In a time of rising xenophobia, more important than ever to ratify Genocide Convention
30 November 2018
Human Rights
Speaking ahead of the UN Day commemorating victims of genocide, the UN chief has called for every country to ratify the Genocide Convention, which still has not been ratified by 45 UN Member States, despite being adopted at the General Assembly 70 years ago.
UN News/Rebecca Hearfield
‘Be the change’ we desperately need, UN deputy chief urges global youth
30 November 2018
SDGs
Young people are the leaders and torchbearers the world “desperately needs” but they also face serious challenges when it comes to realizing their potential, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General has said.
UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran
World response to AIDS epidemic at a ‘critical juncture’
30 November 2018
Health
Thirty years after the first World AIDS Day, the HIV response stands at a crossroads, UN Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres has said, marking this year’s commemorations.
IOM / Rafael Rodríguez
Migrant caravan: UN agency helping ‘exhausted’ people home
30 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Hundreds of people from Central American States who joined the human caravans travelling towards the United States have been helped home after asking for assistance, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
UN News/Natalia Montagna
G20 told crucial COP24 climate change conference 'must succeed': Guterres
30 November 2018
Climate Change
During press briefings at the beginning of the G20 meeting of industrialized nations in Buenos Aires, UN Secretary António Guterres described the event as an essential forum, citing a lack of confidence and high level of confrontation within the international community.
OCHA/Matteo Minasi
Yemen war: The battle rages on, children suffer most
30 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
“Violence has forced over a third of all schools there to close, with 15 located on the frontline and others badly damaged or being used as shelters for displaced families,” said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.
UNICEF/Gilbertson V
Armed groups threaten every child in Central African Republic, UNICEF warns
29 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
A new study released by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, shows that the deteriorating crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), five years into the latest civil conflict to hit the country, has left practically every child needing protection from armed groups, which now control four-fifths of the country’s territory.
© Semiyah Photography, 2017
UNESCO lists wrestling, reggae and raiho-shin rituals as global treasures to be preserved
29 November 2018
Culture and Education
From Jamaican reggae to Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals, the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, added six new elements to its list of "intangible heritage" for the world to treasure on Thursday, further improving the visibility of often little-known and understood arts traditions.
© UNICEF/UN056256/Ebo
Security Council urged to help spare Syrians from ‘devastation’
29 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
An escalation in fighting across northern Syria illustrates the “fragility” of the situation in the war-torn region, a senior UN humanitarian official said on Thursday, urging sustained international efforts to protect millions trapped there, from “devastation.”
Violaine Martin
New Syria fighting represents ‘giant powder keg’, warns aid veteran, as he leaves UN stage
29 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
It is unclear if rockets fired into the Syrian city of Aleppo last weekend contained chemical toxins, a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN said on Thursday, adding that if they did, it would constitute a war crime.
© UNICEF/Frank Dejongh
80 adolescents a day will still die of AIDS by 2030, despite slowdown in epidemic
29 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
By 2030, around 80 adolescents will be dying of AIDS every day if “we don’t accelerate progress in preventing transmission,” the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.
World Bank/ Yuri Kozyrev
'Collective amnesia’ over causes of global financial crash - human rights expert
29 November 2018
Economic Development
10 years on, governments are experiencing collective amnesia towards of one of the biggest factors behind the 2008 global financial crash –the housing crisis – which has not been addressed and is only getting worse, said Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, in a statement on Thursday.
NASA
World simply ‘not on track’ to slow climate change this year: UN weather agency
29 November 2018
Climate Change
The world is heading in the wrong direction to slow climate change after another year of near-record temperatures, the head of the UN’s weather agency said on Thursday.
UNDP Madagascar
Madagascar: UN chief commends nation on first round of peaceful elections
29 November 2018
Peace and Security
The results of the first round of voting to choose Madagascar’s next President were announced on Wednesday, prompting the UN chief to commend the peaceful nature of the vote, which now moves to a second round run-off next month.
IOM/Amanda Nero
COP24: UN climate change conference, what’s at stake and what you need to know
29 November 2018
Climate Change
As global temperatures continue to rise, climate action is lagging and the window of opportunity is closing. On Sunday, the United Nations will kick off critical negotiations on how to address the problem collectively and urgently, during a two-week climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, known as “COP24”.
UNCTAD
Africa Forum aims to boost business, reduce costs, help countries trade out of poverty
28 November 2018
Economic Development
Better transport, logistics and foreign investment are essential to smooth the way for the African continent to reduce trade hurdles, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
‘Global trust’ declining, ‘our world needs stepped-up global leadership’
28 November 2018
SDGs
On the eve of the G20 international forum in Argentina, and ahead of next week’s COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for global leadership to be stepped up, “at a time of declining global trust.”
UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Afghanistan can rely on international support along harrowing road to peace, and beyond
28 November 2018
Peace and Security
Afghanistan has undertaken significant reforms which the international community will continue to support long after peace is secured in the war-torn country, a top UN official pledged on Wednesday.
UNRWA/Marwan Baghdadi
Negotiated two-State solution still ‘the only option’ for Palestine: Guterres
28 November 2018
Peace and Security
A two-State solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side as sovereign nations is still “the only option” for lasting peace, and “containing the situation is not sufficient,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, marking the International Dayof Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
World cannot be transformed without ‘ingenuity of the countries of the South’: UN Chief
28 November 2018
Economic Development
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the plan to transform the world agreed at the UN by 193 countries, cannot happen without “the ideas, energy, and tremendous ingenuity of the countries of the South,” said UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday, speaking at the opening session of the 2018 Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo), alongside María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the General Assembly, and other senior UN officials.
UN Women/Dzilam Mendez
Increasingly under attack, women human rights defenders need better back up
28 November 2018
Human Rights
A group of United Nations human rights experts issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on States to live up to their commitments to protect women human rights defenders, as they come under increasing attack, and with inadequate protection.
IOM/Rafael Rodríguez
Central American migrants must be protected, urge UN experts
28 November 2018
Human Rights
Migrants who have made, or who are making the journey to the United States border in caravans confront increasing threats to their lives, liberty and security, United Nations independent experts said on Wednesday, calling for their full protection.
UN Photo/Kibae Park
Better housing means better health and well-being, stress new WHO guidelines
27 November 2018
Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued new guidelines on Tuesday, highlighting that better homes, invariably lead to better standards of health and overall well-being.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
U-turns on Global Compact ‘reflect poorly’ on countries concerned: senior UN migration official
27 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
In an exclusive interview with UN News, Louise Arbour, the UN Special Representative for International Migration, said on Tuesday that the stated intention of several countries (including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria) to pull out of the Global Compact for migration has seriously affected the spirit of multilateralism.
UNDP/Taylor Rees
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Cutting emissions, one bog at a time
27 November 2018
Climate Change
Farmers and entrepreneurs in rural eastern Europe are helping to tackle climate change while boosting their livelihoods as a result of regenerating ancient wetland peat bogs.
UNDP Eurasia
‘At risk’ Mediterranean forests make ‘vital contributions’ to development
27 November 2018
SDGs
Between 2010 and 2015, forests around the Mediterranean have expanded by two per cent, but that has come at the price of significant degradation and increasing vulnerability to climate change, population pressures, wildfires and water scarcity, warned a new UN report launched on Tuesday.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
UN chief highlights action across borders for ‘stable and prosperous Eurasia’
27 November 2018
Peace and Security
Challenges such as climate change, violent extremism, illegal drugs and people trafficking, all require countries to work together across borders, to formulate creative and coordinated solutions, the United Nations Secretary-General said on Tuesday.
UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0218/Romenzi
Suffering of thousands of war-affected Syrian children ‘unprecedented and unacceptable’
27 November 2018
Peace and Security
Well over 7,000 child casualties in Syria’s brutal armed conflict have been verified over the last five years, but this is just “the tip of the iceberg,” the United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the crisis lamented on Tuesday, with thousands more cases likely going unreported.
UN Spokesperson
UN launches new fund to advance sustainable development in Aral Sea region
27 November 2018
Economic Development
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to fund a new initiative designed to reduce vulnerability, advance sustainable development and create decent living conditions for millions of people living around the Aral Sea, whose basin encompasses Uzbekistan, and six other countries in Central Asia.
World Bank/Jutta Benzenberg
CO2 emissions on the rise for first time in four years, UN agency warns
27 November 2018
Climate Change
A new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose again during 2017 after a three year hiatus, highlighting the imperative for countries to deliver on the historic Paris Agreement to keep global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
UNICEF/Anmar
‘Dire consequences’ for a million children in the Middle East, North Africa, as funding dwindles
27 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Amidst a $33 million funding shortfall, plunging temperatures in the Middle East and North Africa pose a major threat to children in the region, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
UN Geneva/Daniel Johnson
Despite violence, ‘tremendous hunger’ for peace in Afghanistan: top UN official
27 November 2018
Peace and Security
A high-level international conferenceon Afghanistan got underway at the UN in Geneva on Tuesday to show solidarity for the war-torn country’s people and help strengthen Government efforts to promote development, along with wider peace and security.
UNDP Chad/Jean Damascene Hakuzim
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Lake Chad trees keep deadly drought at bay
26 November 2018
Climate Change
Tens of thousands of drought-resistant trees are being planted with the support of the UN in the Lake Chad region to restore vegetation cover around the lake, help farmers adapt to climate change, and support women's economic initiatives.
UN Somalia (file)
Somalia: UN mission head condemns deadly terrorist attacks in Mogadishu, Galkayo
26 November 2018
Peace and Security
The top United Nations official in Somalia has “strongly condemned” terrorist attacks in the north-central city of Galkayo and in the Somali capital on Monday, which left a prominent cleric and a number of other civilians dead.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN urges Russia and Ukraine to step away from further confrontation at sea
26 November 2018
Peace and Security
An “immediate de-escalation” of tensions is needed in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, the United Nations top political official has said, underlining the importance of “earnest attempts” to find a peaceful resolution to years of simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
© ILO/Marcel Crozet
Take-home pay growing at lowest level since 2008, as gender-gap persists: UN labour agency
26 November 2018
Economic Development
Wages grew higher and faster in less well-off countries last year than in richer nations, but salaries are still far too low in the developing world, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Monday, with growth overall at its lowest since the 2008 global recession.
OCHA/Yasmina Guerda
Guterres censures terrorist attacks in Nigeria, pledges UN ‘solidarity’
26 November 2018
Peace and Security
Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the recurrent attacks by terrorists and other extremist groups in northern Nigeria that have taken a heavy toll on civilians and security forces.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin (file)
UN chief ‘following very closely’ reports of chemical weapons use in Syria’s Aleppo
25 November 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has underlined that any use of chemical weapons against civilians and under any circumstances is a clear violation of international law, amid reports of their alleged use in Syria’s war-battered Aleppo.
Iason Athanasiadis/UNSMIL
Libya: UN Mission condemns deadly attack against police in country’s south-east
25 November 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned a terrorist attack on a police station in Tezirbu, an oasis town in south-east of the country.
Denis Bocquet
Violence against women a ‘mark of shame’ on our societies, says UN chief on World Day
25 November 2018
Women
Violence against women and girls is not only a fundamental human rights issue but also a “moral affront” against them and a “mark of shame” on all societies, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has said, calling greater action by everyone around the world to root out the scourge.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine
Pakistan: UN Security Council condemns ‘heinous and cowardly’ terrorist attacks
24 November 2018
Peace and Security
The United Nations Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” Friday’s terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s Karachi city and in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that claimed dozens of lives and left many more injured.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN chief condemns deadly attacks in Pakistan
23 November 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned terrorist attacks in the Pakistani city of Karachi and at a market in the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and expressed hope that those behind the acts will be swiftly brought to justice.
UNDP Chad/Jean Damascene Hakuzim
#TakeYourSeat at the UN Climate Change Conference: a way for all people to join the global conversation
23 November 2018
Climate Change
To bring the voice of the people to the upcoming Climate Change Conference in Poland (known by the shorthand 'COP 24', from 2 to 14 December), the United Nations has launched the ‘People’s Seat’ initiative, calling millions of change advocates worldwide to submit messages for an address that will be delivered to leaders attending the conference, by renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
UNICEF
In Yemen, Special Envoy sees UN role in preserving ‘essential’ aid pipeline at country's major port
23 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations should “actively and urgently” pursue negotiations for a leading role in aiding the humanitarian crisis in Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah, the top UN envoy for the war-torn country urged Friday.
Álvaro Navarro/Artículo 66
Respect people’s peaceful assembly and fair trail rights, UN human rights wing urges Nicaragua
23 November 2018
Human Rights
Nicaragua must respect the rights to free opinion and expression and to peaceful assembly, the United Nations human rights wing said on Friday, amid reports that authorities are continuing to criminalize legitimate actions of social leaders and others associated with protests that erupted in the country earlier this year.
© UNHCR/Noor Elshin
UN agencies call for more resettlement and end to detention of asylum seekers in Libya
23 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Denouncing the dangers faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) called on Friday for an end to their detention and advised those intercepting or rescuing them at sea against returning them to a country where they face “squalid conditions”.
UN Photo/ Violaine Martin
Guatemala Dos Erres massacre conviction welcomed by UN human rights office
23 November 2018
Human Rights
The conviction of a former Guatemalan soldier involved in the mass killing of villagers in an infamous massacre during the country’s civil war has been welcomed by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
UN Photo/Antonio Fiorente
UN chief commends African Union on adoption of institutional reforms
23 November 2018
Economic Development
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has commended the African Union, a UN peace partner, and its leadership for progress achieved on institutional reform, adopted at the continental organization’s Assembly meeting.
© UNICEF/Ahmed Abdulhaleem
Top UN officials sound alarm as Yemen fighting nears vital hospital in port city of Hudaydah
22 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
As fighting in Yemen edges closer to the main healthcare practice in the port city of Hudaydah, the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) joined the world body’s humanitarian chief on Thursday to urge the warring parties not to target or occupy any civilian sites – including Al Thawrah Hospital.
World Bank/Lundrim Aliu
Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere break another record, UN report shows
22 November 2018
Climate Change
Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to a reportissued on Thursday by the United Nations weather agency, which reveals that there is no sign of reversal of this trend, responsible for climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather.
AFP PHOTO/MUJAHID SAFODIEN
To win combat against HIV worldwide, ‘knowledge is power’, says UNAIDS report
21 November 2018
Health
Ahead of World AIDS Day, marked every year on 1 December, the United Nations issued a report on Thursday that highlights the critical importance of scaling up HIV testing worldwide. Titled Knowledge is Power, it presents evidence on progress made against AIDS thanks to early detection and treatment and calls on countries to step up their efforts.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Burundian must take lead in launching inclusive dialogue to end political crisis – UN envoy
21 November 2018
Peace and Security
The absence of an inclusive political dialogue in Burundi has left country fragile amid the humanitarian, economic and financial difficulties and ongoing security threats, the United Nations Special Envoythere told the Security Council on Wednesday.
UNMISS/Eric Kanalstein
Future of our planet hinges on action by today’s youth – UN deputy chief
21 November 2018
Climate Change
Protecting the planet rests on this generation’s youth and their inclination “to hold leaders and decision-makers accountable,” especially in the combat against climate change, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told university students in China today.
UNSOM
UN police officer recognized for protecting vulnerable Somali women from abuse
21 November 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Police Officer Phyllis Osei has been awarded the 2018 UN Female Police Officer Award, in recognition for her outstanding work with the UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), at a ceremony in New York on Monday.
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
UN General Assembly President defends ‘landmark’ migration compact
21 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Addressing recent reports that some countries are backing out of the United Nations global migration compact set to be adopted in December, UN General Assembly President Maria Espinosa on Wednesday defended the accord as a tool that would ensure all migrants everywhere have their rights safeguarded.
FAO
With field schools in Kenya, UN agriculture agency teaches techniques to combat drought
21 November 2018
SDGs
To strengthen resilience in the Horn of Africa against natural hazards like drought, which can lead to cattle losses and increased food insecurity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is supporting pastoralists in northeastern Kenya’s Mandera County to grow pasture for livestock.
UNMAS/Cengiz Yar
Landmine casualties high for third consecutive year despite record funding, latest monitor reports
21 November 2018
Peace and Security
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to rid the world of landmines, the number of casualties caused by explosive remnants of war (ERW) remains high, according to the latest UN-backed civil society report on the issue, published on Tuesday.
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UNDP Rwanda/Alice Kayibanda
New energy security framework will help meet growing needs in East Africa, sustainably – UN economic wing
21 November 2018
SDGs
Backed by the United Nations, countries in eastern Africa have launched a new energy security framework to help tackle growing challenges over energy access and availability in the region.
UN Photo/Kibae Park
At UN forum, Asia-Pacific countries highlight importance of transport for sustainable development
21 November 2018
Economic Development
Gathered at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Organization’s development wing in the region, countries have highlighted how new technologies – especially smart devices – are making transport systems safer and greener.
OCHA/Maria Rosaria Bruno
Central African Republic: UN warns that more than six in 10 people now need urgent humanitarian assistance
21 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
People’s needs in Central African Republic (CAR) have increased significantly in recent months, the top United Nations aid official in the country warned on Wednesday, amid worsening localized violence that has included the recent torching of two camps for displaced people.
World Bank/Scott Wallace
After decade of progress, rural areas of Latin America, Caribbean slide back into poverty – UN report
21 November 2018
Economic Development
For the first time in a decade, the number of people falling into poverty in rural Latin America and the Caribbean has increased by two million, according to a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, which called the worrying trend a “historical reversal.”
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN chief condemns deadly terrorist attack in Kabul
20 November 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has “strongly condemned” the terrorist attack targeting a religious gathering in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which claimed dozens of civilian lives.
UN Geneva/Violaine Martin
Cameroon violence condemned by UN human rights office in appeal for dialogue to address grievances
20 November 2018
Human Rights
Continuing insecurity in Cameroon has been condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) amid reports of killings by armed groups and State forces that has prompted mass internal displacement.
IFAD/Sanjit Das/Panos
Go ‘beyond-business-as-usual’ to invigorate businesses, entrepreneurship in world’s poorest countries, urges UN agency
20 November 2018
Economic Development
A “pragmatic, strategic and evolutionary” approach is needed in the least developed countries to strengthen their public sector capacity, bring about institutional reform and promote policy learning, a new United Nations report has urged.
Unicef Chad/2017/Azoura
FROM THE FIELD: Children in Lake Chad Basin attend school with help from UN-backed fund
20 November 2018
Culture and Education
Some 3.5 million children living in the Lake Chad Basin in Africa’s Sahel region do not have access to education according to the UN-backed Education Cannot Wait fund.
UN Photo/Marco Dormino
UN chief advocates for a strengthening of peacekeeping in Africa
20 November 2018
Peace and Security
Citing the “encouraging progress” achieved by United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa – which hosts half of all ongoing missions – UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday called the international community to strengthen cooperation and commitment to peacekeeping, during an open debate held at the Security Council.
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IOM/Olivia Headon
UN migration agency builds temporary safe havens to shelter Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
20 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
The United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday that it has upgraded structures in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps as temporary accommodations for emergency situations.
UNICEF/Romenzi
Refugee and migrant children losing over 1.8 million school days, every day – UN report
20 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Migrant and refugee children to face incredible hardships attending schools and accessing education, a new United Nations report released on Tuesday has revealed, highlighting also structural weaknesses in national systems that can sometimes exclude children on the move.
UN Photo/Kevin Jordan
DR Congo violence puts Ebola humanitarian response at risk, UN food relief agency warns
20 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
A spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned any violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that could slow down the humanitarian response to the Ebola outbreak in the vast country’s north-east, following an attack on a UN base and nearby hotels housing UN staff, in the city of Beni on Friday.
UNICEF/UN0248272/Clarke
World Children’s Day: Millie Bobby Brown to #GoBlue as new UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
20 November 2018
Women
On this World Children’s Day, when kids across the globe unite for their rights, Emmy-Nominated actress Millie Bobby Brown has been named the newest United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)Goodwill Ambassador.
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UNDP Guatemala/Caroline Trutmann
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Chocolate, a sweet success in Guatemala
19 November 2018
Climate Change
The reintroduction of smallholder cocoa production in Guatemala is addressing both economic and environmental problems brought on by climate change, thanks to support provided by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Credible, legitimate constitutional committee for post-war Syria ‘may not’ be possible – UN envoy
19 November 2018
Peace and Security
It “may not” be possible to form an inclusive and legitimate constitutional committee in Syria – a way out of the years long crisis plaguing the country – the United Nations negotiator for the conflict-ridden nation has warned.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN Alliance of Civilizations is fundamental to ‘world we need to build’ – Guterres
19 November 2018
Human Rights
The role of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations has never been more relevant to the 2030 Agenda objective of “building more peaceful, just and resilient societies,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, the opening day of the eighth annual Global Forum.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
If any side fails, every side fails – UN envoy for Middle East Peace Process
19 November 2018
Peace and Security
A senior United Nations official has called on the global community to remain committed to the two-state solution in the Middle East peace process, urging efforts to establish an environment conducive to the return of negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
UN Women
Ending inequality means ending ‘global pandemic’ of violence against women – UN chief
19 November 2018
Women
Until women and girls can live free of fear, violence and insecurity, the world cannot pride itself on being fair and equal, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marked annually on 25 November.
UNICEF/UN0161150/Anmar
Conflict and inequality shape children’s lives in Iraq; UNICEF urges ‘right policies’ for protection
19 November 2018
Human Rights
Conflict and inequality remain the defining features of children being raised in Iraq today, according to the first comprehensive survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in seven years.
UNDP Bhutan
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: In Bhutan, nature and people benefit
19 November 2018
Climate Change
Farmers in the mountain kingdom of Bhutan are being helped by the UN to boost their livelihoods using their traditional knowledge while protecting the country’s varied biodiversity.
UNICEF/UNO0255283/Chris Steele-Perkins
UN health agency launches action plan as global malaria cases rise
19 November 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
Targets to reduce global rates of infections and deaths from malaria are not being met, says the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2018 World malaria report, released on Monday.
MINUSCA Photo
Central African Republic: Guterres says UN mission committed to protecting civilians, helping stabilize country, as violence flares
17 November 2018
Peace and Security
Amid a recent uptick in violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said he stood in solidarity with the crisis torn country and warned that attacks against defenseless civilians and UN ‘blue helmets’ may amount to war crimes.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Amid continued suffering in Yemen, UN envoy welcomes reports of reduced violence
16 November 2018
Peace and Security
Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, said that although conflict continues to rage, he welcomed recent reports of reduced violence in the country.
Photo: ECCC
UN genocide adviser welcomes historic conviction of former Khmer Rouge leaders
16 November 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
Friday’s historic conviction by a United Nations-backed international tribunal of two former Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia on genocide charges has been welcomed by the UN Special Adviser on the issue.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
YouTube stars get creative at UN, to promote tolerance
16 November 2018
Peace and Security
Ending intolerance means eliminating one of humanity’s “dark spots,” said Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal, better known as YouTube hip-hop artist and musician, L-FRESH THE LION, in an interview with UN News on Friday, the International Day for Tolerance.
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UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Artificial Intelligence raises ethical, policy challenges – UN expert
16 November 2018
Economic Development
Digital solutions are transforming lives: Think of robots that help the elderly, a mobile phone app that identifies crop pests, or surgical robots in hospitals. These advances are all due to Artificial Intelligence and an extraordinary new era of machine learning.
© UNICEF/UN0162765/Al-Mohibany
UN condemns Syrian 'war on children' as up to 30 reportedly killed in clashes
16 November 2018
Peace and Security
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has expressed alarm at reports that up to 30 children have been killed during recent violence in Al Shafa village, in eastern Syria.
UNMISS/Isaac Billy
South Sudan’s women caught up in ‘futile man’s war’ UN gender equality chief
16 November 2018
Peace and Security
The women of South Sudan are leading calls for political and militia leaders to honour the recent revitalized peace agreement, and end what they regard as a “futile man’s war”, the head of the UN gender equality agency, UN Women, told the Security Council on Friday.
Bassam Khawaja
Brexit poses ‘particular risk’ to British people in poverty: UN independent expert
16 November 2018
Human Rights
Brexit – the United Kingdom’s impending exit from the European Union – will drive more UK citizens into poverty unless the Government takes action to shield the most vulnerable, warned Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, in a damning statement released on Friday.
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© UNHCR/Chris Melzer
UNICEF welcomes Bangladesh statement that Rohingya will not be forced to leave
16 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday welcomed confirmation from the Bangladesh authorities that Rohingya refugees will not be returned to Myanmar against their will, amid reported ongoing rights violations there.
UNDP Timor Leste
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Climate-proofing Timor-Leste
16 November 2018
Climate Change
A new generation of green infrastructure which boosts the local economy, ensures water supplies and protects the environment is being built in Timor-Leste thanks to the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
WFP
Senior UN adviser sees ‘rare’ victory for humanitarian diplomacy as aid convoy reaches desert camp in Syria
15 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Following successful delivery of lifesaving aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in the ‘desolate’ area around Rukban camp last week, the United Nations is working urgently to send another convoy of supplies by mid-December, Jan Egeland, Senior Advisor to the UN Special Envoy on Yemen toldreporters on Thursday.
UN Photo/Kevin Jordan
UN chief condemns killing of ‘blue helmets’ in DR Congo, as violence erupts prior to elections
15 November 2018
Peace and Security
United Nations Secretary-General António Gutteres condemned the killing of seven peacekeepers on Wednesday serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is also confronting a lethal Ebola outbreak.
OCHA Ukraine/O.Gaskevych
Ukraine: Temperatures plunge amid rising humanitarian needs
15 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Amidst an ongoing active conflict that seems to have fallen off the international community’s radar, temperatures in eastern Ukraine dropping well below zero and leaving millions are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, said the United Nations, calling for support.
MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko
Sahel States need international support ‘now more than ever’– UN peacekeeping chief
15 November 2018
Peace and Security
Africa’s crisis-torn Sahel region needs support from the international community “now more than ever,” the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the Security Council on Thursday.
WFP/Marco Frattini
‘Let the children live’: UN prepares to ramp up food aid to Yemen as famine risk grows
15 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
As the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to ramp up aid to Yemen, in the face of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, David Beasley, Executive-Director of the agency, issued a heartfelt plea for all warring parties to end “this horrible war.”
UN Photo/H Arvidsson
Return of Kuwaiti property by Iraq, signals hope of ‘full normalization’ between nations: UN Chief
14 November 2018
Peace and Security
The Iraqi government’s latest moves toward constructive engagement with Kuwait mark a step towards “the full normalization” of relations between the two countries following decades of strained relations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Everyone’s ‘buy-in’ needed to restore peace in Kosovo, UN envoy tells Security Council
14 November 2018
Peace and Security
The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have confirmed their “mutual intention” to continue working towards a negotiated settlement but the situation on the ground remains marred by “frequent adversarial actions,” with real consequences for people on the ground, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday.
FAO/Rachael Nandalenga
Farmers on the frontline in battle against drug-resistant microbes: UN health agency
14 November 2018
Health
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has revealed that as some 700,000 people are dying each year from antimicrobial resistant infections, an untold number of sick animals are also suffering from diseases that do not respond to treatment.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Eritrea sanctions lifted amid growing rapprochement with Ethiopia: Security Council
14 November 2018
Peace and Security
A range of international sanctions imposed against Eritrea nearly a decade ago, were unanimously lifted by the Security Council on Wednesday, four months after the signing of an historic peace agreement with Ethiopia in July.
WHO/T. Habjouqa
‘Make healthy choices’ urges UN agency, to prevent and manage chronic diabetes
14 November 2018
Health
The global prevalence of adult diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, World Diabetes Day, with the call to “eat healthily, be physically active and avoid excessive weight gain.”
Cinzia Osele Bismarck / Coral Reef Image Bank
Coral reefs can’t wait for world to take action, urges UN, as Biodiversity Conference gets underway
14 November 2018
Climate Change
Sounding the alarm about the urgent need to protect coral reefs from extinction within decades, a new coalition of organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was launched on Wednesday in Egypt during the UN Biodiversity Conference, to galvanize global leadership before it is too late.
UNIC Tokyo/Takashi Okano
UN and Tokyo 2020, leverage power of Olympic Games in global sustainable development race
14 November 2018
SDGs
The United Nations and the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have signed an agreement to highlight the important contribution that sport makes in the race to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by the ambitious deadline of 2030.
UNDP/Clotilde Goeman
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: DR Congo Prospers from Environmental Protection
13 November 2018
Climate Change
Families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are being supported by their government and the United Nations to protect the environment and build what the UN Development Programme calls “climate-resilient lives.”
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Help build vulnerable island States’ resilience to extreme weather, urges senior UN official
13 November 2018
Climate Change
With Small Island Developing States (SIDS) bearing the brunt of economic losses from climate change, making them more resilient to extreme weather events must be a priority, said Inga Rhonda King, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), speaking at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
MONUSCO/Mamadou Alain Coulibaly
Government must ‘secure’ polls in key DR Congo vote due next month: UN envoy
13 November 2018
Peace and Security
With key national elections due next month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), armed groups in the east of the country still threaten to derail the vote, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.
UN Photo/WFP/Phil Behan
Building climate resilience and peace, go hand in hand for Africa’s Sahel – UN forum
13 November 2018
Peace and Security
To build a sustainable peace in Africa’s Sahel region, “urgent attention” is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure that communities have access to sufficient opportunities, a joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Peacebuilding Commissionhighlighted on Tuesday.
UNICEF/Brown
‘Terror and panic’ among Rohingya who may be forced to return to Myanmar – UN rights chief
13 November 2018
Human Rights
There is “terror and panic” among Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will, the United Nations top human rights official has said, warning that the returns would seriously endanger the lives of those sent back.
UNAMI
Outgoing UN official praises Iraq’s ‘exemplary peaceful transfer of power’ at the top
13 November 2018
Peace and Security
In his last briefing as the top United Nations official in Iraq, Ján Kubiš updated the Security Council on the country’s post-election political settlement, commending the “exemplary peaceful transfer of power” between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his successor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who was sworn in at the end of October.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN receives ‘Humanium’ wristwatch gift, symbolizing peaceful transformation
13 November 2018
Peace and Security
On Friday, the United Nations disarmament chief was presented with a watch that does more than just tell the time. Made from “Humanium” – a metal processed from confiscated firearms in El Salvador – it symbolizes how peaceful transformation can be wrought from bloody conflict.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
United States: UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly California wildfires
13 November 2018
Climate Change
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of lives and damages caused by devastating wildfires in the state of California in the United States.
© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba
Gaza: deadly violence continues to escalate, top UN officials work to restore calm
13 November 2018
Peace and Security
As violence in the Gaza Strip is once again flaring up reportedly following a raid and bombings by Israeli forces and multiple rocket launches from inside the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Tuesday that he was following developments closely, while his Special Coordinator for the region, Nickolay Mladenov, works with all sides to try and restore calm.
Audio - 7'46" Playlist
WFP/Marco Frattini
UN food agency appeals for access to key storage facility amid fight for Hudaydah
13 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
UN humanitarian agency the World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for access to a key storage facility in the port of Hudaydah, which is now under the control of a Saudi-led military coalition that supports the internationally recognized Government.
© UNHCR/Diana Diaz
‘12 million’ stateless people globally, warns UNHCR chief in call to States for decisive action
12 November 2018
Human Rights
An estimated 12 million people may be victims of statelessness the impact of which is “immediate and can be dire”, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.
UNDP SGP Panama/Andrea Egan
CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Cows, coffee and sustainable farming
12 November 2018
Climate Change
Small-scale farms in Panama are helping to heal land degraded by extensive cattle ranching and extreme rainfall or drought associated with climate change, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme, (UNDP).
Scott Kelly/NASA
UN forum to bring ‘big space data’ benefits to disaster response in Africa
12 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Outer space and disaster response experts, on Monday, gathered at a United Nations forum in Bonn, Germany, to discuss how “big data” including social media, crowdsourcing and satellite imaging, can reduce the risk of natural disasters in Africa and support response efforts when they strike.
© World Bank/Charlotte Kesl
Antimicrobial resistance a 'global health emergency,' UN, ahead of awareness week
12 November 2018
Health
By 2050, some five million people could die each year in Asia alone due to resistance to antibiotic medicines or antimicrobials, according to UN agencies.
Audio - 6'59" Playlist
@ UNESCO/Christelle Alix
Marginalized voices must be ‘included and amplified’ in digital technology space: UN Chief
12 November 2018
Economic Development
New thinking is needed to better address deep gender gaps in access to digital technologies, seek out networks of the increasingly active elderly population, and support young people facing a rapidly transforming labour market, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates on Monday, at the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted in Paris by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UN Photo/Manuel Elias
UN experts concerned over racial bias in Dutch child welfare system
12 November 2018
Human Rights
The Dutch authorities have been accused by UN experts of racism in the country’s welfare system, after seven children of African descent were forcibly removed from their parents.
UNHCR/Chris Melzer
Rohingya returns only ‘at their freely expressed wish’ – UN refugee chief
12 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Returns of Rohingya refugees, forced to flee their homes due to widespread and systematic violence in northern Myanmar, “should only take place at their freely expressed wish” the United Nations top refugee official has stressed, amid concerns that conditions at places of origin are not yet conducive to safe, dignified and sustainable returns.
UNESCO/Luis Abad
When nations work together, hope prevails and collective solutions can be found - UN chief tells Peace Forum, marking World War centenary in Paris
11 November 2018
Peace and Security
From conflict and economic downturn to disease and climate change, global problems require “more than ever” a strengthening of international cooperation, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders at the Paris Peace Forum on Sunday, commemorating 100 years since the end of the First World War.
UN Photo/Stuart Price
Somalia: UN Security Council condemns terrorist attack in which dozens were killed or injured
11 November 2018
Peace and Security
The members of the United Nations Security Council, on Saturday, condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Friday’s car bomb attack in Somalia, in which dozens of innocent women, children and men were killed or injured, and reiterated that any acts of terrorism are "criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed".
World Bank/ Ivelina Taushanova
UN chief appoints Luis Alfonso de Alba as Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit
10 November 2018
Climate Change
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Friday the appointment of Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico as his Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit.
WFP/Jonathan Dumont
States with power and influence to end suffering of Yemenis must take action ‘immediately’ – UN rights chief
10 November 2018
Human Rights
“Outraged” by the “unconscionable toll” caused by the escalation of hostilities in Yemen, the UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Saturday, urged the warring parties and those supplying them with weapons, to take immediate steps to end the suffering of civilians.
UNIC Mexico/Antonio Nieto
US must abide by humanitarian refugee accords: UN refugee agency
9 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Responding to United States President Donald Trump’s proclamation which would deny political asylum to migrants crossing illegally into the country, the UN refugee agency UNHCR, released a statement on Friday saying that the US must abide by international refugee protection accords.
IAEA/Dean Calma
UN nuclear watchdog will help verify DPRK nuclear programme, if agreement forthcoming
9 November 2018
Peace and Security
North Korea’s continuing nuclear programme is clearly in violation of Security Council resolutions and “deeply regrettable,” the United Nations top nuclear official has said.
UN Photo/Stuart Price
Somalis ‘will not be deterred’ by Friday’s terror attacks – UN chief
9 November 2018
Peace and Security
Following Friday’s bomb attacks and gunfire in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, UN Chief António Guterres on Friday expressed his faith that Somalis “will not be deterred” in their pursuit of lasting peace and political stability.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
On Kristallnacht anniversary, UN chief urges renewed fight against 'crime' of anti-Semitism
9 November 2018
Human Rights
Political leaders have not yet taken up their responsibility to speak out loudly against neo-Nazism, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday, warning that anti-Semitism is on the rise.
UNHCR/Roqan Ojomo
Fleeing violence, Cameroonian refugee arrivals in Nigeria pass 30,000, reports UN refugee agency
9 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
The number of Cameroonians fleeing violence and seeking refuge in neighbouring Nigeria has crossed the 30,000-mark, the United Nations refugee agency has said, highlighting that the needs on the ground are outpacing assistance efforts.
UNICEF/ Aaref Watad
Humanitarian aid convoy to Syria’s Rukban camp: Mission Accomplished
9 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations and partners concluded a six-day humanitarian aid operation, providing lifesaving aid to around 50,000 mostly women and children living in southeast Syria’s Rukban camp – the first supplies they had received since January.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Multilateralism more vital than ever, as World War centenary looms: Security Council
9 November 2018
UN Affairs
With the centenary of the end of the First World War just days away, the Security Council reaffirmed the crucial importance of multilateralism – or international cooperation and collective problem-solving – and highlighted the key role played by the United Nations since its creation 73 years ago.
© UNICEF/Ahmed Abdulhaleem
Yemen: Major UN aid boost for ‘up to 14 million’ as country risks becoming a land of ‘living ghosts’
9 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Efforts are being made to step up life-saving aid from eight million, to 14 million stricken Yemenis a month, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, before urging warring parties to spare the key Red Sea port of Hudaydah, which is a lifeline for the whole country.
UNHCR/Tarik Argaz
Ceasefire holds in Tripoli, but core problems remain, says UN Libya mission chief
8 November 2018
Peace and Security
The recent ceasefire in Libya’s capital Tripoli, brokered by the United Nations mission in the country, is holding, its head told the Security Council on Thursday, highlighting efforts to sustain the calm and help secure lasting peace.
Daniil Nenashev/World Bank
Every bite of burger boosts harmful greenhouse gases: UN Environment Agency
8 November 2018
Climate Change
Even though meat production is known to be a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, worldwide demand for meat continues to rise, said UN environment agency, UNEP, in a statement released on Thursday.
Michael Anaya Gorman
UN gender agency hails record-breaking number of women in new US Congress as ‘historic victory’
8 November 2018
Women
The record number of women who stood as candidates in the United States Congressional elections this week marks an “unprecedented” advance “critical for the achievement of gender equality and sustainable development,” the UN gender equality agency, UN Women, said in a statement on Thursday.
UNICEF/Thomas Nybo
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo conflict zone ‘remains dangerous and unpredictable’ – UN chiefs
8 November 2018
Health
While new measures to tackle the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are working, the epidemic remains dangerous and unpredictable, the United Nations said on Thursday.
WFP/David Longstreath
Civil society groups matter for Cambodia’s sustainable development: UN expert
8 November 2018
Human Rights
The Cambodian Government must work in tandem with civil society groups and build its policies around citizens’ human rights, if the country is to see durable peace and sustainable development, a UN expert urged on Friday.
© UNHCR/Paul Smith
UN sounds alarm as Venezuelan refugees and migrants passes three million mark
8 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The number of refugees and migrants who have left Venezuela worldwide has now reached three million, the two main United Nations agencies advocating for them announced on Thursday, flagging the need to increase support for the countries which are hosting large numbers of displaced Venezuelans.
Audio - 6'10" Playlist
UNRWA/Khalil Adwan
Despite funding crisis, Palestine refugee classrooms set to stay open, says UNRWA
8 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) looks set to keep its classrooms open for the rest of the school year, despite earlier fears that they would have to close within the next few weeks, due to steep funding cuts, the agency told UN News in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Civilians suffering due to sanctions must be spared ‘collective punishment’ urges UN rights expert
8 November 2018
Human Rights
Innocent civilians must not be exposed to “collective punishment” in disputes between two States, a United Nations human rights expert has said, calling for greater protection for ordinary people affected by punitive sanctions imposed by one country on another.
UNICEF/UN0219088/Modola
Halt ‘rushed plans’ to return Rohingyas to Myanmar, pleads UN expert fearing repeated abuses
7 November 2018
Human Rights
A United Nations human rights expert has implored Bangladesh to shelve “rushed plans” to repatriate Rohingya refugees back across the border into Myanmar’s Rakhine State for fear that without safety guarantees from the Burmese Government, persecution and horrific violence could begin all over again.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
International crime gangs amass ‘staggering’ profits in conflict zones, expert tells Security Council
7 November 2018
Peace and Security
During a Tuesday briefing to the Security Council, Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, described the problem as a “global and accelerating phenomenon, and a threat to international peace and security,” that, in conflict areas alone, is generating around $31.5 billion in illicit profits.
Audio - 7' Playlist
© FAO/G. Agostinucci
Poor diets threaten health more than malaria, tuberculosis, measles – new UN report
7 November 2018
Health
With one-in-five deaths associated with poor-quality diets, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a co-authored report on Wednesday, urging policymakers to reduce food loss and waste, to improve access to nutritious and healthy food.
UN Geneva/Daniel Johnson
Mexico urged to continue progress on enforced disappearances, women’s rights and press freedom
7 November 2018
Human Rights
Mexico faces “considerable challenges” in guaranteeing people’s human rights, its ambassador in Geneva told UN Member States on Wednesday, before being urged to continue tackling corruption and impunity relating to a range of violations including enforced disappearances and torture.
©Alex Webb/Magnum Photos for FAO
Hunger and obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean compounded by inequality: UN report
7 November 2018
Health
For the third consecutive year, the number of those chronically hungry has increased in Latin America and the Caribbean, while 250 million – 60 percent of the regional population - are obese or overweight, representing the biggest threat to nutritional health, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday.
© UNICEF/Thomas Nybo
Frontline workers vaccinated in Uganda over Ebola fears, as top UN officials visit outbreak epicentre in DR Congo
7 November 2018
Health
The World Health Organization (WHO), and Ugandan Ministry of Health, have begun vaccinating frontline health workers in the country against Ebola, in a bid to stop an outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic of Congo (DRC) from crossing the border.
UNMISS/Eric Kanalstein
FROM THE FIELD: South Sudan's green shoots, highlight environmental recovery from war
7 November 2018
Climate Change
Some 5,000 seedlings of trees indigenous to South Sudan are being distributed to schools, sports centres and other public meeting places by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, UNMISS, as part of its commitment to countering climate change.
UN Photo/Marco Dormino
UN must bring more women police officers into the fold to be effective – UN peacekeeping official
6 November 2018
Peace and Security
More women officers are needed at UN Police, to make the work of the Organization more efficient and reach the whole population they are meant to serve, a senior United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council on Tuesday, adding that, “to reach our full potential, we must bring more women police officers into the fold.”
UNICEF/Karel Prinsloo
UN chief condemns student abductions in north-west Cameroon
6 November 2018
Human Rights
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Monday’s reported kidnapping of students and staff from a secondary school in Bamenda, North-West region of Cameroon.
OCHA/Giles Clarke
Dozens of children at risk as clashes in Hudaydah near hospital – UNICEF
6 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Intense fighting near a major hospital in the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah has put scores of children at “imminent risk of death”, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday, calling on the warring parties to stop hostilities near the medical centre and allow those in need to safely access treatment.
UN Geneva/Daniel Johnson
China hails human rights progress amid calls to close detention camps
6 November 2018
Human Rights
China has pledged to eradicate poverty in rural areas by 2020 during a scheduled United Nations review of the country’s human rights record, amid concerns over the alleged arbitrary detention of religious and ethnic minorities there.
UNICEF/Tanya Bindra
Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants kick off a global migration search movement
6 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
As mothers searching for the whereabouts of their migrant children amassed last weekend in Mexico City, a historic nine countries were represented, as well as the United Nations International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project.
Yorgos Kyvernitis
‘Time is of the essence’ for refugees on Greek islands – UN agency
6 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
Authorities in Greece must take urgent steps to address the “abhorrent”humanitarian situation for around 11,000 asylum-seekers on the islands of Samos and Lesvos, the UN refugee agency warned on Tuesday.
UNAMA / Mujeeb Rahman
Taliban-led violence during recent Afghan polls leaves record high numbers of civilians dead – UN
6 November 2018
Peace and Security
The Taliban’s campaign of violence and intimidation during last month’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan was the deadliest for civilians in years, a reportby the United Nations mission in the country, UNAMA, revealed on Tuesday.
UNAMI/Celia Thompson
ISIL’s ‘legacy of terror’ in Iraq: UN verifies over 200 mass graves
6 November 2018
Human Rights
Investigators have uncovered more than 200 mass graves containing thousands of bodies in areas of Iraq formerly controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), according to a United Nations human rights report out on Tuesday.
Screenshot
‘Warp speed’ technology must be ‘force for good’ UN chief tells web leaders
5 November 2018
Economic Development
Technological advances are happening “at a warp speed,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in Lisbon, Portugal, as a major three-day Web Summit got underway.
UN Photo/Hervé Serefio
UN recorded 64 new allegations of sexual exploitation or abuse in the past three months
5 November 2018
UN Affairs
Across its various offices, agencies, and partner organisations implementing its programmes, the United Nations received 64 new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), involving 77 victims, between July and September, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday.
Audio - 4'22" Playlist
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre
Prosecution of Paraguay judges over peasant ‘massacre’ ruling could undermine rule of law: UN expert
5 November 2018
Human Rights
The planned prosecution of Supreme Court judges who acquitted 11 peasant farmers jailed over the death of police officers during a violent land eviction in 2012, known as the Curuguaty Massacre”, could undermine the rule of law, a UN expert said on Monday.
UNICEF/UNI150195/Diffidenti
Ending use of chemical weapons in Syria: ‘still work to be done’, says UN disarmament chief
5 November 2018
Peace and Security
As inspections and investigations continue into several reported instances of chemical weapons use against civilians in Syria, the United Nations High Representative on Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, told the Security Council on Monday that much remains to be done to end their use, and called for international unity.
UN Geneva/Daniel Johnson
Saudi Arabia expresses ‘regret and pain’ over Khashoggi killing, during UN rights review
5 November 2018
Human Rights
Saudi Arabia expressed “regret and pain” for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, during a scheduled review session at the UN in Geneva on Monday, while asserting its commitment to achieving the “highest possible standards” in human rights in the country, including for women and migrants
UNICEF/Arimacs Wilander
‘Rare but devastating’ tsunamis underscore need for better preparation, UN chief urges on World Day
5 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater preparedness to offset the disastrous impact of tsunamis, which are causing increasing human, economic and development losses, illustrated most recently by the destruction across the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Photo: UNEP
Healing of ozone layer gives hope for climate action: UN report
5 November 2018
Climate Change
The findings of a new UN-backed report, released on Monday, showing the ongoing healing of the ozone layer, are being hailed as a demonstration of what global agreements can achieve, and an inspiration for more ambitious climate action to halt a catastrophic rise in world temperatures.
UN Photo/Elma Okic
Saudi Arabia, China, among 14 nations under UN human rights spotlight: what you need to know
5 November 2018
Human Rights
The United Nation’s highest human rights body, the Human Rights Council (HRC), will start reviewing on Monday the track records of 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia and China. Here’s our UN News guide to how it works and why it matters.
UN OCHA/Giles Clarke
Yemen: 'Living hell' for all children, says UNICEF; Angelia Jolie calls for ‘lasting ceasefire’
4 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Some 30,000 children in Yemen die each year of malnutrition, Geert Cappelaere, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa told reporters on Sunday after visiting the country – calling it “a living hell for children.”
IOM / Rafael Rodríguez
UN agency assists Central American caravan migrants, voices concern for receiving countries
3 November 2018
Migrants and Refugees
The United Nations Migration Agency, IOM, is providing support and assistance to migrants crossing Central America in several self-styled caravans, while expressing concern over “the stress and demands” they are placing on host countries.
WFP/Marwa Awad
Syria: UN chief welcomes first aid convoy to Rukban camp since January, joint agency operation assists 50,000
3 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations and Syrian Arabic Red Crescent (SARC) kicked off a joint aid operation on Saturday, delivering vital humanitarian assistance to 50,000 people in south-east Syria’s Rukban camp, near the Jordanian border.
UN Photo/Elma Okic
Saudi Arabia, China, among 14 nations under UN human rights spotlight: what you need to know
2 November 2018
Human Rights
The United Nation’s highest human rights body, the Human Rights Council (HRC), will start reviewing on Monday the track records of 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia and China. Here’s our UN News guide to how it works and why it matters.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
International court rejects Saif Gaddafi call to drop arrest warrant
2 November 2018
Law and Crime Prevention
A call by Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi – son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and de facto Prime Minister of the country during the time of his father’s rule – for an international arrest warrant against him to be ruled inadmissible, was rejected by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Friday.
WFP/Jonathan Dumont
Yemen: UN chief hails ‘signs of hope’ in world’s worst man-made humanitarian disaster
2 November 2018
Peace and Security
Welcoming recent indications that peace talks could resume soon to end Yemen’s brutal civil conflict, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday there is “no room for complacency,” and called on the warring parties and the international community to “halt the senseless cycle of violence” and “reach a political settlement”.
FAO/Alessandro Stelzer
More countries partner to target ‘zero hunger’ in global south
2 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
More than 20 countries committed to a new declaration on agricultural and rural development on Friday, in a bid to stamp out poverty and hunger. The commitment came at the end of a forum on international development cooperation in Changsha, China.
Benson Kua
UN rights chief warns of potential ‘witch-hunt’ as Tanzanian official plans to track and arrest LGBT people
2 November 2018
Human Rights
The United Nations human rights chief has warned that an official campaign in and around the capital of Tanzania to identify and detain anyone suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) “could turn into a witch-hunt.”
Bart Verweij/World Bank
‘Colossal human loss’ threatens Asia, Pacific as hunger fight stalls – UN agencies
2 November 2018
SDGs
Well over half the world’s undernourished people live in the Asia-Pacific region, making it a critical part of the global push to end extreme hunger and malnutrition in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), cautioned a new United Nations report on Friday.
OCHA/Yasmina Guerda
UN urges more protection for Nigeria’s most vulnerable after deadly attack on camp
2 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
Hundreds of people already forced to flee their homes by violence in Nigeria’s troubled north-east have been uprooted once again after deadly attacks in and around a camp where they were sheltering, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said on Friday.
UN Photo/Emmanuel Hungrecker
Death penalty concerns highlighted in Sudan, Belarus, by UN Human Rights Committee
1 November 2018
Human Rights
Countries should heed the “clear pro-abolitionist spirit” towards the death penalty of one of the world’s most important treaties, a key UN independent human rights panel said on Thursday, while highlighting concerns about right-to-life violations in Belarus and Sudan.
UNMISS/Nektarios Markogiannis
As South Sudan celebrates, UN envoy cites trust as future ‘key ingredient’
1 November 2018
Peace and Security
Thousands of elated citizens gathered in South Sudan’s capital of Juba on Wednesday to celebrate an agreement signed in September between the President and his former deputy, which it is hoped will finally end years of brutal conflict across the world’s youngest country.
UNESCO
Killing of journalists ‘outrageous’ and should not be ‘new normal’
1 November 2018
Peace and Security
The killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is “outrageous” and should not become the “new normal” according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
UN General Assembly renews long-standing call for end to US embargo against Cuba
1 November 2018
Economic Development
The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of condemning the United States economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba - a call it has made every year since 1992.
UN OCHA/Giles Clarke
Looming famine in Yemen could put two million mothers at risk of death – UN agency
1 November 2018
Humanitarian Aid
The critical difficulties in accessing food in Yemen, and other hardships caused by the ongoing conflict, could lead to the world’s worst famine ever, and place up to two million malnourished, pregnant and lactating women at risk of death, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, said on Thursday.
FAO/Giulio Napolitano
Fighting ‘existential crisis’ of encroaching desert sands
1 November 2018
Climate Change
In a move described as a landmark decision, the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) – a UN-backed partnership set up to improve Earth observation data-sharing and availability, to benefit all life – has launched a global initiative to reverse the “existential crisis” created by desertification and land degradation.
UN Photo/Ilyas Ahmed
‘Stand-off’ between Somalia’s federal, state authorities could ‘paralyze’ progress – UN envoy
1 November 2018
Peace and Security
Ongoing tensions between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the country’s state authorities were centre stage, as the United Nations top envoy for the country visited the country’s South West State on Wednesday.
