually by the Australian National University. The day consists of keynote speakers, a panel discussion, individual presentations from participating organisations and a careers fair. Continue reading