United Nations

China joins UN in condemning North Korea ballistic missile tests

The Security Council issued a unanimous statement, agreeing to take "significant measures" in response to the latest series of launches.

North Korea has test-fired several ballistic missiles in July and August, includingone from a submarine towards Japan on Wednesday.

China is Pyongyang's main ally.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the submarine-launched missile test was the "greatest success", putting the US mainland and the Pacific "within the striking range".

Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte threatens to leave UN

Mr Duterte said he might ask China and African nations to form another body. He also accused the UN of failing on terrorism, hunger and ending conflicts.

Mr Duterte, elected in May, has sanctioned the killing of traffickers to try to wipe out the drugs trade.

The UN has repeatedly condemned the drive as a violation of human rights.

Some 900 suspected drug traffickers have been killed since Mr Duterte was elected on 9 May.

Duterte: 'Punisher' to president

Kevin Rudd uses opinion piece to warn United Nations risks becoming irrelevant

It comes in the wake of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's decision not to nominate him to run for the UN's top job of secretary-general.

Mr Rudd argued the UN writes too many reports and has rigid institutional silos.

He also offered prescriptions, including that the UN prioritise field operations over head office and better include women.

Island States at UN Assembly call for stronger global partnerships

From Tuvalu in the South Pacific, Foreign Minister Taukelina Finikaso noted that climate is an existential issue for his small island nation, whose highest point is only 15 feet above sea level.

“Sea level rise continues to inundate many of our small island coastlines and inundate our food plantations,” he said. “That is a security issue, an urgent one and an inter-generational one. It is an existential issue for Tuvalu and other Pacific countries and also bigger populated countries in the flood plains, and wilt displace many people.

Island States at UN call for ‘genuine and durable partnership’ to meet Global Goals

The call was to successfully implement and meet the objectives of Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“If our collective will to implement the 2030 Agenda is sincere, then it is essential to greatly enhance the means and mechanisms of implementation on a much greater scale than those recommended in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda,” said, Caleb Otto, Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations, referring to another recently adopted plank making up the UN post-2015 framework, this one dealing with development financing.

General Assembly reflects on UN peace and security efforts

“Today we are an Organization with almost four times as many members than in 1945,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted in his remarks to the meeting.

“Today our world continues to be re-shaped by globalization, urbanization, migration, demographic shifts and other seismic trends. New threats have emerged, from climate change to cyber-crime and pandemics.

“In many respects, the world is shifting beneath our feet. Yet the Charter remains a firm foundation for shared progress.”

World leaders recommit to modernize 120,000-strong UN peacekeeping force

“We are here together to strengthen United Nations peacekeeping in concrete and meaningful ways,” Ban told the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping, held at UN Headquarters on the margins of the annual high-level debate of the General Assembly.

The Summit, convened by President Barack Obama of the United States, comes at a time when peacekeeping missions are unprecedented in scale of operation and scope of mandates with 125,000 troops, police and civilian personnel in 16 operations spanning four continents.

The Latest: Guyana calls Venezuela a 'bully'

President David Granger says Venezuela has "pursued a path of intimidation and aggression" as it presses its claim to an area of jungle and rivers that amounts to about 40 percent of Guyana's territory.

Granger said the claims by the larger and more powerful Venezuela have prevented Guyana from seeking to exploit the area known as the Essequibo for its potential mineral and oil resources.

UN aid needs to be 'better targeted' - Murray McCully

Giving New Zealand's statement at the summit for the new sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, McCully said they were particularly important for the Pacific region and New Zealand would play its part in trying to ensure those goals were met.

The goals will cover all countries rather than just the developing countries, and McCully said he welcomed goals in areas such as ocean fisheries, which were important for the economy of many Pacific islands. He called for a step up in surveillance for illegal fishing.

UN launches $25 billion strategy to end preventable deaths of mothers and children

An initial commitments of more than $25 billion for the next five years to provide life-saving treatments, from immunizations to perinatal care.

The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health includes new policies and ground-breaking partnerships from 40 countries and over 100 international organizations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector.